Misc FAQs

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MISC FAQs

So what exactly are "oldies"?

The term, "oldies," refers to both popular music from the 1950s-1970s and the radio format that specializes in this type of music. "Golden oldies" usually refers to oldies music exclusively from the 1950s-early 1960s. Oldies songs are typically from the R&B, pop and rock music genres but may also include country, movie soundtrack, novelty, and other types of popular music played on the radio from around 1950-on. Pop music genres that had their heyday before the 1950s (e.g., ragtime, big band) are generally considered "too old" to be included in the oldies radio format ... (more)

Are the years next to the songs in your lists the songs' chart debut years or the years in which the songs peaked on the charts?

Unless noted otherwise (e.g., see our Christmas oldies webpage), we use the years in which the songs peaked on the national Billboard charts. For example,

Moody River by Pat Boone debuted on 5/1/61 and peaked at #1 on 6/19/61 Thus, we have the year for this song listed as 1961.
Midnight Rider by Gregg Allman debuted on 12/22/73 and peaked at #19 on 2/23/74. Thus, we have the year for this song listed as 1974.
Changes by David Bowie charted twice. This song first debuted on 4/15/72 and peaked at #66 on 5/13/72. It debuted again on 12/7/74 and peaked at #41 on 2/1/75. Thus, on the David Bowie webpage we have two years listed next to this song, i.e., 1972 and 1975. The first year only (1972) is listed on this song's webpage.

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How can I get in touch with an oldies band member or artist?

For some reason we get asked this question quite a lot. Here are some possible leads which should hopefully get you pointed in the right direction:

Check Google to see whether or not the artist you are looking for has an official (or other) website. Sometimes, just typing "www.oldiesartist.com" into your browser (substitute the name of the artist you want for "oldiesartist") can lead you right to their website. Artist websites (if they exist) are the best places to look first as they often have easy-to-find contact information.
Many oldies bands and artists are affiliated with one of the three main performing rights organizations, i.e., ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Search by the artist's name at the following:

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