American Bandstand | |
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![]() Logo used from 1969 to 1987 | |
Also known as | Bandstand (1952–1957) |
Presented by |
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Narrated by | Charlie O'Donnell |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons |
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No. of episodes | 3,002 |
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Running time |
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Original release | |
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Release | October 7, 1952 May 3, 2002 | –
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American Bandstand (AB) is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired regularly in various versions from 1952 to 1989,[1] and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the program's producer. It featured teenagers dancing to Top 40 music introduced by Clark. The program was televised from Philadelphia from its 1952 debut until its move to Los Angeles in 1963.
Over the decades, a wide range of musical acts, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Run-DMC, appeared in person to lip-sync one of their latest singles. Artists would sing naturally to the studio audience over a background of their own disc, while viewers at home would hear only the original recording.[2] Freddy Cannon holds the record for most appearances, at 110.
The show's popularity helped Clark become a media mogul and inspired similar long-running music programs, such as Soul Train and British series Top of the Pops. Clark eventually assumed ownership of the program through his Dick Clark Productions company.