MUSIC HISTORY 101 AUGUST 5, 1957 - American Bandstand first aired on television. Dick Clark had replaced Bob Horn the previous year when the show was still called Bandstand, but Clark went on to host the show until 1989. Countless acts appeared on the show over the years, including cutting edge artists like Abba, The Doors, Talking Heads, Madonna, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Pink Floyd. American Bandstand brought rock n roll music into millions of households and showed Americans how to do the latest dance steps. Dick Clark, Americas Oldest Teenager hosted the series for most of its run. Regular Bandstand segments were The Spotlight Dance, Rate-A-Record and The American Bandstand Top 10 Countdown. The Spotlight Dance featured 2 or more couples dancing to a softer tune. Rate-A-Record had teenage contestants rate and comment on a record played on the show. The American Bandstand Top Ten was a countdown of the Top 10 hits of the day. American Bandstand began as a local Philadelphia show called Bandstand, which made its debut October 13, 1952 on WFIL-TV Channel 6. The series was retitled American Bandstand on August 5, 1957 when ABC began broadcasting it nationwide. For its first 6 seasons, American Bandstand aired Mondays through Fridays. Two major changes took place during the 1963-64 season. On September 7, 1963, it became a once-a-week series airing Saturday afternoons. A few months later on February 8, 1964, production of the show moved from Philadelphia, PA to its new home in Los Angeles, CA. Despite the changes, American Bandstands fans remained loyal to the series, as it continued to present the latest music and dances. It even inspired another long-running dance show, Soul Train. American Bandstands long association with ABC ended on September 5, 1987. The series returned 2 weeks later on September 19, 1987 in first-run syndication. On April 8, 1989, American Bandstand made another move, this time to the USA cable network. It also featured a new host, David Hirsch. This version lasted only 6 months with the final show airing on October 7, 1989. In 1995, VH-1 began showing episodes of American Bandstand. These edited 30-minute reruns featured many of the stars that the show helped make famous. READ MORE: history/this-day-in-history/american-bandstand-goes-national en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Bandstand tv/shows/american-bandstand/
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 23:55:42 +0000
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