Rock Crosses Over

AOR stations weren't the only place to hear Rock on the radio. In 1980, Rock also dominated the pop charts. Possibly spurred by the "Disco Demolition Night" a few months before (see the 1979 Album Rock page), established Rock artists scored huge number one hits on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart. Led by Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall (4 weeks at number one!), Queen scored 2 top hits, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (4 weeks) and Another One Bites The Dust (3 weeks), Blondie had the year's number one pop hit with Call Me (6 weeks), and Billy Joel enjoyed his first number one pop hit with It's Still Rock and Roll To Me (1 week). Of course, all of these artists enjoyed enormous popularity and heavy airplay on Album Rock radio stations as well!

Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2
by Pink Floyd

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
by Queen

Call Me
by Blondie

It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
by Billy Joel

AC/DC Singer Bon Scott Found Dead

AC/DC fans learned the shocking news of lead singer Bon Scott on February 19th. The Australian band began to achieve international success with the album Highway To Hell in 1979, and was just finishing the album's tour. On the night before his death, Scott, known as a heavy drinker, was partying at a night club in London. Friends of his led him to the back seat of a parked car to "sober up". The following morning, Scott was discovered dead. His autopsy revealed he died of acute alcohol poisioning.^[1] Bon Scott was only 33.

Led Zeppelin Drummer John Bonham Also Dies

Only a few months after Scott, the Rock world dealt with the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham on September 25th. After a night of heavy drinking, Bonham was found dead that morning, apparently from choking on his own vomit. Friends believed that Bonham drank 40 shots during the previous night. Although Led Zeppelin met only moderate success on the Top 40, Rock fans consider them to be one of the greatest Rock bands of all time, as their albums continue to sell well and their album tracks receive excessive air play on Classic Rock radio stations. Bonham died at 33.

John Lennon Killed By A Maniac

Former Beatle John Lennon was in the midst of a comeback following an almost six-year hiatus from the Top 40 when he met a most brutal fate on December 8. When he and wife Yoko Ono left their New York City apartment that night, crazed fan Mark David Chapman shot Lennon several times in the chest. Lennon died almost instantly, sending shock waves through the Rock world over the following 24 hours. Chapman murdered Lennon because he wanted to "hurt the whole world." Lennon's hit Starting Over, popular at the time of his death, reached number one in January, 1981. John Lennon was only 40.