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Inspired by the joy of rock and roll music and dancing.

The duet was inspired by the chemistry between Washington and Benton, showcasing their playful banter.

Hank Ballard wrote this song and recorded it with the Midnighters for King Records. The 1960 single also appeared on Mr. Rhythm and Blues and crossed from the R&B chart into the pop market. A later recording is a...

Buddy Killen wrote and produced this recording. The Anita Kerr Singers recorded it under the Little Dippers name in 1959, before the single appeared in 1960. The composition also received later recordings by Billy...

Berry Gordy produced Marv Johnson's recording, with backing vocals by the Rayber Voices. The writing credit includes Gordy, Mike Ossman, Al Abrams and John O'Den. Issued by United Artists in 1960 and included on More...

The melody began as the Italian song Per tutta la vita, written by Pino Spotti and Alberto Testa and performed at the 1959 Sanremo festival. Kim Gannon supplied English lyrics. Brenda Lee recorded that adaptation...

Paul Anka wrote and performed the song, issued as a single in 1959. Its narrator faces the end of a relationship, and the recording places that sadness against orchestral and choral backing. This describes the...

The composition is credited to Lloyd Price and Harold Logan. Its repertoire history extends beyond Price: Billy Eckstine included it on the 1960 live album No Cover, No Minimum. That parallel recording provides...

Carl Spencer and Henry Glover wrote the song released by Billy Bland on Old Town in 1960. Its R&B recording crossed into the pop chart, and other performers later adapted the composition, including Ernest Tubb and...

Clint Ballard Jr. and Fred Tobias wrote the song recorded by Bobby Rydell. It appeared on the other side of his 1960 Wild One single, and both sides received attention. These paired songs retain separate identities...

Inspired by finding contentment and happiness in one's own small part of the world.

Jeff Barry and Ben Raleigh created a teenage-tragedy narrative in which a young man enters a stock-car race to earn money for a wedding ring and dies in a crash. Ray Peterson recorded the song with Hugo and Luigi...

Jerry Reed wrote this lively rockabilly song, and Owen Bradley produced Brenda Lee's Nashville recording. It shared a 1960 single with the contrasting ballad I'm Sorry. Both sides attracted chart attention, but the...

Wayne Shanklin wrote and produced the recording. Its unusual sound came from a studio experiment: engineer Larry Levine ran a second tape at a slightly different speed while trying to strengthen the mix. The...

Nat Simon and Charles Tobias wrote the composition in 1946. It looks back nostalgically at the lamplighter who once lit and extinguished street lamps. The Browns revived it in a country-pop setting with Chet Atkins...

Composed by Max Steiner for the 1959 film "A Summer Place," the theme was inspired by the movie's romantic storyline.

Charles Williams originally composed this music as Jealous Lover for the 1949 film The Romantic Age. Ferrante and Teicher's later recording used the title Theme from The Apartment, with Don Costa arranging and...

A cover of the 1925 song, inspired by the timeless nature of declaring one's love.

Reginald Hall brought the song to Joe Jones after Fats Domino declined it. Jones added it to his club act and later recorded it, with Sylvia Robinson involved in the New York session. The lyric complains about an...

Jerry Livingston and Mack David wrote the ballad recorded by Ricky Nelson for Imperial. In 1960 it was paired with Right by My Side. The documented writing and release credits distinguish the composition from...

Persistence in love despite rejection

Elvis Presley's early records brought country, blues, gospel, R&B and pop into a new rock-and-roll setting during the 1950s. His singing and physical stage style helped carry that mixture to a large audience. His...

Kokomo, on Asia Minor, is the recording name used by pianist, arranger, songwriter and producer Jimmy Wisner. A classically trained musician who led a Philadelphia jazz trio, Wisner adopted that name for the 1961 pop...

Tony Orlando moved from New York doo-wop singing into the professional songwriting world, recording demos and early singles such as Halfway to Paradise and Bless You. Work in music publishing preceded his return to...

Bobby Rydell began performing as a child drummer in Philadelphia before becoming associated with the city's teen-pop singers. His recording repertoire included Wild One, Volare, Swingin' School and Wildwood Days,...

Faron Young developed his country career around Shreveport clubs, radio and the Louisiana Hayride before recording for Capitol and moving to Nashville. His repertoire ranged from energetic honky-tonk songs such as...

The Shirelles began as a school vocal group in Passaic, New Jersey, before recording I Met Him on a Sunday for Florence Greenberg's Tiara label. Their later Scepter work paired an R&B background with string...

The Four Preps were a West Coast vocal quartet associated with Capitol Records. A Hollywood High School talent-show appearance led to their recording opportunity in 1956, with Dreamy Eyes among their early releases....

The Drifters connected gospel-influenced rhythm and blues with the more orchestrated soul records of the 1960s. Their changing lead singers included Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis and Johnny Moore. Working...

Bobby Vee grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and began playing guitar as a teenager. His early performances with the Shadows led to recording Susie Baby for Soma in 1959, followed by a move to Liberty. His repertoire...

Floyd Cramer brought a recognizable piano style to Nashville recording sessions and to his own instrumental records. Raised in Arkansas, he learned by ear and worked on the Louisiana Hayride before settling in...

Gary U.S. Bonds established his career with records including New Orleans, Quarter to Three and School Is Out. Later collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and members of the E Street Band produced...

Ben E. King's baritone voice became familiar through his work as a lead singer with the Drifters and through an extensive solo recording career. His repertoire included Stand by Me, Spanish Harlem, Don't Play That...

Experimentation with unusual time signatures in jazz

Adam Wade developed a career that moved from singing into acting and television. Raised in Pittsburgh, he recorded for Coed Records and became known for songs including Ruby, Take Good Care of Her and The Writing on...

Troy Shondell was the recording name adopted by Indiana singer and multi-instrumentalist Gary Schelton, who had earlier released records as Gary Shelton. His career began with rockabilly and regional performances...

Ferlin Husky combined country singing with comedy and impersonations. After a Missouri upbringing, he worked in St. Louis and California, performing under the earlier name Terry Preston and developing his Simon Crum...

Arthur Lyman was a Hawaiian vibraphonist associated with the exotica and lounge styles. He played in Martin Denny's group before beginning a separate recording career in 1957. His own records retained the...

Eddie Hodges began as a child performer in television, film and the Broadway musical The Music Man. His screen work included A Hole in the Head and Summer Magic. As a recording singer, he became known for I'm Gonna...

Gene Pitney developed as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in Connecticut, learning guitar, piano and drums. His dramatic tenor brought a forceful character to recordings such as Town Without Pity, I'm...

Burl Ives was an American singer and actor whose clear tenor carried traditional folk songs into radio, records, theatre and film. Raised in southern Illinois, he learned ballads from his family and later worked with...

Billy Vaughn was an arranger and orchestra leader who became musical director at Dot Records. Before that work he sang with the Hilltoppers. His arrangements and instrumental releases drew on popular, country and R&B...

The Shirelles began as a school vocal group in Passaic, New Jersey, before recording I Met Him on a Sunday for Florence Greenberg's Tiara label. Their later Scepter work paired an R&B background with string...

Johnny Crawford's early entertainment career included the original Mouseketeers and a starring role in The Rifleman. Del-Fi Records then introduced him as a teen-pop singer, with Cindy's Birthday among his best-known...

The Highwaymen were a folk quintet formed by Wesleyan University undergraduates, including Bob Burnett and Dave Fisher. What began as entertainment for a fraternity developed into a recording career, with their...

Larry Finnegan was the recording name of New York singer Johnny Lawrence Finnegan. He wrote with his brother Vinnie and brought early demonstrations to Old Town Records, where Dear One became his best-known release....

Burl Ives was an American singer and actor whose clear tenor carried traditional folk songs into radio, records, theatre and film. Raised in southern Illinois, he learned ballads from his family and later worked with...

James Darren began recording for Colpix while developing a film career that included Gidget. His pop repertoire drew on professional songwriters and standards-oriented singing, with Goodbye Cruel World among his...

Barbara George grew up singing in a New Orleans church choir and writing songs. Fellow musician Jessie Hill introduced her to Harold Battiste's AFO label, where her recording career developed within the city's R&B...

Ronnie and the Hi-Lites was a Jersey City vocal group featuring the young lead singer Ronnie Goodson. Initially called the Cascades, the group worked with arranger and producer Hal Weiss and songwriter Marian Weiss....