Here are some of the artists you'll
hear Sunday Nights from 7pm-11pm on B103!
ELVIS
PRESLEY Elvis Presley may be the single most
important figure in American 20th century
popular music. Not necessarily the best,
and certainly not the most consistent. But
no one could argue with the fact that he was
the musician most responsible for
popularizing rock & roll on an international
level. Viewed in cold sales figures, his
impact was phenomenal. Dozens upon dozens of
international smashes from the mid-'50s to
the mid-'70s, as well as the steady sales of
his catalog and reissues since his death in
1977, may make him the single ...
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DION Bridging the era between late-'50s rock
and the British Invasion,
Dion DiMucci (b. July 18, 1939) was one
of the top white rock singers of his time,
blending the best elements of doo wop, teen
idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have
tried to cast him as a sort of early
blue-eyed soul figure, although he was
probably more aligned with pop/rock, at
first as the lead singer of
the Belmonts, and then as a solo star.
Drug problems slowed him down in the
mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly
interesting progressions ...
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CONNIE
FRANCES Connie Francis is the prototype for the
female pop singer of today. At the height of
her chart popularity in the late '50s and
early '60s, Connie Francis was unique as a
female recording artist, amassing record
sales equal to and surpassing those of many
of her post-rock era male contemporaries.
Ultimately, she branched into other styles
of music — big band, country, ethnic, and
more. She still challenges Madonna as the
biggest-selling female recording artist of
all time. Like Madonna, ...
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TOMMY ROE Widely perceived as one of the
archetypal bubblegum artists of the late
'60s, Tommy Roe cut some pretty decent
rockers along the way, especially early in
his career — many displaying some pretty
prominent Buddy Holly roots. In fact, Roe's
initial pop smash, 1962's chart-topping
"Sheila," was quite reminiscent of Holly's
"Peggy Sue," utilizing a very similar
throbbing drum beat and Roe's hiccuping
vocal. The singer had previously cut the
song for the smaller Judd label before
remaking it in superior form for ...
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LOU CHRISTIE While Lou Christie's shrieking falsetto
was among the most distinctive voices in all
of pop music, he was also one of the first
solo performers of the rock era to compose
his own material, generating some of the
biggest and most memorable hits of the
mid-1960s. Born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco
in Glen Willard, Pennsylvania on February
19, 1943, he won a scholarship to Moon
Township High School as a teen; there he
studied music and vocal technique, later
joining a group dubbed the Classics. Between
1959 and 1962, in collaboration with a ...
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RAY CHARLES Ray Charles was the musician most
responsible for developing soul music.
Singers like
Sam Cooke and
Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to
pioneer the form, but Charles did even more
to devise a new form of black pop by merging
'50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding
plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz,
blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there
was his singing; his style was among the
most emotional and easily identifiable of
any 20th-century performer, up there with
the likes of
Elvis and ...
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HERMAN
HERMITS Herman's Hermits were one of those odd
1960's groups that accumulated millions of
fans, but precious little respect. Indeed,
their status is remarkably similar to that
of
the Monkees and it's not a coincidence
that both groups' music was intended to
appeal to younger teenagers. The difference
is that as early as 1976,
the Monkees began to be considered cool
by people who really knew music; it has
taken 35 years for Herman's Hermits to begin
receiving higher regard for their work. ...
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BOBBY RYDELL One of the most sought-after nightclub
and concert acts in the country, Bobby
Rydell's interest in show business began at
the ripe age of four. His performance in Bye
Bye Birdie and his recordings "Wild One" and
"Volare" made him a famous show business
performer of the '60s. Rydell used his
talents as an impersonator and drummer
mostly in pursuing a musical career rather
than an acting career. ...
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