September 21, 1979 Bruce Springsteen debuts his song "The River" at a show in Madison Square Garden. He is performing as part of Musicians United For Safe Energy (MUSE) in a protest against nuclear power. Other artists that go on before him have to contend with the constant droning of "Broooooooooooooce," as he's the main attraction. Bonnie Raitt doesn't figure out until after her set that the crowd was not booing her, just anticipating Springsteen's performance.
September 20, 1979 The Clash bass player Paul Simonon, frustrated because the crowd at The Palladium in New York City isn't standing, smashes his instrument on stage. The photo is later used as the cover of their London Calling album.More
September 19, 1979 James Taylor, Jackson Browne, The Doobie Brothers, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt perform at Madison Square Garden for the first of five "no nukes" concerts.More
September 16, 1979 "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang is released. It becomes the first rap song to chart on the the Hot 100.
September 15, 1979 Led Zeppelin's album In Through The Out Door hits #1 in the US, displacing Get The Knack by The Knack. It stays on top for seven weeks, but ends up being their swan song when drummer John Bonham dies a year later.
September 12, 1979 The ABC news program 20/20 runs the special "The Elvis Cover-Up," which alleges that Elvis Presley's death was linked to prescription drugs. When his doctor, George Nichopoulous, is brought to trial, evidence shows that Elvis had prescriptions for about 10,000 doses of drugs just in the year he died (1977).
September 8, 1979 Pink is born Alecia Moore in Abington, Pennsylvania. She becomes a huge pop star with soul-baring songs like "Family Portrait" and party jams like "Raise Your Glass." Highly athletic, she's also the first major singer to do aerial routines while performing, which she incorporates into her act in 2004.
September 1, 1979 "You Light Up My Life" singer Debby Boone marries Gabriel Ferrer, son of Rosemary Clooney and actor Jose Ferrer.
August 20, 1979 Bob Dylan, a recent convert to Christianity, releases the faith-driven album Slow Train Coming. It includes "Gotta Serve Somebody," which peaks at #24, becoming Dylan's last single to crack the top 40 in the US.More
August 18, 1979 Nick Lowe marries Johnny Cash's stepdaughter, country singer Carlene Carter, in Los Angeles. The wedding is reenacted in Lowe's video for "Cruel To Be Kind." The pair get divorced in 1990.
August 3, 1979 Talking Heads release their third album, Fear of Music. Produced by Brian Eno, it's full of one-word titles, including "Heaven," "Air" and "Drugs."
July 29, 1979 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers conclude their "Lawsuit Tour" with a show at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Petty embarked on the tour to raise money for his legal battles with MCA Records.More
July 23, 1979 Iran's new leader, the Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, bans rock and roll as a corruptive influence on the people, a decision that eventually inspires both the graphic novel Perseopolis and the Clash song "Rock The Casbah."
July 22, 1979 Little Richard, who has been preaching of his salvation throughout the United States, makes his famous statement, "If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody."More
July 14, 1979 Donna Summer's "Bad Girls," a song about prostitutes, hits #1 in America.More
July 12, 1979 Soul singer Minnie Riperton, known for her hit "Lovin' You," dies of breast cancer at age 31. Her daughter, Maya Rudolph, is 6 years old.
July 12, 1979 It's "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park, where the White Sox and Tigers are playing a doubleheader. The plan is to blow up a bunch of disco albums between games, but it goes horribly wrong when fans become unruly and rush the field, forcing the White Sox to forfeit the second game.More
July 11, 1979 The space station Skylab crashes to Earth after six years in space. Leading up to the event, Electric Light Orchestra take out ads in trade magazines dedicating their new single, "Don't Bring Me Down," to Skylab.
July 1, 1979 The Sony Walkman debuts in Japan, making music portable.More
June 26, 1979 Nathan Followill (drummer for Kings of Leon) is born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to a family that will later include younger brothers - and future bandmates - Caleb and Jared.
June 22, 1979 Neil Young releases his highly lauded live album, Rust Never Sleeps. It contains several new songs that go on to be Young favorites, including "Powderfinger," "My My, Hey Hey," and "Pocahontas."
June 15, 1979 Unknown Pleasures, the debut long-player from British post-punk band Joy Division, is released. Although it does not chart, it becomes hugely influential and is widely critically acclaimed as one of the defining albums of the post-punk era.More
June 12, 1979 Electropop singer Robyn is born Robin Miriam Carlsson in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1995 the 16-year-old releases her debut album, Robyn Is Here, which yields her first pair of Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love."
June 4, 1979 US President Jimmy Carter hosts Chuck Berry, who plays a concert for The First Family at the White House.
June 4, 1979 Fleetwood Mac record the USC Trojan Marching Band at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for use in their song "Tusk," the title track to their first album since Rumours. A film crew captures the action (including Stevie Nicks deftly twirling a baton) which is made into the video for the song.More
May 23, 1979 The Third Barry Manilow Special airs on ABC. A mix of music and comedy, it includes an appearance by John Denver, who commiserates with Manilow on how critics can't stand them despite their legions of fans.
May 23, 1979 Responding to a wave of lawsuits after refusing to transfer his contract to MCA Records, Tom Petty files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a bold move that halts the legal proceedings and forces MCA to negotiate.More
May 21, 1979 Time magazine runs a story on Rickie Lee Jones titled "The Duchess of Coolsville," a reference to the song "Coolsville" on her debut album. The moniker sticks.
May 19, 1979 Two months after they are married, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd finally get a wedding reception, as Clapton gets a break in touring. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are guests, and jam together for the first time in almost 10 years.
May 10, 1979 A judge rules in favor of Peter Frampton in the lawsuit brought against him by Penny McCall, his live-in girlfriend from 1973-1978 and the inspiration behind songs like "Show Me The Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way." She wanted half of his earnings from their time together, but they were never married and never had a formal agreement. The case sets a legal precedent for cohabitating couples.
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