Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1957: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inaugural-class inductees The Everly Brothers got their first-ever U.S. No. 1 hit with “Wake Up Little Susie.” The single also spent seven weeks at the top of Billboard’s Country chart.
• 1966: Grace Slick made her live debut as the lead singer of Jefferson Airplane at The Fillmore in San Francisco. She replaced the original frontwoman, Signe Toly Anderson, who left the band to raise her child.
• 1972: Michael Jackson landed his first-ever solo No. 1 hit when his single “Ben” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared on his second solo album of the same name.
• 1978: All four KISS members had their solo albums chart in the US Billboard album chart top 100. Gene Simmons was the highest placed at No. 22, followed by Ace Frehley at No. 26, Paul Stanley at No. 40, and Peter Criss at No. 43.
• 1988: Def Leppard became the first band in chart history to sell over 7 million copies of two consecutive albums. The two LPs that helped them achieve this milestone are 1983’s Pyromania and 1987’s Hysteria, with the latter selling over 20 million copies.
• 1989: Mötley Crüe’s fifth studio album, Dr. Feelgood, reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart, where it spent two weeks. It remains the band’s only No. 1 album, and it went on to sell over 6 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1975: Art Garfunkel released his second studio album, Breakaway, through Columbia Records. It was his most successful solo effort, peaking at No. 7 on both US and UK album charts, and earning Platinum certification in the US.
• 1977: David Bowie released his 12th album, Heroes, via RCA Records. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, and the title single is one of Bowie’s most popular songs.
• 1977: On the same day of the same year, KISS released their Alive II live album through Casablanca Records. One of the band’s highest-selling records, it was their first to receive double Platinum certification.
• 1985: Iron Maiden released their album Live After Death, which included live recordings from the band’s World Slavery Tour. It’s widely regarded as one of the best live albums of all time, and it achieved Platinum status in both the U.S. and Canada.
• 1985: INXS released their fifth studio album, Listen Like Thieves. It helped the band break out internationally, after years of being popular in their native Australia.