TIMELINE: 1939–2009
1939 Igor Stravinsky immigrates to the United States
1940 John Cage invents the prepared piano
1949 The 45-rpm single enters mass production
1950 The Weavers have a no. 1 hit with Leadbelly’s
“Goodnight Irene”
1951 Alan Freed begins broadcasting The Moondog Show
1952 John Cage creates the fi rst American electronic
compositions and composes 4'33''
1954 The fi rst annual Newport Jazz Festival1955 “Rock around the Clock” becomes the fi rst rock
and roll crossover hit
1959 Berry Gordy Jr. founds Motown Records
1959 RCA produces the Mark II, an early electronic
music synthesizer
1964 Terry Riley, In C
1965 Bob Dylan performs with an electrically amplifi ed
rock band at the Newport Folk Festival
1969 Woodstock music festival
1971 Formation of the Philip Glass Ensemble and Steve
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