It’s another busy week for Rock History!
First, some chart toppers:
The Beach Boys’ ”Good Vibrations” topped the charts in 1966 and it was, at the time, the most expensive single ever recorded.
In 1970, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ ”The Tears of a Clown” topped the charts, co-written by Smokey and Stevie Wonder
Carl Douglas’ ”Kung Fu Fighting” topped the charts in 1974 which was the B-side to “I Want to Give You My Everything”
In 1983, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s Say, Say, Say hits #1, considered by many music critics to be the WEAKEST song on the Thriller album.
Daryl Hall and John Oates’ Out of Touch hits #1 in 1984, becoming the duo’s fourteenth consecutive top 40 hit since 1980.
In 1985, Mr. Mister’s Broken Wings hits #1, the first of two consecutive number ones of the band
George Michael’s Faith hits #1 in 1987, his third number one in the US as a solo artist.
In 1989, Billy Joel’s ”We Didn’t Start the Fire” tops the charts. Its fast-paced lyrics include a series of brief references to 119 significant political, cultural, scientific, and sporting events between 1949 (the year of Joel’s birth) and 1989, in mainly chronological order.
In 1991, Michael Jackson’s Black Or White hits #1, the fastest single to reach the position since the Beatles’ 1969 single “Get Back”.
A few major releases occurred:
The Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd)
The Eagles released the album Hotel California in 1976
In 1978, The Blues Brothers released their first single, a cover of “Soul Man.” The original is by Sam & Dave, whom the Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) emulated to create their act
Some major accomplishments happened:
In 1963, six year-old Donny Osmond made his singing debut on “The Andy Williams Show”
The Grateful Dead played their first concert at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in 1965
George Harrison became the first rock artist to be invited to the White House in 1974. He had lunch with President Gerald Ford
In 2003, Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger was knighted by the Queen of England
Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh marries Marjorie Bach in 2008, making him brother-in-law to Ringo Starr, who is married to Marjorie’s sister Barbara.
Eric Clapton announced he was selling off part of his extensive guitar collection to raise money for his Crossroads Rehab Centre in 2010
In 2013, Metallica performed a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all seven continents
Bob Dylan accepts the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
A few bands called it quits:
Final Performance of The Jacksons (Photo Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
The Jacksons played their last show together in 1984
In 1995, The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up after 30 years together almost to the DAY of their first show in 1965
And a lot of tragedy:
Singer Sam Cooke was shot to death at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles in 1964, his shooter claiming self-defense. Controversy still looms over the case to this day.
In 1967, Otis Redding died at age 26 when the plane he was on crashed into Lake Monona in Wisconsin.
Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon outside his New York City apartment in 1980
Guitarist “Dimebag: Darrell Abbott was murdered onstage in 2004 by Nathan Gale at a Damageplan concert in Columbus, Ohio
Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer dies at 69 after a battle with cancer in 2016
In 2019, Marie Fredriksson of Roxette dies of a brain tumor at 61
Michael Nesmith of The Monkees died in 2021 of heart failure.
