May 15 in Music History: 15th anniversary of Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown'

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May 15 in Music History: 15th anniversary of Green Day's '21st Century Breakdown'

Green Day - '21st Century Breakdown'
Green Day - '21st Century Breakdown'Reprise Records

May 15, 2024

Today in music history:

On this day in 2009, Green Day released their punk rock opera album, 21st Century Breakdown. Their eighth studio album closely followed the concept of 2004’s American Idiot. It arrived in three acts: "Heroes and Cons," "Charlatans and Saints," and "Horseshoes and Handgrenades." Thematically, it details the life of Christian and Gloria, a young couple dealing with the modern challenges of living in the United States. The singles include the title track, “Know Your Enemy,” “21 Guns,” “East Jesus Nowhere,” and “Last of the American Girls.” Produced by Butch Vig, 21st Century Breakdown won Best Rock Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

Also, Today In: 

1967 - Paul McCartney met American photographer Linda Eastman during a concert at the Bag O'Nails nightclub in London. They married on March 12, 1969. 

1971 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young scored their second U.S. No. 1 album with 4 Way Street. The live album featured recordings from shows at The Fillmore East in New York and The Forum in Los Angeles. 

1976 - The Rolling Stones went to No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Black And Blue, the group's sixth U.S. No. 1 album. 

1982 - Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney started a seven-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Ebony And Ivory." The song gave McCartney his 24th U.S. No. 1 as a songwriter. 

1984 - Stevie Ray Vaughan released his second studio album, Couldn’t Stand the Weather.

1986 - Run-DMC released their third album, Raising Hell, featuring the groundbreaking rap reworking of "Walk This Way." The album peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart as the first hip hop/rap album to do so, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and in 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant." The album also features hits "It's Tricky", "My Adidas" and "You Be Illin'". 

1990 - Mariah Carey releases her first single, the ballad "Vision Of Love." In August, it climbs to #1 in America, setting Carey on track to become the best-selling female artist of the '90s. 

1994 - Blur scored their first U.K. No. 1 album with Parklife, which went on to spend more than two years on the chart. 

2000 - Bob Dylan and violinist Isaac Stern each received approximately $110,000 from the Swedish government as part of the Polar Music Prize for their contributions to the world of music. 

2001 - God Bless the Go-Go's, the Go-Go's fourth album, is released. It is the band's first studio album in 17 years. 

2002 - The Wu-Tang Name Generator went online - the app that turns your real name into one suited for the rap collective. Fun fact: Donald Glover got his stage name from the generator, becoming Childish Gambino. 

2003 - June Carter Cash, country singer and the wife of Johnny Cash, died in Nashville, Tenn., of complications following heart valve replacement surgery at age 73. In her lifetime, she played many instruments including the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp, and was a film and television actress. She won five Grammys and was ranked No. 31 in CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2003. 

2008 - Neil Diamond reached the top of the U.S. Billboard album chart for the first time in his career with Home Before Dark, his 29th studio album. His previous highest chart position was in 1973 when the soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull peaked at No. 2. At the age of 67, Diamond became the oldest artist to have a U.S. number one; the record was previously held by Bob Dylan in 2006 with Modern Times, released when he was 65. 

2008 - Shania Twain and producer Robert "Mutt" Lange announce they are separating after 14 years of marriage. Lange's affair with Twain's best friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, triggered the split. Twain later marries Thiébaud's ex-husband, Frédéric. 

2009 - Green Day released their eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown.

2009 - Eminem released his sixth studio album, Relapse.

2011 - Rock star Meat Loaf and rapper Lil Jon are eliminated one week before the Season 11 finale of Donald Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice

2015 - R&B and jazz singer Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly died from heart failure in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she was visiting for a performance. She was 70 years old. Ortheia spent much of her career touring with and opening for some of Motown's biggest acts, including Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Gladys Knight. 

2019 - Charles 'Chuck' Barksdale, a founding member of the doo-wop group The Dells, died at age 84. They group was known for the hits 'Oh, What a Night', 'Stay in My Corner,' 'Always Together,' and 'Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation.' 

2020 - Phil May, the frontman of The Pretty Things, died aged 75 after suffering complications from emergency hip surgery. The Pretty Things were cited as an influence by a wide range of artists from David Bowie to Jimi Hendrix to Kasabian. Brian Pendleton,  

Birthdays: 

Eddy Arnold was born on this day in 1918. 

Utah Phillips was born on this day in 1935.

Trini Lopez was born on this day in 1937. 

K.T. Oslin was born on this day in 1942.

In 1948, Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (aka Brian Eno) is born in Suffolk, England, making him 76 today. Even though he refers to himself as a “non-musician” Eno is often considered one of the most influential and innovative figures in popular music history. So far, he’s released 29 solo albums – including Apollo, Another Green World, and Ambient 1: Music for Airports – as well as 22 collaborative albums, four video albums, and a sprawling list of production credits for names like David Bowie and Talking Heads. Beyond the music realm, Eno has also poured his seemingly endless creative energy into light and visual installations, app development, and painting.  

Graeham Goble of Little River Band is 77.

Dennis Hardy Frederiksen (Fergie Frederiksen) of Toto was born today in 1951. 

Mike Oldfield is 71. 

Highlights for Today in Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Paul Shaffer's Day in Rock, Song Facts and Wikipedia.