Its another week of Rock History:
Several debuts and accolades:
The Beatles film the famous opening scene from their first movie, A Hard Day’s Night, running away from several rabid female fans at London’s Marylebone train station in 1964
”California Girls” by The Beach Boys is recorded in 1965
In 1970, The Beatles single, “Let It Be”, hits #1
Billy Joel scores his first Top 40 hit with “Piano Man,” which comes in at #33 in 1974
In 1977, ABBA’s ” Dancing Queen” hits #1, their only chart topper in the states
Duran Duran plays their first live event in Birmingham, England in 1978
In 1981, Daryl Hall and John Oates’ ” Kiss on My List” hits #1 in 1981, their second of 6 chart toppers
Madonna starts her first tour, called The Virgin Tour, in Seattle, Washington in 1985
in 1988, Billy Ocean’s ” Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” hits #1, his third chart topper
Cher won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in ‘Moonstruck’ in 1988
In 1989, Roxette scored their first #1 hit single with ”The Look”
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, releases her first solo album, To Whom It May Concern. It debuts at #5 in America in 2003
One very happy occasion for a rocker:
Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli got married in Los Angeles in 1981
Several bands broke up or lost key members:
Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green announces he is leaving the group to devote himself to “what God would have me do” in 1970
Paul McCartney announced the official split of the Beatles in 1970
In 1983, Dave Mustaine is kicked out of Metallica because of his drug and alcohol addictions. Soon after, he forms Megadeth, which becomes one of the most successful metal bands of the era
The band Toto breaks up after their final concert in 2008
Some scares and controversy went down:
Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee was injured during a concert when he fell 20 feet from a lighting rig in 1990
In 1998, George Michael was arrested in a Beverly Hills public restroom for “engaging in a lewd act.”
The Guns N’ Roses reunion tour got underway in Las Vegas in 2016. Axl Rose, who fractured his foot at a warm-up show, performs from the throne Dave Grohl used to play Foo Fighters shows when he was hobbled
Steve Miller goes on a backstage rant when he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. He says the Hall is like “a private boys club,” and lets loose on the organizers. “It’s a bunch of jerks and gangsters and crooks.”
And we unfortunately lost 3 legends:
In 1994, rocker Kurt Cobain died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Alice in Chains rocker Layne Staley died in 2002 of an accidental drug overdose.
In 2017, rocker J Geils died of natural causes at the age of 71
