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Today in rock history: on this date in 1980, the world mourned the loss of a rock and roll icon. As John Lennon was returning to his New York City apartment with wife Yoko Ono, gunman Mark David Chapman shot the former Beatle four times in the back. Earlier in the day, Lennon had autographed a copy of his brand new album, Double Fantasy for Chapman but, by day’s end, he’d ultimately lose his life to the very same person. Lennon was rushed to a local hospital but sadly was pronounced dead on arrival minutes after being shot. The news was first broken by longtime sportscaster Howard Cosell who announced the unbelievable tragedy during a live telecast of Monday Night Football. The music world was shocked and saddened by this heartbreaking loss of the musical legend and founding member of the most popular rock band in the world. Lennon was 40 years old when he was shot to death, and his career was on the brink of a massive upswing with the new album he’d just completed and released to rave reviews.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1943, James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida. The son of a Navy Admiral, Morrison moved a lot with his family but spent some time in Florida later in life where he’d live with grandparents in Clearwater for a stint before going to college in Tallahassee. Jim Morrison, as he became better known, wound up moving to Los Angeles where, in the mid-1960s, he’d form one of the most popular and revered American rock bands of all time, The Doors. A poet, lyricist, songwriter and an incredibly dynamic performer, Jim Morrison gained the reputation of being one of the most exciting, unpredictable and mesmerizing rock and roll frontmen of all-time during his tenure as lead singer of The Doors. From 1967-1971, the year of Morrison’s untimely death, he and The Doors released six incredible albums that sealed the band's legacy as one of the absolute best and most imaginative lineups to emerge in the 1960s.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1972, Motown Records legend and visionary Marvin Gaye released his 12th album, the soundtrack and score for the Blaxploitation film Trouble Man. Released as the follow up to his topical and socially relevant masterpiece album What’s Going On, this was Marvin’s and Motown’s attempt to capitalize on the trend of successful soundtrack albums that contemporaries Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes had recently enjoyed with Superfly and Shaft, respectively. Trouble Man received favorable reviews and Gaye’s compositions, vocals and arrangements were all strongly praised. The album peaked at No. 12 on Billboard’s pop albums charts and produced one hit single, the cool, moody, atmospheric title track that boasts one of Marvin’s absolute best vocal performances of all time. Sadly, Trouble Man would be the only soundtrack album Marvin Gaye would ever release.
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Today in rock history: on this date in 1978, after the rock and roll swindle of the Sex Pistols had been laid to rest, lead singer John Lydon (previously known as Johnny Rotten) released the first album by his follow up band, Public Image Ltd. Public Image: First Issue was the very first release from Lydon’s groundbreaking band, and it’s become every bit as legendary and revered as anything his former band ever did. Largely credited with being a catalyst of the post-punk movement, the album mixed complex rhythms with aggressive sounds and Lydon’s trademark snarl — the results took the most devout Pistols fans by surprise. A hit in England, this favorably reviewed album did well in other parts of the world, but it’s fate in America was not as bright; the band’s proposed record label in the U.S. refused to release the record deeming it too uncommercial. The band agreed to re-record some of the songs to make for a more palpable release but the project never saw the light of day and the record remained unreleased in the States at the time making it a highly sought after import release. The album’s sole single, “Public Image” served as a bold statement in its direct and no-nonsense approach and marked the dawning of John Lydon’s provocative second act and the masterful introduction of the revolutionary world of Public Image Ltd.
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