RIAA/NEA’s Top Albums of the 20th Century

First posted 3/7/2012; updated 11/20/2020.

RIAA/NEA: Top Albums of the 20th Century

On March 7, 2001, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) revealed the top ten songs from its list of the top 365 songs of the 20th century. According to the RIAA’s press release, the list was created “to promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage in our schools.” Strangely, though, there were a handful of albums included on the list. I have listed the albums on this page and you can see the song list here. Note: Links on albums lead to dedicated DMDB pages. Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. West Side Story (cast album, 1957) The Sound of Music (cast album, 1959) Oklahoma! (cast album, 1943) George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Dubose Heyward Porgy and Bess (1935) Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959) My Fair Lady (cast album, 1956) John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965) The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Hair (cast album, 1967) Charlie Parker Ornithology (1946) South Pacific (cast album, 1949) Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970) The King and I (cast album, 1951) The Music Man (cast album, 1957) Various Artists (including Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) Grease (soundtrack, 1978) Show Boat (cast album, 1927) Mary Lou Williams Zodiac Suite: Town Hall Concert (live, 1945) Resources/Related Links: original RIAA press release: RIAA, NEA Announce ‘Songs of the Century’ TheAssociation.net CNN.com Wikipedia