1.  How did they consume music?
 Radio, television, record albums, tape, live professional
performances and direct music making were the main
methods of listening to music in the 50s.
 The release of the vinyl LP (Long Playing) record in the
early 1950s made it possible for people to play
continuous music for much longer than before
 By the end of the 1950s, new, convenient portable
transistor radios made it possible for people to take
their radios outdoors. Some cars even had radios
installed.

2.  Which artists/genres were popular?
 Rock and roll dominated the 1950s with
popular artists such as Elvis Presley, Chuck
Berry and Pat Boone.
 Jazz also became popular with artists such as
Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday
 Another genre was country music with artists
such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Bill
Monroe

3.  Social/Historical Context- how did these
trends link to events of the time?
 The new music differed from previous styles in that it
was primarily targeted at the teenager market, which
became a distinct entity for the first time in the 1950s as
growing prosperity meant that young people did not
have to grow up as quickly or be expected to support a
family. Rock-and-roll proved to be a difficult
phenomenon for older Americans to accept and there
were widespread accusations of it being a communist-
orchestrated scheme to corrupt the youth.