Music History Today: May 1, 2022

May 1, 2005: Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas was the first male artist from a rock or pop group to debut at number one with his first solo album, '...Something To Be.'  The LP spawned the US top ten hit "Lonely No More." 

Music History Today: April 24, 2023

April 24, 1993: "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes debuted on Billboard's Hot 100.

 "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes was the first Top 40 hit by an openly lesbian group. The Indigo Girls never got higher than Number 52.

Music History Today: April 10, 2023

April 10, 1971: John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" hit the Billboard Hot 100. It was his first appearance on the charts.

John Denver wrote "Take Me Home Country Roads" with his friends Bill and Taffy Danoff. After performing with the Danoffs, they went back to the couple's home, where they played John what they had of this song.

 John Denver 

Music History Today: March 6, 2023

March 6, 2005: The American television series Intervention premiered on A&E. It featured the theme song "Five Steps" by The Davenports from their album Speaking of The Davenports.

The Davenports

Music History Today: October 9, 2022

October 9, 1993: Take That had their second UK Number 1 single with a cover of Dan Martin's 1979 hit "Relight My Fire." 

Take That

Music History Today: April 10, 2022

April 10, 1982: The Human League moved into the American Top 40 with "Don't You Want Me."

Don’t You Want Me was to crown the breakout year for electronic pop music – Soft Cell had hit the top of the charts in the same year as the Human League, but Tainted Love had the sneaky advantage of being a cover.

Music History Today: October 2, 2021

October 2:  1981: "Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner is released in the UK.

Foreigner launched a search for the fan who inspired their hit song “Juke Box Hero,” offering a V.I.P. experience for the person ... if he can be found.

Music History Today: September 25, 2021

September 25, 1999: "She's All I Ever Had" by Ricky Martin peaks at Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 single's chart.

"She's All I Ever Had" is the second single taken from the multi-platinum first English-language album by Ricky Martin, called simply Ricky Martin. 

Ricky Martin

Music History Today: May 22, 2021

May 22, 1976: "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings hit Number 1 in America.

Paul McCartney was very sentimental when he shared the story behind “Silly Love Songs.” “Over the years people have said, ‘Aw, he sings love songs, he writes love songs, he’s so soppy at times.’ I thought, Well, I know what they mean, but, people have been doing love songs forever,” McCartney told Billboard in 2001. 

Paul & Linda McCartney

Music History Today: April 24, 2021

April 24, 1976: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen peaked at Number 9 on the Hot 100 chart in the USA.

Queen have become the first ever UK band to have a song certified ‘diamond’, reaching the milestone for their iconic 1975 hit ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

Music History Today: March 27, 2021

March 27, 2001: Train  released "Drops of Jupiter".

Pat Monahan wrote “Drops of Jupiter” soon after his mom had passed away following a battle with cancer. In the song, he imagines that after dying his mom’s spirit could go anywhere, and so a person would be likely to go explore the universe. 

 

Music History Today: March 13, 2021

March 13, 2007: Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is released in the US.

Back to Black came out of nowhere – in a sense. Of course, Amy Winehouse had already released her debut album, 2003’s Frank, but it could not prepare the listener for Back to Black.

Amy Winehouse

Music History Today: February 6, 2021

February 6, 1945: Bob Marley was born Nesta Robert Marley in Jamaica. 

Robert Nesta Marley was born in a small rural Jamaican village called Nine Miles. His father was a white man, Capt. Norval Marley, a superintendent of lands for the British government, which had colonized Jamaica in the 1660s. 

Music History Today: January 23, 2021

January 23, 1988: "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson topped Billboard's Hot 100 for one week.

“The Way You Make Me Feel” is the third single from ‘Bad’, Michael Jackson’s third solo album on Epic Records.

Michael Jackson

Music History Today: December 25, 2020

December 25, 2016: George Michael died of heart failure, aged 53, in bed at his riverside home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. 

Although he died in December 2016, it took a few months to complete the autopsy and investigation into George Michael’s sudden passing. 

George Michael

Music History Today: November 20, 2020

November 20, 1947: Joe Walsh of the Eagles and the James Gang is born Joseph Fidler Walsh in Wichita, Kansas.

At the turn of the '70s, Joe Walsh led the James Gang through a trio of studio recordings highlighted by the ageless 'Funk #49," then embarked on a solo career also included the 1973 Top 40 hit 'Rocky Mountain Way.'  Walsh continued releasing solo projects after the Eagles' 1980 breakup. 

Joe Walsh

Music History Today: September 13, 2020

September 13, 1974: With "Fulfillingness' First Finale" atop Billboard's album chart, Stevie Wonder kicks off his first tour since an accident left him in a coma for four days last year. 

The cover of Fulfillingness’ First Finale depicts a staircase of keyboards rising to the sky. It’s remarkably apt, for the careers of few performers in popular music have been such uninterrupted ascents. 

Music History Today: July 6, 2020

July 6, 1972: David Bowie performed "Starman" on Top Of The Pops.

In the glory days of Top of the Pops you couldn’t watch things again. You retained them in the archive of your memory. 

Music History Today: June 5, 2020

June 5, 1971: Grand Funk Railroad broke The Beatles' box office record by selling out Shea Stadium in 72 hours. 

Grand Funk Railroad's sold-out show at New York's Shea Stadium on July 9, 1971, is famous for selling its 55,000 tickets in 72 hours, faster than the Beatles had in August 1965. 

Mark Farner

Music History Today: May 22, 2020

May 22, 1965: The Beatles went to number 1 on the US singles chart with "Ticket To Ride. "

Lennon once claimed that "Ticket to Ride" — the first track the Beatles recorded for the soundtrack to their second feature film, Help!, on February 15th, 1965 — was "one of the earliest heavy-metal records."