U.S. Pop Music Timeline
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
- c. 1775
- British soldiers sing "Yankee Doodle" to mock colonists; Americans adopt it as their own tune.
- 1815
- Francis Scott Key publishes "The Star-Spangled Banner."
- 1861
- Julia Ward Howe writes the poem "Battle Hymn of the Republic"; set to music, it becomes a popular Civil War song.
- 1891
- Carnegie Hall opens in New York.
- 1893
- The "Happy Birthday" tune is written by two teachers in Louisville, Kentucky.
- early 1900s
- Based on Mississippi River boat music and black as well as French and Spanish piano music, jazz develops in New Orleans.
- 1907
- Florenz Ziegfeld launches the elaborate musical stage shows known as the Ziegfeld Follies.
- 1911
- Popular songwriter Irving Berlin completes "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
- 1916
- President Woodrow Wilson issues an executive order making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the national anthem.
- 1922
- Jazz musician Duke Ellington moves to New York and forms the band that becomes the legendary Duke Ellington Orchestra.
- 1927
- Show Boat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, is the first hugely popular musical comedy.
- 1932
- Radio City Music Hall opens with a musical show featuring the Rockettes.
- 1935
- George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess premieres.
- 1936
- Electric guitar debuts.
- 1948
- Columbia Records introduces the "long playing" vinyl record.
- 1951
- Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed coins the term "rock and roll."
- c. 1955
- Elvis Presley becomes the first rock star.
- 1957
- Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story debuts.
- 1958
- Billboard magazine begins their Hot 100 chart listing popular songs.
- 1959
- The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents the first Grammy Award.
- 1959
- Berry Gordy, Jr., founds Motown record company; in the 1960s Motown stars include the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye.
- 1961
- 1961 Country singer Patsy Cline becomes a mainstream pop music hit.
- 1964
- The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a sensation, igniting the "British invasion."
- 1969
- The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, featuring such artists as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Joan Baez, is attended by hundreds of thousands of fans.
- 1971
- The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour popularizes such hits as "I Got You Babe."
- c. 1975
- CBGB (Country Bluegrass & Blues) club in New York showcases "punk rock."
- 1977
- The movie Saturday Night Fever popularizes disco music.
- 1978
- Hip hop, a blend of rock, jazz, and soul with African drumming, is born in the South Bronx.
- 1981
- MTV music television debuts with nonstop music videos.
- 1982
- Cats begins its 18-year run on Broadway.
- 1983
- Compact discs begin to replace vinyl records.
- Madonna releases her debut album; the single "Holiday" becomes a hit.
- 1984
- Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" moves up the charts.
- Twelve-year-old Ricky Martin begins his five-year stint with Menudo.
- 1985
- Michael Jackson releases Thriller; the video becomes a classic.
- 1989
- Eight-year-old Britney Spears makes her musical television debut on Star Search.
- early 1990s
- Grunge rock rises in Seattle, featuring such bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
- 1992
- Backstreet Boys and Blackstreet, two of the top male groups of the 1990s, form.
- 1995
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum opens in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1998
- Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," from the movie Titanic, is the top song of the year.
- 1999
- Lauryn Hill takes home five Grammys for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
- 2001
- More than 30 years after breaking up, the Beatles have a chart-topper with the greatest-hits album 1.
- The Beatles' lead guitarist George Harrison dies of lung cancer.
- 2002
- Kelly Clarkson becomes the first American Idol. About 50 million viewers tune in to the show's finale.
- 2003
- Eminem's The Eminem Show, the top-selling album of 2002, wins the Grammy for Best Rap Album. It is the Detroit native's third consecutive record to win the award, making him the first rapper to accomplish this feat.
- Usher's Confessions, which produces four No. 1 songs, is the top-selling record of the year.
- 2004
- Green Day releases the politically charged album American Idiot, which goes on to sell over six million copies in the United States.
- 2005
- 50 Cent scores five No. 1 singles on his album The Massacre.
- 2006
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers release Stadium Arcadium, a double-album that reaches No. 1 in 26 different countries its first week out.
- Revered New York music club CBGB closes its doors and moves to Las Vegas.
- 2007
- A number of big-name acts return to touring after long hiatuses including The Police and Genesis.
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