Category: Music

The number one song today in 1970:

The number one song today in 1973:

Britain’s number one album today in 1984 was David Bowie’s “Tonight”:

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The number one song today in 1959 came from a German opera:

The number one  British song today in 1961:

The number one British song today in 1974 came from the movie “The Exorcist”:

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Today in 1957, the sixth annual New Music Express poll named Elvis Presley the second most popular singer in Great Britain behind … Pat Boone. That seems as unlikely as, say, Boone’s recording a heavy metal album.

The number one British song today in 1962, coming to you via satellite:

Britain’s number one album today in 1969 was the Beatles’ “Abbey Road”:

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We begin with this unusual event: Today in 1978, the members of Aerosmith bailed out 30 of their fans who were arrested at their concert in Fort Wayne, Ind., for smoking marijuana:

Britain’s number one single today in 1987:

Today in 1992 on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live,” Sinead O’Connor torpedoed her own career:

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Today in 1953, Victor Borge’s “Comedy in Music” opened on Broadway, closing 849 performances later. (Pop.)

Today in 1960, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs released “Stay,” which would become the shortest number one single of all time:

The number one single today in 1965:

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I present the number one single today in 1977 to demonstrate that popularity and quality are not always synonymous:

The number one single today in 1983:

Today in 2004, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne officially opened AC/DC Lane, named for the band, to the bagpipes from …

Birthdays begin with actor Richard Harris, who “sang” …

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The number one song today in 1957:

Today in 1967, bowing down to popular music, the BBC began its Radio 1:

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The number eight song today in 1958:

Today in 1967, the Beatles mixed “I Am the Walrus,” which combined three songs John Lennon had been writing. The song includes the sounds of a radio going up and down the dial, ending at a BBC presentation of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear.” Lennon had read that a teacher at his primary school was having his students analyze Beatles lyrics, Lennon reportedly added one nonsensical verse, although arguably none of the verses make much sense:

The number 33 single today in 1973 …

… 32 slots behind number one:

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Proving that there is no accounting for taste, here is Britain’s number one single today in 1963:

Five years later, record buyers made a much better choice:

The number one U.S. album on the same day was “Time Peace: The Rascals Greatest Hits”:

I need name neither title nor artist of the number one album today in 1974:

The number four single today in 1985:

The number one album that day was Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love”:

The number one single today in 1991:

Birthdays begin with Ben E. King, one of the numerous lead singers of the Drifters before his solo career:

Nick St. Nicholas played bass for Steppenwolf:

Paul Burgess played drums for 10cc:

Med Lucart of Wall of Voodoo:

Moon Unit Zappa, fer sure fer sure:

One death of vote today in 1968: Dewey Phillips. Who? The first DJ to play the first record of Elvis Presley, on WHBQ in Memphis:

The Police had a request today in 1980:

That same day, David Bowie’s “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)” was Britain’s number one album:

Birthdays start with Randy Bachman of the Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive:

Who is Marvin Aday? Meat Loaf, or Mr. Loaf to you:

Greg Ham played, yes, flute for Men at Work:

Mark Calderon of Color Me Badd:

Avril Lavigne, the youngest female singer to reach number one:

Two deaths of note today: Jimmy McCullough, formerly of Paul McCartney and Wings, in 1979 …

… and Cliff Burton of Metallica, who died in a bus crash today in 1986: