On This Day, October 21 in Music History
EVENTS ON OCTOBER 21 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day October 21 in 1957 – Elvis Presley was at number one on the US Singles chart with ‘Jailhouse Rock’. It also reached No.1 in South Africa and the UK.
1958 – Buddy Holly recorded the Paul Anka penned pop ballad ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’. The song became a chart-topper in Canada, the UK, and Ireland, while in the US it peaked at No.13.
1965 – Rock and roll pioneer and bandleader William “Bill” Black died of a brain tumor at the age of 39.
1967 – With the theme song to the film of the same name ‘To Sir, with Love’, Lulu started a five-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1972 – The number one album on this day in the United States was Curtis Mayfield‘s third studio LP ‘Super Fly” which also served as the soundtrack for the film of the same name. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for four weeks straight.
1972 – Chuck Berry hit number one on the US Singles chart for the first of two consecutive weeks with ‘My Ding-a-Ling’, his only No.1 on the chart.
1989 – With her second studio album ‘Enjoy Yourself’, Kylie Minogue went to number one in the UK.
1989 – Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘That’s What I Like’.
1995 – With her fifth studio album ‘Daydream’, Mariah Carey started a three-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also reached No.1 in eight other countries.
1995 – Pop and soul band Simply Red topped the UK Albums chart with their fifth studio LP ‘Life’. The album was an international hit and it reached No.1 in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Portugal as well.
1995 – American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose, aged 28. Best remembered as the frontman of the rock band Blind Melon.
2000 – Rock band Radiohead topped the US Billboard 200 with their fourth studio album ‘Kid A’. Also a chart-topper in Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK that year.
2000 – Irish rock band U2 scored their fourth number one single in the UK with ‘Beautiful Day’. The single was a hit worldwide and it reached No.1 in nine other countries.
2006 – American musician and founding member of The Runaways, Sandy West died from lung cancer, aged 47.
2006 – With their second studio album ‘The Open Door’, rock band Evanescence went to number one in the United States. The album also topped the national charts in Australia, Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland.
2006 – My Chemical Romance started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’.
2016 – Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen released his fourteenth and final studio album during his lifetime ‘You Want It Darker’. The album was well received by both fans and critics, and it peaked at No.1 in twelve countries worldwide.
2021 – Elton John scored his first number one in the UK in 16 years when his duet song with Dua Lipa ‘Cold Heart (Pnau remix)’ took the top spot on the Singles chart.
2021 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Seventeen Going Under’ by Sam Fender.
BORN ON OCTOBER 21 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1917 – American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was born in Cheraw, South Carolina.
1940 – South African multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Manfred Lubowitz better known by his stage name Manfred Mann was born in Johannesburg.
1941 – American guitarist, songwriter, and producer Steven Cropper also known as The Colonel was born in Dora, Missouri.
1942 – American musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin Bishop was born in Glendale, California.
1943 – Guitarist, songwriter, producer, and composer Ronald “Ron” Elliott was born in Healdsburg, California. He came to prominence as a member of the band The Beau Brummels.
1945 – American singer Kathy Young was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known for her 1960 hit single ‘A Thousand Stars’.
1946 – Founding member and multi-instrumentalist of the rock band Chicago, Lee Loughnane was born on this day in Elmwood Park, Illinois.
1946 – Japanese bass guitarist Tetsu Yamauchi was born in Fukuoka, Japan. Best known for his work with the bands Free, Faces, and Heartbreaker.
1946 – Founding member and frontman of the rock band The Cramps, Erick Lee Purkhiser better known by his stage name Lux Interior was born in Akron, Ohio.
1952 – Keyboardist and singer Brent Mydland was born in Concord, California. Best known as a member of the band Grateful Dead from 1979 until 1990.
1953 – Guitarist, songwriter, and singer Eric Faulkner was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Best known as a member of the band Bay City Rollers.
1953 – American guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter Charlotte Caffey was born in Santa Monica, California. She rose to fame as a member of the rock band The Go-Go’s.
1957 – English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Julian Cope was born in Deri, Wales. He rose to fame as the co-founder and frontman of the punk band Teardrop Explodes.
1957 – American musician and founding member of the rock band Toto, Steven Lukather was born in San Fernando Valley, California.
1959 – One half of the new wave duo Strawberry Switchblade, Rose McDowall was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1971 – American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and singer Nick Oliveri was born today in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his work with the rock bands Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss.
1995 – American rapper and singer Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini better known by her stage name Doja Cat was born in Los Angeles, California.