Author Description

American pop music steadily evolved from 1950 to 1964 with the ebb and flow of various genres - from R&B and rock n' roll to teen beat dance music and easy listening instrumentals, from doo-wop and girl groups to country & western crossovers and finally, the British invasion. This series of six volumes chronicles the state of Pop Music during three distinct periods (50-55, 56-60, and 61-64), dividing the volumes into Black Artists and White Artists (because that's the way society and most music was divided at that time). This Volume 5 includes more than 100 renowned African-American artists whose talent first became popular during the years between 1961 and 1964. You'll learn about the history and accomplishments of Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Ben E. King, The Spinners, Booker T & The M.G.s, Wilson Pickett, The O'Jays, Otis Redding, The Marcels, The Velvets, Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Chiffons, Little Eva, Dionne Warwick, Freddie King and more than 80 others. The inspiration for this book came from author Peter Frame's fabulous "More Rock Family Trees" book, where he laid out the progression of popular music during this period. The complete histories of these famous entertainers are in this WikiBits book - a compilation of related copyright-free Wikipedia articles and listings that have been crafted into a physical book that you can take with you.