American Music Timeline | 1970-present

Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff Updated by an Factmonster Editor on February 21, 2017

American Music Timeline
Part VII: 1970-present
by David Johnson


Previous: The 1960s	1970	1979	1982	1990	1995	2000

Early 1970s	The Moody Blues, Electric Light Orchestra, and Pink Floyd create "art rock", combining classical styles with rock; synthesizer becomes important instrument Top
Circa 1975	CBGB (Country Bluegrass & Blues) club in New York showcases "punk rock" which blends various psychedelic and mainstream rock influences Top
1976	Philip Glass completes Einstein on the Beach, first widely performed minimalist piece Top
1977	Movie Saturday Night Fever popularizes "disco" music Top
1978	Sony introduces the Walkman Top
1978	Hip hop, a blend of rock, jazz, soul with African drumming, born in the South Bronx Top
1979	Sugarhill Gang releases "Rapper's Delight", popularizes rap, combines elements of disco and rock with urban street music Top
1981	MTV, music television, debuts with nonstop music videos, presentation becomes as important as the sound Top
1982	Michael Jackson releases album "Thriller", ties with Eagles' "Their Greatest Hits," as best selling album in history; "Thriller" music video becomes a classic Top
1983	Compact discs begin to replace vinyl records Top
1984	Madonna's album "Like a Virgin" makes her a major star Top
Early 1990s	Grunge rock, a combination of various rock styles, rises in Seattle; features such bands as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica Top
1995	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens in Cleveland Top
2000	Internet transforms music scene; music industry angry about companies offering free music over the Internet, without paying copyright fees; Court action prompts Napster to stop distributing copyrighted music free, and team up with industry giant Bertelsmann to provide material for a fee Top
Back to the Beginning

Sources: infoplease.com, Kingwood College online library, Folk Music and Carolan Resource Center, Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, A&E Entertainment Almanac from Information Please, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition; The Harvard Dictionary of Music, The Young Reader's Companion to American History

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See also:

American Music Timeline | The Sixties