The 1960s was the decade that change the world and forever changed the course of every aspect of our society, both here and abroad. The way we thought, communicated, and danced….what we wrote, sang and believed in was a radical departure from every previous generation as the fear and confusion of our parents proved.

And the one thing that was the linchpin…the fountain from which all of this sprang was the music we created. Vladimir Putin said the he believed that The Beatles were one of the primary causes for the fall of the Soviet Union a statement many would have a difficult time believing unless you were there….like I was!

Here is a brief stroll down memory lane highlighting some of the key dates in music during 1969….the last year of the decade that changed the world,

•  January 4 - Guitarist Jimi Hendrix causes complaints of arrogance from television producers after playing an impromptu version of "Sunshine of Your Love" past his allotted timeslot on the BBC1 show Happening for Lulu.
• January 12 - Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album released.
• January 30 - The Beatles perform for the last time in public, on the roof of the Apple building at 3 Savile Row, London. The performance, which was filmed for the Let It Be movie, is stopped early by police after neighbors complain about the noise.
• March 1 - During a performance at Miami’s Dinner Key Auditorium, Jim Morrison of The Doors is arrested for allegedly exposing himself during the show. Morrison is officially charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, indecent behavior, open profanity and public drunkenness. (I was there!)
• March 20 - John Lennon marries Yoko Ono in Gibraltar
• March 25-31 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono host a "Bed-In" for peace in their room at the Amsterdam Hilton, turning their honeymoon into an anti-war event. Lennon also learns from a morning newspaper that publisher Dick James has sold his shares of Northern Songs to Lew Grade’s Associated Television (ATV).
• April 22 The first complete performance of The Who’s rock opera Tommy during a performance in Dolton, England
• April - Chicago releases its debut album, The Chicago Transit Authority.
• May 3**Sly & the Family Stone release their breakthrough album, Stand!, which became one of the top-selling albums of the decade and made the band one of the most popular acts in rock and soul music.
• June 2 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono host a "Bed-In" at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada. The couple records the song "Give Peace a Chance" live in their suite with Tommy Smothers, Timothy Leary, and several others.
• August 9 - Sharon Tate and several others are found murdered, in the home Tate shares with husband Roman Polanski. The culprits turn out to be disciples of Charles Manson, a would-be folk singer.
• August 15-17 - The Woodstock Music and Art Festival was held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York, near Woodstock, New York. Performers included Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joan Baez, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Country Joe and the Fish, Ten Years After, and Sly & the Family Stone. 
• December 6 - Altamont Free Concert
• December - The Jackson 5 release their debut album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. .

 Here’s a list of albums released in 1969 that became classics held in high esteem today

Black Sabbath forms in Birmingham, England. Mott the Hoople begin recording. King Crimson forms. The Doobie Brothers forms.

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Abbey Road - The Beatles
The Band - The Band
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
Blood Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show - Neil Diamond
Chicago Transit Authority - Chicago (debut)
Clouds - Joni Mitchell
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash
From Genesis to Revelation - Genesis (debut)
Grand Funk - Grand Funk Railroad
Hair (West End) - Original Cast
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - The Hollies
In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson (debut)
Kick Out the Jams - MC5
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones
Live/Dead - Grateful Dead
Moby Grape ‘69 - Moby Grape
The Monkees Present - The Monkees
Mott the Hoople - Mott the Hoople
My Way - Frank Sinatra
Nashville Skyline - Bob Dylan
On the Threshold of a Dream - The Moody Blues
On Time - Grand Funk Railroad
A Salty Dog - Procol Harum
At San Quentin - Johnny Cash Santana - Santana
Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud - James Brown
The Soft Parade - The Doors
Spooky Two - Spooky Tooth
Stand Up - Jethro Tull
The Stooges - The Stooges (debut)
Tommy - The Who
To Our Children’s Children’s Children - The Moody Blues
Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane
Yellow Submarine - The Beatles
Yes - Yes (debut)