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Today in rock history: On this date in 2003, the world mourned the death of one of the most popular musicians of all time, country music legend Johnny Cash. One of the most recognizable and enduring artists of his generation, Cash was known for bending musical confines and dabbling in other genres like gospel, rockabilly, rock and roll, folk and blues. Cash passed away at the age of 71 at a Nashville hospital due to complications from diabetes. His beloved wife of 35 years, June Carter Cash, a member of the renowned musical act The Carter Family, had died only four months before Johnny and many around him felt that his death was the result of a broken heart. Johnny Cash was enjoying an upswing in his career thanks to a series of highly successful records which were produced by hip-hop and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin. Two more records in the series were released posthumously after Johnny’s passing and performed extremely well on sales charts. Johnny Cash has the distinction of being an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame as well as the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a true testament to his musical stature and his versatility.
WOMB TO TOMB
Today in rock history; Happy birthday to Johnny Cash, Jimmy Page "Satisfies" and more
Today in rock history: On this date in 1988, Canadian electronic/industrial band Skinny Puppy released its fourth album, the landmark VIVIsectVI. Widely considered an essential release in the rise of industrial music, the adventurous band covered subject matter like war, AIDS, animal rights and environmental issues on this fine record. Included on the album were Skinny Puppy classics like “Censor” and “Testure,” which were both huge alternative dance club hits. The album is usually referred to as one of the quintessential industrial albums of all time and, in groundbreaking fashion, contained several samples and dialogue from a variety of horror movies, an idea several other industrial and electronic acts would soon adopt. Coming during a highly creative and productive period of the band’s existence, VIVIsectVI is commonly considered to be Skinny Puppy’s finest work by many of the band’s long-standing, dedicated fans.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1984, trailblazing art-rock band Talking Heads released Stop Making Sense, the live album that accompanied the superb concert film the band released earlier that same year. Featuring a large, rhythmic band, the album consisted of fantastic renditions of many of the band’s earlier songs as well as plenty from Speaking in Tongues, the studio album that the band was promoting at the time. Original pressings of the album came packaged with a full-color booklet and are now collector’s items. The album spent over two years on Billboard’s pop albums chart and eventually achieved platinum sales status with over 1 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Widely considered to feature the band at its creative peak, Stop Making Sense included the singles “Once in a Lifetime,” “Girlfriend is Better” and “Slippery People” which benefited greatly from the incendiary live performances from the band and its dynamic lead singer, David Byrne (who is playing a solo set at St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater on September 30).
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Today in rock history: On this date in both 1981 and 2005, Scottish new wave/post-punk band Simple Minds released significant albums. As the 1980s were unfolding, the band released two strong, consistent albums simultaneously. Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call was a 2-LP set that was comprised of two totally separate albums derived from the same recording sessions. Critically acclaimed and revered, the records consisted of some of the band’s most adventurous work, contained the first group of singles that made significant impact on sales charts around the world and marked the beginning of the band being recognized internationally. “The American,” “Sweat in Bullet” and “Love Song” all showed the band’s increasing confidence and its ability to shift into danceable, rhythm-heavy territory which helped garner a wide array of new fans. Twenty-four years later, the band released Black & White 050505, its 14th album. The title is significant in that it refers to the date on which the band wrapped up its recording sessions for the release, May 5, 2005. The band’s strongest and most eagerly anticipated album in several years, the maturity and growth Simple Minds had achieved was noticeable and in turn, the record was reviewed and received favorably in the European music press. Songs like “Home” and “Stay Visible” were some of the band’s strongest and most consistent in many years and showed a new confidence and strength within the veteran band. Simple Minds plays the Mahaffey Theater on November 9 — details on the show are available here.
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This article appears in Sep 6-13, 2018.