17th Post: (194 Artists) 1950-60s – # Records

ARTISTS FROM THE 1950 AND 1960s

A quick summary of 1950-69 greatest era for record production statistics to date…

Well, the obvious thing that supports my claim is that the bottomline subtotals of musical artists and groups from the 1950s-1960s seriously outweighs the total numbers from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. For example, the 50s-60s era included 86 plus 108 respectively. In comparison, the 70s has 61, the 80s has 30, the 90s has 39 and the 2000s has only 18. The artists and groups were taken from the existing Music Hall of Famers. Due to the required 25 years wait to be inducted, artists from the 1995-2020s were identified from research from primarily RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Also, I occasionally accessed Billboard, AllMusic, Pitchfork, ClassicsToday, MusicRadar and Wikipedia.

When you start looking at comparing individual female and male artists per decade, once again the 50-60s look to be favorites (based upon albums sold). The one exception is the top female artists during 80s-90s outnumber the 50s-60s. A quick summary, for comparison purposes, is: the 50s have *Tina Turner with 200M albums sold along with Aretha Franklin with 75M. Then, in the 60s, Barbara Streisand has a total of 140M. Gladys Knight, in the 70s, had 24 albums recorded (unknown album sales total). But, in the 80s, three female artists had more than 100M sold: Mariah Carey (174M), Whitney Houston (134M) and Celine Dion* (131M). Also, in the 90s, there were three more individual artists that continue to trend higher than the 50-60s: Madonna (179M), Kanye West (136M) and Pink (75M). The 2000s had two female artists with more than 200M: Rihana (278M) and Taylor Swift (207M).

The dominant male artists from the 50s-60s far outweigh those from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s. For example, Elvis had sold more than a billion records. In addition, in the 50s, Andy Williams sold (100M) and Roy Orbison sold 67M. Plus, in the 60s Michael Jackson (243M), Billy Joel (150M), Elton John (189M) added to the totals. This compares positively to the 80s total for Bruce Springstein (104M) and Prince (68M). In the 90s Lil Wayne (106) and Justin Timberlake (69M) were the top producers. Last, in the 2000s, the numbers are up with Drake (300M), Justin Bieber (182M), Ed Sheeran (182M) and Bruno Mars (157M).

The female groups from the 50-60s once again produced more records than in later decades. The McGuire Sisters (67 singles, unknown number of record sales) and The Shirelles (100M) dominated the 50s. Then, in the 60s, The Supremes (100M) led the category. These two decades far outweighed the 70s-2000s as the Dixie Chicks (30M) were the only female group that stood out.

Male groups from the 50-60s also showed greater record production levels. In the 50s, the Ventures (110M) led the decade. Then in the 60s, five male groups stood out: The Beatles (279M) were No1. Then, three had 100M: The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones and The Doors. The Temptations also deserve to be mentioned with 65 albums recorded (unknown total record sales). In comparison, the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s lagged behind. The 70s two bands stood out: The Eagles (150M) and Queen (146M). The 80s had one band: U2 (110M). And, in the 90s, two bands led with: Eminem (233M, which competes with the 60s) and The Maroon Five (110M). The 2000s had one band: The Dave Matthews Band (35M).