ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOOKS
MINNEAPOLIS
ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
NOTE TO READERS: some songs and music videos
by artists discussed in this book contain language and
images that readers may consider offensive.
Copyright 2013 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior
written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in an acknowledged review.
Twenty-First Century Books
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kaplan, Arie.
American pop : hit makers, superstars, and dance revolutionaries / by Arie Kaplan.
pages ; cm. (American music milestones)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9780761345046 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
ISBN 9781467759663 (Audisee ISBN)
ISBN 9781467701488 (PDF ISBN)
1. Popular musicUnited StatesHistory and criticismJuvenile literature.
2. MusicSocial aspectsUnited StatesJuvenile literature. I. Title.
ML3477.K365 2013
781.640973dc232011046501
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 CG 7/15/12
ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
Out with the Old www
Pop Goes Bubblegum www
The MTV Generation www
Pop Goes the Millennium www
Dance, Dance, Dance www
Glossary w
Timeline w
Mini Bios w
Pop Must-Haves w
Major Awards w
Source Notes w
Selected Bibliography w
Further Reading,
Websites,
and Films w
Index w
ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
Crooner Bing Crosby was one of the
top-selling pop artists of the twentieth
century. Listeners loved his smooth
baritone voice. His biggest career
hit and most widely recognized song is
White Christmas (1941).
ArtaStd-Bold
ArtaStd-BoldItalic
ArtaStd-Book
ArtaStd-BookItalic
ArtaStd-Medium
ArtaStd-MediumItalic
ChankbatsObjects
FrutigerLTPro-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Bold
FrutigerLTStd-BoldCn
FrutigerLTStd-Light
GFYFurio-Regular
Helvetica-Regular
KalligraphiaLTStd
PremierLightlineStd
TradeGothicLTStd-Bold
ZapfDingbatsITCbyBT-Regular
LernerLogo
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS POP MUSIC? IS IT THE BEATLES
SINGING AN INNOCENT LOVE SONG LIKE SHE LOVES
YOU (1963)? OR IS IT KATY PERRY SINGING AN EDGY,
PROVOCATIVE TUNE LIKE I KISSED A GIRL (2008)?
ACTUALLY, ITS BOTH.
The term pop song dates back to the
early 1920s. But back then, pop
tunes werent necessarily the music
of young people. From the start of
the twentieth century until the early
1950s, pop music was simply music
that was popular with a wide range
of listeners. It was wholesome family
fare such as Broadway show tunes
and big band music. The earliest
pop musicians were bandleaders
such as Cab Calloway and Benny
Goodman or singers such as Frank
Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Par
ents and their children listened to
exactly the same type of music.
Eventually, pop music became
a type of music that was
popular mostly with teens. It
could be any type of mu
sicrhythm and blues (R & B),
bubblegum, or discojust as
long as young people loved it.
In the 1920s and the 1930s, many
Americans listened to their music
on the radio. On weekends, they
went to big dance halls such as
the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago,
Illinois, to dance to the music of
their favorite bands. Popular songs
in the 1920s included Al Jolsons
California, Here I Come (1921),
Arthur Gibbss Charleston (1923),
and Ace Brigodes Yes, Sir! Thats
My Baby (1925). These songs were
upbeat and danceable. They had a