who were popular musicians or singers in the 1950s?

Answer 1

Even Billboard on-line only goes back 40 years. You can get started at http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:32 where I see links to the following names:

Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Gene Vincent, the Everly Brothers, and Carl Perkins, who were all major artists in the 1950's. I don't see any female singers listed or any of the "pop" singers of the day like Perry Como, Eddy Fisher, Tony Bennet (yes - that one), Frank Sinatra, Sandra Dee, Peggy Lee, or many more. Hopefully other answerers will either fill in this list or provide a useful link.

Answer 2

At the start of the fifties dance bands where still quite popular although coming to the end of their time. Crooners like Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Bobby Darrin where the equivalent of today's boy bands.
Skiffle was a particularly British invention, Lonnie Donnigan being the most famous of these. The Quarrymen, the group John Lennon was in before The Beatles was a Skiffle group.
By the end of the 50's rock and roll had emerged, and of course American artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry where to the fore front. Cliff Richard was a British copy of American rock and roll stars.

Answer 3

I think the singers in that era and just before were popular with most people as they had there own particular vocal sounds. For instance who could mistake the familiar sound of Johnny Ray, Sinatra, Crosby etc;.etc; I think in those day's there was quality rather than quantity. A lot of the male 'singers' today sound the same if not feminine.. As for some of the lyrics (when they're distinguishable) the mind 'boggles'.

Answer 4

The most popular singers in UK and I guess USA back in the 50s were the Rock-n-Roll stars of the day.

Bill Halley, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cliff Richard.

Back then you had a hard time hearing any of these 'rebs' on the BBC so we all tuned into a radio station called Radio Luxembourg - a commercial station on the Continent which had lots of R+R etc.

Where I lived in the 50s [my wasted teens] in Hastings, there were lots of seafront coffee bars with Juke Boxes which were always up-to-date with the latest Rock.

The culture then was Teddy Boys and Teddy Girls, we drank coffee in the coffee bars, wore drape suits and had our hair done in the style of the time.

Answer 5

They were singers and musicians who were liked by many people during that decade.
Surely who do not want a complete list.
Maybe you should revise your question.

Answer 6

so many Bing/Frank Sinatra/Frankie Laine/ Perry Como /AnnShelton/Vera Lynn/ Musicians Russ Conway/Eddie Calvert/Kenny Baker/Kunz/ so many literally hundreds

Answer 7

Johnny Ray was probably the most popular.

Answer 8

frank sinatra, elvis presley, johnny cash