Pick a Day

Music History Events: Milestones

April 15, 1991 MC Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em becomes the first rap album to go Diamond, for sales of 10 million copies in America.

February 20, 1991 Alison Krauss wins her first Grammy Award when I've Got That Old Feeling takes Best Bluegrass Recording. By 2016, Krauss wins 26 more statuettes, surpassing Aretha Franklin as the most-awarded female artist in Grammy history and tying for second place with Quincy Jones as the most-awarded living recipient.

May 2, 1989 The Cure issue a gloomy record that's predicted to be commercial suicide, but ends up being their best seller: Disintegration. It boasts their biggest pop hits, "Lovesong" and "Lullaby."More

February 22, 1989 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) win the first-ever rap Grammy (Best Rap Performance) for "Parents Just Don't Understand," their comic tune built from the I Dream of Jeannie theme song.

August 11, 1987 LL Cool J's second album, Bigger And Deffer, goes Platinum, making him the first rap solo act to hit that mark.

February 10, 1987 Randy Travis' Storms Of Life becomes the first debut country album certified for selling a million copies within its first year of release.

November 21, 1986 Switched-On Bach, an album of Moog synthesizer interpretations of classical compositions, becomes just the second classical album certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album was released in 1969 by Walter Carlos, who in the late '70s switched gender, becoming Wendy Carlos.

April 14, 1986 LL Cool J becomes the first solo rapper with a Gold album when his debut, Radio, is certified for sales of 500,000 in America. He becomes the first Platinum solo rapper a year later when his second album, Bigger And Deffer, sells a million.

October 10, 1985 Luciano Pavarotti's 1976 Christmas album 0 Holy Night becomes the first classical album certified Platinum, with sales of over a million copies in America.

June 18, 1985 Weird Al Yankovic's Dare To Be Stupid, featuring the Devo-inspired title track, makes history as the first album of comedic music ever released on compact disc.

February 26, 1985 The Judds win their first Grammy Award when "Mama He's Crazy" (their first #1 single) is named Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

February 2, 1985 "I Want To Know What Love Is" by Foreigner begins a two-week run at #1 in the US, the first song with a gospel choir to top the chart. The song was written by Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones and inspired by the woman who would later become his wife: Ann Dexter-Jones.

December 11, 1983 Run-D.M.C. release their second single, "Hard Times," a song about financial struggles. It's the first rap song to get covered by another rap group, having first appeared on Kurtis Blow's debut album in 1980.

October 8, 1983 "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler stays at #1 in America, with "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" by Air Supply at #2, a configuration that holds for three weeks. Both songs were written and produced by Jim Steinman, making him the first solo writer and producer to hold the top two spots.

September 17, 1983 Vanessa Williams, who later becomes a popular actress and lands a #1 hit with "Save The Best For Last," becomes the first Black woman crowned Miss America. She gives up the title the next year after naked photos of her appear in Penthouse.

May 28, 1983 "Candy Girl" by New Edition goes to #1 in the UK, becoming the first song with a rap to top the chart in that territory.

December 26, 1981 The AC/DC album For Those About to Rock We Salute You goes to #1 in America for the first of three weeks. It's their first #1 album in that country (their previous album, Back In Black, was a slow build and reached just #4), and their last until Black Ice in 2008.

September 29, 1980 Kurtis Blow releases his self-titled debut album. Released on Mercury Records, it's the first rap album issued on a major label.

January 5, 1980 "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang becomes first rap song to hit the Top 40 when it reaches #37 on the chart.

January 30, 1979 Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand's duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" becomes the first 12-inch single certified Gold by the RIAA.

August 21, 1976 The first punk festival in Europe takes place at a bullfighting ring in the small town of Mont de Marsen in France. Acts include Eddie And The Hot Rods, The Damned, and Brinsley Schwarz.

June 16, 1975 Singer Adam Wade becomes the first African-American game show host when Musical Chairs debuts on CBS. The short-lived series is created by noted record producer Don Kirshner, and features a slew of musical guests, including The Tokens, The Spinners, and Sister Sledge.

February 15, 1975 Performing "People Gotta Move," Gino Vannelli becomes the first white singer to perform on Soul Train, beating Elton John by a few months. The first white musician to play the show was guitarist Dennis Coffey with his instrumental hit "Scorpio" in 1972.

July 9, 1974 In Seattle, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young play a four-hour show to kick off their reunion tour (they haven't toured together since 1970). It's the first rock stadium tour - not a great fit for the band, who aren't loud or flamboyant. After the tour, they start recording an album but part ways before it's finished.

December 9, 1972 Helen Reddy becomes the first Australian to land a #1 hit in America when "I Am Woman" tops the chart.

January 8, 1972 Dennis Coffey becomes the first white performer on Soul Train, performing his hit "Scorpio."

April 13, 1970 Loretta Lynn becomes the first female country artist with a gold album when Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind), featuring the chart-topping title song, is certified by the RIAA.

October 16, 1965 The Family Dog hosts A Tribute to Dr. Strange at the Longshoreman's Hall in San Francisco. It's the world's first full-scale psychedelic music show, drawing inspiration from the Charlatans' six-week Red Dog Saloon residency.

June 21, 1965 The Charlatans begin a six-week residency at the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. These are the first psychedelic shows ever, and the poster promoting the event (later called "the Seed") is the world's first-ever psychedelic music poster.More

March 8, 1963 "Please Please Me" by The Beatles shows up at #40 on the Chicago radio station WLS' weekly Silver Dollar Survey, marking the first time a Beatles song makes a radio station survey in America. WLS very likely became the first US radio station to play a Beatles song when they put "Please Please Me" on the air.