Marc Bolan
Time-Line
 
Based on Paul Sinclair's synoptic "bolan's biog" in the Sept. 19. 1981 issue of Record Mirror, pp. 24-25.
 
 
 Sept. 30, 1947 Born Marc Feld in Hackney Hospital London to Simeon and Phyllis Feld, East London market traders.
Oct., 1952 Begins Northwood Primary School
Sept. 30, 1955 Parents bought him a drum kit for his eighth birthday.
Sept. 30, 1956 Received his first guitar as another birthday present.
Sept. 1958 Attends William Wordsworth School in Dalston.
1959 Marc's first group, the improptu corner skiffle group, Susie and the Hula Hoops also featuring Helen Shapiro and friend Stephen Gould, that played a couple of school dates.
Spring, 1960 Sees local "face" Martin Kaufman and stunned by the mod's appearance shifts gear from teddy boy to mod.
Sept. 1961 Marc attends Hill Croft School in Wimbledon. 
 
Sept. 1962 One of the new 'Faces' in Town Magazine. Writer Peter Barnsely's comments beneath the pic were: 

... where is the goal towards which he is running as fast as his impeccably shod feet can carry him?  It is nowhere.  He is running to stay in the same place, and he knows by the time he has reached his mid-twenties the exhausting race will be over ahd he will have lost. 
 
Winter, 1963 Does occasional walk-on spots in the children's TV show "Orlando."
Summer, 1964 Spends time in France with actor friend Riggs O'Hara who becomes a model for the song "The Wizard."
Feb. 16, 1965 Recording test for Columbia at Abbey Road Complex.
Spring/Summer, 1965 Performs in local clubs under the name Toby Tyler.
Summer, 1965 Changes name to Marc Bolan.
Nov. 19, 1965 First single 'The Wizard'/ 'Beyond the Rising Sun' released on Decca produced by Jim Economides.
Dec. 3, 1965 First TV appearance, singing 'The Wizard' on Ready Steady Go.
June 3, 1966 Second Decca single, 'The Third Degree'/'San Francisco Poet' released. Like the first, it failed to sell. Marc leaves Economedes.
Summer, 1966 Meets Simon Napier-Bell, then manager of The Yardbirds and records a set of demos with just acoustic guitar.
Nov. 25, 1966 Third single 'Hippy Gumbo' released with new producer Simon Napier-Bell, on new label Columbia.
Feb., 1967 Marc promotes 'Hippy Gumbo" on Ready Steady Go where he meets Jimi Hendrix.
May 1, 1967 

Signed to Track Records, and joined John's Children as singer/quitarist.
May 24, 1967 Pirate Radio favourite 'Desdemona' is released by John's Children.
August, 1967 After touring with the group who open for The Who, Marc leaves  John's Children who beak up whortly afterward.
Sept., 1967 Formed Tyrannosaurus Rex with Steve Peregrine Took.
Sept., 1967 Producer Tony Visconti catches a performance of Tyrannosaurus Rex at the UFO Club and signs them to EMI's Regal Zonophone label.
 
 Spring, 1968 Marc begins living with June Child five years his senior.
May 8, 1968 First single 'Debora' charted at #34.
June 3, 1968 Appears with David Bowie at the Royal Festival Hall.  Bowie is a mime artist at the time.
July 13, 1968 First album 'My People were Fair...' charted, climbing to #15. 
Sept. 4, 1968 Second single 'One Inch Rock' charted reaching #28.
Nov., 1968 Second album 'Prophets, Seers & Sages...' released.
March 1969 Marc's collection of poetry entitle Warlock of Love published by Lupus Music.
June 7, 1969 Third album 'Unicorn' charted at #12.
Aug. 9, 1969 'King of the Rumbling Spires' single charted at #44; this was the first Tyrannosaurus Rex recording to feature Marc on electric guitar.
Oct. 1969 Steve Took left and Marc recruited Mickey Finn as percussionist.
Feb. 1970 Marc and June Child marry at Kensington Register Office.
March 14, 1970 Album 'A Beard of Stars', recorded by the new duo, charted at #21
August 1970 One-off single by Dib Cochran and the Earwigs, 'Oh Baby'/Universal Love' featuring Tony Visconti on lead vocals, Bolan on guitar/backing vocals, and Rick Wakeman on keyboards, released on Bell Records (considered a precursor to the T. Rex sound),
Sept. 1970 A change of label for the group and an abbreviated name 'T. Rex'.
Oct. 24, 1970 'Ride A White Swan', first single credited to T. Rex, charted and climbed to #2.
Dec. 1970 

T. Rex expanded to a quarted with Steve Currie on bass and Bill Legend on drums.
 
 Jan. 16, 1971 Album 'T. Rex' charted reaching #13.  
Feb. 19, 1971 'Hot Love' single released.  It reached #1 in UK and stayed at the top for six weeks. Background vocals feature Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, ex- Turtles and Mothers of Invention.
July 2, 1971 'Get It On' single released and reached #1 in UK, staying at top for four weeks.  This was the last single on Fly Records and Marc's only major American hit where the words "(Bang A Gong)" were added to the title.
August 7, 1971 'Best of T. Rex' compilation album charted, reaching #21.
Sept. 17, 1971 'Electric Warrior', first album by the four-piece group released.  Stayed in the charts for over six months.
Nov. 13, 1971 'Jeepster' single charted at #2.
Dec. 18, 1971 'Electric Warrior' topped UK LP chart for six weeks.
Jan. 1, 1972 Signed a new deal with EMI to release his productions under the 'T. Rex Wax Co.' banner. Became one of the first artists to have his own label. Also sought to give value for money by providing double B-sides on singles.
Jan. 21, 1972 First EMI T. Rex single 'Telegram Sam' was released.
Feb. 5, 1972 'Telegram Sam' hit UK #1, staying for two weeks. Marc's third #1.
March 18, 1972 T. Rex played two sell-out concerts at Wembley Empire Pool, to 100,000 people apiece.  The shows were filmed by Ringo Starr for the Apple documentary about Bolan as a pop phenomenon, Born To Boogie.
March 24, 1972 Fly Records reissued a double-pack compilation of the first two Tyrannosaurus Rex LPs, and a double A-side single of their first two 45s, 'Debora'/'One Inch Rock'.  Both charted, the album reaching #1 for a week, and the single #7.
May 5, 1972  Second EMI single 'Metal Guru' released.
May 12, 1972 'Bolan Boogie', LP compilation of hits up to 'Jeepster' released on Fly.
May 20, 1972 "Metal Guru' topped UK singles chart, staying there for six weeks. 'Bolan Boogie' topped UK album chart, staying at #1 for three weeks.
July 23, 1972 New 'The Slider' released, selling 100,00 copies in four days and reaching #4 on UK LP chart.
Sept. 16, 1972 'Children of the Revolution' single charted, reaching #2.
Dec. 9, 1972 'Solid Gold Easy Action' single charted, reaching #2.
Dec. 14, 1972

The Ringo Starr directed Born To Boogie movie was premiered in London.
March 2, 1973 '20th Century Boy' single released, reaching #3.
 
 March 16, 1973 'Tanx' album released, reaching #4.
June 8, 1973 'The Groover' single released reaching #4 -- Bolan's last UK top ten single.
July 1, 1973 Jack Green joined T. Rex as second guitarist, and three girl backup vocalists were also recruited including US soul singer Gloria Jones.
Autumn 1973 June Child and Marc split up and Marc begins living with Gloria Jones.
Nov. 2, 1973 EMI compilation 'Great Hits' released, charting only at #32.
Nov. 24, 1973 'Truck On (Tyke)' single charted at #12.
Dec. 1973 Drummer Bill Legend left T. Rex after a tour of Japan.
Jan. 1974 Davy Lutton joined on drums for the first major T. Rex UK tour for two years.  Gloria Jones began to play keyboards onstage with the band.
Feb. 1, 1974 'Teenage Dream' single released, with credit altered to Marc Bolan And T. Rex; it reached #13 in UK chart.
March 1974 Bolan parted company with producer Tony Visconti.
March 16, 1974 'Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow' album charted at #12.  Credits list this as being produced By Tony Visconti and Marc Bolan together.
April 1974 Bolan left Britain to live in Monte Carlo for an extended period for tax reasons.
July 13, 1974 'Light of Love' single charted at #22.
Nov. 16, 1974 'Zip Gun Boogie' single charted at #41.
Dec. 1974 Long time partner Mickey Finn left T. Rex along with Jack Green.
Jan. 1, 1975 Dino Dines joined T. Rex on keyboards.
 
 Feb 14, 1975 'Bolan Zip Gun' album released and sold poorly, failing to chart.
July 12, 1975 'New York City' single charted, returning Bolan to UK top twenty at #15.
August 1975 Marc was interviewed on the London version of the 'Today' Show and was so good they signed him as an interviewer.  Though booked for 13 show he does 4 including Angie Bowie and Stan Lee.
Sept., 1975 Rolan Seymour Bolan, son of Marc and Gloria Jones, was born in London.
Oct.11, 1975 'Dreamy Lady' single charted at #30.  It was credited to T. Rex Disco Party.
Feb 27, 1976 Single 'London boys' and album 'Futuristic Dragon' released.  The single charted at #40.
June 19, 1976 Return to form single 'I Love to Boogie' written by Bolan in ten minutes, charted at #13.
August, 1976 'Rollin' Bolan' hour long TV special premiered the songs 'Soul of my Suit' and 'Laser Love'.
Sept. 24, 1976 

New single 'Laser Love' ws released featuring a largely new T. Rex made up of session men like Miller Anderson (guitar) and Herbie Flowers (bass), who Marc would also use as his final touring band.  Single charted briefly at #41.
Nov. 1976 Marc and the new T. Rex played a charity date at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, followed by a UK tour with The Damned in support.
Jan. 7, 1977 Duet single by Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones, reviving 'To Know You Is to Love You', released, but did not chart.
March 18, 1976 'The Soul Of My Suit' single and 'Dandy In The Underworld' LP released.  Single charted at #42, Bolan's last chart entry in his lifetime.
March 20, 1977 The last T. Rex live gig, at Portsmouth Locarno.
August 1977 Began writing a column for Record Mirror, in which he described his new single --'Celebrate Summer', his last before his death -- as having a "deliberate" New Wave feel.
August 24, 1977 Began a series of six weekly music shows, titled MARC for Granada TV.  They were shown in the Wednesday late afternoon slot and included such guests as The Boomtown Rats and David Bowie.
Sept. 15, 1977 Marc and Gloria spent the evening at Morton's Club in London staying until the early hours.
Sept. 16, 1977 Driving home from the West End at around 5am the car driven by Gloria Jones left the road at a bend on Barnes Common and crashed into a tree.  Jones was injured and Marc Bolan, the passenger, died.
April 1978 The first posthumous single release, 'Crimson Moon' on EMI.  Since then dozens of Bolan/T. Rex products have reached the market, many tapping material never heard during Bolan's lifetime.
Oct. 27, 1980 Steve Peregrine Took, died of asphixiation, aged 31.
April 28, 1981 Steve Currie died at midnight in a single vehicle car crash near the village of Val Da Parra in Portugal where he was living.