Even w/ the Payola scandal, music from '55 'til '67 was loaded w/ super stuff!!
The best DJs alone made listening an experience! Most of us here are too young to have heard 'em. For instance, I came of age in the early 80s, when Empty Vee was starting its rise to ubiquity (but does any self-respecting kid nowadays watch that crap?).
If you can find the Cruisin' series it would be well worth your while. Going from '55 up 'til '71 or so, they take a top DJ of that year and give you ads, songs, and disc-jockey patter. The sleeves were comics depicting that year, illustrated by Dick Royer, and the liner notes give you news for that year. Really cool...
My fave volume is 1962, from Dallas with Russ 'Weird Beard' Knight (who just passed away). Damn near everything he said rhymed, and he never paused for so much as a breath.
Check it out.
Stuff like the Wailers 'Tall Cool One' made the charts, Tri-state smashes, and regional one-off singles would snowball into minor hits. Good luck finding that today!
{Grouchy Old Man voice} The record industry and the Hippies killed off the cool, and the fun.
