Pick a Day

Music History Events: Magazines

May 26, 1969 Janis Joplin lands on the cover of Newsweek with the headline, "Janis Joplin: Rebirth of Blues."More

November 23, 1968 Promoting their avante-garde album Two Virgins, famous for the cover photo of the couple naked, John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, again nude.More

May 11, 1968 A Rolling Stone review of Electric Flag's album A Long Time Comin' incorporates the first documented use of the phrase "heavy metal": "This is the new soul music, the synthesis of white blues and heavy metal rock."

June 17, 1967 Liberty Records runs an ad in the British music magazine New Musical Express that reads: "Liberty wants talent. Artists/composers/singers/musicians to form a new group." Among the thousands of applicants are lyricist Bernie Taupin and musician Elton John. The label teams them up, resulting in one of the greatest songwriting duos in rock history.

April 23, 1965 Life magazine runs a 22-page cover story on Frank Sinatra, the longest feature on an entertainer in the publication's history.

May 19, 1962 Mick Jagger is mentioned in print for the first time when the British music magazine Disc prints this item: "A 19-year-old Dartford rhythm-and-blues singer, Mick Jagger, has joined Alexis Korner's group, Blues Inc., and will sing with them regularly on their Saturday night dates at Ealing and Thursday session at the Marquee Jazz Club, London. Jagger, at present completing a course at the London School of Economics, also plays harmonica."

February 15, 1961 Jackie Wilson is shot in Manhattan. The following issue of Melody Maker carries the front page headline Girl Fan Shoots Jackie Wilson, but controversy over the incident persists in spite of Wilson's claim that this is what really happened.

February 11, 1961 The front page headline in Melody Maker reads: £80,000 Lost On Pirate Juke Boxes. This is a report of a nationwide swoop on bars, cafés, restaurants, clubs, amusement arcades and public houses.

September 26, 1956 The Cassandra column in the Daily Mirror (written by William Connor) insinuates that the pianist Liberace is homosexual.

March 24, 1956 Billboard makes their periodic albums chart a weekly feature, with Belafonte by Harry Belafonte. at #1 The chart lists anywhere from 15-30 spots, but is gradually expanded, and in 1967 it grows to 200. The chart goes through several name changes before settling on The Billboard 200 in 1992.

April 19, 1937 Life magazine publishes a three-page article headlined: "Lead Belly - Bad Ni--er Makes Good Minstrel."

May 9, 1936 The front page story of Melody Maker: "B.B.C. Appoints Anti-Song Plugging Official."

March 31, 1934 An article in Melody Maker declares: "Expel All Jewish Musicians: A Little Hitler Invades Archer Street. Fascists Launch Fierce New Campaign." This refers to an Imperial Fascist League member Jackson Phillips as the "Little Hitler" of Archer Street. The article contains the memorable quote: "...he saw the light of Fascism, and this apparently so dazzled him that he has been unable to see anything else very clearly since."

August 19, 1911 Variety calls Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" the "song sensation of the century."