History of the Pop Video

1940's - Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby, Jr. was an American singer and actor with a trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation.

He appeared only in films such as 'Road to Rio' and 'The Holiday Inn' and TV show specials including his own 'The Bing Crosby Show'.







1950s - Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer, actor, filmmaker, and conductor, beginning his musical career in the swing era as a boy singer with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He was the first singer to ever have screaming fans.

Frank Sinatra only ever appeared in films (such as 'The Tender Trap' or 'The Manchurian Candidate'), TV (The Man and his Music) or occasionally concerts.





Late 50s - Elvis Presley - The Birth of Rock & Roll

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "The King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "The King".

Elvis didn't tour outside of the US, but he did appear in films ('Blue Hawaii' and 'Jailhouse Rock') and TV specials.

(Black and White)

Colour


This new idea of rock and roll brought along a new genre as well as a new looks for the generation at the time. Teenagers were no longer dressing in suits like Bing Crosby, but insted started to wear leather jackets with tassels and boys slicked their hair back into the classical Elvis quiff.
Early 60s - The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool, in 1960. With John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the rock era.

When they got their first Number One hit, they toured America and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show which broke records for being the most watched show in the US.



However, they grew tired of touring and decided to release a movie that could be shown around the world. This featured the first ever music video starring the tracks 'Paperback Writer' and 'Rain'.





The video consisted of the band members playing instruments on a grassy field surrounded by flowers, although it is the film music video in theory is still contains characteristics that we use in today's music videos such as close ups, mid shots and lip synching.