Pick a Day

Music History Events: Milestones

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.

May 23, 1998 A remixed version of Janet Jackson's "I Get Lonely" featuring the R&B group Blackstreet debuts at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Jackson the first female artist in history to land 18 Top-10 hits in a row on the tally.

August 2, 1997 Sweden's teenage electropop sensation Robyn notches her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Do You Know (What It Takes)" peaks at #7 on the chart, nearly two years after it was released on her 1995 debut album, Robyn Is Here.

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.

March 27, 1995 Film composer Hans Zimmer wins his first Academy Award for Best Original Score for his African-inspired music on Disney's The Lion King (1994).

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.

September 1, 1992 Vince Gill releases his fifth studio album, I Still Believe In You, which gives him his first three #1 hits on the Country chart: "I Still Believe In You," "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away," and "One More Last Chance."

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

February 20, 1991 Vince Gill wins his first Grammy Award when "When I Call Your Name" takes Best Male Country Vocal Performance. By 2021, he racks up 22 trophies, continuing his reign as the solo male country artist with the most Grammy wins.

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.

February 20, 1988 Salt-N-Pepa enter the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time when their steamy hip-hop/dance single "Push It" peaks at #19. Everyone assumes the song - punctuated by the refrain "Ooh, baby, baby" - is about sex, but the rappers insist it's not. "No one ever believes us," Sandra "Pepa" Denton laments to The Guardian in 2017. "Honestly, for us, as young girls, it was about dancing."

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.

February 24, 1982 Hall & Oates earn their first Grammy nomination when their Private Eyes album competes for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, which goes to The Manhattan Transfer for "The Boy From New York City." The duo receive four more Grammy nominations throughout their half-century partnership but never take home a trophy.

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.

May 26, 1975 Willie Nelson releases Red Headed Stranger, a concept album about a preacher who kills his cheating wife and her lover. Nelson revives the 1940s weeper "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain" for the project, which becomes his first #1 hit on the Country chart and his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at #21.