Music History Today: November 11, 2020

November 11, 1991: One week before his "Black Or White" music video airs, a memo circulated at MTV, instructing the network's on-air personnel to refer to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop at least twice a week during the next two weeks.

Frank Sinatra was the King of Pop in the mid-1940s; perhaps the first bearer of the crown. Elvis Presley was King of Pop from 1956, when he exploded like a supernova on to world consciousness, until 1960, when he emerged from the army and began his fade into a routine of bad Hollywood films.

Music History Today: October 23, 2020

October 23, 1990: AC/DC's Back In Black album is certified Diamond for US sales of 10 million.

For many bands, the sudden and horrific death of their lead singer at the peak of their popularity would be a career-ender. AC/DC took a few weeks to regroup and then recorded one of the biggest albums of all time.

Music History Today: October 16, 2020

October 16, 1976: Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life hits number 1on the album charts.

The album "Songs in the Key of Life," — two LPs plus an additional four-song EP — was the culmination of a historic period of creativity, a concentrated burst of music matched only by a handful of artists. 

Music History Today: October 14, 2020

October 14, 1994: Pulp Fiction opens in theaters, reviving classic '60s songs such as "Son Of A Preacher Man," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," and "Misirlou."

Not many surf-rock classics can trace their roots back to the Ottoman Empire, but "Misirlou" is one of them. Its earliest known recording is from Greece in 1927, and American pianist and xylophonist Jan August made it a hit in 1946.

Music History Today: September 11, 2020

September 11, 2001:  Terrorists attacked America, bringing down the World Trade Center. The number number 1 song on Billboards Alternative Hits chart is the remake of "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm.

Alien Ant Farm are trending on Twitter, and the reason why might be slightly confusing. 

Music History Today: August 29, 2020

August 29, 1958: Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana.

Known as the "King of Pop," Michael Joseph Jackson was a best-selling American singer, songwriter and dancer. As a child, Jackson became the lead singer of his family's popular Motown group, the Jackson 5. 

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Music History Today: August 25, 2020

August 25, 1949: Gene Simmons (of KISS) is born Chaim Weitz in Haifa, Israel.

Musician Gene Simmons first decided he wanted to be in a band while in middle school, after watching girls scream at The Beatles on television. 

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Gene Simmons

Music History Today: August 12, 2020

August 12, 1968:  Big Brother & the Holding Company released their one and only big album, Cheap Thrills. The first single released is Gershwin's "Summertime." 

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Janis Joplin circa 1968

Music History Today: August 11, 2020

August 11, 1956: Elvis Presley's double-sided hit "Don't Be Cruel" - "Hound Dog" was released.  

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Music History Today: August 5. 2020

August 5: 1962: Marilyn Monroe, known for "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," dies of a barbiturate overdose at age 36 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California.

“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” was imprinted indelibly on the memory of the big screen with Marilyn Monroe’s legendary 1953 performance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 

Read more: American Popular Culture

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Music History Today: August 4, 2020

August 4, 1965: Bob Dylan recorded "Desolation Row" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues."

Bob Dylan‘s second album of 1965, Highway 61 Revisited, would be a historic break: For the first time, none of the tracks would feature just him and his guitar. 

Music History Today: July 12, 2020

July 12, 1971: Radio stations start running a Coke commercial called "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke."

In 1971 Coca-Cola launched one of its very first in-color TV commercials. 

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Music History Today: June 17, 2020

June 17, 1972: The Rolling Stones album Exile On Main Street hit Number 1 in America. 

There are songs that are better, there are songs that are worse, there are songs that’ll become your favorites and others you’ll probably lift the needle for when their time is due. But in the end, Exile on Main Street spends its four sides shading the same song in as many variations as there are Rolling Stone ready-mades to fill them. 

Music History Today: June 7, 2020

June 7, 1958: Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.