Music History Today: June 10, 2023

June 10, 1922: Actress and singer Judy Garland was born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

With her two older sisters, Judy Garland began performing as part of the Gumm Sisters. The Gumm sisters became the Garland sisters at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1934. The following year, she would become a solo act, signing a movie contract with MGM at 13. In 1939, Garland scored one of her greatest on-screen successes with The Wizard of Oz. She received a special Academy Award for portraying Dorothy, the girl from Kansas transported to Oz. 

Music History Today: April 17, 2023

April 17, 1982: Greek composer Vangelis scored his first and only Number 1 on the US album chart with Chariots Of Fire. Written for the 1981 movie about two runners in the 1924 Olympics, the title track was used in a classic scene where they run in slow motion.

Music History Today: March 22, 2023

March 22, 1974: The Eagles released their third studio album, On the Border. Three singles were released from the album: "Already Gone," "James Dean," and "Best of My Love."

Music History Today: December 8, 2022

December 8, 1980: Annie Leibovitz photographed John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their apartment in New York City for a feature in Rolling Stone. Mark David Chapman shot and killed John hours later.

John Lennon by Annie Leibovitz

Music History Today: October 20, 2022

October 20, 1984: Madonna topped out at Number 4 on the US music chart with "Lucky Star."

Written by Madonna, "Lucky Star" was her first single from her debut album.

Madonna

Music History Today: August 1, 2022

August 1, 1981: MTV made its debut at 12:01am. Youtuber Max Speedster shared a video of the first two hours in 2021 on its 50th Anniversary.

Music History Today: December 9, 2021

December 9, 2005: The movie Brokeback Mountain, musical score by Gustavo Santaolalla, opened in the US.

The music for Brokeback Mountain consists of seventeen tracks as well as songs from Bob Dylan covered by Willie Nelson and Roger Miller covered by Teddy Thompson & Rufus Wainwright. 

Brokeback Mountain

Music History Today: August 20, 2021

August 20, 1983: Stevie Nicks makes it to the Top 5 with "Stand Back." 

Even on the day in 1983 that she married now ex-husband Kim Anderson, Stevie Nicks couldn't refuse her muse. As the couple drove out to Santa Barbara for their honeymoon, Nicks heard Prince's "Little Red Corvette" on the radio and felt inspired.

Stevie Nicks

Music History Today: May 7, 2021

May 7, 1977: The single "Hotel California" by the Eagles topped the Hot 100. 

People have often interpreted "Hotel California" for Anton LaVey and Satanism. Weird right? It kind of makes sense if you would actually interpret its lyrics one by one, “This could be heaven or this could be hell”, “but they just can’t kill the beast” and “We are programmed to receive, you can check out any time you like. But you can never leave”! 

Music History Today: February 26, 2021

February 26, 1977: The Eagles' "New Kid in Town" became the new number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

When recalling the music of Glen Frey and the Eagles, many retrospectives have listed the incredible string of hit songs the band ripped off in the ’70s and yet also noted the fact that these chroniclers of California excess and ennui were rarely critical darlings.

Hotel California inside album cover art

Music History Today: February 17, 2021

February 17, 1976: The Eagles released Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). 

Forty-five years ago today, the Eagles released Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). With it, they officially became the first band to be able to say that they'd “gone platinum.”

Music History Today: December 24, 2020

December 24, 1818: A church choir in Austria introduced a new Christmas song for their Midnight Mass: "Stille Nacht!" better known as "Silent Night."

On Christmas Eve in 1818, a preist named Joseph Mohr asked his friend Franz Xaver Gruber, an organist and teacher, to compose a melody to a poem he had written two years earlier. Happy with the results, Mohr included the song in a short ceremony following Christmas Mass that same evening.

 

Music History Today: December 16, 2020

December 16, 1988: Disco sensation Sylvester (Sylvester James Jr.) died of AIDS at 41.

Dick Clark couldn't get his American Bandstand crowd to stop cheering. His studio audience had just heard Sylvester and his backup singers, Two Tons O' Fun, perform their first hit, "Dance (Disco Heat)".

Music History Today: December 1, 2020

December 1, 1945: Bette Midler is born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

By the time she appeared as the final guest of Johnny Carson’s 30-year career on The Tonight Show with an emotional performance of “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road),” she was an established star of stage and screen. 

Bette Midler

Music History Today: November 5, 2020

November 5, 1959: Bryan Adams is born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Adams has garnered many awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations and 15 Grammy Award nominations. 

Bryan Adams

Music History Today: November 3, 2020

November 3,  1979:   British electro musician Robin Scott, aka M, went all the way to the top with "Pop Muzik."  

A mechanistic drum pounds out a steady, basic thump. Keyboards make noises — blips, pings, squirts, hums — that sound strange and spartan and alien while still somehow resolving into catchy melodies. 

Music History Today: September 24, 2020

September 24, 1983: Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" led the UK chart in the first of six-weeks.

According to Boy George, “Karma Chameleon” is about the cause and effect of not being true to oneself for fear of being ostracized by other people. 

Karma Chameleon photo-shoot
Boy George

Music History Today: August 1, 2020

August 1, 1981: MTV went on the air, broadcasting music videos 24 hours a day in the US. 

On August 1, 1981, MTV: Music Television goes on the air for the first time ever, with the words (spoken by one of MTV’s creators, John Lack): “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” 

Music History Today: June 28, 2020

June 28, 1971: Rod Stewart released the single "Maggie May." 

It's one of the relatively few songs he had a hand in writing during his solo career, but neither Rod Stewart nor his label thought all that much of 'Maggie May' at first, relegating it to B-side status on the 'Reason to Believe' single.

Music History Today: June 10, 2020

June 10, 1922: Judy Garland is born Frances Ethel Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Tensions were very high in her parents’ marriage, and Garland would often reflect on this throughout her career. 

Judy Garland - Get Happy