What were the big trends in music during the post war years up till Elvis came on the scene, like from 1946-1954?

From what I can tell from the movies of the era... 

In the 40's the big bands (like Tommy Dorsey , Glen Miller and Duke Ellington etc) were still going strong. Other instrumentalists such as Stab Kenton and Oscar Petersen were also in the mix.

Singers and crooners like Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Vic Damone and Nat King Cole still had momentum from the war years. Country had an influence with Frankie Lane having some hits in the 40's and The Andrews Sisters and Al Jolson were still having hits.

The 50's saw singers like Tony Bennett, Al Martino, Eddie Fisher and Andy Williams on the scene. I think Dean Martin also had hits in the 50's as well.  Basically, the music (and artists) were of a similar style for that entire period. It wasn't until Elvis and co that things really started changing.

Musical films were also influential in that period and (hugely popular) .. therefore artists such as... Judy Garland (Easter Parade), Howard Keel (Annie Get Your Gun), Doris Day and Gordon Macrae (Tea for Two and On Moonlight Bay). 

But when  Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel starred together in Show Boat (in the early 50's), it opened the way for the golden era of the Hollywood musical films. after this there was a steady string of big hit musicals that carried on well after the rock n roll started (e.g. April In Paris, Singing In The Rain, The Band Wagon, Calamity Jane, The Desert Song, Kiss Me Kate, Brigadoon, Rose Marie, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, The Student Prince etc). Many of the film stars enjoyed longevity in the recording industry due to their appeal in these films.

I quite like the music and films of this era... :)

Don't forget South Pacific, for a long time was the biggest selling album of all time. It was really the last true period where whites truly dominated music. The most influential radio/TV program then was Your Hit Parade, with many live performances of the hit records. There were only a few record labels at the time- RCA Victor, Columbia, Mercury, Decca, Coral and MGM gave about 90% of the hits. However, it is what I like to call the "ballad era", as that was the most common type of song on the radio. There were some uptempos from time to time, but were generally a "stripped down" version compared to the big band era. Doo wop, blues, and the early R&B were almost all purchased by blacks, and since many were poorer, fewer copies of these records exist. But thank Alan Freed, Elvis, and Blackboard Jungle for changing this era, which is quite ignored nowadays. Probably the most conservative period in modern music history.

Big band and crooners for whites, doo wop and blues for blacks.


One thing I find interesting is no young person in the mid-late 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. would be caught dead listening to this music, yet it is totally acceptable for a young person today to listen to music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.

Also popular: Jo Stafford, Kay Starr, Four Aces, Peggy Lee, Johnnie Ray, Gordon Jenkins and the Weavers, Eddie Fisher, Guy Mitchell, the Mills Brothers, the Ames Brothers, and a favorite group of mine, the Hilltoppers.

Also, during '52-'55, Latin dancing and music was popular. Instrumentals such as "Blue Tango", "Delicado" and "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" were huge hits, as were the songs "Papa Loves Mambo" and "Mambo Italiano".

Big band and crooners for whites, doo wop and blues for blacks.


One thing I find interesting is no young person in the mid-late 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. would be caught dead listening to this music, yet it is totally acceptable for a young person today to listen to music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.




Yeah, in the late 60s or early 70s my mother briefly dated a guy who LOVED Doo Wop, and she thought that made him seem weird, eccentric.
Yeah, I'm 20 and I know girls my age, and even younger, who listen to it with no shame.