Pick a Day

Music History Events: Debut Albums

March 22, 2013 Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy releases his debut EP, God Loves You When You're Dancing.

October 2, 2012 The Mumford & Sons single "Babel" becomes the highest-selling debut single of the year, officially, with 600,000 copies sold.

April 10, 2012 Robin Gibb's orchestral production Titanic Requiem (released to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic) premieres in London.

April 5, 2012 The Philip Lynott Exhibition opens at the 02 in London, celebrating the legacy of the Thin Lizzy frontman.

October 5, 2011 The Martin Scorsese documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World premieres on HBO. Ringo Starr says in the film: "He had the bag of love-beads personality and the bag of anger."

September 12, 2011 Ed Sheeran's debut album, +, is released in the UK, where it tops the albums chart.

October 2, 2010 On Season 7 of The X Factor (UK), One Direction perform as a group for the first time, singing a cover of "Torn" for judge Simon Cowell at his villa in Marbella, Spain. The guys had been eliminated as soloists and tried their luck as a group. They finish the competition in third place.

August 3, 2010 Madonna launches her "Material Girl" line of clothing, shoes, jewelry and handbags at Macy's. The line is targeted to teenage girls and based in part on some of Madonna's various looks. Assisting the 51-year-old singer with the project is her 13-year-old daughter, Lourdes.

July 14, 2009 The debut album by The Dead Weather, Horehound, is released, and spawns the singles "Hang You from the Heavens," "Treat Me Like Your Mother," and "I Cut Like A Buffalo."

August 11, 2008 Noah and the Whale debut Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down is released on the Mercury/Vertigo label. Laura Marling, who was a member of the band at the time of recording but soon left to focus on her solo career, is featured as a vocalist on the album. Fellow Indie-Folk artist Emmy the Great also contributes vocals to the album.

February 19, 2008 Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, self-released a year earlier, is issued on Jagjaguwar Records. An embodiment of indie rock, it gets lots of attention and leads to a collaboration with Kanye West on this 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

February 4, 2008 With digital delivery transforming the industry, some record companies package releases with additional goodies. The Virgin-owned Astralwerks label issues Laura Marling's debut album, Alas, I Cannot Swim, in what they call a "songbox" format, which includes a concert ticket and souvenirs representing each song along with the CD.

August 14, 2007 After finding success as a songwriter in Nashville (Billy Currington's "Good Directions," Travis Tritt's "My Honky Tonk History"), Luke Bryan releases his debut album, I'll Stay Me, at age 31.

October 24, 2006 Taylor Swift releases her self-titled debut album, a collection of country-pop tunes the singer wrote during her freshman year of high school. Led by the Top 20 single "Tim McGraw," it peaks at #5 on the Albums chart and becomes the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US, logging 157 weeks by 2009.

May 15, 2006 Dubstep artist Burial releases his debut album, Burial, the first full-length album released through Kode9's Hyperdub Records. It's an attempt to capture the feeling of 2000s London late at night, and the album cover features an aerial view of South London. The logo, which later becomes Burial's signature, represents a pirate radio signal.More

February 14, 2006 The Veronicas' debut studio album, The Secret Life of..., is released in the US.

April 5, 2005 Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas releases his debut solo album, …Something To Be, featuring the Top 10 hit "Lonely No More."More

September 14, 2004 The seven-member Canadian band Arcade Fire release their debut album, Funeral. It gets lots of positive press and sells very well over the next decade as the band make a steady rise.

April 13, 2004 Crossfade release their self-titled debut album. The profanities on the album are censored, but the band are unable to release an explicit version due to lack of funds.

February 10, 2004 Kanye West, known for producing tracks on Jay-Z's 2001 album The Blueprint, releases his debut album, The College Dropout.More

December 26, 2003 Matthew West releases his major label debut album, Happy. The lead single, "More," tops the Christian chart.

October 20, 2003 Amy Winehouse, 20, issues her first album, Frank, in the UK. It doesn't appear in America until 2007.

September 14, 2003 Jet release their debut album, Get Born, on Elektra Records. Leading the Australian invasion of the early 2000's with bands like The Vines, the album would go on to sell well over three million copies. The title is lifted from the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

May 6, 2003 Fall Out Boy release their debut album, the pop-punk effort Take This To Your Grave.

April 8, 2003 Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, releases her first solo album, To Whom It May Concern. It debuts at #5 in America.

February 6, 2003 50 Cent drops his major-label debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin', a joint release on Eminem's Shady Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. It includes two #1 hits: "In Da Club" and "21 Questions."

October 5, 2001 Reba McEntire's TV show Reba premieres on the WB network, with the singer playing a single mom to three children. The show runs for six seasons.

September 11, 2001 The Strokes' debut album, Is This It, drops on vinyl in the US. It contains the song "New York City Cops," an anthem against police brutality. The defiant track is removed from the forthcoming CD release in light of the terrorist attacks and the valiant response of the NYPD.

January 23, 2001 Jack Johnson releases his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales, which sells over a million copies and establishes him as a leading light in the mellow surf-rock movement.

October 31, 2000 Lifehouse release their debut album, No Name Face. The first single, "Hanging By a Moment," takes off, becoming the most-played song on American radio in 2001.