I think the 80s were a low water mark for truly bad performers. . .the recording industry and radio had made the evolution of music as product.
Think about popular radio in the 70s--on a single station you'd hear Elton John (Pure Pop), The Spinners (Soul), Led Zeppelin (Rock), Jimmy Buffet (Country Caribbean), Simon & Garfunkel or just Simon (Folk Pop). In order to get played you had to compete not just in your genre but with all the others as well.
By the 80's format radio had emerged. There was (IMHO) a land grab and there wasn't enough music to go around--therefore, demand created a vacuum that sucked up plenty of "artists" that would not have made it if they had to compete in the broader "rock" or "pop" categories, etc.
I came of age in the 80s and there are plenty of extraordinary artists, like Elvis Costello, the Police, Steve Forbert, etc. But this era gave serious airtime to acts like Banarama, Kim Carnes, et al. But I have to say the one that absolutely grates on my nerves to no end is a guy named Corey Hart (Sunglasses at Night). This screech was at least as bad as Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights when he was cutting a track (great scene) to launch his musical career.
Think about popular radio in the 70s--on a single station you'd hear Elton John (Pure Pop), The Spinners (Soul), Led Zeppelin (Rock), Jimmy Buffet (Country Caribbean), Simon & Garfunkel or just Simon (Folk Pop). In order to get played you had to compete not just in your genre but with all the others as well.
By the 80's format radio had emerged. There was (IMHO) a land grab and there wasn't enough music to go around--therefore, demand created a vacuum that sucked up plenty of "artists" that would not have made it if they had to compete in the broader "rock" or "pop" categories, etc.
I came of age in the 80s and there are plenty of extraordinary artists, like Elvis Costello, the Police, Steve Forbert, etc. But this era gave serious airtime to acts like Banarama, Kim Carnes, et al. But I have to say the one that absolutely grates on my nerves to no end is a guy named Corey Hart (Sunglasses at Night). This screech was at least as bad as Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights when he was cutting a track (great scene) to launch his musical career.