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Easy listening music is a style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century, evolving out of swing and big band music, and related to Beautiful music and Light music. Easy listening music features simple, catchy melodies, soft, laid-back songs and occasionally rhythms suitable for couples dancing. The genre includes both instrumental forms (often played on light of tone instruments such as the Hammond Organ, "lush strings", or Ukulele); and vocal forms featuring pop singers, such as Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Jack Jones, Engelbert Humperdinck, Eydie Gorme, Barry Manilow, Harry Connick Jr., Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Tom Jones and Mel Tormé. Exotica music stylists such as Les Baxter and Martin Denny are often included within the purview of easy listening music as well. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Gnome-globe. ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... For other uses, see swing. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s, although there are many big-bands around nowadays. ... Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM / EZ) is a mostly-instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s. ... Light Music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of light orchestral music, which began post-World War One and had its heyday during the mid-20th Century, although arguably lasts to the present day. ... Rhythm (Greek ρυθμός = tempo) is the variation of the duration of sounds over time. ... The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company until the 1970s. ... For the Anne Rice novel, see Violin (novel). ... The ukulele (from Hawaiian: , pronounced ), variantly spelled ukelele (particularly in the UK), or alternately abbreviated uke, is a chordophone classified as a plucked lute; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four strings or four courses of strings. ... For the music genre, see Pop music. ... Barbra Streisand (pronounced STRY-sand; born April 24, 1942) is an American two time Academy Award-winning singer, film and theatre actress. ... Pierino Ronald Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American crooner. ... For other persons named Andrew Williams, see Andrew Williams (disambiguation). ... Jack Jones, singer Jack Jones (born John Allan Jones in January 14, 1938) is an American jazz and pop singer. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Eydie Gorme (real name Edith Gormezano) (born August 16, 1931 in The Bronx, New York City, United States), is an American singer, and wife of Steve Lawrence. ... Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter best known for such recordings as I Write the Songs, Mandy, Weekend in New England and Copacabana. ... Harry Connick, Jr. ... Sinatra redirects here. ... John Royce Mathis (b. ... Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation). ... Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed The Velvet Fog, is best known as one of the great male jazz singers. ... Martin Dennys breakthrough album, Exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the late 1950s to mid 1960s typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism exotica means tropical ersatz... Les Baxter (March 14, 1922 - January 15, 1996) studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. ... Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 - March 2, 2005) is universally known as the founder and reigning king of exotica music, a type of big band music with Latin rhythms and overtones of Pacific Ocean culture that is largely scorned by critics but was extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Use of term and related forms of music

The easy listening radio format has been generally but not completely superseded by the "Lite AC" form of Adult contemporary music radio.^[1] Beautiful music is a subset of easy listening music, since, as a radio format, it had rigid standards for instrumentation (e.g., few or no saxophones) and restrictions on how many vocal pieces could be played in an hour. It is sometimes called Nostalgia music. Often, songs were re-arranged instrumental "cover" versions of popular songs of the 1960s and 1970s custom-produced for the radio format during its peak in popularity. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, is a type of radio format that plays mainstream contemporary pop music, excluding hip hop, hard rock, and some teen pop music, which is intended for an adult audience. ... Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM / EZ) is a mostly-instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored musical instrument usually considered a member of the woodwind family. ...

The term "easy listening" has sometimes been applied negatively in the years since it went out of fashion. It is similar to what is called "lounge" or "lounge core", but lounge music is much more jazz-oriented and dependent on musical improvisation than easy listening. Easy listening music is usually orchestrated by an arranger rather than improvised by a small ensemble. Lounge music refers to music played in the lounges and bars of hotels and casinos, or at standalone piano bars. ... Lounge music refers to music played in the lounges and bars of hotels and casinos, or at standalone piano bars. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Improvisation is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of ones immediate environment. ...

Since easy listening music as such is rather unknown to the younger generation, the term "easy listening" is often incorrectly applied to other genres such as soft rock, soft pop, smooth jazz, or new age music. Easy listening music is also sometimes referred to as "mood music", "elevator music" (and in the UK as "lift music"). The term "Muzak" is occasionally used as a (usually derogatory) synonym for easy listening music as well, but that is erroneous as Muzak specifically refers to the music produced and programmed for public places by the Muzak Corporation, and is not a music genre in itself. Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll to compose a softer, supposedly more ear-pleasing sound for listening, often at work or when driving. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... Smooth Jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music,[1] is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and, at times, improvisation) traditionally associated with jazz and stylistic influences drawn from mostly R&B, but also funk and pop. ... New Age music is a style of music originally associated with some New Age beliefs. ... Elevator music, also known as lift music (in the UK), piped music or muzak, refers to the gentle, bland instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for play in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), cruise ships, airports, doctors and dentists offices, and... Muzak Holdings LLC is a company, founded in 1934, that is best known for distribution of music to retail stores and other companies. ...

Notable artists

The Best of Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride Leroy Anderson (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was best known as an American composer of short, light concert music pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. ... Burt Bacharach (IPA: ; born May 12, 1928) is an award-winning American pianist and composer. ... The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. ... CARAVELLI, real name Claude Vasori , was born September 12th of 1930 in Paris, from Italian father and French mother. ... Frank Chacksfield, born Francis Charles Chacksfield (May 9, 1914 - June 9, 1995) was a popular conductor in the easy listening style. ... Ray Conniff Ray Conniff (born Joseph Raymond Conniff on November 6, 1916 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA, and died October 12, 2002, Escondido, California, USA) was an American musician. ... Syd Dale (courtesy of Amphonic Music) Syd Dale (May 20, 1924 – August 15, 1994) was born in York, England. ... Lex de Azevedo is an American Mormon composer known primarily for his film scores. ... Frank De Vol (September 20, 1911 - October 27, 1999) was an American composer of film and television music. ... This article is about the musician Juan Garcia Esquivel. ... Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a band-leader, orchestrator and composer, known for his arrangements of standard tunes with lush string sections and female chorus vocal and wordless. ... Robert Farnon album Robert Joseph Farnon (July 24, 1917 – April 22, 2005) was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. ... Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was the long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specialized in popular music. ... Herbert John Jackie Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an American comedian, actor, and musician. ... Arthur Greenslade is a British conductor and arranger for films and television, as well as a number of famous performers ranging from Engelbert Humperdinck and Jack Jones to Chris Farlowe and Serge Gainsbourg. ... Nick Ingman is an easy listening orchestra conductor and composer. ... Bert Kaempfert (born Berthold Kämpfert; October 16, 1923 - June 21, 1980) was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. ... Andre Kostelanetz (December 22, 1901 - January 13, 1980) was a popular orchestral music conductor and arranger, one of the pioneers of easy listening music. ... James Last in 2006 James Last together with fan Guenter Krueger from Berlin James Last (born Hans Last on April 17, 1929 in Bremen) is a German composer and big band leader. ... Raymond Lefevre (born November, 20 of 1929 Calais, France) was a French easy listening orchestra conductor and composer. ... Cover of Enoch Lights first Command release, Persuasive Percussion Enoch Light (August 18, 1905 - July 31, 1978) was a classical violinist, bandleader, and recording engineer. ... Geoff Love lived on Commercial Street and has a plaque dedicated to his memory outside his old house. ... The Living Strings was an easy listening studio orchestra operated by RCA Records on its Camden label. ... Longines Symphonette may refer to: A record label (the Longines Symphonette Society), owned by the Longines watch company, which specialized in releasing classic radio programs and multiple-record box sets [1]; A symphony orchestra sponsored by Longines, which produced many recordings for the record label; A trade name of electronic... Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994), was an Academy Award winning American composer, conductor and arranger. ... Mantovani, born Annunzio Paolo Mantovani ( November 15, 1905 – March 29, 1980) was a popular conductor and entertainer in the easy listening style. ... Paul Mauriat Paul Mauriat (Marseille, 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006 in Perpignan) was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. ... George Melachrino (born George Militiades 1 May 1909 in London, England — died 18 June 1965) was a musician, movie composer, and musical director who was English born of Greek and Italian descent. ... The Mom and Dads was a Western-styled folk music group from Spokane, Washington that specialized in waltzes, polkas, and general easy listening. ... Promotional copy of first 101 Strings album, 1957. ... « In the strange world of show-business where you can find many con-artists and wind merchants, there is a distinguished man, whose look is more that of a diplomat than an artist: Franck Pourcel is discreet, modest and without pretence, this quiet man with a handsome silhouette has recorded... Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. ... David Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, and orchestra leader known as one of the most popular and distinctive mainstream instrumental pop composers of the 20th century. ... Sounds Orchestral was an English studio easy listening group assembled by John Schroeder. ... Jazz flautist and Latin Grammy Award winner Nestor Torres has been captivating audiences with his sensual mix of Latin, jazz and pop sounds for more than fifteen years. ... Billy Vaughn (April 12, 1919-September 26, 1991) was a singer, pianist, and orchestra leader. ... Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was a musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, hosting The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. ... Paul Weston (real name Wetstein) (March 12, 1912 - September 20, 1996) was a US pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. ... There have been a number of notable people named Charles Williams: Sir Charles Hanbury Williams (1708–1759), a British Member of Parliament and satirist. ... Hugo Winterhalter (15 August 1909 - 17 September 1973) was a popular American musician. ... André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu (born October 1, 1949) is a Dutch violinist and conductor. ... Fausto Papetti (Viggiù, January 28, 1923–San Remo, June 15, 1999) was an Italian saxophone player. ... Ronnie Aldrich (15 Feb 1916 - 30 Sep 1993) was a British easy-listening pianist, arranger, conductor and composer. ... Jim Brickman (born November 20, 1961) is an American composer and contemporary pianist. ... Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 - December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the Nashville Sound. ... Richard Clayderman (born Philippe Pagès on December 28, 1953, Paris, France) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums, including renditions and arrangements of popular music, French chansons, and popular piano works of Beethoven, Chopin and Mozart. ... Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | 1947 births | New Zealand musicians ... Ferrante & Teicher were one of the most successful easy listening acts of the 1960s and 1970s, known for their light arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes. ... Earl Grant (January 20, 1931 - June 11, 1970) was an American easy listening pianist, Hammond organist, and vocalist popular in the 1950s and 60s Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Grant was gifted with keyboard skills and a fine singing voice. ... Horst Jankowski (January 30, 1936, Berlin - June 29, 1998) was a classically trained pianist most famous for his easy listening music. ... Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (January 25, 1927 in Rio de Janeiro – December 8, 1994 in New York City), or Tom Jobim (as he is fondly known in his home country), was a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, pianist/guitarist and one of the primary forces behind the creation... Bradley Joseph (born in 1965) is an American composer, pianist, keyboardist, arranger, and recording artist, performing on the international stage for many years with artists such as Yanni and Grammy-winner Sheena Easton, as well as having vast experience with artists from RCA, Epic Records, Warner Bros. ... Wladziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987), better known by only his last name Liberace (pronounced [ËŒlɪbəˈrɑːtʃi]), was an American entertainer. ... Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow on May 22, 1934) is an American pianist and pops conductor. ... Johnny Pearson (born June 18, 1925) is a British composer and pianist. ... Roger Williams could mean: Roger Williams University Roger Williams (theologian), co-founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams (soldier) Roger Williams (pianist), American pianist Roger Williams (UK politician), British politician Roger Williams (US politician), US Texas politician Roger Williams (hepatologist), a British liver specialist Roger Williams (trombonist) Roger Williams (activist) This... Laurindo Almeida (born September 2, 1917, São Paulo, Brazil–died July 26, 1995, Van Nuys, California) was a Brazilian classical guitarist. ... This article is about the musician. ... Alexander Emil Caiola (b. ... Earl Klugh (born September 16, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American smooth jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and composer. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Herbert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass or as Herb Alperts Tijuana Brass or just TJB for short. ... James Galway and his golden flute Sir James Galway (born December 8, 1939) is a Northern Ireland-born virtuoso flutist from Belfast, often called The Man With the Golden Flute. ... Gheorghe Zamfir (born April 6, 1941, in GăeÅŸti, Romania) is a famous Romanian musician who is a virtuoso on the pan pipes. ... The Bachelors is a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland. ... Ray Charles is the stage name of Charles Raymond Offenberg (born September 13, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois), an American musician, songwriter, and vocal conductor. ... Ray Conniff Ray Conniff (born Joseph Raymond Conniff on November 6, 1916 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA, and died October 12, 2002, Escondido, California, USA) was an American musician. ... Michael Curb (born December 24, 1944 in Savannah, Georgia) is an American musician, record company executive, race car owner (in both NASCAR and IRL), and politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of California from 1979 until 1983. ... The Doodletown Pipers. ... Anita Kerr (born Anita Jean Grilli on October 31, 1927, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American singer, composer and music producer. ... The Lettermen are a pop music vocal group. ... The Lighthouse Family were a British duo active from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. ... The Mike Flowers Pops (also known as the Mike Flowers Pops Orchestra) is a British music band fronted and organized by Mike Flowers. ... Norman Luboff (May 14, 1917 - September 22, 1987) was an American music arranger and choir director. ... Johnny Mann Johnny Mann (born August 30, 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, entertainer, and recording artist. ... Sérgio Santos Mendes, pron. ... The Sandpipers were a US easy listening trio/quartet who carved a little niche for themselves in the world of 60s folk rock. ... The Singers Unlimited was a four part jazz vocal goup formed in 1971 by Gene Puerling. ... The Swingle Singers (1962-1973) was a vocal group formed in Paris, France with Ward Swingle, Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont, and Jean Cussac. ... Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick on July 9, 1927) is an American popular singer and actor. ... Pierino Ronald Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American crooner. ... Eydie Gorme (real name Edith Gormezano) (born August 16, 1931 in The Bronx, New York City, United States), is an American singer, and wife of Steve Lawrence. ... Robert Gerard Goulet (November 26, 1933 – October 30, 2007) was a Grammy- and Tony Award- winning Canadian entertainer. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Jack Jones, singer Jack Jones (born John Allan Jones in January 14, 1938) is an American jazz and pop singer. ... Steve Lawrence (born July 8, 1935) is an American singer, perhaps best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé. The two have appeared together since appearing regularly on Steve Allens The Tonight Show in the mid 1950s[1][2]. Lawrence is an actor as... Al Martino (born Alfred Cini, October 7, 1927, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an Italian-American singer and actor. ... John Royce Mathis (b. ... Matt Monro (1 December 1930, Shoreditch, London – 7 February 1985, Ealing) was an English ballad singer of the 1960s and one of the international post-World War II entertainers. ... Not to be confused with Ann Murray. ... Kenneth Ray[2] Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas) is a prolific American country music singer, photographer, producer, songwriter, actor and businessman. ... James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Belmont, Massachusetts. ... Roger Whittaker Roger Whittaker (born March 22, 1936 in Nairobi, Kenya) is a British singer/songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of more than 55 million. ... For other persons named Andrew Williams, see Andrew Williams (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Tony Bennett, see Tony Bennett (disambiguation). ... For the town in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, see Glen Campbell, Pennsylvania. ... For other uses, see Carpenter (disambiguation). ... Pierino Ronald Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American crooner. ... Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was a popular American jazz singer-songwriter and pianist. ... Vic Damone (born June 12, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York) is an ItalianAmerican singer. ... Sammy Davis, Jr. ... Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff (born April 3, 1924)[1] is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate known as Doris Day. ... John Denver (December 31, 1943 â€“ October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ... Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. ... Donald Tai Loy Don Ho (in Chinese characters, 何大來, Hé Dàlái) (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian musician and entertainer. ... Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter best known for such recordings as I Write the Songs, Mandy, Weekend in New England and Copacabana. ... Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian-American singer, film actor, television personality, and comedian. ... Nana Mouskouri (in Greek, Nανά Μούσχουρη), born as Ioanna Mouskouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a singer of Greek origin. ... Olivia Newton-John AO OBE (born 26 September 1948) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated English-born Australian pop singer, songwriter and actress. ... Daniel Francis Noel ODonnell MBE (born December 12, 1961) is an Irish singer from County Donegal. ... Sinatra redirects here. ... Barbra Streisand (pronounced STRY-sand; born April 24, 1942) is an American two time Academy Award-winning singer, film and theatre actress. ... Jerry Vale (b. ... Bobby Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American pop music singer. ... Stephen Bishop (born November 14, 1951 in San Diego, California) is an American singer and guitarist. ... Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. ... The cover of the album The Essential Dan Fogelberg Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (b. ... Simon Webbe (born 30 March 1979 in Moss Side, Manchester, England) is a music singer, writer, producer, manager and film star. ...

References

Further reading

• Lanza, Joseph. (1994). Elevator Music: a Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong. New York: St. Martin's. ISBN 0-312-10540-1.

See also

• Soul music
• Light music
• Beautiful music
• Exotica