Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

January 8, 1968 Stax Records releases Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" and Sam & Dave's "I Thank You." Both are very successful, but neither artist scores another hit (Redding had died about a month earlier).

December 27, 1967 After establishing his career as a poet and writer, Leonard Cohen releases his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, on Columbia Records. The album doesn't sell particularly well at first, peaking at #83 on the Billboard charts, but Cohen's powerful voice and lyrics in oft-covered tracks like "Suzanne" and "So Long, Marianne" become highly influential.

June 3, 1967 The Doors release a truncated version of "Light My Fire" as a single, trimming it from an album-awesome 6:50 to a radio-friendly 2:52. The group's first single, "Break On Through," didn't, but "Light My Fire" ignites, going to #1 and becoming their most famous song.

May 22, 1967 The Monkees release Headquarters, proving they're more than a group of actors who just play a band on TV. Although it's their third album, it's the first that allows them creative control over songwriting and performing without relying on session musicians. The album goes to #1 on the Billboard 200.

May 12, 1967 The first Jimi Hendrix album, Are You Experienced?, is released. Songs include "Foxy Lady," "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze."

February 13, 1967 Dolly Parton releases her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, boasting the Top 20 hits "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy." The album catches the attention of country veteran Porter Wagoner, who invites Dolly to appear on his popular television show, marking the beginning of a fruitful partnership.

January 4, 1967 The Doors break on through with their eponymous debut album. The Doors is a hit with listeners and critics alike and produces the single "Light My Fire," which quickly hits #1 in the US.

December 16, 1966 The first Jimi Hendrix single is released: "Hey Joe." The song is about a guy shoots his "old lady" after catching her cheating.More

July 1, 1966 Bob Dylan releases the "thin, wild mercury" sound of Blonde on Blonde, rock's first double album. Minds are blown.More

May 16, 1966 The Beach Boys release their landmark album Pet Sounds, produced with great ingenuity by their bass player, Brian Wilson. Standout tracks include "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows."

December 26, 1963 The Beatles release their first hit single in the United States: "I Want To Hold Your Hand" backed with "I Saw Her Standing There." It's their first single issued by Capitol Records; within months the group becomes a Stateside sensation.

October 5, 1962 Parlophone releases the first Beatles single, "Love Me Do," in the UK. Radio Luxembourg puts it on the air, marking the first time a Beatles single is played on the radio.

October 1, 1962 The Beach Boys release their first album, Surfin' Safari, which includes their debut single, "Surfin'." The album climbs to #32 in the US.More

August 16, 1962 Stevie Wonder's first single is released: "I Call It Pretty Music (But Old People Call It The Blues)." Motown newbie Marvin Gaye plays drums on the track.

March 23, 1959 Bobby Darin's first full-length album, That's All, is released. Among the tracks is "Mack The Knife," a song about a cold-blooded murderer popularized in the play The Threepenny Opera. Considered just an album cut at first, in August the song is released as a single, and it transforms Darin's career, going to #1 for nine weeks and making him one of the most popular entertainers in America.

March 31, 1958 Chuck Berry releases "Johnny B. Goode." The song is named after his piano player (Johnnie Johnson) and the street where he grew up (Goode Avenue).

September 17, 1955 Pat Boone banks his first #1 on the US Pop charts when "Ain't That A Shame" hits the top spot. Some folks think it's a shame that his sterilized version is far more popular than Fats Domino's original, but Boone's cover draws lots of attention to Domino and earns the New Orleans singer substantial royalties.

May 20, 1954 Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" is released for the first time. It stalls on the charts, but becomes a hit a year later when it is used in the movie Blackboard Jungle.

March 27, 2026 Raye drops her second album, This Music May Contain Hope. The 17 tracks are divided into four "seasons" representing the emotional stages that inspired them. The lead single, "Where Is My Husband!," is a #1 hit in her native UK and helps her break through in America.

March 20, 2026 BTS release their comeback album, ARIRANG, their first since 2022, when they started their mandatory South Korean military service. They're still a very big deal, but they now have lots of competition from K-pop acts like Stray Kids, Blackpink, and the animated superheroines Huntr/x of Kpop Demon Hunters.

March 6, 2026 Harry Styles releases his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally., with the #1 lead single "Aperture." The album title is a mantra for Styles. "It's unhealthy to disco all the time, so loving and moving through your life with love, and then taking a break every now and again to have some fun is a really good way to approach your life," he says.

February 27, 2026 Bruno Mars releases The Romantic, his first solo album since 24K Magic 10 years earlier. The first single is the banger "I Just Might," which debuted at #1; the rest of the album is filled with songs that explore what happens when you lead with your heart, going all-in on romance.

October 3, 2025 Taylor Swift hypes her latest album, The Life Of A Showgirl, with an extreme marketing campaign that entices fans to unlock musical clues hidden behind orange doors in 12 cities around the world.More

July 21, 2025 Tyler, The Creator releases his ninth album, Don't Tap the Glass. Social media and streaming services are quickly flooded with an AI-generated song with that title that comes up in searches, an early indication of how that technology can sow confusion.

August 23, 2024 Sabrina Carpenter releases her sixth album, Short n' Sweet. With the hits "Espresso" and "Please Please Please," it's a musical breakout for the former Disney actress, putting her in league with other actress-turned-singers like Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo.

May 3, 2024 Randy Travis, unable to sing as a result of a stroke he suffered in 2011, releases "Where That Came From," a song with his vocal generated by artificial intelligence. It's the first major release from a legacy artist using AI technology to create a vocal from scratch, offering the possibility of more songs from singers - living or dead - that don't have to actually sing on them.

April 19, 2024 Taylor Swift releases The Tortured Poets Department, an album filled with confessional songs written in the aftermath of breakups with Joe Alwyn and The 1975 singer Matt Healy. At 2 a.m. she surprise releases an additional 15 tracks in a second volume of the album called The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

November 2, 2023 Using artificial intelligence to isolate John Lennon's vocals from an old demo, The Beatles release a new song: "Now And Then." It goes to #1 in the UK, their 18th chart-topper there.

October 20, 2023 She's got yule, babe: Cher releases her first holiday album, Christmas, with a cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" featuring Darlene Love. Cher sang backup on Love's original version 60 years earlier in 1963.

June 22, 2023 Peso Pluma, who rose to superstar status with his take on Mexican corridos, releases his album Génesis. It climbs to #3 in the US, setting the mark for highest chart position reached by a Mexican music album.