Music History Today: January 17, 2023

January 17, 1997: Metallica's "King Nothing" video premiered on MTV.

Music History Today: August 5, 2022

August 5, 1983: The movie "Risky Business," starring Tom Cruise, was released in the USA. In an iconic scene, Cruise's character dances in his underwear to Bob Seger. 

Music History Today: July 14, 2022

July 14, 1979: Donna Summer's "Bad Girls" took over Number 1 on Billboard, as her former chart topper, "Hot Stuff," sat at Number 3. Norwegian DJ and music producer Kygo remixed "Hot Stuff" in September, 2020.

Donna Summer

Music History Today: June 30, 2022

June 30, 2007: Amy Winehouse had her only American Top 10 hit when "Rehab" peaked at Number 9 in the US.

Though she made a lot of great music, Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” is her most famous song.

Music History Today: May 24, 2022

May 24,1969: The Who peaked in Billboard's Top 20, at Number 19, with "Pinball Wizard."

“Pinball Wizard” is one of those very special pieces of music: a great rock song, but at the same time a classic pop song.

The Who

Music History Today: April 1, 2022

April 1, 1969: The film Sweet Charity, starring Shirley MacClaine, was released.

Choreographer and stage director Bob Fosse made his screen debut with the musical Sweet Charity, a film version of his stage musical.

Music History Today: November 29, 2021

November 29, 2010: Adele released "Rolling in the Deep."

It’s been a decade since Adele released her 2011 masterpiece “Rolling in the Deep,” and it would be an understatement to say that it still holds up. 

Adele

Music History Today: November 6, 2021

November 6, 1993: "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff  from the movie Cool Runnings enters the Billboard hot 100 charts.

There really was a Jamaican bobsled team. And if the movie "Cool Runnings" can be trusted, the Jamaicans practiced on a bobsled with wheels, in the absence of any snow in their native land. 

Music History Today: October 23, 2021

October 23, 1971: The Who released "Baba O'Riley" from the Who's Next album.

The song “Baba O’Riley”, written by Pete Townshend and performed by The Who, is often incorrectly called “Teenage Wasteland.”

Music History Today: October 14, 2021

October 14th, 1978: "Josie" by Steely Dan peaked at Number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 single's chart.

Almost a year after the release of Aja, ABC Records released Josie as a single in North America. In Europe, “Josie” had served as the B side to “Deacon Blues.” 

Music History Today: August 10, 2021

August 10, 2020: Split Enz hit Number 1 in their native New Zealand with the 40th-anniversary reissue of their album True Colours, knocking off Folklore by Taylor Swift, 

Split Enz found their place in new wave with True Colours, shedding the eccentricities and excesses of their past in favor of bright, highly memorable, Beatlesque pop.

Split Enz New Colours True Colours 2020

Music History Today: June 25, 2021

June 25, 1971: The movie Shaft was released.

The MGM film "Shaft" starred Richard Roundtree as a new kind of hero, private detective John Shaft. Made for a reported budget of $1 million, it grossed anything up to ten times that amount. 

Music History Today: June 7, 2021

June 7, 1980: "Cars" by Gary Numan peaked at Number 9.

For his Tubeway Army recording sessions, Gary Numan famously worked with his first analog synthesizer—the Minimoog, to be precise. 

Gary Numan

Music History Today: March 19, 2021

March 19, 1975: The movie version of The Who's rock opera Tommy premiered in the US.

It’s been said that every musician tries to be cinematic, while filmmakers are praised for musicality. Perhaps no film expresses that more clearly than Tommy, Ken Russell’s 1975 adaptation of The Who’s rock opera. 

Music History Today: February 27, 2021

February 27, 1980: "What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers won both Record and Song of the Year honors at the Grammys.

There weren’t a whole lot of #1 singles in 1979 that didn’t at least nod toward disco. The Doobie Brothers’ “What A Fool Believes” stood out. 

The Doobie Brothers

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 7, 2020

September 7, 1936: Buddy Holly (real name Charles Holley) was born in Lubbock, Texas.

As a child in Lubbock, Tex., Buddy studied the piano. He didn't like it. Holly wanted to play the guitar and, according to Bill Griggs of the Buddy Holly Memorial Society, Holly learned a unique way of picking.

Music History Today: July 11, 2020

July 11, 1970: The soundtrack to the 1969 Woodstock concert became the first triple-disc album to top the Billboard chart.

Fifty years ago, more than 400,000 people descended on Bethel, New York, headed to a dairy farm owned by Max and Miriam Yasgur, where the Woodstock Music & Art Fair was being held. 

Woodstock album cover photograph

Music History Today: June 7, 2020

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

Music History Today: May 31, 2020

May 31, 1948: Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, England.