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Thomas Dartmouth Rice sings "Jim Crow" for the first time
Rice's song became the first internationa American song hit. Rice sang this while doing a "cakewalk", an imitation of African American dancing. The dance became associated with music using syncapation, which became an important aspect of ragtime. -
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The Minstrel Show
First distinctively American music and entertainment. White performers blackened their faces to parody African American music, dance, dress, and dialect. -
Virginia Minstrels' first appearence
Was the first classic minstrel show, with various sketches, songs, and characters. -
Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susanna" is released
Stephan Foster is known as the most influential American songwriter of the 19th century. He combined simple melody and text to create what are now termed "hooks" to a song. -
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Brass Band Popularity
Military bands made up of brass instruments boomed during the civil war. After the war, the brass band movement fed off American patriotism; they were used to rally citizens during conflict. Today, brass bands are generally associated with national holidays. -
Phonograph invented
Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, which, in following decades, replaced the method of learned sheet music to spread music. -
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Tin Pan Alley Era
A group of new music publishing firms in lower Manhattan. The sounds of pianos banging out new tunes from the Manhattan buildings earned the area its iconic title. The forms, themes, and performance styles created by Tin Pan Alley continue to influence American music -
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Run Around Ragtime
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John Phillip Sousa Composes "Stars and Stripes Forever"
Sousa was known as America's "March King", and his march "Stars and Stripes Forever" became the nation's official march song. Sousa's band of over 50 members toured constantly, bringing in huge crowds. -
"Maple Leaf Rag" released
Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime, wrote his first successful piece, "Maple Leaf Rag". Joplin used syncapated rhythms against a regular base part. This style is typical of "classic" rag. -
Victor Company releases Enrico Caruso record
The record's popularity indicated the commercial possibilities for sound recordings. -
High Sheet Music Sales
Sheet music sales reach an all time high with 30 million copies sold in 1910. -
James Reese Europe composes music for he Castles' "new" dance steps.
Europe is hired to create a syncopated sound necessary for the dancers' new ragtime dances. -
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Jazz Extraveganza
Brass bands applied the syncopation of ragtime and the soul of blues to create jazz. It was based off improvisation and self-expression. -
"Great Migration" to northern cities begins
Influences record companies to try and appeal to their audience with southern traditions. -
ASCAP wins Supreme Court Case
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers won the court case that forced businesses to pay royalities on music they used. -
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Record Companies Reach Out to New Audiences
A great migration of southerners to cities such as New York, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, and Nashville, gets the industry intune with folk traditions of the American South. -
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band records "Tiger Rag"
"Tiger Rag" displays the basic features of jazz. The ODJB helped commercialize jazz, but there is controversy about how close they are to the original, black jazz bands (i.e. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band) -
"Mary" by George Stoddard
"Mary" is the first song to become popular in its recorded form, before its sheet music is released. -
Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues" sparks enthusiasm for the blues
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Louis Armstrong joins Fletcher Henderson's Band
He pushed the band to a more improvised style and towards the combination of jazz and ballroom, which would later become swing. -
Electric Recording
Electric recording uses a microphone and allows musicians to emphasize certain sounds, like voice, over stronger instruments. Previously, acoustic recording made it much harder to manipulate desired sounds. -
Bessie Smith's "St. Louis Blues"
Bessie Smith's version of "St. Louis Blues" helped expose the blues to whites and blacks alike. Today, the song would not be considered "authentic" blues, but the more mainstream sound helped popularize blues. -
NBC established
NBC becomes the first nationwide commercial radio station. -
Blind Lemon Jefferson releases his first record
Jefferson was the first recording star of country blues. Due to racism, he was denied any profits from his records. -
Sound Film introduced
"The Jazz Singer" popularizes sound film, which becomes an important method of spreading music. -
Race Record Sales
By 1927, 500 race records were being released annualy. -
The Carter Family career takes off
The Carter's used folk music and influenced the country music industry greatly. -
High phonograph sales
106 million phonograph discs sold nationwide. -
Charley Patton Records
Charley Patton starts putting out records in the style of Mississippi Delta Blues-- authentic blues. -
The Great Depression hits
Leads to decreased record sales and an increased radio audience. -
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The Great Depression
Terrible economy leads to plummetting record sales, but increased radio audience. -
Dying phonograph sales
Due to the Great Depression, phonograph sales dropped to 6 million discs in 1932, compared to the 106 million sold just five years before. -
Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra inspires the rise of swing
Henderson's band released their recording "Wrappin' It Up" in 1934. The band was bigger than former dance bands and created a smoother, less improvised sound than jazz. -
Benny Goodman's band makes their big break
Goodman's band initiated Swing music, attracting mass audiences to the hot, syncopated sounds. Goodman also broke racial barriers by hiring African-American musicians. -
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The Swing Era
Swing is a jazz influenced music, encompassing a new big band sound, but also the spirit of freedom and vitality. The new style appealed to diverse audiences, and lifted the record industry out of economic trouble. -
"Your Hit Parade" radio show introduced
Radio was the primary means of spreading Swing music. "Your Hit Parade" was the first Top 10 radio show, inspiring today's Top 40 shows and MTV. -
Gibson releases its first electric guitar
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Nat King Cole makes his first recording
Cole became the most successful black recording artist in the post war era. His success is comparable to Jackie Robinson, considering the prejudice of the time. He was big in jazz and swing, and also gained a lot of popularity in crooning. He was a masterful piano improviser. -
Roy Acuff joins WSM's "Grand Old Opry"
Acuff was the most popular hillbilly singer of the swing era. He was a traditionalist; his band used a fiddle, banjo, and guitar. -
First FM radio broadcast
FM uses higher frequencies, produces better sound, and is not as prone to electrical disturbances like lightning. Today, FM radio dominates music radio stations. -
Duke Ellington records "Ko-ko"
"Ko-ko" is a jazz arrangement influenced by the blues form. Ellington is the best composer of ALL TIMES, so this is important. Ellington also created a style of music called "jungle music", using "dense texture, unusual harmonies, and muted, growling sounds" (134). This style made Ellington's band unique, but also reenforced black stereotypes. -
Sinatra makes his first solo recording
Sinatra, with his handsome crooning act, attracted the first rush of recorded pop hysteria. Sinatra had a great buiness sense, and became popular with tons of media exposure, as well as his own stamina. -
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The Postwar Era
An era under-estimated musically. The new booming economy boosted the music industry, and the fearful post-war atmosphere made popular music with romantic sentiments a public desire. -
Evelyn Knight covers "A Little Birdie Told Me"
Knights cover broke open the door of covers, which mostly harmed black musicians, whose music was constantly taken and popularized by white musicians. -
Record Survey
Survey of record retailers shows that 1/3 of the USA record buying population is made up of people under 21. -
Two-track Recorder introduced
It could record simultaneous inputs from two microphones and thus produce stereo effects. Les Paul created the first multitrack recordings on tape. -
Damaso Perez Prado
Prado helped popularize the mambo in Latin America and in the USA, especially with his 1949 record, "Mambo No.5". -
"R&B"/ "Country and Western" replaces "Race" and "Hillbilly"
Billboard replaces their politically incorrect terms. Despite the name changes though, the industry still directed R&B primarily to blacks -
Country music accounts for 1/3 Record Sales
Possible effected by Capital Records setting up its country music operation in Nashville -
Top 40 Radio
Nebraskan disc jockey, Todd Storz develops Top 40 Radio Programming after observing that teenagers played the same songs repeatedly on jukeboxes. -
The Dominoes' "60 Minute Man"
This popular R&B song describing the singer's lovemaking techniques was one of the first R&B vocal-group records to cross over to the pop charts. -
Alan Freed coins the term "Rock n Roll"
When Freed moved to a station in New York he took the phrase "rock n roll" to identify the music he played, and the generation her played for. -
Little Richard releases "Tutti Frutti"
Little Richard is known for his eccentricity. He used the 12 bar blues form and was influential with his performance and and musical style. -
Elvis Presley releases "Don't Be Cruel"
"Don't Be Cruel" topped the charts for eleven weeks. Elvis is known for his country inflections, hiccuping, and of course, gettin' all the ladies. -
James Brown releases his first record "Please Please Please"
Brown, the "King of Soul", had the most influence on the sound and style of black music. He had a repetitive, instrumental style and also uses polyrhythms, linking with African music styles. -
Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" released
Chuck Berry was a brilliant lyricist and songwriter, vocal artist, and electric guitarist. He is one of the most influential musicians in history. -
Berry Gordy creates Motown Records
Berry Gordy created the producing/marketing/songwriting organization completely run by and for African Americans. It was a huge success.Gordy trained his artists to be charismatic performers. -
Chubby Checker releases his cover of "The Twist"
The song's dance attracted audiences of all ages, and in turn brought rock n' roll music to a broader audience. -
Ray Charles achieves his first Number One hit: "Georgia on my Mind"
This is just one of Charles' many musical achievments. He was a masterful songwriter, jazz musician, R&B musician, and especially vocalist. You cannot really categorize Ray Charles because of his huge impact on so many musical fronts. -
Phil Spector's "wall of sound"
By the early 1960s Spector had established himself as a songwriter-producer. He was young, meticulous, and ambitious. His style was so distinctive and dense, it became known as the "wall of sound". He played a major role in establishing the importance of a producer. -
The Beach Boys release "I Get Around"
The Beach Boys, led by Brian Wilson, show off their experimental style, with unique chord changes and phrase structures. Even so, they kept their music accessible, and "I Get Around" was their first Number one record. Their music influenced the beatles. -
Beatle's Come To America
The Beatles make their American debut on the Ed Sullivan show. Mass hysteria ensued. Throughout the band's career, they used influences from American Rock n' roll and world music, while consistently creating their own style. Their American appearance also spurred on the famous British Invasion. -
Bob Dylan brings an electric band to Newport Folk Festival
Dylon brought urban folk music into the modern era of rock. While he did break barriers in folk music, he stayed true to the style with poetic content. He wrote political and serious songs; his lacking vocal abilty allows the audience to pay more attention to lyrics. He gave a more mature feel to rock n' roll. -
Beach Boys release "Pet Sounds"
Arguably rock's first concept album, an album considered as an integrated whole. -
Aretha Franklin makes it as a pop star
She had a major impact on soul. He gospel influence, powerful voice, and piano playing, made her a star. She also embodied female empowerment, through her powerful style and songs like "Respect" -
Jimi Hendrix stuns the crowd at Monterey Pop Festival
Hendrix lit his guitar on fire. He was known for his wild stage antics and creative use of guitar feedback and distortion. His techniques ade major headway in the choices a guitarist had. -
Dolly Parton vs. Olivia Newton John
Dolly Parton, a true blue country singer, represents the opposite side of country from Olivia Newton John, who had multiple country hits, but ultimately ended up in the pop genre. -
End of Counterculture
The end of the counterculture is marked by the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and jim Morrison (1971), as well as the break-up of the beatles (1971). -
Led Zepplin tours the USA
Led Zepplin's focus on live performance represents a new trend in the 70s. Music became largely about the experience of seeing a band live. This involved lights, costumes, and sometimes even story lines. -
David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie created the most famous fictitious character for an album ("The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"). He was a pioneer of glam rock as well-- which was largely based on costumes. -
Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" released
Later popularized by Eric Clapton. Helped bring reggae into US consciousness (although it really took foot a year prior with the movie "The Harder They Come"). -
The Grand Ole Opry moves
The Opry moves from run down Nashville theatre to a multi-million dollar facility. It represents how country broadened its audience in the 70s by reaching out to younger generations, while still emphasizing their original country traditions and working class audience. -
Sex Pistols form
Scared british middle-class, meant to "subvert the pop music industry" -
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The Disco Era
Disco was an alternative to rock. It focused largely on dancing, and more so the producers than the bands. -
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Punk rock "back to basics" rebellion
A period of rebellion against mainstream rock. -
First synthesizers introduced
While these initial synthesizers were limiting, they led the way to a new distinctive sound, now associated with the 80s. -
Parliament releases "Mothership Connection"
Funk brought music back to the fundamental desire to dance. Parliament used syncopated electric bass lines, interlocking rhythms, a strong pulse, and call and response. -
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" released
Forces MTV to start airing black musicians. Jackson's video was a game changer in the music video production/promotion world. -
"Born in the USA" released by Bruce Springsteen
Springteen combined the spirit of rebellious rock n' roll with socially conscious folk rock. His song "Born in the USA" is still misinterpretated as patriotic (they play it a lot at the 4th of July fireworks in my area)... -
Madonna releases "Like a Virgin"
Madonna's songs pushed sexual and gender boundaries. She exerted a lot of control over her music, and started writing more serious lyrics in the second half of the 80s. -
Run DMC releases "Raising Hell"
The band is possibly the most influential in rap music history. They used powerful beats and rhymes that flowed together flawlessly. Rap began to appeal to young white audiences at this time, allowing the genre to move forward commercially. -
Nirvana releases "Nevermind"
Nirvana displaced Michael Jackson in the charts with this album. They brought alternative rock to the forefront of America's attention.
