Music History Today: February 2, 2023

February 2, 1974: Barbra Streisand scored her first US Number 1 hit when "The Way We Were" took the top spot.

 "The Way We Were" was the title track to the movie of the same name, which starred Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

Music History Today: December 1, 2022

December 1, 2005: The National Film Registry inducted Rocky Horror Picture Show for its historical, cultural, and aesthetic contributions to film. In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) get stuck with a flat tire during a storm and discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite scientist. 

Music History Today: October 21, 2022

October 21, 2006: Evanescence debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart with their second album, Open Door. "Call Me When You're Sober" was released digitally as the album's lead single and peaked on Billboard at Number 10.

Music History Today: September 20, 2022

September 20, 2011: Carly Rae Jepsen released the single "Call Me Maybe."

“Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen’s crush-anxiety anthem, became a viral hit in 2012. 

Music History Today: May 24, 2022

May 24,1969: The Who peaked in Billboard's Top 20, at Number 19, with "Pinball Wizard."

“Pinball Wizard” is one of those very special pieces of music: a great rock song, but at the same time a classic pop song.

The Who

Music History Today: March 30, 2022

March 30, 1991: Gloria Estefan took over at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart with the hit "Coming Out of the Dark."

"Coming Out of the Dark" by Gloria Estefan was the first single off the album, Into the Light.

Music History Today: March 2, 2022

March 2, 2013: When Billboard changed its chart criteria to include YouTube data, “Harlem Shake” went straight to Number One on the Hot 100 chart.

A little-known Brooklyn DJ named Baauer released an EDM track called “Harlem Shake” on a free website without much fanfare. 

Music History Today: November 16, 2021

November 16, 1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience's LP Electric Ladyland hits Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart.

Jimi Hendrix's third and final album with the original Experience found him taking his funk and psychedelic sounds to the absolute limit. The result was not only one of the best rock albums of the era, but also Hendrix's original musical vision at its absolute apex.

Music History Today: October 21, 2021

October 21, 1978: "My Best Friend's Girl" by The Cars entered the Billboard Hot 100 single chart.

Written by Ric Ocasek, “My Best Friend’s Girl” was – despite presumptions to the contrary – not based on a true story.  

The Cars

Music History Today: February 21, 2021

February 21, 2001: U2 captured Grammys for Record and Song of the Year with "Beautiful Day."

“We’re back, re-applying for the job of best band in the world,” U2 frontman Bono announced onstage at London’s Astoria Theatre on the night of February 7, 2001. 

Music History Today: February 3, 2021

February 3, 2001: "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

It’s fair to say that Shaggy‘s “It Wasn’t Me” is one of the biggest hits in the entire world. 

Music History Today: October 21, 2020

 October 21, 1992:  Madonna's book Sex is released. 

In 1990, Madonna was as astronomically popular as a boundary-bulldozing, unapologetically bacchanalian performance artist could get. Drawing from Harlem drag balls, “Vogue” went Number One nearly worldwide. 

Madonna's Sex

Music History Today: September 7, 2020

September 7, 1936: Buddy Holly (real name Charles Holley) was born in Lubbock, Texas.

As a child in Lubbock, Tex., Buddy studied the piano. He didn't like it. Holly wanted to play the guitar and, according to Bill Griggs of the Buddy Holly Memorial Society, Holly learned a unique way of picking.

Music History Today: September 1, 2020

September 1, 1957: Promoter Irvin Feld booked the fall edition of the Biggest Show of Stars Fall Edition to cover 28 states and 5 Canadian provinces with 80 shows.  

Everly Brothers with Vancouver
radio personality Red Robinson

La Bamba: Take Three

1. "La Bamba" is a traditional Mexican folk song popular at weddings and other celebrations. It was the first Number 1 US hit with lyrics that were entirely in Spanish.

Mexican Music

Music History Today: August 15, 2020

August 15, 1958: Twenty-one-year-old Buddy Holly married 25-year-old Maria Elena Santiago. The wedding was a few days after his song, "Think It Over," entered the US Top 40.

Buddy Holly & Maria Elena Santiago

Music History Today: August 2, 2020

August 2, 1953: Skeeter Davis broke both her arms and legs in a car crash outside Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Country singer Skeeter Davis had a successful string of hits on both the country and pop charts. She is best known for her own version of “The End of the World” in 1963.

Skeeter Davis

Music History Today: June 29, 2020

June 29, 1984: After a failed attempt to shoot a studio video for "Dancing In The Dark," Bruce Springsteen does it live at his concert in St. Paul, Minnesota...with a young, unknown Courtney Cox.

Long before 'Friends' was even a thought, a young fresh-faced model named Courteney Cox shot to fame as the wide-eyed woman pulled up onstage to dance during Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark' video. 

Music History Today: May 27, 2020

May 27, 1963: The album Freewheelin' Bob Dylan was released by Columbia in the USA. 

“I wrote a lot of songs in a quick amount of time,” said Bob Dylan of the creative explosion that resulted in his second album, 1963’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. 

Music History Today: April 24, 2020

April 24, 1974: David Bowie released Diamond Dogs. The cover is created by the Dutch artist Guy Peellaert. 

Guy Peellaert was a Belgian artist, painter, illustrator, comic artist and photographer. In 1974, a collection of his works produced between 1970-1973 were published under the title “Rock Dreams."