’50s Hits Essentials

Even though rock ’n’ roll’s first wave was breaking loudly in the ’50s, the big-band-era pop stars who had already achieved legendary status still loomed large, and new ones were exploding into view. Crooning giants like Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, and Dean Martin remained at the top of their game, releasing some of their biggest singles, and the arrival of Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, and Tony Bennett showed that there was still plenty of room at the top for suave song stylists. The ’50s pop zeitgeist wasn’t only about singers, though—composer/conductors such as Les Baxter and Percy Faith brought stirring instrumental themes to the top of the charts with their orchestral wizardry. The decade was also the heyday for vocal groups like The Four Lads and The Four Aces, who reminded the world that there are few sounds more satisfying to the soul than voices lifted in harmony.