On this day in rock history, The Police got their big break, and Grand Funk Railroad’s most well-known song reached No. 1 on the charts. Continue reading to learn more about these and other significant events that have occurred on Sept. 29 throughout the years.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
Some legendary acts celebrate major career achievements on this day, including:
- 1956: Bill Haley celebrated an amazing milestone, as he had five singles in the UK Top 30 at the same time. These included the iconic hits “Rock Around the Clock” and “See You Later Alligator.”
- 1973: Grand Funk Railroad’s hit song, “We’re an American Band,” reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It took some time to get there, as the single was released a few months earlier, on July 2.
- 1979: The Police secured the top spot on the Official U.K. Singles Chart for the first time with “Message in A Bottle.” It was the lead single of their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, and introduced the world to the band’s unique reggae-inspired sound.
- 1984: Prince and The Revolution started a two-week run at the top of the U.S. singles chart with their song “Let’s Go Crazy.” The opening track on the band’s Purple Rain album briefly returned to the chart in 2016, following the artist’s death.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Two legendary bands released memorable albums on Sept. 29:
- 1986: Iron Maiden released Somewhere in Time, their sixth studio album, via EMI Records in the U.K. and Capitol Records in the United States. It was a significant turning point for the band, as it was the first album where they used guitar synthesizers to experiment with new sounds.
- 1992: Stone Temple Pilots released their debut studio album, Core, via Atlantic Records. It became a huge success, peaking at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and selling over 8 million copies in the US alone.
- 1997: The Rolling Stones released Bridges to Babylon, their 21st studio album. It went platinum in the United States, supported by the highly successful Bridges to Babylon Tour, which included 108 shows.
- 2003: Sting released his seventh solo studio album, Sacred Love, through A&M Records. It was a success with both music critics and the general public, going Platinum in both Europe and the US, and selling over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
- 2009: Alice in Chains released their fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, on Virgin Records and EMI. It was their first album without original frontman Layne Staley and peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
From career milestones to memorable albums, Sept. 29 had its share of key moments for rock fans. Visit us again to discover more exciting happenings in rock history.
