This week in rock history (March 7-13) features a soul music TV show’s nod to a rock-rap trio, a legendary country singer’s non-verbal gesture to the Grammys, and MTV’s “love ’em-or-hate ’em” cartoon characters.
After singer Johnny Cash won a Grammy award for his album “Unchained” in the best country album category in 1998, his producer took out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine acknowledging Cash’s “appreciation” for this honor.
Before MTV took itself too seriously, this cable channel introduced the grunge’s era’s cartoon moronic slackers Beavis and Butt-Head in 1993. The animated series was about the animated duo watching MTV (of course) among other achievements.
In 1987, the rock-rap trio Beastie Boys appeared on the popular soul music TV show Soul Train to perform one of their hit songs. Don Cornelius, the show’s host, told the Beasties that they were “very chilling, very hip, and we like your music.”
