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Solo or group vocal mainstream popular song performance in which the focus is on the singing. Typically songs are written by professional songwriters, and accompaniments (often with orchestra or big band) are prepared by professional arrangers. Distinguished from rock, jazz, country, folk, dance, and ethnic styles in which the performers generally handle both singing and accompaniment, and often write the songs as well. Developed in the 1930s and 1940s as singers increased in importance compared to the bands they sang with, and continued as a non-rock alternative from the 1950s to the present day.
This style, popular from the 1930s through 1950s, is rooted in minstrelry and barbershop quartets. Ushered in by the Mills Brothers and the Boswell Sisters in the early 1930s, the Andrews Sisters epitimized the style after World War II and many groups, such as the McGuire Sisters and the Ames Brothers, recorded during the 1950s.
Collections of novelty songs, silly, amusing, or themed, that were popular during the early 1900s, up to and including World War II.

While often themed, such as baseball songs, these are not necessarily topically authentic. For instance, the cowboy songs that were the precursors of Country and Western music would not belong in this category while a collection of sentimental and/or idealistic songs about cowboys written by composers who had never ventured outside of New York City would. Similarly, the popular "Indian songs" of the period, which bear no resemblance to Native American culture or music, would be listed here. Racial and cultural stereotypes were common in the lyrics of this period as was the misrepresentation of locales considered exotic.

Websites that present a mixture of authentic and popular nostalgia songs will be listed here.

Radio stations broadcasting pre-1950's popular music.
Classic pop artists and groups.
Traditional American popular music written by early 20th-Century professional songwriters such as Irving Berlin and the Gershwins. The name was given to the stretch of West 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in New York City because of the noise of pianos at hundreds of music publishers' offices there. With no air conditioning and all the windows open, it must have been quite a racket.

Even when the publishing companies moved uptown, the name continued to refer to the type of song associated with the early days, usually short and catchy with repeated phrases. The end of the Tin Pan Alley era is generally considered to be the mid 1940s.

The Tin Pan Alley era is roughly defined as 1900 to 1945. Also see Arts: Music: Songwriting: Songwriters.
Torch songs are sultry, sentimental love songs, usually lamenting lost love.
Traditional Pop refers to a style of music that was most popular during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. It showed little or no influence from rock and roll, blues, country or folk music as opposed to theatre music such as Broadway and Vaudeville, or traditional jazz. Some original Traditional Pop artists remain popular in dedicated theaters such as those in Branson, Missouri. Since the 1980s, new performers have appeared in the style, and many modern artists have adopted the style for a recording or two before returning to conventional pop or rock. Often performed by a vocalist or singing group with orchestra or jazz-style combo, but not with prominent electric guitar.