On This Day in Music History - 4/29/2025
- Thump Music
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
1865: Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera L’Africaine premieres in Paris, a significant event in 19th-century opera history.
1892: Antonín Dvořák’s Carnival Overture is performed for the first time, showcasing his influence in classical music.
1933: Country music legend Willie Nelson is born in Abbott, Texas, shaping the genre with his distinctive style.
1940: Glenn Miller records Pennsylvania 6-5000 in New York City, a jazz standard that became a big-band classic.
1965: Luciano Pavarotti makes his debut at La Scala in Milan, performing in La Bohème, marking a milestone in his opera career.
1967: Aretha Franklin releases Respect, written by Otis Redding, which becomes the Billboard Song of the Year and a defining anthem.
1968: The musical Hair opens at the Biltmore Theater in New York City, running for 1,750 performances and becoming a cultural touchstone for the counterculture movement with hits like Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In.
1991: Alan Jackson releases Don’t Rock the Jukebox, which wins ASCAP Country Song of the Year (1992) and Billboard Song of the Year (1991).
1996: Jonathan Larson’s Rent, a rock musical based on La Bohème, opens at the Nederlander Theatre, running for 5,123 performances and winning four Tony Awards, seven Drama Desk Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
1997: Lynyrd Skynyrd releases Twenty, named to mark 20 years since the tragic plane crash that killed three band members.
1998: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith injures his leg during a performance in Anchorage, Alaska, after a microphone stand accident, forcing the band to postpone their tour.
1999: Tommy Lee quits Mötley Crüe to focus on his new band, Methods of Mayhem, and his family after reuniting with Pamela Anderson.
2003: The film Only the Strong Survive, featuring R&B legends like Jerry Butler, premieres in New York.
2005: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary undergoes a bone marrow transplant to battle leukemia.
2007: Rage Against the Machine reunites to close the Coachella Festival, their first performance in seven years.
2016: Following Prince’s death, 14 of his albums re-enter the UK Top 40, with The Very Best Of reaching No. 2, and six singles, including Purple Rain at No. 6, re-enter the UK Top 100.
2023: Willie Nelson celebrates his 90th birthday with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring guests like Norah Jones, The Chicks, and Snoop Dogg, who joins him for Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.
2023: Metallica’s album 72 Seasons debuts at No. 2 on the charts, behind Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, marking their first non-No. 1 debut since 1988’s …And Justice for All.
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