Nov. 23 is a day to remember for rock music fans. It’s when Robert Johnson created the songs that would later prove to be the foundation for rock and roll, and when “Bohemian Rhapsody” took its rightful place at the top of the U.K. singles chart. Here are the most important events that happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
These are the milestone moments that took place on Nov. 23:
1936: Robert Johnson, widely considered to be the most influential Delta blues artist of all time, recorded 10 tracks in a San Antonio hotel. They included classics such as “Sweet Home Chicago” and “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” which were covered by countless other artists and contributed to the birth of rock and roll two decades later.
1975: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” climbed to the top of the U.K. singles chart. Despite being almost six minutes long and having an unorthodox compositional style, it proved to be a hit and spent nine consecutive weeks at No. 1.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Many iconic recordings were released on Nov. 23, including an album that fans had waited 15 years for:
1970: George Harrison released “My Sweet Lord,” the lead single from his triple album, All Things Must Pass. It was Harrison’s first single as a solo artist, and it went to No. 1 on many national singles charts, including in the U.S., the U.K., Sweden, France, Canada, and Australia.
1979: Pink Floyd released their most successful and widely known single, “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2,” from their album, The Wall. It sold over 4 million copies and went to No. 1 on the singles charts in 14 countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.
2004: Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere But Home, via Wind-up Records. It featured a show in Paris from May 25 of that year and came with a DVD that included three previously unreleased songs, four music videos, and behind-the-scenes footage.
2008: Guns N’ Roses released their long-awaited sixth studio album, Chinese Democracy, through Geffen Records and Black Frog. It was the band’s first album with original material since 1991’s double release of the Use Your Illusion albums and only featured Axl Rose from the band’s classic lineup.
Nov. 23 is an unforgettable day in rock music, marked by major milestones and famous album and single releases. Tune in tomorrow to discover the most important events that happened on that day in rock history.
This day in rock history marks the release of a few memorable albums and commemorates legendary drummer Keith Moon’s last show with The Who. Here are more major rock-related events that happened on Oct. 21 throughout the years.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Besides Keith Moon’s swansong, Oct. 21 marked a major milestone in the career of rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry:
1972: Chuck Berry’s hit song “My Ding-a-Ling” reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it spent two weeks. The single was a live recording of Berry performing the song during a concert in Coventry, England, and was his only U.S. and U.K. No. 1 hit.
1976: Drummer Keith Moon played his final official concert with The Who at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto.
2006: Evanescence topped the Billboard 200 album chart with The Open Door. It was also a milestone for Billboard, as it marked the 700th album to reach the top spot since the magazine started publishing its weekly chart in 1967.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Oct. 21 is also the anniversary of some important album releases, including:
1970: Bob Dylan released his eleventh studio album, New Morning, via Columbia Records, just four months after his previous album, Self Portrait. The new album reached the top spot on the U.K. charts.
1977: Cleveland International Records and its parent company, Epic Records, released Meatloaf’s debut album, Bat Out of Hell. It wasn’t initially a hit, as both record executives and the general public needed some time to digest its over-the-top operatic style, but it grew in popularity and is now one of the best-selling albums of all time, with an estimated 40 million copies sold.
Chuck Berry’s only No. 1 hit and Billboard’s 700th chart topper were among the most notable events that happened in the rock music world throughout the years on Oct. 21. Legendary drummer Keith Moon also played his final official concert with The Who at the Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, on this date.
My Chemical Romance ended their Black Parade U.S. tour in style with a blowout show at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium over the weekend. The show delivered it all to a teeming crowd of faithful acolytes: the emo hits, plenty of pageantry, an opening set from Evanescence (!), a mock execution (part of the storyline, ask a fan), snappy goth-marching band stagewear, the band wading into the audience and even a performance of forgotten b-side “My Way Home Is Through You.”
Since releasing her breakout track “Pretty Girl,” in 2016, Maggie Lindemann has never stopped evolving. Singles like “GASLIGHT!” introduced a darker side, and last year’s PARANOIA made it clear she had no intentions of ever being a standard pop princess.
Lindemann’s latest, SUCKERPUNCH, is a loud, thumping, rock album with elements of pop punk, grunge, and Y2K metal. “she knows it,” the most popular track so far, could slide into a playlist with Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday.
Though she may have left the finger snaps of “Pretty Girl” behind, the song remains a streaming era classic. Its remix with Cheat Codes and CADE is approaching 850 million Spotify streams. (We first spoke to her to as it was blowing up).
Watch Lindemann talk about some of favorite songs for our series 5 Tracks That Inspired Me.
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