1975 - After releasing the single and album Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen had the rare honor of simultaneous covers on both Time and Newsweek magazines in the US. According to Peter Ames Carlin’s 2012 biography, Bruce, it wasn’t a coincidence. Jay Cocks of Time found out that Maureen Orth of Newsweek was doing a piece about Springsteen and convinced his editor that they were about to be one-upped by their chief competitor.
1982 - Prince releases his fifth album, 1999. It's a breakthrough, selling well over 5 million copies worldwide, thanks to "Little Red Corvette" and the title track. It's a double album that takes funk, pop, and even rockabilly into the computer age. Sure, Prince stretches out a bit too much over the course of 1999, but the result is a stunning display of raw talent, not wallowing indulgence.
1986 - David Byrne, who has recently directed the movie True Stories (with a soundtrack by his band, Talking Heads), makes the cover of Time magazine under the headline "Rock's Renaissance Man."
1988 - U2's film 'Rattle And Hum', received its world wide premiere in the group's hometown Dublin. Some of the concert scenes were shot at the old McNichols Arena.
2006 - Amy Winehouse released her second and final studio album Back to Black. Although Back to Black does see her deserting the jazz of her debut, Frank, and wholly embracing contemporary R&B, all the best parts of her musical character emerge intact, and actually, are all the better for the transformation from jazz vocalist to soul siren.
2013 - Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed died at the age of 71. An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, he underwent a liver transplant in Cleveland in April 2013. His songwriting -- unusually literate and often embracing themes that flouted society's conventions, especially in terms of drugs and sex -- broke fresh ground that other artists would follow, and his willingness to confront his audience made him a vitally important precursor to the punk revolution of the mid- to late '70s. He often said that his goal was to apply the freedom and creative sensibility of literature to rock music. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Garry Tallent, bassist in the E Street Band. Not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent is the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band.
Simon Le Bon, Duran Duran singer is 63.
Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots, was born on this date in 1967.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from Ultimate classic Rock, Allmusic, This Day In Music, Songfacts, and Wikipedia.