Music · 1946
Post-War Crooners and Big Band Bebop Modernism
In 1946, a war-weary world embraced intimate crooners and optimistic pop tunes alongside dramatic evolutions in jazz and classical music. As big bands began to fade, solo vocalists and fiery new sounds like bebop redefined the modern musical landscape.
- March 1946 | Album | Columbia Records
The Voice of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra released his groundbreaking debut studio album set, cementing his transition from big band singer to a record-charting solo superstar.
- November 1946 | Single | Nat King Cole
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
The Nat King Cole Trio recorded this iconic holiday classic, introducing Cole's smooth vocal styling to generations of listeners.
- May 1946 | Single | The Ink Spots
The Gypsy
The Ink Spots topped the Billboard pop charts for 13 consecutive weeks with this soulful, hugely popular pop ballad.
- October 18, 1946 | Classical | Copland
Symphony No. 3 Premiere
Serge Koussevitzky conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Copland's grand post-war symphony incorporating Fanfare for the Common Man.
- October 15, 1946 | Classical | Britten
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Benjamin Britten's educational orchestral piece premiered in Liverpool, introducing classical instrumentation to audiences through variation and fugue.
- September 1946 | Bluegrass | Nashville
Bill Monroe's Castle Studio Sessions
Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys recorded historic tracks with Earl Scruggs, effectively codifying the classic high-lonesome bluegrass sound.
- July 1946 | Single | Frank Sinatra
Five Minutes More
Sinatra scored a massive chart-topping pop hit with this breezy tune written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn.
- February 1946 | Jazz | Dizzy Gillespie
A Night in Tunisia Recording
Dizzy Gillespie recorded his bebop masterpiece for RCA Victor, bringing revolutionary Afro-Cuban rhythms and complex jazz phrasing to mainstream records.
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