With today’s music so compartmentalized, it’s difficult to believe that at one time various genres of music mixed and match with no afterthought. The only categories were “good” and “bad”, although there were various demographics that preferred some styles over others. Here are three boxed sets of “hits” from three different eras to show how integration used to work before the government got involved.
The 1937 three disc , 74 song collection catches American popular music at the opening cusp of the Swing Era, and everyone’s swingin’! At this time, music was categorized into “hot” and “sweet” bands. The latter is demonstrated by Guy Lombardo on ”Boo Hoo”, Shep Fields for “in The Chapel In The Moonlight” and “Roses In December” with a pre-TV Ozzy Nelson and Orchestra. Bona fide swingers included the king himself, Benny Goodman” with “Afraid To Dream”, Jimmy Dorsey with “The Love Bug Will Bight You”, Fats Wall er and shouting 
out “You’re Laughing At Me” and Andy Kirk’s Clouds of Joy on “What Will I Tell My Heart. Vocalists were in their heyday as well, as Fred Astaire introduces “Nice Work If You Can Get IT”, Bing Crosby croons out “Sweet Is The World For You” and Mildred Bailey delights on “Trust In Me”. Whatever the style, and speed, it was made for dancing!
Fast forward past WWII, and things get a bit segregated. Country and Western ranged from hillbilly to honky tonking in 1954, with singers including the mellifluous voice of Gentleman Jim Reeves on “Penny Candy” to the rich baritone of Ernest Tubb for “Two Glasses, Joe” as well as the clear tones of Eddie Arnold for “My Everything”. . Country swing brought eight beats to the bar with Hank Thompson on “The New Green Light” and “Breaking’ The Rules” and Kitty Wells purred with Red Foley on ”I’m A Stranger In My Home”. Down home country is served by Hank Snow on “Lt Me Go Lover” and Webb Pierce for “There Stands The Glass” and Lefty Frizzell slides the strings on ”Run “em Off” How-dee!
On the opposite side of the railroad tracks, black R&B ranged from jaz to blues to doo wop, and even throwing in a few white boys for extra flavor. Proto rockers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard are appealing to young white kids on “Maybelline” and “Tutti Frutti” respectively, and Big Joe Turner hits eight to the bar on ”Shake Rattle and Roll”. Doo Wop is all the rage, featuring street corner symphonies by The Charms (“Heart Of Stone”), The Penguins (“Earth Angel”) and The Moonglows (“Sincerely”). , with Billy Halley singing the anthem of “Rock Around The Clock”. Church music is taken to the streets by Ray Charles in “I Got A Woman” and Ruth Brown in “Mambo Baby” with Dinah Washington preaching it on “Teach Me Tonight”. Guitar pickers are hitting the blues with BB King on “Sneakin’ Around” and Little Walter on “My Babe”. In other words, black music was light years ahead of its country cousins at this point.
By 1960, black and white music was being listened to by all ages and races, with each style influencing the other. Thus, you get Sam Cooke nice and polished on “Wonderful World” and Clyde McPhatter cool and clean on “Ta Ta” while Elvis gets ominous on “Stuck On You”. Doe-eyed ladies like Brenda Lee coo out “’m Sorry” and Roy Orbison gives an aria on “Only The Lonely” with the Everly Brothers creating vocal harmonies that would soon influence a generation of rockers like The Beatles on “When Will I Be Loved”. Clean white kids like Pat Boone and Bobby Rydell deliver “Spring Rain” and “Ding A Ling” and Ella scats out “Mack The Knife” while Jackie Wilson cries “Doggin’ Around”. Who needs the Beatles?