Hendrix, Joplin Deaths Shock The Country

On September 18, the news of Rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix' death from a drug overdose stunned the Rock world. Heavy drug use became the norm for the "Hippie" counterculture generation. Now one of their own lost his life due to this. A little more than 2 weeks later, October 4, the news announcement of Rock/Blues artist Janis Joplin's death, another drug overdose, was a sobering announcement. Losing two great artists almost simultaneously may have led to the end of the counterculture movement, as related music began to disappear from the radio. Did this sad, but telling moment lead the young generation to re·think drug use? One can only speculate.

Not Again!

As if the unexpected deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin weren't enough to bear, Jim Morrison, lead singer of the Doors, died on July 3, 1971, some 9 months after the other two. Morrison was known to abuse alcohol, which, likely led to his death. With the Doors, his best known single was Light My Fire, a number one hit in 1967. The Doors were one of Rock music's most influencial bands of that era. Morrison passed away at age 27.

American Pie Becomes A Classic!

Singer-songwriter Don McLean's American Pie became a huge hit in early 1972, and an instant classic!

The lyric deals with the death of early Rock 'n Roll icon Buddy Holly in 1959, although Holly is never mentioned in the song. It's written from the perspective of the singer's thoughts and feelings after Holly's death - "The day the music died".

American Pie resonated with the "Hippie" generation, and became a staple on Album Rock stations nationwide, as many still play it today!

Dark Side of the Moon Released

Pink Floyd's iconic album Dark Side of the Moon hit the record stores, and the radio airwaves, in 1973. The album defined Progressive Rock, using modern electronic keyboards to produce "psychedelic" sounds, a method later copied by other bands including the Steve Miller Band, Styx, and ELO, to name a few.

Bowie Has First "Alternative" Number One?

David Bowie was hailed as one of the pioneers of Alternative Rock. Was Bowie the first "alternative" artist to score a number one pop hit? His off·center hit Fame reached number one on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 pop chart in August of 1975. Watch the video of David Bowie's Fame and decide for yourself.

Notable New Bands And Artists: Frampton and Boston

Artist Peter Frampton and the band Boston lead the list of new artists to make an impact on the Rock world in 1976.

Frampton"s album Frampton Comes Alive, a live concert album featuring his latest songs, became an instant hit! Although Frampton was previously lead singer of the group Spirit, he was largely unknown to the Rock world until he went solo in 1976.

Boston was a new Rock band, obviously named after their home city. Their self·titled debut album became a huge hit during the Autumn months, leading the group to a long and successful career that would stretch into the 1990's.

Notable New Bands And Artists: Foreigner, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon, and the Alan Parsons Project

Many new Rock bands released their first albums during 1977. Although the latter three mentioned wouldn't see their peak success until the 1980's, Foreigner's self·titled first album achieved immediate success! With songs such as Feels Like The First Time, Cold As Ice, and Long Long Way From Home becoming staples on both Album Rock and Top 40 radio, Foreigner built a sizable fan base they would enjoy for over a decade!

Early critics pegged Foreigner as the "corporate Rock band", but fans didn't share their opinion, as Rock radio listeners tended to reject "commercial" sounding bands and artists, even nearly a decade after the "Hippie" movement.

Stones go Disco

The Rolling Stones became the first Rock band to experiment with the Disco sound. From their album Some Girls in 1978, the 'Stones released their single Miss You, featuring a Disco beat. The single became a number one pop hit, and also received extensive play on Album Rock radio stations as well.

Lead singer Mick Jagger and drummer Charlie Watts frequented Disco clubs, popular at the time, which influenced the beat of Miss You
(source: https://www.salon.com/2017/08/19/rolling-stones-33-13-excerpt/)

Rick Carroll Starts Trend

Radio Program Director Rick Carroll of KROQ in Los Angeles began a new trend in Album Rock radio, starting in 1978. Terming his format "Rock of the Eighties", Carroll combined the existing AOR format with a mix of lesser·known, more eclectic artists who received little, if any, airplay on AOR or Top 40 stations.

Carroll had a knack for finding unknown groups and artist who, as he believed, had what it took to be successful in the Rock world. Right more often than wrong, Carroll helped artists like The Cars and The Talking Heads find success in the music world by becoming the first PD on a radio station to play their album tracks and get them exposure to the world. Some of these artists found success on Top 40 radio as well.