The pop music industry evolved a specific kind of artist: the recording artist. Whether you’re just beginning your online music education or you’re familiar with the industry, it’s important to remember that the journey of the recording artist begins with another invention, and that invention is called the microphone.
Not only does the microphone enable somebody to have their voice amplified in a venue, but it also enables a performer to fix that performance on a physical form, like a vinyl record.
However, the microphone also does something else: it actually alters the nature of how songs are performed. It used to be that if I were a performer onstage and there was no amplification, I would really have to project so that everybody in the venue could hear my voice. Suddenly, you have a microphone which allows for a greater dynamic range. In particular, a performer can sing very, very softly, and that voice will still carry. In some ways, it allows for a greater degree of intimacy with an artist, as if you are up close with that artist.
That really is one of the things that birthed a new kind of singing: an American singing, a popular music singing. Sometimes it’s called crooning, and there were a few figures of the early music business that really worked that microphone. Whether we’re talking about a Billie Holiday, a Bing Crosby, or a Frank Sinatra, people you might hear about when studying music education, these are some of the earliest superstars of recorded music, and they’re known especially for their subtle nuanced vocal performances.
