This Day in Music History | Page 5 of 10

Throwback Thursday: Carole King, Live in Central Park

May 25, 2017

On this day in 1973, celebrated singer-songwriter, Carole King, performed a free concert in New York City’s Central Park for an audience of roughly 70,000 people. The most successful female songwriter of the 1960’s and 1970’s, King had released her most critically acclaimed album, “Tapestry,” just two years prior. The album, which went on to be one of the best selling albums of all time, solidified her title as “The Queen of Rock.” The Central Park Concert, which lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, took place on the Great Lawn behind the Delacorte Theater and drew the largest crowd the city’s Parks Department had seen at the time. Celebrities in attendance included Joni Mitchell and Jack Nicholson. The concert was staged by Chip Monck, who previously helped mastermind a little music festival called Woodstock. King began the night with “Beautiful,” and ended with “You’ve Got a Friend.”

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Throwback Thursday: Backstreet Boys, “Millennium”

May 18, 2017

This Day in Music History

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On this day in 1999, iconic 90’s boy band, the Backstreet Boys, released their third, and most successful, studio album, “Millennium,” which featured the singles “Larger than Life,” “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” and “I Want It That Way.” “I Want It That Way” eventually became the Orlando based group’s biggest hit to date. On the day of the album’s release, the group appeared on MTV’s Total Request Live (RIP) in front of hundreds of screaming fans. “Millennium” became the best selling album of 1999, selling 9,445,732 albums. Of those albums, nearly 500,000 in the US were sold on the first day alone. Although the boy band craze of the 90’s died with the Beanie Baby, the Backstreet Boys are still making music and are set to release their ninth studio album this year. On top of that, the group recently began a four month Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood called “Backstreet Boys: Larger Than Life.”

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Throwback Thursday: Saying Goodbye to Music Icon Bob Marley

May 11, 2017

This Day in Music History

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On this day in 1981, Jamaican reggae musician, Bob Marley, died in a Miami hospital from complications caused by skin cancer. With hits like “One Love,” “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and “Buffalo Soldier,” Marley popularized reggae music across the world, and is best known for his mellow sound and messages of peace and acceptance. To this day, Marley is still seen as an icon for anti-racism. In 1994, Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2001, he was bestowed a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His dying words, spoken to his son, Ziggy, were: “Money can’t buy life.”

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Throwback Thursday: “May the fourth be with you!”

May 4, 2017

This Day in Music History

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“May the fourth be with you!” On this day in 2011, the first organized celebration of “Star Wars Day” was held in Toronto, Canada. This day was chosen to celebrate the Star Wars franchise, created by George Lucas, because of it’s pun with the Jedi phrase “May the force be with you.” Since the “unofficial” holiday’s founding in 2011, Star Wars fans across the galaxy use this day to show off their Jedi pride by dressing up as their favorite character, going to trivia events, and of course, re-watching all the Star Wars films (but maybe skipping Episode I. Sorry Jar Jar…) The music for the immediately recognizable Star Wars theme song was written by legendary composer John Williams. Find a droid, grab your lightsaber, and listen below.

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Throwback Thursday: The Reopening of The Fillmore, San Francisco

April 27, 2017

This Day in Music History

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On this day in 1994, San Francisco’s historic concert venue, The Fillmore, reopened to the public after years of refurbishments. Originally built in 1912 as a dance hall, The Fillmore was made famous thanks to legendary concert promoter, Bill Graham, who began booking high profile shows there throughout the 1960’s. Pretty soon, the San Francisco venue become a mainstay for the decade’s burgeoning counterculture, playing host to artists such as The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix. In the early 1980’s under new management, The Fillmore became a punk rock venue called The Elite Club, but several years later, Graham decided to take it back. Unfortunately, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Bay Area in 1989, severely damaging the building and forcing it to close. Then, in 1991, Graham was killed in a helicopter crash. In honor of his memory, Graham’s family and friends decided to refurbish and retrofit The Fillmore, restoring it to it’s former glory. The Fillmore reopened to the public on April 27, 1994 with a surprise performance by the Smashing Pumpkins.

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