1979

Editor's Note: I was just a kid at the time, but the thing I remember most about 1979 was staggering variety of music that had ventured into the mainstream. Disco was still riding the crest (although it was starting to fade by year's end), new wave was sweeping in from across the pond, arena rock acts such as Journey and Styx were just hitting their stride, and jazz-inflected singles from Billy Joel were enjoying huge multi-format radio success. In hindsight, and compared to today's musical landscape, it was a pretty exciting time.

The Knack release their first album, “Get The Knack” (produced by Mike Chapman), and see their debut single, “My Sharona” spend six weeks at #1.

Bands that split in 1979 include Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the Runaways, Sly & The Family Stone, Flamin' Groovies and the prog-band UK.


WLUP disc jockey Steve Dahl’s Disco Demolition Night takes place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park between games of a doubleheader between the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. Dahl blows up a pile of disco records in centerfield and, in doing so, causes damage to the playing field. Thousands of fans storm the field, starting fires of their own and causing a min-riot leading to the cancellation of the second game.


In February, the Clash play their first U.S. concert date in Berkeley, CA. Opening the show is Bo Diddley. [Check out “Train In Vain” (live).]

In May, the Who perform their first concert after the death of original drummer Keith Moon. In December, eleven fans would be killed in a stampede for seating at the band's Cincinnati concert. [Check out the Who “Young Man Blues” (live) and Pete Townshend “Drowned”.]

Steely Dan’s Walter Becker discovers his girlfriend dead of a drug overdose in their New York apartment. Her family then files a $17 million wrongful death lawsuit against him that was eventually settled out-of-court in Becker’s favor.

Kiss release “Dynasty”, which goes Top 10 on the strength of the disco-tinged single “I Was Made For Loving You” (#11). [Check out “I Was Made For Loving You” (live, featuring Eric Carr).]

Dead Kennedys release their first single, "California Über Alles" in June.

Stevie Wonder’s “Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants” is the first notable pop album to be digitally recorded. Despite being mostly instrumental and featuring no actual hit singles, the album peaked at #4 on the Billboard Albums chart.


1979 Grammy for Album Of The Year: Billy Joel’s “52nd Street”.

After a near-fatal car accident the year before, Peter Frampton returns with the album "Where I Should Be”, which peaks at #19 and features the Top 20 single “I Can’t Stand It No More”.

Eric Clapton marries George Harrison’s ex-wife Patti Boyd in March.

After selling briskly as a Japanese import, Cheap Trick’s “At Budokan” is released stateside, selling over a million copies and featuring the Top 10 hit single, “I Want You To Want Me”. [Check out “Look Out” (live).]

Pat Benatar’s debut album, “In The Heat Of The Night” (produced by Mike Chapman), is released in September and hits the Top 20 on the strength of the Top 40 singles “Heartbreaker” and “we Live For Love”, as well as her cover of John Cougar’s “I Need A Lover”.

In October, Joe Perry quits Aerosmith to form the Joe Perry Project. [Check out “Bone To Bone” from one of his last shows before leaving the group.]


In October, the Police release their second album, “Regatta de Blanc”, which goes to #1 in the UK, as do the singles “Message In A Bottle” and “Walking On The Moon”. Despite the album peaking at #25 in the States, interest in the band is growing intensely.

In June, The Cars follow the platinum success of their debut album with the release of “Candy-O”, which peaks at #3 on the U.S. albums chart. Let’s Go” peaked at #14 on the Pop singles chart.

PiL release their second album, Metal Box, so named because of it’s unique packaging; a 16mm film canister that holds three 12” vinyl records.

Supertramp hit #1 with their sixth album, “Breakfast In America”, which includes the Top 10 singles “The Logical Song” and “Take The Long Way Home”. To date, the album has sold over 18 million copies worldwide. [Check out the title track (live).]

Rupert Holmes tops the Pop singles chart with “Escape (The Piña Colada Song”), making it the final #1 single of the 70’s.

Rod Stewart enjoyed four weeks at #1 on the singles chart with the disco-flavored “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?”.

Ex-Wings and Small Faces guitarist Jimmy McCulloch dies of a heroin overdose at the age of 26.


Journey’s fifth album “Evolution” is their first effort to hit the Top 20, as is the single “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’”, which charted at #16.

In May, Donna Summer releases her third consecutive double-album, “Bad Girls”, and enjoys the largest commercial success of her career. The singles “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls” would spend a combined eight weeks at #1 on the Pop singles chart.

After hitting #1 earlier in the year with “Heart Of Glass” (from the “Parallel Lines” album), Blondie enjoy their second Top 20 album in a row with the release of “Eat To The Beat” (produced by Mike Chapman) in October. Having filmed a video for each song on the album, the group simultaneously releases the album on audio (vinyl/cassette/8-track) and video (VHS) formats.

Peaches & Herb spend four weeks at #1 with the hit single “Reunited”.

Barry Manilow releases his eight studio album, “One Voice”, scoring the final Top 10 album of his career…that is, until 2006’s chart-topping “The Greatest Songs Of The Fifties”.

In July, AC/DC release their sixth studio album “Highway To Hell”. It is their first Top 20 album in the U.S and includes the immensely popular title track, which, despite being a popular radio hit, fails to dent the Top 40 Pop singles chart. [Check out the title track with Bon Scott on vocals from Holland, 1979.]


The Eagles’ “final” studio album, “The Long Run”, is released in September. It includes three Top 10 hit singles; “Heartache Tonight”, “I Can’t Tell You Why”, and the title track and spends eight weeks at #1.

In May, David Bowie releases “Lodger”, the last of his “Berlin Trilogy” (three albums recorded in Berlin with Brian Eno). The album wasn’t recorded in Berlin though, but New York and Switzerland instead. Despite no obvious hit singles, the album hits the U.S. Top 20 while peaking at #4 in the UK.


In October, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release their breakthrough album, “Damn The Torpedoes”, propelled by radio hits “Refugee”, “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “Here Comes My Girl” and “Even The Losers”. The album spends several weeks at #2 on the U.S. Albums chart, kept from the top spot by Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”.

November sees the release of Adam & The Ants’ debut album, “Dirk Wears White Sox”, on UK indie label Do It Records). The Ants (comprised of future members of Bow Wow Wow) would eventually ditch Adam, leaving him to reform the band from scratch. [Check out “Cartrouble”.]


Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” is released in December and peaks at #1, where it stayed for fifteen weeks. The double-album includes the band’s only #1 single, “Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2”. [Check out “Hey You” from the band’s 80/81 “The Wall” tour.

In early ’79, Chic’s disco smash “Le Freak” spends four weeks at #1 on the Pop charts. They then return to the #1 spot later in the year with “Good Times” from the album "Risqué"

The Village People score their final Top 10 hit single with “In The Navy”, which lands at #3 on the U.S. charts.

Gary Numan scores a huge radio hit (and one of the first “new wave” pop hits) in the U.S. with “Cars” (#9), from the album “The Pleasure Principle”.

“Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang is the first hip-hop single to break the Top 40.

Michael Jackson releases his first solo album for Epic Records, “Off The Wall”, and jettisons into the mainstream with the #1 singles “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You”. Ironically, the album only made it to #3 on the Pop Albums chart.