September 25th: The Biggest Music Headlines

Scroll down the page to see all the music headlines, stories and events for September 25 throughout music history

Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

The Tragic Death Of John Bonham And The Breakup Of Led Zeppelin

On September 25, 1980, Led Zeppelin’s hard-partying drummer, John Bonham, died at the age of 32. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time, Bonham was known for his epic velocity, power, and versatility as a percussionist. A founding member of Led Zeppelin, the self-taught drummer influenced countless artists, including Dave Grohl, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, and Chad Smith. After Bonham’s death, Led Zeppelin chose to call it quits to honor their bandmate, rather than find a new drummer. In a press release, they explained, “We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”

In 1990, 21-year-old drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. Frontman Kurt Cobain first met the drummer when he was touring with the band Scream. In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, sound engineer Craig Montgomery recalled the moment. “Kurt said, ‘That’s the kind of drummer we need.’ Dave had an energy that was hard to miss…He seemed like a good fit for what they were doing.”

In 1964, The Temptations began recording their enduring soul hit, “My Girl,” at Motown’s “Hitsville USA” studios. Written and produced by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, the song became the Temptations’ first US No.1 single.

In 1982, Queen made their one and only appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Under Pressure.” Famously, singer Freddie Mercury blew out his voice earlier in the day and barely recovered in time for the show.

In 1993, Nirvana scored their first No.1 album in the UK with In Utero. The band’s third and final album also topped the charts in the US.

In 2017, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed what would be their final show at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert, which concluded the band’s 40th-anniversary reunion tour, ended with “American Girl.” Petty passed away a week later at 66.

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Keep scrolling for all of the headlines for September 25.

BORN ON SEPTEMBER 25:

1930: Shel Silverstein (Poet, Songwriter)
1946: Bryan MacLean (Love)
1955: Zucchero
1968: Will Smith
1969: Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guitarist)
1980: T.I.
1983: Donald Glover (Childish Gambino)

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Keep scrolling for all of our September 25 birthdays.

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September 25th

On this day in music

25 Sep 2022 The American psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, starring Harry Styles, topped the box office while his song 'As It Was' remained at No.1 on the US Hot 100. The film was directed by Olivia Wilde, who started dating Styles after meeting him on set.
25 Sep 2017 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. The concert, which would ultimately be the Heartbreakers' final show, ended with a performance of 'American Girl'. Tom Petty died of an accidental drug overdose a week later on October 2, 2017.
25 Sep 2015 David Gilmour's fourth studio album Rattle That Lock went to No.1 on the UK album chart. Gilmour had been writing the material for Rattle That Lock over the past five years, though he pointed out that one piano piece was recorded 18 years ago in his living room.
25 Sep 2013 Kurt Cobain's childhood home in Aberdeen, Washington went on the market. Cobain's mother Wendy O'Connor and sister Kim Cobain put up for sale the East 1st St. house, where he was raised, for $500,000, in hopes of connecting with someone who would turn it into a museum.
25 Sep 2012 Alpha Lorenzo Walker and Tamara Diaz, were sentenced to 292 days in jail and 3 years' probation after attempting to blackmail Stevie Wonder. The pair had created a video portraying Wonder in a negative light and were demanding $5 million under threat of releasing it to the public. The two men were caught in a sting operation.
25 Sep 2011 The New York Post reported that Sly Stone was living in a van, parked in the notoriously rough Los Angeles neighborhood of Crenshaw. The 68-year-old was quoted as saying "I like my small camper. I just do not want to return to a fixed home. I cannot stand being in one place. I must keep moving."
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25 Sep 2007 Foo Fighters released their sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. The album was nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning Best Rock Album, and was also awarded the Brit Award of Best International Album.
25 Sep 2006 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin' by the Scissor Sisters was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, 'Sexyback' by Justin Timberlake was at No.1 on the US charts and Sandi Thom had the Australian No.1 single with 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with Flowers in My Hair).
25 Sep 2000 Ozzy Osbourne formally requested that Black Sabbath be removed from the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Calling the inclusion "meaningless", Osbourne went on to say "Let's face it. Black Sabbath have never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine."
25 Sep 1999 Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman became the first major artist to release an album on his own personalised digital MP3 player. The matchbox-sized device with no moving parts was one of the smallest of its kind in the world and featured encryption software designed in the UK to prevent piracy.
25 Sep 1999 Oasis singer, Liam Gallagher was stopped by customs officials at Heathrow airport and made to pay £1300 after not declaring a fur coat he had bought in America.
25 Sep 1999 Stephen Canaday of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils was killed when the vintage WW II plane he was flying in, rolled, inverted and crashed into a tree. The pilot failed to maintain speed which resulted in a stall.
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25 Sep 1995 Courtney Love was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, fined $1000 and ordered to attend a anger management course after being found guilty of assaulting Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna.
25 Sep 1993 Nirvana went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their third and final studio album In Utero, the band's first UK No.1 album. The album was recorded over two weeks in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.
25 Sep 1993 Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince started a two week run at No.1 in the UK with the single 'Boom! Shake The Room'. Featuring Will Smith who was a rapper and actor starring in TV show The Fresh Prince of Belle Aire in 1993.
25 Sep 1992 Two fans were stabbed and 20 arrests were made after trouble broke out at a Ozzy Osbourne gig in Oklahoma City. The sale of alcohol at the concert was blamed for the incident.
25 Sep 1990 Drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. Grohl's last band, Scream had recently split up. While playing in Scream, Grohl became a fan of the Melvins and eventually befriended them. During a 1990 tour stop on the West Coast, Melvins' guitarist Buzz Osborne took his friends Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, both then with Nirvana, to see a Scream performance.
25 Sep 1982 Queen made a guest appearance on US TV's Saturday Night Live, where they performed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Under Pressure'.
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25 Sep 1980 John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, died aged 32 after a heavy drinking session. ‘Bonzo’ was found dead at guitarists Jimmy Page's house of what was described as asphyxiation, after inhaling his own vomit after excessive vodka consumption, (40 shots in 4 hours). During live sets his drum solo, ‘Moby Dick,’ would often last for half an hour and regularly featured his use of his bare hands. In 2007, Ludwig issued a limited edition drum kit in Bonham's memory.
25 Sep 1976 Paul McCartney and Wings played a charity concert in St Marks Square, Venice to raise funds for the historic city. The night was a success but the weight of the equipment used by the group caused more damage to the square.
25 Sep 1975 Jackie Wilson had a heart attack while performing live on stage at the Latin Casino, New Jersey. Wilson collapsed into a coma suffering severe brain damage. Ironically, he was in the middle of singing one of his biggest hits, 'Lonely Teardrops' and was two words into the line, "....my heart is crying" when he collapsed to the stage, striking his head heavily. He remained semi-comatose for nine years until his death in 1984, at the age of 49. Van Morrison wrote the song 'Jackie Wilson Said', covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners.
25 Sep 1972 Black Sabbath released their fourth studio album, 'Black Sabbath Vol. 4'. The album which features a monochrome photograph of Ozzy Osbourne with hands raised, taken during a Black Sabbath concert was originally to be titled 'Snowblind', after one of several songs referring to the band's cocaine use.
25 Sep 1970 The first episode of The Partridge Family was shown on US TV, featuring Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce.
25 Sep 1969 John Lennon recorded the track 'Cold Turkey', with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman and Yoko. Lennon presented the song to Paul McCartney as a potential single by The Beatles, but was refused and released it as a Plastic Ono Band single with sole writing credits to him.
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25 Sep 1968 Welsh singer Mary Hopkin was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Those Were The Days'. Hopkins had signed to The Beatles Apple label after appearing on UK TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.
25 Sep 1965 The Beatles cartoon series premiered on ABC TV in the US. The first story was titled I Want to Hold Your Hand and had the group exploring the ocean floor in a diving bell where they met a lovesick octopus.
25 Sep 1964 The Temptations begin recording 'My Girl' at Hitsville USA (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan, (the first Temptations single to feature David Ruffin on lead vocals). Written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White, the song went on to become their first US No.1 and the first of fifteen US Top Ten hits.
25 Sep 1954 Elvis Presley released his second single on Sun Records, 'Good Rockin' Tonight,' a song made popular in 1948 by Wynonie Harris.

Born on this day in music

25 Sep 1983 American actor, musician, and DJ, Childish Gambino (born Donald Glover). His 2018 US No.1 hit 'This Is America' won four Grammy Awards at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Music Video.
25 Sep 1980 Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (T.I. and also by his alter ego T.I.P.) American Grammy Award-winning rapper, songwriter, actor. (2007 US No.1 album T.I. vs T.I.P.). Featured on the 2013 worldwide hit Blurred Lines with Robin Thicke.
25 Sep 1975 Declan Donnelly, P.J. & Duncan, actor, singer, 1994 UK No.9 single 'Lets Get Ready To Rhumble'). TV presenter.
25 Sep 1974 Richie Edwards, bassist, The Darkness, replacing Frankie Poullain in June 2005. Edwards had worked as a guitar technician for the band and was also once a member of Onion Trump.
25 Sep 1969 Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, American guitarist, songwriter, (He adopted his nickname from the bacterial infection of the same name, which he learned about while helping his wife study for her veterinary exams). He was one of two lead guitarists in Guns N' Roses from 2006 until 2014 and performed on their sixth studio album Chinese Democracy.
25 Sep 1968 Will Smith, actor, singer, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, (1993 UK No.1 single 'Boom! Shake The Room'). Solo (1997 UK No.1 single 'Men In Black').
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25 Sep 1955 Steve Severin, bass, Siouxsie and the Banshees, (1983 UK No.3 single 'Dear Prudence').
25 Sep 1955 Zucchero, (Adelmo Fornaciari), Italian singer, (1991 UK No. 4 with Paul Young, 'Senza Una Donna').
25 Sep 1949 American tenor saxophone player Steve Mackay who worked with the Stooges, Violent Femmes, Snakefinger, Commander Cody and others. Mackay died on 10 October 2015 from sepsis at a hospital in Daly City, California at the age of 66.
25 Sep 1947 John Fiddler, Medicine Head, (1973 UK No.3 single 'One And One Is One').
25 Sep 1947 Cecil Womack, American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his wife Linda as Womack and Womack. In later years he took the name Zekkariyas. Womack died on February 1, 2013.
25 Sep 1946 Bryan MacLean, guitar, vocals, Love, 1966 US No.33 single '7 And 7 Is', 1968 UK No.24 album Forever Changes. He died of a heart attack on 25th December 1998.
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25 Sep 1946 American bassist Jerry Penrod from Iron Butterfly. The 17-minute 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida', the title track of their 1968 album, became a Top Thirty hit in the US.
25 Sep 1945 Onnie Mcintyre, from Scottish funk and R&B group the Average White Band who scored the 1975 US No.1 and UK No.6 single 'Pick Up The Pieces'.
25 Sep 1943 Gary Alexander guitar, vocals, The Association, (1967 US No.1 single 'Windy').
25 Sep 1943 American keyboardist John Locke from Spirit who had the 1969 US No.25 single 'I Got A Line On You' and the 1970 album Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus. He was also a member of the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth. He died on 4 August 2006 age 62.
25 Sep 1942 Billy Mundi, American drummer best known as a member of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros and working with Linda Ronstadt Geoff Muldaur and Maria Muldaur. He died on 29 March 2014.
25 Sep 1939 Joseph Russell, The Persuasions, acappella group, worked with Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Don McLean. He died on 5 May 2012.
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25 Sep 1933 American songwriter and a folk music artist Erik Darling. With The Tarriers their version of the 'Banana Boat Song reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart. He was also a member of The Weavers, and had a 1963 US No.1 hit with 'Walk Right In' with the Rooftop Singers.
25 Sep 1930 Shel Silverstein, American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He wrote Tompall Glaser's highest-charting solo single 'Put Another Log on the Fire', 'One's on the Way' (a hit for Loretta Lynn), and wrote one of Johnny Cash's best known whimsical hits, 'A Boy Named Sue.' Other songs co-written by Silverstein include 'The Taker' by Waylon Jennings and hits for Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show. He died 10 May 1999.