That Was Pop Music?!

When my parents were growing up in the 1960's, the pop music on the radio then seems so far removed in comparison to the recordings made today. Point being, the style of pop music is constantly changing. Lets take a look at what pop music was from 1900 up to present day. In the very early 20th century, ragtime piano music prevailed as a dominant sound through the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s swing bands and big bands stole the spotlight. During the late 1940s into the 1950s, bebop started to help phase out the popularity of a big band and favored the freedom of small group interaction. Along with more electrified instruments coming on board, the onslaught of rock music became apparent. Power chords, extremely low and loud amplified bass notes, and the electric organ and synthesizer came about to change music forever. By the time the 1960s and 1970s came around, it was hard to find someone who didn't play the guitar. To this day, guitars outsell every other instrument year after year. Pop music evolved into disco and R&B through the 70s into the 80s and got refined into a smooth jazz format. This became very popular from the late 1980s through the end of the 1990s along with a resurgence in heavy rock and electronica music. In the current decade, we've seen a return to acoustic bands now amplified with technology 20 times better than years ago. Country music also took a large share of the music industry with it as people were looking for a comfortable change to a more melodious, emotional sound.