1992 Grateful Dead tell stunned fans that they will not play their traditional New Year's Eve concert in San Francisco.
1991 A crowd estimated at 300,000 turns out for a concert honoring promoter Bill Graham, a San Francisco legend who died a week earlier.More
1990 EMF releases "Unbelievable" in the UK. It's a big success, peaking at #3, but does even better when it's released in the US, where it hits #1.
1984 Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" hits #1 in America. The song is customized for different regions, with "African Queen" and "European Queen" versions.
1980 Neil Young releases his 10th studio album, Hawks & Doves.
1979 Days before his 18th birthday, teen idol Leif Garrett, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, crashes his mother's Porsche 914 en route to buy cocaine. He escapes serious injury but his best friend, Roland Winkler, is left a paraplegic.
1979 The Eagles' sixth album, The Long Run, hits #1 in America, where it stays for the rest of 1979 (nine weeks).
1979 Everybody's talkin' 'bout "Pop Muzik" by M, which hits #1 in the US. M is the British electro musician Robin Scott.
1977 At his Wembley Stadium concert in London, Elton John announces his retirement. Behind the scenes he's been struggling with addiction and trying to handle the stresses of stardom. He keeps a light schedule in 1978, but starts touring again in 1979.
1976 Firefall's self-titled album is certified Gold.
1973 Michael Jackson popularizes The Robot when he busts out some futuristic dance moves during a Jackson 5 performance of "Dancing Machine" on Soul Train.
1965 Elvis Presley releases Harum Scarum.
1964 Mayor Ralph Locker of Cleveland, Ohio, bans The Rolling Stones from playing the city ever again after a teenager falls from a balcony during the group's concert. Locker is quoted as commenting, "Such groups do not add to the community's culture or entertainment."
1963 Gale Garnett records "We'll Sing In The Sunshine."
1962 The Crystals' "He's A Rebel" hits #1 for the first of two weeks. None of the actual group appears on the track, as Phil Spector uses Darlene Love to sing lead. The real Crystals learn about the song when they hear it on the radio.
"Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice hits #1 in the US, marking the first time a rapper has topped the chart.
Read more2001 Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair" hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of six weeks. It's the singer's first single to top the chart.
1998 In one of the last years for major album sales, several highly anticipated releases are issued, including Alanis Morissette's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (the followup to Jagged Little Pill), Beck's Mutations, Celine Dion's These Are Special Times, U2's Greatest Hits set, and John Lennon's boxed set.
1998 Britney Spears, 16, releases her first single, "...Baby One More Time." Three months later, it goes to #1 in America.
1995 Hootie & the Blowfish settle out of court with Bob Dylan, who sees their lifting of lyrics from "Tangled Up In Blue" on their hit "Only Want To Be With You" as more plagiarism than tribute.
1990 After being featured prominently in the smash hit film Ghost, The Righteous Brothers' version of "Unchained Melody" returns to the top of the UK charts after 25 years.
1973 Daryl Hall and John Oates release Abandoned Luncheonette, their first album under their own names (a previous album was released as "Whole Oates"). The tracks "Laughing Boy," "She's Gone" and "Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)" become concert favorites for the duo.
1972 Carly Simon and James Taylor get married, forming a musical power couple not seen until Jay-Z and Beyoncé tie the knot. The marriage lasts 11 years.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC