History of Modern American Music (ALR)

Invention of the Phonograph

Aug 12, 1877

Thomas Edison's favorite of his inventions, the Phonograph was created by accident as Edison was trying to improve upon the Telephone and Telegraph. Though Phonographs are very rarely used in modern times, their influence can still be seen in the modern award show, the Grammy's, where the award is made to resemble a Phonograph.
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Boston Symphony Orchestra Founded

1881

Founded by Henry Lee Higginson, the Orchestra's director until 1918, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is considered one of America's oldest Orchestras. A notable conductor for the Orchestra is John Williams, whom is well known for composing music for films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park.
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Carnegie Hall Opens

1891

Andrew Carnegie believed that the wealthy should spend their money on bettering their communities, and that is exactly what he did upon opening Carnegie Hall. Showcasing around 250 performers per season, Carnegie Hall has featured performers such as the Beatles, Judy Garland, and Led Zeppelin. The building has been considered a National Historic Landmark ever since 1962.
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"Stars and Stripes Forever" Composed

May 14, 1897

Composed by John Philip Sousa while he was feeling homesick in Europe, "Stars and Stripes Forever" had a striking response with audiences, often causing an entire audience to stand to their feet like it was a National Anthem. It was demanded by audiences at every Sousa concert, and many former Sousa Band members say that they never grew tired of playing it.
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Julliard Graduate School Opens

1924

After wealthy merchant Augustus Juilliard passed away, he left a large sum of money in his will to the advancement of music. The school was opened with the intent of allowing aspiring musicians to continue their training on American soil rather than having to travel abroad. Two years after the founding of the graduate school, it merged with the Institute of Musical Art, and was then known as Julliard School of Music.
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Grand Ole Opry begins Saturday Night broadcasts

Nov 28, 1925

It's the show that made country music famous, and it's still available to listen to over 90 years later. The Grand Ole Opry has helped spark many music careers in it's time, and additionally it helped Nashville to become famous for country music. 'Uncle Jimmy Thompson', a fiddle player, was the first person to have the honor of performing for the Opry. Hank Williams made his debut on the Opry in 1949, and the audience called him back for six encores!
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Star Spangled Banner made National Anthem

Mar 3, 1931

Though the song was written over 100 years before, the "Star Spangled Banner" did not officially become the National Anthem until the early 1930's, though it had been a well known patriotic tune for decades. Woodrow Wilson signed an executive order in 1916 declaring the song be the National Anthem, but Congress did not recognize this order until 1931.
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Electric Guitar takes the stage

1936

People liked the sound of the guitar so much so that they desired for it to be louder. Concerts and public dances made the need for a louder guitar more apparent, and soon the idea of using electricity to amplify the sound was conceived. Though there were some initial issues with the technology, solutions began to fall into place, allowing for the device to produce a loud and authentic sound.
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Invention of Vinyl Records

1948

Records were originally made from a clay-like material, but upon being shipped overseas to boost Soldier morale, they proved to be very breakable. Vinyl was then used, and despite being very expensive during war years, but the purpose of the vinyl record proved strong enough to outweigh the costs. They became available to the public a few years later thanks to Columbia Records, and are reemerging in popularity today.
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Billboard Hot 100 list established

Aug 4, 1958

Billboard Magazine has been around for well over 100 years, but the Hot 100 did not evolve until far later, as upon it's conception, Billboard was not even about music, but was a bill posting service. The Hot 100 is ranked based on sales and airplay, with the first song receiving the top spot being "Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Nelson.
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Invention of Cassette Tapes

1964

Allowing people to listen to music on the go instead of having to haul around Vinyl records, the compact cassette tape exploded in popularity in the United States. The ability to easily record and play back songs for any user was a huge selling point, with over 250,000 recorders being sold in the US in the first two years of their production. The creation of the Sony Walkman allowed music to be listened to on the go
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Beatles come to America - British Invasion Begins!

Feb 7, 1964

The Beatles came to America for a two-week promotional blitz and immediately 'Beatlemania' took over many American Citizens. Their American success sparked interest in many other European bands, including The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and The Searchers, among various others. This 'invasion' lasted for the majority of the 60's.
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MTV Debuts

Aug 1, 1981

MTV hasn't always been about silly reality shows. Music Television (or MTV) used to show Music Videos, which were introduced by VJ's - Video Jockeys - just like a radio program. The MTV Music Video Awards launched in 1984, and record companies began to pour more funds into making high quality music videos due to their popularity. The channel launched with the words of creator John Lack; "Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll!"
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Invention of CDs

1983

Philips and Sony worked together to bring a new way of listening to music into the picture; Compact Discs. With this new device, users did not have to worry about the tape in their cassettes getting snagged anymore. CDs would continue to be the main way of obtaining music for 20 years, and they are still popular to this day.
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iTunes Introduced

Apr 28, 2003

Apple released a new way of getting music; digitally, and for only 99 cents a piece! With digital music, listeners no longer had to worry about scratched CDs or having to switch out CDs whenever they were tired of one album. Songs could also be bought a la carte for the first time, so if a listener did not desire to purchase an entire album, they did not have to anymore.
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