Doo-wop
* Kunstnere:The Penguins, The Platters, The Five Satins
* Populære sange:"Earth Angel", "Only You (And You Alone)," In the Still of the Night"
Pop
* Kunstnere:Perry Como, Dean Martin, Doris Day
* Populære sange:"Catch a Falling Star", "That's Amore", "Que Sera, Sera"
Land
* Kunstnere:Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash
* Populære sange:"Your Cheatin' Heart", "Crazy", "I Walk the Line"
Jazz
* Kunstnere:Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald
* Populære albums:"Kind of Blue", "Giant Steps", "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook"
Rhythm and Blues (R&B)
* Kunstnere:Ray Charles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry
* Populære sange:"What'd I Say", "Tutti Frutti", "Maybellene"
Rock and Roll
* Kunstnere:Elvis Presley, Bill Haley &His Comets, Chuck Berry
* Populære sange:"Hound Dog", "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock", "Johnny B. Goode"
Klassisk musik
* Komponister:Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Samuel Barber
* Populære kompositioner:"The Rite of Spring", "Symphony No. 10", "Knoxville:Summer of 1915"
Evangelium
* Kunstnere:The Golden Gate Quartet, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson
* Populære sange:"This Little Light of Mine", "Down by the Riverside", "Move On Up a Little Higher"
I slutningen af 1950'erne banede musikalsk innovation og fremkomsten af nye kunstnere vejen for den transformative lyd fra 1960'ernes musikscener.