In his own words, he fostered "a crossover between gospel music and the rhythm patterns of the blues." But he didn't stop there: over the decades, elements of country & western and big-band jazz have infused his music as well. He is as complete and well-rounded a musical talent as this century has produced.

Music of the 1960’s
Bob Dylan, without question, was the greatest artist of the decade. His music inspired bands such as the Beatles. He introduced a new, different style of music to the whole world. Brenda Lee sang her way out of an impoverished childhood and into the hearts of the world. Before turning twenty, Brenda had recorded a phenomenal 256 sides - a musical odyssey that even at this early stage included classic million sellers like "I'm Sorry,"

"Fool Number 1," "Emotions," "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," and "That's All You Gotta Do." Having lent his harmonica skills to Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby," which topped the pop charts in 1962, Delbert McClinton toured Europe with Channel. While in England, McClinton tutored the leader of a then- unknown band on mouth harp, the results of which subsequently were heard around the world on the Beatles hit "Love Me Do." In 1965 James Brown, "The Godfather of Soul," hit No. 1 on the R & B charts with "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag." By the mid-sixties, Loretta Lynn was the most popular female country singer in America. In 1966 Otis Redding created the intense, Goespel-oriented Dictionary Of Soul. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Aretha Franklin, "Lady Soul," recorded her first Atlantic disk, "I Never Loved A Man," in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1967, at Fame Recording Studios. At the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967, Janis Joplin, distinguished herself with her energetic performance, and quickly rose to stardom. In 1967 Dolly Parton began singing on the Porter Wagner Show. In 1969 Bill Lowery was Broadcast Music's number one publisher. Elvis’ best work appears in 1960, just after he got out of the army. Versions of songs like It's Now Or Never and Are You Lonesome Tonight? show the singer in top form, with some excellent session musicians backing him up. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Morrison first came to fame in 1965 with the group Them and their hits, "Here Comes the Night" and Morrison's "Gloria." Morrison left the group in 1967 to record in New York; the result was "Brown-Eyed Girl". After signing with Warner Bros., he recorded "Astral Weeks," a 1968 collection of mystical, impressionistic folk songs backed by jazz musicians.