This Day in History: 2023-06-13

JUNE 13th

The Beatles “Let It Be” tops the Billboard 200. Recorded before “Abbey Road” but shelved and later re-mixed by Phil Spector, the album has a four-week stay at #1.  1970

Also, “The Long And Winding Road” becomes The Beatles’ last #1 single. Spector added strings and a choir to the original version.  1970

The Cars release “Candy-O.”  1979

The band’s sophomore album goes platinum. The Vargas cover art doesn’t hurt either.

Three Days Grace release their second album, “One-X,” with the single “Animal I Have Become.” 2006

It goes triple platinum (3 million units sold) in the U.S. and Canada.

Linkin Park deliver their sixth album, “The Hunting Party.” “It’s loud and it’s Rock, but not in the sense of what you’ve heard before,” explains vocalist Mike Shinoda.  It peaks at #3 on the Billboard chart.  2014

TODAY IN ROCK…

Frank Zappa gets his diploma from Antelope Valley High, in Lancaster, CA. 1958

The Rolling Stones make their first national U.S. TV appearance on the Hollywood Palace variety program hosted by Dean Martin. In an effort to widen the generation gap, Martin makes several weak and ill-timed jokes at the Stones’ expense. 1964

Harvard grad (English) and Weezer’s vocalist/guitarist, Rivers Cuomo, is born. 1971

Jefferson Starship release their “Red Octopus” LP. Two decades later the album is certified double platinum. 1975

The Deborah Harry (Blondie)/Meatloaf film, “Roadie,” premieres. 1980

Jerry Lee Lewis gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  1989

Isn’t ironic? Alanis Morissette releases “Jagged Little Pill.” The album, which sells over 33 million copies, wins four Grammys, including “Album of the Year,” and is ranked #1 on the Billboard 200 list of the best-selling albums of the ’90s. 1995

“Wake Me Up When September Ends,” the fourth single from Green Day’s “American Idiot” rolls out. The ballad goes to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. 2005

Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan wins a Tony Award for his score and orchestration for the musical “Memphis,” which examines the relationship between race and music in the South during the ’50s. Bon Jovi is playing the O2 Arena in London which also means that Bryan misses his first concert in 30 years to attend the awards. 2010

IDW Publishing present “Dressed To Kill, Part 1” it’s the first in a series of KISS comic books. 2012

Adam Levine (Maroon 5) offers to pay for the funeral of Christina Grimmie, a singer on The Voice, who was shot and killed following a concert in Orlando. Grimmie was a member of Levine’s Season Six team on The Voice. 2016

Julien’s “Music Icons” auction concludes with some big-ticket sales: a Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) self-portrait caricature is purchased for $281,000.  The drawing done in black felt pen depicts him playing guitar and is signed “Kurdt Kobain Rock Star;” an Alex Van Halen-owned drum kit, which he used during Van Halen’s ‘80 “Invasion” tour, sells for $230,400; and a collection of five Charvel Art Series guitars that had been stage-played and signed by the late guitar icon Eddie Van Halen go for a total of $210,225.  2021

Joan Jett, on behalf of PETA the animal rights organization, questions SeaWorld’s ongoing practice of breeding marine mammals in the parks.  She terms the practice “sexual abuse” at the company’s annual general meeting.  2022

Metallica’s Lars Ulrich receives the Ærespris (Honorary Award) from the Danish Music Publishers’ Association.  He is recognized in part for his role in Metallica’s copyright infringement lawsuit against the streaming platform Napster and for his compositional work on classic Metallica tracks (“Enter Sandman”, “Nothing Else Matters” and “Master Of Puppets”).  2022

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on a conservative talk radio show goes on a rant over President Joe Biden’s popularity in the Senate. “I don’t think Senate Democrats, if you had video of Joe Biden murdering children dressed as the devil under a full moon while singing Pat Benatar, they still wouldn’t vote to convict,” states Cruz. “Nice try,” Benatar responds.  2023