Today in rock history: on this date in 1986, Cliff Burton, the bass player who was a member of the now internationally-known metal band Metallica during its initial rise to fame, passed away at the age of 24. Burton was aboard a bus that was involved in an accident in Sweden while the band was on tour in that country. Burton was the bassist featured on Metallica’s first three albums: Kill ‘Em All, Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets. Burton was replaced with Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Newsted a month after his death but has never been forgotten by the band’s most dedicated and loyal fans. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame upon the band’s welcome to the prestigious hall in 2009.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1973, late night syndicated music program Don Kirshner Rock Concert premiered. Founded by songwriter, music publisher and producer Don Kirshner, the show was a weekly, 90-minute program that featured a variety of musical acts of different genres performing live before a studio audience. Just 230 episodes of the program were broadcast before its televised run came to an end in 1981. The show featured a vast array of top recording acts of the day like The Rolling Stones, Rick James, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, New York Dolls, Lou Reed and dozens more.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1964, The Beach Boys made their television debut when they appeared on the popular Ed Sullivan Show for the very first time. The then up and coming California surf rock band performed its hits “I Get Around” and “Wendy” to a rousing ovation. The exposure helped make popularize the band and lead it to become one of the best-selling rock and roll bands of the 1960s.
Today in rock history: on this date in 1947, Marvin Lee Aday was born in Dallas, Texas. Better known by the stage name he’d adopt early in his career, Meat Loaf, the actor, singer and songwriter would eventually become a global star thanks to his 1977 blockbuster album, Bat Out Of Hell” which has sold more than 40 million copies around the world. The larger than life singer appeared as the biker character “Eddie” in the rock and roll film cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show as well as appearing in the role on theater stages. One of the best-selling artists of all time, Meat Loaf has released a trilogy of Bat Out Of Hell albums that have all been multi-platinum sellers around the world. The popular singer, who turns 70 years old today, still sells over 200,000 copies of his most popular album every year and is known for his soaring, operatic vocal range and his highly theatrical live performances.