20 AUGUST
Featured Events
2016 The Tragically Hip play their final concert, calling it quits at a show in lead singer Gord Downie's hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December 2015.More
1995 After a lengthy press-fueled feud culminates in simultaneous singles releases, Blur's "Country House" beats Oasis' track "Roll With It" to the #1 spot in the UK. Oasis go on to enjoy worldwide mainstream success, while Blur later veer from the Britpop sound, developing an artier, more experimental style – heavily inspired by Pavement.
1992 Embroiled in controversy over his song "Cop Killer," Ice-T doubles down by appearing in a police uniform on the cover of Rolling Stone.More
1988 At the Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England, two fans are killed during a set by Guns N' Roses, whose frontman Axl Rose had implored the crowd, "Don't f--kin' kill each other." With the ground wet and a record crowd of 107,000 at the festival, the surge of bodies during the set causes the two fans to be trampled or crushed to death.More
1983 Taco's cover of the Irving Berlin song "Puttin' On the Ritz" reaches #9 on the Hot 100, making the 95-year-old Berlin the oldest living songwriter ever to land a Top 10 on that tally.
1977 The Emotions hit #1 in the US with the disco track "Best Of My Love" for the first of five weeks. Two years earlier, the Eagles hit #1 with a song with the same title.
1977 The Voyager 2 space probe is launched, carrying with it a "Golden Record" of sounds and images representing Earth. More
1972 Stax Records commemorates the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots with a star-studded benefit concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. More than 100,000 fans show up to hear Isaac Hayes, The Bar-Kays, The Staple Singers, and Kim Weston, among others, perform at what becomes known as Black Woodstock.More
1948 Robert Plant is born in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. Best known at Led Zeppelin's lead singer, he wins the Album of the Year Grammy for Raising Sand, his 2007 collaboration with Alison Krauss.
1942 Soul superstar Isaac Hayes is born in Covington, Tennessee.
20 AUGUST
In Music History
2020 Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali dies of pancreatic cancer at 68.
2018 The RIAA certifies the Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 at 38 million units, making it the best-selling album of all-time in America, besting Michael Jackson's Thriller by 5 million (another Eagles album, Hotel California, is third with 26 million). Worldwide, Thriller is by far the biggest selling album.
2016 Tom Searle of the band Architects dies of skin cancer at age 28.
2016 Former 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts is found dead in a Wisconsin hotel room at age 38, presumably from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
2012 A Green Day version of the video game Angry Birds is released, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool as green pigs. Players can unlock a new Green Day song from the 10th level of the game.
2011 Jazz singer Ross Barbour (of The Four Freshmen) dies of cancer in Simi Valley, California, at age 82.
2009 Keyboardist/bassist Larry Knechtel (of Bread) dies of a heart attack in Yakima, Washington, at age 69.
2005 On what would have been Phil Lynott's 56th birthday, a concert is held in Dublin featuring Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. Eric Bell, the original lead guitarist with Thin Lizzy, and Gary Moore share the lead on the classic "Whiskey In The Jar."
1997 The "Hank Williams Memorial Lost Highway" is dedicated in Alabama, where the singer was born. The 50-mile stretch on Interstate 65 starts at his childhood home of Georgiana and ends in Montgomery, the site of his grave. The ceremony takes place in Montgomery (the state capitol), with Hank Williams Jr. on hand to speak.
1992 Sting marries Trudie Styler at their estate in Wiltshire, England. The couple first met in 1977 when Sting was a struggling musician and Trudie was trying to make it as an actress.
1992 Demi Lovato is born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1991 Spin Doctors release their debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite. It sells over 5 million copies thanks to the hits "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes."More
1990 Prince releases his album Graffiti Bridge, which contains the tracks "Thieves In The Temple" and "New Power Generation."More
1988 Soundgarden play Capitol Lake Park in Olympia, Washington as part of Capitol Lake Jam. Also on the bill: Nirvana.
1987 Metallica play a secret show at The 100 Club in London. Two days later, they play Donington Park at Castle Donington as part of the massive Monsters of Rock Festival, headlined by Bon Jovi.
Bob Dylan Releases Slow Train Coming
1979Bob Dylan, a recent convert to Christianity, releases the faith-driven album Slow Train Coming.
The Jewish-born singer's journey to Christianity started a year earlier when a fan tossed a silver cross onstage during a concert. A few days later, Dylan claims Jesus showed up in his Arizona hotel room. "Jesus did appear to me as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords," he explained. "There was a presence in the room that couldn't have been anybody but Jesus ... Jesus put his hand on me. It was a physical thing. I felt it. I felt it all over me. I felt my whole body tremble. The glory of the Lord knocked me down and picked me up." Dylan began wearing the cross throughout the rest of the tour and started revamping his songs with biblical references. When he wasn't on the road, he was in Bible classes at the Vineyard School of Discipleship. Meanwhile, he began work on a new collection of songs to reflect his spiritual awakening. Without divulging the religious tone of the album, Dylan assembled his band: Mark Knopfler and Pick Withers of the newly debuted Dire Straits, and studio musicians Tim Drummond on bass and Barry Beckett on keyboards. Jerry Wexler, known for producing gospel-influenced soul singers like Aretha Franklin, agreed to helm the sessions at Alabama's Muscle Shoals Studio. Well aware that Dylan's previous album, the pop-rock effort Street-Legal, was widely panned by critics, the musicians were expecting a new direction. But they weren't expecting a whole new Dylan. "All these songs are about God," a shocked Knopfler told his manager. Fans were also surprised to hear the Christian polemic, including "Slow Train" – a lament about moral decay in America - "Gotta Serve Somebody" - a testament to giving one's life over to Jesus – and the religious love song "Precious Angel." Some booed when they heard the new material, but the faith-driven songs opened up a new Christian fanbase for Dylan. Critics were torn over Dylan's new worldview, but most praised the album's blues rock/gospel production. Slow Train Coming peaked at #3 on the albums chart and "Gotta Serve Somebody" earned the singer a Grammy for Best Male Vocal.
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