1960s

Western Pop music teen idols of the 1960s included Cliff Richard, Sandy Shaw, The Who, Lulu, The Small Faces, Gene Pitney and Frank Sinatra. Other pop musicians included, Neil Diamond, the Bee Gees, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Matt Monro, Billy Joel, Elton John, Peter, Paul & Mary, Burt Bacharach, Cat Stevens, Aretha Franklin, Isley Brothers, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Simon and Garfunkel, and some of The Beatles' repertoire. The 60's also saw the first emergence of what was later coined as being boy bands with the most famous from this era being The Monkees.

In 1960s Iran's most famous female pop singer ever, Googoosh, found reputation by taking part in various international music festivals. She won the first prize and golden record for her French numbers, "Retour de la vie" and "J'entends crier Je t'aime", at the Cannes Festival in 1971. Her recording of twelve songs in Italian and Spanish for the Sanremo Music Festival in 1973 became an overnight success. In 1962, the first Western popular melody with Turkish lyrics was released, Ilham Gencer's "Bak Bir Varmis Bir Yokmus" (Look Once Upon A Time).