Pick a Day

Music History Events: TV Appearances

July 6, 1972 David Bowie performs "Starman" on Top Of The Pops, causing an uproar among the conservative British audience by singing with his arm coquettishly draped around the shoulder of guitarist Mick Ronson – a move that makes him as a household name overnight.More

May 11, 1972 John Lennon goes on the Dick Cavett Show and mentions that the FBI is monitoring him. He turns out to be right.

January 7, 1972 The St. Cleve Chronicle reports that a "Major Beat Group" will put music to the epic poem "Thick As A Brick," written by 8-year-old Gerald Bostock. The Society for Literary Advancement and Gestation (SLAG) had disqualified Bostock's poem from their competition, citing an "extremely unwholesome attitude towards life, his God and Country."

August 1, 1971 The Sonny And Cher Comedy Hour, starring the popular duo, premieres on CBS.

September 16, 1970 After eight straight years, The Beatles are finally knocked from their perch as England's top act in the Melody Maker fan poll... by Led Zeppelin.

February 21, 1970 The Jackson 5 perform their #1 hit "I Want You Back" and their new single, "ABC," on American Bandstand. It's their first appearance on the show; frontman Michael tells host Dick Clark he likes the weather in Los Angeles (it's much warmer than their hometown of Gary, Indiana) and digs The Beatles.

February 12, 1970 BBC's Top of the Pops broadcasts John Lennon's "Instant Karma!" performance clip, taped just the day before.

November 10, 1969 Sesame Street debuts on American public television. Many of the lessons are taught with songs, and in later seasons, musicians drop by to help out: Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Dixie Chicks and Alicia Keys are among the many to appear on the show. The two big names that turn down offers: Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand.More

August 19, 1969 Crosby, Stills and Nash appear on the Dick Cavett Show, giving a first-hand account of the Woodstock festival that took place over the weekend. Joni Mitchell, who skipped the festival to make sure she could keep her appearance on the show, performs a song she wrote about it called "Woodstock."

January 4, 1969 Jimi Hendrix is banned from the BBC after going off-script when he and his band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, appear on the show Happening for Lulu, hosted by the "To Sir With Love" singer Lulu.More

December 11, 1968 The Rolling Stones record their Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus TV special - and then bury it for nearly 30 years.More

December 3, 1968 A TV special simply called Elvis airs on NBC, drawing a huge audience and revitalizing the career of Elvis Presley. Footage from two June concerts makes up most of the special, which pays tribute to Bobby Kennedy with the closing number, "If I Can Dream."

September 29, 1968 The Supremes eschew their elegant dresses and go casual to perform "Love Child" on The Ed Sullivan Show. Diana Ross wears a sweatshirt, which is in line with the character in the song.More

September 3, 1968 Sly & the Family Stone beat out The Chambers Brothers to win Showcase '68, a TV talent show kind of like American Idol but with professional acts.

April 8, 1968 The TV special Petula airs on NBC. At one point in the show, host Petula Clark grabs hold of Harry Belafonte's arm while they are singing a duet. This marks the first time a white woman and black man have physical contact on TV in such context.More

September 25, 1967 Little-known country singer Dolly Parton makes her first appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show, singing two songs from her debut album: "Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy." She becomes the full-time replacement for the program's longtime singer, Norma Jean. Parton stays on the show for seven years and records string of popular duet albums with Wagoner.

September 17, 1967 Appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Doors are asked to change the line "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" in their hit "Light My Fire" to "Girl, we couldn't get much better." Lead singer Jim Morrison agrees, then sings the offending line anyway, angering the host and earning a lifetime ban from the show.

June 25, 1967 The Beatles premiere the song "All You Need Is Love" to 400 million people on a worldwide TV program.

January 15, 1967 Mick Jagger does as he's told and sings "let's spend the night together" as "let's spend some time together" when The Rolling Stones appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Jagger rolls his eyes derisively when he sings the altered line.More

May 1, 1966 James Brown performs on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Unlike most solo acts, he brings his own band, which allows him to provide the full James Brown experience, including the cape bit where he drops to his knees but is soon revived.

March 26, 1966 After 14 years on TV (and ten years on radio before that), the last episode of The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, which made Rick Nelson a household name, airs on ABC.

September 1, 1965 James Brown breaks out some sweet dance moves on the TV show Shindig!, where he performs his hit "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag."More

June 12, 1965 Sonny and Cher make their US television debut, singing "Just You" on American Bandstand.

December 23, 1964 After appearing on the TV show Shindig! where they perform their Christmas hit "Little Saint Nick," The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson has a nervous breakdown on a flight to Houston, where they begin a two-week tour. Wilson decides to stop performing, and Glen Campbell replaces him on the tour.

September 24, 1964 The Supremes make their first national TV appearance, performing "Where Did Our Love Go" on The Steve Allen Show.

February 9, 1964 The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, making their first live US TV appearance.More

February 7, 1964 Thanks to media coverage and a publicity campaign by Capitol Records, thousands of screaming fans greet The Beatles when their plane lands in New York at 1:20 p.m. The scenes become iconic images of Beatlemania.More

January 3, 1964 A month before The Beatles make their iconic live debut in the US on the Ed Sullivan Show, Americans get their first look at the Fab Four when Jack Paar shows a film clip of the band performing "She Loves You" on his TV show. More

January 1, 1964 BBC-TV premieres a new musical variety show entitled Top Of The Pops, kicked off by The Rolling Stones' "I Wanna Be Your Man," followed by lip-synced performances from Dusty Springfield, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies and The Swinging Blue Jeans.More

November 23, 1963 The first episode of Dr Who is broadcast; it features the classic electronic music theme.