this day in music

27 years ago today, the first date of the first Lollapalooza festival took place, offering concertgoers the opportunity to see several of their favorite alt-rock artists back to back in a day-long extravaganza. Devised by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell,...

41 years ago today, Elvis Costello officially submitted his walking papers to the factory where he’d been holding gainful employment in order to pursue rock ‘n’ roll full-time a move which was not only best possible career move that he...

38 years ago today, the cinematic adventures of Jake and Elwood Blues officially entered theaters, giving comedy fans a lot of reasons to laugh while providing music fans with at least as many classic tunes. Directed by John Landis (...

31 years ago today, The Grateful Dead released one of the most successful singles of their career, but despite what you may have read elsewhere, it wasn’t on the same day that an ice cream company debuted a flavor named...

50 years ago today, Al Stewart made an appearance on a well-respected radio program and, as a result of stopping by the studio, was inspired to set a poet’s work to music. When compiling a list of disc jockeys whose...

44 years ago today, Led Zeppelin officially launched their very own record label, one which would – in addition to serving as a home for their own material – also released LPs by Bad Company, Dave Edmunds, the Pretty Things,...

20 years ago today, Brian Wilson finally made the most overt move toward cementing his career as a solo artist: he played his first proper gig as a solo artist. Yes, it sounds unlikely, especially when you consider the amount...

26 years ago today, Bonnie Raitt was keeping busy in Boston by becoming the recipient of an honorary doctorate of music from the Berklee College of Music. Although Raitt had originally graduated from Oakwood Friends School in Poughkeepsie, New York...

Two years ago today, the combination of Prince’s death and his fans’ inability to stream his music online caused an explosion of sales which resulted in His Royal Badness having eight – count ‘em – eight albums sitting in the...