1960s Pop Music Artists: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The 1960s was a time of change and progress. The music industry was no different, as artists pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable. In this blog post, we take a look at some of the good, the bad, and the ugly of 1960s pop music artists.

The Good

The 1960s was a decade of musical innovation and pop music artists who arose during this time period reflected this in their work. Some of the most well-known and respected pop musicians today got their start in the 1960s. The Beatles, for example, are one of the most popular and influential bands of all time. They released their first album, Please Please Me, in 1963 and went on to achieve international success with hits like “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Help!”

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in 1960. The line-up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr led the band to be regarded as the foremost and most influential in history. With a sound rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock and roll, they later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. Their clothes, style and statements challenged the social norms of the time, helping to make them a very influential band during the 1960s’s.

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961. The group’s original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. The band rose to prominence with their distinctive ” Surf Sound” owing to the carefree attitudes and lifestyles portrayed in many of their songs.

Despite the band’s continued success throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s (with hits such as “Help Me, Rhonda” and ” Surfin’ USA”), they were beset by personal problems and legal disputes which saw Dennis Wilson leaving the group in 1982 and Carl Wilson passing away in 1998. The surviving members – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston – continue to tour analysis perform today, 50 years after the band’s formation.

The Supremes

The Supremes were an American female singing group and one of the best-selling groups of the 1960s. They were also Motown’s most successful act, scoring twelve number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1969. The group originally consisted of Diana Ross, Florence Ballard, and Mary Wilson. It was immortalized by Paul McCartney when he wrote “Silly Love Songs” for Wings, in which he name-checks the trio as “the girls I used to sing and dance with back in high school.” The Supremes were the first Motown group to have a million-selling single (“Where Did Our Love Go”), and Ross was the first Motown solo artist to top the Hot 100 with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

The group is best known for their string of hits during the 1960s, including “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, “Come See About Me”, “Stop! In the Name of Love”, and “You Can’t Hurry Love”. They also charted fourteen number-one singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which is a record for a female vocal group. Their final studio album together, Undeleted: The Remix Album, was released in 2006.

The Bad

The Monkees

The Monkees were a manufactured boy band created in 1966 for the American television series The Monkees. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. The show followed the hijinks of the band as they tried to make it in the music industry.

The show was an instant hit, and the Monkees became teen idols. Though they were created as a vehicle for the television show, the Monkees went on to have a successful musical career. They released four albums in just two years, all of which were certified gold or platinum. The band eventually broke up in 1968 but reunited sporadically over the years for tours and reunions.

The Partridge Family

The Partridge Family was a television show about a widowed mother and her five children who formed a pop music band. The show was popular in the early 1970s, but the Partridge Family’s music was not well received by critics. The group’s songs were criticized for being too bubblegum and lightweight, and their albums did not sell well. The Partridge Family is an example of a 1960s pop music artist that was not well-received by critics.

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 were one of the most successful pop groups of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group, which was made up of five brothers, began performing in 1964 and released their first album in 1969. Their first single, “I Want You Back,” topped the charts in early 1970.

The group continued to have hits throughout the 1970s with songs like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.” In 1975, they signed with Epic Records and released their final album, “Lookin’ Through the Windows.” The album included the hit single “Enjoy Yourself.”

The group’s popularity began to decline in the 1980s, and they disbanded in 1990. In 2009, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Ugly

The 1960s was a decade of change, and the music of the time reflected that. While there were some great artists who created timeless hits, there were also some who were, well, not so great. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the less-than-stellar performers from the decade.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued to work with the band as a contracted musician until his death in 1985. The band’s primary songwriters, Jagger and Richards, assumed leadership after Andrew Loog Oldham became the group’s manager. Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who remained until 1974. After Taylor left the band, Ronnie Wood stepped into the breach until 1986. Since then, he has been on guitar in tandem with Richards. The Stones have not had an official keyboardist since 1963; however, they have employed several musicians in that role, including Jack Nitzsche (1965), Nicky Hopkins (1967–1969), Billy Preston (1971–1981; died 2006), Ian McLagan(1978–1981; died 2014) and Chuck Leavell(1982–present).

The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the United States in 1964. Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the band started out playing covers but found more success with their own material. After a short period of musical experimentation early on, which culminated with their self-titled debut album , The Rolling Stones began to develop into a standard rock and roll band that played covers of American rhythm and blues hits at screaming pace . Their fourth album Beggars Banquet released 1968 , is generally regarded as art rock . Following Brian Jones ‘s death later that year , [7] [8] Mick Taylor took over as lead guitarist .

After experiencing creative disagreements with Jagger and Richards , Taylor left the band late 1974 during recording sessions for its 1975 album Black and Blue . He was replaced by Ronnie Wood , Richards’ longtime sideman from Faces . In 1976 , drummer Watts announced he was going to leave due to poor health conditions ; he officially retired two years later when it became apparent that he would never again be able to perform at his previous levels after treatment for alcoholism . Charlie’s replacement wassession drummer Jimmy Gulli bault who performed on some tracks on 1979 ‘s Emotional Rescue album but left during its recording sessions due to personal differences with Jagger. Gulli bault was eventually replaced permanently by Watts’ former colleague Tony Chapman who stayed with The Rolling Stones through 1981 ‘s Tattoo You tour before leaving himself citing creative differences as well as Jagger and Richard’s drug habits which had escalated out of control throughout those years .

The Who

The Who was an English rock band that was formed in 1964. The band members were Roger Daltrey (lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica), Pete Townshend (guitar, keyboards, and vocals), John Entwistle (bass guitar and vocals), and Keith Moon (drums and percussion).

The Who became one of the most influential rock bands of their generation. They were known for their dynamic live performances and their innovative style of playing instruments. They released their debut album, My Generation, in 1965. The album was a critical success, but it did not achieve commercial success until 1967.

The band’s next album, The Who Sell Out, was released in 1967. The album reached number four on the UK charts. The band’s third album, Tommy, was released in 1969. Tommy was a concept album about a “deaf, dumb, and blind” boy who becomes a pinball champion. The album was a commercial and critical success. It is considered to be one of the first rock operas.

The Who’s fourth album, Quadrophenia, was released in 1973. Quadrophenia is a concept album about the Mod subculture in Britain during the 1960s. The album was a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics.

The Who’s fifth album, Who Are You?, was released in 1978. The album reached number two on the UK charts and number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart. Keith Moon died shortly after the release of the album at the age of 32 years old. Kenney Jones replaced Moon as the band’s drummer for their next tour.

TheWho continue to tourand perform to this day with Roger Daltrey as the only original member remaining in the band.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bass player and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. Their style drew from a wide variety of influences, including blues, psychedelia, and folk music.

The band’s debut album, Led Zeppelin (1969), was a commercial and critical success. It was followed by five more successful albums: Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffiti (1975), and Presence (1976). With their folky seventh album In Through the Out Door (1979), they made a tentative move toward pop accessibility that alienated some of their hard-core fans but won them new listeners.

In 1980, Bonham died after accidentally choking on his own vomit following a drinking binge. After extensive discussions, the band decided to disband rather than replace him.