Music History Today: March 9, 2022

March 9, 1991: Whitney Houston's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" enters at the US music chart in the Top 40, at Number 32. 

Whitney Houston performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" right before the start of Super Bowl XXV in 1991.

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The nation was embroiled in the Persian Gulf War at the time. The patriotic feeling of her stirring cover resonated so strongly with the public that it was released as a single, and earned a gold certification in April 1991. Those profits went to the Gulf War Crisis Fund. 

Read more: MTV

March 9, 1959: Frankie Ford entered the American Top 40 chart with "Sea Cruise."

The song “Sea Cruise” was written by Huey “Piano” Smith, who also wrote the song “Rockin’ Pneumonia.”

Frankie Ford 1959

Huey Smith and His Clowns recorded it. Frankie Ford covered the song using the Smith’s backing track, and the producers added the ship’s bell and horn sound effects. In 1959, Ford’s version went to #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the R&B Chart. 

Read more: Daily Doo Wop

March 9, 1963: The Chiffons made a big move, from Number 41 to 19, with the song "He's So Fine."

One day in 1960, a young Harlem-born songwriter named Ronnie Mack heard three Bronx high-school kids singing together. He convinced them to add a young Philadelphia singer named Sylvia Peterson to the group, and he named them the Chiffons. Their first single was “He’s So Fine,” a song that Mack may have written about Peterson before flipping the genders around. 

Read more: Stereogum

March 9, 1974: David Essex topped out at Number 5 on the US music chart with "Rock On."

David Essex wrote this to play at the end of the 1973 movie That'll Be The Day, where he played a working-class, aspiring rocker in pre-Beatles England.

David Essex 1974

Essex spent much of the '60s making unsuccessful recordings, but did far better as an actor, landing the role of Jesus in the London production of Godspell in 1971. This earned him the role of Jim MacLaine in That'll Be The Day, in which he starred along with Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. 

Read more: Songfacts

March 9, 1996: BoDeans' "Closer to Free" debuted on the American music chart in the Top 40, at Number 35. 

"Closer to Free" is a 1993 song by American rock band BoDeans featured on their fifth studio album, Go Slow Down. It is the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was featured as the theme of the TV series Party of Five and was featured on the show's accompanying soundtrack. 

Read more: Wikipedia

The Star Spangled Banner
Whitney Houston