Music has gone through many changes since the American Music Awards debuted on February 19, 1974 as a fan-driven alternative to the Grammy Awards. The two-hour American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special aired on Sunday, October 6, capturing many of these changes through carefully curated segments and fresh performances.
Of course, fifty years is a long time. Two of the first show’s three co-hosts (Roger Miller and Helen Reddy) are no longer with us, as is the show’s creator, legendary TV producer Dick Clark Not here. The show recently moved from ABC to CBS, which aired the anniversary show and will air the next regular AMAs in May.
The original plan for the AMAs was to debut on CBS and regularly feature the best shows from the past year. Someone had a great idea to first remind viewers of the AMAs’ rich history before relaunching the show, which has been on hiatus since 2022.
Motown legend Smokey Robinson, the first show’s third co-host, introduced a segment at the anniversary show. He is one of six former hosts or co-hosts to appear on the AMAs, along with Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McCann Reba McEntire, Jimmy Kimmel and Cedric the Entertainer.
The AMA lived much longer than most expected—including Clark himself. In December 1973, Clark was working on the first AMAs. He knew a little publicity couldn’t hurt, so he took the time to do an interview advertising billboardBob Kirsch was featured on the first page of the December 15, 1973 issue with the headline “ABC-TV February 19 Favorite Entertainer Awards.”
At the end of the article, Clark tried to take a long-term view of his fledgling show, saying, “If done right, our show could last 20 years and eventually allow the public to participate in the pop music awards.”
Clark underestimated the longevity of his creations. Next year’s AMA will be the 51st.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special Produced by Dick Clark Productions. Michael Dempsey serves as executive producer.
Here are eight moments from the AMA special that most effectively tell the big-picture story of the dramatic changes in pop music over the past 50 years.
DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation (PMC) and a joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC’s parent company is billboard.
-
Gladys Knight performs classic
The show began with a cut package from the first show, which included “Superstition” performed by Stevie Wonder and “Midnight Train to Georgia” performed by Gladys Knight and the Peeps. Both songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1973 and remain top classics today. The show then switched to Knight performing the song live, with three female backing singers replacing Gladys’ beloved Peeps.
-
country over the years
A montage of country artists appearing on the AMAs culminated in Kane Brown performing a relaxed version of Alan Jackson’s 2002 hit “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” which resulted in of his own current hit single “Miles on It.”
Later in the show, Brad Paisley recalled the late Charley Pride, who reached out to Paisley when he was 15 a helping hand. The spiritual successor of Mud.
-
Tribute to Whitney Houston
EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson recreates the medley “I Loves You, Porgy” she performed at the 1994 AMAs to pay tribute to 22-time AMA champion Whitney Houston porgy and bess and her own hit single “I Will Always Love You.” bodyguard. Houston’s pairing was one of the most artistically ambitious performances in AMA history, and Hudson, just 12 years old at the time, nailed it. (Hudson also paid tribute to Houston by performing “I Will Always Love You” on the Grammys telecast in 2012 — just one day after Houston’s shocking death at age 48.)
Houston grew up attending the AMAs and Grammy Awards. In addition to her 22 AMA wins, she co-hosted the 1988 AMA with the Bee Gees and Mick Fleetwood.
-
Hip-hop gets its due
The AMAs didn’t have a hip-hop category until the 16th edition of the show in 1989, when DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist and Album He is a DJ and I am a Rapper.
The clip pack collects performance moments from hip-hop stars like Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, who has the best line when he tells his mom “I guess all the music coming out of my bedroom paid off.”
Three-time AMA champion Nelly concluded the segment by performing a medley of his greatest hits along with Chingy, J-Kwon and members of the St. Lunatics.
-
Funny clips of ‘shocking’ moments
When Lionel Richie hosted the show for a second consecutive year in 1985, his catchphrase was “Shocking!” The anniversary show featured a fun collection of shocking moments, including Vanilla Ice and Billy Ray Cyrus lashed out at their critics (and they both have a lot of them) as they accepted their awards.
(The show ignores one of the ways the AMAs have earned themselves a footnote in pop history. As chronicled in the recent Netflix film The greatest night in pop music history“We Are the World” was recorded on AMA night in 1985. This isn’t just a coincidence. Ken Kragen and others who produced the recordings knew that nearly every major star would be in Los Angeles for the AMAs. This speaks volumes about the AMA’s status at the time.
-
boy band parade
Backstreet Boys (AJ McLean) and *NSYNC member (Lance Bass) introduced a segment on the history of boy bands at the AMAs. These include these two groups: BTS, New Edition, New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and One Direction.
K-pop stars Stray Kids capped off the show with a performance that included some puppet-based choreography to *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” leading into their own hit “Chk Chk Boom.”
-
RAYE SINGS JAMES BROWN CLASSIC SONG
Image source: Getty
Singer-songwriter RAYE delivers a stellar performance on James Brown’s 1966 classic “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” (She was not the first woman to sing the song. Cher recorded it for her 1996 album This is a man’s world.)
RAYE swept February’s BRIT Awards. She is currently in the running for a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. If enough Grammy voters watch the show, she might get more than a few votes.
Rae’s performance follows a retrospective of American Music Merit Award winners, which have been presented to Brown, Bon Jovi, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Sting, Billy Joel and Huey Nee Houston and other great people.
-
they are every woman
The exhibition comes to an end with a clip package of female artists at the AMAs over the years. These include: Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, Madonna, P!nk, Gwyneth Stefani, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Bea Oncé, Nicki Minaj, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga.
Chaka Khan kicked off the finale by performing her 1978 hit “I’m Every Woman,” accompanied by percussionist Sheila E. Whitney Houston. bodyguard 1992 soundtrack, caused a bigger stir, but on this night, we paid tribute to the founders.
