The 80's

This decade saw the rise of pop music, soft rock, and glam metal as well as emergence of new wave, . The 1980s are commonly associated with the use of synthesizers and the introduction of sampling and hip hop/rap.

The 1980s saw the reinvention of Michael Jackson and the emergence of Madonna, who arguably were the most powerful musicians during the time. Their videos became a permanent fixture on MTV and gained a worldwide mass audience.

Prominent American Urban pop acts of the 1980s include Tina Turner, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Deniece Williams.

American artists such as Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, Prince and Janet Jackson ruled the charts throughout the decade and achieved tremendous success worldwide. Their fame and commercial success lasts up to date.

Beginning in 1983 and peaking in success in 1986-1989, the decade saw the resurgence of hard rock music and the emergence of its pop metal subgenre. Bands such as Queen, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, Europe, Twisted Sister, and Poison were among the most popular acts of the decade. The 1980s saw the emergence of wildly popular hard rock band Guns N' Roses and the successful comebacks of Aerosmith and Alice Cooper in the late 1980s.

The hip hop scene, which had been popular by 1989, continued to evolve, gaining recognition and exhibiting a stronger influence on the music industry. The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Run-D.M.C., N.W.A, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, EPMD, Ice-T, Tone Lōc, and others experienced success in this genre.

The 70's

The 70's saw the rise of disco and funk,art rock, hard rock, glam rock, and punk music were also popular.Other emerging genres included jazz-rock fusion, chamber jazz, reggae, heavy metal and hip hop.
For many people, disco is the genre of music most readily associated with the 1970s with bands like Bee Gees, Boney M, Biddu and Hues Corporation .
Arena rock grew in popularity through progressive bands like Styx and hard rock bands like Boston.
Soft rock often used acoustic instruments and placed emphasis on melody and harmonies. Major soft rock artists of the 1970s included James Taylor, Billy Joel, Chicago and America
In the pop genre ABBA, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John where the most popular.
Also in the 70's many reggae songs by Bob Marley like ''No Woman, No Cry'' were popular.

The 60's

The 60's saw the growth and popularity of rock music. Singer–songwriters that wrote and performed their own music such as The Beatles made their entrance.Rock and roll music expanded greatly this decade with different genres of rock emerging such as folk rock and progressive rock, and later in the decade psychedelic rock was at its peak.

In the early 1960s a British blues scene was developing and recreating the sounds of American R&B.
It reached its height of mainstream popularity in the late 60's, when it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric guitar and made international stars of several proponents of the genre including The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin.

When it came to Pop music Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Tom Jones and Sandie Shaw were some of the most popular artists.

The 50's

The 50's mood was optimistic, the music was fast and the beat was swing. This decade gave birth in the mid-50's to Rock and Roll and it became the teen music of choice with artists such as Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley & His Comets, Ricky Nelson and Elvis who in the mid-50's became the leading figure of rock and roll.