Pick a Day

Music History Events: Releases

January 12, 1955 A teenaged Etta James releases her first single, the #1 R&B hit "The Wallflower," re-titled from the scandalous-sounding "Roll With Me, Henry."

July 19, 1954 Elvis Presley releases his first single: "That's All Right" backed with "Blue Moon Of Kentucky."

March 12, 1953 Popular WDIA disc jockey Rufus Thomas signs with an upstart Memphis label called Sun Records in order to release a song called "Bear Cat," an answer record to Big Mama Thornton's hit "Hound Dog."

October 6, 1947 Gene Autry releases "Here Comes Santa Claus," a song he wrote after riding in a Christmas parade and hearing children scream out for Santa.

October 4, 1943 Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five release "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?"

January 2, 1941 The Andrews Sisters release "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."

July 14, 1939 Jimmy Dorsey releases "Brazil."

November 24, 1937 The Andrews Sisters release "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön."

March 7, 1917 "The Dixie Jass Band One Step," by Nick LaRocca's Original Dixieland Jass Band (Victor 18255), becomes the first jazz recording released for sale in the US.

July 29, 2022 Beyoncé releases her seventh solo album, Renaissance, with the hit "Break My Soul." Like her previous six albums, it goes to #1 in America.

November 5, 2021 ABBA release Voyage, their first album in 40 years, and also their last. They decided to make it while preparing for their show Voyage, which features digital avatars ("Abba-tars") of the band members. The album goes to #1 in most European countries and also Australia.

September 30, 2021 Tony Bennett, 95, releases an album of standards with Lady Gaga called Love For Sale, making him (according to Guinness) the oldest person to release an album of new material.

May 21, 2021 Olivia Rodrigo releases her debut album, Sour, which includes her debut single, "Drivers License," and also the hits "Deja Vu," "Good 4 U," and "Brutal."

January 8, 2021 Morgan Wallen releases Dangerous: The Double Album, with the hit "7 Summers." It debuts at #1 in America and stays there for 10 weeks, the longest run at the top since Drake's Views in 2016.

January 8, 2021 Seventeen-year-old Olivia Rodrigo, known as an actress on various Disney shows, releases her debut single, "Drivers License," a heart-rending song that tops the charts in many territories, including America, where it stays at #1 for eight weeks.

December 18, 2020 Paul McCartney releases McCartney III. He's a one-man band on the album, playing all the instruments and writing all the songs, which he also did on the prequels, McCartney in 1970 and McCartney II in 1980.

August 28, 2020 Katy Perry releases her sixth album, Smile. It's bundled with the video game Katy's Quest, which she is seen playing in the video for the title track.

July 31, 2020 The Psychedelic Furs release Made Of Rain, their first album since 1991, the year they disbanded. The group re-formed in 2000 but didn't get around to releasing new music until 20 years later.

July 24, 2020 Taylor Swift releases her eighth album, Folklore. Instead of leading into it with a big publicity campaign, it's announced just a day earlier. Like her previous six albums, it goes straight to #1 in America.

July 6, 2020 On his 85th birthday, The Dalai Lama releases the album Inner World, a collection of Buddhist mantras and prayers set to music.

April 17, 2020 Fiona Apple releases her fifth album, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, her first since 2012. The title is a reference to a line Gillian Anderson says in the TV series The Fall and is a metaphor for setting yourself free.

March 20, 2020 The Weeknd releases After Hours, an album filled with the kind of anxiety and paranoia many are feeling in the early weeks of coronavirus lockdown. It goes to #1 in the United States and many other territories, and the single "Blinding Lights" becomes one of the most-streamed songs of the spring and summer.

August 30, 2019 Tool release Fear Inoculum, their fifth studio album and first in 13 years. Their previous album was 10,000 Days in 2006.

August 23, 2019 Taylor Swift releases Lover, an upbeat album that stands in contrast to her previous release, the serpentine Reputation.More

August 2, 2019 Skillet release their 10th album, Victorious, featuring the songs "Legendary" and "Save Me." The album is produced by the band's frontman, John Cooper, and his wife/bandmate, Korey Cooper.

March 29, 2019 Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish releases her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which debuts at #1 in America.

January 24, 2019 Weezer release The Teal Album, a collection of covers featuring their hit rendition of "Africa." Selections include "Take On Me," "No Scrubs" and "Billie Jean."

September 14, 2018 Carrie Underwood releases her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, which debuts at #1 in the US. The title track was inspired by the country singer's heartache over a series of traumatic events in her life, including three miscarriages.

September 7, 2018 Country singer Kathy Mattea ends a six-year recording hiatus when she releases the folk album Pretty Bird, featuring covers of Joan Osborne's "St. Teresa," Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now," and Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe." It also debuts a new voice from the husky-throated singer, whose vocal problems forced her to learn to tap into her lower register.

September 7, 2018 Lenny Kravitz releases his 11th studio album, Raise Vibration, which features guest vocals from the late Michael Jackson on the single "Low." Kravitz collaborated with the King of Pop on Jackson's track "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" from the posthumous album Michael.