A BUSY week in rock history:
Some album and song accolades that occurred:
In 1972, Don McLean’s album American Pie hits #1
Barry Manilow scored his first US No.1 single when ‘Mandy’, (originally titled ‘Brandy’ but changed due to the Looking Glass’ song out at the time), went to the top of the charts in 1975
The 1975 soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever would hit #1
Pink Floyd’s “Wall” hits #1 in 1980
Def Leppard released their third album, Pyromania in 1983.
In 1984, the Yes single, Owner Of A Lonely Heart would hit #1
Other achieving moments:
The Monkees performed live for the very first time at The Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1967
Madonna won the Best Actress award at the 1997 Golden Globes for her role in Evita
in 1986, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley
in 1988, The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A marriage even happened:
George Harrison married Patti Boyd with Paul McCartney as his Best Man in 1966. George had first met Patti on the set of The Beatles movie ”A Hard Day’s Night.’
Some retirements and comebacks also went down:
Fleetwood Mac re-forms to perform Don’t Stop at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration ceremonies.
Elton John announced he would be retiring from touring after an upcoming three-year global tour in 2018.
Also in 2018, Neil Diamond retired from concert touring because he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease
Some controversy also caused a ruckus:
During a 1982 Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, Iowa, an audience member threw an unconscious bat onto the stage. Thinking it was one of his rubber fakes, Ozzy picked it up and bit off its head. The singer was taken to the hospital where he was given a rabies injection.
Billy Idol plead guilty to assault and battery charges after an incident outside a West Hollywood restaurant. He was fined $2,700 and ordered to appear in a series of anti-drug commercials in 1992
In 1996, Lisa Marie Presley filed for a divorce from Michael Jackson after just 20 months of marriage
Some scares for a couple of artists:
Steven Tyler was hospitalized after being involved in a crash on his motorbike in 1981
In 1983, Kenny Loggins fell off the stage while making his entrance at a concert in Provo, Utah. He was treated for broken ribs
And the week was not shy on tragedy:
Three teenagers were killed at an AC/DC concert at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah when they were crushed in the crowd in 1991
In 2006, Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack.
Glenn Frey died in 2016 from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis, and pneumonia.
In 2007, former Mamas and the Papas singer Denny Doherty died at the age of 66 of kidney failure after a recent surgery.
Meatloaf died in 2022. Although no official cause of death was announced, it is speculated that it was due to complications to COVID-19.
