LEGENDS OF ROCK: RUN DMC
In the second installment of our “Legends Of Rock” series we salute the most recent inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, RUN DMC.
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Celebrate the achievements of the “Kings From Queens” (courtesy of Rockhall.com)
RUN DMC were the first Rap group to:
Have a gold album (Run-D.M.C., 1983)
Have a platinum album (King of Rock, 1985).
Have a song in the Top Ten (“Walk This Way”)
To appear on MTV
To be nominated for a Grammy Award (Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group, for Raising Hell)
TIMELINE
May 31, 1964: Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, rapper with Run-D.M.C., is born in Hollis, Queens, New York.
November 14, 1964: Joseph “DJ Run” Simmons, rapper with Run-D.M.C., is born in Hollis, Queens, New York.
January 21, 1965: Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, turntablist and programmer with Run-D.M.C., is born in Hollis, Queens, New York.
1982: Run-D.M.C. – consisting of rappers Joseph “DJ Run” Simmons and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels and deejay Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell – join forces in their neighborhood of Hollis, Queens, New York.
April 1983: Run-D.M.C. ignite a rap revolution with their debut 12-inch single, “It’s Like That” b/w “Sucker MCs,” on Profile Records.
June 1984: Run-D.M.C. release their self-titled first album on Profile Records. It will spend a year on the album chart, peaking at #63. Six of its songs will appear on the R&B singles chart.
February 1985: Run-D.M.C. issue King of Rock, their second classic album in less than a year. It includes the rap-rock title track and “Can You Rock It Like This,” from the movie Krush Groove.
December 17, 1984: Run-D.M.C.’s self-titled debut album is certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA, making it rap’s first gold album.
June 30, 1985: King of Rock, by Run-D.M.C., is certified gold by the RIAA. It is the second gold album in a row for the rappers from Hollis, Queens.
June 1986: Run-D.M.C.’s third album, Raising Hell, is released. It is certified platinum (1 million copies sold) only one month later, making Run-D.M.C. rap’s first platinum-selling superstars.
June 27, 1986: “Walk This Way,” by Run-D.M.C with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, enters the singles chart, where it will peak at #4. It is the rock-rap crossover single of all time.
June 1988: Tougher Than Leather, by Run-D.M.C., is released, completing their quartet of classic albums from the Eighties.
December 1990: Run-D.M.C. kick off the new decade with Back from Hell, their fifth album.
May 1993: Down With the King is Run-D.M.C.’s sixth and final album for Profile Records. On the strength of its title track, it will go gold, becoming the group’s fifth gold or platinum album.
April 2001: Run-D.M.C. resurface with Crown Royal, their seventh and final album.
October 30, 2002: Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. is gunned down outside his studio in Queens.
September 6, 2005 – Run-D.M.C., King of Rock, Raising Hell and Tougher Than Leather – the core albums in Run-D.M.C.’s catalog – are reissued in deluxe expanded editions by Arista Records.
April 4, 2009: Run-D.M.C. are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 24th annual dinner. Eminem is their presenter.
