July 28 in Rock History: Today’s 5 Most Important Anniversaries

It’s July 28. Here are the most important things that happened on this day in classic rock history:

1975: Black Sabbath Fight Back Against ‘Sabotage’

After releasing five groundbreaking and immensely popular albums in five years, Black Sabbath asked themselves a very logical question: Why don’t we have any money?

The ensuing anger, betrayal and lawsuits put the band under extreme pressure during the recording sessions for 1975’s Sabotage – and yes, the title was a clear message about their state of mind at the time.

The group retreated a bit from the ornateness of 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath to unleash a primal howl of anger, from the opening “Hole in the Sky” to the boundary-pushing “Symptom of the Universe.” But if you ask us the hidden classic is the 10-minute side one closing epic “Megalomania.”

1976: Kiss Release ‘Detroit Rock City’ (and perhaps more importantly, ‘Beth’)

Eager to capitalize on the commercial breakthrough of 1975’s Alive!, Kiss recruited producer Bob Ezrin to help take their music to the next level for 1976’s Destroyer.

Although it sold much better than their previous three studio efforts, the album failed to take the band’s commercial fortunes to the next level until the release of its third single, “Detroit Rock City.”

Funny thing is, it wasn’t the A-side that brought Destroyer back to life, it was the Peter Criss-sung ballad “Beth” – intentionally relegated to the B-side –  that gave the band their first Top 10 hit, after disc jockeys broke the accepted norms by flipping the single over.

1978: John Belushi Runs Wild in ‘Animal House’

Already a breakout star on Saturday Night Live, John Belushi ascended to new levels of fame with his spotlight-stealing performance in Animal House, a low-budget and intentionally low-brow movie that launched a new genre of big screen comedy. (And if you don’t think this movie is rock and roll, go get your head examined.)

1979: Joe Perry Quits Aerosmith

It’s safe to say the vibes weren’t good when Aerosmith arrived in Cleveland to perform at the World Series of Rock on July 28, 1979. “We were pretty burned out,” guitarist Joe Perry later admitted. “And instead of taking a vacation, we let loose on each other.”

The straw the broke the camel’s back turned out to be a fight between the wives of Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, which escalated into a glass of milk being thrown and Perry leaving the band. Although, singer Steven Tyler remembers it a bit differently, claiming that he severed the umbilical cord: “I said ‘You’re fired!’ Those were the words! I’ve never actually punched Joe, but that night I came really close.”

2021: ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill Dies

After over five decades of holding down the bottom end for ZZ Top, bassist Dusty Hill died on July 28, 2021. Among his last acts were insisting the legendary Texas band continue on without him, nominating his longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis as his replacement.

At the band’s first show without Hill, his hat was placed over his microphone stand as a silent tribute. At the time, it seemed unthinkable that the group could continue without one of their three members, but of course now it makes perfect sense.

Read More: Our 10 Favorite Dusty Hill Stories

Other July 28 Rock Anniversaries:

1943: Pink Floyd’s Richard Wright is born. 

Read More: Top 10 Richard Wright Pink Floyd Songs

1970: Traffic re-forms to produce John Barleycorn Must Die.

1979: Rainbow begin their post-Ronnie James Dio era with Down to Earth.

1987: Back to the Future actor Crispin Glover tries to kick David Letterman in the head during a live interview.

“So I thought, I don’t need that. I’m 40, I went to college,” the host said while (needlessly) explaining why he cut the segment short. “That is not how I want my life ended, some goofball, some dork from wherever…”