• On January 26, 1934, the 125th Street Apollo Theater opens with the show “Jazz a la Carte” headlined by Benny Carter and his Orchestra, Ralph Cooper and Aida Ward.
• The Apollo becomes the premiere showplace for live, theatrical entertainment in Harlem.
• Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham, Jackie “Moms” Mabley and Dusty Fletcher are among the comedians who appear regularly on stage.
• Tap dancers like the Nicholas Brothers, Berry Brothers, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Buck and Bubbles are the top dance acts.
• Amateur Night winners include Ella Fitzgerald and Pearl Bailey.
• In 1935, Bessie Smith’s four weeks at The Apollo are her sole live performances that year.
• By 1937, The Apollo is the largest employer of Black theatrical workers in the US, according to Frank Schiffman, and the only theater in NYC hiring Black people in backstage positions.
• Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, and the Count Basie Orchestra make their debut.
• The Apollo Chorus Girls are considered to be the best line in NYC. In 2005, their story is recounted in the documentary “Been Rich All My Life.”

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• Lionel Hampton’s 16-piece band appears at The Apollo. Hampton’s hit, “Flyin’ Home,” becomes an Apollo favorite.
• Teddy Hale, Babe Laurence, and Bunny Briggs are the top dance attractions.
• During World War II, The Apollo sets aside 35 tickets daily for soldiers. Tuesdays at the USO were “Apollo Night.”
• Dinah Washington and Sammy Davis, Jr. make their first Apollo appearance.
• Amateur Night winners during the 1940s include Sarah Vaughn and Ruth Brown.
• Apollo comics stop using blackface makeup.

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• The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan come to The Apollo featuring 13-year old Little Esther Phillips.
• The week before Christmas 1951, Josephine Baker makes her Apollo debut.
• “Mambo Shows” are a big Apollo attraction with stars like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, and the Mambo Aces.
• Comedy acts like “Harlem’s Son of Fun,” Nipsey Russell, Timmie Rogers & James “Stump” Cross, and Harold “Stumpy” Cromer are a major draw.
• “The Detective Story,” with Sidney Poitier, is the first dramatic play to be shown on the stage.
• In 1955, Thurman Ruth’s Gospel Caravan debuts at The Apollo featuring acts such as The Dixie Hummingbirds, Shirley Caesar, Alex Bradford, Clara Ward, and the Soul Stirrers.
• Amateur Night contestants include the Esquires, Dionne Warwick, Joe Tex, and James Brown.
• In 1955, Disc jockey Tommy “Dr. Jive” Smalls brings the idea of the Rhythm and Blues Revue to Apollo manager Bobby Schiffman. The shows feature as many as a dozen vocal acts on one bill.
• “Showtime at The Apollo” is first broadcast in 1955, taped before a live studio audience. Performers include Sarah Vaughn, “Big” Joe Turner, Herb Jeffries, the Count Basie Orchestra, comedian Nipsey Russell, and the dancer Bill Bailey. Willie Bryant is the host.
• Jazz greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonius Monk appear at The Apollo.

• Nancy Wilson makes her Apollo debut. The Miracles, with Smokey Robinson, appear on Ray Charles’ show.
• A Scepter Records show package includes the Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, Tommy Hunt, Maxine Brown, and the Isley Brothers.
• Amateur Night winners include Gladys Knight, King Curtis, Ronnie Spector, Billy Stewart, Jimi Hendrix, and Charlie and Inez Foxx.
• The Jewel Box Revue, “25 Men and 1 Girl”, is one of the most popular shows and features performances by people in drag.
• Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, and especially Aretha Franklin, present the grittier side of soul at The Apollo.
• James Brown records live shows at the Apollo in 1962.
• The “Motortown” Revue debuts with the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Commodores, and “Little” Stevie Wonder.
• “Blues Nights” features B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, T-Bone Walker, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Odetta.

• Aretha Franklin’s Apollo shows are major events. The Apollo marquee reads, “She’s Home.”
• Stars of the Philadelphia International record label, including the Delfonics, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, the Three Degrees and Harold Melvin, and the Blue Notes, are presented.
• John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear at a 1971 benefit concert for Attica.
• B.B. King plays an early morning blues concert for Harlem schoolchildren.
• By the mid-1970s, The Apollo is presenting only 22 weeks of shows per year as recordings eclipse live performances as an important source of income for artists.
• Bobby Schiffman reluctantly closes The Apollo in January 1976.
• The Theater briefly reopens in 1978 under new management with shows by Ralph McDonald, War, the T-Connection and Sister Sledge, James Brown, Bob Marley, and Parliament Funkadelic.

• In 1981, Percy Sutton’s Inner City Broadcasting Corporation and a group of private investors purchase The Apollo Theater. The Apollo receives state and city landmark status as Harlem’s oldest functioning theater in 1983.
• On May 5th, 1985, The Apollo’s renovation is celebrated with a 50th Anniversary grand reopening and television special, “Motown Salutes The Apollo.” Amateur Night is re-launched on Christmas Eve that same year.
• “Showtime at The Apollo” is revived and launched as a television show.

• The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, is established to manage, fund, and program The Apollo Theater.
• The Artist Formerly Known as Prince plays The Apollo in an exclusive VH1 Concert.
• The Apollo Theater Foundation launches its first performance series with a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Other performances follow including Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Boys Choir of Harlem, and Betty Carter – Jazz Ahead ’95.
• Tony Bennett plays a sold-out engagement honoring Billie Holiday.

• In 2002, George C. Wolfe’s new musical “Harlem Song” opens to enthusiastic reception.
• The Apollo hosts its inaugural Spring Benefit Gala in 2005 with a special tribute to Ossie Davis.
• The first phase of renovation is completed and includes the installation of over 1,500 house seats, restoration of the 125th-Street façade, a state-of-the-art marquee, new stage, and greenroom.
• In 2006, Apollo legend James Brown lays in state on The Apollo stage. Tens of thousands of people gather to pay their respects.
• Then-Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hosts a campaign fundraiser at The Apollo in 2007.
• Thousands of Michael Jackson fans flock to The Apollo Theater to pay tribute to the pop icon, celebrate his life, and mourn his death in 2009.