In 1989, Jethro Tull won the first Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Grammy Award, to lead singer Ian Anderson’s considerable embarrassment. He (and most everyone) did not consider Tull to be a metal band. Name some of the other contenders for that year’s award.

Answer: Metallica, Janes Addiction, AC/DC and Iggy Pop

Here’s the rest of today’s Rock N’ Roll Diary!

• 1965: Filming began in the Bahamas for The Beatles’ second movie, Help!
• 1969: David Bowie began a tour as the opening act for T. Rex. He didn’t perform any music, though – he did a short mime act!
• 1970: New Jersey band Steel Mill cut a demo at a studio owned by rock promoter Bill Graham, and were offered a contract. The lead singer for Steel Mill was a 20-year-old Bruce Springsteen.
• 1978: The Police appeared in a Wrigley’s chewing gum ad in which they had to dye their hair blonde. It became their look.
• 1980: Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood and his girlfriend were arrested in St. Maarten when police found five grams of cocaine in the couples rented apartment. No charges were filed.
• 1989: Jethro Tull won the first heavy metal Grammy award, infamously beating Metallica, AC/DC, Jane’s Addiction, and Iggy Pop for the honor. In the uproar that followed, none were more embarrassed than Ian Anderson and the rest of Tull’s band members.
• From the WZLX ticket stash…Led Zeppelin was at the Boston Tea Party in 1969…In ’72 the J. Geils Band played the Aquarius Theatre…Humble Pie was at the Orpheum in 1975…And in 1982 J. Geils was back when they played the Garden.