Oct. 17 is a significant day for two of the biggest names in rock music: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Read on to discover what they celebrate today, as well as other notable events that have occurred on this day in rock history.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
The two biggest milestones of the day are an iconic debut and a No. 1 single:
- 1962: The Beatles made their first-ever U.K. television appearance, performing on Granada Television’s regional show, People and Places. They performed two songs, “Love Me Do” and “Some Other Guy.“
- 1964: Manfred Mann reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.” The song spent two weeks at the top and is frequently cited as being one of the first No. 1 singles with a nonsense song title.
Cultural Milestones
Some huge cultural moments happened in the rock world on this day that changed rock music forever. Some of those that most left their mark include:
- 1957: Elvis Presley’s movie, Jailhouse Rock, premiered in Memphis, Tennessee. It was released nationwide on Nov. 8 and went on to gross over $4 million.
- 1961: After having attended the same primary school for years, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met again by chance as young adults on a platform at Dartford Railway Station in England. Jagger was holding some albums, and Richards carried his guitar, which led them to chat about music. They discovered they shared a passion for American blues and country music, and a year later they formed a band called The Rolling Stones.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Oct. 17 is also the anniversary of a few legendary albums from legendary bands and artists, such as the following:
- 1964: The Rolling Stones released 12 X 5, their second American studio album. While it mostly included R&B covers, the album also included three compositions by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
- 1977: Lynyrd Skynyrd released their fifth studio album, Street Survivors. Sadly, only three days later, an airplane carrying the band crashed on its way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing several people on board, including three band members.
- 1980: Dire Straits released their third studio album, Making Movies. It was a success and achieved Platinum status in the U.S., thanks to hit singles such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Tunnel of Love.”
- 1980: Bruce Springsteen released his fifth studio album, The River. The goal was to reproduce the sound of his live shows, and it was a commercial success, selling 1.6 million copies in the U.S. by Christmas of that year.
- 1989: KISS released their fifteenth studio album, Hot in the Shade, through Mercury Records. It included the power ballad “Forever,” their biggest hit in the no-makeup era, and peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
- 1989: On the same day of the same month, Billy Joel released his eleventh studio album, Storm Front, via Columbia Records. It was his third US No. 1 album and also earned four-times Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over 4 million copies in the US alone.
Oct. 17 was a defining day for rock music, as two of its biggest names had pivotal early-career moments. Visit again tomorrow and discover more events and happenings from the history of rock music.
