Music History Today: May 8, 2023

May 8, 1993: Aerosmith's Get A Grip entered the US album chart at Number 1.

Get a Grip became Aerosmith's best-selling studio album worldwide, achieving sales of over 20 million copies.

 

Music History Today: April 8, 2023

April 8, 1975: Aerosmith released their first commercially successful album, Toys in the Attic.

Music History Today: December 16, 2022

December 16, 1989: Aerosmith moved into the top 40 section of Billboard's Hot 100 with "Janie's Got a Gun."

"Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith is about a girl who shoots her father because he is sexually abusing her.

Music History Today: October 3, 2022

October 3, 1975: India.Arie was born in Denver, Colorado. 

India Arie is more likely to cite Bill Withers and Roberta Flack than any given artist playlisted by urban contemporary radio stations. 

Music History Today: September 12, 2022

September 12, 1998: Lauryn Hill's solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill debuts at Number 1 in the US.

Though the Fugees had been wildly successful, and Lauryn Hill widely recognized as a key to their popularity, few were prepared for her stunning debut. 

Music History Today: July 31, 2022

July 31, 2011: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded a cover of "The Lady Is a Tramp" for the album Duets II.

Music History Today: April 24, 2022

April 24, 2004: Maroon 5 peaked at Number 5 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with "This Love."

"This Love" was the second single from Maroon 5's 2002 debut album, Songs About Jane. In an interview with MTV News in August 2002, Levine revealed that he wrote the song the day his girlfriend moved away after they broke up.

Music History Today: April 7, 2022

April 7, 2001: Aerosmith peaked at Number 7 on the Billboard single's chart with "Jaded."

As the new millennium arrived, Aerosmith was once again riding a roller coaster of commercial response. After a triumphant three-album run with Permanent Vacation, Pump  and Get a Grip, the group’s sales suffered a fall on 1997’s Nine Lives.

Music History Today: January 29, 2022

January 29, 2001: U2 released "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind. 

A hit for U2 in 2000, this song was written by front-man Bono about his close friend, and lead singer in the band INXS, Michael Hutchence who committed suicide in 1997.

Music History Today: January 1, 2022

January 1, 2000: More than halfway there, at Number 45, Lonestar began its trip to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "Amazed."

"Amazed" by Lonestar, a power ballad, is the band's longest-lasting number one single and biggest hit. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and remained there for eight consecutive weeks.

Lonestar

Music History Today: September 27, 2021

September 27, 2009: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" reached Number 12 on Billboard's Hot Digital Tracks. 

Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwoʻole was a singer and activist of Hawaiian ancestry who embodied the words "gentle giant."

Music History Today: September 5, 2021

September 5, 1998: The single "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith from the 1998 film Armageddon debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. 

Legendary songwriter Dianne Warren has revealed that Aerosmith‘s ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’  was originally intended for a woman to sing.

Music History Today: July 24, 2021

July 24, 1971: "Walk Away" by the James Gang peaked at Number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Joe Walsh has been a part of many a band, and also delved in solo ventures. The singer-songwriter was also an amazing guitarist, and showcased his arsenal with his time in the James Gang.

James Gang

Music History Today: April 30, 2021

April 30, 2015: R&B legend Ben E. King passed away at 76. 

King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson, North Carolina, in 1938, and sang with his church choir before the family moved to Harlem in 1947. In junior high, he began performing with a street corner doo wop group called the Four B's, which won second place in an Apollo Theater talent contest.

Ben E. King

Music History Today: March 26, 2021

March 26, 1983: Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, Duran Duran had their first American hit when "Hungry Like The Wolf" hit Number 3 on the Hot 100.

Composed collectively by the members of Duran Duran and produced by Colin Thurston, “Hungry Like the Wolf” was actually written and recorded in the basement of EMI’s HQ in London, apparently put together piece by piece, with each band member adding their respective part when they got there. 

Music History Today: December 15, 2020

December 15, 1973: Aerosmith performed their first single, "Dream On," on American Bandstand. 

"Dream On" is a well thought-out, well-written, and well known song by Aerosmith. It's simply a masterpiece for a rock duo known as "toxic twins." 

l-r: Joe Perry & Steven Tyler

Music History Today: October 21, 2020

 October 21, 1992:  Madonna's book Sex is released. 

In 1990, Madonna was as astronomically popular as a boundary-bulldozing, unapologetically bacchanalian performance artist could get. Drawing from Harlem drag balls, “Vogue” went Number One nearly worldwide. 

Madonna's Sex

Music History Today: September 12, 2020

September 12, 1989: Aerosmith released 'Pump' their tenth studio album which featured the hit singles: 'Love In An Elevator,' 'The Other Side,' and 'Janie's Got a Gun.'

"Janie's Got a Gun" was the brainchild of singer Steven Tyler, who wrote the initial melody on keyboard, but couldn’t produce the right lyrics to go with it. 

Music History Today: June 12, 2020

June 12, 1993:  UB40 had the Number 1 song in the UK with their remake of the Elvis Presley song "(Can't Help) Falling In Love."

Morgan James Sings: Dream On

Forty-three years ago today, I was at an Aerosmith concert - on promotional tour for their latest  album, Rocks - in Columbia, South Carolina (tour schedule here). 

Carolina Coliseum