Music History Today: January 1, 2023

January 1, 1953: Hank Williams died of a heart attack on his way to a New Year's Day show. 

Hank Williams was country music's first megastar. The prolific musician and performer wrote songs such as "Your Cheatin' Heart," drank too much whiskey, had family problems.

Hank Williams

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He died in the back seat of his Cadillac while being driven to a gig on New Year's Day 1953. Heart failure and hard living did him in. He was only 29. 

Read more: Roadside America

January 1, 1966: Simon & Garfunkel had their first Number 1 hit with "Sounds of Silence."

The Simon & Garfunkel track "Sounds of Silence" was used in the movie The Graduate.

 

The film's director, Mike Nichols, didn't just use this song but felt Simon & Garfunkel had a sound that fit the tone of the movie very well. He commissioned them to write "Mrs. Robinson" specifically for the movie and also added "Scarborough Fair" and "April Come She Will" to the film. 

Read more: Songfacts

January 1, 1972: Their second week on Billboard's Hot 100 Three Dog Night soared from Number 81 to 43 with "Never Been to Spain." 

January 1, 1994: "The Sign" by Ace of Base entered Billboard's Hot 100 at Number 68. It spent six non-consecutive weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the Number 1 song of 1994 according to Billboard's year-end charts. 

January 1, 2005: Gavin DeGraw peaked at Number 10 in the US with "I Don't Want to Be." The success came after the track was chosen as the theme song for the TV show One Tree Hill.

Your Cheatin' Heart
Hank Williams