A Salute to the Golden Age of American Popular Music

We salute the music from Broadway, Hollywood, New Orleans, Tin Pan Alley and the "melody makers;" i.e. the bands and singers that brought the music to us via the radio, recordings and live events in the period from the 1920's to the 1960's. This is the golden period of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Larry Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Jimmy Van Heusen, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, etc.

Monday, July 19, 2010

What were the Top Ten Songs of 1949 ?

Here are the Top Ten Songs of 1949;



1. Vaughn Monroe, "Riders in the Sky"

2. Frankie Laine, "That Lucky Old Sun"

3. Russ Morgan, "Crusing Down the River"

4. Blue Barron, "Crusing Down the River"

5. Evelyn Knight, "A Little Bird Told Me"

6. Frankie Laine, "Mule Train"

7. Perry Como, "Some Enchanted Evening"

8. Vic Damone, "You're Breaking My Heart"

9. Perry Como, "'A' You're Adorable"

10. Margaret Whiting, "Slippin Around"



"Some Enchanted Evening" from the Broadway production of South Pacific was a very big hit for      ( Mr. Smooth) Perry Como. "Crusing Down the River" hit the top ten list with two big band versions.

Here is the singing bandleader Vaughn Monroe with "Ghost Riders In The Sky"....the number one tune of 1949.