MTV Unplugged premiered.

November 26, 1989 MTV Unplugged premiered

The premise of MTV’s Unplugged was simple: popular artists performed generally acoustic sets. The show, created by producers Robert Small and Jim Burns, aired regularly on the cable music channel from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009. More than 100 episodes of the show have been filmed. It was nominated for three Primetime Emmy awards and won a George Foster Peabody Award (given for enlightening and invigorating television programming). The first episode was taped on October 31, 1989 and aired on November 26, 1989. It featured Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton. The first 13 episodes were hosted by singer/songwriter Jules Shear. The format evolved to a showcase for single artists with many of the performances resulting in album releases, including Grammys for Album of the Year for Eric Clapton (1992) and Tony Bennett (1994). Clapton’s Unplugged would become the best-selling live album of all time with 26 million copies. Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged album was a platinum seller and produced the #1 cover of the Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.” Nirvana’s 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York was a #1 album selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. The nine-million selling Hell Freezes Over live 1994 reunion album from the Eagles grew out of a special taped under the Unplugged banner. Other notable artists to appear on the show included Bryan Adams, Alice in Chains, Phil Collins, the Cranberries, Duran Duran, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Kiss, Korn, Annie Lennox, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Alanis Morissette, Oasis, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, Queensryche, Shakira, Rod Stewart, Stone Temple Pilots, Sting, and 10,000 Maniacs. Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “History Index” for more important dates in music history WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/24/2023.