In terms of both record sales and career longevity, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful adult contemporary singers ever. That success hasn't necessarily translated to respect (or even ironic hipster appreciation) in most quarters; Manilow's music has been much maligned by critics and listeners alike, particularly the romantic ballads... [+] Read More

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In terms of both record sales and career longevity, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful adult contemporary singers ever. That success hasn't necessarily translated to respect (or even ironic hipster appreciation) in most quarters; Manilow's music has been much maligned by critics and listeners alike, particularly the romantic ballads... [+] Read More

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1 out of 1 people agree

There's been considerable discussion about whether Bobby Darin should be classified as a rock & roll singer, a Vegas hipster cat, an interpreter of popular standards, or even a folk-rocker. He was all of these and none of these. Throughout his career he made a point of not becoming committed to any one style at the exclusion of others; at the... [+] Read More

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The most popular of the Mouseketeers on the '50s TV program The Mickey Mouse Club, Annette Funicello was herded into the studio at the age of 16 to become the first female teen idol rock & roll star. Billed simply as Annette on most of her records, she hit the Top 20 five times in 1959 and 1960, and continued to record constantly in the early... [+] Read More

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Best remembered for his 1968 chart-topper, "Honey," singer/songwriter Bobby Goldsboro was born January 18, 1941 in Marianna, FL. After relocating to Dothan, AL, while in his teens, he went on to study at Auburn University, quitting school after his sophomore year to pursue music full-time. During the early 1960s, Goldsboro played guitar in Roy... [+] Read More

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His career launched as a fill-in for the recently deceased Buddy Holly, Bobby Vee scored several pop hits during the early '60s, that notorious period of popular music sandwiched between the birth of rock & roll and the rise of the British Invasion. Though a few of his singles -- "Rubber Ball," for one -- were as innocuous as anything else from... [+] Read More

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Initially aiming his output at teens, Brian Hyland grew up fast and cut a serious cover of "Gypsy Woman," a hit by the Impressions that went gold in 1970. The Queens, NY, native enjoyed his biggest hit at the tender age of 16 -- the tongue-twisting "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini," a cute ditty snapped up by Kapp Records after... [+] Read More

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Connie Francis is the prototype for the female pop singer of today. At the height of her chart popularity in the late '50s and early '60s, Connie Francis was unique as a female recording artist, amassing record sales equal to and surpassing those of many of her post-rock era male contemporaries. Ultimately, she branched into other styles of... [+] Read More

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Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (b. July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although he was probably more aligned with... [+] Read More

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Discussing Frankie Avalon's career as a mover and shaker in 1950s rock & roll with anyone who takes their rock & roll even halfway seriously is to court derision. Avalon was the first of the manufactured teen idols, before Fabian and Bobby Rydell and the myriads of other pretenders to the throne who worked the turf with tight black pants and... [+] Read More

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The most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her very first release, "It's My Party," in 1963. Produced by Quincy Jones, who fattened the teenager's sound with double-tracked vocals and intricate backup vocals and horns, she reeled off a few more big hits in... [+] Read More

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