1970 - Paul McCartney released his debut solo album, McCartney (the black cover with the cherries). Paul McCartney retreated from the spotlight of the Beatles by recording his first solo album at his home studio, performing nearly all of the instruments himself. Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged McCartney classics, the rest of the album is charmingly slight, especially if it is read as a way to bring Paul back to earth after the heights of the Beatles.
1983 - Joe Strummer of The Clash ran the London Marathon, finishing with a time of 4 hours 13 minutes. He claimed that his training included 10 pints of beer the night before.
1989 - Pixies release their second album, Doolittle. The Pixies' arty, noisy weirdness mix with just enough hooks to produce gleefully demented singles, but there are still plenty of weird, abrasive vignettes. From "Here Comes Your Man" to "Wave Of Mutilation", Doolittle's wide-ranging moods and sounds make it one of their most eclectic and ambitious. A fun, freaky alternative to most other late-'80s college rock. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
Birthdays:
Jan Hammer is 75. Played with Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jeff Beck.
He scored the solo,1985 US No.1 single 'Miami Vice Theme'.
Pete Shelley was born today in 1955. The leader of the seminal punk band the Buzzcocks. Shelley began a solo career which incorporated the electronic experimentations of Sky Yen with the pop sensibilities of his punk singles.
Afrika Bambaataa is 66. A seminal Bronx DJ during the 1970s, Afrika Bambaataa ascended to godfather status with "Planet Rock," the 1982 hip-hop classic that blended the beats of hip-hop with techno-pop futurism inspired by German pioneers Kraftwerk. Even before he began recording in 1980, Bambaataa was hip-hop's foremost DJ, an organizer and promoter of the large block parties during the mid- to late '70s that presaged the rise of rap.
Liz Phair is 56. One of the pivotal figures of American rock & roll in the 1990s, Liz Phair became a sensation with the 1993 release of her debut album in Exile in Guyville. Infamously patterned after the Stones' Exile on Main St., but not the song-by-song response Phair promoted it as.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Allmusic, Song Facts and Wikipedia.
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