{"id":5506,"date":"2025-06-13T19:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T19:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/?p=5506"},"modified":"2026-02-02T19:05:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T19:05:54","slug":"the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Collage<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

When you think of \u201cpop music,\u201d you might imagine slick beats and catchy hooks. But rewind a century, and \u201cpop\u201d meant something quite different. In the 1920s and 1930s, popular music was the heartbeat of family living rooms, broadcast radios, and record players spinning 78rpm discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Father\u2019s Day, we invite you to step into a musical time machine with the Recorded Sound Archives and celebrate the vintage voices that defined what \u201cdad music\u201d sounded like back then\u2014whether it was crooning love songs, swinging jazz, or toe-tapping novelty tunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What Was \u201cPop Music\u201d in the 1920s\u201330s?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Popular music in the early 20th century reflected the tastes of a growing middle class. Songs from Broadway, Tin Pan Alley, and vaudeville were chart-toppers before the Billboard charts even existed. Fathers of the era\u2014whether relaxing with a pipe and phonograph or whistling on the way to work\u2014likely knew these melodies by heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featured Recordings from the RSA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few timeless tracks from the RSA collection that capture the sound of an earlier generation of fathers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gene Autry \u2013 \u201cBack in the Saddle Again<\/a><\/strong>\u201d
Label: Columbia, 1939
America\u2019s beloved singing cowboy brought joy to fathers and children alike. Autry\u2019s Western charm and wholesome storytelling made him a staple in households across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billy Murray \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover<\/a><\/strong>\u201d
Label: Victor, 1927
Billy Murray\u2019s spirited delivery made him one of the most recorded artists of the early 20th century. This cheerful tune was perfect for sing-alongs and whistling dads alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra \u2013 \u201cWhispering<\/a><\/strong>\u201d
Label: Victor, 1920
One of the earliest big band recordings to gain massive popularity, this instrumental hit set the stage for dance hall music and the rise of jazz-inspired pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cal Stewart \u2013 \u201cUncle Josh in a Department Store<\/a><\/strong>\u201d
Label: Victor, early 1900s
In this comical monologue, Uncle Josh recounts his first chaotic encounter with a department store\u2014getting lost, confused, and overwhelmed by the bustle of city shopping. It\u2019s a timeless \u201cdad out of his element\u201d moment that still hits home today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fats Waller \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s a Sin to Tell a Lie<\/a>\u201d<\/strong>
Label: Victor, 1936
Waller\u2019s charismatic voice and playful piano brought warmth and wit to the music dads loved. This song strikes a perfect balance between humor and heartfelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honoring the Sounds of Fatherhood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Music has always been part of the soundtrack of fatherhood. Whether your dad played Glenn Miller on vinyl or you\u2019re a father yourself rediscovering these vintage gems, we hope these songs bring a smile and spark some nostalgic joy this Father\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore more recordings on the Recorded Sound Archives website<\/a><\/strong> today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you think of \u201cpop music,\u201d you might imagine slick beats and catchy hooks. But rewind a century, and \u201cpop\u201d meant something quite different. In the 1920s and 1930s, popular music was the heartbeat of family living rooms, broadcast radios, and record players spinning 78rpm discs. This Father\u2019s Day, we invite you to step into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[414],"tags":[296,360],"class_list":["post-5506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vintage-collection","tag-pop-music","tag-vintage"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Recorded Sound Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-13T19:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-02T19:05:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Recorded Sound Archives\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Recorded Sound Archives\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/\",\"name\":\"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-13T19:00:14+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-02T19:05:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/294be88a20add4af24b618d63b9f59d7\"},\"description\":\"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Recorded Sound Archives\",\"description\":\"Florida Atlantic University Libraries\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/294be88a20add4af24b618d63b9f59d7\",\"name\":\"Recorded Sound Archives\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca0be8a154e625f6e8b045156f95af29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca0be8a154e625f6e8b045156f95af29?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Recorded Sound Archives\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/author\/recorded-sound-archives\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives","description":"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives","og_description":"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.","og_url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/","og_site_name":"Recorded Sound Archives","article_published_time":"2025-06-13T19:00:14+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-02T19:05:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Recorded Sound Archives","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Recorded Sound Archives","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/","url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/","name":"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day - Recorded Sound Archives","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-13T19:00:14+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-02T19:05:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/294be88a20add4af24b618d63b9f59d7"},"description":"Celebrate Father's Day with vintage hits from the 1920s\u201330s. Hear what \u201cdad music\u201d used to sound like! Listen now on the RSA.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/The-Pop-before-Pop-A-Fatherss-Day-Tribute-1024x1024.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/collections\/vintage-collection\/the-pop-before-pop-vintage-sounds-for-fathers-day\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Pop Before Pop: Vintage Sounds for Father\u2019s Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/","name":"Recorded Sound Archives","description":"Florida Atlantic University Libraries","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/294be88a20add4af24b618d63b9f59d7","name":"Recorded Sound Archives","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca0be8a154e625f6e8b045156f95af29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca0be8a154e625f6e8b045156f95af29?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Recorded Sound Archives"},"url":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/author\/recorded-sound-archives\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5506"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5610,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5506\/revisions\/5610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rsa.fau.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}