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Robert Johnson records 29 songs
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Between the years of 1936-37, Robert Johnson released a total of 29 songs. He began his career "on street corners and in jook joints, ever rambling and ever lonely..." He took the struggles of being an African-American in the South during the Great Depression, and brought that to the music scene. -
Les Paul build first solid body guitar
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Paul believed he could improve the "common aplified guitar". A perfectionist, Paul's creation of the first ever solid-body guitar changed music. "Musicians such as Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney all used the guitar". -
Hank Williams commercial success
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He began writing for Molly O'Day and later recieved a contract with the MGM label. "In April 1948 he scored a second Billboard success with 'Honkey Tonkin' ". Though he continued to have hit songs, he was faced with drunk performances. As he continued to gain success, his life became more dependent on alchohol and morphine. He is still considered one of the greatest country/folk singers of all time. -
Moondog Coronation Ball
The first major rock concert held in Cleveland, hosted by Alan Freed. This event featured Paul Williams, and African American group Tiny Grimes and the Rocking Highlanders. Over 25,000 people attended in an arena with the capacity of 10,000. The event was canclled due to overflow. -
"(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" is number 1
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On May 14, 1955, staying as number 1 on the billboard charts for 8 weeks, the song is "considered by many people to be the very first Rock and Roll music record. It was recorded in April 12, 1955 by Billy Haley and the Comets. It gained its greatest success after appearing in the movie "Blackboard Jungle". This was the first ever Rock and Roll song to be used in a Hollywood movie, and to reach number 1 on a music chart. -
Berry Gordon starts Motown
SourceIn 1957 he discovered the Miracles, and later on in 1959 he borrowed $800 to create Tamla records. The Miracles hit "shop around" helped the company rise. Tamla and Motown labels then merged into Motown Record Corporation. Berry is known for identifying gifted artists such as Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, and the Temptations. -
Beatles on Ed Sullivan show
SourceLeaked music, and the birth of success, the Beatles set foot to the United States. Taking a place on the Ed Sullivan show, the Beatles found themselves being watched by over 73 milllion. This was the Beatles first ever performance on United States land. A record setting 43% of households were watching this broadcast. -
James Brown releases "Say it Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud"
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James Brown released this song already having a large audience, both of black and white Americans. The song was hit on both pop and r&b charts, though some people felt his song had an angry tone. James states "...let people get into the skin of a black man and realize that he only wants to be recognized for the contributions that he has made". -
Woodstock is formed
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Held in the 600 acre backyard of Mr. Yasgur, four men with the ambiton to make money created the festival. The first band to sign a contract was CCR, and soon the big names followed. What was first to be a free concert turned into something that had a large audience. The festival is regarded as "a pivotal moment in popular music history". -
Carole King releases Tapestry
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Tapestry is a pop album released in 1971 by Carole. The album was produced by Lou Adler. "It is one of the best-selling albums of all-time, with over 25 million copies sold". -
Compact Disc
Phillips started a project in '74 "to develop a digital optical audio disk with error correction work." Sony "demonstrated an optical digital audio disc at the 1977 audio fair". Working together, Sony and Phillips created the audio compact disc player. -
Sony Walkman
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Sony states, "In 1979, an empire in personal portable entertainment was created with the ingenious foresight of Sony Founder and Chief Advisor, the late Masaru Ibuka, and Sony Founder and Honorary Chairman Akio Morita. It began with the invention of the first cassette Walkman TPS-L2 that forever changed the way consumers listen to music." -
MTV launches
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Goes on air for the first time, The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first music video to air. The show was originally only available in New Jersey, but soon became an important influence in music all across the world. After the success with music videos, it adapted reality tv. -
Thriller by Michael Jackson
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With the release of Jackson's album, people were skeptical of the success because of the slump the music industry was in. That was not to be the case though. "With sales of 29 according to the RIAA, "Thriller" is the best-selling studio album in U.S. history". -
The PMRC hearings
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With the use of "tipper stickers", the PMRC placed warning labels on albums with explicit songs. Al Gore's wife, Tipper, was associated with the PMRC, and put stickers on songs by Frank Zappa and Dee Snider. This angered many, and the PMRC warning system never gained widespread support from consumers or from music retailers. -
Lollapalooza begins
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Lollapalooza is a music festival that featured mainly different varieties of rock and pop musc, as well as comedic and entertainment performances. Created in '91 by Jane's Addiction singer Perry as his farewell tour, it has hosted over 160,000 people and helped to expose many artists. -
Garth Brooks releases Ropin' the Wind
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"Ropin the Wind" is Garth's first country album to hit no.1 on the billboard charts. It spent 18 weeks at no.1, selling over 17 million copies. One of his songs is a cover of Billy Joel. -
1991: The Year Punk Broke
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A documentary film directed by Dave Markey, featuring the band Sonic Youth on tour. Nirvana was also featured in the film. Some shots in the film are from the Madonna tour documentary, "Truth or Dare". -
First iPod by Apple
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Apple iPod, released in October 2001, was not the first mp3 player around, but the first to become a hit among the masses. It could hold 1,000 songs and had 10 hours of battery life. Had a slow start in sale because of the $399 price tage, but in 2002 Itunes launched. End of 2004 over 10 million sold, but sales slowing after release of iPhone 4S in 2010. -
American Idol Premiers
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American Idol is created by Simon Fuller and produced by 19 Ent. Based on shows in Britain, American Idol began airing in 2002, and became a popular show. It has soon rocketed to one of the top airing shows in the United States. The idea behind the show is to find the next big thing for the music industry, with winners such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. -
The Grey Album Mashup
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This album is a mashup album my Danger Mouse. It uses a capella versions Jay-Z's "Black Album", and also samples from The Beatles "White Album". Thus the name "Grey Album" came about. EMI tried to stop the distribution of the Album, though The Beatles and Jay-Z approved. This album blends both the sounds of hip-hop and rock.
