Category: Music

The number one song in the U.S. today in 1955 was written 102 years earlier:

The number one song in the U.S. today in 1966:

Today in 1970, Arthur Brown demonstrated what The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was like by getting arrested at the Palermo Pop ’70 Festival in Italy for stripping naked and setting fire to his helmet during …

Today in 1982, the three-day-long Us Festival in San Bernardino,  Calif., began, bankrolled by Apple Computer founder Steve Wozniak:

The number one song in the U.S. today in 1983:

Birthdays today start with Al Jardine of the Beach Boys:

Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers:

George Biondo of Steppenwolf:

Eric Bell of Thin Lizzy:

Don Brewer of Grand Funk Railroad:

Perry Bamonte of The Cure:

Britain’s number one single today in 1972:

On the same day, the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival was held on Bull Island in the Wabash River between Illinois and Indiana. The festival attracted four times the projected number of fans, three fans drowned in the Wabash River, and the remaining crowd ended the festival by burning down the stage:

Birthdays begin with Hugo Montenegro, who had a couple instrumental hits in the 1960s:

One-hit wonder Bobby Purify:

Joe Simon …

… was born the same day as Rosalind Ashford of Martha and the Vandellas:

Billy Preston:

Mik Kaminski played violin for the Electric Light Orchestra:

Steve Porcaro of Toto:

Jerry Augustyniak, one of the 10,000 Maniacs:

The number one song today in 1962:

The number one song today in 1984 announced quite a comeback:

Birthdays start with Tommy Evans of (the 139 iterations of) the Drifters:

Who is Harold Jenkins? You knew him as Conway Twitty:

Archie Bell of the Drells:

Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees:

Greg Errico played drums for Sly and the Family Stone:

Gloria Estefan:

Today in 1955, a London judge fined a man for “creating an abominable noise” — playing this song loud enough to make the neighborhood shake, rattle and roll for 2½ hours:

Today in 1968, Private Eye magazine reported that the album to be released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono would save money by providing no wardrobe for Lennon or Ono:

Today in 1976, a judge ruled that George Harrison subconsciously plagiarized the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” …

… when he wrote “My Sweet Lord”:

As part of the settlement, the Chiffons recorded their own version:

Birthdays start with Buddy Holly’s drummer, Jerry Allison:

Van Morrison:

Rick Roberts of Firefall:

Rudolf Schenker of the Scorpions:

Gina Schrock of the Go-Gos …

… was born the same day as Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze:

Today in 1959, Bertolt Brecht‘s “Threepenny Opera” reached the U.S. charts in a way Brecht could not have fathomed:

T0day in 1968, Apple Records released its first single by — surprise! — the Beatles:

Today in 1969, this spent three weeks on top of the British charts, on top of six weeks on top of the U.S. charts, making them perhaps the ultimate one-number-one-hit-wonder:

Zager and Evans were not at the second Isle of Wight Festival, which started today:

Nor were they at the Texas International Pop Festival, which also started today:

The number one British hit today in 1975 was not British:

The winners of the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards (ironic for a channel that now rarely plays music videos) included:

The short list of birthdays starts with John Phillips, one of the Mamas and Papas and father of actors Mackenzie and Bijou:

Charles Colbert of American Breed:

Martin Jackson of Swing Out Sister:

Today in 1966, the Beatles played their last concert for which tickets were charged, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Today in 1970, Edwin Starr was at number one on both sides of the Atlantic:

Britain’s number one album today in 1981:

The number one song today in 1982:

Britain’s number one album …

… and single today in 1987 …

… while on the other side of the Atlantic:

Birthdays start with Dick Halligan, who played keyboards, trombone and flute for Blood Sweat & Tears:

Chris Copping of Procol Harum:

Rick Downey of Blue Öyster Cult:

Michael Jackson:

Me’Shell NdegeOcello:

The number one single today in 1961 was made more popular by Elvis Presley, not its creator:

Also today in 1961, the Marvelettes released what would become their first number one song:

Today in 1964, the Beatles met Bob Dylan after a concert in Forest Hills, N.Y. Dylan reportedly introduced the Beatles to marijuana:

Today in 1967, WCBS radio in New York was supposed to switch to its new all-news format. However, both WCBS and WNBC radio were knocked off the air the day before when a plane crashed into the stations’ tower. WCBS had to start its all-news format on its FM station (which at the time played something called the “Young Sound” format, instrumental versions of current pop songs) while WNBC had to borrow another station’s transmitter.

The number one UK single today in 1972 should have been number one earlier in the summer:

Today in 1988, Kylie Minogue  set a British record when her debut album, “Kylie,” topped 2 million sales, most for a female artist:

The number one album in 1993 came to its singer in his sleep, hence the title, “River of Dreams”:

Birthdays today begin with Clem Cattini, who played drums for the Telstars, which recorded the first song from a British act to reach number one in the U.S.:

David Soul was not merely Hutch of “Starsky and Hutch” …

… but recorded a number one single:

Danny Seraphine was the first drummer for Chicago:

We begin with an interesting anniversary: Today in 1965, the Beatles used the final day of their five-day break from their U.S.  tour to attend a recording session for the Byrds and to meet Elvis Presley at Presley’s Beverly Hills home.

The group reportedly found Presley “unmagnetic,” about which John Lennon reportedly said, “Where’s Elvis? It was like meeting Engelbert Humperdinck.”

The number one single in the U.S. in 1972:

The number one single in the U.S. in 1988:

Birthdays start with Daryl Dragon, the captain of Captain and Tennille:

David Leon “Billy” Knight played drums for Gladys Knight and the Pips:

Simon Kirke played drums for Free and Bad Company:

Alan Lifeson of Rush:

Tony Kanal of No Doubt:

Two death anniversaries of note: Today in 1967, Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers, died …

… and today in 1990, guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash on the way from leaving Alpine Valley after a concert that included Robert Cray and Eric Clapton:

Today in 1967, Jimi Hendrix released “Purple Haze”:

Three years later, Hendrix made his last concert appearance in Great Britain at the Isle of Wight Festival, which also featured, for your £3 ticket …

The number one song in the U.S. today in 1978 was a song in a style unlike the movie from whence it came:

Birthdays start with Maurice Williams, who asks you to …

Richard Cowsill of the Cowsills:

Dan Vickrey played guitar for the Counting Crows:

Adrian Young plays drums, No Doubt:

Finally, a musical death of note (get it?): Those who played in high school bands (which are starting up right about now) probably played at least one of the works of British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, who died at 85 today in 1958:

Does anyone find it a bit creepy that the number one song in Great Britain today in 1957 is about Paul Anka’s brother’s babysitter?

Three years later, the number one single across the sea required no words:

Two years later, the number one U.S. single was a dance that was easier than learning your ABCs:

Today in 1963, Paul McCartney was fined £31 and given a one-year suspended sentence for speeding. One wonders if the judge said that you, Mr. McCartney, are …

Today in 1967, the number one single was about an event that supposedly occurred on my birthday:

Back in rock music transportation news, today in 1973, Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allman Brothers Band, crashed his car and broke his leg, not far from where bandmate Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash:

That was the same day (probably unrelated) that McCartney’s Wings guitarist, Henry McCullough, left the band …

… and that Bobby Darin performed his last concert in Las Vegas, four months before his death following heart surgery …

… and that the U.S. singles chart was topped by a one-hit wonder:

The number one U.S. single today in 1979:

Birthdays today start with a non-rock figure who nonetheless is one of the great composers of the 20th century:

Walter Williams of the O’Jays:

Gene Simmons of Kiss:

Who is Declan Patrick McManus? You know him better as Elvis Costello:

Vivian Campbell played guitar for Dio, Whitesnake and Def Leppard: