Top Grossing Music Artists of the 80's

The Top Grossing Musical Acts of the 1980s

The 1980s were a golden age for popular music, with a wide range of musical acts achieving commercial success and becoming household names. Some of the biggest names in music during the decade included rock bands, pop stars, and hip hop artists, who all contributed to the rich and diverse music scene of the time.

One of the top grossing musical acts of the 1980s was British rock band Queen. Led by frontman Freddie Mercury, Queen were known for their catchy and theatrical rock anthems, such as "Another One Bites the Dust," "We Will Rock You," and "Bohemian Rhapsody." The band's album "The Game" was a major commercial success and became one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s. Queen's energetic live performances and memorable music videos helped to make them one of the most popular and influential bands of the decade.

Another top grossing act of the 1980s was American pop singer Madonna. Madonna rose to fame in the early 1980s with hits like "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl," and went on to become one of the most successful and influential pop stars of all time. Madonna's blend of catchy pop melodies, provocative lyrics, and controversial music videos helped to make her a household name and a cultural icon. Madonna's albums "Like a Virgin" and "True Blue" were both major commercial successes and became two of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.

Other top grossing musical acts of the 1980s included American rock band Journey, whose album "Escape" became one of the best-selling albums of the decade, and American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., whose innovative blend of rap and rock music helped to popularize hip hop and bring it into the mainstream. Other popular acts of the 1980s included Michael Jackson, Prince, and U2, all of whom had major commercial success and helped to shape the music of the decade.

In addition to these top grossing acts, the 1980s were a time of great diversity in popular music, with a wide range of genres and styles achieving commercial success. From punk and new wave to heavy metal and funk, the 1980s saw a proliferation of musical styles and a vibrant and exciting music scene. Many of the top grossing acts of the 1980s went on to become enduring cultural icons and continue to influence music and popular culture to this day.

US Festival Rock Concert

The US Festival Rock Concert

The US Festival was a series of rock concerts held in Southern California in the 1980s. The festivals, which were organized by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, were known for their impressive lineup of performers and their innovative use of technology. The US Festival was a major cultural event of the 1980s and helped to shape the music and entertainment landscape of the time.

The first US Festival was held in 1982 in San Bernardino, California, and featured performances by a wide range of artists, including Fleetwood Mac, the Police, the Talking Heads, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The festival was a major success, drawing over 350,000 attendees and establishing itself as a major cultural event of the 1980s. In 1983, the US Festival returned with a second event, this time featuring performances by the likes of David Bowie, the Clash, and Van Halen. The second US Festival was even more successful than the first, attracting over 400,000 attendees.

In addition to the impressive lineup of performers, the US Festival was known for its innovative use of technology. The festivals featured large video screens, state-of-the-art sound systems, and other advanced technological features that helped to create an immersive and memorable concert experience. The US Festival was also notable for its focus on community and social responsibility, with a portion of the proceeds from the event going to charity and a number of educational and cultural events taking place alongside the concerts.

Despite its initial success, the US Festival struggled financially and was unable to continue beyond the 1983 event. Steve Wozniak, who had funded the festivals largely out of his own pocket, lost a significant amount of money on the events and was forced to declare bankruptcy. Despite the financial failure of the US Festival, the concerts left a lasting legacy and remain an important part of music and entertainment history.

The US Festival rock concerts were a major cultural event of the 1980s, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees and featuring performances by some of the biggest names in music. The festivals were known for their innovative use of technology and their focus on community and social responsibility, and helped to shape the music and entertainment landscape of the time. While the US Festival was ultimately unable to continue beyond the 1983 event, it remains an important part of music and entertainment history and a testament to the enduring power of rock music and live performance.

1980's Video Vixens

Top Video Vixens of the 80's

Tawny Kitaen gets my nod as the top video vixen of the 80's. The image of her dancing on top of the Jaguars in Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again ' video (1987), is permanently etched in my mind.

Damn, was she hot. I would watch MTV all day long to see this video, and could watch it over and again.

Kitaen also appeared in Whitesnake's 'Still of the Night' and 'Is This Love'. She was married to lead singer David Coverdale for about six years.

Not many people realize that Tawny graced the cover of Ratt's album 'Out of the Cellar'. Kitaen played opposite of Tom Hanks in Bachelor Party (1984) as his soon to be bride.

Unfortunately, time was not kind to Kitaen. She has been in and out of rehab since 2006, and looked like an absolute train wreck in the VH1 reality series' Surreal Life and Celebrity Rehab.

I wish her the best. At least we got this great video to watch over and over again! It's pure poetry.

Warrant's Cherry Pie Girl

Here is the simply ravishing Bobbie Brown, from the infamous Warrant video for Cherry Pie. The video was released in 1990, but hey, close enough to the 80's. 

Her hotness belongs on this list. Classic video, the best part was when she got hosed down by the boys, in their mock firefighter outfits. Nothing better than a hot, wet blonde beauty.

Of course another classic bit of the video was when a piece of cherry pie fell into her lap. Remember that?

Hot for Teacher Babe

Well, unfortunately I never had a teacher this hot. But the boys in Van Halen apparently did! 

The video for Hot for Teacher (1984) featured this leggy blonde strutting around in high heels and sexy blue bikini. She had the boys in Van Halen (their school age clones) going absolutely crazy! 

If anyone cares, her real name is Lillian Muller, and she is now 60 years old. Holy sh*t how old am I now?

Live Aid Benefit Concert

1985 Live Aid

Live Aid was a benefit concert held on July 13th, 1985. The purpose was to provide funds to aid Ethiopian famine. 

Live Aid was held simultaneously at two venues. London's Wembley Stadium and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

Organized by Bob Geldof, this was a huge event, literally the world was watching. Via MTV and satellite link ups. an estimated 2 billion people watched, in an estimated 150 countries.

Live Aid was a smashing success, and raised more money than Geldof and the other organizers could of imagined. A total of over 283 million dollars was earned.

Huge rock acts were booked to appear, and most did, however some were no shows.

Billy Joel, Boy George, Waylon Jennings, Paul Simon and Huey Lewis and the News, were all included on the promotional poster, but failed to show.

Michael Jackson did not make an appearance, nor did Bruce Springsteen , who was hugely popular at the time, on the heels of 'Born In the Usa'.

Every other huge act in 1980's, and before was there. The Who, Queen, Madonna, U2, Sting, Dire Straits, and others.

Led Zeppelin played a reunion set, but Jimmy Page was unhappy with the sound he got out of his guitar, so the performance was removed on subsequent replays.

Madonna was famously quoted as saying 'Im not taking shit off today', as Live Aid took place soon after her nude pictures were leaked on Playboy and Penthouse.

PMRC vs Rock n Roll 1985

1985 Tipper Gore Wagers War on Rock Music

Tipper Gore, (ex wife of former VP Al Gore) over heard her daughter playing 'Darling Nikki' by Prince, which mentioned masturbation.

So shocked by this naughty little word, she went out and co-founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) . 

The group wanted to put warning stickers on albums that contained objectionable language that would warp kid's fragile little minds.

Rock and Roll Fights Back

Frank Zappa

Rock and Roll luminaries such as Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, and the legendary Frank Zappa spoke in front of the congressional committee defending their 1st amendment rights.


Zappa's stance, as was many others, this was a form of censorship that had no place in the United States of America.

Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics

When the smoke cleared, the Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics sticker was created and put on albums that contained objectionable language.

The first albums to carry this sticker, also known as 'Tipper's Sticker' was Purple Rain by Prince, Guns n Roses Appetite for Destruction, and Too Live Crew's Nasty as they Wanna be.

The Filthy Fifteen

The PMRC would release a list of the most objectionable songs, in their opinion, dubbed the filthy fifteen. Here it is. Source- wikipedia.

1. Prince - Darling Nikki
2. Sheena Easton - Sugar Walls
3. Judas Priest - Eat Me Alive
4. Vanity - Strap on Robbie Baby
5. Motley Crue - Bastard
6. AC/DC - Let Me Put My Love Into You
7. Twisted Sister - Were Not Gonna Take It
8. Madonna - Dress You Up
9. Wasp - Animal
10. Def Leppard - High n Dry (Saturday Night)
11. Mercyful Fate - Into the Coven
12. Black Sabbath - Trashed
13. Mary Jane Girls - In My House
14. Venom - Possessed
15. Cyndi Lauper - She Bop

MTV Launches 1981

On Aug 1, 1981 television history and culture was changed with the launch of MTV. What a day if you were music fan, a channel where you could watch music videos 24/7.

I myself, with all my other friends, were truly addicted to this phenomenon. As cable was somewhat still in its infancy, legions of hopeful music fans , started to harken the famous phrase ' I WANT MY MTV' to get more cable providers to provide it.

The network gave musical artists a huge outlet to be heard, and sell records. To be in 'heavy rotation' , meaning your video was played almost once and hour, or so it seemed was a band's or musician's dream.

The very first video ever played on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by one hit wonder The Buggles.

Sadly, the music could not last forever. These days is seems like MTV is run by a bunch of 14 year old girls. Music has become almost non - existent, with programs such as '16 and Pregnant', 'Awkward', 'Girl Code' and the completely ridiculous 'Jersey Shore'.

I suppose MTV needed to change with the times, to grab a younger audience, and sadly old geezers like me are just left with a fond memory.

The original MTV vjs at the network's launch deserve their props.

Left to right - Nina Blackwood (I thought she was soo hot), Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman, the perky Martha Quinn, and JJ Jackson.