Pick a Day

Music History Events: Milestones

October 31, 2007 Elvis Presley tops the annual Forbes magazine list of most profitable dead celebrities, his estate having taken in $49 million over the past year. John Lennon makes the #2 spot; George Harrison, James Brown, and Bob Marley also make the list.

December 11, 2006 "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey becomes the first ringtone certified Gold for sales of over 500,000.

February 12, 2006 Beyoncé becomes the first woman to star in a #1 movie while having a #1 hit at the same time when The Pink Panther tops the box office as "Check On It" (used in the end credits) remains at the top of the chart. She's the third person to do it, following Prince with Purple Rain and "When Doves Cry," and Eminem with 8 Mile and "Lose Yourself."

June 5, 2004 Usher becomes the first artist since The Bee Gees in 1978 to place three song in the US Top 10: "Burn" - #1 "Yeah!" - #4 "Confessions, Pt. 2" - #9

January 1, 2003 Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem when Michigan's first female governor, Jennifer Granholm, is sworn into office.

February 22, 2001 British newspaper Sunday Mirror reports that The Beatles, who have been broken up for 31 years, are nevertheless the top grossing recording group of the year 2000.

October 22, 1999 The Temptations earn their first platinum record when their 56th album Phoenix Rising finally sells its millionth copy.

November 7, 1998 Little Jimmy Dickens celebrates a historic milestone when he appears on the Grand Ole Opry in a performance that marks 50 years as a member of the show's cast.

June 17, 1997 Blink-182, a pop-punk trio from San Diego, release their major-label debut, Dude Ranch. The album boasts their first rock-radio hit, "Dammit," a breakup tune that blows out bassist Mark Hoppus' vocal chords.More

November 27, 1995 The Beatles' Anthology I sets a first-week sales record of 1.2 million copies.

February 19, 1995 Roxette become just the second Western pop act to play a public concert in China when they perform in a Beijing celebration of the Chinese New Year. To appease censors, the duo changes the lyrics of their song "Making Love to You" to "Making Up to You." Wham! was the first act to break this barrier, with a show in 1984.

September 29, 1994 The Pointer Sisters receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star on Hollywood Boulevard was originally set to be unveiled in January, but an earthquake struck Los Angeles three days before the scheduled ceremony. The Pointers are the first African-American female music group to receive the honor.

June 29, 1994 Barbra Streisand sets a new record after grossing $16 million for a series of Madison Square Garden comeback shows.

June 5, 1993 Toby Keith scores the first of his 20 #1 country hits when his first single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," reaches the top.

March 20, 1991 Michael Jackson signs the largest contract renewal in history to the time, inking a $65 million deal with Sony.

March 4, 1989 Time Inc. and Warner Communications merge into Time Warner, creating the world's largest media company.

January 14, 1989 The soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing reaches sales of ten million copies, which is now known as Diamond certification. The movie was set in 1963, and the soundtrack contained songs from that era along with new ones like "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," which were written for the film.

August 10, 1987 A Chorus Line, the Broadway smash that had become the longest-running show on Broadway four years earlier, celebrates a historic 5,000th performance.

August 16, 1986 A rap album tops the R&B chart for the first time when Run-DMC's Raising Hell supplants Billy Ocean's Love Zone at the top. Albums by LL Cool J, Public Enemy, De La Soul and Slick Rick go to #1 over the next few years.

June 14, 1986 Patti LaBelle lands her first solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "On My Own," a duet with ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald. It holds the top spot for three weeks and also goes to #1 on the R&B chart.

July 29, 1984 Prince becomes the first person to have a #1 song and star in a #1 movie at the same time as Purple Rain tops the box office while "When Doves Cry" stays perched atop the Hot 100 for its fourth consecutive week.

July 23, 1980 Billy Joel gets his first Gold record, for "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me."

April 13, 1980 The musical Grease closes on Broadway after a record 3,883 performances.

February 15, 1979 Barry Manilow wins his first and only Grammy Award when "Copacabana (At The Copa)" is named Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards.

February 1, 1979 Blondie hits #1 in the UK with "Heart Of Glass," the first of their six #1 hits in Britain. Three months later, the song tops the US chart.

March 17, 1978 The Irish high school band U2, which just recently changed their name from The Hype, win the Limerick Civic Week Pop '78 talent competition, earning about $1,000 and a chance to record a demo for CBS Records.

December 31, 1975 Elvis Presley sets a new single-show solo record at a concert in Pontiac, Michigan, which earns $800,000.

June 4, 1975 The Rolling Stones become the first rock band to receive royalties for sales of their records in Russia.

October 25, 1974 The Pointer Sisters become the first Black female group to play the Grand Ole Opry. They earn their invite from their song "Fairytale," which goes on to win a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group.

October 5, 1974 Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" hits #1 for the first of two weeks, making it her first chart-topper in the US.