This Week in Music History | August 31 – September 6

August 31, 2020

Posted in: This Week in Music History

This week in music, we’re going back to remember Jimi Hendrix and his final live performance, the 1982 US Festival, and one of the greatest selling albums of all time. Here’s everything you need to know about what went down this week in music history.

1964 – September 5th, The Animals started a three week run at #1 on the US singles chart with ‘House Of The Rising Sun’.

  • Traditionally a folk song, The Animals’ version has been described as the “first folk rock hit”.
  • Eric Burdon revealed that he first heard the song as a folk version in a club in Newcastle, England.
  • It tells of a person’s life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans.
  • “Rising Sun” was used as the name of a brothel, but it was also a name for English pubs.

1970 – September 6th, Jimi Hendrix made his final live appearance when he appeared at a show in Germany.

  • The guitarist died 12 days later after overdosing on prescription sedatives.
  • He was only 27 years old, making him part of the “27 Club”.
  • Unbeknownst to Hendrix, the show’s promoters had recorded the entire show.
  • The recordings were released in a posthumous album “Live at the Isle of Fehmarn”.

1981 – September 1st, Hall & Oates release their album Private Eyes.

  • It contains two #1 hits: the title track and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”
  • “I Can’t Go For That” remains one of the few songs by a white act to top both pop and R&B.
  • Many critics term Private Eyes as the duo’s creative and cultural peak due to its success and influence.

1982 – September 3rd, The three day US Festival in San Bernardino, California took place.

  • It featured Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Talking Heads, The Kinks, Eddie Money, and many more.
  • Apple Computers founder Steven Wozniak bankrolled the festival.
  • Wozniak believed that the 1970s were the “Me” generation.
  • He wanted to encourage the ‘80s to be more community-oriented and combine technology with rock music.

1985 – August 31st, Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits started a nine-week run at #1 on the US album charts.

  • The album is one of the world’s best-selling albums, having sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
  • It won two Grammy Awards at the 28th Grammy Awards.
  • Brothers in Arms was one of the first albums recorded on a Sony 24-track digital tape machine.
  • The decision to move to digital recording came from Mark Knopfler’s constant striving for better sound quality.

1988 – September 6th, New Kids On The Block release their breakout album, Hangin’ Tough.

  • Hangin’ Tough was their musical transition from bubblegum pop to urban contemporary.
  • The LP went to #1 in America and spawned five hit singles, including ‘You’ve Got It.’
  • Hangin’ Tough led the group to success due to radio airplay and their music videos for the singles.

1995 – September 2nd, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opens in Cleveland.

  • The Hall was created to document the history of rock and the artists, producers, & engineers who have influenced it.
  • At the opening ceremony, Bob Dylan performed a surprise five song set.
  • A nominating committee composed of rock and roll historians selects names for the “Performers” category which are then voted on by roughly 500 experts across the world.

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