this day in music

56 years ago today, Aretha Franklin made her television debut, belting out a pair of songs to an American Bandstand audience in Philadelphia. Although Franklin was still a few years away from making her big breakthrough, she was already proving...

17 years ago today, a public protest in Itasca, Illinois resulted in the arrest of – among others – singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt and drummer John Densmore, late of The Doors. The protest was a demonstration by members of the Rainforest...

16 years ago today, the city of Philadelphia officially declared it to be Solomon Burke Day in the city. 2002 was a good year for Solomon Burke, who’d found considerable success in the 1950s and 1960s with singles like “Just...

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,...