Easy listening is mostly instrumental pop music marked by light or nonexistent rhythms, designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. Though it's generally thought of as quiet background stuff (a.k.a. 'elevator music'), easy listening also embraces unusual genres like space-age pop and the 'exotica' sounds of Martin Denny and Juan Garcia Esquivel. Vocal music encompasses torch songs, barbershop quartets, a cappella works, pop standards, and the work of classic crooners such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Rosemary Clooney.

Notable Artists: Ray Conniff, Tony Bennett, the Andrews Sisters, Martin Denny