Category: Music

Today in 1963, Little Stevie Wonder became the first artist to have the number one pop single and album and to lead the R&B charts with his “Twelve-Year-Old Genius”:

Today in 1974 the rock charts were topped by one of the more dubious number-one singles:

Today in 1990, at the beginning of Operation Desert Shield, Sinead O’Connor refused to sing if the National Anthem was performed before her concert at the Garden State Arts Plaza in Homdel, N.J. Radio stations respond by pulling O’Connor’s music from their airwaves.

That was the same day that Iron Maiden won a lawsuit from the families of two people who committed suicide, claiming that subliminal messages in the group’s “Stained Class” album drove them to kill themselves.

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In 1969, these were the number one single …

… and album in the U.S.:

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Today in 1964, the Supremes reached number one by wondering …

Today in 1968, the Beatles briefly broke up when Ringo Starr quit during recording of their “White Album.” Starr rejoined the group Sept. 3, but in the meantime the remaining trio recorded “Back in the USSR” with Paul McCartney on drums and John Lennon on bass:

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We begin with two forlorn non-music anniversaries. Today in 1897, Oldsmobile began operation, eventually to become a division of General Motors Corp. … but not anymore.

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Today in 1965, the Rolling Stones released the song that would become their first number one hit, and yet Mick Jagger still claimed …

An august group of acts is represented in birthdays today, beginning with James Pankow, trombone player of Chicago:

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How much money would you have paid for tickets for this concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco today in 1964:

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How can two songs be the number one song in the country today in 1956? Do a Google search for the words “B side”:

(Those songs, by the way, were the first Elvis recorded with his fantastic backup singers, the Jordanaires.)

Today in 1962, the Beatles made their debut with their new drummer, Ringo Starr, following a two-hour rehearsal.

Four years later, the Beatles were at number one (again with the B side):

Diana Ross reached number one today in 1973 with her first post-Supremes hit:

The number one album that same day was, believe it or not …

The number one song today in 1979:

The number one song today in 1984:

Birthdays today begin with Johnny Preston:

Nona Hendryx of Labelle:

Dennis Elliott was the original drummer of Foreigner:

The Beatles were never known for having wild concerts. (Other than their fans, that is.) Today in 1960, the Beatles played their first of 48 appearances at the Indra Club in Hamburg, West Germany. The Indra Club’s owner asked the Beatles to put on a “mach shau.” The Beatles responded by reportedly screaming, shouting, leaping around the stage, and playing lying on the floor of the club. John Lennon reportedly made a stage appearance wearing only his underwear, and also wore a toilet seat around his neck on stage. As they say, Sei vorsichtig mit deinen Wünschen.

Four years later, the council of Glasgow, Scotland, required that men who had Beatles haircuts would have to wear swimming caps in city pools, because men’s hair was clogging the pool filters.

Today in 1968, the Doors had their only number one album, “Waiting for the Sun”:

Today in 1974, this 1½-hit wonder had the number one song in Britain:

(What do I mean by “1½-hit wonder?” The Three Degrees sang at the end of MFSB’s instrumental hit “The Sound of Philadelphia,” another great late Motown song.)

Birthdays today start with John Seiter of Spanky and Our Gang:

Gary Talley played guitar for the Box Tops:

Boston drummer Sib Hashian:

Kevin Rowlands sang for one-hit wonder Dexy’s Midnight Runners (hey, that rhymes):

Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Gos:

Drummer Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes:

Colin Moulding of XTC:

The number one song today in 1972:

Britain’s number one album today in 1972 was Rod Stewart’s “Never a Dull Moment”:

The title track from the number one album today in 1978:

Birthdays begin with blues guitarist B.B. King:

Joe Butler of the Lovin’ Spoonful:

Bernie Calvert of the Hollies:

Betty Kelly was one of the Vandellas:

Kenney Jones played for the Faces and the Who:

David Bellamy was one of the Bellamy Brothers:

Richard Marx: