SAN DIEGO IN MUSIC HISTORY

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1960'S

1962 - Rosie & The Originals / Angel Baby national hit 1962
1966 - Iron Butterfly is formed in San Diego. Their national hit in 1968, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vita, won them a reputation as the first Heavy Metal band.
1967 - Gary Puckett & The Union Gap forms in San Diego and goes on to record major hits from '67 through '71, with Helix alumni Kerry Chater
1967 - Frank Zappa, former student at Mission Hills High School, forms The Mothers of Invention. Their eclectic/progressive rock sound gave Frank Zappa legendary status.

1970'S

1972 - Tom Waits is working as a doorman at The Heritage Club in San Diego. The next year he releases the first album, "Closing Time", of a long and storied career.
1974 - The legendary BellyUp Tavern opens in Solana Beach providing a venue for local and nationally touring artists.
1974-1978 - R&R radio station KGB begins the Homegrown Series. Local artists are invited to write and record songs about San Diego County. Approximately 10-12 songs are selected per album and proceeds go to a selected charity.
1976 - Stephen Bishop submits a song to KGB's Homegrown Album series. The submission is rejected because it is on cassette, not reel-to-reel. Stephen Bishop releases the song, On And On, on his first album and becomes a national sensation.

1980'S

1981 - First Adams Avenue Street Festival. Every year in September, local and national artists perform in Southern California's largest FREE music festival.
1983 - Beat Farmers combine alternative rock and country music to create an original sound and quirky songs. Known for their wild live performances, they build a huge fanbase.
1984 - First San Diego Street Scene Music Festival. For many years, this annual festival brings new talent to San Diego for a three-day, multistage, event.
1986 - Rugburns - Steve Poltz, Robert Driscoll and Gerald McMullin, meet at UCSD and start playing in the San Diego area.
1989 - The Casbah, a close quarters (75 capacity) music venue, opens near downtown. Bands renowned in various underground music movements make the Casbah a staple in the San Diego scene.

1990'S

1990 - San Diego singer Eddie Vedder received a demo tape of songs from three Seattle musicians. After adding vocals to the demo, Eddie flew to Washington and formed Pearl Jam.
1990 - Rocket From The Crypt forms punk band in San Diego.
1991 - Buck 'O Nine, a mutation of metal/punk/reggae/ska forms in San Diego.
1991 - Rugburns become an acoustic duo playing in local coffeehouses.
1992 - Stone Temple Pilots builds fan base in San Diego to avoid Los Angeles corporate scene. Their first album, recorded after moving back to Los Angeles, is a major national hit.
1992 - Blink-182 creates a pop/punk trio. They sign with Geffen Records and become a multi-hit, internationally recognized band.
1992 - Rugburns' first release on Bizarre Planet Records, Morning Wood, gains the duo some national notoriety.
1994 - The Casbah moves to a larger (200 capacity) venue.
1995 - Jewel Kilcher is singing at the Innerchange Coffeehouse. Not long after she is noticed and signed by Atlantic Records. Her first album goes platinum. Two of the hits were co-written with Steve Poltz of the Rugburns.
1996 - Switchfoot forms to create an alt rock, spiritually evocative band. They receive acclaim in the Christian music market.

2000'S

2001 - Jason Mraz is playing with a trio in local coffeehouse venues. He signs with Elektra Records in 2003 and releases his first CD, Waiting For My Rocket To Come. A single, The Remedy, received radio, MTV, Vh1 attention.
2003 - Switchfoot releases their major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown. The band is still releasing new work and touring. They also sponsor the Annual Bro-Am Surf Contest and Concert Benefit.
2009 - Adam Lambert is a runner-up contestant in American Idol Season 8 which launched him into a singing and acting career.