This Day in Rock History: October 20

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1960: Roy Orbison scored his first No. 1 on the U.K. singles charts with “Only the Lonely.” It was his first major hit, despite being previously turned down by Elvis and the Everly Brothers. The song also reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts.
• 1973: The Rolling Stones climbed to the top spot of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with “Angie,” the lead single from their album Goats Head Soup. It was their seventh U.S. No. 1 and also topped the charts in several other countries, including Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, and France.
• 1978: The Police made their debut on U.S. soil with a show at New York City’s CBGB. They were relatively unknown at the time and had to fly from England on a budget airline, using their carry-on luggage space for their instruments.
• 1980: U2 released their debut album, Boy, via Island Records. It was recorded at the Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, and peaked at No. 63 on the U.S. charts.

Cultural Milestones

• 1950: Tom Petty was born in Gainesville, Florida. He sold over 80 million records throughout his career and was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 along with his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
• 1976: Led Zeppelin’s film, The Song Remains the Same, premiered at Cinema I in New York City. It had been filmed three years earlier and followed the band during their three-night series of performances at Madison Square Garden.
• 1977: A plane that was carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd’s members crashed near Gillsburg, Mississippi, after running out of fuel. The accident killed lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, who was also Steve’s sister.