March 29: First Rap Artist to Debut at No. 1
Let’s begin our journey in this week in music with one of the multiple timesTupac proved to be one of the best rappers ever.
Today in 1995, Tupac Shakur’s “Me Against the World” made him the first rap artist to debut at No. 1 on the charts. While the artist was in jail for sexual assault, he released the album, immediately heading to the top of the charts. Tupac also started writing his new record while he was in jail.
March 28: Genesis first tour without Peter Gabriel
On this day in 1976, English band Genesis began its first North American tour since Peter Gabriel’s departure. Phil Collins was the new lead singer. A funny coincidence is that exactly 20 years later, on March 28th 1996, Phil Collins announced that he was leaving Genesis to concentrate on his solo career.
March 29: Shania Twain first headlining tour
On March 29, 1998, Shania Twain began her first headlining tour. The artist started her tour in her Canadian homeland in Sudbury, Ontario.
Stage name of Eilleen Regina Edwards OC, Shania Twain is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Shania has sold more than 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists
March 30: The Ramones first concert
On March 30, 1974, The Ramones performed in front of an audience for the first time. The venue was Performance Space, at 23 East 20th Street, just east of Broadway. No one knew that the ones they were seeing on stage would’ve become the leading group for an upcoming music revolution, punk. The words “One! Two! Three! Four!” rumbled in the hall, and history was made.
Another key performance for the band was the one at New York City’s CBGB few months later. In the audience was music journalist Legs McNeil, the future co-founder of Punk magazine. He later said:
“They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song…and it was just this wall of noise. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new.”
March 31: the release of “Johnny B. Goode”
On March 31st, 1958, one of the most iconic songs ever saw the light for the first time. Today 65 years ago, Chuck Berry’s released his biggest hit and era definer “Johnny B. Goode.” The jam became the rock & roll vision of the American dream. The lyrics narrates the story of a poor country boy who, despite not knowing how to read or write, manages to become famous thanks to hard work and his great natural ability to play the guitar.
April 1: Marvin Gaye killed at 44
It was April 1, 1984, when soul icon and forever-remembered musician, singer, songwriter and activist Marvin Gaye was killed. At the young age of 44, Gaye’s father Marvin Gay Sr. killed his son on the day before his 45th birthday at their house in the Arlington Heights district of Los Angeles, California.
The homicide took place following an argument with his father after he intervened in an altercation between his parents. Gaye’s father received probation after he pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
April 2: 300 million songs sold
25 years ago, thinking about digital music was something just impossible. Suddenly something changed. Just like vinyls disappeared, it was the turn for cds to leave the scene for what is our normality. An important goal was achieved in 2005, when the iTunes Music Store reached 300 million songs sold. Music history would’ve never been the same.
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