Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts

Friday, June 6, 2025

Apollo Theater Walk of Fame

Apollo Theater Walk of Fame:

2006-2024

The famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, dates back to the mid-19th century when Civil War General Edward Ferrero founded Apollo Hall as a dance hall and ballroom. In 1872, his lease expired and the building was converted to a theater. It closed shortly before the turn of the century, but the Apollo Theater resurfaced around 1913 in a new building at 253 West 125th Street. It declined again in the 1960s and ‘70s, but was revived in 1983. It gained fame over the years for featuring almost exclusively African-American performers.

Somewhere in the mid-2000s, the Apollo launched its own Walk of Fame (also called the Legends Hall of Fame). The first group looks to have been inducted in 2006 although other sources say the Walk of Fame wasn’t established until 2010. Even the official Apollo Theater website offers no details about the Walk of Fame so the list of inductees below has been compiled from various sources. The most recent inductee appears to be Clive Davis on June 6, 2025.

See other Hall of Fames.


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First posted 6/13/2016; last updated 6/6/2026.

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Albums

Dave’s Music Database


Hall of Fame

ALBUMS

Originally posted 1/22/2019; last updated 2/22/2025.

Dave’s Music Database Hall of Fame was established January 22, 2019 in honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog. Every month, a class of acts, albums, or songs are inducted. Here are the album inductee classes so far:

Here are all of the individual albums which have been inducted. Click on the title to see the album’s DMDB page. Click on the highlighted month/year to see the album’s induction entry.


A


5/20: AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
2/19: Adele 21 (2011)
11/22: Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
11/21: Alabama Greatest Hits (compilation: 1980-86, released 1986)
11/20: Louis Armstrong The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set: 1925-28)
2/25: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)


B


2/24: Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin (1717-20)
5/24: Johann Sebastian Bach The Brandenberg Concertos (1719-1721)
5/19: Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg Variations (1741)
2/22: The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
2/22: The Band The Band (1969)
5/24: Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (1944)
8/19: Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
11/23: Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)
5/23: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
5/23: The Beatles Help! (1965)
2/19: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
11/22: The Beatles The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
2/20: The Beatles Abbey Road (1969)
2/20: The Beatles 1 (compilation: 1962-70, released 2001)
11/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (1804)
5/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major (1806)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor (Fate) (1808)
11/24: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (1808)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major (Emperor) (1811)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major (1812)
2/21: Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Choral) (1824)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 (1826)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 14 (1826)
2/24: Ludwig van Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 (1826)
8/20: Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956)
11/24: Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (1830)
8/24: Georges Bizet Carmen (1874)
8/21: Bobby “Blue” Bland Two Steps from the Blues (recorded 1956-60, released 1961)
2/23: Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
11/22: Boston Boston (1976)
11/24: Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 4 (1885)
5/19: James Brown Live at the Apollo, Vol. 1 (1962)
5/21: Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959)
11/20: Henry Burr Anthology: The Original King of Pop (compilation: 1903-28)
11/21: The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)


C


5/19: Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison (1968)
2/25: Ray Charles The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)
11/21: Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (1962)
11/21: Patsy Cline 12 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1957-63, released 1973)
8/21: Eric Clapton From the Cradle (1994)
2/25: Natalie Cole Unforgettable…With Love (1991)
5/21: Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
5/23: Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
5/21: John Coltrane A Love Supreme (1965)
8/21: Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)
8/20: Bing Crosby Merry Christmas (aka ‘White Christmas’) (1945)
2/22: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Déjà Vu (1970)


D


2/19: Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
5/21: Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
2/23: Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
2/23: Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
11/23: De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
8/19: Derek & the Dominos Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
5/20: Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
8/21: Willie Dixon The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)
11/22: The Doors The Doors (1967)
11/23: Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
11/24: Antonin Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) (1893)
2/22: Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
8/19: Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
5/19: Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde (1966)
2/22: Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)


E


2/20: Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (compilation: 1971-75, released 1976)
5/20: Eagles Hotel California (1976)
11/20: Duke Ellington The Blanton-Webster Band (box set: 1939-42)
5/21: Duke Ellington At Newport (1956)
2/19: Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
2/20: Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
2/20: Eminem Recovery (2010)


F


2/25: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956)
11/19: Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
11/21: The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin (1969)
8/23: Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)
8/23: Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)
8/20: Jane Froman With a Song in My Heart (soundtrack, 1952)


G


2/23: Peter Gabriel So (1986)
11/19: Judy Garland Judy at Carnegie Hall (live, 1961)
5/19: Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
8/22: George Gershwin (music) & Ira Gershwin (lyrics) An American in Paris (1951)
5/21: Stan Getz with João Gilberto Getz/Gilberto (1963)
8/20: Jackie Gleason Music for Lovers Only (1953)
11/20: Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (live: 1938)
5/19: Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)


H-I


5/21: Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973)
2/24: Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 3 (Emperor) (1797)
2/24: Franz Josef Haydn String Quartet No. 5 in D major (Largo) (1797)
8/19: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
11/23: Lauryn Hill The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
2/25: Billie Holiday Lady in Satin (1958)
8/22: James Horner Titanic soundtrack (1997)
8/23: Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
5/23: Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)
8/21: Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka “The Rockin’ Chair Album”) (1959/1962)


J


8/23: Janet Jackson Control (1986)
5/23: Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
8/23: Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
2/19: Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
5/23: Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
5/23: Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)
5/20: Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
2/19: Robert Johnson The Complete Recordings (recorded 1936-37, released 1990)
8/20: Al Jolson Songs He Made Famous (soundtrack, 1946)
5/21: Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
2/23: Journey Escape (1981)


K


8/21: Albert King Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)
8/21: B.B. King Live at the Regal (recorded live 1964, released 1965)
11/19: Carole King Tapestry (1971)


L


8/20: Mario Lanza The Student Prince (soundtrack, 1954)
5/23: Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983)
5/19: Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
11/22: Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti (1975)


M


5/23: Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)
11/19: Henry Mancini The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack, 1959)
5/20: Bob Marley & the Wailers Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 1984)
2/20: Johnny Mathis Heavenly (1959)
8/21: John Mayall’s Blue Breakers Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
8/20: M.C. Hammer Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (1990)
5/20: Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell (1977)
2/24: Felix Mendelssohn Octet for Strings in E flat major, Op. 20 (1825)
2/20: Metallica Metallica (aka ‘The Black Album’) (1991)
5/23: George Michael Faith (1987)
11/20: Glenn Miller Glenn Miller (aka “Glenn Miller & His Orchestra”) (compilation: 1939-42)
5/21: Charles Mingus Ah Um (1959)
2/22: Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
5/19: Claudio Monteverdi L’Orfeo (Orpheus) (1607)
2/24: Claudio Monteverdi Madrigals of Love and War (Madrigali Guerrieri ed Amorosi) (1638)
5/20: Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
2/22: Van Morrison Astral Weeks (1968)
2/22: Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
5/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 (1785)
5/24:

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 (1785)
    2/21: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) (1786)
    2/21: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Don Giovanni (1787)
    11/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 40 (1788)
    2/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major (Stadler) (1789)
    5/24:
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major (1791)
    8/24: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791)
    11/20: Billy Murray Anthology: The Denver Nightingale (compilation: 1903-40)
    N-O


    11/21: Willie Nelson Red-Headed Stranger (1975)
    2/19: Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
    11/21: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1972)
    11/23: The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die (1994)
    11/23: N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)


    P


    2/21: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Pope Marcellus Mass (Missa Papae Marcelli) (1565)
    11/21: Gram Parsons Grievous Angel (1974)
    11/20: Charley Patton Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34)
    2/19: Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
    11/22: Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here (1975)
    5/20: Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
    2/23: The Police Synchronicity (1983)
    8/20: Elvis Presley Blue Hawaii (soundtrack, 1961)
    8/20: Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
    8/23: Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)
    5/19: Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
    8/24: Giacomo Puccini La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (1896)
    8/24: Giacomo Puccini Tosca (1900)


    Q-R


    5/24: Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (1901)
    8/23: Otis Redding Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
    2/23: REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (1981)
    8/23: Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
    11/21: Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits (compilation: 1969-80, released 1980)
    11/22: The Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street (1972)
    8/24: Gioacchino Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (1816)
    11/23: Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986)
    11/23: Tupac Shakur All Eyez on Me (1996)
    2/23: Rush Moving Pictures (1980)


    S


    2/24: Franz Schubert Piano Quintet in A major (Trout), D 667 (1819)
    5/19: Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
    2/22: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
    11/19: Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
    2/25: Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955)
    5/21: Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1956)
    2/25: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958)
    8/23: Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
    11/20: Bessie Smith The Essential (compilation: 1923-33)
    11/23: Snoop Dogg Doggystyle (1993)
    11/22: Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
    5/20: Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
    2/20: Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)


    T-V


    2/21: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor (1875)
    11/24: Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (1893)
    11/19: U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
    11/22: Van Halen Van Halen I (1978)
    2/23: Van Halen 1984 (1984)
    8/21: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Texas Flood (1983)
    8/19: Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
    2/21: Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons (Le Quattro Stagioni) (1725)


    W-Z


    8/24: Richard Wagner Tristan Und Isolde (1859)
    2/21: Richard Wagner The Ring Cycle (Der Ring Des Nibelungen) (1874)
    8/21: Muddy Waters At Newport (live, 1960)
    11/22: The Who Tommy (1969)
    8/19: The Who Who’s Next (1971)
    11/21: Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978)
    8/23: Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972)
    8/19: Stevie Wonder Innervisions (1973)
    11/19: Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
    11/23: Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
    8/19: Neil Young After the Gold Rush (1970)
    2/22: Neil Young Harvest (1972)
    2/23: ZZ Top Eliminator (1983)


    Various Artists


    11/20: Various Artists (edited by Harry Smith) Anthology of American Folk Music (box set: 1923-32)
    8/22: American Graffiti (soundtrack, 1973)
    8/20: Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992)
    2/20: Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) & Frederick Loewe (music) Camelot (musical/cast album, 1960)
    8/22: Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987)
    5/22: Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics) Fiddler on the Roof (musical/cast album, 1964)
    8/22: Footloose (soundtrack, 1984)
    8/22: Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
    5/20: Various Artists (including Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) Grease (soundtrack, 1978)
    5/22: Galt MacDermot (music) with Gerome Ragni & James Rado (lyrics) Hair (musical/cast album, 1967)
    5/22: Lin-Manuel Miranda (music & lyrics) Hamilton (musical/cast album, 2015)
    8/22: Various Artists (Jimmy Cliff et al) The Harder They Come (soundtrack, 1972)
    8/22: High School Musical (soundtrack, 2006)
    5/22: Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) & Tim Rice (lyrics) Jesus Christ Superstar (musical/cast album, 1971)
    5/22: Cole Porter (music & lyrics) Kiss Me, Kate (musical/cast album, 1949)
    5/22: Meredith Willson (music & lyrics) The Music Man (musical/cast album, 1957)
    2/20: Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) & Frederick Loewe (music) My Fair Lady (musical/cast album, 1956)
    8/22: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack, 2000)
    5/22: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Oklahoma! (musical/cast album, 1944)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955)
    5/22: Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) with Charles Hart & Richard Stilgoe (lyrics) Phantom of the Opera (musical/cast album, 1986)
    11/20: George Gershwin (music) with Ira Gershwin & Dubose Heyward (lyrics) Porgy and Bess (musical/cast album: 1935)
    11/19: Various Artists (including the Bee Gees) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
    5/22: Jerome Kern (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Show Boat (musical/cast album, 1927)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The Sound of Music (musical/cast album, 1959)
    8/22: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The Sound of Music (soundtrack, 1965)
    2/19: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) South Pacific (musical/cast album, 1949)
    2/20: Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) South Pacific (soundtrack, 1958)
    5/22: Leonard Bernstein (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) West Side Story (musical/cast album, 1957)
    8/20: Leonard Bernstein (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) West Side Story (soundtrack, 1961)


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  • Tuesday, August 22, 2023

    Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (August 2023)

    The Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums

    Originally posted 8/22/2023.

    January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the nineteenth group of album inductees. These are taken from are taken from the DMDB’s top R&B albums of all time list. The focus of this set inductees is only on those R&B albums from the ‘60s through ‘80s. Previous inductees to fit this category are James Brown’s Live at the Apollo Volume 1, Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Bad, Prince’s Purple Rain, Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

    See the full list of album inductees here.

    Aretha Franklin I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (1967)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    The Queen of Soul deserves her nickname on the strength of this album all by itself. She released nine albums with Columbia Records from 1961 to ’67. It wasn’t until she left for Atlantic Records. On this album, her first with the company, she’s allowed to fully embrace her soulful side on the title cut, “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” and – the greatest anthem of empowerment of all time – “Respect.” Read more.

    Aretha Franklin Lady Soul (1968)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    If anyone questioned Aretha’s ascendency to the throne as The Queen of Soul on I Never Loved a Man, this album erased all doubt. AllMusic.com’s John Bush called her take on Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” “one of the landmark performances in pop music.” She also shows she knows how to groove o “Chain of Fools.” That song and “Since You’ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)” both reached #1 on the R&B chart and the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Read more.

    Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Whitney Houston’s debut album was a blockbuster, spending 14 weeks atop the Billboard album chart and selling 25 million copies worldwide. Like many of her ‘80s contemporaries, she pulled off the task with an album that had one foot in pop and one in R&B. “You Give Good Love,” “Saving All My Love for You,” and “How Will I Know” all topped the R&B charts. The latter two along with “Greatest Love of All” were #1s on the Billboard Hot 100. A fully-formed R&B diva had arrived. Read more.

    Janet Jackson Control (1986)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Janet Jackson’s first two albums gave her a pair of top-ten R&B hits, but no one remembers them. It was her third album, Control, and teaming with the songwriting and production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis that made Janet into a star. She fully embraced a message of empowerment in her songs that were defiant both in their lyrics and their inescapable beats. Four songs from the album were #1 R&B hits. A fifth song, “When I Think of You,” hit #3 – and became her first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. Read more.

    Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller made him a mega superstar, but it was Off the Wall that established him as a force to be reckoned with beyond the work he’d done with his brothers in the Jackson 5. Off the Wall was only the second album in history (after Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours) to generate four top-ten hits. AllMusic.com’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album “one that remains vibrant and giddily exciting years after its release.” Read more.

    Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    In 1984, Prince showed he could conquer the pop world with Purple Rain. In 1987, he showed he still knew how to command the pop charts with top-ten hits “Sign ‘O’ the Times,” “U Got the Look,” and “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” but as a whole, Sign ‘O’ the Times was something more – it reminded the world that when it came to flat-out funk, Prince had no equal. Time magazine’s Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light called it “the best album of the ‘80s.” Read more.

    Otis Redding Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Blender magazine called this “a virtual template for soul music.” Otis has the chutzpah to tackle songs that others made into classics – “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “My Girl,” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” among them. He also gave the world a pair of essential originals. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” is a song of achingly soulful yearning and “Respect” would become one of the all-time most important anthems of empowerment in the hands of Aretha Franklin. Read more.

    Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Lionel Richie had a career trajectory similar to fellow Motown label mate Michael Jackson. He became the face of a hugely successful soul-meets-pop group in the ‘70s (Commodores) before striking out on his own as a solo artist. His first album, 1982’s Lionel Richie, gave him three top-five pop hits. Can’t Slow Down was even bigger. The album spawned five singles which reached the top 10 on both the R&B and pop charts. It also won the Grammy for Album of the Year and sold 21 million copies worldwide. Read more.

    Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    With their fourth album, Stand!, Sly & the Family Stone hit the mainstream with the success of #1 single “Everyday People.” Their next album, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, was even bigger. It went platinum and topped the Billboard album chart, generating the #1 hit “Family Affair” and a couple more charting singles in “Runnin’ Away” and “You Caught Me Smilin’.” Blender magazine said it is “one of the great radical albums, and definitely the funkiest.” Read more.

    Stevie Wonder Talking Book (1972)

    Inducted August 2023 as “Top Classic R&B (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    This platinum-selling, Grammy Hall of Fame album established Stevie Wonder – all of 22 years old at the time – as more than just the Motown child prodigy. According to Time magazine’s Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light, it “secured his position as the reigning genius of his era.” “Superstition” and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” were both chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot 100 and were Grammy winners. Read more.

    Monday, May 22, 2023

    Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (May 2023)

    The Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums

    Originally posted 5/22/2023.

    January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the eighteenth group of album inductees. These are taken from are taken from the DMDB’s top pop albums of all time list. The focus of this set inductees is only on those pop albums from the ‘60s through ‘80s. Previous inductees to fit this category are Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Def Leppard’s Hysteria, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Journey’s Escape, Carole King’s Tapestry, The Police’s Synchronicity, Prince’s Purple Rain, Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A., U2’s The Joshua Tree, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, the Grease soundtrack, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

    See the full list of album inductees here.

    The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    The Beatles’ third album featured all original songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney – and what a collection it was. In addition to the chart-topping title cut and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” the album featured “I Should Have Known Better,” “And I Love Her,” and “If I Fell.” The U.S. version topped the charts for 14 weeks but was vastly inferior with only 8 of the 14 cuts from the UK version and four unnecessary instrumentals. Read more.

    The Beatles Help! (1965)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    As impressive as A Hard Day’s Night was, the Beatles outdid themselves with Help! Once again, the U.S. version was a truncated collection rounded out by unnecessary instrumentals. Both the U.S. and UK versions featured the #1’s “Help!” and “Ticket to Ride,” but the latter album also had “Yesterday,” another #1 in the U.S. The collection also included “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” and “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.” Read more.

    Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    A Facebook post by Amanti Del Rock famously claimed that in the 1980s, one out of every four songs on the radio was by Phil Collins. While it was a humorously exaggerated claim, he did seem to be inescapable that decade, alternating between solo hits and success with his band Genesis. No Jacket Required was the album that established Collins as a superstar, giving him #1 hits with “One More Night” and “Sussudio” as well as top-10 hits “Don’t Lose My Number” and “Take Me Home.” The Grammy winner for Album of the Year would sell more than 25 million copies worldwide. Read more.

    Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album sent three songs to #1, setting up an impossibly high bar for her sophomore effort. Whitney pulled off the unthinkable – another four chart-toppers, including the iconic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” It gave her a record seven consecutive #1 songs. The album spent eleven weeks atop the Billboard album chart and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Read more.

    Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Jackson’s 1986 album Control gave her five top-ten hits, putting her in the top tier pop echelon alongside her famous brother Michael. His Thriller album spawned a record-setting seven top-tens. Janet outdid him with seven top-five hits from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album – four of them went all the way to #1. Read more.

    Michael Jackson Bad (1987)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Michael Jackson faced an impossible task in creating a follow-up to Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. Bad would still sell an impressive 35 million copies worldwide and it would outdo its predecessor on one front. It became the first album in history to generate five chart-topping hits. Read more.

    Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Billy Joel landed his first top-40 hit in 1973 with the iconic “Piano Man” but couldn’t match that accomplishment over his next couple of albums. 1977’s The Stranger, however, established Joel as a pop force to be reckoned with. He had a #3 hit with “Just the Way You Are” as well as top-40 hits “Movin’ Out,” “”Only the Good Die Young,” and “She’s Always a Woman.” The Grammy Hall of Fame inductee was his most successful album, selling 15 million copies worldwide. Read more.

    Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    Lauper’s video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was a perfect fit for MTV, showcasing her vibrant personality and equally colorful wardrobe. It became a fun party song that was also embraced as a message of female empowerment. It could have been a one-hit wonder, but she followed it with the chart-topping “Time After Time,” a ballad that showed she had some depth as well. She also landed top-five hits with “She Bop” and “All Through the Night.” She won the Grammy for Best New Artist and garnered nominations for Album, Record, and Song of the Year. Read more.

    Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    It isn’t often one can pinpoint the exact moment someone became a star. With Madonna, it was when she sang “Like a Virgin” while she writhed on stage in a wedding dress at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song spent six weeks at #1 and propelled the album of the same name to the top as well. The album also generated the top-five hits “Material Girl,” “Angel,” and “Dress You Up.” As if that weren’t enough, in the middle of the album’s success, she also topped the charts with “Crazy for You” from the movie Vision Quest and, in the UK, with “Into the Groove” from Desperately Seeking Susan. Read more.

    George Michael Faith (1987)

    Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

    George Michael sailed to success with Wham! and the #1 hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” He followed that with his own chart-topping “Careless Whisper,” making it clear that he was on the verge of becoming a breakout solo star. His 1987 album Faith more than accomplished that task. It generated four #1 songs, spent twelve weeks atop the Billboard album chart, and sold 25 million copies worldwide. It also won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Read more.