July 1
On this day in music, July 1, 1979, Sony changed the musical landscape with the introduction of the Walkman in Japan. The first portable audio cassette player was revolutionary – allowing music fans to listen to entire albums anywhere. The battery-powered device was marketed under a variety of names around the world, including the “Sound-About” in the US, the “Stowaway” in the UK, and the “Freestyle” in Australia. But within a few years, “Walkman,” had become the de-facto name for the technology. By the end of the decade, more than 100 million Walkmans had been sold worldwide.