November 16, 1974 John Lennon's album Walls And Bridges and single "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" hit #1 in America. Elton John, who sang and played piano on the track, had bet Lennon that it would hit the top spot. As the bet's loser, Lennon has to join Elton on stage at a Madison Square Garden concert, which he does on November 28 to a manic ovation.
November 9, 1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive become just the second Canadian band to hit #1 in America when "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" claims the top spot. The first to do it was another Randy Bachman band: The Guess Who, who topped the chart with "American Woman" in 1970.
November 2, 1974 Nelly is born Cornell Haynes, Jr. in Austin, Texas, but grows up in St. Louis, where he becomes the first major rapper to emerge from the city.
November 2, 1974 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's greatest hits album So Far goes to #1 in America. The group hasn't released a studio album since 1970 but has reunited for a tour and plans to start recording again. Unfortunately, longstanding squabbles resurface and the new album doesn't materialize.
October 30, 1974 At the "Rumble In The Jungle" in Zaire, Africa, boxer Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman (unbeaten in 40 fights) in the eighth round in a stunning victory that earns him the heavyweight title he was stripped of for refusing induction into the US Army in 1967. The fight is recounted in the 1975 hit "Black Superman" by Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band.More
October 26, 1974 "Then Came You," a duet between The Spinners and Dionne Warwick, goes to #1 in America. It's the only chart-topper for either act.
October 19, 1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive hit #1 in America with the album Not Fragile, the title a play on the Yes album Fragile. Hits from the set include "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "Roll On Down the Highway."
October 18, 1974 Al Green's "Grits Incident": When a stewardess friend of Green's shows up to meet the singer, he ends up at his Memphis home with her and his companion, Mary Woodson, who is dangerously obsessed with the singer. When Green goes into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Woodson bursts in and pours a pot of boiling grits on him, burning him badly before going in the next room and killing herself with his gun. Green takes these disturbing events as a sign from God and focuses his career on gospel music and preaching.More
October 15, 1974 Tom Waits releases his second album, The Heart of Saturday Night. Written as a tribute to Beat novelist Jack Kerouac, its songs celebrate blue collar (and no collar) life lived "cruising the strip" and exploring pool halls, nightclubs, and all-night restaurants. It fails to capture Waits mainstream radio success, but moves him closer to the cult-hero status that will shape his career.
October 14, 1974 Nashville veterans worry about the sanctity of country music when Olivia Newton-John wins Female Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards.More
October 13, 1974 Renowned television host Ed Sullivan dies of esophageal cancer in New York City, at age 73. One of the biggest events in music history unfolded on his program, The Ed Sullivan Show, when a new group from Liverpool called The Beatles made their live US debut.
October 4, 1974 At a concert in Wales, Thin Lizzy introduce their new lineup, with new additions Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson providing a twin-guitar attack.
September 26, 1974 John Lennon releases Walls And Bridges. The album includes the chart-topping hit "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," which features a guest appearance by Elton John, and the Top-10 single "#9 Dream."
September 23, 1974 John Lennon releases "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" in the US. The track features Elton John on backing vocals and keyboards.
September 22, 1974 The Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman boxing match (the "Rumble In The Jungle") in Zaire is postponed, but a concert festival promoting the event goes on anyway, with Bill Withers, The Spinners and Celia Cruz performing along with the African artist Tabu Ley Rochereau.More
September 12, 1974 Country singer Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) is born in Douglas, Georgia.
August 26, 1974 As part of As part of Women's Equality Day, the National Organization of Women give Paul Anka their "Keep Her In Her Place" award for his song "(You're) Having My Baby."
August 24, 1974 Paul Anka's "(You're) Having My Baby" hits #1 for the first of three weeks despite condemnation from feminist groups.More
August 23, 1974 John Lennon claims to see a UFO from his New York apartment. He describes it as an archetypal flying saucer, surrounded by lights with a red one on top. In his next album, Walls and Bridges, he includes this note in the booklet: "On the 23rd August 1974 at 9 o'clock I saw a U.F.O. - J.L."
August 14, 1974 Paul Anka's "(You're) Having My Baby" is certified Gold.
August 8, 1974 Richard Nixon says he will be resigning as president of the United States. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, on tour in New Jersey, announce the news from the stage before playing their anti-Nixon song "Ohio."
July 13, 1974 George McRae's "Rock Your Baby" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
July 9, 1974 In Seattle, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young play a four-hour show to kick off their reunion tour (they haven't toured together since 1970). It's the first rock stadium tour - not a great fit for the band, who aren't loud or flamboyant. After the tour, they start recording an album but part ways before it's finished.
June 29, 1974 Neil Peart replaces John Rutsey as the drummer for Rush. Rutsey played on the band's first album, but Peart plays on the next 18, joining Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson in one of the most venerable and productive partnerships in rock history.
June 8, 1974 Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band On The Run" hits #1.
June 8, 1974 Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" goes to #1 on the Country chart. Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston's R&B version tops the Hot 100 and becomes one of the best-selling singles of all time.More
June 5, 1974 Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone marries Kathy Silva, the mother of his 11-month-old son, on stage before the band's sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Bishop Stewart, Sly's uncle, officiates before the crowd of 19,000; Silva files for divorce five months later.
May 26, 1974 An overenthusiastic crowd at a David Cassidy concert in London rushes the stage, injuring a thousand screaming fans and crushing 14-year-old Bernadette Whelan, who dies from her injuries four days later. A distraught Cassidy refuses to tour for the next 11 years.
May 23, 1974 Jewel Kilcher is born in Payson, Utah. Raised in Homer, Alaska, she rises to fame using just the name Jewel. Her debut album, Pieces Of You, released in 1995 when she's 20, catches on a year later thanks to the hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me." It sells over 12 million copies and moves Jewel into the upper echelon of singer-songwriters.
May 17, 1974 NBC-TV's The Midnight Special offers another salute to '50s and '60s rock n' roll, with Frankie Avalon as host and performances by Sam & Dave, Lou Christie, Frankie Ford, The Fleetwoods, Shirley & Lee, and Fabian.
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