1973 - With a boulder on his shoulder, feelin' kinda older, 23-year-old Bruce Springsteen releases his first album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Asbury Park painted a portrait of teenagers cocksure of themselves, yet bowled over by their discovery of the world. It was saved from pretentiousness (if not preciousness) by its sense of humor and by the careful eye for detail that kept even the most high-flown language rooted.
1978 - The Sex Pistols made their U.S. debut at the Great Southeast Music Hall in Atlanta. After a run through "God Save The Queen", Johnny rotten said, "Forget about starin' at us, just fuckin' dance. We're all ugly and we know it." The New York Times gave the show a positive review, saying the band overcame technical crudeness with angry energy.
After the show, bassist Sid Vicious made a stop at Piedmont Hospital after slitting his wrist with a letter opener at a fan’s apartment. The band broke up nine days later. (Photo credit should read JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP via Getty Images)
1979 - Prince made his live debut at the Capri Theatre, Minneapolis. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop his music. Uh, he did.
1997 - Johnny Cash plays Coyote, Homer Simpson's imaginary guru, on The Simpsons. Coyote tells Homer to buy more material possessions. Watch below...careful with the Insanity Peppers.
2019 - The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne marries Katy Weaver in his hometown of Oklahoma City. The wedding itself takes place inside a plastic bubble like the one Coyne uses to surf crowds.
Birthdays:
Producer Sam Phillips of Sun Records was born today in 1923. Sam Phillips was not just one of the most important producers in rock history. There's a good argument to be made that he was also one of the most important figures in 20th century American culture. As owner of Sun Records and frequent producer of discs at his Sun Studios he was vital to launching the careers of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Rufus Thomas, and numerous other significant artists. He was fusing the best of White and Black, and of R&B and C&W -- the main ingredients in the recipe that gave birth to rock & roll. In the mid-'50s in Memphis, when much of America and most of the South was racially segregated, this took not just artistic vision but personal courage.
Chris Stein of Blondie is 73. Debbie Harry received the lion's share of attention during Blondie's reign during the late '70s and early '80s, but guitarist Chris Stein is often credited with helping to shape the group's sound, as he penned (or co-penned) most of the group's best-known songs. Stein is also an accomplished photographer.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from Robert Christgau home page, New York Times, Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.