Timeline of trends in music (1970-1979)
See also: List of years in music, Timeline of trends in music to 1899, Timeline of trends in music (1900-1949), Timeline of trends in music (1950-1969), Timeline of trends in music (1980-1989), Timeline of trends in music (1990-present)1970s
- 1970
in music
- International trends
- Simon & Garfunkel release Bridge Over Troubled Water; this, along with releases from James Taylor (Sweet Baby James), Cat Stevens (Tea for the Tillerman) and Joni Mitchell (Ladies of the Canyon) help define the singer-songwriter tradition
- Taj Mahal releases Happy to Be Just Like I Am, a pioneering fusion of blues and African music, setting the stage for the development of rock-based world music
- Music
of Argentina
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- Tango-rockéro, mixing tango with rock music, rises in Buenos Aires due to the influence of artists like Litto Nébbia, alongside groups like Siglo XX who add jazz influences
- Music
of Canada
- A revival of traditional folk music of Quebec begins.
- The Canadian content regulations are passed, requiring radio stations to devote 30% of their time to Canadian artists
- Music of China
- Music of the Philippines
- Music
of Thailand
- Rewat Buddhinan and similar rock artists begin using the Thai language
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- First performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's influential rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar
- Music
of the United States
- Important country-influenced albums are released by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Déjà Vu, Merle Haggard (Okie from Muskogee), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Cosmo's Factory) and The Grateful Dead (American Beauty, Workingman's Dead) -- the beginning of a distinctly country rock sound
- Miles Davis' Bitches Brew is the first truly successful fusion of jazz and rock and roll
- The beginning of the success of a group of Afrocentric poets and musicians, including The Last Poets (The Last Poets) and Gil Scott-Heron (Small Talk at 125th and Lennox); this is an early forerunner of hip hop
- International trends
- 1971
in music
- International trends
- Singer-songwriters like John Denver (Poems, Prayers and Promises), Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey), Joni Mitchell (Blue, Don McLean (American Pie), Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water), Billy Joel (Cold Spring Harbor), Cat Stevens (Teaser and the Firecat) and Carole King (Tapestry) release influential and popular albums
- Early prog rock bands like Genesis (Nursery Cryme), Deep Purple (Fireball), Electric Light Orchestra (Electric Light Orchestra), Yes (The Yes Album), Gong (Camembert Electrique), Procol Harum (Broken Barricades), Pink Floyd (Meddle) and Jethro Tull (Aqualung) release influential albums; this is progressive rock's peak
- Music
of Belgium
- Artists like Herman Dewit, Hubert Boone and Wannes Van de Velde lead a revival of Belgian folk music
- Music
of China
- Henry Wolff and Nancy Hennings' release Tibetan Bells, which is the earliest fusion of Tibetan music and Western New Age music
- Music
of Cuba
- Nueva trova songs, marked by confrontational political and social lyrics, become popular; Los Van Van also invents songo
- Music
of Egypt
- Ahmed Adaweyah is the first mainstream star to emerge from shaabi music
- Music
of France
- Alan Stivell's Renaissance of the Celtic Harp brings international popularity to Breton folk music
- Music
of Germany
- Krautrock begins with German musicians like Amon Düül II (Tanz der Lemminge), Faust (Faust) and Can (Tago Mago), moving progressive rock towards new sonic territory, eventually influencing genres including New Wave, electronica and industrial rock
- Music
of Martinique and Guadeloupe
- Haitian immigrants to Martinique bring with them kadans, which will dominate Martinican music for the next decade
- Music
of Iceland
- The beginning of the English language period of domination
- Music
of Kenya
- Simba Wanyika's career as a popular performer in Kenya begins, marking the beginning of a fusion between African rhythms and western pop sounds, and the commercial success of Swahili music
- Music
of Korea
- T'ong guitar music, which is a Koreanized version of acoustic guitar folk revivalists from the US, becomes very popular in Korea
- Music
of Trinidad & Tobago
- Lancelot Layne's "Blown Away" is the beginning of rapso
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- Black Sabbath's Paranoid and Led Zeppelin's Four Symbols are enormously influential albums in the development of heavy metal
- Martin Carthy plugs in on stage, leading to intense controversy as some accused him of mainstreaming the rough sounds of English folk music, just as Steeleye Span's pioneering fusion Please to See the King is released
- Music
of the United States
- Maranatha and Love Song release The Everlastin' Livin' Jesus Concert and Love Song; this is the beginning of the popularization of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM)
- Funkadelic releases Maggot Brain, an early fusion of soul, funk and heavy metal; releases from Roberta Flack (Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway), Isaac Hayes (Black Moses) and Sly & the Family Stone (There's a Riot Goin' On) similarly influence the development of a more pop-oriented funk and soul
- International trends
- 1972
in music
- International trends
- Music
of the Czech Republic
- The Annual Banjo Jamboree in Kopidlno is the first European bluegrass festival
- Music
of France
- Perlinpinpin Folc's Musiqe Traditionelle de Gascogne marks the beginning of a rebirth in Gascon folk music
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- David Bowie releases Ziggy Stardust, which marks the height of glam rock and is an important influence on the development of punk rock; similarly influential albums by Lou Reed (Transformer) and Mott the Hoople (All the Young Dudes) are also released
- Deep Purple releases Machine Head, one of the first pure heavy metal albums
- Eggs Over Easy (Good 'n' Cheap) and Kippington Lodge formulate a sound known as pub rock
- Music
of the United States
- Neil Young's Harvest is the top-selling album in the United States and foreshadows the future popularity of country-rock
- Curtis Mayfield's Superfly (soundtrack to the Blaxploitation film of the same name) and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On are popular and help redefine soul music; most influentially, they add a socially aware tone to the lyrics
- Cuban immigrants in New York City and elsewhere invent salsa music, drawing on rumba, mambo, son and other Cuban forms, as well as Puerto Rican plena
- 1973
in music
- International trends
- Singer-songwriters Elton John (Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road), Jim Croce (I Got a Name), Roberta Flack (Killing Me Softly) and Billy Joel (Piano Man) release hugely successful albums and singles
- Music
of Chile
- Augusto Pinochet's new government drives nueva canción artists underground and murders some, including Víctor Jara
- Music
of India
- Ravi Shankar releases Ragas; it is enormously popular in India and reflects the commercial pinnacle of eastern music in western markets
- Music
of Jamaica
- Jimmy Cliff's soundtrack to The Harder They Come is the first commercially successful reggae music in western markets -- meanwhile, Bob Marley & the Wailers most well-reviewed works are released, though sales are limited outside of Jamaica
- Early dub artists like Lee Scratch Perry (Cloak & Dagger), Bunny Lee, U-Roy (Version Galore), Clive Chin and King Tubby reach the peak of their popularity in Jamaica, as they revolutionize mixing techniques and toasting; Perry and Tubby's Blackboard Jungle is particularly notable
- Music
of Finland
- "Hiki haisee ja haitari soi" is popular among Finnish-Swedish dancehalls; the song is distinctively Finnish-Swedish tango, unlike Swedish or Finnish works
- Music
of Switzerland
- "Warehuus Blues" by Rumpelstilz is the first German dialect rock released in Switzerland
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is released; the album is often considered the best concept album and the height of experimental rock.
- Boys of the Lough, a pioneering Scottish roots revival band incuding Aly Bain, release their debut, The Boys of the Lough, which proves enormously influential
- Music
of the United States
- Philadelphia soul artists like The Delfonics ("I Don't Want to Make You Wait"), The O'Jays (Ship Ahoy) and The Stylistics (Rockin' Roll Baby) are extremely popular
- International trends
- 1974
in music
- International trends
- Singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne (Late for the Sky), Elton John (Caribou), Joni Mitchell (Court and Spark), Randy Newman (Good Old Boys), Billy Joel (Piano Man), Harry Chapin (Verities and Balderdash) and Van Morrison (Veedon Fleece) are extremely popular
- ABBA win the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing them international attention, and kicking off the Europop style in Europe.
- Music
of France
- Alan Stivell and Dan Ar Bras release Chemins de Terre, the first folk-rock fusion from continental Europe
- Music
of Kuwait
- Shadi al Khaleej popularizes sout music
- Music
of Switzerland
- Toad and Krokus establish Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple-inspired hard rock as the dominant sound in Swiss pop music
- Music
of Trinidad
- Ras Shorty I's Sweet Music and Lord Shorty's Endless Vibrations and Soul of Calypso are released, thus beginning the international popularization of soca
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- Peter Bellamy receives a type from his old history teacher; it contains recordings of folk singer Walter Pardon. Both soon become stars of a folk revival.
- Music
of the United States
- Patti Smith's "Hey Joe" is released; it is commonly considered the first punk single
- Outlaw country's domination of the country music scene is exemplified by the chart success of Waylon Jennings (The Rambling Man, This Time), David Allan Coe (Once Upon a Rhyme, Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy), Merle Haggard ("Things Aren't Funny Anymore", "Old Man from the Mountain"), Kris Kristofferson (Spooky Lady's Sideshow) and Willie Nelson (Phases and Stages) this year
- International trends
- 1975
in music
- International trends
- Music
of Cambodia
- The Khmer Rouge's ascent to power ends a revival of classical dance and music
- Music
of Iceland
- Musicians like Gunnar Þórðarson, Megas, Stuðmenn and Magnús Eiríksson (then of Mannakorn), songwriters like Þorsteinn Eggertsson, begin using Icelandic language lyrics and begin to develop a distinctively Icelandic rock sound inspired by Bob Dylan and similar folk- and country-influenced artists
- Music
of Indonesia
- A form of dance music called dangdut becomes extremely popular
- Music
of Italy
- Antonio Infantino founds the Tarantolati di Tricarico to explore the percussion-based music of the tarantolati ritual music
- Music
of the Netherlands
- While the mainstream popularity of the Dutch roots revival declines, Friesland manages to produce groups like Irolt, who continue exploring the roots of Frisian folk music
- Music
of Papua New Guinea
- Bamboo band music from the Solomon Islands becomes popular in Papua New Guinea
- The commercial recording industry begins in Papua New Guinea
- Music
of Portugal
- After the previos year's revolution, a new form of socially aware, folk-based fado arises, with Brigada Victor Jara, which formed this year, beign especially influential; this is the birth of canto livre
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- Lovers rock begins its period of popularity in Britain with Louisa Marks' "Caught You in a Lie"
- Brinsley Schwarz and Ducks Deluxe break up, ending the pub rock trend
- Music
of the United States
- Bruce Springsteen makes the cover of Time Magazine and Newsweek on the same week, releases Born to Run, and breaks into the mainstream
- 1970s-style funk is at the height of its popularity with important releases from Parliament (Chocolate City), War (Why Can't We Be Friends) and The Meters (Fire on the Bayou)
- The first radio stations with a Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) format begin broadcasting
- Country-oriented songs are popular, including releases from Linda Ronstadt (Prisoner in Disguise), John Denver ("Calypso", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", "I'm Sorry", "Sweet Surrender", "Sunshine on My Shoulders"), The Eagles (One of These Nights), Lynyrd Skynyrd (Nuthin' Fancy), Glen Campbell ("Rhinestone Cowboy") and B.J. Thomas ("(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song")
- Fusion jazz's golden age ends and contemporary jazz emerges
- Smokey Robinson's Quiet Storm is released, defining what comes to be known as easy listening
- 1976
in music
- International trends
- Hard rock and heavy metal bands like Aerosmith (Rocks), AC/DC (High Voltage), Blue Öyster Cult (Agents of Fortune) and Judas Priest (Sin After Sin) release landmark albums
- Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach is an early example of minimalism
- Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music (featuring Gabby Pahinui and Flaco Jiménez) is an early and innovative world music album
- Music
of Algeria
- Ahmad Baba Rachid and other performers begin popularizing Algerian rai music outside of North Africa; the new pop singers call themselves cheb
- Music
of the Bahamas
- Bahamanian junkanoo pioneers the Music Makers begin performing and adding a more up-tempo beat to the music's sound
- Music
of Greenland
- Malik Hoegh and Karsten Sommer form ULO Records, which comes to dominate Greenlandic music
- Music
of Hungary
- The táncház rural folk scene becomes popular in Budapest and other urban areas
- Music
of Jamaica
- Sly & Robbie's rockers reggae came to dominate the music scene across Jamaica
- Music
of Korea
- Small bands playing nongak become very popular in South Korea
- Music
of Switzerland
- Rumpelstilz's Füüf Narre im Charre launches reggae-influenced dialect rock as a mainstream trend
- Music
of Thailand
- State suppression of pro-democracy activists results in many fleeing to rural areas; this includes pleng phua cheewit bands like Caravan
- Music
of Trinidad & Tobago
- Cheryl Byron performs rapso in calypso tents, marking the beginning of rapso's mainstream acceptance in Trinidad
- Music
of the United States
- The Eagles release Hotel California, one of the best-selling albums of the year and all time; this is the commercial peak of southern rock
- Blondie's debut, Blondie, solidifies the New Wave sound in punk music, centered in New York City
- Soft, disco-oriented ballads by The Bee Gees (Children of the World, "You Should Be Dancing"), Bay City Rollers ("Saturday Night", "Money Honey"), Orleans ("Still the One"), The Doobie Brothers (Takin' It to the Streets), Starland Vocal Band ("Afternoon Delight"), Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive) and Paul Simon ("50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", "Still Crazy After All These Years") are popular
- International trends
- 1977
in music
- International trends
- The Sex Pistols release Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols, kickstarting the punk rock movement in the UK, while the Ramones' Rocket to Russia helps break in punk in the US - art-punk bands like Television (Marquee Moon), Elvis Costello (My Aim Is True), The Damned (Machine Gun Etiquette), Richard Hell & the Voidoids (Blank Generation), UFO (Lights Out) and Talking Heads (Talking Heads: 77) also emerge
- The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever (largely by the Bee Gees) is the dominant album of the year and helps cement disco as the most popular genre; Chic also releases a pivotal disco album, Risque
- Pop and prog rock bands like Chicago (Chicago XI), Electric Light Orchestra (Out of the Blue), Jethro Tull (Songs from the Wood), Journey (Next), Kansas (Point of Know Return), Rush (A Farewell to Kings), Pink Floyd (Animals) and Steely Dan (Aja) release important and popular albums
- Music
of Egypt
- A court case rules that The Holy Koran contains the words of God, who recited it in a manner who do not comprehend. Koran recitation is an act of compliance and does not involve innovation, thus ruling valid laws against musical performance and recording in religious ceremonies, because doing so adds the performers' interpretation to God's words
- Music
of the United States
- Hip hop DJ Grandwizard Theodore invents scratching
- International trends
- 1978
in music
- International trends
- Important releases cement the sound of heavy metal and begin to move it towards the mainstream; this includes albums from Blue Öyster Cult (Some Enchanted Evening), Van Halen (Van Halen, Judas Priest (Stained Class, Killing Machine), Ace Frehley (Ace Frehley), Rush (Hemispheres) and Styx (Pieces of Eight)
- Music
of Australia
- Groups like The Saints (Prehistoric Sounds) and Radio Birdman (Radios Appear) help create a distinctively Australian punk scene
- Music
of Greece
- Manolis Rasoulis' Iy Ekdhikisis tis Yiftias is a landmark release in Greek laïkó music
- Music of Kenya
- Music
of the Philippines
- Joey Aguilar's "Anak" is the most popular Filipino song in history, and helps popularize Pinoy rock internationally
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- Runrig's Play Gaelic is the first major album in Scots-Gaelic
- Music
of the United States
- Gary Numan (Tubeway Army), Human League ("Being Boiled") and similar artists pioneer the development of New Wave and synth pop out of the avant-garde stylings of Roxy Music and Kraftwerk
- Brian Eno produces No New York, which cements the avant-garde sound of No Wave and includes material from bands like Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, DNA, Mars and Chance & the Contortions
- Early industrial music appears, spearheaded by bands like Suicide (Suicide), Throbbing Gristle (D.O.A.: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle) and Cabaret Voltaire
- International trends
- 1979
in music
- International trends
- Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead" marks the beginning of Gothic rock in the US; The Cure (Three Imaginary Boys), Joy Division (Unknown Pleasures) and Siouxsie & the Banshees (The Scream) move punk in the same direction in the UK
- Music
of Australia
- The movie Wrong Side of the Road, featuring the bands No Fixed Address and Us Mob, depict the bands' struggle for recognition as reggae musicians and link their struggle with Aboriginal land rights issues
- Music
of Belize
- Punta develops into punta rock among the Garifuna people, led by artists like Pen Cayetano
- Music
of Iran
- A revolution creates an Islamic Republic, which then goes on to encourage the development of traditional music
- Music
of Italy
- Franco Battiato's L'era del cinghiale bianco is the first in a trilogy of albums that will popularize his Sicilian roots, rock and classical fusion
- Re Niliu is formed and begins popularizing Calabrian folk music
- Music
of Jamaica
- Recordings by Roots Radic backing Barrington Levy mark the beginning of dancehall music
- Music
of Mexico
- Country musician Linda Ronstadt helps lead a popularization of Mexican mariachi music, beginning with a major festival in San Antonio, Texas
- Music
of the United Kingdom
- The Clash releases London Calling, a pivotal album in the development of hardcore punk
- Alaap's Tere Chunni de Sitare takes the British Asian community by strom and sets the stage for the bhangra explosion
- Music
of the United States
- The Sugarhill Gang releases what is commonly considered the first successful hip hop single, "Rappers Delight"
- Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers' Bustin' Loose is released; this is the first go go record.
- Casper's "Groovy Ghost Show" is the first recorded hip hop from Chicago, while Jocko Henderson's "Rhythm Talk" is the first recorded hip hop from Philadelphia
- International trends