In 1974, a then-unknown Queen performed at an Australian festival to a mean-spirited, drunken crowd. Before finishing, Freddie Mercury told them that Queen would be “one of the biggest bands in the world” the next time they visited. When they came back, they were at the top of the charts.
“Baby Huey” was a 400lbs Chicago soul singer who died at age 26 after releasing a single…
“Baby Huey” was a 400lbs Chicago soul singer who died at age 26 after releasing a single unsuccessful album. The album later became hugely influential on early hiphop artists, eventually being sampled on hundreds of hiphop tracks over the past 35 years.
A band, Vulfpeck, raised 20,000$ for a tour by streaming an album called…
A band, Vulfpeck, raised 20,000$ for a tour by streaming an album called “Sleepify” on Spotify. The album consisted of 10 tracks of nothing, for a total of 5 minutes of silence. Fans were urged to play this when they went to bed, and after 5.5 million streams the album was taken down.
“The Safety Dance” is a protest against bouncers stopping…
“The Safety Dance” is a protest against bouncers stopping dancers pogoing to 1980s new wave music in clubs when disco was dying and new wave was up and coming.
When Take That disbanded in 1996, so many teenage girls in the UK were openly…
When Take That disbanded in 1996, so many teenage girls in the UK were openly distraught that the UK Government actually set up telephone hotlines for counseling.
The Beatles have sold more records than Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, Nirvana…
The Beatles have sold more records than Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, Nirvana, the Beach Boys AND Kanye West combined by over 30 million units.
Yoko Ono once brought a dead rat in a shoebox to a recording studio…
Yoko Ono once brought a dead rat in a shoebox to a recording studio, and insisted that the sound engineer record it. The engineer recorded two takes of the “dead rat solo.”
The chills experienced when listening to music is a result of the brain…
The chills experienced when listening to music is a result of the brain releasing dopamine in anticipation of the peak moment during a song.
A man was sentenced to 20 hours of Beethoven after being caught for playing….
A man was sentenced to 20 hours of Beethoven after being caught for playing rap music too loud, as an alternative to a full fine. He only lasted 15 minutes before leaving.
Liquindi, or Pygmy water drumming, is practiced by the Baka…
Liquindi, or Pygmy water drumming, is practiced by the Baka Forest People of central Africa. Tones are produced by trapping air in one’s hands and hitting the surface of the water, to create percussive musical rhythms.