Music In The 1960s
When Bob Dylan Bailed On Ed Sullivan Over 'Talkin John ...
May 12, 2021
For a 21-year-old Bob Dylan, a shot at playing the Ed Sullivan Show in 1963 was a priceless. It was the biggest of big breaks. Most artists in such a situati...
April Stevens, 'Teach Me Tiger' & 'Deep Purple' Siren, ...
May 10, 2021
April Stevens is a pop star of the early '60s whose biggest hit, "Deep Purple," reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1963. Stevens often worked with her youn...
How Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Arose From The Byrds, ...
April 2, 2021
Neil Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young pose for a composite publicity photo circa 1970. The Neil Young imag...
Diana Ross: Young Supreme Hit Maker, Then And Now
March 26, 2021
Posed studio portrait of Diana Ross circa 1970. (Photo by RB/Redferns) Diana Ross, born and bred in Detroit, came to fame as the lead singer of Motown’s number one gro...
8-Track Tape History: The Portable Music Format's Rise ...
November 29, 2020
Today the 8-track tape is the ultimate in obsolete technology, but it was once a revolution in music. Music in your car, and not just any music -- you had th...
Linda Martell, The Black Grand Ole Opry Star Who Disapp...
November 18, 2020
R&B and Country singer Linda Martell poses for a portrait circa 1969 in Nashville, Tennessee (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) In a genre dominate...
Surf Music History: The So-Cal Sound Of Dick Dale's Ins...
July 10, 2020
Left: Dick Dale. Right: The Ventures. Sources: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; merchbar.com The story of surf rock and surf guitar has one big hero: Dick ...
1969: The Details Of When Jim Morrison Got Arrested On ...
March 1, 2020
Rock singer Jim Morrison of the Doors posing in front of red and yellow psychedelic backdrop wearing leather head-to-toe. (Photo by Yale Joel/The LIFE Picture C...
Nancy Sinatra Then And Now: Young Pop Icon Who Changed ...
February 26, 2020
Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns Nancy Sinatra in go-go boots singing "These Boots Are Made For Waking" is an era-defining image and sound. No time capsule of th...
'Ballad Of The Green Berets' Singer Barry Sadler's Rise...
June 3, 2019
Left: Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler in 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). Right: Sadler's mug shot from 1979. Courtesy Nashville Metropolitan Po...
Who Was In The Rat Pack? Sinatra's Vegas Crew, Explaine...
February 15, 2019
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop - posed outside Sands Casino, Las Vegas, 1960 at "Summit At Sands" (Photo by GAB Archive...
100 Top Male Singers Of The '50s, '60s, And '70s Who Ch...
February 13, 2019
Musical tastes change, but influence lasts forever. A list of the top 100 male singers of the '50s, '60s and '70s that shaped music history pulls in artists ...
Johnny Cash: True Stories Of The Wildman In Black
February 1, 2019
Johnny Cash at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 1966. (Getty/Photo by Jan Olofsson/Redferns) Even among rough-and-tumble country singers, few lived a life as eventful as...
How Laurel Canyon Became Rock Star Central In The 1960s...
January 30, 2019
'The Hollywood Vampires' (L-R -- John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper and Micky Dolenz) and Anne Murray celebrate an early Thanksgiving at the Troubadour on...
When Rod Stewart Was 'Rod The Mod'
January 6, 2019
Rod Stewart and Faces. Concert in USA. April 1975. Source: (Photo by WATFORD/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images) During the groovy era, countless, hip music artists were front and ...
'Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch?' Why The Four Tops Didn't Like...
December 4, 2018
Released on June 19, 1965, "I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" thrust The Four Tops into the mainstream with their first chart-topping hit. The qu...
Young Buffy Sainte-Marie In The '60s: A Native American...
November 8, 2018
Buffy Sainte-Marie in a studio portrait from 1969; Buffy Sainte-Marie in concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1968. Source: Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Imag...
The Yummy, Gummy And Sugar-Sugary Story Of Bubblegum Po...
October 12, 2018
Who remembers bubblegum pop? Chart hits like the Lemon Pipers' "Green Tambourine," the Music Explosion's "Little Bit O' Soul," and the Archies' "Sugar Sugar"...
How 'Where The Boys Are' Created Spring Break As We Kno...
October 2, 2018
Where The Boys Are, a 1960 book by Glendon Swarthout that became a hit movie starring Connie Francis, Dolores Hart, Yvette Mimieux, and Paula Prentiss, chang...
Frank Zappa: Rock's Greatest Genius, Joker, Or Both?
September 24, 2018
Frank Zappa photographed in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 17 1972 (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns) Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention band was one of th...
Mrs. Elvis: Priscilla Presley's Life With And Without T...
September 22, 2018
Elvis Presley sits cheek to cheek wit his bride, the former Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, following their wedding May 1, 1967; Priscilla photographed at her home in B...
Can You Still Do These 10 Dances From The 1960s?
August 7, 2018
So many great songs of the 1960s inspired their own dances. Teeny-boppers were quick to adopt the dances moves that they observed on television dance shows, like Ameri...
CCR's 'Bad Moon Rising' And The 1941 Movie That Inspire...
July 6, 2018
In March 1969, John Fogerty had just written a song he wasn't too sure about -- nevertheless, he went into the studio to record it with his band, Creedence C...
Simon & Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson:' Where Did You Go, ...
March 20, 2018
Simon & Garfunkel's song "Mrs. Robinson" is almost inseparable from the 1967 film The Graduate, in which it appears. Mrs. Robinson is one of the main charact...
'The House of the Rising Sun:' The Animals' Hit Predate...
March 2, 2018
Single cover for an EMI/Columbia issue of The Animals' 'House Of The Rising Sun.' Source: Amazon "The House of the Rising Sun," was a hit for the British rock...
Top 100 Female Singers Of The '50s, '60s, And '70s
January 30, 2018
Circa 1955: American singer and actor Rosemary Clooney (1928 - 2002) sings and dances in a ballroom or on a stage, accompanied by a pianist and a band. (Photo by Hulton...
Charo, The Eternal 'Cuchi-Cuchi' Girl, Then And Now
January 17, 2018
Charo became a familiar face and figure to American TV viewers in the '70s, making comedic appearances on Chico & The Man, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and just a...
We Still Don't Know What Happened In Bobbie Gentry's 'O...
January 16, 2018
Album cover art for 'Ode To Billie Joe,' and a publicity portrait of Bobbie Gentry. Source: Amazon; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To...
How Jeannie C. Riley's 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' Socked It...
January 2, 2018
In August 1968, country singer Jeannie C. Riley scored a number-one hit with "Harper Valley P.T.A.," a song on an unlikely subject: the parent-teacher associ...
CCR’s Famous Front Man, John Fogerty
December 8, 2017
JANUARY 01: Photo of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL and John FOGERTY; of Creedence Clearwater Revival, posed (Photo by Charlie Gillett/Redferns) Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) ...
Dusty Springfield: 'Son Of A Preacher Man's Singer's Bl...
November 6, 2017
Dusty Springfield in an undated photo. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Singer Dusty Springfield, whose "Son Of A Preacher Man" was a highlight of the Que...
The Meaning Of 'Puff, the Magic Dragon:' Was It All Abo...
November 2, 2017
There has long been a debate about the true meaning of the words to “Puff, the Magic Dragon:" is it a marijuana song or not? The dragon's name is "Puff," and...
Bobby Sherman Was A Teen Idol Then. Now, He's A Life Sa...
October 5, 2017
Bobby Sherman in 1971, and on the cover of 'Fave!' magazine in 1969. Source: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images; Amazon.com Way before there was a Justin...
Girl Groups Of The '60s: Pre-Beatles Queens Of The Pop ...
October 4, 2017
Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, circa 1964. (Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns) Girl groups of the 1960s were responsible for some of the catchiest hits of the ...
'I Got You Babe' Was Sonny & Cher's Biggest Song, And A...
September 26, 2017
Sonny Bono & Cher pose for a portrait session in October 1964. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Some pop-music success stories are really stories...
1960s One-Hit Wonders: They Had #1 Singles, Then Poof! ...
September 13, 2017
Left: Jeannie C Riley (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns). Right: Single jacket art for Zager and Evans' 'In The Year 2525.' Source: discogs.com Remember "Alley-O...
Bob Dylan: The Best Songwriter There Ever Was
November 29, 2016
Bob Dylan's songs and spirit changed the world -- in the early '60s, when popular music was fun and benign, Dylan wrote and recorded music that spoke to young people like...
