This Week In Music History May 24 - June 6 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! MAY 26: Today in 1981, Kim Carnes was at #1 with “Bette Davis Eyes”. It would stay at the top and end as 1981’s #1 song! JUNE 2: Happy 80th birthday to Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones, born today in 1941! He joined the group in 1963 as not only their drummer, but also as the designer of their record sleeves and tour stages. JUNE 6: Happy birthday to Steve Vai, bo...

This Week In Music History Apr 11-24 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! APR 13: Today in 1982, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts were at #1 with the enduring rock anthem “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”. The song was first recorded in 1975 by The Arrows. Jett’s cover version stayed at #1 for seven weeks! APR 17: Today in 1970, The Beatles were at #1 with “Let It Be”. It was the group’s final single before Paul McCartney announced his departure from t...

Concert Tickets and Passes: Small Pieces Of Music History Concert tickets and backstage passes have become excellent collectibles. Most are not overly expensive and they make a great scrap book project or, even better, make for a great art piece when designed into a collage to enjoy on a wall. Like most music collectibles, the artist matters (although also always a matter of personal taste), but older dated shows from an artist's early career or particularly famous shows can be the most highly sought after. Like with most collectibles, condition...

This Week In Music History Apr 25-May 2 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! APR 23: Happy birthday to Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, born today in 1961! He joined the band in 1979 and even though he has left a couple of times he has Photo courtesy Earl McGehee [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en] APR 29: Happy birthday to Willie Nelson, born today in 1933! The music lege...

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2021 Inductees The 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place this fall in Cleveland, Ohio and today the organization announced their 2021 Inductees who are, (drum roll please...): Clarence Avant, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Carole King, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, Charlie Patton, Billy Preston, Randy Rhoads, Todd Rundgren, Gil Scott-Heron and Tina Turner. The Hall says to be eligible, artists are required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction. Foo ...

The Best-Selling Albums From 1957-2020 Here is a fascinating video depiction of the best-selling albums from 1957 through 2020. Note the start with what became the first RIAA Gold Album ever awarded (for Oklahoma!), the dominance of Elvis through the late 60s, and then the Beatles rise. You'll also note the fairly constant presence in the 70s of classics such as the various Beatles albums (especially Sgt. Pepper), Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, various Zeppelin albums, Eagles Greatest Hits, Michael Jackson's Thril...

Remembering Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) Through Isolated Tracks Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020). In October 2020 the music world lost guitar virtuoso and talented songwriter Eddie Van Halen. As we reflect on the loss two years on, it's best to remember the rock god for his incredible guitar prowess. What better way to do that than to listen to some isolated Eddie guitar magic? Every rock guitarist alive in the 80s regarded Eddie Van Halen as a god. It's the truth. While Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and others were influences that Eddie would often acknow...

This Week In Music History Sept 6-12 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! SEPT 7: Happy birthday to Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, born today in 1951!🎂🎤🎸 The singer-songwriter and musician is one of the founders of the rock band the Pretenders, as well as the only constant member of the group. In 2005, Hynde along with her band mates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Photo credit: Harmony Gerber [https://creativecommons.or...

This Week In Music History Aug 23-29 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! AUG 24: Today in 1963, Stevie Wonder became the first artist to go to the top of the charts on the US album and singles charts in the same week!🎶🎤🎶 The LP was Little Stevie Wonder/The 12 Year Old Genuis and the single at #1 was “Fingertips Part 2”. AUG 27: Happy birthday to Alex Lifeson of Rush, born today in 1953!🎂🎸 In 1968, Lifeson co-founded the band that would go o...

This Week In Music History Sept 27-Oct 3 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! SEPT 30: Sadly, the music world lost Helen Reddy and Mac Davis yesterday. Both singers were 78. Each contributed to music in the early 70’s, Reddy with her empowerment anthem “I Am Woman” and Davis with his songwriting crossover hits like “In The Ghetto”, written for Elvis. RIP😢 OCT 1: Today in 1984, Prince was at #1 with “Let’s Go Crazy”. 💜 It became his second time a...

5 Tips To Spot Fake RIAA Awards One of the tricky parts of collecting RIAA record awards is avoiding the fakes that do occasionally exist in the marketplace. Here are five tips that can help you avoid buying a fake RIAA award: 1. Certification: Does the certification date versus the award type make sense? This can be a very tricky area because a recording is not certified officially by the RIAA until the record label submits the paperwork. In some cases, there can be years-long gaps before Platinum was issued on recordings ...

This Week In Music History Sept 13-19 The week in music history brought to you by MusicGoldmine.com. Just a couple of highlights from this week in music history! SEPT 15: Today in 1985, Dire Straits were at #1 with “Money For Nothing”. A song that was perfect for the blossoming video age in the mid-80’s its not surprising that it went to the top of the charts. It was the first video to air when MTV Europe debuted in 1987. SEPT 19: Happy birthday to Lita Ford, born today in 1958! 🎂🎸🎤 Ford was the lead guitarist for the all-femal...