TV Museum Showcases History of Pop Music

By Carla Hay

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Al Green, James Brown, Britney Spears, Elvis Presley and the Monkees are among the artists who will be featured in the "American Pop" series presented by the Museum of Television and Radio in New York and Los Angeles.

The two-month series -- which begins Feb. 6 -- will focus on pop music's history on television.

The first theme in the series is "Soul Survivors" featuring Green and Brown. Other upcoming themes will be the music of Burt Bacharach; the evolution of teen-idol pop with artists ranging from Fabian, the Monkees and Spears; the first hour of MTV; and rare footage of the Teenage Awards Music International (T.A.M.I.) Show, an all-star concert filmed in 1964 and featuring the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and the Beach Boys.

The museum will also have a Beatles TV and radio showcase commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Fab Four's first U.S. visit. Titled "It Was Forty Years Ago Today: The Beatles in America," the exhibit will also open Feb. 6.

Reuters/Billboard