Popular Performers
That's what they were. Popular performers. Just look at the list of "Songs that Went Gold". For a song to earn a Gold Record, it has to sell more than a million copies. That's a lot of records. The only thing difficult about compiling our list was paring it down to fit on this page. We had to keep reminding ourselves that it was about conversant knowledge, not a PhD in Pop Music.
You'll want to try them all, at least once. If you click on each name, you'll go to a video selection for that person. Listening through our list will give you a well-rounded idea of the music that used to be popular. Used to be? You'll be surprised. A lot of this music, and these performers, are re-appearing in movie soundtracks. And you'll know enough to recognize them immediately. Good job!