Back to This Week in Music History: January 27 - February 2
February 1, 1949: The 45 RPM Single is Invented
RCA
The 45 RPM 7" vinyl single that anchors so many deluxe special edition limited collector tour-only numbered promotional campaigns for current artists was unveiled on this day by RCA. The promise was that the faster-playing single had better sound quality than full-length 33-1/3 RPM long playing albums.
Also, on this date in 1964 Indiana Governor Matthew Walsh bans the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie," calling it "pornographic." The FBI would eventually investigate whether the song was in fact naughty -- it wasn't. It was just incomprehensible.
