Pick a Day

Music History Events: TV Shows

April 27, 1999 Songs From Dawson's Creek is released after the teen drama airs its first season on The WB. The soundtrack peaks at #7 on the US albums chart.More

January 10, 1999 The Sopranos debuts on HBO. Bruce Springsteen's guitarist, Steven Van Zandt, plays Silvio Dante, a character he modeled on his relationship with Bruce: Unlike most of Tony Soprano's inner circle, Silvio doesn't want to be the boss.

October 7, 1998 Charmed debuts on the WB network with the Love Spit Love cover of "How Soon Is Now" as the theme song. Two years earlier, this same cover was used in the movie The Craft, which like Charmed, is about a coven of high school girls.

February 17, 1997 ABC airs Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees, a one-hour comedy special written and directed by original Monkee Mike Nesmith. From their '60s pad, the group recalls their old shenanigans and sings a medley of their classic hits: "Last Train To Clarksville," "Daydream Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "I'm A Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday."

November 7, 1996 On the Seinfeld episode "The Checks," Elaine is frustrated by her new boyfriend's obsession with the Eagles' song "Desperado." The actor, James Patrick Stuart, has a real-life musical connection: His dad is Chad Stuart, half of the '60s pop duo Chad & Jeremy.

July 15, 1996 Nickelodeon premieres the teen sitcom Kenan & Kel, with the theme song "Aw, Here It Goes" from Coolio.

January 23, 1996 The TV series Moesha, starring Brandy as a high-school student in California, debuts on UPN, where it runs for six seasons.

October 5, 1994 Jamie Walters, who sang the #1 hit theme song "How Do You Talk To An Angel?" for the short-lived Aaron Spelling series The Heights, joins Beverly Hills 90210 as Ray Pruit, an aspiring musician. Unfortunately for Walters, his character takes a dark turn and starts abusing fan fave Donna Martin, causing his real-life music career to suffer.More

May 6, 1994 Donna Summer appears on an episode of Family Matters, playing Steve Urkel's shy Aunt Oona (from Altoona). Oona comes out of her shell when she belts out "Last Dance" at karaoke.

March 8, 1993 Beavis and Butt-Head, a show about two animated idiots who watch MTV, debuts on MTV.

August 27, 1992 The Heights, a drama series about a group of working-class youths struggling to form a rock band, premieres on the FOX network. Produced by Aaron Spelling, the short-lived show spawns a #1 single with its theme song, "How Do You Talk To An Angel."

February 23, 1991 With his group MGM, R. Kelly wins the only season of the competition show Big Break, hosted by Natalie Cole.

March 21, 1990 The sitcom Sydney premieres on CBS, starring Valerie Bertinelli and a pre-Friends Matthew Perry. Bertinelli's husband Eddie Van Halen provides the theme song: "Finish What Ya Started."

February 28, 1989 The sitcom Coach debuts on ABC, starring Craig T. Nelson as a college football coach and Shelley Fabares as his longtime girlfriend. Fabares became famous in the '50s and '60s, starring in The Donna Reed Show - on which she debuted the hit "Johnny Angel" - and appearing in three films with Elvis Presley.

January 3, 1989 The Arsenio Hall Show debuts in syndication, bringing a spate of contemporary musical acts - including many hip-hop artists - to late night during its five-season run. Highlights include Mariah Carey's national TV debut in 1990, and a 1992 appearance by Bill Clinton, who uses his airtime to win over young voters on this way to the White House.

September 24, 1987 The Cosby Show begins its fourth season, introducing a new, jazzy version of the theme song performed by Bobby McFerrin. It finishes the season as the highest-rated show on TV.

September 14, 1985 The TV series The Golden Girls debuts on NBC. Its theme song is "Thank You for Being a Friend," written by Andrew Gold but sung by a jingle singer named Cynthia Fee. Gold's version was released in 1978 and reached #25 in the US.

September 28, 1983 Season 2 of the sitcom Family Ties premieres on NBC, with its theme song, "Without Us," now being performed by Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams.

July 9, 1981 The ABC News show 20/20 runs a story called "Rappin' To The Beat," becoming the first national TV news magazine to cover rap music. "You never miss the fact there's no melody," Hugh Downs says in his introduction. "It's all beat and talk." The coverage suggests rap may be more than just a passing fad.

September 13, 1980 The TV series Solid Gold premieres. Like its genre-mates American Bandstand and Soul Train, the show consists of Top-40 music (mostly recorded) in a studio with a dance stage and floor. A feature of the show is a specialty crew of "Solid Gold dancers" who bump and grind to the tunes. Dionne Warwick is the host for the first season, but the show rotates through numerous hosts during its course. The show runs almost eight seasons before discontinuing in 1988.

June 16, 1975 Singer Adam Wade becomes the first African-American game show host when Musical Chairs debuts on CBS. The short-lived series is created by noted record producer Don Kirshner, and features a slew of musical guests, including The Tokens, The Spinners, and Sister Sledge.

March 24, 1973 With Soul Train gaining in popularity, Dick Clark Productions airs a competing show called Soul Unlimited, which lasts just one episode as it caves to pressure from black leaders. Gladys Knight and Rufus Thomas are the guests.

September 9, 1967 The Spider-Man animated series debuts on ABC. The iconic theme song inspires a range of covers from the Ramones to Aerosmith to Michael Buble.

April 4, 1967 Jimi Hendrix guests on the first broadcast of the BBC show Dee Time, hosted by Simon Dee. Cat Stevens is also on the show.

October 19, 1959 ABC airs The Frank Sinatra Timex Show, the first of four Timex-sponsored TV specials hosted by the singer. Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Mitzi Gaynor sing "High Hopes" with Frank to open the show.

November 2, 1936 Adele Dixon sings "Television" on the first ever broadcast of the BBC entertainment programme Variety.