It’s May 21st and here are some reasons why this day matters in rock history:
- In 2010, U2's Bono underwent emergency surgery at a hospital in Munich, Germany after he injured himself while getting ready for the launch of the band’s North American tour.
- In 1983, “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The guitar solo at the end of the song was performed by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
- In 1979, Elton John performed the first of eight concerts in the USSR. Other Western artists had performed there but Billboard reported that John was "the first out-and-out rock artist to appear in the USSR."
- In 1996, Soundgarden released Down On The Upside. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart but the band would not release another studio album for 16 years.
- In 1977, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours bumps The Eagles’ Hotel California from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the second time. Rumours stayed at the top of the chart for eight consecutive weeks, then returned for 19 more.
- In 2016, former Megadeth drummer Nick Menza, died after suffering a heart attack while performing in Los Angeles with his band OHM. He was 51.
- In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles to record the protest song “Ohio,” which was written by Canada’s Neil Young in response o the Kent State shootings weeks earlier.
- And, in 2015, Black Sabbath was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for songwriting at the 60th Ivor Novello Awards in London. “I’m still always writing songs,” Tony Iommi said. “Even when we’re not touring, I will sit in the bedroom and write songs, just for my own pleasure. It’s not something I can switch off, really.”
And that's what happened today in rock history.
Original article by John R. Kennedy, based on a format by Dave Basner at iHeartRadio