What Was Happening in Music This Week Back In The 80's
June 9
1989 - Prince released the song "Batdance."
The Batman movie took in over $250 million in America, second only to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989 box office receipts. The film was released on June 23, and quickly became a sensation. "Batdance," a quirky song of little interest to those who hadn't seen the movie, was buoyed by Batman-mania and rose to #1 in America.
June 10th
1981 - Andy Gibb opened in the role of Frederic in a Los Angeles production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Pirates of Penzance."
Gibb worked on several projects outside the recording studio including performances in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Broadway and Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance in Los Angeles, California. He also co-hosted the television music show, Solid Gold, from 1980 to 1982.
1985 - Frank Sinatra was portrayed as a friend of organized crime in a "Doonesbury" comic strip. Over 800 newspapers carried the panel.
Who was Doonesbury?
June 12th
1989 - Graceland opened the Elvis Presley Autoland Museum, which contains over 20 cars owned by Presley.
The collection included this little beauty from his film Blue Hawaii.
June 13th
1980 - Pat Benatar opened a home game for the Philadelphia Phillies by playing a brief set.
1984 - The Jacksons' "State of Shock," was released. Mick Jagger did guest vocals.
In the early 1980s Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury recorded three tracks together: "Victory," "There Must Be More To Life Than This" and the original version of "State Of Shock" song. "Victory" ended up becoming the unreleased title track of this album, whilst "There Must Be More To Life Than This" ended up being recorded by Mercury on his first solo LP. "State Of Shock" finally became a hit in 1984 when Jackson and his brothers re-recorded it with Mick Jagger.
1989 - Jerry Lee Lewis got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
June 14th
1980 - The movie "Roadie," starring Meat Loaf, debuted.
Roadie is a 1980 film directed by Alan Rudolph about a truck driver who becomes a roadie for a traveling rock and roll show. The film stars Meat Loaf and marks his first starring role in a film. There are also cameo appearances by musicians such as Peter Frampton, Roy Orbison and Hank Williams Jr., and supporting roles played by Alice Cooper and the members of Blondie. The film was marketed with the tagline "Bands make it rock...Roadies make it roll."
1981 - The "No Nukes" concert took place at The Hollywood Bowl.
1981- Bruce Springsteen headlined the concert which also featured Jackson Browne, Gary U-S Bonds, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills and Nicolette Larson.
1982 - The Pretenders fired Pete Farndon.
By 1982, Farndon caused increasingly strained relations with his bandmates due to his drug use. He became increasingly belligerent, and he, according to Chrissie Hynde, "was in bad shape. He was really not someone you could work with." He was fired on 14 June 1982. Two days after Farndon's dismissal, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott was found dead of heart failure caused by a cocaine overdose. Farndon himself was found dead on 14 April 1983 by his American model wife, Conover; he had passed out and drowned in his bathtub following a heroin overdose. At the time of his death Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash drummer Topper Headon - who was also battling heroin abuse and had also been kicked out of his band due to his inability to cope with it. Without Farndon and Honeyman-Scott the Pretenders were left with only two of their original four members.
1988 - The Fat Boys filed a $5 million law suit against Miller Beer and Joe Piscopo for using their likeness in a Miller Lite "Rappin "Fats" Piscopo commercial.
