Pick a Day

Music History Events: Debut Albums

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.

January 18, 1928 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera The Nose premieres at the Maliy Opera Theatre in Leningrad.

February 12, 1924 The "Experiment In Modern Music" concert takes place at Aeolian Hall in New York, where a sold out crowd checks out a relatively new music called Jazz. George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" is performed in public for the first time at the show with Gershwin performing on piano with the orchestra.

January 25, 1909 The opera Elektra by Richard Strauss premieres at the Dresden Hofoper.

December 7, 1889 At the Savoy Theatre, the opera The Gondoliers is first performed.

May 2, 1885 Wilhelm Schimmel starts his piano company.

January 7, 1842 The opera Stabat Mater by Gioacchino Rossini premieres in Paris.

January 26, 1790 The Mozart opera Cosi Fan Tutte opens at the Burgtheater in Vienna.

January 29, 1728 The Beggar's Opera by John Gay premieres in London.

January 12, 1723 The opera Ottone by George Frideric Handel premieres in London.

January 5, 1649 The opera Giasone by Francesco Cavalli premieres in Venice.

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."

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.

October 3, 2016 Nickelodeon premieres the animated series Kuu Kuu Harajuku, produced by Gwen Stefani, about a group of girls who make music and fight evil. Stefani introduced her "Harajuku Girls," inspired by the neighborhood in Tokyo, on her solo debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and has integrated her love of the culture in her clothing and perfume lines.

June 23, 2015 Leon Bridges releases his debut album, Coming Home, featuring the popular retro-soul singles "Coming Home" and "Smooth Sailin'."More

April 5, 2015 Two days after Furious 7 is released in theaters, the "See You Again" video, featuring footage from the film, debuts on Facebook and Twitter. The next day, it is posted on YouTube, where it eventually breaks the record for most views, previously held by "Gangnam Style."More

September 9, 2014 Vance Joy releases his debut studio album, Dream Your Life Away, four days after its release in his native Australia.

September 5, 2014 Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton open a bed and breakfast called The Ladysmith in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. It can be seen in Blake's video for "Sangria."

June 12, 2013 BTS release their debut album, 2 Cool 4 Skool. In later years, the date is celebrated with releases targeted to their fan club, ARMY.