Music

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