Back to the 1980s

MTV VJs Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, and J.J. Jackson (Photo Mark Weiss/WireImage) At midnight on Aug. 1, 1981, Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, Alan Hunter, and J.J. Jackson stood inside the Loft restaurant in Fort Lee, N.J., to watch music history being made. The now-iconic “moon landing” guitar riff blasted; Warner Cable executive John Lack intoned, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock ‘n’ roll”; the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” hit the small screen… and just minutes later, the new cable channel MTV suffered its first technical difficulty. But it didn’t matter. Eventually, everyone in America wanted their MTV, and the music business was forever changed — as were the lives of the five original MTV VJs. Below, Yahoo Entertainment chats with Quinn, Goodman, Blackwood, and Hunter [Jackson died in 2004] about MTV’s early days and what it was like to hold down “the greatest job we'll probably ever have.” Martha Quinn: People say to me, “Will you...

July 30, 1983 - 38 Years Ago Today: Billy Joel had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with his single, "Tell Her About It." This self-penned song was the leadoff single from Joel's ninth studio album, "An Innocent Man," and the first of 6 hit singles from the album. "Tell Her About It," became Joel's 21st chart entry and his 18th Top 40 hit and 2nd No. 1. It also became his 3rd No. 1 single on the Billboard AC Chart where it enjoyed a 2-week run at the top. Joel's songs reflected his new found bachelorhood as he was recently divorced from his first wife, Elizabeth, and began dating supermodels Elle Macpherson and Christy Brinkley. Joel had said in several interviews that he felt like a teenager again and the songs written for this album just poured out of him in about 6 weeks time. He said, for the first time, he felt like a rock star. The songs he wrote purposely reflected his teen years with the doo-wop sound of ...

July 27, 1985 - 36 Years Ago Today: Laura Branigan debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "Spanish Eddie." This Chuck Cochran/Davia Palmer-penned song was the singer's 8th chart entry and it became her 6th Top 40 when it just cracked the top half of the hit list peaking at No. 40 on September 7, 1985. Between 1982-90, Branigan scored 13 consecutive singles on the Hot 100 which included 7 Top 40's and 3 Top Tens. Sadly, Laura Branigan died of a brain aneurysm on August 26, 2004, at the age of 52. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnm5lnPSHrU

July 26, 1986 - 35 Years Ago Today: Peter Gabriel went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with his single, "Sledgehammer." This was the former member of Genesis's 5th solo chart entry and first and only No. 1 on the Hot 100. The self-penned single also enjoyed a 2-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks Chart and the accompanying video was a huge hit winning several awards and to date has the distinction of being the most played video of all time on MTV according to their sources. The single was lifted from Gabriel's quintuple platinum album, "So," and was nominated for several Grammys including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Gabriel scored 4 Hot 100 singles including three Top 40's from the album which included one additional Top Ten, "Big Time," which peaked at No. 8. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q Personnel Credits adapted from the liner ...

  July 26, 1980 - 41 Years Ago Today: Pat Benatar had the Hot Shot Debut at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "You Better Run." This Eddie Brigati/Felix Cavaliere-penned song was a cover of The Young Rascals Top 20 hit from 1966 and was Benatar's 3rd charted single and leadoff single release from her sophomore album, "Crimes Of Passion." The single just missed the Top 40 peaking at No. 42 on August 30, 1980 but her follow-up single, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," became her first Gold-certified Top Ten hit peaking at No. 9 on December 20, 1980. The album delivered one more hit, "Treat Me Right," was released immediately following the success of its preceding single and peaked at No. 18 on March 14, 1981. Noteworthy: On August 1, 1981, the music video for "You Better Run," was the second video ever broadcast on MTV, after the network premiered with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. Please ...

  July 26, 1980 - 41 Years Ago Today: Dionne Warwick debuted at No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her single, "No Night So Long." This was Warwick's leadoff single from her album of the same name and the record peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 on October 4, 1980 and also enjoyed a 3-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard AC Chart. The single was written by Will Jennings and Richard Kerr, the same team that penned her Grammy-winning comeback single, "I'll Never Love This Way Again," one year prior which was produced by Barry Manilow. This would prove to be the album's only hit single. Please click the following link to view the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhRbTsI4Aes 86 86 6 Comments 10 Shares Like Comment Share