Calendar Search Results: u i a song
September 13, 1986 "Take My Breath Away," the big, synthy ballad from the movie Top Gun, goes to #1 in America. It's by the group Berlin, but lead singer Terri Nunn is the only band member to perform on the song, which causes friction in the group that leads to their breakup a year later. The song was written and produced by Giorgio Moroder, who also contributed the Kenny Loggins hit "Danger Zone" to the film.
September 13, 1986 The Communards hit #1 in the UK with their cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way," an American #1 for Thelma Houston in 1977. Their version becomes the top-selling UK single of 1986.
September 6, 1986 Bananarama's cover of "Venus" hits #1 in the US, bringing the English pop trio international fame. The song marks the group's first collaboration with the up-and-coming production team Stock, Aitken and Waterman.More
September 2, 1986 Debbie Gibson, a 16-year-old high school student from Long Island, signs to Atlantic Records, which is impressed by the many songs she has written and demoed in her home studio.
August 29, 1986 Madonna stars in the movie Shanghai Surprise, which bombs at the box office and is pilloried by critics. The film is produced by George Harrison's production company, HandMade Films. He says of the star, "She doesn't have a sense of humor, which is unfortunate, because it was a comedy."
August 28, 1986 The anti-corporate-pollution benefit concert Get Tough On Toxics is held in Long Beach, California, featuring members of Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and Neil Young.
August 22, 1986 The movie Stand By Me is released in theaters. It's based on a novella by Stephen King called The Body, but director Rob Reiner decides to name it after the famous song to play up the friendship storyline and keep it from sounding like a slasher film.More
August 21, 1986 Eric Clapton's son Conor is born. Four years later, Conor dies in a tragic accident, prompting Clapton to write "Tears In Heaven."
August 18, 1986 Bon Jovi release their third album, Slippery When Wet, which catapults them to the top with the hits "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer." Seasoned from years of touring, the group is ready for the big crowds and quickly become a top live draw.
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.
August 16, 1986 At a soggy Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington, England, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen gets a huge ovation when he takes the stage with the band. Twenty months earlier, Allen's left arm was severed in a car accident, and after extensive rehab and some warm-up gigs, he makes a triumphant return at the festival, playing barefoot behind a drum kit modified with electronic pedals. Scorpions and Motörhead are also on the bill, which is headlined by Ozzy Osbourne.
August 9, 1986 At the Knebworth Park Festival in England, Queen play their last concert with Freddie Mercury, who dies five years later. An audience of 120,000 hears them close out with "We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions" and "God Save The Queen."
August 8, 1986 After serving eight months of a five-year sentence in the Huntsville unit of the Texas State Prison, David Crosby gets out on parole. Crosby entered the facility after a series of arrests and failed attempts at drug rehab. He later says that going to prison saved his life, as it forced him to get sober.
July 29, 1986 Paul Davis, known for hits like "I Go Crazy" and "Cool Night," is shot in the stomach during an attempted robbery at a Nashville hotel. He eventually recovers.
July 26, 1986 Peter Gabriel hits #1 in the US with "Sledgehammer," bumping his old band, Genesis (with "Invisible Touch") out of the top spot.
July 19, 1986 Genesis have their first (and only) #1 Hot 100 hit as "Invisible Touch" tops the chart.More
July 15, 1986 Columbia Records, Johnny Cash's home for 28 years, drops the singer from its roster of artists. He signs with Mercury but continues his career decline until 1994, when he releases the first of six acclaimed albums on Rick Rubin's record label.
July 4, 1986 Run-DMC release their rap version of "Walk This Way" featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, the group that released the original version in 1975. It's the first major collaboration between rappers and rockers, proof positive that the styles can work together. Both groups get a huge boost when the song becomes a hit; for Aerosmith, it launches a comeback.
July 3, 1986 Bono's 26-year-old personal assistant Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle act while running an errand in Dublin. U2's next album, The Joshua Tree, is dedicated to Carroll, who inspired the song "One Tree Hill."
July 2, 1986 Lindsay Lohan is born in New York City. She's best known as an actress, but in 2003 she launches a singing career with the song "Ultimate" from her film Freaky Friday. She releases albums in 2004 and 2005 and has a few minor hits, but acting takes priority later in her career.
July 1, 1986 Misfits issue their second compilation, a self-titled, 20-track release with two songs Metallica later cover: "Green Hell" and "Die, Die My Darling."
June 28, 1986 Wham! play their farewell concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Both members - George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley - are just 23. For their last song, "I'm Your Man," they're joined on stage by Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran.
June 16, 1986 The Smiths release their third album, The Queen Is Dead, with a title track that takes a sardonic and spiteful look at the British monarchy. It's the last studio album released before their breakup a year later. (A fourth album, Strangeways, Here We Come, is released soon after their split.)
June 15, 1986 At Giants Stadium in New Jersey, The Police headline the last concert on the Conspiracy of Hope tour, which benefits Amnesty International. They have plans to record an album, but scrap them after drummer Stewart Copeland is injured in a polo match. The trio does not tour again until 2007.
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.
June 11, 1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off his theaters. When Matthew Broderick leads a parade through downtown Chicago to The Beatles "Twist And Shout," it renews interest in the group, and the song soon returns to the charts.
June 9, 1986 Genesis release Invisible Touch, their most successful album. The title track gives them their only #1 hit.
June 6, 1986 Dick Rowe, the Decca Records executive who rejected The Beatles but signed The Rolling Stones, dies of diabetes at age 64.
June 4, 1986 The first of a six-date Conspiracy of Hope tour is held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The concerts benefit Amnesty International and celebrate the human rights organization's 25th anniversary. The shows are headlined by U2 and Sting, and also feature Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers.
June 2, 1986 Randy Travis releases his debut album, Storms Of Life. Thanks to the #1 Country hits "On The Other Hand" and "Diggin' Up Bones," it goes on to sell over 3 million copies, establishing Travis as a star.
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