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ÌýClose To Them
In the 70s, The Carpenters introduced easy listening to a new generation. Their wistfully melodic sounds stood in stark contrast to the excessive, gaudy and downright moody glam, prog and punk rockers of the decade -and their record sales are high to this day.
ÌýFrank, Dean And The Guys
Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack; Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine,Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop among them, typified the cool and edgy nature of easy.
ÌýIn The Mood
The invention of the Long-Playing record sparks a boom in concept albums -so-called Mood Music -by artists such as Ray Anthony,Paul Weston, Ray Anthony, Mantovani, Ray Coniff and Percy Faith.
ÌýElectric Sounds
The development of the electric microphone allowed Bing Crosby to use his mid-range for singing after he developed nodules on his vocal cords. The Crooner, central to theeasy listeningmood and style, is born.
ÌýEasy's Back
The 1990s saw a resurgence of easy listening, with acts like Andy Williams, Tony Bennett and Dionne Warwick (pictured above) back in vogue, and a raft of easy listening compilations hit the record shops.