This Day in Music
In 1984, MTV aired its inaugural Video Music Award show. Hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the ceremony was perhaps best remembered for a revealing performance by Madonna, who donned a not-so-innocent wedding dress while performing “Like a Virgin.” In an attempt to retrieve a fallen shoe, the former dancer made some impromptu moves – rolling around on stage and, consequently, showing the world her undergarments, much to the shock of audiences at home. Among the other highlights in the evening were performances by Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Huey Lewis and the News, David Bowie, ZZ Top, and Ray Parker, Jr., while the very first Moonman statues were awarded to the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Eurythmics, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, and Herbie Hancock.
In 1955, Little Richard recorded his debut hit, “Tutti Frutti” at J&M Studio in New Orleans. Written by Richard and Dorothy LaBostrie and produced by Bumps Blackwell, the high-energy song (which began with the refrain “a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom”) set the blueprint for rock’n’roll.
In 2008, Kings Of Leon began a three-week run at the top of the UK Pop chart with their breakthrough hit, “Sex On Fire.” The song, which appeared on their fourth studio album, Only by the Night, would also become the second-most downloaded digital single ever in the UK. The song also had significant success in the band’s home country, topping Billboard’s Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, as well as in Australia, Finland, and Ireland, where it went to No.1
In 2014, a life-size bronze statue of Amy Winehouse was unveiled in London, in the late singer-songwriter’s favorite neighborhood, Camden. Winehouse, who would have turned 31 years old that day, passed away in 2011.
In 1968, animated series The Archies aired on televisions across America. Based on the popular comic strip, the show featured plenty of original music, thanks to contributions from Ron Dante, Andy Kim, Jeff Barry, and music mogul Don Kirshner, and even resulted in a chart-topping hit the following year, with “Sugar Sugar.”
In 1979, the film Quadrophenia premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. While the movie was loosely based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera of the same name, it was not a musical, ala Tommy. Directed by Franc Roddam, Quadrophenia starred Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick, and Sting. The band, however, did not appear in the film.
In 1981, Rolling Stones fans were treated to a surprise when the band played a secret warm-up show, ahead of their tour, at the Sir Morgan’s Cove club in Worcester, MA. While the band was billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches, a local radio station blew their cover, resulting in the 350-capacity club being besieged by over 4,000 fans.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 14
1949: Steve Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1950: Paul Kossoff (Free)
1959: Morten Harket (A-Ha)
1970: Mark Webber (Pulp)
1972: Nas
1983: Amy Winehouse
