This Day in Music
In 1973, 26-year-old singer-songwriter Gram Parsons died of a drug overdose in Joshua Tree, California. Known for his fusion of country, rock, folk, and R&B (what he coined “Cosmic American Music”), Parsons found success as a solo artist, as well as with groups like The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Although his career was relatively short, Parsons’ influence was monumental, particularly with the development of alt-country in the following decades. In the days following his death, however, the intrigue surrounding Parsons only continued to grow, in what can only be described as rock’n’roll lore. As Parsons’ body was being prepared to be shipped to his family in Louisiana, the artist’s friend and tour manager, Phil Kaufman, intercepted the body at Los Angeles International Airport and, following his friend’s wishes, drove the body back to the desert, where he attempted to cremate it.
In 1970, the inaugural Glastonbury Festival took place in Somerset, England. 15,000 fans attended the event, where they caught performances by T-Rex, Al Stewart, Ian Anderson, and Quintessence.
In 1979, Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) kicked off a series of five star-studded concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Organized primarily by Graham Nash, Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall, the concerts were later captured on the triple live album, No Nukes: The Muse Concerts For a Non-Nuclear Future. Bruce Springsteen, who was among the performers, would later release his performance as the 2021 live album, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert. Other performers included the Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, and Carly Simon.
In 1981, more than ten years after the final Simon & Garfunkel studio album, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a concert in New York’s Central Park. The response was overwhelming, with 500,000 fans reportedly attending the show (the actual number has since been disputed). The 21-song performance was captured in the 1982 live album The Concert in Central Park and aired as a concert film on TV.
In 1993, Pearl Jam released their sophomore album, Vs. Given the massive success of its predecessor – 1991’s Ten – it was no surprise that the rock album set a new record for first-week sales and topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks. Despite the fact that the band declined to release any music videos around the album, they still found success with many of its singles, including the acoustic “Daughter.”
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their one and only No.1 hit on the UK pop charts with “Bad Moon Rising.”
In 1998, Robbie Williams scored his first chart-topping hit in the UK with “Millennium.”
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 19
1934: Brian Epstein (Artist Manager)
1940: Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers)
1943: Cass Elliot (Mamas and the Papas)
1952: Nile Rogers (Producer, Co-Founder of Chic)
1958: Lita Ford (The Runaways)
1963: Jarvis Cocker (Pulp)
1964: Trisha Yearwood
