according to Wikipedia, "Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible." However, some people define pop as all vocal forms of popular music in the west, even before the 1950s.
Rhythm and Blues is defined as "A distinctly African American music drawing from the deep tributaries of African American expressive culture, it is an amalgam of jump blues, big band swing, gospel, boogie, and blues that was initially developed during a thirty-year period that bridges the era of legally sanctioned racial segregation, international conflicts, and the struggle for civil rights".
1. Frank Sinatra (1930s onwards)
The white, conservative king of the sung Jazz needs no introduction. Born Francis Albert Sinatra to Italian emigrants in the Big Apple, he's meant to be the embodiment of the "American dream", and provided the soundtrack for WWII and the post-war years in America. Considered one of the all-time greats of american music and culture as a whole, Sinatra's reputation is well deserved.
Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2rDb4Ur2dw
2. Marvin Gaye (1960s onwards)
Born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., Marvin Gaye has shaped the sound of popular african-american music for generations to come, starting as a Gospel singer in his dad's church at the age of 4. He went on to start his career as an part of a quartet, then as a singer atnd intrumentalist at Motown records. His record "What's Going On" is considered to be one of the most essential records in pre Hip-Hop black music.
Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApthDWoPMFQ
3. George Michael (1980s onwards)
Born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou to a greek-Cypriot father and an English mother, this british pop idol had a lot of competitors to beat. With his duo Wham! he created romantic pop music that appealed to a mostly female audience, which saw him as a sex symbol. His young death was a shock to many pop enthusiasts.
Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ
4. Cher (1960s onwards)
Born Cherilyn Sarkisian. Starting in the 1960s as a folk rock musician, Cher's career has had a lot of ups and downs, with multiple stylistic shifts. With numerous classic under her belt, Cher has aged much more gracefully than most pop stars, considering her ripe old age of 77.
Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXRV4MezEw
5. Billie Eilish (2015 onwards)
https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/ytc/AOPolaSOfHDaQ8Gib0W0tqfCczwyDrKAUelvR9b7TV-jVw=s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rjBillie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell started making waves in 2015, with moody pop produced by her brother Finneas. She broke into the mainstream consciousness heavily with her 2019 hit Bad Guy, a hip-hop influenced quiet pop hit which became a #1 hit. A protege of Florida rappers Denzel Curry and XXXTentacion, she's considered to be one of the most famous Gen Z women.
Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDfgMOUjCI
This round, we'll be naming the husband and wife:
Surname of your choice.
1 (Frank Sinatra): Andrew, Francis, Alexander, Michel, Stephen, Albert, Vincent, Dominic, Philipp, Evan, Sergius. Martha, Marilyn, Julia, Alice, Sophie, Mary, Alexia, Beatrice, Naomi, Michelle, Jasmine.
2 (Marvin Gaye): Alphonso, Alfred, Antoine, André, Bob, Elijah, Isaiah, Hassan, Daniel, Jay, Kenneth, Leon, Marvin. Nadine, Monique, Antonia, Aaliyah, Aisha, Denise, Frances, Regina, Ruth, Tamara.
3 (George Michael): Athanasius, Demetrius, Spyridon, Christopher, Hermes, Leon, Nicephorus, Georgius, Antiochus, Myron. Maria, Echo, Eugenia, Xanthe, Theodosia, Hera, Helena, Petra, Sophronia, Cibele.
4 (Cher): Gregory, Aram, Abraham, Eric, Moses, Aaron, David, Jacob, Reuben, Edward. Marina, Carla, Louise, Leah, Margaret, Dorcas, Lily, Emma, Victoria, Diana.
5 (Billie Eilish): Jesse, Phinehas, Dwayne, Denzel, Richard, Ryan, Dylan, Jake, Jack, Bernard, Wolf. Wilma, Jocelyn, Geneva, Cassia, Cordelia, Brenda, Lois, Meg, Lauretta, Donna.
This message was edited 8/2/2023, 3:10 AM