On This Day, October 19 in Music History
EVENTS ON OCTOBER 19 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day October 19 in 1956 – With his rendition of ‘A Woman in Love’, Frankie Laine started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart.
1958 – Brenda Lee recorded the Johnny Marks penned song ‘Rocking’ Around the Christmas Tree’ which was released as a single later that year. It became one of the best-selling singles of all with over 25 million copies sold worldwide.
1961 – Helen Shapiro hit number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Walkin’ Back to Happiness’ for the first of three consecutive weeks. It was also a chart-topper in Ireland, New Zealand, Israel, and South Africa.
1973 – David Bowie released his seventh studio album ‘Pin Ups’ which is a compilation of cover songs by music acts such as Pink Floyd, The Kings, The Who, The Yardbirds, Pretty Things, The Easybeats, and The Merseys. It peaked at No.1 in the UK.
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1974 – Rod Stewart went to number one in the United Kingdom with his fifth solo studio album ‘Smiler’.
1974 – Billy Preston scored his second solo number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Nothing from Nothing’.
1974 – With ‘Sad Sweet Dreamer’, soul group Sweet Sensation went to number one in the United Kingdom.
1974 – Canadian rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) scored their first No.1 on the US Billboard 200 with their third studio album ‘Not Fragile’.
1979 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their third studio album ‘Damn the Torpedoes’. The album was a commercial success with over 3 million records sold and it reached No.1 in New Zealand while in North America it peaked at No.2.
1979 – Singer-songwriter Prince released his self-titled second studio album through Warner Bros. Records. The album peaked at No.22 in the US and it features the hits ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’, ‘Sexy Dancer’, and ‘Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?’.
1984 – Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Take On Me’. The song was a big worldwide hit and it reached No.1 on fourteen singles charts.
1988 – American Delta blues singer and guitarist Edward James “Song” House Jr. died at the age of 86.
1991 – Country music singer-songwriter Garth Brooks returned for a seven-week run at number one in the US with his third studio album ‘Ropin’ the Wind’.
1995 – American jazz trumpeter Donald “Don” Cherry died at the age of 58 from liver cancer.
1996 – Pop and soul group Simply Red went to number one in the UK with their first compilation album titled ‘Greatest Hits’. The album was an international hit reaching No.1 in Austria, Belgium, and New Zealand, and it sold over 4 million copies.
1996 – Nirvana‘s live album ‘From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah’ debuted at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
1996 – With their rendition of the Bee Gees 1968 hit song ‘Words’, boyband Boyzone reached number one on the UK Singles chart.
1997 – American musician Glen Buxton died of complications from pneumonia, aged 49. Best remembered as the original lead guitarist of the rock band Alice Cooper.
2002 – Nelly and Kelly Rowland returned to number one in the United States with ‘Dilemma’ for a three-week run at the top spot.
2002 – The number one single in the UK on this was ‘The Ketchup Song (Asereje)’ by the Spanish pop group Las Ketchup. The song was a big international hit that year and it reached No.1 in 24 countries in total.
2002 – The winner of the first series of Pop Idol – Will Young reached number one in the UK with his debut studio album ‘From Now On’.
2013 – English actor and singer Noel Harrison died at the age of 79. Best remembered for the Academy Award-winning song ‘The Windmills of Your Mind’.
2013 – Justin Timberlake took the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart with his studio album ‘The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2’.
2013 – Miley Cyrus reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Wrecking Ball’ which features a controversial music video that boosted the song’s popularity. She also took the top spot on the Albums chart with ‘Bangerz’ on this day.
2017 – The debut solo studio album ‘As You Were’ by former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher debuted at No.1 in the UK.
2019 – Rapper Travis Scott scored his second number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Highest in the Room’.
2019 – South Korean supergroup SuperM topped the US Albums chart with their eponymous debut extended play (EP).
2020 – Welsh singer and founder of The Spencer Davis Group, Spencer Davis died at the age of 81.
BORN ON OCTOBER 19 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1934 – Folk music singer-songwriter and founding member of The Kingston Trio, David Guard was born in San Francisco, California.
1940 – American doo-wop singer Larry Chance was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Best known as the frontman of the group Larry Chance and the Earls.
1944 – Jamaican reggae musician Winston Hubert McIntosh also known by his stage name Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica. He rose to fame as a founding member of the band Wailers.
1944 – American soul and disco music singer George McCrae was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. Best known for his 1974 international hit single ‘Rock Your Baby’.
1945 – Country and gospel music singer Jeannie C. Riley was born on in Anson, Texas. Best known for her chart-topping hit ‘Harper Valley PTA’.
1946 – Lyricist and songwriter Keith Reid was born in Welwyn Garden City, England. Best known for writing all original songs released by the rock band Procol Harum.
1947 – American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the vocal group The Delfonics, Wilbert Hart was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1948 – Founding member of the rock band The Doobie Brothers, guitarist Patrick Simmons was born in Aberdeen, Washington.
1957 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Karl Wallinger was born in Prestatyn, Wales. Best known as the leader of the group World Party.
1960 – English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, and producer Daniel Woodgate was born in London. Best known for his work with the bands Madness and Voice of the Beehive.
1972 – Haitian rapper, songwriter, and co-founder of the hip hop group Fugees, Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was born in New York City.
1992 – American rapper and singer Durk Banks also known by his stage name Lil Durk was born in Chicago, Illinois.