This Day in Rock History: September 17
Sep. 17 is a pretty important date for rock fans. It’s when U.S. audiences received their first, explosive introduction to The Who, but it was also the release date of…
Sep. 17 is a pretty important date for rock fans. It's when U.S. audiences received their first, explosive introduction to The Who, but it was also the release date of one of the most successful not-double albums of all time (we'll explain). These are some of the most important and era-defining events that took place on this day in rock history.
Cultural Milestones
While great music and talented players will always be rock's bread and butter, they don't make up the whole story. Here are some of the most important cultural milestones that happened on Sep. 17:
- 1931: The first 33 1/3 rpm long-playing (LP) record was demonstrated at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in New York. Although it wasn't initially a popular format due to its high price and limited quality, Columbia Records revived the LP in 1948, and it led to the creation of the popular music formats we still use today.
- 1967: The Who made their debut on U.S. television, appearing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. It's fair to say the band started their American career with a bang, as drummer Keith Moon overloaded his drum set with much more flash power than usual, intentionally causing a dramatic explosion — which left him with permanent hearing damage.
Notable Recordings and Performances
Sep. 17 is also the anniversary of many quintessential album releases and performances:
- 1964: The Beatles played an impromptu show in Kansas City, earning $150,000, a huge figure at the time for a one-off concert. To show their gratitude, the band included a cover of Little Richard's medley "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey!" in their setlist.
- 1991: Guns N' Roses released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II simultaneously at midnight. Instead of the typical double album format, they released the two as completely separate albums to make them more accessible to fans.
- 1991: On the very same day of the same year, Ozzy Osbourne released his sixth studio album, No More Tears. It went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. alone, partly thanks to the hit singles "No More Tears" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home."
From huge album releases to historic TV debuts and new technological developments, Sep. 17 has seen many memorable moments for rock fans. Check out this page tomorrow to see what happened on that day in rock history.
