1968
Joined the GRM Music Research Group in Paris in 1968, where is began experimenting with 'electro-classical' music under Pierre Schaeffer. His first composition was released as a single a year later, La Cage

1971
Jean Michel Jarre composes a ballet score, AOR, for the Opera de Paris, the first time electro-acoustical music is played there.

1972
Deserted Palace is released, Jean Michel Jarre's first album as well as composing the soundtrack for Jean Chapot's film, Les Granges Brulees.

1976
Oxygene is released and becomes an international success. It remains to date an unparalleled success in the history of the French music industry. Jean Michel Jarre is named Personality of the Year by the US media, whilst the Daily Mirror declares '... a French revolution to the rock world.

1978
Equinoxe confirms Jarre's success world wide and storms the charts in over 35 countries. Also composes the music to Peter Fleischmann's film, The Illness of Hamburg.

1979
On Bastille Day in Paris, Jean Michel Jarre gives his first public performance - an outdoor concert at Place de la Concorde. It breaks all records. Over one million spectators which earnt Jarre his first entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Over one hundred million also watched the show on television. The show was on a scale never seen before. Giant images appeared on the facades of Parisian buildings, animated lasers filled the sky, powerful beams transformed the whole scene and fireworks lit up the night sky, all choreographed to the music played by Jarre from the central stage. During the same year, Jarre also composes the music for Peter Weir's film Gallipoli.

1980
Equinoxe confirms Jarre's success world wide and storms the charts in over 35 countries. Also composes the music to Peter Fleischmann's film, The Illness of Hamburg.

1981
Magnetic Fields, Jean Michel Jarre's third album is released and two weeks after release, enters the top ten in every European territory. Jean Michel Jarre becomes the first Western artist to perform in post-Mao China. In October he played a series of five concerts, with a 34-piece Chinese orchestra, in Peking and October.

1982
A double album acting as a sound chronicle, Concerts in China, is released to celebrate the historic concerts. A special television documentary is also aired.

1983
Jean Michel Jarre hits the world headlines by auctioning the only copy of his new album, Music for Supermarkets. It was broadcast once only on radio and the master tapes destroyed.

1984
Zoolook is released, a new and radical album. Jarre becomes one of the first artists to use sampling, using Chinese, European and African rhythm tracks. Laurie Anderson, Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Talking Heads), Yogi Horton (Talking Heads), Marcus Miller (Miles Davies) all contributed to the album.

1986
Rendezvous is released. Jean Michel Jarre re-enters the Guinness Book of Records with his show Rendezvous Houston. One of his most spectacular concerts ever, he celebrates Texas' 150th anniversary and NASA's 50th anniversary by transforming the entire city skyline. Using lasers, image projectors and a breathtaking light and firework display, he amazed an audience of over 1.3 million people and set the standard for multi-media shows to come. The show earned him the Victoires de la Musique that year for Best Show, where he also picked up the Best Album award for Rendezvous.
He followed up this success with a return to his birth place, the City of Lyon, to perform a spectacular concert in honour of Pope John Paul II. He performed at the foot of the Fourvieres Hills, using the same techniques which stunned Houston, this time transformed very different architecture of the Law Court building and the magnificent Basilica.

1987
Release of the album Houston-Lyon, In Concert, a celebration of the two concerts. A remix version Cities in Concert was also released within a box set to mark Jarre's tenth anniversary of Oxygene's release.

1988
Revolutions is released and sets the scene for a concert in London's Docklands. In October, he stages two concerts, amid an apocalyptic, partially demolished/rebuilt decor. Performing on a floating stage in the middle of the river Thames, Jarre has to battle against the odds with rain pouring down on both evenings. The Destination Docklands film, directed by Mike Mansfield, was a fitting tribute to the events. A video chronicle of the event was also broadcast world wide, the Making of Destination Docklands.

1989
Jarre Live, the album of the London concerts is released. The Laser Years is also released, to mark ten years of CD music by one of the musicians who best represents this new technology.

1990
Release of the album Waiting for Cousteau, inspired by marine biologist Commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Jarre created a brand new style of album by mixing the synthesiser with traditional Caribbean music, re-inventing the calypso. Jarre travelled to Trinidad to record his music with the Amoco Renegades, a local steel-drum band.
Jarre stops Paris with Paris-La Defense, A City in Concert. Staged to celebrate Bastille Day, Jarre performed in front of the modern architecture of La Defense, using lasers, giant images projectors, beams and fireworks. The whole of the Champs Elysees and the banks of the river Seine are filled by over 2 million spectators, entering Jarre into the record books again.

1991
Featuring some previously unreleased tracks, Images - The Best of Jean Michel Jarre, chronicles Jarre's career so far.

1992
Jarre stages two multi-media spectaculars within the space of three months. In September, Jarre transformed the Swiss town of Zermatt, under the Matterhorn mountain. For the first time Jarre had moved away from the urban city centres and moved into a rural arena. Jarre astonished the watching crowds by projecting images and laser animations onto a huge rock face, as well as wild beams and fireworks.
He followed up this show by travelling to Africa for the first time. To mark the opening of the magnificent Lost City complex, he re-composed his music with an African blend for three shows.

1993
The album Chronologie is released. Jarre travels Europe on his first tour, visiting fifteen cities on his way. The shows are highely acclaimed by both press and fans alike, which saw Jarre present a new outdoor format - an imaginary city over 100m wide and 25m high, transformed into a total audio-visual experience.
At the start of the year, Jarre is also appointed UNESCO Ambassador for Tolerance and Youth. Jarre's first mission is to relay the declaration of the Year of Tolerance world wide.

1994
Jean Michel Jarre sets foot on Chinese soil again, this time to give a concert in the new Hong Kong stadium. Jarre involved local graphic artists, street performers, ballerinas, the Hong Kong Opera Society and a traditional Chinese orchestra, integrating them with his latest techniques to create a remarkable event.
Jean Michel Jarre is appointed Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
A double CD Hong Kong is released.

1995
Jarre transforms the Eiffel Tower with his first Concert for Tolerance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of UNESCO. In front of 1.5 million spectators, Jarre portrays his vision of tolerance, as well as to a live world wide television audience.
Jarremix is released, featuring mixes from artists including Sunscreem and Gat Decor.

1996
Jarre remains busy composing his new follow-up album to Oxygene, for release near the end of the year, as well as planning concerts for Australia, USA, Europe and India for 1997.

1997
The new album Oxygene 7-13 is released and Jarre is doing a promotional tour around Europe for it. Also he announced a new Indoor tour around Europe.

1997
Jarre performs in Moscow outside the Moscow State university. A new album Complete Oxygene is released. A compilation of Oxygene and Oxygene 7-13 albums. Includes an additional track taken from the 'Moscow' Concert.

1998
Jarre continues with his successful Oxygene 7-13 Tour across Europe. Performs a concert outside the Eiffel Tower to celebrate the closure of the World Cup '98. .

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