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1981 In British Music
This is a summary of 1981 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year. Events *9 February - Phil Collins releases his first solo album (although he will not leave the band Genesis until 1995) *14 February - Billy Idol leaves Generation X to begin a solo career *4 April - Bucks Fizz win the Eurovision Song Contest with "Making Your Mind Up" *7 April - Former Who manager Kit Lambert dies after falling down a flight of stairs in his mother's home in London. * 17 April - Eric Clapton is released from St. Paul's Hospital in Minnesota following a month-long treatment for bleeding ulcers. *18 April - Yes announce that they are breaking up. (They would, however, reunite frequently in years to come). * 25 April - Paul McCartney's band, Wings, breaks up officially * 2 May - Working as a local wedding singer 12 months previously, Scottish vocalist Sheena Easton hits No.1 in the US with "Morning Train (9 to 5)" *11 May - The musical ''Cats (musical), Cats ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1981 In Music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981. Specific locations *1981 in British music * 1981 in Norwegian music Specific genres *1981 in country music * 1981 in heavy metal music * 1981 in hip hop music * 1981 in jazz Events January–April *January – Nearly a year after the suicide of Ian Curtis, the surviving members of Joy Division plus Gillian Gilbert, now under the name New Order, release their debut single "Ceremony"; the single and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", are both re-recordings of songs originally written and performed by Curtis. The single's release marks the band's first public use of the "New Order" moniker, which they would retain for the remainder of their career. *10 January – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta ''The Pirates of Penzance'' opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith. *11 January - The Country Singer Hank Williams Jr. was released the 32nd album called Rowdy. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of the " 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibsons "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was also named number five in ''Time'' magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009. After playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds in 1963, replacing founding guitarist Top Topham. Dissatisfied with the change of the Yardbirds sound from blues rock to a more radio-friendly pop rock sound, Clapton left in 1965 to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. On leaving Mayall in 1966, after one album, he formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After Cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stars On 45
Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was successful in Europe, the United States, and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the UK and Ireland it was known as Starsound (aka Star Sound). The band, which consisted solely of studio session musicians under the direction of Jaap Eggermont, formerly of Golden Earring, recorded medley recordings made by recreating hit songs as faithfully as possible and joining them together with a common tempo and underlying drum track. History Mark Haley & Lawrence Haley originated the "Stars on 45" concept after Willem van Kooten, managing director of the Dutch publishing company Red Bullet Productions, visited a record store in the summer of 1979 and happened to hear a disco medley being played there. The medley combined original recordings of songs by the Beatles, the Buggles, the Archies and Madness with a number of recent American and British disco hits like Lipps Inc.'s "Funk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Of London
The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues, including West End theatres, are concentrated. The term was first used in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross.Mills, A., ''Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) The West End covers parts of the boroughs of Westminster and Camden.Greater London Authority, The London Plan: The Sub Regions'' While the City of London is the main business and financial district in London, the West End is the main commercial and entertainment centre of the city. It is the largest central business district in the United Kingdom, comparable to Midtown Manhattan in New York City, the 8th arrondissement in Paris, Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, or Shibuya in Tokyo. It is one of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cats (musical)
''Cats'' is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based upon the 1939 poetry collection ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot. It tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. As of 2022, ''Cats'' remains the fourth-longest-running Broadway show and the seventh-longest-running West End show. Lloyd Webber began setting Eliot's poems to music in 1977, and the compositions were first presented as a song cycle in 1980. Producer Cameron Mackintosh then recruited director Trevor Nunn and choreographer Gillian Lynne to turn the songs into a complete musical. ''Cats'' opened to positive reviews at the New London Theatre in the West End in 1981 and then to mixed reviews at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in 1982. It won numerous awards including Best Musical at both the Laurence Olivier and Tony Awa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
11 May
Events 1601–1900 *1812 – Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the British House of Commons. * 1813 – William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth discover a route across the Blue Mountains, opening up inland Australia to settlement. *1857 – Indian Rebellion of 1857: Indian rebels seize Delhi from the British. *1880 – Seven people are killed in the Mussel Slough Tragedy, a gun battle in California. *1889 – An attack upon a U.S. Army paymaster and escort results in the theft of over $28,000 and the award of two Medals of Honor. *1894 – Four thousand Pullman Palace Car Company workers go on a wildcat strike. 1901–present *1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty. *1970 – The 1970 Lubbock tornado kills 26 and causes $250 million in damage. *1985 – Fifty-six spectators die and more than 200 are injured in the Bradford City stadium ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morning Train (9 To 5)
"9 to 5" (or "Morning Train") is a popular song written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Scottish singer Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit. It peaked at number three in the United Kingdom in August 1980 and was certified gold. In February 1981, it was released in the United States and Canada under the title "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton's recent hit " 9 to 5". It reached number one in both countries, becoming Easton's only chart-topper in those nations. Easton had released one single prior to "9 to 5": "Modern Girl". This had failed to chart highly, but after exposure on the BBC documentary, ''The Big Time: Pop Singer'', both "9 to 5" and "Modern Girl" were propelled into the top ten at the same time, making her the third female artist (after Ruby Murray and Shirley Bassey) to achieve this feat. "9 to 5" became a top three hit and was one of the best-selling singles of the year. Early in 1981, EMI Records ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records. Easton's first two singles, " Modern Girl" and "9 to 5", both entered the UK Top Ten. She became one of the most successful British female performers of the 1980s. A six-time Grammy nominee in the US, Easton is a two-time Grammy Award winner, winning Best New Artist in 1982 and Best Mexican-American Performance in 1985, for her duet with Luis Miguel on the song " Me Gustas Tal Como Eres". She has received five US Gold albums and one US Platinum album. She has recorded 15 studio albums, released 45 singles total worldwide, and had 20 consecutive US singles, including 15 US Top 40 singles, seven US Top Tens and one US #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1981 and 1991. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2 May
Events Pre-1600 *1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. *1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great. *1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft. *1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation. *1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle. 1601–1900 *1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker. *1625 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Latin Patriarch of Ethiopia, arrives at Beilul from Goa. *1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America. *1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock band formed in 1971 by former Beatle bassist Paul McCartney, his wife Linda McCartney on keyboards, session drummer Denny Seiwell, and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. Wings were noted for their commercial successes, musical eclecticism and frequent personnel changes; going through three lead guitarists and four drummers. However, the core trio of the McCartneys and Laine remained intact throughout the group's existence. Created following the McCartneys' 1971 album '' Ram'', the band's first two albums, '' Wild Life'' (1971) and '' Red Rose Speedway'' (1973) (the latter featuring guitarist Henry McCullough), were viewed as artistic disappointments beside Paul's work with the Beatles. After the release of the title track of the James Bond film '' Live and Let Die'', McCullough and Seiwell resigned from the band. The McCartneys and Laine then released 1973's ''Band on the Run'', a commercial and critical success that spawned two top- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One of the most successful composers and performers of all time, McCartney is known for his melodic approach to bass-playing, versatile and wide tenor vocal range, and musical eclecticism, exploring styles ranging from pre–rock and roll pop to classical and electronica. His songwriting partnership with Lennon remains the most successful in history. Born in Liverpool, McCartney taught himself piano, guitar and songwriting as a teenager, having been influenced by his father, a jazz player, and rock and roll performers such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly. He began his career when he joined Lennon's skiffle group, the Quarrymen, in 1957, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the cute Beatle", McCartney later involv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
25 April
Events Pre-1600 * 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion. * 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over the South Caucasus is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian ''nakharar'' families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire. * 799 – After mistreatment and disfigurement by the citizens of Rome, Pope Leo III flees to the Frankish court of king Charlemagne at Paderborn for protection. * 1134 – The name Zagreb was mentioned for the first time in the Felician Charter relating to the establishment of the Zagreb Bishopric around 1094. 1601–1900 *1607 – Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. *1644 – Transition from Ming to Qing: The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming China, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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