Music History Events: Debut Albums
October 26, 1968 Janis Joplin appears on TV for the first time when she performs on the variety show Hollywood Palace with Big Brother & the Holding Company.
January 22, 1968 Apple Corps (home of the boutique and the label) opens its offices at 5 Wigmore Street, Marylebone, London.
December 8, 1967 Traffic release their debut album, Mr. Fantasy.
September 30, 1967 BBC Radio One goes on the air. The first song played is "Flowers In The Rain" by The Move.
July 10, 1967 Bobbie Gentry's first single, "Ode To Billie Joe," is released. It would go on to top the Hot 100 for four weeks.
June 1, 1967 David Bowie releases his self-titled debut album, David Bowie, which bares little resemblance to his future work.
December 12, 1966 Pink Floyd perform their first concert, for the Oxfam Benefit at London's Royal Albert Hall.
May 20, 1966 Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band play their first gig, performing at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.
December 11, 1965 The Velvet Underground play their first show: opening for a group called The Myddle Class in the auditorium of Summit High School in New Jersey. They play three songs: "There She Goes Again," "Heroin" and "Venus In Furs."
November 22, 1965 The musical Man Of La Mancha, starring Richard Kiley, opens on Broadway.
January 16, 1965 The Guess Who release their debut album, Shakin' All Over.
April 27, 1964 John Lennon's first book of prose and poetry, In His Own Write, is published in the US.
April 17, 1964 Them (with Van Morrison) make their first concert appearance, at Belfast's Maritime Hotel.
April 16, 1964 The Rolling Stones release their self-titled debut album in the UK.
January 11, 1964 The Whisky-a-Go-Go opens at Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, and quickly becomes a vital music venue. Some of the early acts to play the Whiskey include The Animals, The Doors and Otis Redding.
January 11, 1964 Billboard publishes its first Country and Western Albums chart. Johnny Cash gets the first #1 with Ring of Fire.
March 22, 1963 In the UK, The Beatles release their debut studio album, Please Please Me. It goes to #1 a few months later; in early 1964, they conquer America.
March 19, 1962 Bob Dylan releases his self-titled debut album. It doesn't chart in America, but sets the stage for his breakthrough a year later: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.
October 4, 1961 Alvin & The Chipmunks, who already have #1 hits with "The Chipmunk Song" and "Witch Doctor," get their own TV show on CBS called The Alvin Show.
July 29, 1961 Dick Clark presents his very first Caravan of Stars revue at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey, featuring The Jive Five, The Shirelles, and Clarence "Frogman" Henry.
December 3, 1960 The Lerner and Loewe play Camelot, featuring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, opens at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
April 14, 1960 The musical Bye Bye Birdie, inspired by the drafting of Elvis Presley into the Army, opens on Broadway.
October 2, 1959 The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS-TV. The original orchestral opening used throughout Season One was composed by Bernard Herrmann, and was later replaced by the now-iconic theme from French composer Marius Constant.
April 22, 1959 The Alan Freed "Rock and Roll movie" Go, Johnny, Go premieres in New York, featuring Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, The Cadillacs, and The Flamingos.
November 17, 1957 Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps make their US television debut, performing "Lotta Loving" and "Dance to the Bop" on The Ed Sullivan Show.
January 16, 1957 The Cavern Club, where The Beatles cut their teeth, opens in Liverpool, England.
March 15, 1956 The musical My Fair Lady opens on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre.
March 10, 1956 Bobby Darin makes his first television appearance, singing "Rock Island Line" on the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show. The budding entertainer is clearly nervous - he keeps glancing at his palms where he's written the song's lyrics.
February 26, 1955 For the first time, sales of the newer, smaller 45rpm records outpace those of the old 78rpm variety.
June 17, 1954 The UK music newspaper Record Mirror goes to press for the first time.
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