On this day in rock history, Paul McCartney scored his first No. 1 as a solo artist in the U.K., and the Sex Pistols played their final show. It’s also Dave Grohl’s birthday. Here are the key rock events from January 14.
1966: English musician David Jones released “Can’t Help Thinking About Me,” his first song under the new name David Bowie. He changed his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees.
1984: Paul McCartney’s single “Pipes of Peace” reached No. 1 on the U.K. chart after climbing the ranks for weeks. While he had many hits with The Beatles and Wings, this was his first solo No. 1.
1969: Dave Grohl, drummer for Nirvana and frontman of the Foo Fighters, was born in Warren, Ohio. He began his music career at 17 with a punk band called Scream and joined Nirvana in 1990.
1970: Diana Ross officially left the Supremes to start her solo career. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, becoming the first all-female group to achieve this honor.
1977: David Bowie released his 11th studio album, Low. It sold over 2 million copies and is now considered a groundbreaking work.
1978: The Sex Pistols played their last show with the original lineup at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Their chaotic U.S. tour ended in disbandment.
1980: Rush released their seventh album, Permanent Waves, which went Platinum in the U.S. and set the stage for their next big hit, Moving Pictures.
January 14 has seen major milestones in rock, from historic hits to band breakups. Check back tomorrow for more rock history!
