Appendix 2: Popular music timeline The following key events and developments are a selection of milestones in popular music, in terms of music, economics, technology, and symbolic impor- tance, or some combination of these. I concentrate on developments since the advent of recorded sound. Obviously, there are some ‘judgement calls’ here and readers can no doubt construct alternative chronologies. There are numerous such timelines on the web, variously constructed around performers, genres, and recordings. 1877 Thomas Edison patents the ‘Phonograph’, a sound system based around a tin foil cylinder. 1884 Emile Berliner records ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ on a cylinder; now in the BBC Sound Archive, it is believed to be the world’s oldest surviving record. 1887 Thomas Edison’s first public demonstration of his phonograph, a talking machine, marks the beginning of recorded sound. Emile Berliner invents the flat recording disc. 1892 ‘After The Ball’, the first sheet music mega hit (Tin Pan Alley). 1896 Edison and Columbia introduce the first phonograph (later known as the gramophone) to the home market. 1899 Scott Joplin’s ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ becomes a best seller, and consolidates the Ragtime craze. HMV buy the picture of a dog named Nipper, which becomes central to the iconic company logo. 1900 The Gramophone Company produces a catalogue with some 5,000 recordings. 1909 US Copyright Act (amendment) establishes the basis for royalty payments for recorded music, turning the popular song into a marketable commodity. 1912 W. C. Handy publishes ‘Memphis Blues’, the first blues to appear in print. 1913 The word ‘jazz’ appears in print for the first time. 282 Appendix 2: Popular music timeline 1914 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is formed, enabling songwriters to claim the income due under the Copyright Act. 1917 First recorded jazz, by Original Dixieland Jazz band; in 1919 they create a sensation in London. Death of Scott Joplin regarded as marking the end of the Ragtime era. 1920 First recording of vocal blues by a black singer, Mamie Smith’s ‘Crazy Blues’. 1923 The first news-and-music US radio station, Westinghouse’s KDKA, established in 1920, begins broadcasting in shortwave. Classical music oriented The Gramophone (UK) launched; helps shape ‘gramophone culture’. 1924 George Gershwin composes ‘Rhapsody in Blue’. 1925 Regular use begins of electrical recording (using microphones). 1926 BBC is created as a public corporation; its Music Department is set up the following year. The birth of the LP: Edison produces Diamond Discs, capable of playing 20 minutes per side. 1927 The Carter Family record their first record; these Bristol Sessions are seen as the origins of modern ‘country’ music. 1929 ‘The Broadway Melody’: the first ‘all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing’ film musical. 1931 The Gramophone Company and Columbia merge to form EMI – a trend toward consolidation that is to become a feature of the music industry. 1934 Jazz journal Downbeat launched in Chicago. 1936 Key recordings of Robert Johnson (Delta blues). [Reissued as a box set in 1990.] Charles Delaunay’s Hot Discography published in English, establishing field of ‘discography’. 1939 Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is formed to represent the blues and country music largely ignored by its competitor, ASCAP. 1942 Billboard sets up a ‘race’ chart: the Harlem Hit Parade. 1947 Formation of Chess Records in Chicago: central to the development of R&B and Chicago blues. 1948 CBS release the first modern long-playing vinyl records; they play at 33 rpm and need a special player. 1949 Billboard ends ‘race’ chart category; replaced by rhythm ‘n’ blues. 1951 Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner release ‘Rocket 88’, often considered the first rock ‘n’ roll recording. 1952 DJ Alan Freed names his radio show ‘Moondog’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party’. American Bandstand first broadcast in the US. Appendix 2: Popular music timeline 283 Harry Smith releases Anthology of American Folk Music, a major influence on the folk revival. 1953 Bill Haley and his Comets release ‘Crazy Man Crazy’, the first rock ‘n’ roll record to make the Billboard charts. 1954 Elvis Presley records ‘That’s All Right Mama’ at Sun Studios in Memphis. 1955 Little Richard’s ‘Tutti Frutti’ and Chuck Berry’s ‘Maybelline’: key rock ‘n’ roll recordings. Bill Haley and his Comets’‘Rock Around the Clock’ is performed in the film The Blackboard Jungle. Miles Davis’s Quartet, featuring tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, first record. 1956 Fats Domino’s ‘Blueberry Hill’ demonstrates the crossover potential of R&B. Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ is no. 1 for eight weeks in US; reaches no. 2 in the UK. Lonnie Donegan releases ‘Rock Island Line’, popularizing skiffle in the UK. 1957 American Bandstand is broadcast nationally in the US. 1958 First stereo recordings released. 1959 Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper are killed in an air crash. Juke Box Jury begins on BBC TV: celebrities vote on whether a single will be a ‘hit’ or a ‘miss’. Formation of Stax Records. Miles Davis releases Kind of Blue. 1960 US Congressional investigation into payola begins. Studios begin using multitrack recorders. 1961 The Miracles release ‘Shop Around’, the first hit for Tamla Motown. 1962 The Beatles release ‘Love Me Do’ and later their first LP, Please Please Me. Bob Dylan releases his first album, the self-titled Bob Dylan. Gerry and the Pacemakers’‘How Do You Do It?’ is no. 1 in the UK (Merseybeat). James Brown releases Live At The Apollo, the first million-selling R&B album. 1963 Ready Steady Go! begins broadcasting on Independent Television (ITV). Introduction of the compact tape cassette. 1964 The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. 284 Appendix 2: Popular music timeline The Beatles play New York’s Shea Stadium (attendance: 55,600, then a world record). The pirate stations Radio London and Radio Caroline begin broadcasting in the English Channel. The first edition of BBC’s Top of the Pops is broadcast. Robert Moog markets his synthesizer. 1965 Otis Redding’s Otis Blue album is released. Bob Dylan is booed (by some of the audience) at the Newport Folk Festival for ‘going electric’; releases epic single ‘Like A Rolling Stone’. The Beatles play their last ever tour concert, at Candlestick Park, San Francisco. The Rolling Stones release ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’: includes rock’s most famous riff. James Brown’s ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’. 1966 The Monkees television show (and the group) debut in the US; in the UK in 1967. First Grammy Award for best album cover; won by the Beatles’ Revolver (artwork by Klaus Voormann). 1967 The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds. Monterey International Pop Festival (performers include, among others, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding, and Jimi Hendrix) is attended by 30,000 fans. Rolling Stone magazine is launched; Downbeat extends its coverage to rock music. BBC’s Radio 1 begins broadcasting, replacing the now illegal pirate stations. The Velvet Underground’s debut album, The Velvet Underground and Nico. Hair opens; widely seen as the first ‘rock musical’. 1969 Led Zeppelin release their first album: Led Zeppelin. The Who release their rock opera: Tommy. The Woodstock Festival attracts 400,000 fans; musicians include Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Santana. The Altamont, California free festival, organized by the Rolling Stones; Hells Angels attack and kill a member of the audience. The Archies, ‘Sugar, Sugar’, by a manufactured ‘bubblegum’ group, is the biggest selling single of the year. 1970 Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin die; the Beatles disband. Appendix 2: Popular music timeline 285 Soul Train begins on US television; syndication rights are bought by CBS TV in 1973. Black Sabbath’s albums Black Sabbath and Paronoid: seen as birth of Heavy Metal. 1971 The Old Grey Whistle Test starts on BBC2, with bands performing live. The Canadian government implements ‘Canadian Content’ regulations, which require that radio station playlists contain specified minimum amounts of Canadian music; this provides a model for similar quota policies elsewhere. Marvin Gaye, What’s Goin’ On. King Tubby and Lee Perry create dub, the template for much modern dance music. 1972 Nuggets, compiled by Lenny Kaye, creates new interest in 1960s’ garage bands and influences punk rock. David Bowie creates Ziggy Stardust, launches glam rock. The Harder They Come (feature film) brings Jamaican reggae to a wider audience. 1973 Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of the Moon enters US charts, beginning a record-breaking stay. 1975 Bruce Springsteen releases album Born to Run; it establishes ‘The Boss’ as a rock superstar. Bob Marley and the Wailers first hit single ‘No Woman, No Cry’; Marley becomes the first international reggae star. 1976 The Ramones release Ramones, epitomizing much of New York punk rock. Sex Pistols release ‘Anarchy in the UK’; create controversy; regarded as part of the punk canon. The launch of the 12-inch single, a format that underpins house, hip hop, and techno. 1977 Elvis Presley dies aged 42. Kraftwerk release Trans Europe Express:influences hip hop and dance culture. Saturday Night Fever: the Bee Gees and John Travolta bring disco into the mainstream. 1978 Contemporary Christian Music (later CCM) begins publication; gives its name to the genre. 1979 Introduction of the SONY Walkman. Bauhaus, ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’: credited with establishing goth in the UK. 1980 John Lennon is murdered in New York. 286 Appendix 2: Popular music timeline Monsters of Rock, Castle Donington (UK): the first exclusively heavy metal festival. 1981 MTV is launched in the US, later franchised globally; popularizes music video. Establishment of IASPM (The International Association for the Study of Popular Music). Death of Bob Marley.