Growing up in the golden age of top 40 radio and being exposed to music through a musical family, I keep going back to 1964. I pondered this post for a few days now and it's hard to nail down one year, but if forced to, 64 would have to be it. Why?
Well, The Beatles. What more can be said? April 1964 Billboard chart has the top 5 spots taken with Beatles plus many other spots further down the chart. Does that boggle your brain????
The Four Seasons are about to peak with Rag Doll, Dawn, and others.
Roy Orbison's Oh, Pretty Woman is a drummer's delight.
The Dave Clark 5 are just getting up steam, The Kinks roll out You Really Got Me.
The Stones are just getting fired up; The Supremes debut, Motown is bursting at the seams, AND THE BEACH BOYS....originally American as jazz and apple pie. An American institution.
Yet, you can also hear Streisand-THEE voice of forever, sing People, Satchmo sings What a Wonderful World, Dean Martin croons Everybody Loves Somebody, you can even hear the trumpet great Al Hirt do Cotton Candy. And how many great songs not mentioned.....The pop music genre had such a wonderful rich and varied texture that made a trip to the record shop and truly great adventure.
So guys, if you step back and make an analysis, it's hard to argue 1964 wasn't simply MIND BLOWING. Oh yeah, let's not forget Surfin Bird by the Trashmen....dean Keep on Pl