On This Day, November 6 in Music History
EVENTS ON NOVEMBER 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day November 6 1953 – With the English rendition of the German song ‘Mütterlein’ – ‘Answer Me’, David Whitfield topped the UK Singles chart. Interestingly, Frankie Laine also went to No.1 the next week with his version of the very same song.
1961 – Jimmy Dean hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Big Bad John’ for the first of five consecutive weeks. The song also won him a Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording.
1965 – The Rolling Stones scored their second number one single of the year in the US with ‘Get Off of My Cloud’. They previously topped the Hot 100 with ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ in July.
1967 – Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan recorded ‘All Along the Watchtower’ which was released as a single on December 27 the same year. The song was later covered by Jimi Hendrix and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
1968 – Joe Cocker topped the UK Singles chart with his rendition of The Beatles‘ track ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’.
1971 – With the double live album ‘Shaft’ that’s also the soundtrack LP to the film of the same name, Isaac Hayes topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
1971 – Cher scored her first solo number one single in the US and Canada with ‘Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves’. The song was a Top 10 hit in seven other countries, including the UK & Australia (No.4)
1972 – Drummer and co-founder of the rock band New York Dolls, Billy Murcia died from asphyxiation after a drug overdose, aged 21.
1976 – With ‘Rock’n Me’, the Steve Miller Band scored their second number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1982 – Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes hit No.1 on the US Singles chart with ‘Up Where We Belong’ for the first of three consecutive weeks. The song became a chart-topper in South Africa, Canada, and Australia as well, and it featured in the film ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’.
1989 – American musician, record producer, songwriter, and inventor Richard “Dickie” Goodman died at the age of 55.
1993 – With their second studio album ‘Vs.’, grunge band Pearl Jam started a five-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also peaked at No.1 in Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden, and reached No.2 in the UK.
1993 – Meat Loaf started a five-week run at number one in the US with ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’. The song was a massive hit that year and it reached No.1 in 28 countries in total.
1995 – Rock band Queen released their fifteenth and final studio album ‘Made in Heaven’ through Parlophone and Hollywood Records. The album was a big commercial success and it peaked at number one in eleven countries worldwide.
1997 – British musician and co-founder of the punk rock band Swell Maps, Kevin Paul Godfrey better known by his stage name Epic Soundtracks died in his sleep, aged 38.
1998 – American multi-genre singer, songwriter, and guitarist Don Julian died from pneumonia at the age of 61.
1999 – British boy band Five scored their first domestic number one single with ‘Keep On Movin”.
2004 – American rapper Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Wonderful’.
2004 – Rod Stewart topped the US Albums chart with ‘Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III’.
2009 – American country music singer-songwriter Henry “Hank” Thompson died at the age of 82.
2010 – Pop group Steps went to number one on the UK Albums chart with their second studio release ‘Steptacular’
2010 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Promise This’ by Cheryl Cole, her second domestic chart-topper as a solo artist.
2010 – Country music duo Sugarland scored their second US Billboard 200 chart-topper when their fourth studio album ‘The Incredible Machine’ climbed to No.1 on the chart.
2014 – American bass guitarist and session musician Rick Rosas died at the age of 65. Best remembered for his work with artists such as Etta James, Joe Walsh, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young among others.
2018 – English cellist Hugh McDowell died at the age of 65. Best remembered for his work with the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO).
BORN ON NOVEMBER 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1916 – American bandleader, compose, and arranger Raymond “Ray” Conniff was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
1932 – Honky tonk and country music singer and guitar player Stonewall Jackson was born on this day in Tabor City, North Carolina.
1932 – American drummer Paul English was born in Vernon, Texas. Best known for his collaboration with Willie Nelson.
1937 – Founding member and lead singer of the doo-wop group The Jive Five, Eugene Pitt was born in New York City.
1938 – American singer and songwriter P.J. Proby was born James Marcus Smith in Houston, Texas.
1941 – Country and folk music singer-songwriter and guitar player Guy Charles Clark was born in Monahans, Texas.
1941 – American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Douglas “Doug” Sahm was born in San Antonio, Texas.
1946 – Australian musician, record producer, and songwriter George Young was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Best known for co-founding the bands Easybeats and Flash and the Pan. He is the older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC.
1948 – Founding member, singer, and guitarist of the rock band Eagles, Glenn Frey was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1950 – Bass guitarist Christopher “Chris” Glen was born in Paisley, Scotland. Best known for his work with the bands The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and the Michael Schenker Group.
1961 – American guitarist Thomas “Craig” Goldy was born in San Diego, California. He rose to fame as a member of the bands Dio and Giuffria.
1964 – Co-founder and frontman of the punk rock band Bad Religion, Gregory “Greg” Graffin was born in Madison, Wisconsin.
1964 – American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Coreg Glover was born in Brooklyn, New York. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the rock band Living Colour.
1966 – American guitarist and founding member of the band Mr. Big, Paul Gilbert was born in Carbondale, Illinois.