1959

Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records (soon renamed Motown) in Detroit in 1959 with an $800 family loan, building it into the most successful Black-owned record label in history. Motown's assembly-line approach to pop music produced dozens of chart-topping acts and became a cornerstone of American cultural life, making Gordy the first Black American to build a major entertainment corporation.

Berry Gordy Jr. officially incorporated Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, having borrowed $800 from his family's savings club. Gordy's vision of a Black-owned, vertically integrated music enterprise — which would control artist development, songwriting, production, and distribution — became a model of Black business excellence.

At age 29, Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play for A Raisin in the Sun, becoming the first Black playwright and the youngest person to receive the honor. The milestone confirmed her place in the American theatrical canon and opened doors for generations of Black playwrights.

Berry Gordy Jr. founded Tamla Records (later Motown) in Detroit and released its first record, Come to Me by Marv Johnson. Gordy had borrowed $800 from his family to launch what would become the most successful Black-owned business in American history and the label that would define American pop music in the 1960s.

Ray Charles recorded What'd I Say, a spontaneous improvisation in the studio that became a landmark record of call-and-response ecstasy. The two-part single fused gospel, blues, and jazz into something entirely new and was too sexually suggestive for many radio stations, yet became a massive hit.

Miles Davis and his sextet — including John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb — recorded Kind of Blue in two sessions. The album became the best-selling jazz record of all time, introducing modal jazz to the mainstream and profoundly influencing music beyond jazz.

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway with a Black director (Lloyd Richards) and predominantly Black cast, becoming the first play by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. Hansberry, at 29, became the youngest American and first Black playwright to win the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

Lorraine Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play for A Raisin in the Sun, becoming the first Black playwright and youngest American playwright to win the award. She beat out Tennessee Williams, Archibald MacLeish, and Eugene O'Neill in the voting.

Ray Charles recorded 'What'd I Say' in February 1959, releasing a record that became one of the best-selling and most culturally significant singles in American history, fusing gospel call-and-response with electric blues and jazz improvisation. The record reached number one on the R&B charts and broke into the pop top ten, crossing racial lines on radio. Music historians consistently rank it among the most important recordings of the twentieth century.

By 1959, Black college students at HBCUs including North Carolina A&T, Fisk, and Howard were organizing informal study groups on nonviolent resistance and planning direct action campaigns. This network would crystallize into the sit-in movement of February 1960 and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Dinah Washington's What a Difference a Day Makes became her biggest pop crossover hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Known as the Queen of the Blues, Washington's versatility across jazz, blues, gospel, and pop made her one of the most influential vocalists of her era.

The Flamingos released their ethereal recording of I Only Have Eyes for You, featuring a hypnotic bass vocal introduction and lush harmonies that transformed the pop standard into a doo-wop masterpiece. The record reached the top ten on the pop chart and became one of the most celebrated vocal group recordings in American music.

The Drifters' There Goes My Baby was the first rock and roll record to use a string arrangement prominently, crossing the genre into lush pop territory. It reached number two on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts, ushering in the orchestrated soul sound.

Ernie Banks won his second consecutive National League MVP Award, the first player in NL history to achieve this. Despite playing for a losing Cubs team, his offensive production as a shortstop was so dominant that voters could not overlook him.

The Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers to win their third NBA championship, with Bill Russell dominant at both ends of the floor. The Celtics' sustained excellence transformed NBA basketball and elevated the league's profile nationally.

The Coasters' Charlie Brown reached number two on the pop chart, making it one of their biggest hits. The comic narrative style of their records, produced by Leiber and Stoller, influenced countless later artists and made The Coasters among the most successful Black vocal groups in crossover appeal.

Berry Gordy launches the label that will define the "Sound of Young America."

Lorraine Hansberry becomes the first Black woman with a play on Broadway.

The best-selling and most influential jazz album ever made, defining modal jazz.

His resistor designs go into TVs, computers, and pacemaker controls.