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Today in rock history: On this date in 1985, one of the very first hip-hop related major motion pictures hit movie theaters across the country. Krush Groove was a film based on the life of Russell Simmons, the since-disgraced founder of leading rap record label Def Jam Recordings. Its cast featured a long list of the day’s most popular music artists including Run-DMC., Sheila E., The Fat Boys and New Edition. The box office hit was panned by film critics, but served as a true testament to the rising popularity and interest in hip-hop music. The movie’s accompanying soundtrack was also a hit, charting very high on Billboard’s R&B albums chart. The album featured a variety of artists including Chaka Khan, Debbie Harry, Kurtis Blow, The Gap Band and The Beastie Boys to name a few.
TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
Chicago's Terry Kath accidentally kills himself, Bowie goes Station To Station and more
Today in rock history: On this date in 1971, American rock band Chicago released a massive, 4-LP set recorded at one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world. Earlier in the year, the band appeared for a week-long engagement at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. This, Chicago's fourth album release, captured the highlights from those legendary performances. Packaged in an elaborate box that contained two posters and a booklet, the set was a substantial hit in America where it climbed as high as No. 3 on Billboard’s pop albums chart making it one of the best-selling and best-charting multi-album box sets of all time. Critics were harsh when reviewing the massive set noting that the release was self-indulgent and overblown. Nonetheless, the band’s first ever live concert album release was a major hit with the band’s most dedicated fans.
TODAY IN ROCK HISTORY
American folk pop singing duo Simon & Garfunkel scored its very first No. 1 hit single, “The Sounds of Silence”
Today in rock history: On this date in 1975, singer-songwriter Paul Simon released his fourth solo album, Still Crazy After All These Years. The record produced several hit singles including “Gone at Last,” a duet with singer Phoebe Snow, “My Little Town,” which featured Simon’s former singing partner, Art Garfunkel and, the biggest hit from the release, the No. 1 smash, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” The album itself was a No. 1 success and featured a slew of impressive guest musicians including saxophonist David Sanborn, bassist Tony Levin, drummer Steve Gadd and vocalist Patti Austin to name a few. The album’s title track has been covered by a variety of artists throughout the years, and it remains one of Simon’s most beloved compositions. Still Crazy After All These Years earned Paul two Grammy awards including the statue for Best Male Pop Vocal performance as well as the coveted Album of the Year award.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1975, at the absolute height of his popularity and domination of record sales charts, colorful British singer-songwriter Elton John played the first concert of a two-night stand at the massive Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. More than 100,00 fans turned out to see Elton’s over the top performances over the two nights. Several costume changes, including a rhinestone-encrusted Dodgers uniform, made up the spectacular shows and, from all accounts, Elton was at the top of his game. Tickets for these historic shows set fans back $10, which was actually quite high for the time. Opening the shows was country music singer-songwriter extraordinaire Emmylou Harris. Joe Walsh — who was fresh off stints with bands James Gang and Barnstorm before he would eventually join The Eagles — also opened the show.
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This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2018.
