Oct. 2 is a sad day in rock history, as the music world lost an icon. It’s also Sting’s birthday and the anniversary of a couple of iconic albums. Keep reading to discover all the major rock-related events that happened on this day.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Today we celebrate two iconic singles that made their way to the top of the charts. They are:
- 1971: Rod Stewart topped the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with his breakthrough single, “Maggie May / Reason to Believe.” Part of his third solo album, Every Picture Tells a Story, the two-sided single had “Reason to Believe” on its A side, but “Maggie May” turned out to be the more popular song.
- 1982: John Cougar Mellencamp reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Jack & Diane.” It was his first and, so far, only No. 1 single in the US, and it spent four weeks at the top.
Cultural Milestones
These are the most relevant cultural events that happened in the rock world on this day:
- 1950: Genesis co-founder and lead guitarist, Mike Rutherford, was born in Chertsey, Surrey, England. He was initially the band’s bass guitarist and rhythm guitarist, but he took over the lead guitar role after Steve Hackett left the band in 1977.
- 1951: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, also known as Sting, was born in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He burst onto the scene with his band The Police in 1977 and started a solo career in 1985, managing to sell a combined total of over 100 million albums.
- 2017: Tom Petty died aged 66, after suffering a cardiac arrest a day earlier. The reason was an accidental overdose of the medication he was taking to alleviate hip and knee pain.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Some memorable concerts and album launches took place on Oct. 2 throughout the years, including:
- 1964: The Kinks released their self-titled debut album in the UK via Pye Records. It included the highly influential track “You Really Got Me.”
- 1970: Pink Floyd released their fifth studio album, Atom Heart Mother, in the United Kingdom. It was a huge moment in the band’s history, as it was their first U.K. No. 1 album and also their first album to feature their signature progressive rock sound.
- 1982: Peter Gabriel returned to play with his former band Genesis for a one-off performance at the Six of the Best concert at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England. The band agreed to reunite with Gabriel to help him escape the financial struggles he had at the time after a festival he had co-founded left him in debt.
- 1995: Oasis released their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? by Creation Records. The record catapulted the band to international superstardom thanks to its hits, such as “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Some Might Say,” and “Champagne Supernova.”
From tragic moments to legendary album launches, Oct. 2 was a pretty eventful day for rock fans throughout the years. Visit us again tomorrow to discover what happened on that day in rock history.
