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Description of '60s Oldies

 
Anything from the 1960s other than British Invasion and Psychedelic rock falls under the '60s Oldies umbrella. The style includes the Beach Boys, Girl Groups like the Ronettes, members of Stax-Volt's Memphis soul dynasty (such as the King and Queen: Otis Redding and Carla Thomas), purveyors of the Motown sound such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and the hot rod rock 'n' roll of the Daytonas and Jan and Dean. This is basically all the music heard on mainstream radio before the Beatles took over and the Stones's take on American rhythm and blues exploded. Expect to hear Phil Spector's DeMille-like production extravagances, Brill Building craftsmanship, and the great Booker T. & the M.G.'s playing behind just about everybody.
 

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'60s Oldies Key Artists

 
Aretha Franklin

Queen of Soul Aretha
Franklin's
Gospel-influenced music
has endured for decades,
bringing her both pop and...

Ben E. King

Pop-soul singer Ben E. King,
best known for the timeless
song, "Stand By Me," helped
soul music crossover to the
pop charts. King spent a s...

Bob Dylan

Whether he's playing folk,
country, rock or blues, Bob
Dylan always channels
songs that are timeless. Bob
Dylan legally changed his...

Burt Bacharach

The Crown Prince of
sophisticated 1960s pop
made a surprise comeback
in the 1990s and is now
more respected than eve...

Chubby Checker

Leading the '60s through the
biggest dance craze ever,
"The Twist" cemented
Checker's title as king of
dance novelty songs. Chu...

Elvis Presley

From his humble Rockabilly
beginning to his swaggering,
sweaty Las Vegas persona,
Elvis embodied all that was
rock 'n' roll. Elvis cut his f...

Gary "U.S." Bonds

Bonds' raucous soul singing,
coupled with uncontainable
rock frenzy, made for some
of the all-time greatest party
records. Gary Anderson's...

Janis Joplin

Rock 'n' Soul Queen Janis'
outta hand vocals and
charmingly sloppy backing
bands blurred the lines
between rock and blues....

Otis Redding

Otis Redding's grainy voice
and galvanizing stage shows
made him one of the
greatest male soul singers of
the '60s. At the time of his...

Petula Clark

The immortal "Downtown" is
only one of her many 1960s
pop hits and Clark is still
busy singing and acting.
Petula Clark was one of th...

The 5th Dimension

Ebullient '60s Soul with
group vocals and big hits in
such tunes as "Up, Up and
Away" and "Aquarius (Let
the Sun Shine In)." The 5t...

The Association

The Association are a
chart-topping folk-pop
sextet that emerged from
mid-'60s Los Angeles. The
Association's big hits are "...

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys personified
the California spirit with
their harmonious pop. Brian
Wilson is widely heralded as
a mad genius. "Pet Sounds...

The Beatles

The Beatles gained
enormous popularity with
genius songwriting,
beautiful harmonies and
non-stop experimentation...

The Everly Brothers

Don and Phil Everly are the
spiritual and literal
forefathers of Country
Rock. They are the epitome
of Close Harmony singing....

The Kinks

Though distorted
power-chord rockers made
them famous, their true
strength was wry (yet
proudly British) social obs...

The Mamas & The Papas

With their easygoing
electric folk songs and
hair-raising harmonies, the
Mamas & Papas epitomized
late 1960s California. Begi...

The Monkees

America's answer to the
Beatles found success with
teens on T.V. and in the
charts, thanks to a crack
team of songwriters. The...

The Rascals

From the sweaty stomper
"Good Lovin'" to the playful
"Groovin'" the Rascals
proved themselves masters
of blue-eyed soul. Rascal...

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones began
calling themselves the
"World's Greatest Rock & Roll
Band" in the late '60s, and
few disputed the claim. T...

The Shangri-Las

Gum-snapping,
leather-wearing bad girls of
the '60s Girl Groups, the
Shangri-La's perfected
melodrama in song.

The Shirelles

With six Top Ten singles
between 1960 - '63, the
Shirelles' striking harmonies
laid the foundation for the
Girl Group sound.

The Supremes

Bridging soul and pop
music, the Supremes
sustained a level of success
through the '60s that rivaled
the Beatles. The Supreme...

The Troggs

Best known for the primal
Garage standard "Wild
Thing," the Troggs perfectly
captured sweaty-palmed
teen angst into the '70s. M...

The Turtles

Though this folk pop band is
best known for their hit
"Happy Together," the
Turtle's catalog is filled with
stellar pop gems. Pleased...

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