This Week in Rock and Roll History, November 24 – 30
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June 7, 2022This Week in Rock and Roll History, December 1 – 10
This Week in Rock and Roll History, December 1 – 10
It’s Throwback Thursday! Here’s what happened this week in Boss rock n’ roll history.
December 1
1973: The Carpenters went to No. 1 on the singles chart with “Top Of The World,” the duo’s second of three No. 1 singles; it followed “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and preceded “Please, Mr. Postman.” 1997: Kenny G set a new world record when he held a note on his saxophone for 45 minutes and 47 seconds.
December 2
1983: MTV aired the full 14-minute version of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video for the first time. Now regarded as the most influential pop music video of all time, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2009, the first music video ever to receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
December 3
2007: Diana Ross and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson both collected awards for contributions to U.S. culture, in a ceremony in Washington attended by President Bush. Hootie and the Blowfish paid tribute to Brian Wilson with a medley of some of the Beach Boys’ best-known songs. 2014: Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was named the most-streamed artist in the world by Spotify.
December 4
1980: Two months after the tragic death of drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin made the decision to break up; the surviving members decided that it was not right to tamper with their legacy by bringing someone else in to play drums.
December 5
1992: Whitney Houston started a 10-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “I Will Always Love You.”
December 6
1969: Led Zeppelin made their debut on the singles chart with “Whole Lotta Love;” it went on to make No. 4 on the chart and was the first of six U.S. Top 40 singles for the group.
December 7
1967: Otis Redding went into the studio to record “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay,” which went on to be his biggest hit. Redding didn’t see its release; he was killed three days later in a plane crash. Born today, 1942: Singer and songwriter Harry Chapin.
December 8
1980: John Lennon was shot five times by 25-year-old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York City where John and Yoko lived. Born today, 1943: Jim Morrison, singer and lyricist with The Doors.
December 9
2013: Recipients honored at the 36th annual national John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts were pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer Herbie Hancock; singer and songwriter Billy Joel and guitarist and songwriter Carlos Santana.
December 10
1975: ABBA released “Fernando.” The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with six million copies sold in 1976 alone; it’s one of the fewer than 40 singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.
