"Ladies and gentlemen, rock 'n' roll." Those were the words spoken by Warner Cable executive John Lack on Aug. 1, 1981, at 12:01 am when MTV — Music Television — went on air for the very first time.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. MTV launched on August 1, 1981. The Music Television Network gave a new dimension to songs as artists had the opportunity to pair ...

At the stroke of midnight on August 1, 1981, MTV employees congregated around half a dozen TV sets in Fort Lee, New Jersey. No cable operator in Manhattan yet carried the inchoate station, so ...

You might be surprised to know, however, that several acts/artists who filled out the programming that day had been around the block and then some. These four veterans took their place among the ...

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of MTV, so stay tuned because all day long today Nippertown.com will be posting some of our favorite videos that aired on that infamous date, August 1, ...