Lots of interesting things happened in the world of rock on Dec. 26. It’s when Led Zeppelin began their quest to conquer America, George Harrison proved there’s life beyond The Beatles, and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich was born. Keep reading to discover more notable events that happened on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Some of the milestone moments that happened on the second day of Christmas include:
- 1970: George Harrison’s song “My Sweet Lord” from his All Things Must Pass solo album made it to the No. 1 spot of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, starting a four-week run. It also went to No. 1 in several other countries, including his native U.K. It’s a milestone moment for music in general, as it represents the first solo No. 1 for an ex-Beatle.
- 1981: AC/DC’s eighth studio album and second with frontman Brian Johnson, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), reached the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, where it spent three weeks. It was their first-ever No. 1 album in the U.S. and the only one until 2008’s Black Ice.
Cultural Milestones
Some of the day’s most relevant cultural moments are:
- 1939: Producer and songwriter Phil Spector was born in New York City. He produced many legendary albums, including The Beatles’ Let It Be, and created the famous Wall of Sound recording style, which involved layering multiple instrumental and vocal tracks in a way that created a dense sound.
- 1963: Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich was born in Gentofte, Denmark. The son of a tennis player, he was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps until attending a 1973 Deep Purple concert made him want to be a musician.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Dec. 26 has also had its share of electrifying live performances over the years. A couple of them are:
- 1968: Led Zeppelin played their first-ever concert on U.S. soil as part of their first North American tour. The first stop on the tour was Denver’s Auditorium Arena, where they opened for Vanilla Fudge.
- 1979: The first performance in a series of benefit shows called Concerts for the People of Kampuchea was held at London’s Hammersmith Odeon to raise funds for Cambodia’s famine victims. The organizers were Paul McCartney and UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, and performers included Queen, The Pretenders, Wings, The Clash, and The Who.
These are some of the most exciting rock-related events that happened on Dec. 26. Visit us again tomorrow to find out what happened on that day in rock history.
Dan Teodorescu
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