1957 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel appeared as Tom and Jerry on American Bandstand.
1968 - The Beatles released The Beatles, universally known as The White Album. Never before had a rock record been so self-reflective, or so ironic; there's a Beach Boys send up, British blooze, mock country, ska, proto metal, music hall romp, carnival stomp, and then there's Revolution #9. Each song on the sprawling double album is an entity to itself, as the band touches on anything and everything it can.
In the hands of a lesser band, it could be a frustrating scatter-shot record, but the band turn it into a a singularly gripping musical experience.
1994 - Pearl Jam released their third studio album Vitalogy. While it isn't a concept album, Vitalogy sounds like one. Death and despair shroud the album. But that black cloud works to Pearl Jam's advantage, injecting a nervous tension to the rockers like "and the introspective ballads. Pearl Jam are at their best when they're fighting, whether it's Ticketmaster, fame, or their own personal demons.
BTW, it became the first vinyl album to appear on the U.S. chart, since the domination of the compact disc format. They followed the release in other formats two weeks later, whereupon it became the second-fastest-selling CD in history, behind only the band's previous release Vs.
2011 - At her concert in Madison Square Garden, Taylor Swift brought out James Taylor - whom she's named after - to perform "Fire And Rain" and "Fifteen."
Birthdays:
Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods is 82. Best known as a founding member of the '60s folk-rock outfit the Youngbloods, Jesse Colin Young is a literate singer/songwriter with a warm tenor voice. Based in California since the late '60s, Young has distinguished himself as a broadly influenced performer with songs that touch upon jazz, blues, and country, and often incorporate themes of environmental and anti-war activism. Initially gaining fame with the Youngbloods' 1967 peace anthem "Get Together," he went on to a fruitful solo career, issuing albums like 1973's Song for Juli and 1975's Songbird.
Steven Van Zandt is 73. Steven Van Zandt grew up in the same south New Jersey shore scene as Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny Lyon, and was closely associated with them. He was a member of Springsteen's band Steel Mill in 1969-1970 and the Bruce Springsteen Band in 1971. He worked with Southside Johnny, helping him form the Asbury Jukes in 1974 and playing with the group; but he re-joined Springsteen in the E Street Band in early 1975.
He he organized Artists United Against Apartheid, recording the all-star Top 40 single "Sun City" and released a number of solo albums with the Disciples Of Soul. He turned to acting in 1998, taking a featured role in the successful television series The Sopranos and Lillyhammer. (Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images)
Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads is 73. One of the first bassists to merge funk with punk/alternative music. While a student at the Rhode Island School of Design during the early '70s, Weymouth befriended a local group, the Artistics (which later evolved into Talking Heads), which included David Byrne and drummer Chris Frantz, the latter of whom Weymouth would eventually begin dating and eventually marry. Formed the side project Tom-Tom Club and produced The happy Mondays and Ziggy Marley.
R.I.P.:
1997 - Michael Hutchence of INXS died in Sydney. Born in Australia; raised primarily in Hong Kong, he made his professional debut singing in a commercial for an area toy company at the age of eight.
The family returned to Sydney in 1972. While in high school, Hutchence joined keyboardist Andrew Farriss and keyboardist Garry Gary Beers in a group which would ultimately become INXS with the subsequent additions of guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly and two more Farriss brothers, guitarist Tim and drummer Jon.
He was 37.
On This Day In Music History was sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.
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