TIMELINE
Significant events in the history of Rock Music

The Fifties | The Sixties | The Seventies | The Eighties | The Nineties

THE FIFTIES

  • 1951 - "Rocket 88," considered the first Rock record, is released.
  • 1952 - Little Richard's first records are released.
  • 1953 - Elvis Presley makes his first (private) recordings.
  • 1954 - Ray Charles forms his own band.
  • 1955 - The movie Blackboard Jungle is released featuring Bill Haley & The Comets' "Rock Around The Clock." RCA signs Elvis Presley. The Everly Bros. make their first studio recordings.
  • 1956 - Elvis' first film, Love Me Tender. An impromptu recording session at Sun Studios for Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, the million dollar quartet.
  • 1957 - Chuck Berry releases the hits "School Day" and "Rock And Roll Music"
  • 1958 - Elvis is drafted into the U.S. Army
  • 1959 - Buddy Holly is killed in a plane crash.

    • THE SIXTIES

  • 1960 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show following his Army stint.
  • 1961 - Big soul hits for groups like The Shirelles, The Marvelettes. Dion splits from The Belmonts.
  • 1962 - The Supremes have their first record released by Motown. The Twist takes off.
  • 1963 - Surf music rules the airwaves.
  • 1964 - The Beatles hit America leading the British Invasion.
  • 1965 - Bob Dylan plugs in at the Newport Folk Festival spawning Folk-Rock.
  • 1966 - The Monkees TV series begins. The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album arrives.
  • 1967 - Monterey Pop Festival begins the open air Rock festival concept. The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper is unleashed. Cream issues their first two albums.
  • 1968 - Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention release We're Only In It For The Money.
  • 1969 - Woodstock Music & Arts Festival draws half a million fans to Max Yasgar's farm in New York. The Who's rock opera Tommy is introduced.

    • THE SEVENTIES

  • 1970 - Deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin within a month of each other. The Grateful Dead release both Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. The Beatles break up.
  • 1971 - Deaths of Jim Morrison (The Doors) and Duane Allman (Allman Bros. Band). Songwriter Carole King releases her Tapesty album.
  • 1972 - Smokey Robinson leaves The Miracles to go solo.
  • 1973 - Led Zeppelin's tour is a record breaker. Pink Floyd release Dark Side Of The Moon.
  • 1974 - Bob Dylan & The Band tour together.
  • 1975 - Rod Stewart officially quits The Faces. Bruce Springsteen releases Born To Run.
  • 1976 - Stevie Wonder's album release Songs In The Key Of Life would win five Grammy awards. Frampton Comes Alive is released.
  • 1977 - The Disco influence is felt as Saturday Night Fever becomes a best selling album. Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell is released. Elvis Presley dies.
  • 1978 - Van Halen release their first album.
  • 1979 - The Who release two movies, go on tour, and eleven fans are trampled to death at their Cincinnati concert.

    • THE EIGHTIES

  • 1980 - John Lennon is murdered in front of his New York apartment.
  • 1981 - Paul McCartney's Wings disbands after over 20 hits.
  • 1982 - The Eagles disband until hell freezes over. Michael Jackson's Thriller album is released late in the year.
  • 1983 - David Bowie's "Let's Dance" hits Number One with Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar.
  • 1984 - Jackie Wilson succumbs to a long illness.
  • 1985 - "We Are The World" is recorded by 46 U.S. artists in support of suffering people in the USA and Africa.
  • 1986 - The Rolling Stones are awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.
  • 1987 - Billy Joel tours and records an album in Russia.
  • 1988 - Whitney Houston earns her seventh consecutive Number One single. Superstar ensemble The Traveling Wilburys release an album, just before Roy Orbison's passing.
  • 1989 - Milli Vanilli wins 1989 Best New Artist Grammy, only to have the award taken back when it is revealed that they did not sing on their own debut album.

    • THE NINETIES

  • 1990 - Curtis Mayfield (The Impressions) is paralyzed preparing for a stage concert. Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash.
  • 1991- Cardinal O'Connor asks The Pope to excommunicate Madonna. Guns N' Roses release Use Your Illusion I and II. Queen's Freddy Mercury dies from complications related to AIDS.
  • 1992 - Seattle becomes the core of Grunge Rock with groups like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Prince changes his name.
  • 1993 - U2 finishes up a two year Zoo/Zooropa '93 world tour.
  • 1994 - Kurt Cobain's death is shared by a new generation of rock fans. Sheryl Crow flies with her Tuesday Night Music Club, and a tour opening for the reunited Eagles. Hootie & The Blowfish debut Cracked Rear View Mirror.
  • 1995 - The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum opens in Cleveland. Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is a multi-million seller. Neil Young and Pearl Jam perform and record together.
  • 1996 - Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men team up for "One Sweet Day," which tops the charts for an unprecedented 16 consecutive weeks.
  • 1997 -Lillith Tour spotlights female headliners.
  • 1998 - "Ginger Spice" Geri Halliwell exits the popular Spice Girls. The Rolling Stones give concerts in Russia, followed shortly by Ringo Starr's Fourth All-Starr Band.

    • Bring it on Home

    © 1998 Cousin Steve. All Rights Reserved.