Good Thursday morning, welcome to This Day In The History Of Music. Enjoy the read. 1. On this day in 1957 (Buddy Holly) The Crickets started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'That'll Be The Day. It was also a No.3 hit in the US where it went on to sell over a million. The song was inspired by a trip to the movies by Holly, Jerry Allison, and Sonny Curtis in June 1956. The John Wayne film The Searchers was playing and Wayne's frequently-used, world-weary catchphrase, "that'll be the day" inspired the young musicians. 2. On this day in 1960 American pop and soul singer Ben E. King recorded "Spanish Harlem" & "Stand By Me." Benjamin Earl King was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"—a U.S. Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986, a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1987, and number 25 on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century—and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group The Drifters, notably singing the lead vocals of one of their biggest global hit singles, "Save the Last Dance for Me". Besides "Stand By Me”, his songs "There Goes My Baby" and "Spanish Harlem" also appeared on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. 3. On this day in 1964 (Sonny & Cher) 31-year-old Salvatore Philip Bono married 18-year-old Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere. For a time they performed together as Caesar and Cleo before changing the name of their act to Sonny and Cher. Their union lasted 12 years. 4. On this day in 1966 The Four Tops were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Reach Out I'll Be There.' The group's only UK No.1. 5. On this day in 1969 Muddy Waters was seriously injured in a car crash in Champagne, Illinois. Three people were killed in the accident. McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude". 6. On this day in 1973 Gladys Knight and the Pips started a two-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Midnight Train To Georgia'. It was the group's 18th Top 40 hit and first No.1. The record won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group, Or Chorus and has become Knight's signature song. 7. On this day in 1975 After releasing the single and album Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen had the rare honor of simultaneous covers in both Time and Newsweek magazines in the US. 8. On this day in 1977 Baccara was at No.1 in the UK singles chart with 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie. They were the first Spanish act to score a UK No.1, and the first female duo to do so. 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie' is also one of the thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide. 9. On this day in 1980 Mark Chapman bought a five-shot .38 special for $169. A little over six weeks later, he would use the gun to kill John Lennon outside his New York City apartment. 10. On this day in 1981 Ringo Starr releases the single "Wrack My Brain", written and produced by George Harrison, and the album "Stop and Smell the Roses" in the US. 11. On this day in 1983 Larry Flynt pays hitman $1M to kill Hugh Hefner, Bob Guccione, Walter Annenberg, and Frank Sinatra; Flynt's business manager immediately stops payment; Flynt claims he was just joking. (Side Note: I will add a little info on all named names above) 1. Larry Flint - Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP) (Hustler Magazine). 2. Hugh Hefner- Hugh Marston Hefner was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obscenity. The first issue of Playboy was published in 1953, featuring Marilyn Monroe in a nude calendar shoot; it sold over 50,000 copies. 3. Bob Guccione - Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione (/ɡuːˈtʃoʊni/ goo-CHI-oh-nee; December 17, 1930 – October 20, 2010) was an American photographer and publisher. He founded the adult magazine Penthouse in 1965. This was aimed at competing with Hugh Hefner's Playboy, but with more explicit erotic content, a special style of soft-focus photography, and in-depth reporting of government corruption scandals and the art world. 4. Frank Sinatra - Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board", Sinatra is considered one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. He is among the world's best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150 million records. 12. On this day in 1986 " Pretty Little Head " is a song by Paul McCartney, co-written by McCartney, and 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart. The track is on his sixth studio solo album Press to Play. The track was McCartney's 38th single, and his first that failed to chart, so, in an attempt to boost sales, he released his first-ever cassette single. 13. On this day in 1988 Rattle and Hum is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and was released on 27 October 1988. 14. On this day in 2000 Lonnie Donegan went to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE for his services to pop music. Lonnie pioneered skiffle in the 1950s and inspired a generation of teenagers to start bands. 15. On this day in 2002 American record producer Tom Dowd died of emphysema. He recorded albums by many artists including Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek, and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny & Cher, The Rascals, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters and Otis Redding. 16. On this day in 2006 Amy Winehouse released her second and final studio album Back to Black. The album spawned five singles: 'Rehab', 'You Know I'm No Good, 'Back to Black, 'Tears Dry on Their Own and 'Love Is a Losing Game, and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Back to Black sold 3.58 million copies in the UK alone, becoming the UK's second best-selling album of the 21st century. Worldwide, the album has sold over 20 million copies. 17. On this day in 2014 The Last Ship, Sting's musical about shipbuilding in north-east England, opened on Broadway. The former frontman of The Police described watching the opening night as "an out-of-body experience". Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Blondie's Deborah Harry were among the first-night audience at the Neil Simon Theatre. 18. On this day in 2014 The Pet Shop Boys 'Always On My Mind' was voted the top cover version of all time in a BBC Music vote. The song, written by John Christopher, Mark James, and Wayne Carson, was first made famous by Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley in 1972. Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails 'Hurt' came in second place, followed by The Stranglers' version of Dionne Warwick's 'Walk On By'. Jimi Hendrix's take on Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower came fourth and Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' completed the top five. 19. On this day in 2014 1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 27, 2014, by Big Machine Records. Following the release of her genre-spanning fourth studio album Red (2012), noted for pop hooks and electronic production, the media questioned the validity of Swift's status as a country artist. 20. On this day in 2016 A letter John Lennon wrote to the Queen explaining why he was returning his MBE was found tucked in a record sleeve from a £10 car boot haul. The anonymous owner took the document to a valuation day at The Beatles Story in Liverpool and discovered it was worth about £60,000. Lennon had returned to the MBE in protest at Britain's involvement in a civil war. 21. On this day in 2019 Scottish singer, and songwriter Lewis Capaldi achieved his first No.1 single in the US with ‘Someone You Loved’ after the track had spent 23 weeks in the US charts before reaching the top. The singer celebrated by painting his face in the style of the Stars and Stripes. Born On This Day In The Music World. 1. Born on this day in 1909 Henry "Mule" Townsend, was an American blues singer, guitarist, and pianist. Townsend was born Henry Jesse James Townsend, in Shelby, Mississippi to Allen and Omelia Townsend. His father was a blues musician who played guitar and accordion. 2. Born on this day in 1919 Babs Gonzales, born Lee Brown, was an American bebop vocalist, poet, and self-published author. His books portrayed the jazz world that many black musicians struggled in, portraying disk jockeys, club owners, liquor, drugs, and racism. "There are jazz people whose influence can be described as minor," wrote Val Wilmer, "yet who are well-known to musicians and listeners alike... You'd have to be hard-pressed to ignore the wealth of legend that surrounds Babs Gonzales." Jazz writer Jack Cooke explained that Gonzales "assumed the role of spokesman for the whole hipster world... something more than just a good and original jazz entertainer: the incarnation of a whole social group." 3. Born on this day in 1924 Mary Joan Okum, known by her performing name Bonnie Lou, was an American musical pioneer, recognized as one of the first female rock and roll singers. She is also one of the first artists to gain crossover success from country music to rock and roll. She was the "top name" on the first country music program regularly broadcast on a national TV network. Bonnie Lou was one of the first female co-hosts of a successful syndicated television talk show and a regular musical performer on popular shows in the 1960s and 1970s. She "was a prime mover in the first days of rockabilly," and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. 4. Born on this day in 1942 Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts. 5. Born on this day in 1949 American musician and record producer Garry Tallent is the bass player with the Bruce Springsteen E Street Band. He started playing with Springsteen in 1971 and as of 2013, and not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent is the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band. 6. Born on this day in 1952 American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bill Bottrell. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Electric Light Orchestra, George Harrison, Starship, Tom Petty, and Sheryl Crow. Bottrell was a co-writer of Michael Jackson's hit 'Black or White and also worked on Jackson's Bad album. 7. Born on this day in 1958 Simon Le Bon, vocals, Duran Duran who scored the 1983 UK No.1 single 'Is There Something I Should Know, plus 25 other UK Top 40 singles, and the 1984 US No.1 single 'The Reflex'. Le Bon is also a member of its offshoot Arcadia, which had the 1985 UK No.7 single 'Election Day. Le Bon went to Pinner County Grammar School, the same school that Elton John attended some years earlier. 8. Born on this day in 1967 Scott Weiland, vocals, Stone Temple Pilots, (1993 UK No.23 single 'Plush'). Velvet Revolver, (2004 US No.1 & UK No.11 album 'Contraband'). Weiland has also established himself as a solo artist, releasing three studio albums, a cover album, and collaborations with several other musicians since 1998. Weiland died on December 3, 2015, after being found in cardiac arrest on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, just before he was scheduled to go on stage with his band The Wildabouts. He was 48 years old. 9. Born on this day in 1984 Kelly Osbourne (2002 UK No.3 single 'Papa Don't Preach', 2003 UK No.1 with Ozzy Osbourne, 'Changes'. Have a great Thursday, take care, and stay safe.
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