Episode 217, “Easy Listening,” presents 18 recordings that were among the staples of “easy listening” radio stations in the 1950s. Performers include The Four Preps, Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, Julie London, Patti Page, Pat Boone, Frank Sinatra and Mantovani.

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Episode 216, “Dinah Shore,” focuses on the first woman to have her own TV variety show, and who arguably sold more Chevrolets in the ‘50s and ‘60s than anyone else. Included are the very first recording she made, plus nearly a dozen of  her Top 10 hits.

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Episode 215, “Latin Music” focuses on this popular genre with performances by Xavier Cugat, Julie London, Mel Torme, Bossa Nova, Eydie Gorme and more. Also included are tributes to two important 1950s music figures who died in 2022: singer Bobby Rydell and record producer Art Rupe.

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Episode 214, “RCA Studio B,” focuses on the history of an especially productive recording studio in Nashville and two groups of backup singers, The Anita Kerr Singers and The Jordanaires. Performers include Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Dottie West, Don Gibson, Willie Nelson, Jim Reeves ,and eight more.

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Episode 213, “1940s Jazz Standards,” presents 17 popular songs that became jazz standards, with performances by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Cab Calloway, Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holliday, Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, and a dozen more.

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Episode 212, “Two Country Boys,” presents the hit records of Marty Robbins and Guy Mitchell. Songs include Just Married, Singing the Blues, Heartaches by the Number, My Shoes Are Walking Back to You, El Paso, and 12 more.

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Episode 211, “More Favorite 50s Music,” presents 20 of Sam Waldron’s favorite recordings from the decade when he became a teenager. Performers include Frank Sinatra, Tommy Sands, Brenda Lee, Percy Faith, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Hank Locklin, and a dozen more.

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Episode 210, “Big Bands,” traces the evolution of band and orchestra music from the late 1930s through rock-and-roll groups in the late 1950s. Performers include Benny Goodman, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Nelson Riddle and The Ventures.

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 Episode 209, “May Babies,” presents recordings by more than 20 entertainers who had birthdays in May. Performers include Lawrence Welk, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Ricky Nelson, Julie London, Richie Valens, Danny and the Juniors, and Benny Goodman.

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Episode 208, “Sammy Davis Jr.,” presents 14 recordings by one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s and ‘60s … and a monologue by Davis before a live audience in Las Vegas.

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