Calendar Search Results: the song making it
September 27, 1973 The syndicated music show Don Kirshner's Rock Concert debuts with a performance by The Rolling Stones, making their first appearance on US television in six years. Fittingly, they play "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll."
April 5, 1973 Singer/superproducer Pharrell Williams is born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As half of the hip-hop production duo The Neptunes, he's a prime architect of the popular music landscape of the 2000s.
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June 3, 1972 With Martha Reeves and Stevie Wonder opening, The Rolling Stones kick off their Exile On Main Street tour in Vancouver, BC. The 32-date tour grosses $4 million, making it the richest rock tour in history at the time.
October 15, 1971 Rick Nelson (formerly Ricky) plays the "Rock & Roll Spectacular" concert at Madison Square Garden. When he plays some newer songs, the hit-hungry audience boos. Nelson writes the song "Garden Party" about the experience, and it becomes a hit, reviving his career.More
November 7, 1970 MGM Records president Mike Curb announces that his label is dumping 18 acts that "exploit and promote hard drugs through music."More
January 26, 1970 The Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water is released, with the title track simultaneously issued as a single.More
July 24, 1969 Jennifer Lopez is born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City.More
January 30, 1969 The Beatles stage their famous rooftop concert on the roof of Apple Records in London. After performing a few songs, including "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down," the police shut them down as a large crowd gathers. It is The Beatles' last public performance.More
December 8, 1968 Graham Nash plays his last gig with The Hollies, a charity concert in London. He moves on with Crosby, Stills and Nash; The Hollies replace him with Terry Sylvester and continue their hit-making ways with "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," "Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)" and "The Air That I Breathe."
November 9, 1967 The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine is published, with a photo of John Lennon on the cover and items about David Crosby, The Who and Country Joe McDonald (of Country Joe & the Fish).More
September 12, 1966 The Monkees TV show makes its debut, with four actors chosen to portray a pop band based on The Beatles. While The Monkees are a fictional band, they become very real and eventually play on their own recordings instead of studio musicians.More
June 20, 1966 Bob Dylan releases the "thin, wild mercury" sound of Blonde on Blonde, rock's first double album. Minds are blown.More
February 26, 1966 Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" climbs to #1 in America.More
December 9, 1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas makes its debut, airing on CBS in place of The Munsters. The famous score, which becomes synonymous with the Peanuts, is written by the jazz musician Vince Guaraldi and performed by his trio.More
March 27, 1965 The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love" hits #1 in the US, making them the first act with four consecutive #1 singles on the Hot 100.
October 31, 1964 "Baby Love" by The Supremes goes to #1 in America, giving them their second chart-topper (following "Where Did Our Love Go") and making them the first Motown act with two #1 hits.
September 22, 1964 The musical Fiddler on the Roof makes its Broadway debut at the Imperial Theatre.More
June 2, 1964 The day after arriving in America for their first US tour, The Rolling Stones appear on American TV for the first time when they are interviewed on The Les Crane Show. When Crane asks if they are excited to be making their first US TV appearance, Keith Richards sarcastically replies, "Yeah, it knocks me out."
May 23, 1964 Ella Fitzgerald's cover of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" enters the UK chart, making her the first outside artist to have a hit with a Beatles song.
February 1, 1964 Indiana Governor Matthew Walsh bans the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie," calling it "pornographic" and making (literally) a federal case out of it.More
October 31, 1962 The "Monster Mash" rules the airwaves, becoming the most popular Halloween song of all time.More
February 7, 1962 Garth Brooks is born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma; he's raised in Yukon, Oklahoma.More
September 29, 1961 The New York Times publishes a glowing review of a Bob Dylan performance, giving the 20-year-old upstart his first press in a major publication.More
May 23, 1960 The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks. In the UK, it has been at #1 since May 11, making it the first song to top both charts at the same time.
October 5, 1959 Bobby Darin's swinging version of "Mack the Knife," a song about a killer from The Threepenny Opera, hits #1 on the Hot 100 and stays there for an astonishing nine weeks. Darin, who is known for lighter fare like "Splish Splash," gains a more adult following, putting him on par with Frank Sinatra.More
September 12, 1957 Hans Zimmer is born in Frankfurt, Germany. Known for his innovative style of combining electronic and traditional instrumentation, he becomes one of the most sought-after film composers in Hollywood. He lands his breakthrough gig with the 1988 movie Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, and writes the music on a Fairlight digital synthesizer. He goes on to score hit movies like Gladiator (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), The Lion King (1994), and Dune (2021), with the latter two earning him his first Academy Award wins for Best Original Score.More
September 8, 1955 In an attempt to hide the wrinkles in his suit, Chuck Berry does the duck walk for the first time.More
July 9, 1955 Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first Rock song to hit #1 on the Billboard Pop chart, where it stays for eight weeks. The song was originally released as a the B-side of "Thirteen Women," but became a massive hit after it appeared in the film Blackboard Jungle.More
March 15, 1955 Dee Snider (lead singer of Twisted Sister) is born in Astoria, Queens, New York.More
December 10, 1953 The first issue of Playboy magazine is published (Marilyn Monroe is on the cover). Over the next two decades, "playboy" shows up in several hit songs:
"Playboy" by Marvelettes (1962)
"He's Just A Playboy" by The Drifters (1964)
"Playboy" by Gene & Debbe (1968)
"International Playboy" by Wilson Pickett (1973)More
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