Tag: music

Music History Friday!

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The Year: 1989

De La Soul release their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. The sample heavy, paisley powered LP becomes a hip-hop landmark, establishing a mellow, groovy new style.

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The Year: 1958

The RIAA issues their first Gold Single for sales of a million copies, which goes to Perry Como’s “Catch A Falling Star.” Record labels have been awarding their own artists Gold records for years, starting with Glenn Miller’s “Chattanooga Choo Choo” in 1942, but this is the first RIAA official certification.

Music History Thursday!

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The Year: 2006

Isaac Hayes quits the TV series South Park after an episode airs mocking his religion, Scientology.

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The Year: 1976

The Four Seasons hit #1 in America with “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” making them the only act to chart #1 hits before, during and after The Beatles.

Music History Wednesday!

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The Year: 1988

Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” hits #1 in the US. The video, which shows a buttoned-up Astley singing his way around London, does well on VH1, but really takes off two decades later with the Rickrolling trend, as webmasters point links to the song’s YouTube video to trick unsuspecting readers into watching it.

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The Year: 1974

John Lennon and Nilsson get drunk and disorderly at a Smothers Brothers comedy show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. They get thrown out and Nilsson takes heat in the press for being a bad influence on Lennon. Said Nilsson: “It ruined my reputation for 10 years. Get one Beatle drunk and look what happens.”

Music History Tuesday!

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The Year: 2006

The High School Musical soundtrack reaches #1 on the US albums chart, the first TV soundtrack album to top the tally since the Miami Vice soundtrack, which was #1 for eight weeks in 1985 and another three in 1986. Nine songs from the album make the Hot 100, led by “Breaking Free,” sung by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, which reaches #4.

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The Year: 1972

Neil Young’s album Harvest hits #1 in America, supplanting Don McLean’s American Pie, which has been on top for seven weeks.

Music History Monday!

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The Year: 1988

Andy Gibb, whose three older brothers are the Bee Gees, dies of heart failure at age 30. Gibb had three #1 hits in the late ’70s, including “I Just Want To Be Your Everything.”

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The Year: 1983

Carrie Underwood is born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She begins her music career by winning Season 4 of American Idol, becoming the first country singer to do so. She becomes the best-selling Idol alum in any genre, with over 20 million albums sold in America.

Music History Sunday!

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The Year: 1997

Beloved New York rapper Biggie Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G.) is gunned down in Los Angeles just six months after his rival Tupac Shakur met the same fate.

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The Year: 1985

REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling” hits #1 in America, where it stays for three weeks.

Music History Saturday!

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The Year: 1970

Diana Ross performs for the first time as a solo artist, starting an 11-night engagement at the Monticello in Framingham, Massachusetts, where she hones her act for her Las Vegas debut in May. She left The Supremes two months earlier.

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The Year: 1963

The Four Tops get a $400 advance to sign with Motown. They spend the rest of the year singing backup for other acts, including The Supremes.

Music History Friday!

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The Year: 1987

Licensed To Ill by Beastie Boys becomes the first rap album to top the US chart. It stays at #1 for seven weeks.

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The Year: 1983

Bananarama release their debut album, Deep Sea Skiving, featuring a hit cover of Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” and the Top 10 UK entry “Shy Boy.”

Music History Thursday!

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The Year: 2000

Eric Clapton is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making him the first person inducted three times. He is also in as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream.

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The Year: 1982

Beauty and the Beat hits #1 in America, making The Go-Go’s the first all girl band with a #1 album.

Music History Wednesday!

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The Year: 2009

Michael Jackson announces his “This Is It” series of concerts to be held at the O2 Arena in London. The shows quickly sell out, but Jackson dies before they begin.

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The Year: 1975

Rod Stewart meets the Swedish actress Britt Ekland when she comes backstage after his concert at the Los Angeles Forum, kicking off an affair that results in a famous song and a nasty lawsuit.