what year did 45 rpm records come out
Single (music) The 7-inch 45 rpm record was released 31 March 1949 by RCA Victor as a smaller, more durable and higher-fidelity replacement for the 78 rpm shellac discs.[4] The first 45 rpm records were monaural, with recordings on both sides of the disc. As stereo recordings became popular in the 1960s, almost all 45 rpm records were produced in stereo by the early 1970s. Columbia, which had released the 33 ⅓ rpm 12-inch vinyl LP in June 1948, also released 33 ⅓ rpm 7-inch vinyl singles in March 1949, but they were soon eclipsed by the RCA Victor 45. The first 45 rpm record created was "PeeWee the Piccolo" RCA Victor 47-0146 pressed 7 December 1948 at the Sherman Avenue plant in Indianapolis, R.O. Price, plant manager.[5] The first release of the 45 came March 29, 1949 in seven translucent colors, one for each type of music: dark blue 52-xxxx light classics series, light blue 51-xxxx international series, yellow 47-xxxx juvenile series, bright red (cerise) 50-xxxx folk series, deep red 49-xxxx classical series, green (teal) 48-xxxx country series, and black 47-xxxx popular series. Except for the 47 series these series started with 0000. 50-0000 (Arthur Crudup), 51-0000 (Meisels), 52-0000 (Al Goodman)[6] The claim made that 48-0001 by Eddy Arnold was the release of the 45 is evidently incorrect (even though as of this writing 48-0000 has not turned up) since all 45s were released simultaneously with the 45 player on the March 29th date. There was plenty of information 'leaked' to the public about the new 45 rpm system through front page articles in Billboard magazine on Dec. 4, 1948 and again Jan. 8, 1949. RCA was trying to blunt the lead Columbia had established in releasing their 33 1/3 LP system back in June 1948.[7]