Let take another look at this week in Rock History!
Several awards and accolades happened:
The Supremes’ Stop! In The Name Of Love hit #1 in 1965, their fourth chart topper
In 1967, The Turtles’ Happy Together hit #1
America’s A Horse with No Name hit #1 in 1972, their first of two chart toppers
In 1973, The O’Jays’ Love Train hits #1, their only song to do so.
Daryl Hall and John Oates’ Rich Girl topped the charts in 1977, their first of six #1 hits.
In 1977, Bob Seger’s Night Moves goes Platinum
Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall (part II) hit #1 in 1980, their only chart topper in the US
Blondie’s Rapture hits #1 on the Hot 100 in 1981, becoming the first chart-topper with a rap
In 1985, John Fogerty’s Centerfield album hits #1
Heart’s These Dreams hit #1 in 1986, their first song to do so, which featured Nancy Wilson on lead vocals instead of the usual Ann.
In 1988, Michael Jackson has his 9th single hit #1 with Man In The Mirror
Mike + The Mechanics’s ” The Living Years” hit #1 in 1989
In 1990, Alannah Myles’ Black Velvet hits #1, her only chart topper.
Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion is designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006
Prince won an Oscar for best original score for the film Purple Rain and the Academy awards in 1985
In 2003, At the 75th Academy Awards, Eminem becomes the first rapper to take home an Oscar when “Lose Yourself,” from his semi-biographical film 8 Mile, wins Best Original Song
Jimmy Page’s guitar solo in Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven is voted as the greatest guitar solo of all time by readers of Total Guitar magazine in 2006
Some “debuts” also happened:
In 1958, Elvis Presley “debuted” in the U.S. Army for two years
The Beatles’ first album, “Please Please Me,” was released in Great Britain in 1963
In 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their first bed-in peace demonstration
The Rolling Stones’ lips and tongue logo appears for the first time when it is used on VIP passes for their show at the Marquee Club in London in 1971
In 1983, Michael Jackson debuted the ‘moonwalk’ during his performance of “Billie Jean” on “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever”
About 6,000 radio stations play the benefit single We Are The World in 1985
In 1986, Van Halen released 5150, their first album with Sammy Hagar as lead singer AND he made his first appearance as Van Halen’s lead singer when the group began their tour in Louisiana
Some unions and separations occurred:
Eric Clapton married Patti Harrison (the ex wife of George) in 1979. Patti applied for a divorce in 1988
In 1985, Billy Joel married Christie Brinkley. The marriage lasted ten years
Phil Collins left Genesis to focus on a solo career in 1996
Some wild fandom happened:
Paul McCartney’s original birth certificate is sold to a private Beatles collector for $84,146 in 1997
Some controversy was present:
Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee was arrested for mooning the audience during a gig in Augusta. He was charged with indecent exposure in 1990
In 2008, Richie Sambora was arrested in California on suspicion of drunken driving. The Bon Jovi guitarist was arrested after a police officer noticed his black Hummer weaving in traffic lanes in Laguna Beach
Some scary things happened:
Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder was rescued after a riptide carried him 250 feet offshore in New Zealand in 1995
In 2006, Aerosmith canceled the rest of their Rockin’ The Joint tour so lead singer Steven Tyler could have throat surgery to treat strained vocal chords
And we lost one rock legend way too soon:
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died on tour in Colombia due to an enlarged heart in 2022
