Traditional pop facts for kids

Traditional pop, also called standard music, is a type of popular music from Western countries. It was very popular before rock and roll music started in the mid-1950s. The most famous and long-lasting songs from this time are often called pop standards or American standards.

What is Traditional Pop?

Many of the songs in traditional pop are considered part of the "Great American Songbook." This is a collection of the most important and well-known American songs from the early 20th century. When we say a song is a "standard," it means it's a popular song that almost everyone knows within our culture.

Today, "traditional pop" is a category used for standard music, even in big awards like the Grammy Awards. Experts describe traditional pop as the popular music that came after the big band era but before rock and roll became popular.

History of Traditional Pop

In the 1930s and 1940s, many popular songs were written for Broadway shows, Tin Pan Alley (a famous group of music publishers and songwriters), and Hollywood movies. Famous songwriters like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers created many of these tunes.

Music at this time started to use more strings and full orchestras. This made the sound richer and put more focus on the singer's voice. Because of this, you can hear lots of string instruments in popular music throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Many songs from these writers became very popular in America. Some are now forgotten, but others are still loved and called "standards" today.

In the 1960s, rock and roll music became very popular. It started to take over from traditional pop. However, some singers like Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, and Tony Bennett stayed famous. They continued to be popular on television and radio.

Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, some artists still recorded traditional pop music. For example, Harry Nilsson made an album called "A Little Touch of Schmilsson In the Night" in 1973 with a full orchestra. These albums were very successful and showed that traditional pop music still had many fans.

Images for kids

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  Frank Sinatra at CBS Radio in 1944.

See also

In Spanish: Pop tradicional para niños