A quick history of contemporary music, from the 50's to today

Understanding music of the times provides a unique mirror of current events, trends and movements in the USA.

Beginning with this article, I'll be pointing you to some of the most successful and popular musical acts of all time. In future articles, I'll point out the musical characteristics and performance styles of various artists, and you will get plenty of opportunities to identify and compare the artists to their peers and among artists from various styles and eras, including... 

pop, rock, R&B, country, alternative, dance/disco, jazz, soul, and hiphop music.

In the left column below, you'll find just some of the most successful artists in their genres throughout the past fifty years, some of those artists have clickable links to let you view a specific song or video from that artist.

In the right column below, you'll find my two class videos providing course orientation. Further below are video links to even more of the artists from various genres and eras.

As you browse through the list and the videos, make a note of any artists you may already be somewhat familiar with...those may be the ones you'll use in the assignment.

CLASS VIDEO #1 on this page contains important class information. It's only 10 minutes.

CLASS VIDEO #2 on this page contains the actual assignment due next week. That's also just 10 minutes.

PS: for those not in my class who may have just stumbled upon this HubPage article or found my video on YouTube, you're welcome to listen to these lecture videos too. If you'd like to learn more about popular music, stick around.

MAKE SURE your computer can display the videos on this page, and that you can hear the audio through your speakers or a headset. Being able to see video and listen to audio are required parts of this course. If the videos seems choppy or broken up, or if the audio sounds distorted, slow or choppy, you will need to find another computer.

Remember, don't start watching & listening to these songs & videos until you find out your assignment, which you'll know after watching the first two class videos above!

POP ARTISTS from the 1950s

Dion & The Belmonts

Shirelles

Diamonds

Del Shannon

Neil Sedaka

Freddie Cannon

POP ARTISTS from the 1960s

Beach Boys

Monkees

Ronnettes

Four Seasons

The Fifth Dimension

Donovan

Strawberry Alarm Clock

POP ARTISTS from the 1970s

Jackson 5

Billy Joel

Carole King

Donna Summer

POP ARTISTS from the 1980s

Michael Jackson

Prince

Lionel Richie

Hall & Oates

Madonna

Culture Club

POP ARTISTS from the 1990s

Mariah Carey

Janet Jackson: "Again" music video

Sinead O'Connor

Gloria Estefan

Sheryl Crow

POP ARTISTS from the 2000s

Maroon 5

Britney Spears

Janet Jackson

Kelly Clarkson: "Walk Away" video

Fergie

Gwen Stefani

Justin Timberlake

Mariah Carey

Rihanna: "Don't Stop The Music" video

Lady GaGa "Poker Face" original song and live performance

ROCK ARTISTS from the 1950s

Elvis Presley

Buddy Holly

Roy Orbison

Bill Haley & The Comets

ROCK ARTISTS from the 1960s

Beatles

Rolling Stones

Cream

Janis Joplin

Doors

Santana

Crosby, Stills & Nash

ROCK ARTISTS from the 1970s

Led Zeppelin: "Black Dog" original audio

Pink Floyd

Eagles

Heart

Aerosmith

Eric Clapton or Cream

Bruce Springsteen

David Bowie

Elton John

Fleetwood Mac

Neil Young

Steely Dan

ZZ Top

ROCK ARTISTS from the 1980s

Genesis/Phil Collins

Duran Duran

Tears for Fears

Motley Crue

ROCK ARTISTS from the 1990s

Nirvana

R. E. M.

U2

ROCK ARTISTS from the 2000s

Finger Eleven

Fall Out Boy

Red Hot Chili Peppers

U2

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 1950s

Chuck Berry

Jerry Lee Lewis

Fats Domino

Isley Brothers

Ray Charles

Temptations

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 1960s

Aretha Franklin

Marvin Gaye

Supremes

B. B. King

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 1970s

Stevie Wonder

Earth, Wind & Fire

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 1980s

Commodores

George Benson

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 1990s

Black Box

C+C Music Factory

SOUL AND R&B ARTISTS from the 2000s

Alicia Keys

Beyonce

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 1950s

Hank Williams

George Jones

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 1960s

Ray Charles

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 1970s

Kenny Rogers

Anne Murray

Eagles

Dolly Parton

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 1980s

Randy Travis

Alabama

George Strait

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 1990s

Garth Brooks

Judds

Faith Hill

Tim McGraw

COUNTRY ARTISTS from the 2000s

Garth Brooks

Carrie Underwood

Taylor Swift:  "Our Song" music video

ALTERNATIVE ARTISTS from the 1980s

A Flock Of Seagulls

ALTERNATIVE ARTISTS from the 1990s

Nirvana

Stone Temple Pilots

Guns N' Roses

ALTERNATIVE ARTISTS from the 2000s

The Killers:  "Mr. Brightside" live in concert

Dashboard Confessional

DANCE / DISCO from the 1970s

Donna Summer

Bee Gees

Chic: "Good Times" live in concert

Barry White

Gloria Gaynor

Van McCoy

DANCE / DISCO from the 1980s

Madonna

Techtronic

Paula Abdul: "Straight Up" music video

DANCE / CLUB music from the 1990s

Usher: "You Make Me Wanna..." music video

 

DANCE / CLUB music from the 2000s

Kanye West:  "Love Lockdown" music video

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 1950s

Miles Davis

Dave Brubeck

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 1960s

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 1970s

Spyro Gyra

George Benson

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 1980s

Kenny G

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 1990s

JAZZ ARTISTS from the 2000s

Diana Krall

 

HIPHOP / RAP ARTISTS from the 1970s

Sugarhill Gang

Kurtis Blow

HIPHOP / RAP ARTISTS from the 1980s

Grandmaster Flash

Run D.M.C.

HIPHOP / RAP ARTISTS from the 1990s

Tone Loc

MC Hammer

Young MC

Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112: "I'll Be Missing You" music video

Snoop Dogg

HIPHOP / RAP ARTISTS from the 2000s

Kanye West

Jay-Z

Eminem

50 Cent

1. email me the info requested in Class Video #2 above (send to me at either TomZ@Jetcast.com or ZareckiT@Briarwood.edu) including your email and phone number, and a bit about your musical knowledge & background, including the specific questions I asked in the video.

2. Pick ANY TWO artists from this page and tell me why you like them or what you find interesting about their style, in your own words. Just one paragraph (4 or 5 sentences) on each one will be fine.  You do not have to compare the two artists. 

If you can't find two artists you already know, just pick two at random where I provide links to the song or the video, or browse for some of their music on YouTube (www.YouTube.com).  Use the two you picked to tell me what you find good or interesting about their music using your own words and feelings about each artist.

Not required: If you want to learn more about any of the artists on this page for your own knowledge, go to Wikipedia (www.Wikipedia.com) and type the artist's name in their search box. They have detailed info on the success stories of thousands of popular performers.

NOTE: Remember, the library on campus has additional computers with headsets (but I recommend you bring your own headset or ear buds) you can use for these assignments, if your computer is too slow or if you'd rather listen to these in the library.

That's it. If you have any problems watching the video on this page or hearing the audio, let me know immediately. Each week will be very different in terms of what types of music we're talking about and what you will be learning.

Thanks, and enjoy the semester!

Tom Z (Tom Zarecki)