September 17, 1982
Pink Floyd’s seminal double album The Wall makes it to the big screen as a feature-length musical. Few expected the sprawling concept album to be turned into a feature film, but the band’s celluloid collaboration with director Alan Parker and animator Gerald Scarfe becomes a surprise box office hit and a cult classic.
September 18, 1970
Jimi Hendrix is found dead in his basement. He had taken nine pills of the barbiturate Vesparax, that along with alcohol, caused a fatal overdose.
September 19, 1984
At a whistle-stop in Hammonton, New Jersey, campaigning president Ronald Reagan praises singer Bruce Springsteen, saying: “America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts; it rests in the message of hope in songs so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen. And helping you make those dreams come true is what this job of mine is all about.” This leads to widespread criticism in the press because Springsteen’s recent hit, “Born In The U.S.A.,” is in fact a bitter cry of outrage at how poorly the United States treats its veterans, which Reagan had apparently mistaken for a straight-forward patriotic anthem – an easy mistake to make if you listen to the chorus only and not the lyrics.
September 20, 1979
The Clash bass player Paul Simonon, frustrated because the crowd at The Palladium in New York City isn’t standing, smashes his instrument on stage. The photo is later used as the cover of their London Calling album.
September 21, 2011
R.E.M. announce that they’re calling it quits after more than 30 years. In a post on their website, the band members write, “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”
September 22, 2015
The “Happy Birthday” copyright is ruled invalid, putting the song into the public domain.
September 23, 1980
Bob Marley plays his final concert: a 20-song set at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh with his group, The Wailers.
September 24, 1981
Nirvana’s breakthrough album Nevermind is released.
