This Day in Music
On September 16, 1979, The Sugarhill Gang introduced the world to hip-hop with their single “Rapper’s Delight.” Opening with the now-classic lyric “I said a hip hop the hippie to the hippie/ To the hip hip hop and you don’t stop,” the track riffs off the upbeat bassline of Chic’s “Good Times,” and features the dextrous wordplay of Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson, and Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien. While the track wasn’t the first instance of rap on record, it was the first single to popularize the genre on a global level, landing in the US Top 40, and in the Top Ten in the UK, Canada, and across Europe. It has since been added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
In 1977, 29-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist Marc Bolan was tragically killed when a car driven by his girlfriend, Gloria Jones, left the road and hit a tree in London. Known for pairing glitter make-up and feather boas with searing guitar riffs, Bolan was a pioneering figure in the British glam rock movement, whose band T.Rex rose to fame with such hits as “Get It On,” “20th Century Boy,” and “Children of the Revolution.” His work, meanwhile, would inspire artists across multiple genres for decades to come – from the punk and new wave movements to Britpop.
In 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, Are You Experienced? entered the Billboard 200, where it would remain for 106 weeks, including 77 weeks in the Top 40. While the album was embraced by critics upon its release, its legacy would only grow. Ranked among the greatest albums of all time by multiple outlets, including Rolling Stone, the title has also been added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
In 1985, Kate Bush released her fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, featuring such UK hits as “Cloudbusting,” “Hounds of Love,” and “The Big Sky,” plus the enduring smash, “Running Up That Hill.”
In 1970, Jimi Hendrix made his final public appearance, playing alongside Eric Burdon at Ronnie Scott’s in London.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 16
1925: B.B. King
1942: Bernie Calvert (The Hollies)
1944: Betty Kelly (Martha & The Vandellas)
1963: Richard Marx
1969: Justine Frischmann (Elastica)
1979: Flo-Rida
1992: Nick Jonas
