Music History Events: New Looks
August 29, 1990 After soundcheck for her concert in Saratoga Springs, New York, Sinead O'Connor dons a disguise and joins protesters outside the venue. The hubbub is over her concert from a week earlier when she asked that the National Anthem not be played before her performance.
December 24, 1988 Ricky Martin turns 17, aging him out of the boy band Menudo. He moves to New York City and starts a solo career, releasing his first album in 1991.
May 29, 1983 Kiss play their last concert in their famous makeup; at least until 1996 when they re-form with all original members and painted faces once again.
August 15, 1980 An unknown rock band called Black Rose open for Hall & Oates at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. Audience members slowly realize that the lead singer is, in fact, Cher. Black Rose play a few more shows and release an album, but call it quits by the end of the year.
June 28, 1977 At the Deptford Festival in Lewisham, England, the band Cafe Racers change their name to Dire Straits and open for Squeeze. The new name is a reference to their financial condition, which improves dramatically when they release the hit single "Sultans Of Swing" the following year.
March 11, 1975 Alice Cooper releases Welcome To My Nightmare, the first album where he's considered a solo artist and not part of the band Alice Cooper. The ensuing tour is an elaborate production with dancers, video screens, and giant spiders.
April 2, 1970 Janis Joplin get tattoos on her wrist and heart, the one on her chest reading "One For The Boys."
October 25, 1968 The New Yardbirds perform for the first time under their new name Led Zeppelin at a gig at Surrey University, England.
October 18, 2021 Kanye West legally changes his name to the mononym Ye, his longtime nickname.
June 25, 2020 The Dixie Chicks change their name to "The Chicks" in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement ("Dixie" is associated with the American South during a time of slavery). Their name was a play on the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken." The rebranding comes two weeks after another country trio, Lady Antebellum, changed their name to Lady A.
June 11, 2020 Country trio Lady Antebellum change their name to Lady A to avoid connotations with slavery. "Antebellum" refers to the period before the Civil War in America; the band name referred to the architectural style of Southern homes built during this period.
February 27, 2019 T-Pain, costumed as a one-eyed monster, wins the first season of The Masked Singer, defeating Donny Osmond (peacock) and Gladys Knight (bee).
September 5, 2018 Fleetwood Mac perform on the show Ellen, debuting their new lineup with Neil Finn and Mike Campbell replacing Lindsey Buckingham, who has been booted.
May 31, 2016 Alicia Keys announces that she will no longer wear makeup, embracing the #nomakeup movement.More
October 24, 2013 Tina Turner, who has obtained citizenship in Switzerland, where she has lived since 1995, relinquishes her United States citizenship.
April 26, 2013 X marks the spot for the Ohio-born Twenty One Pilots, who pledge their devotion to their hometown fans by getting "X" tattoos midway through a performance at the Lifestyles Community Pavilion in Columbus. Frontman Tyler Joseph tells the crowd: "This X is dedicated to you guys. Columbus, Ohio is where we're from and it will always be where we are from. Whenever someone asks what that X means, I am going to say this is for all of you."
July 26, 2011 Eric Church releases his breakthrough album, Chief, with the hits "Springsteen" and "Drink In My Hand." The album cover is his first where he's wearing his signature Aviator sunglasses.
January 15, 2009 In Tupelo, Mississippi, Darius Rucker, once a headliner with his pop band Hootie & the Blowfish, joins Brad Paisley's tour, where he is third on the bill behind Paisley and Dierks Bentley. It's Rucker's first tour as a country artist; he's willing to do "everything the new guy does" to make it happen.
March 26, 2008 The B-52's lose their apostrophe and become the B-52s with the release of their album Funplex. The apostrophe, which is grammatically incorrect because apostrophes show possession, was simply an error made by the friend that designed their logo.
July 23, 2005 For the first time, Lollapalooza stays put, with the first of two shows at Grant Park in Chicago. Pixies, Billy Idol and Weezer all perform.
August 21, 1998 Terence Trent D'Arby, not heard from since his 1995 album Vibrator, posts on his website: "I am a holographic representation in the third dimension of what was requested by your souls that one of your favourite artists be. I sent a portion of my soul to embody as an artist called Terence Trent D'Arby to favour that request." He later explains that he is using a new name: Sananda Maitreya, which came to him in a dream.
May 23, 1996 The video for Metallica's "Until It Sleeps" debuts, showing the band with short hair for the first time.More
March 19, 1988 At the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington, Nirvana uses the name Nirvana for the very first time. They'd previously gone by Skid Row, Ted Ed Fred, Pen Cap Chew, and Bliss.
July 3, 1983 Red Hot Chili Peppers take the stage at the Kit Kat Club in Hollywood wearing nothing but socks - not on their feet.More
August 23, 1980 The Heatwave Festival, known as the "New Wave Woodstock," goes down at Mosport Park near Toronto. Performers include Elvis Costello, The B-52s, The Pretenders, and Talking Heads, who debut songs from their upcoming album, Remain In Light, and introduce a new touring band that includes keyboard player Bernie Worrell and guitarist Adrian Belew.
March 19, 1976 The Doobie Brothers release Takin' It To The Streets, their first album with Michael McDonald. He was brought into the group to play keyboards, but claimed the role of lead singer when he belted out the title track, which he wrote, in the studio for producer Ted Templeman.
February 15, 1974 Deep Purple release Burn, their first album with the Mark III lineup of the band, featuring David Coverdale as lead singer.
February 10, 1972 At the Toby Jug pub in London, David Bowie plays his first gig as Ziggy Stardust.
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