Sept. 26 is a significant day in rock history, celebrating milestones from The Beatles, Roy Orbison, and Iron Maiden, among others. Keep reading to learn about important anniversaries on this day.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Two very different but equally important names in rock music celebrated major milestones on Sept. 26:
- 1964: Roy Orbison’s legendary hit “Oh, Pretty Woman” hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and held the top spot for three weeks. Widely considered Orbison’s most famous song, it also topped the charts in several other countries.
- 1981: Bruce Dickinson officially became Iron Maiden’s frontman, taking over from Paul Di’Anno. He made his stage debut with the band one month later on Oct. 26.
- 1987: Michael Jackson reached the top of the US Billboard 200 album chart with his seventh studio album, Bad. It spent six weeks at the top, reached No. 1 in 24 other countries, and sold over 10 million copies in the US alone.
- 2004: Green Day topped the UK Albums Chart with American Idiot. It’s also the best-selling rock album in the 21st century in the UK, with over 2.6 million copies.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Sept. 26 also marks the release of many legendary albums, including the following:
- 1969: The Beatles released one of the most iconic albums of all time, Abbey Road, via Apple Records. This is the last album the four members recorded together, and its cover shows them walking across the zebra crossing just outside London’s Abbey Road Studios.
- 1974: Five years to the day after Abbey Road dropped, John Lennon released his fourth solo album, Walls and Bridges, in the United States. It earned Recording Industry Association of America Gold status and included Lennon’s first solo No. 1 U.S. single, “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.“
- 1983: Mötley Crüe released their second studio album, Shout at the Devil. It was a huge hit with the public and established the band as one of the quintessential 1980s rock bands.
- 1986: Metallica played their final concert with original bassist Cliff Burton at the Solnahallen arena in Solna, Sweden. Just hours later, Burton was tragically killed in an accident that involved the band’s tour bus.
- 1995: Prince released his 17th studio album, The Gold Experience, through NPG Records and Warner Bros. Records. Despite being critically acclaimed, the album only sold 500,000 copies in the US, largely due to the artist’s contract dispute with his label at the time, which affected promotional duties.
- 1995: AC/DC released their thirteenth studio album, Ballbreaker, through Albert Productions and East West Records. It was produced by Rick Rubin and marked the return of drummer Phil Rudd, who had previously played with the band between 1975 and 1983.
Sept. 26 marked many important moments for rock fans, from personnel changes to iconic album releases. Visit this website tomorrow to learn more about exciting events in rock history.
