60 YEARS OF THE ROCK ERA. This update: 1973.

60 YEARS OF

ROCK

(1955-2015)

1973

 

-Elvis Presley attracts the largest worlwide TV audience for "Aloha From Hawaii".

-Kiss debut on stage.

-Wings release the title song from the James Bond film 'Live And Let Die'.

-Ian Gillan's final show with Deep Purple.

-Stevie Wonder suffers head injuries in a car crash. 

-Paul Williams, a founding member of the Temptations, suicides.

-Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson marry.

-The Doors call it quits.

-The BBC bans The Rolling Stones' track "Star Star" due to its use of the "F" word.

-Gram Parsons (The Byrds & Flying Burrito Brothers) dies.

-Jim Croce dies in a plane crash.

-Elvis & Priscilla Presley divorce.

-The Rolling Stones reach #1 for the first time with a ballad: "Angie".

-Bobby Darin dies of heart failure.

 

As the war in Vietnam came to an end, it seemed soul music was the main genre tackling social issues. Timmy Thomas pondered "Why Can't We Live Together" and Stevie Wonder dropped "Higher Ground"; while The O'Jays suggested a "Love Train". Marvin Gaye gave us a making out song with "Let's Get It On" as Barry White wooed us with his music. Pink Floyd unleashed one of the longest charting albums of all time: 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'. Queen issued its debut disc. While the charts were filled with cheesy and novelty records like "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree", the winds of change were about to usher in a new genre to the mainstream. 1973 was the lull before the storm.