Fifty years ago the times in America were uncomplicated. Music reflected it. The popular culture was still in early development. Motown music became the American sound. Berry Gordy used a stable of songwriters to write catchy three minute songs to create musical giants like the Temptations and the Four Tops. The sound was simple My Girl and you can’t hurry love. The rhythm was easy to dance to. An easy transition from the 50’s. As we grew up so did the music from the innocents of The Turtles and the Association with songs like Happy Together and Windy to artist like Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary with songs The Times They are a Changing and Blowing in the Wind. The war was on. Folk and rock Music became the messenger and the lyrics were the message. Hit music could and did talk about social attitudes and events in the country. Music was am radio. Recordings were vinyl 45‘s singles covered two songs one was recorded as the hit played on the radio and the other was a song performed by the same artist call the B side song. It was possible for the B side song to become a hit too. But not likely.

As we moved into the seventies, popular American seemed more reflective and forging. Even hopeful with songs like Bridge over Troubled Water. Small vinyl records changed to albumen and soon cassettes. Marvin Gaye’s Mercy, Mercy Me showed a serious but more thought provoking personal side of the artist of the day. Then as we entered the mid to late seventies topics started to lighten up with artist. Even Ballads made their way back. It seemed America was changing again. There was a thing called Disco The charts, and airwaves were filled with the dance crazed, club songs like Boogie Fever and Disco Fever were at the top of the charts by artist that were never heard before or after the 70’s. Music kept revolving. It became visual.

It was the eighties, the era of the Boss and MTV. Music became bigger than life. Song formats left the radio and came to cable TV. Disk jockeys became video jockeys. They told stories with a backdrop of dancers and actors. With different trend setting styles like Cindi Lauper and the Flock of Seagulls. The video could be a longer format of a hit song with fewer rules than the 3 and half minute rule of earlier days. There was also the one hit wonders that were around in the disco era like Milli Vanilli who sold millions of records and looked real good but as America found out couldn’t sing. It did not matter as Michael Jackson’s Thriller, U2 and Madonna were born here and took music to a term called Superstar. We sold our vinyl albums and cassettes to buy the compact disc (CD)

The 1990’s brought us the grunge sound that evolved with rock music out of Seattle with bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana and sold millions of albums. America was hungry for a new sound. These bands like Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden satisfied the youth of America. While Diva’s like Whitney Houston, Tina Turner and Celiene Dion satisfied the popular part of music. With the big bold sound of the talented artist. There was a genre of music that appeared on the horizon that I think was a surprised to a lot of fans of music. This was Rap and Hip Hop. The popularity soared with MC Hammer and jazzy Jeff and lyrics told stories life in the hood, mostly raw but also truthful. Rock came to the front again with groups like Dave Matthews band and then, there was a new twist, boy bands. The teeny boppers needed their pop music like Backstreet Boys and N’Sync and they got it. By the year 2000 the American music scene took a turn backwards with popularity of all girl bands and the return of the Independent singer-songwriter. The last couple of years brought us groups like Destiny Child and R&B singers like Beyonce and Usher. Sort of a throwback to earlier times. And the onslaughts of the American Idol like Kelly Clarkson. Through all this Americana, music could arrive digitally on MP3 or shareware that provides million of songs given away for free over the internet. Scaring a lot of people making money from the copyrights of music like publishers or record company executive or even the artist themselves. I did not mention the fact that one genre of music never fails to appear and disappear throughout the changes and developments of music industry. It is born and reborn but Country music is always there, from the am days to the 24 hour cable channels it own. American music is a timepiece in our pocket. It reflects us as a culture. As we grow and evolve so it grows and evolves but it is always there in our pocket to take out, look back on and relish.