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Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan - Edward Vincent Sullivan, 28 September 1901, New York City, New York, USA, d. 13 October 1974, New York City, New York, USA. Sullivan hosted the most popular variety programme on US television during the 50s and 60s. He presented hundreds of the most important musical acts of the era to a wide audience; it was on The Ed Sullivan Show that most of America first saw Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Guest musical acts nearly always performed live, some backed by Sullivan’s orchestra, led -
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Louis Jordan - Born - Death
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", he was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the later years of the swing era. He was first at Gospel Rock N Roll. -
Milton Berle
Milton Berle (July 12, 1908 in New York, NY - July 12, 1908 in New York, NY - Extremely popular. Comedian. Has his own variety show. "The Thief of Bad Gags," Milton Berle has made a career out stealing other people's jokes, perhaps the longest running element of his high-energy stage persona. His rapid-fire delivery of one joke following another, like ammunition from a machine gun, has stood him in good stead, fostering a career that has lasted almost as long as Berle has been alive. -
T-bone Walker
T-bone Walker (Born: May 28, 1910 in Linden, TX - Died: March 16, 1975 in Los Angeles, CA) - During the 1930s through the 1950s, he fused influences of the past--including jazz and swing--and pioneered a harder, funkier style of blues. -
Sam Hopkins
Sam “Lightnin” Hopkins - Bob Dylan’s hero. (Born: March 15, 1912 in Centerville, TX - Died: January 30, 1982 in Houston, TX) -
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Alan Freed - Born - Death
Albert James "Alan" Freed, also known as Moondog, was an American disc jockey.He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s. -
Bill Haley
Bill Haley - William John Clifton "Bill" Haley (July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets (inspired by Halley's Comet) and million selling hits such as, Rock Around the Clock, See You Later, Alligator, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Skinny Minnie, and Razzle Dazzle. He has sold over 25 million records worldwide. -
B.B. King
B.B. King (Born: September 16, 1925 in Indianola, MS) - Highly influential guitarist with a precise yet effortless sounding soft-fingered style, as well as the longest career in blues. -
Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg “Beat Poet” (He was the poet for modern 60’s.) (Born: June 3, 1926 in Newark, NJ - Died: April 5, 1997 in New York, NY) - Greenwich Village icon whose freaky freeform poetry had a distinct effect on the path of 1960s folk and rock. -
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. MJ got his moon walk from Chuck’s duck walk. Chuck was rock & roll's prime innovator, thanks to his detailed songwriting, dazzling lyrics, and clear, economical guitar licks. Chuck was sentenced on Morals Charges for his part in transporting in the Border. -
Hank Ballard
Hank Ballard - (November 18, 1927 in Detroit, MI - March 2, 2003 in Los Angeles, CA) A crucial link between rhythm-and-blues and early rock ‘n’ roll during the 1950s. -
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy (November 28, 1929 in Detroit, MI) - Founder, Motown Records (Detroit). The legendary founder of Motown Records. His name is synonymous with R&B and soul music. -
Ray Charles
Ray Charles (Born: September 23, 1930 in Albany, GA - Died: June 10, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA) - A brilliant, towering musical figure who through his singing and piano playing helped invent soul and R&B music. -
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash (February 26, 1932 in Kingsland, AR - September 12, 2003 in Nashville, TN) - Part rockabilly rebel, part campfire storyteller, part outlaw in black, his hearty baritone has remained the essence of country music. Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. With his deep, resonant baritone and spare percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound. Cash didn't sound like Nashville, nor did he sound like honky tonk or rock&rol -
Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins (April 9, 1932, Tiptonville, TN - January 19, 1998, Jackson, TN) - Tried to be like Elvis Presley. One of the most renowned rockabilly artists of the 1950s, and a guitarist who greatly influenced the next generation of rock & roll acts. -
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , better known by his stage name Little Richard, is an American recording artist, songwriter, and musician. He has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for over six decades. His favorite quote is "RnB" which stands for "Real Black." Little Richard is the wildest and arguably the greatest and most influential of the '50s rock & roll singers, notoriously covered by white artists. He quit Rock n Roll and throw all of his gold in a river. -
James Brown
James Brown (Born: May 3, 1933 in Barnwell, SC - Died: December 25, 2006 in Atlanta, GA) - The best showman and one of the most influential singers of the 20th century, who transformed R&B into funk with his tight, driving style. -
Jackie Wilson
Jackie Wilson (Born: June 9, 1934 in Detroit, MI - Died: January 21, 1984 in Mount Holly, NJ) - An explosive talent, Jackie Wilson was one of the great R&B singers of the '50s and '60s, responsible for the classics "Lonely Teardrops" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher." -
Elvis Presley (The King of RnRoll) Born: January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, MS - Died: August 16, 1977 in Memphis, TN
A music and film icon whose natural blend of country, pop, and R&B sold millions and became the cornerstone of rock & roll. He made two cultures together: the blacks and whites. He impacted a lot of people. Elvis join the Army on March 24 1985, and then spent three days at the Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Reception Station. He left active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 5, 1960, and received his discharge from the Army Reserve on March 23, 1964. -
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis - (born on Sept. 29 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. He is known by the nickname "The Killer" and is often viewed as "rock & roll's first great wild man". He married his cousins. -
Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly (September 7, 1936 in Lubbock, TX - February 3, 1959 in Clear Lake, IA) - The single most influential creative force in early rock & roll, with a string of classics that only ended with his tragic death at 22. Died in a airplane crash. -
Acoustic Guitar
1936 when acoustic guitar starts. -
Earl King
Earl King - (born September 28, 1938), better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a US Top 10 hit in both 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name) and a number one hit in the UK in 1987, and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters. -
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (Born: November 26, 1939 in Brownsville, TN) - The legendary soul singer, showstopper, and survivor, went from Ike's beleaguered 1960s partner to solo pop superstar by the '80s. -
John Lennon
John Lennon (Born: October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England - Died: December 8, 1980 in New York, NY) - One of the greatest figures in popular music during the '60s, followed by a highly adventurous and eclectic solo career. Out of all the Beatles, John Lennon had the most interesting -- and frustrating -- solo career. Lennon was capable of inspired, brutally honest confessional songwriting and melodic songcraft; he also had a tendency to rest on his laurels, churning out straight-ahead rock & roll -
Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs (Born: December 19, 1940 in El Paso, TX - Died: April 9, 1976 in Far Rockaway, NY) - The quintessential Greenwich Village folkie, who put topical protest songs on the map and wrote the most sincere, humane material of his day. -
Richie Havens
Richie Havens (Amazing folk singer.) (Born: January 21, 1941 in Brooklyn, NY - Died: April 22, 2013 in Jersey City, NJ) - Singer/guitarist whose imaginative interpretations, unconventional tuning, and impassioned, highly rhythmic strumming made him a 1960s folk icon. -
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (Born: May 24, 1941 in Duluth, MN) - One of Rock & Roll’s folk icon. Iconic singer/songwriter and musical wanderer who rose to prominence during the '60s folk revival and changed the world of music. Somewhere in 1965’s made a definite change on where he goes on his music when he went to one of the Beatles’s concert. -
Otis Redding
Otis Redding “Great Singer” (Died of overdose) (Born: September 9, 1941 in Dawson, GA - Died: December 10, 1967 in Madison, WI) - Perhaps the greatest soul singer of the '60s, the man who wrote and sang standards like "Respect" and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." -
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker - (born Ernest Evans, October 3, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist". In September 2008 "The Twist" topped Billboard's list of the most popular singles to have appeared in the Hot 100 since its debut in 1958, an honor it maintained for an August 2013 update of the list. As well as popularizing the Limbo Rock and its trademark limbo dance. -
Electric Guitar
1941 for electric guitar
1950-51 electric guitar most impact -
Michael Lang
Michael Lang (December 10, 1941 in Los Angeles, CA) - Ubiquitous session pianist began musical life as a respected 1960s jazz up-and-comer, rose again as a 1990s soloist. -
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942 in Memphis, TN) (Very influential Soul singer.) (She has a gospel background.) - The undisputed Queen of Soul, her gospel-tinged R&B displays one of the greatest voices in recording history. -
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 in Seattle, WA - September 18, 1970 in London, England) “Debut - 1967” - The greatest rock guitarist of all time, with a raw, blues-influenced style that brought fire and emotion to rock music unseen before or since. -
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin (She died from Heroin on 1970) (Born: January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, TX - Died: October 4, 1970 in Hollywood, CA) - Legendary blues-rock belter with a brash, uncompromising vocal style and tremendous lasting influence, despite dying young. -
Fabian
Fabian (February 6, 1943 in Philadelphia, PA) - Teen idol, popular in the 1950s, whose hits included "Turn Me Loose" and "Tiger." -
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell (November 7, 1943 in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada) - A confessional singer/songwriter regarded as one of the finest of her generation, with poetic, emotional, and insightful lyrics. -
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (Born: December 18, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England) - The legendary, invincible lead guitarist and mastermind of the Rolling Stones. -
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (March 26, 1944 in Detroit, MI) - The dynamic leader of the Supremes, who then became the original pop-soul solo diva by the early '70s. -
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull (Born: December 29, 1946 in Hampstead, London, England) - A singer whose career began with light '60s folk-pop but later channeled her turbulent personal life and years of substance abuse. -
Elton John
Elton John (Born: March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England) - Soulful English singer who moved from simple, sensitive piano rock to become a glamorous music superstar. -
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie (Born: July 10, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY) - Eldest son of folk legend Woody Guthrie, popular folksinger in his own right, Thanksgiving legend with "Alice's Restaurant Massacree." -
Atlantic Record
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz. -
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder (Born: May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, MI) - A teenage soul sensation in the '60s who racked up smash after smash, then explored adventurous, risky territory on his pioneering '70s albums. -
Tom Petty
Tom Petty (Born: October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, FL) - Head of one of America's finest rock & roll bands, who handled hard rock and melodic pop equally well, featuring epic tales of losers and dreamers. -
Soul Music
Soul Music - Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combined elements of African American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and often jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States – where music such as that of the Motown, Atlantic and Stax labels was influential during the period of the civil rights movement – and across the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. -
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles “Ooh Baby Baby” (Active: 1950s - 1990s) - Scoring over 40 hits in the R&B Top 40 charts, The Miracles started out as the Five Chimes in the mid-'50s while the members were still in high school. The Detroit vocal group consisted of William "Smokey" Robinson, Warren "Pete" Moore, Clarence "Humble" Dawson, Donald Wicker, and James "Rat" Grice. -
Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross (Born: April 20, 1951 in New York, NY [The Bronx] - Died: July 1, 2005 in Edison, NJ) - Velvet-smooth singer who rose from session work to become the premier R&B balladeer of the 1980s and '90s, and an accomplished producer as well. -
Shake, Rattle and Roll
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a twelve bar blues-form rock and roll song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone under his assumed songwriting name Charles E. Calhoun. It was originally recorded by Big Joe Turner, and most successfully by Bill Haley & His Comets. -
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers (Formed: 1954 in Kentucky- Disbanded: 1973) - The Everly Brothers were not only among the most important and best early rock & roll stars, but also among the most influential rockers of any era. They set unmatched standards for close, two-part harmonies and infused early rock & roll with some of the best elements of country and pop music. Their legacy was and is felt enormously in all rock acts that employ harmonies as prime features, from the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and -
The Four Tops
The Four Tops (Formed : 1956 in Detroit, MI ) - Soulful Detroit quartet with immaculate four-part harmonies, lasting almost half a century and giving voice to many of Motown's most enduring songs. -
The Searchers
The Searchers - The Searchers were one of the most popular British Invasion bands for a brief time in the mid-1960s. Founded in 1957 by John McNally (guitar/vocals), the Searchers were originally one of thousands of skiffle groups formed in the wake of Lonnie Donegan's success with "Rock Island Line." the Searchers' immediate competitors included bands such as the Wreckers and the Confederates, both led by Michael Pender (guitar, vocals), and the Martinis, led by Tony Jackson (guitar/vocals). -
The Beatles
The Beatles (Formed: 1957 in Liverpool, England - Disbanded: 1970) - The most influential rock act of all time, a band that blazed several new trails for popular music. (A British Elvis.) -
Madonna
Madonna (Born: August 16, 1958 in Bay City, MI) - The definitive singles artist of the video age and a pop icon, one of the most commercially successful artists in music history. -
Danny and the Juniors
Danny and the Juniors - Danny & the Juniors shot straight to the top of the charts in early 1958 with their biggest hit ever, the gold-selling "At the Hop" (penned by the songwriting team of Dave White and John Madara), though they reached the charts again with eight more singles through 1963, notably the Top 40 charters "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay," "Dottie," and "Twistin' U.S.A." -
Motown
Motown is an American record company founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. in 1959 in Detroit, Michigan in the United States. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit. Motown played an important role in the racial integration of popular music by achieving a crossover success. In the 1960s, Motown and its soul-based subsidiaries were the most successful proponents of what came to be known as "The Motown Sound", a style of soul music with a distinct pop influence. -
Blowin’ in the wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin’ in the wind by Bob Dylan - It was like an anthem in the 60’s. -
The Temptations
The Temptations “Original My Girl” (Formed: 1960 in Detroit, MI) - One of Motown's greatest and grittiest vocal groups of the '60s, and pioneers of psychedelic soul during the early '70s. -
Sound of Philadelphia
Sound of Philadelphia - is important because it also have soul music. -
The Boys
The Boys (Formed: 1961 in Hawthorne, CA) - One of the most influential acts of the rock era, purveyors of both infectious surf music and sophisticated baroque/psychedelic pop. Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. -
The Supremes
The Supremes (Formed: 1961 in Detroit, MI - Disbanded: 1977) - The flagship Motown girl group that helped define the Sound of Young America with a slew of pristine R&B/soul classics. -
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones (Formed: April, 1962 in London, England) - The premier British rock band for over half a century, creators of the sound and style imitated by countless groups. By the time The Rolling Stones began calling themselves the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late '60s, they had already staked out an impressive claim on the title. As the self-consciously dangerous alternative to the bouncy Merseybeat of the Beatles in the British Invasion, The Stones had pioneered the gritty. -
The Hollies
The Hollies (Formed: 1962 in Manchester, England) - One of the leading lights of the '60s British Invasion, distinguished by their high harmonies and ringing guitars. -
"Be My Baby"
"Be My Baby" is a song by The Ronettes, released as a single in August 1963. Produced by Phil Spector, who composed the song with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, it is often cited as the ultimate embodiment of Spector's wall of sound production technique. -
The Animals
The Animals (Formed:1964 in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England - Disbanded: 1968) - One of the most important bands originating from England's R&B scene during the early '60s, the Animals were second only to the Rolling Stones in influence among R&B-based bands in the first wave of the British Invasion. the Animals had their origins in a Newcastle-based group called the Kansas City Five, whose membership included pianist Alan Price, drummer John Steel, and vocalist Eric Burdon. -
The Byrds
The Byrds (Formed: 1964 in Los Angeles, CA - Disbanded: 1973) - Influential L.A. rockers whose jangling guitars, angelic harmonies, and restless eclecticism helped pioneer folk-, psych-, and country-rock. Although they only attained the huge success of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys for a short time in the mid-'60s, time has judged the Byrds to be nearly as influential as those groups in the long run. -
The Who
The Who (Formed: 1964 in London, England) - An explosive combo that pioneered progressive and arena rock, each new sound increasing their influence and legacy. -
MC5
MC5 (Formed: 1964 in Detroit, MI - Disbanded: 1972) - Rock revolutionaries and progenitors of punk, with a musical and political stance that crystallized around sex, drugs, and rock & roll. -
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground (Formed: 1964 in New York, NY - Disbanded: 1973) - The quintessential bohemian New York band of the '60s that fused art, rock, and poetry in a fashion that proved incalculably influential. -
“You’ve lost that loving feeling”
“You’ve lost that loving feeling” is a 1964 song by The Righteous Brothers which became a number-one hit single in the United States and the United Kingdom the following year. -
Big Brother
Big Brother (Formed: 1965 in San Francisco, CA - Disbanded: 1972) - Raw, heavy, hallucinogenic 1960s rock band featuring Janis Joplin, hit big with 1968's "Piece of My Heart." -
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas (Formed: 1965 in Los Angeles, CA - Disbanded: 1972) - A four-piece folk act whose high harmonies and blend of easy going, trippy originals with nicely stylized covers virtually soundtracked the late '60s. The leading California-based vocal group of the '60s, the Mamas & the Papas epitomized the ethos of the mid- to late-'60s pop culture: live free, play free, and love free. -
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (Formed: 1966 in Gary, IN) - Motown's last great pop group, and among the most successful singles acts of the '70s, led by the prodigiously talented preteen Michael Jackson. -
Kiss
Kiss (Formed: 1973 in New York, NY) - Garish glam rockers with anthems galore, who became rock legends with a reputation for incredible live shows. -
Punk Music
Punk Music - Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. Punk bands created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political,anti-establishment lyrics. -
Sex Pistol
Sex Pistol (Formed: 1975 in London, England - Disbanded: 1978) - Caustic and vibrant band that ushered in the British punk movement, changing the course of rock from accomplished musicianship to inspired amateurism. -
Village People
Village People (Formed: 1977 in New York, NY) - Campy New York City disco act that flaunted macho homosexual stereotypes. -
The Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys (Formed: 1979 in New York, NY) - A trio of punks turned sophomoric rappers, who then traded superstar status for increasingly adventurous and acclaimed hip-hop. -
Public Enemy
Public Enemy (Formed: 1982 in Garden City, NY) - Influential and controversial New York rap act that attained massive cultural significance, led by the duo of Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
