This Day in Music
On September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died tragically at London’s Samarkand Hotel. While the 27-year-old had only been in the spotlight for just four years, his imprint on rock music was mighty. His virtuosic guitar technique would inspire countless musicians, while his hits with The Jimi Hendrix Experience (including “Purple Haze,” “Hey Joe,” and “The Wind Cries Mary,”) continue to endure. A week before his death, Hendrix gave his final interview in his suite at the Cumberland Hotel in London, where he discussed a number of topics with Keith Altham, a journalist for Record Mirror. The duo dove into his thoughts on psychedelic music, his role as a guitar hero, and more, capturing Hendrix’s state of mind shortly before the end of his life.
In 1971, The Who scored their first and only UK No.1 album with Who’s Next. Released in August, the project emerged from the ashes of a scrapped rock opera, Lifehouse, which was slated to be the multimedia follow-up to 1969’s Tommy. Nevertheless, the album went on to become a critical darling and be considered one of The Who’s greatest LPs.
In 1993, Meat Loaf’s hard rock epic Bat Out Of Hell II reached No.1 on the UK album chart, a feat he would repeat five more times over the course of his career. The album was released sixteen years after the artist’s first solo album, Bat Out of Hell.
In 2014, Taylor Swift landed at the top of the US singles chart once again, thanks to the success of her hit, “Shake It Off.” The song was the lead single from 1989, which Swift marketed as her first pop album.
In 1983, KISS took to MTV to appear in public without their iconic makeup for the first time. While the hard rockers pulled off the stunt to promote their new album, Lick It Up, it also tripled the sales of their previous LP, Creatures of the Night.
In 1968, The Beatles recorded 20 takes of “Birthday.” The session had the band recruiting a number of friends and family: Roadie Mal Evans added handclaps, while Yoko Ono and Patti Harrison contributed backing vocals on the track.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 18
1939: Frankie Avalon
1950: Michael Hossack (The Doobie Brothers)
1952: Dee Dee Ramone
1962: Joanne Catherall (The Human League)
1967: Ricky Bell (New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe)
1988: Lukas Forchhammer (Lukas Graham)
