On
August 1, 1981 at the stroke of midnight on, MTV launched - devoting an entire
cable network to a merger of music and video.
The
Original MTV VJS (Video Jockeys) were: J.J. Jackson, Nina Blackwood, Mark
Goodman, Martha Quinn and Alan Hunter. MTV played videos 24-7 with a few
special shows mixed in. Today it is rare to see a video on MTV.
The Buggles' "Video Killed
the Radio Star" took honors for being the first video aired.
The Buggles' "Video Killed
the Radio Star"
Bon
Jovi ,Huey Lewis And The News, DEVO,U-2,Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson,
Journey, Madonna, Duran Duran, Van Halen, REM, Genesis, Blondie, The Cars, Cyndi
Lauper and ZZ Top are just a sampling of groups that created innovative,
entertaining and memorable videos that got heavy rotation on MTV.
Michael
Joe Jackson
Thriller is the sixth studio album
by American recording artist Michael Jackson and the best-selling album of all
time. The album was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records as the
follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the
Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off the Wall, including funk,
disco, soul, soft rock, R&B and pop
.In 1983, MTV played the music video
Thriller every hour on the hour. Michael Jackson, changed MTV and the world in
which we live. He was the driving force behind what is perhaps the last great
era in pop music .
Unlike many artists who phone in
videos with concert footage or pack them full of scantily clad models, Jackson
used his MTV time to tell stories (as in Thriller and Smooth Criminal), push the
boundaries of special effects (as in Billie Jean), produce full,
Broadway-choreography (as in Beat It). He single-handedly fortified the
fledgling music television channel and turned the music video into an art form.
1980's
Video Mix Video
In the mid-1980's rock
musicians tried to use their power for the greater good of all mankind. Through
Band-Aid, U.S.A. For Africa, Live Aid, Farm Aid, Hear 'n' Aid, Artists Against
Apartheid, and Amnesty International, musicians called out to their followers to
make the world a better place.
Live Aid, like Band Aid before
it, was held to raise money for victims of the famine in Ethiopia. Michael
Buerk's BBC documentary in October 1984 brought home the true horror of the
situation to people in the UK, and shortly thereafter Bob Geldof brought about
the recording of the Band Aid single.
LIVE
AID Program
Several other countries and organizations
followed suit -the best-known being USA for Africa then the idea of a concert to raise money for the
cause was suggested. Eventually the concert mushroomed into sixteen hours of
music from around the world, featuring many of the biggest stars of the time.
At
the last estimate, it had raised over $100 million. It was broadcast live by MTV
on July 13, 1985.
LIVE
AID Philadelphia
Photo
by Charles Welch
Madonna Live Aid 1985
Run-D.M.C.'s
collaboration with hard rock band Aerosmith on "Walk This Way" was the
first rap video ever played in heavy rotation on MTV.
Yo
MTV Raps ran from August 1988 to August 1995 It premiered on MTV on August
6, 1988.
It
was hosted by Fab 5 Freddy on the weekend show, Ed Lover, and Doctor Dre (Andre
Brown not to be confused with the other Dre) appeared on the weekday show.
The
show featured interviews with rap stars, Friday live studio performances, and
comedy. Before this show MTV rarely had any videos or performances from hip hop
or rap artists. Run-DMC hosted the pilot episode. Hip Hop and Rap became hugely
popular with this exposure.
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compiled from The British Antarctic Study, NASA, Environment Canada,
UNEP, EPA and other sources as stated and credited Researched
by Charles Welch-Updated dailyThis Website is a project of the The
Ozone Hole Inc. a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization