This Day in Rock History: October 27

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1973: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Gladys Knight & The Pips went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single, "Midnight Train to Georgia," which replaced "Angie" by The Rolling Stones. The song earned the group a GRAMMY for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus at the 16th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1974.
• 2002: One by One, the Foo Fighters' fourth studio album, reached the No. 1 spot on the U.K.'s Official Albums Chart. It was helped by hit singles such as "All My Life" and "Times Like These," and ended up going Platinum in both the U.K. and the U.S.

Cultural Milestones

• 1951: English guitarist and Judas Priest co-founder K.K. Downing was born in West Bromwich, England. Despite leaving the band in 2011, Downing influenced many heavy metal bands with his unique solos and dual-lead guitar licks alongside fellow Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton.
• 1975: Bruce Springsteen was featured on the covers of both Newsweek and Time magazines. He was the first rock artist to achieve this due to the success of his Born to Run album.
• 1967: Scott Weiland was born in San Jose, California. He's known as the lead vocalist of Stone Temple Pilots and achieved further success with the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which included former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum.
• 2013: Lou Reed passed away at the age of 71 at his home in East Hampton, New York. He was a singer, songwriter, and guitar player for the influential band The Velvet Underground, and he also had a successful five-decade solo career.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1969: Johnny Winter released his second studio album, Second Winter. It's seen as one of Winter's best albums and a quintessential blues album.
• 1972: Stevie Wonder released his 15th studio album, Talking Book. This album marked the beginning of Wonder's classic period and includes the hit single "Superstition."