30 SEPTEMBER
Featured Events
2016 Mary J. Blige debuts her Apple Music talk show, The 411, and welcomes Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton as her first guest. Halfway through the intimate conversation, Blige bursts into a rendition of Bruce Springsteen's protest anthem "American Skin (41 Shots)" in a bid to address the rash of police brutality against African Americans. The attempt falls flat with viewers, who heckle the singer on social media.More
1998 On The Drew Carey Show episode "In Ramada Da Vida," Slash, Lisa Loeb, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, Dave Mustaine, Jonny Lang, Joey Ramone, Joe Walsh and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen audition for Drew's band, which has a gig at the Ramada Inn. Walsh gets the job.
1995 Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" becomes just the second single to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the first was Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone"). It stays at the top spot for eight weeks.
1993 George Harrison and David Crosby play their animated selves on the Season 5 premiere of The Simpsons, "Homer's Barbershop Quartet."
1989 Bette Midler is awarded $400,000 in her lawsuit against the Ford Motor Company, which had her former backing singer Ula Hedwig sing Midler's hit "Do You Want To Dance" in a 1985 commercial for the Mercury Sable. The verdict means that companies can't purposely imitate the vocals of a famous singer in advertisements without consent.
1987 Roy Orbison's comeback picks up speed at a Los Angeles concert filmed for the Cinemax special Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, and J.D. Souther all perform at the show, which is fittingly filmed in black and white.
1955 James Dean is killed in a car accident at age 24. Dean dies around the same time rock and roll comes alive (the #1 song the day he dies: Pat Boone's cover of "Ain't That A Shame" - clearly America is at a crossroads).More
30 SEPTEMBER
In Music History
2021 Tony Bennett, 95, releases an album of standards with Lady Gaga called Love For Sale, making him (according to Guinness) the oldest person to release an album of new material.
2019 Green Day and the National Hockey League announce a partnership deal that includes the band playing halftime of the 2020 All-Star Game, and their song "Fire, Ready, Aim" as the opening theme to the Wednesday Night Hockey broadcasts.
2012 Faith Hill becomes the first country artist to debut a song on Twitter when she posts "American Heart."
2011 Marv Tarplin of The Miracles dies in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 70.
2011 Pearl Jam wrap up a week-long tribute to Pink Floyd on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon with a performance of "Mother."
2010 After 10 years, the first ever John Lennon museum closes. Located outside of Tokyo, it shuts down because Yoko Ono wants Lennon's spirit to remain in motion, saying, "If the Museum which houses his spirit never moved, it would be a grave, not a Museum."
2008 Hot on the heels of the mega-successful Evolution of Robin Thicke, Robin Thicke's third solo album, Something Else, debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200. The album moves 140,000 copies in the first week.
2008 Disney releases Nightmare Revisited, a cover album of songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The new album commemorates the fifteenth anniversary of the film's original 1993 release and features new arrangements by KoRn, Amy Lee of Evanescence, and Marilyn Manson.
2006 Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young are joined by Dave Matthews (The Dave Matthews Band), Steel Pulse, Gov't Mule, Jerry Lee Lewis, Steve Earle and Allison Moorer for the organization's 21st anniversary concert at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey.
2006 George Strait breaks Conway Twitty's 26-year-old record for most #1 Country hits when "Give It Away" becomes his 41st chart-topper. He finishes his career with 44.
2006 Shine On, Jet's sophomore album, is released to mixed reviews. Most notably the indie music website Pitchfork's review is nothing but a video of a chimpanzee urinating into its own mouth. The title track and third single from the record, "Shine On," is a tribute to Nic and Chris Chester's dad, who died from cancer in 2004.
2003 Rockabilly performer Ronnie Dawson dies of throat cancer in Dallas, Texas, at age 64.
2002 Pat Boone guests on the TV series Seventh Heaven.
2002 Pianist Ellis Larkins dies of pneumonia at age 79.
Christina Aguilera Gets "Dirrty"
2002Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" video hits MTV, shocking viewers with bawdy scenes where she's doing some dirrty dancing. It's a major image makeover for Aguilera, a former Disney star whose 1999 debut album established her as wholesome pop star.
The song is the lead single from Aguilera's Stripped album, her first where she takes creative control. The provocative video, directed by David LaChapelle, marks her transformation from the bubblegum pop star of her debut to a liberated artist. The video causes a major stir in the media but serves its purpose in rebranding Aguilera. It becomes a lot less shocking over time as artists like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion push the sexual boundaries much further. Aguilera tones it down for her next album, Back To Basics, where she adopts a more heavily clothed retro look.
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