Historic events this week from Bruce Springsteen, Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, John Fogerty, Deep Purple, Bob Seger and Bob Dylan
MARCH 21, 1994: SPRINGSTEEN WINS AN OSCAR
Two months after winning a Golden Globe, Springsteen won the big one.
He took home the Oscar for “Streets of Philadelphia” which was written for the Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington drama, Philadelphia.
The song would also win 4 Grammys for Song of the Year, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Vocal Performance and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture.
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MARCH 22, 1982: IRON MAIDEN’S THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST
Influential English heavy metal band, Iron Maiden, released a classic with their third album.
The Number of the Beast was the first to feature the now-iconic Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals.
Containing one of their most well-known songs (“Run to the Hills”) the controversial album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
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MARCH 23, 1983: ZZ TOP RELEASE ELIMINATOR
ZZ Top’s biggest album, Eliminator, is a stunner.
Expanded use of synthesizers brought a New Wave sound that appealed to a wider audience.
Eliminator has gone 10x Platinum in the US thanks to the hits “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Got Me Under Pressure”, “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man”.
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MARCH 23, 1985: JOHN FOGERTY’S CENTERFIELD IS #1
John Fogerty’s Centerfield was his first solo album of all-original songs.
Arriving 10 years after his second solo album, Centerfield would spend a week at #1.
Containing “Rock and Roll Girls” (#5), “Centerfield” (#4), and “The Old Man Down the Road” (#1), Centerfield went on to sell over 2 million copies in the US.
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MARCH 25, 1972: DEEP PURPLE’S MACHINE HEAD
Deep Purple’s sixth album, Machine Head, remains their biggest album with over 2 million sold.
Their highest-charting album (#7) contains “Space Truckin’”, “Highway Star” and the classic “Smoke on the Water”
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MARCH 25, 1977: NIGHT MOVES GOES PLATINUM
Bob Seger’s 9th LP was his first studio album to be credited to Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.
Night Moves was propelled to Platinum status thanks to classic Seger standards such as “Rock & Roll Never Forgets”, “The Fire Down Below”, “Mainstreet” and the album’s title track.
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MARCH 25, 2001: BOB DYLAN WINS AN OSCAR
Two months after winning his first Best Original Song Golden Globe for “Things Have Changed” from Wonder Boys starring Michael Douglas, Dylan became an Academy Award winner in the same category.
He accepted the award in Sydney via satellite.
“I want to thank the members of the Academy who were bold enough to give me this award for this song, which obviously is a song that doesn’t pussyfoot around nor turn a blind eye to human nature”
Bob Dylan
