Patti Page

They were the enemy.  Or so we were told.  The pre-1955 Rock era Popular Singers.  Their sentimental songs were the reason Rock & Roll were invented. 

I can remember watching Elvis '56, a great doc, with a sequence that jumped from Perry Como singing one of his smooth songs to a shot of Elvis.  The contrast was huge.  But it also pointed to a false premise.

Once Elvis & Co. hit, Pop singers did indeed fade from the charts.  But not completely.  And while the Your Hit Parade days of chart domination no longer existed, these singers never went away.  

And yet, the false premise was that these singers were our enemy.  In 2012 that can be tossed away.  For one thing, Elvis was a fan of the Pop singers of his era.  One listen to Dean Martin confirms that.

And how many Rock singers loved Frank Sinatra.

Patti Page, who died yesterday at age 85, was hugely popular.  In fact, she was the #1 Female Artist of the 50's (thanks Joel Whitburn).  Even during the new Rock & Roll era of 55-59.

So, let the Rock & Roll purists snicker at "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window".  I bet somewhere in 1953, your favorite early Rocker was singing along to it on some AM radio station.