I had read that back in the day, being a performer and playing at the Apollo was like a country singer performing at the Grand Ole Opry. That's when you knew, as a performer, that you made the big time. I also read that Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the first white group to play at the Apollo and were well received by the audience. My parents must have really liked Holly. They had a lot of his 45's and albums. I liked his sound for the most part, but a few of his songs were so-so. I played the drums at the Naval Academy and was asked to try out for the U.S. Navy Band, but had no aspirations of being a drummer for a band. I wanted to do other things with my career.
Back in that era, there were a lot of really good artists, both black and white, but probably overall, in the mid to late 50's, it seems to me that the black artists prevailed. I think the genre Doo Wop helped them along. Many black artists during that time period either sang rhythm and blues or Doo Wop, which I really enjoy listening too because of the harmony. I have a pretty good Doo Wop collection from my parents, who must have really liked it also. However, there was always something special about James Brown. Did you know that after his death, there was a big mess within his family over his estate, especially his song rights?