Everyone knows Aerosmith, Donn Summer, The Cars, J. Geils Band, Boston, etc., but in 1980 these local guys were killing it. This is a deep dive into the local music scene when I was in Law School and we'd go see them at the Channel.
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Local Boston Bands -
Feb 21, 2026, 1:30 PM
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In the late seventies there were good punk rock or new wave scenes in many American cities. The New York bands like the Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads just got the most attention because they were in the media capital of the country. Here in Indianapolis and the surrounding area you had good bands like Dow Jones and the Industrials, Gizmos and Last Four Digits.
I saw Fleetwood Mac for free. I think it was 1975 or maybe 1976 NAU Flagstaff Arizona.
I had no idea the cars were from Boston.
^ I had no idea Boston was from Boston. :)
I wrote a paper comparing the music scene and traditions in college as part of a class where we studied the book “Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia” by E. Digby Batzell. I concluded Boston had better rock bands but Philly had many more great Black artists and the signature “Philadelphia Sound”.
had no idea donna summer was from boston. learn something new everyday.
no love for billy squier?
I would certainly put Boston and J Geils before The Cars and Aerosmith in my playlist order. Aerosmith may be the most highly renowned nationally. Saw Aerosmith at the Ranch. (?) Marshfield in the 70’s. John Cafferty (RI) spent a lot of nights at just about every MA campus and had some minor acclaim compared to the big 4.
Yes, Billy Squier from Revere. Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon (Palisades Park, Tallahassee lassie) from Revere too. Back in the day moving furniture my buddy told the shippers "Wow you two sure love Donna Summer". They replied: "yes, she's our daughter". Roxbury section of Boston. Side note: Joe Perry of Aerosmith's Mom was my wife's babysitter as a kid.
I didn’t know Donna Summer was from Boston, either. I was also surprised to learn that she was buried in Nashville, Tennessee.
A couple of years ago I was in Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens cemetery in Nashville, and Google Maps randomly indicated that Donna Summer’s grave was about 30 yards from where I was standing. I walked around while Google Maps tracked my steps, but I couldn’t find her headstone anywhere near there.
A guy about my age was also there and asked me whose grave I was trying to find. When I said Donna Summer, he said, “That’s my sister-in-law!” and pointed to her headstone just a few feet away. No wonder I couldn’t find it – her name is not really Donna Summer. She was born Donna Adrian Gaines, which is what the headstone said. But still, in Nashville? Really?
Donna’s final years were spent in Nashville. Her youngest daughter has had success as a model and musician.
1980 was a pretty good year for music but my favorite year would have to be 1965. That was the peak of the British Invasion with bands like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks and Who. You also had the New York folk scene with Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, Stax and Motown soul music, California surf rock like the Beach Boys and good country music artists like Johnny Cash.
Looking back, the Beatles were quite prolific. Over 7 years they put out 188 songs and 13 albums. To make a comparison to a popular modern day artist, over 7 years Billie Eilish and her brother have only put out 50 songs.
The top 10 musical acts put together don’t have a fraction of the cultural impact of the Beatles. They literally will go down in world (not just musical) history.
Boston had a great local music scene. When I was in college in the early 80s I was into some cool local Philly bands that played at colleges and little clubs. The A’s blew me away.