This Day in Music
On this day in music, January 20, 2022, the Grammy Award-winning singer and actor, Meat Loaf, died at age 74. Born Marvin Lee Aday, the operatic vocalist was famous for his bombastic performances. His monstrously popular Bat Out Of Hell trilogy, which was released over the course of 29 years, collectively sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, while his 1977 debut, Bat Out of Hell remained on the charts for an astonishing nine years. As an actor, Meat Loaf rose to fame with a show-stopping performance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and appeared in more than 50 films and TV shows during his life.
In 1982, during an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, IA, an audience member threw a bat onto the stage. Initially thinking the bat to be fake, the singer attempted to bite the object’s head off in a wild display. Ozzy quickly realized that it had, in fact, been a living creature. After the show, Ozzy was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for rabies shots.
In 1997, Vermont ice cream company, Ben and Jerry’s, introduced Phish Food, a new flavor named after the popular jam band.
In 1988, The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Bob Dylan, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, and The Drifters, during the third annual ceremony.
In 1983, Def Leppard released their third studio album, Pyromania. The record, which featured new guitarist Phil Collen, was produced by “Mutt” Lange and found the British rockers moving away from their heavy metal roots. Led by the hit “Photograph” the album has since sold over 10 million copies in the US.
In 2012, singer Etta James, most often remembered for her signature hit, “At Last,” died at the age of 73, following a battle with leukemia. The six-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was revered for her versatile vocals.
BORN ON JANUARY 20
1899: Leadbelly
1924: Slim Whitman
1945: Eric Stewart (Mindbenders, 10cc)
1949: Ian Hill (Judas Priest)
1952: Paul Stanley (KISS)
1971: Gary Barlow (Take That)
1979: Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park)
1980: Matthew Tuck (Bullet for My Valentine)
1981: Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol)
