This Day in History: 2024-10-13

ROCKTOBER 13^th

The Police’s sophomore album, “Reggatta De Blanc,” is #1 in the U.K. In the U.S., the album fails to crack the Top 20 (#25). 1979

The record industry confirms that Pearl Jam’s “Vitalogy” has sold over 5-million copies. 1995

Foo Fighters’ sixth album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” enters Billboard 200 chart at #3 (behind Rascal Flatts and Keyshia Cole), after selling over 165,000 copies in its first week out. 2007

Falling In Reverse earns their first platinum certification (one million units moved) for their ’19 track “Popular Monster.” 2021

MORE TODAY IN ROCK…

Keyboardist Robert Lamm (Chicago) is born. 1944

The Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, is born in Monterey, CA. In ’86, having already launched a successful solo career, the former Montrose guitarist/vocalist replaces David Lee Roth in Van Halen (or Van Hagar). 1947

Anthrax vocalist, Joey Belladonna (born Joseph Bellardini), has a birthday. He is with the group during its prime. 1960

Fifteen-million Brits catch The Beatles on the telly as the group plays London’s Palladium Theatre. In an early demonstration of Beatlemania, there’s a riot in the streets outside the theatre and another one inside. In fact, accounts of the hysteria and chaos use the term ‘Beatlemania’ for the first time. 1963

Hope I die before I get old. The Who record “My Generation” in London. 1965

Leaning heavily on the pop chart-topping ballad “Angie,” the Rolling Stones score another #1 album on the Billboard 200 with the relatively weak “Goats Head Soup.”  1973

Neil Young undergoes throat surgery to remove irritation to his vocal cords. Though he recovers quickly, Young has voice problems for several months. 1975

AC/DC’s “Back In Black,” the group’s first album with vocalist Brain Johnson, goes platinum. 1980

U2’s “Unforgettable Fire” tops the U.K. album chart. 1984

ZZ Top’s “Concrete And Steel” is #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.  1990

Godsmack’s Sully Erna rides the fence, declining to endorse President Bush or challenger Senator John Kerry, in the upcoming election. However, he does add that he wants “a Republican in office.” Meanwhile, the Foo Fighters play two free shows in support of Kerry, in Tempe, as part of the Arizona Democratic Party’s Debate Watch Party. 2004

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root breaks his wrist in a mountain-biking accident just prior to the group’s North American tour. The band tours without him. 2005

The Killers’ Brandon Flowers claims Green Day is anti-American because they chose to film their DVD “Bullet In A Bible” in the United Kingdom. Flowers says seeing “a bunch of (English) kids screaming, ‘I don’t want to be an American idiot’… really lit a fire” in him. 2006

Paul McCartney submits an application through his MPL Communications company requesting to have his name trademarked so he can profit from licensing his moniker on a variety of products. 2006

Patti Smith is nominated in the National Book Award’s Nonfiction category for “Just Kids,” a memoir about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The Punk icon’s first book of prose wins the award a month later. 2010

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello performs at the Occupy Wall Street protest in Manhattan. Morello claims he’s “one more voice to the growing chorus of millions demanding economic justice at home and around the globe.” 2011

Gregg Allman (Allman Brothers Band) receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Honors and Awards at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.  He is honored for his contribution to Americana culture and is recognized for his instrumental virtuosity. 2011

Iggy Pop’s lecture – Free Music in a Capitalist Society – airs on BBC Radio 6 Music. He criticizes free downloaders and music industry executives and advises his audience to “stay away from drugs… and (TV) talent judges.” 2014

Elvis Costello’s memoir “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink” arrives. His publisher calls it “unconventional but indelible.” 2015

Bob Dylan is the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He receives the award “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”  2016

Frank Iero is seriously injured in Sydney, Australia. A vehicle crashes into an equipment van being unloaded by the former My Chemical Romance guitarist and crew members. “We’re pretty banged up but miraculously alive and in stable condition,” tweets Iero.  “I’m still in a state of shock.”  2016

Staind’s Aaron Lewis, considered to be one of the most politically conservative musicians in Rock, says controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump needs to “be a little bit more freakin’ presidential.”  2016

The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is named Britain’s most popular studio album of all time in a survey conducted by The Official Charts Company. The 1967 album, with a combined 5.34 million sales in the U.K., tops the list based on a combination of physical sales, downloads and streams.  The designation is in honor of the first-ever National Album Day, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the format.  2018

Queen releases “Face It Alone,” a previously “lost’ track. “We’d kind of forgotten about this track but there it was, this little gem,” explained Queen drummer Roger Taylor. “It’s wonderful, a real discovery. It’s a very passionate piece.”  2022

Pearl Jam commits to $200 per ton of CO2 produced while touring for its carbon offset strategy. Globally, the carbon offset market averages $1-15 per ton.  2022