Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry!
1. Taj Mahal;
Jazz flutist Paul Horn recorded an album inside the Taj Mahal, an experience that included a guard chanting along with his improvisations. He also recorded at the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Kazimieras Cathedral in Lithuania, and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
2. Garth Brooks;
Country music star Garth Brooks briefly took on the persona of a sad, pale rock musician named Chris Gaines, even releasing an album under that name. VH1 even created a mockumentary about Gaines, with Brooks/Gaines talking about various personal issues, adding to the confusion.
3. "Funeral March for a Rich Aunt";
Composer Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners wrote a musical piece that is anything but mournful, intended to be a celebration of inheritance.
4. Lully and dancing;
French composer Lully refused to have his gangrenous foot amputated, instead choosing to die rather than lose his ability to dance.
5. A Band Called Death;
The story of three brothers, in 1970s Detroit, at the height of Motown and rise of Disco, who formed the world's first black punk band... Possibly the world's first ever punk band.
6. Finland is the most metalhead country there is;
A Reddit user created a map based on data from the Encyclopedia Metallum. With 42.6 metal bands per 100,000 residents, Finland is truly the home to the largest number of bands in this genre.
7. Elvis Presley;
In 1974 Elvis Presley approached Dolly Parton for the rights to record a cover of her undying hit I Will Always Love You. However, after his manager asked for half of all profits on the song, Parton refused to let Elvis record it.
8. Leonard Warren;
Popular opera singer Leonard Warren died at the age of 40 while performing on stage. On March 4, 1960, he was performing Don Carlo’s part in the opera La Forza Del Destino when right after finishing the third act’s song, he collapsed. While no autopsy was performed, it was assumed that the singer suffered a heart attack. The most disturbing fact is that the lyrics from his last act included the words “to die, a momentous thing.”
Weird Music History
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart - Live At Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janeiro Brasil 31-dec-1994
You often hear about free concerts that gathered over a million people in the audience, but these numbers are often exaggerated.
However, Guinness World Records maintain that the largest-ever free concert was attended by an estimated 4.2 million people. It took place on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was organized to celebrate the 1993 New Year’s Eve.
The artist on stage was Rod Stewart.
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