Today in rock history: On this date in 1960, legendary singer Roy Orbison had his very first single, “Only The Lonely,” peak at No. 2 on Billboard’s pop singles charts. The record was prevented from reaching the top spot by pop crooner Brenda Lee and her famous ballad, “I’m Sorry,” although "Only The Lonely" did make it all the way to No. 1 in several countries around the world. Originally intended to be pitched to other artists, “Only The Lonely” was offered to Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers to record, and both turned it down. Orbison decided to record and release his own version, which was a wise move as it began his long string of popular hit singles. “Only The Lonely” is one of Roy’s best-known songs and is referenced in the first verse of Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 song “Thunder Road.”
Today in rock history: On this date in 1966, the best-selling girl group of all time, The Supremes, released its single “You Can’t Hurry Love.” The group proved to be stiff competition for The Beatles at the time as both acts were constantly vying for the top spot on singles charts in both England and the United States. “You Can’t Hurry Love,” written by renown Motown Records writing team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, wound up going to the No. 1 spot on both the R&B and pop singles charts in America and was a massive hit again in 1983 for Genesis singer and drummer Phil Collins who took his version to No. 1 in England and to the Top 10 on American singles charts as well.
Today in rock history: On this date in 1965, the always challenging and confounding Bob Dylan startled an audience at the prestigious annual Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island. Although Dylan had appeared at the festival in previous years, for this appearance, during the time when he was transitioning to a more electric, rock and roll sound, he decided to show off his more electric tendencies at the festival. Starting with a quieter, more acoustic set, Dylan eventually turned up the volume and showed off the talents of the band he’d assembled featuring guitarist Mike Bloomfield and organist Al Kooper, who’d both appeared on his most current album at the time, Bringing It All Back Home. Although the majority of the crowd in attendance booed Dylan, the exact reasons for doing so have always been steeped in controversy. The popular assumption is that the folk-oriented crowd didn’t approve of Dylan’s shift towards electric rock and roll, but many have claimed that the negative reactions were in response to the lackluster sound system and the abbreviated set Dylan delivered. The event marked the official leap from folkie to rock hero for Dylan and he never looked back from there.
Today in rock history: On this date in 1983, up-and-coming metal band Metallica released its debut album, Kill ‘Em All. Released on the independent metal record label Megaforce Records, the album quickly made waves across the world of heavy metal and was met with overwhelmingly positive reaction. The band’s brand of fast, aggressive rock and roll was branded thrash metal and, in no time, other bands with a similar sound and delivery started popping up. Metallica’s raw and powerful live shows helped bolster its reputation as a fiery, young, powerful band which in turn helped boost record sales. Featuring two songs that were released as singles, “Whiplash” and “Jump in the Fire,” the album’s success led to Metallica being signed to a major label, Elektra Records, and eventually becoming one of the best-selling rock bands of all time. The original working title of Kill ‘Em All was Metal Up Your Ass, but the band was convinced to use a less offensive title for fear that many distributors would not be willing to carry and market the record.