Pick a Day

Music History Events: Milestones

July 18, 2018 Billy Joel plays his 100th concert at Madison Square Garden, becoming the first musician to hit that mark at the storied venue. New York State declares "Billy Joel Day" in his honor.

May 21, 2018 The Hootie & the Blowfish album Cracked Rear View is certified for selling 21 million copies in America, overtaking Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction as the top-selling debut album of all-time in that country.

April 16, 2018 Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. wins the Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first rapper to win the award, which traditionally goes to classical composers or jazz musicians.

January 28, 2018 Shakira's El Dorado wins the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop album, making her the first female performer to receive two trophies in that category. The first was for her 2001 live album, MTV Unplugged.

October 7, 2017 Cardi B hits #1 in the US with "Bodak Yellow," becoming the first solo female rapper without a guest artist to reach the top since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998.

April 28, 2017 Brad Paisley releases the first visual album in country music: a special edition of Love and War with videos for each of the 16 tracks.

February 13, 2016 Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself" replaces his song "Sorry" at #1 on the Hot 100. It's the third consecutive #1 single from his Purpose album ("What Do You Mean?" was the first), making it the first album by a male artist with three straight chart-toppers since Justin Timberlake's FutureSex / LoveSounds.

February 1, 2016 Skillet's 2009 track "Monster" goes double platinum with more than 2.6 million sales and streams, making it the biggest digital single in Christian music history.

November 7, 2015 Pentatonix becomes the first a capella group to score a US #1 album when their self-titled release tops the chart.

March 7, 2015 Drake places an astounding 14 songs in the Hot 100, thanks to the release of his mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late. The Beatles are the only other act to accomplish this, with 14 songs on the tally for a week in April 1964. Drake goes on to place 27 songs on the chart dated July 14, 2018.

February 12, 2015 "Weird Al" Yankovic becomes the first-ever guest editor at MAD magazine when it is announced that he will be assisting with issue #533.

September 16, 2014 At a pop-up shop in New York City that re-creates the Central Perk coffee shop from the TV show Friends, Danny Wilde and Phil Solem of The Rembrandts reunite to perform the show's theme song. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the show's first episode.

May 9, 2014 Hunter Hayes breaks the record for most concerts performed in different cities in a single day when he plays 10 shows in 24 hours.

October 27, 2012 Barbra Streisand's album Release Me hits #7 in the US, making her the first artist to have multiple albums in the Top 10 during every decade from the 1960s to the 2010s (her 2011 album What Matters Most made #4). Streisand is the female artist with the most Top 10 charting albums in history.

August 21, 2012 With 623,000 digital copies sold, Taylor Swift's hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" becomes the single with the most digital sales for a female artist.

May 24, 2012 Billboard announces that Lionel Richie's Tuskegee is the second-best-selling album of the year so far in 2012, right behind Adele's 21. It's notable that the soul/R&B singer and Motown alumnus began his career in 1967, and is still connecting with modern audiences a full five decades later.

May 23, 2012 Billboard reports that the albums of Donna Summer increase in sales by a factor of over 3000% in the week following her death on May 17 after a battle with cancer.

January 7, 2012 "The One That Got Away" from Katy Perry's album Teenage Dream hits #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, making the album the first in history with seven #1s on that tally.

August 11, 2011 Go-Go's receive the 2,444th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. It is located where the legendary punk club The Masque used to stand. Go-Go's frequently played this club during their early years.

January 13, 2011 Ed Sheeran announces he has been signed to Atlantic Records.

May 19, 2010 David Guetta's "Gettin' Over You" becomes the billionth track to be Shazamed.

September 27, 2008 Pink earns her first solo #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "So What" from her fifth studio album, Funhouse. It holds the position for one week.

February 10, 2008 Ne-Yo's sophomore album, Because Of You, wins the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. It's the singer-songwriter's first Grammy win.

June 16, 2007 Muse become the first band to sell out the rebuilt Wembley Stadium in London, when about 90,000 fans see them perform.

October 21, 2006 Weird Al Yankovic's "White & Nerdy," a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'," peaks at #9 on the Hot 100. It's the parody artist's first Top 10 hit.

October 3, 2006 Skillet releases their sixth studio album, Comatose. It's the Christian rock band's first gold-certified album, selling half a million copies. By 2016, sales reach one million, which earns the album platinum status.

February 28, 2006 Ne-Yo's first album, In My Own Words, debuts at #1 in America.

November 22, 2005 Ne-Yo releases "So Sick," his first #1 single (as a singer) in both the US and UK.

February 5, 2005 "Helena" by My Chemical Romance peaks at #33 on the Hot 100. It's the alt rock band's first big crossover hit.

January 1, 2005 Ne-Yo earns his first #1 hit as a songwriter when "Let Me Love You," performed by Mario, seizes the top spot for the first of nine weeks. Billboard ranks the song as the eighth most successful single of the decade.