Pick a Day

Music History Events: Debut Albums

April 17, 1964 Them (with Van Morrison) make their first concert appearance, at Belfast's Maritime Hotel.

April 16, 1964 The Rolling Stones release their self-titled debut album in the UK.

January 11, 1964 The Whisky-a-Go-Go opens at Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, and quickly becomes a vital music venue. Some of the early acts to play the Whiskey include The Animals, The Doors and Otis Redding.

January 11, 1964 Billboard publishes its first Country and Western Albums chart. Johnny Cash gets the first #1 with Ring of Fire.

March 22, 1963 In the UK, The Beatles release their debut studio album, Please Please Me. It goes to #1 a few months later; in early 1964, they conquer America.

March 19, 1962 Bob Dylan releases his self-titled debut album. It doesn't chart in America, but sets the stage for his breakthrough a year later: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

October 4, 1961 Alvin & The Chipmunks, who already have #1 hits with "The Chipmunk Song" and "Witch Doctor," get their own TV show on CBS called The Alvin Show.

July 29, 1961 Dick Clark presents his very first Caravan of Stars revue at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, featuring The Jive Five, The Shirelles, and Clarence "Frogman" Henry.

December 3, 1960 The Lerner and Loewe play Camelot, featuring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, opens at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.

April 14, 1960 The musical Bye Bye Birdie, inspired by the drafting of Elvis Presley into the Army, opens on Broadway.

October 2, 1959 The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS-TV. The original orchestral opening used throughout Season One was composed by Bernard Herrmann, and was later replaced by the now-iconic theme from French composer Marius Constant.

April 22, 1959 The Alan Freed "Rock and Roll movie" Go, Johnny, Go premieres in New York, featuring Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, The Cadillacs, and The Flamingos.

November 17, 1957 Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps make their US television debut, performing "Lotta Loving" and "Dance to the Bop" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

January 16, 1957 The Cavern Club, where The Beatles cut their teeth, opens in Liverpool, England.

March 15, 1956 The musical My Fair Lady opens on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre.

March 10, 1956 Bobby Darin makes his first television appearance, singing "Rock Island Line" on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show. The budding entertainer is clearly nervous - he keeps glancing at his palms where he's written the song's lyrics.

February 26, 1955 For the first time, sales of the newer, smaller 45rpm records outpace those of the old 78rpm variety.

June 17, 1954 The UK music newspaper Record Mirror goes to press for the first time.

November 24, 1950 The musical comedy Guys and Dolls premieres on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre. Two years later, it spawns a film adaptation starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

January 7, 1950 Ernest Tubb makes his first appearance at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

February 1, 1949 RCA introduces the 45 RPM record. It's 7 inches wide and plays at a faster speed than the traditional 33-1/3 for 12-inch albums. The format takes off, and 45s become known as "singles."

December 30, 1948 Kiss Me Kate, Cole Porter's musical adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play The Taming Of The Shrew, opens on Broadway at the New Century Theatre.

October 2, 1945 Elvis Presley, just 10 years old, makes his first public appearance when he takes part in a talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show singing "Old Shep." He comes in second.

August 4, 1942 The movie Holiday Inn premieres in New York, introducing Bing Crosby's holiday classic "White Christmas."

March 1, 1941 The world's first commercial FM radio station, Nashville's W47NV, begins broadcasting.

November 15, 1934 Gene Autry appears in his first film, In Old Santa Fe, becoming the first "singing cowboy" on the silver screen.

January 26, 1934 Formerly home to burlesque shows, The Apollo Theater in Harlem becomes a music venue, christening their new format with a jazz variety show featuring mostly black performers, including the Benny Carter Orchestra and Mabel Scott.

November 29, 1932 The Broadway musical The Gay Divorce, featuring Cole Porter's classic "Night And Day," premieres in New York. Two years later, it reaches the big screen as The Gay Divorcee, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

November 8, 1932 Legendary songwriting team Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's first production, Music In The Air, opens on Broadway.

December 13, 1928 An American in Paris, a musical by George Gershwin, premieres in New York City. In 1951, it's turned into a movie starring Gene Kelly.