I've been wondering for a while now, what did people listen to before Elvis and Chuck Berry? I know there was Big Band music, Swing, Jazz, and Blues, but none of those seemed to necessarily "dominate" the way that Rock, Funk, or Hip Hop has. Was there any sort of youth culture before the Greasers? Or was the music moreso ignored by kids and basically listened to by people in their 20's and 30's? How did the youth exactly "rebel" against their parents...or did they not at all?

Without doubt, the first 'idol' as such was Frank Sinatra...this would have been in the 40s when it was the band, not the singer, who held the popularity. WW2 finished most of the bands off and thereafter, the focus primarily shifted to the solo performer...

Basically, if you could hold a tune and had the looks to go with it, the 'bobbysoxers' would catapult you to instant fame!

It's also quite telling that a great deal of popular tunes from 1945-53 were of the 'ballad' variety, with a smattering of 'novelty' items...nothing much for your average juvenile (the word 'teenager' was not in common use then!) to get excited about!

Without doubt, the first 'idol' as such was Frank Sinatra...this would have been in the 40s when it was the band, not the singer, who held the popularity. WW2 finished most of the bands off and thereafter, the focus primarily shifted to the solo performer...

Basically, if you could hold a tune and had the looks to go with it, the 'bobbysoxers' would catapult you to instant fame!

It's also quite telling that a great deal of popular tunes from 1945-53 were of the 'ballad' variety, with a smattering of 'novelty' items...nothing much for your average juvenile (the word 'teenager' was not in common use then!) to get excited about!


I've heard the term 'bobbysoxers' used fairly often in the early 1950's episodes of What's My Line?...

I've heard the term 'bobbysoxers' used fairly often in the early 1950's episodes of What's My Line?...


Bobby socks (sox) were small socks below ankle length which the typical female American Sinatra-worshipper would wear...

The 'fashion' was tried in Britain, but we were still reeling from the economic effects of WW2, so it never really caught on...

Mind you, Frank Sinatra and Eddie Fisher did!  :D

Bobby socks (sox) were small socks below ankle length which the typical female American Sinatra-worshipper would wear...

The 'fashion' was tried in Britain, but we were still reeling from the economic effects of WW2, so it never really caught on...

Mind you, Frank Sinatra and Eddie Fisher did!  :D


Eddie Fisher...

Oh yes, he was a regular 'mystery guest' on What's My Line? as well... :D

Eddie Fisher...

Oh yes, he was a regular 'mystery guest' on What's My Line? as well... :D


Hm...I think his line was 'getting married'!  ;)

(Ask your parents/grandparents...)

Hm...I think his line was 'getting married'!  ;)

LOL!  Very true!  ;D ;)

Yeah it seems like Sinatra sort of paved the way for pop singers and what would become teen culture, although it wasn't in full force yet. From what I know about history it seems like after World War II it sorta became close to the way it was in the '50s, just without rock and roll yet (like television was just coming out).

Of course there were classic cartoons and baseball cards, but I think that was a little more aimed at childhood (my dad was born in 1938 and he liked that stuff as a kid).

P.S. The '20s actually seemed more rebellious than the '30s and early '40s, probably because of the serious things going on (the Depression then the war).

Of course there were classic cartoons and baseball cards, but I think that was a little more aimed at childhood (my dad was born in 1938 and he liked that stuff as a kid).




Looney Tunes and other theatrical cartoons (MGM, Lantz, Flescher, and even Disney) were aimed towards adults and many had  topical referances from the Depression, WWII, and celebrities.

Pat Boone was pretty big back in the 50's.  The Andrews Sisters were big in the 30's and 40's.  There was youth culture.  My Mom said she used to hang out at the corner store a lot and look at Hollywood magazines with her friends.

Pat Boone was pretty big back in the 50's.


That he was, but he was firmly rooted in the 'rock era' (1955-onwards), not before...

He was seen by America's moral guardians as the antidote to all that nasty rock 'n roll stuff...the complete antithesis of a certain Elvis P (although ironically, they were both God-fearin' boys!)

While Pat should never have been let loose on an uptempo rock number, some of his ballads are superb!

A lot of real pop culture from the first half of the 20th century is expressed well in examining ephemera (eg. Penny arcade stuff nobody expected to last rather than the legacy left by novelists trying to write about some ideal).
In other words, you can buy William Faulkner on Amizon for two bucks, but that Ty Cobb is still going to cost you two grand!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephemera

Good responses  :)

But now I have a more specific question: what exactly was popular or cool from 1945 through 1954, or the post WWII era prior to rock n' roll? Someone already said ballads were really big, and I know Big Band music was on its way out, but was that all? This seemed like the most prosperous time of the 20th century (moreso than the 20's because then there was Prohibition, bad Presidents, and the development of the black market), so what was it like? What immediately preceded the greasers and Elvis?

But now I have a more specific question: what exactly was popular or cool from 1945 through 1954, or the post WWII era prior to rock n' roll? Someone already said ballads were really big, and I know Big Band music was on its way out, but was that all? This seemed like the most prosperous time of the 20th century (moreso than the 20's because then there was Prohibition, bad Presidents, and the development of the black market), so what was it like? What immediately preceded the greasers and Elvis?


I'm sticking with my original answer...

Mums and Dads basically ruled the roost when it came to popular choices of music (you could throw TV and film in there too, but I digress) as they were the ones with the disposable income...so sweet, fey, rather innocent music was the order of the day (once in a while a 'hot' jazz number a la Stan Kenton might escape, but it was rare...)

Also 'rare' was original C&W and RnB tunes (in those days, they were called 'hillbilly' and 'race' songs!), which if they showed any faint sign of becoming popular would immediately be pounced on by the major record companies, with the aforementioned 'pretty boy/girl' singer armed with a sanitised 'cover'...

(Once again, a true example would somehow get through...like Hank Williams)

It wasn't until the 'war children' started growing up that they demanded a style of music all their own...and sadly, ballads and novelties weren't gonna cut it!

Also 'rare' was original C&W and RnB tunes (in those days, they were called 'hillbilly' and 'race' songs!), which if they showed any faint sign of becoming popular would immediately be pounced on by the major record companies, with the aforementioned 'pretty boy/girl' singer armed with a sanitised 'cover'...

I suppose that's when the infamous deejay Alan Freed came into the picture...

It wasn't until the 'war children' started growing up that they demanded a style of music all their own...and sadly, ballads and novelties weren't gonna cut it!


I wouldn't necessarily say it was a sad thing to see ballads and novelties fade away...

...some of them were just too 'sugary'!  :P

I suppose that's when the infamous deejay Alan Freed came into the picture...


Yes indeed! For all the man's faults (and he had many!) he certainly understood the phenomena and gave huge exposure to the 'new music'...

^ I get the impression 1945/46 to about 1953 was mostly blues and R&B as far as "edgier" music went. "Rock Around the Clock" seems like it was first universal rock song that started sparking teen rebellion (my dad said it was one of the first, at least).

There actually was an early script of Back to the Future where it took place in 1982 and Marty went back to 1952. There was alot that was different about it (i.e. Marty was more of a delinquint type and pirated movies, and Doc's time machine was a refridgerator), but it generally followed the same theme of him accidentally interrupting his parents meeting.

Anyway, you wouldn't think three years would make a big difference, but it seemed to. People were completely unresponsive to his rock and roll. In fact, there was one line where a record company executive said something along the lines of "It's good, but it's just not commercial, you need slow tempo stuff".

In the actual movie in 1955, rock seemed to be just barely visible enough that people were getting into it (even if Elvis wasn't quite famous yet, I think he had his first hit the following year), but in '52 it was totally in that underground stage. Even if it's just a movie, the way they descibed it seems pretty accurate from what I know of that time.

I'm sticking with my original answer...

Mums and Dads basically ruled the roost when it came to popular choices of music (you could throw TV and film in there too, but I digress) as they were the ones with the disposable income...so sweet, fey, rather innocent music was the order of the day (once in a while a 'hot' jazz number a la Stan Kenton might escape, but it was rare...)

Also 'rare' was original C&W and RnB tunes (in those days, they were called 'hillbilly' and 'race' songs!), which if they showed any faint sign of becoming popular would immediately be pounced on by the major record companies, with the aforementioned 'pretty boy/girl' singer armed with a sanitised 'cover'...

(Once again, a true example would somehow get through...like Hank Williams)

My Daddy loved "Hillbilly Music", Hank Williams was his fav.
I think mostly it was played while the parents weren't home, things like Jazz, and blues.
I think a fine example of pop culture is the movie "Its a wonderful Life". Along with the Best Years of our Life". They give a glimpse into what was "hot".

It wasn't until the 'war children' started growing up that they demanded a style of music all their own...and sadly, ballads and novelties weren't gonna cut it!