Music History Today: January 19, 2023

January 19, 1980: The Pretenders scored their first UK Number 1 with "Brass in Pocket."

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The day the Pretenders had their first UK Number 1 single, their self-titled debut began a four-week run at the top of the UK album chart. "Brass in Pocket" hit peaked at 14 in the US. Its music video was the seventh video aired on MTV on its launch.  

Read more: MTV

January 19, 1943: Janis Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas.

Janis Joplin joined the band Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1966. Their 1968 album, Cheap Thrills, was a huge hit.

Janis Joplin

However, friction between Joplin and the band prompted her to part ways with Big Brother soon after. Joplin released her first solo effort, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, in 1969. The album received mixed reviews, but her second project, Pearl (1971), released after Joplin's death, was hugely successful. 

Read more: Biography

January 19, 1946: Dolly Parton was born in Locust Ridge, Tennessee.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton initially found success with country star Porter Wagoner. Hit songs like "Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," "Here You Come Again," "9 to 5," and "Islands in the Stream" mark her solo career. A skilled singer/songwriter, she won many awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. 

Read more: Biography

January 19, 1974: "I've Got To Use My Imagination" by Gladys Knight and the Pips topped out at Number 4 on Billboard's Hot 100.  It spent a week at Number 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.

January 19, 1994: The Ninth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. 

Inductees into the Ninth Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame include The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Rod Stewart. Axl Rose performs "Come Together" at the ceremony with Bruce Springsteen.

 

 Brass in Pocket  
The Pretenders