This Day in Rock History: January 27

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1956: Elvis Presley released his first hit single, "Heartbreak Hotel," the top-selling single for that year. The song helped launch his career and has been performed by many great artists since.
• 1968: The Bee Gees played their first show in the US, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The 1997 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees performed two shows on that day.
• 1970: John Lennon wrote and recorded Instant Karma in one day. It would become the fastest-released song, arriving in stores ten days later.
• 1973: Stevie Wonder's hit song "Superstition" reached the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was his second US No. 1 after 1963's  "Fingertips, Pt. 2" and started a creative resurgence for the artist.

Cultural Milestones

• 1944: Nick Mason, a member of Pink Floyd, was born. He'd become the only band member to play on every album. He later formed a new band in 2018 that performed Pink Floyd's music.
• 1951: Thin Lizzy drummer and founding member Brian Downey was born in Dublin, Ireland. He co-founded the band in 1969 and co-wrote several of their hit songs.
• 1968: Mike Patton was born. He'd become a singer and multi-instrumentalist with Faith No More.
• 1971: David Bowie made his first visit to the US to promote his The Man Who Sold the World album. He made waves right away by appearing at promotional events wearing dresses.
• 1990: Gainesville, Florida, declared Jan. 27 Tom Petty Day. The well-known musician was born in Gainesville in 1950, and his song "I Won't Back Down" can now be heard at all Gator home games.
• 2015: Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were credited with writing on Sam Smith's "Stay With Me." Due to similarities to Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' Petty's publisher approached Smith. They settled out of court.
• 2023: Drummer Floyd Sneed of Three Dog Night passed away at the age of 80. The rock band had three No. 1 hits between 1969 and 1975.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1972: Pink Floyd performed an early version of their Dark Side of the Moon album at City Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. They were supposed to do it in Brighton, England, a week earlier, but ran into technical difficulties early in the show.
• 1980: AC/DC played their last show with singer Bon Scott at Gaumont Theater in Southampton. Bon Scott would later pass away a few weeks later on February 19th.
• 1984: Madonna performed on American Bandstand, making her first national TV appearance and cementing her music career. This was when she first stated her ambition "to rule the world."
• 1994: The Rolling Stones played their first-ever shows in South America, on their Voodoo Lounge Tour. They played at the  Estádio do Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paolo, Brazil.