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Jan. 18 is a huge day in music history. It’s when The Beatles first appeared on American charts, and Bad Company was born. But it wasn’t all good news, as this was also a day when the rock world lost an icon. Keep reading to learn more about these and other major events that happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Milestones and breakthrough moments don’t get much bigger than these, from Jan. 18:
- 1964: The Beatles entered the U.S. charts for the first time with “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which debuted at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. It got to No. 1 just two weeks later, starting an astonishing streak of seven No. 1 singles in one year.
- 1974: Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, former members of Free, joined forces with Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople and King Crimson member Boz Burrell to form a new band called Bad Company. The supergroup has since sold over 40 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Cultural Milestones
Important cultural moments from Jan. 18 in the rock world include:
- 1989: Stevie Wonder became the youngest living Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He was inducted by Paul Simon and shared the date with other notable inductees from that year, including The Rolling Stones and The Temptations.
- 2016: Eagles founding member and co-lead singer Glenn Frey died from multiple health issues at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He founded the band with drummer Don Henley in the early 1970s, and together they wrote most of the band’s hits, including “New Kid in Town” and “Take It Easy.”
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some iconic performances also took place on Jan. 18, such as the following:
- 1984: Van Halen kicked off their huge 1984 Tour with a show at the Jacksonville Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida. The tour was a massive production consisting of 101 shows over two legs.
- 1991: The second edition of the Rock in Rio festival took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with acts such as Guns N’ Roses, George Michael, Prince, INXS, A-ha, Billy Idol, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Joe Cocker, and Faith No More entertaining the crowds at the Maracanã Stadium over nine days. The show was also broadcast live and watched by more than half a billion people in 55 countries.
From The Beatles making themselves known across the pond to some of the biggest names in music playing for crowds in Brazil, these were the biggest rock-related events from Jan. 18 in years gone by.
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Dan Teodorescu
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