On This Day, March 22 in Music History
EVENTS ON MARCH 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 22 in 1939 – Singer and actor Bing Crosby recorded his version of Irving Berlin‘s patriotic song ‘God Bless America’ that he originally wrote during World War I.
1956 – While travelling to ‘The Perry Como Show’ to promote his new single, Carl Perkins suffered serious non-lethal injuries in a car accident.
1962 – With the instrumental ‘Wonderful Land’, rock group The Shadows started an eight-week stint at No.1 in the UK on this day March 22 in music history.
1963 – The Beatles released their debut studio album ‘Please Please Me’ through Parlophone Records. The album peaked at No.1 in the UK and it features their chart-topping debut single ‘Love Me Do’.
1965 – Vocal group The Temptations released their second studio album ‘The Temptations Sing Smokey’ through Motown Records.
1974 – Rock band the Eagles released their third studio album ‘On The Border’ through Asylum Records. Its the first album to feature guitarist Don Felder.
1975 – Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers started a six-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with their rendition of ‘Bye Bye Baby’.
1975 – With their sixth studio album ‘Physical Graffiti’, Led Zeppelin hit No.1 on the US Billboard 200 for the first of six consecutive weeks.
10 Led Zeppelin Facts You May Have Not Known
1975 – Welsh singer Tom Jones started a four-week stint at number one on the UK Albums chart with ’20 Greatest Hits’.
1975 – Frankie Valli topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time as a solo artist with ‘My Eyes Adored You’.
1977 – Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Mary Kay Place and Roger Miller were the first guests on John Denver‘s TV special ‘Thank God, I’m A Country Boy’.
1977 – Stevie Wonder released the single ‘Sir Duke’. It’s a tribute song that Stevie wrote for the late jazz musician Duke Ellington. It became a chart-topper in North America and peaked at No.2 in the UK.
1980 – Pink Floyd hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)‘ for the first of four consecutive weeks. Interestingly, this was the group’s only chart-topper as they refused to cut their songs for radio plays and preferred fans to listen to their full concept albums, not only parts of it.
15 Pink Floyd Facts You May Have Not Known
1980 – With his greatest hits compilation album ‘Tears and Laughter’, pop singer Johnny Mathis reached No.1 in the UK.
1980 – New wave band The Jam scored their first number one single in the UK with ‘Going Underground’ / ‘Dreams of Children’.
1982 – Heavy metal band Iron Maiden released their third studio album ‘The Number of the Beast’. It was their first album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals and last with Clive Burr on drums. It peaked at No.1 in the UK.
1982 – Only three months after releasing her first solo album for RCA, Diana Ross‘s ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love’ was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
1986 – The number one single in the United States on this day March 22 was ‘These Dreams’ by the rock band Heart which also reached No.1 in Canada.
1986 – American pop music singer Max Edward Dinning also known professionally as Mark Dinning died at the age of 52 from a heart attack.
1991 – Singer, songwriter, and founding member of The Kingston Trio, Dave Guard died at the age of 56.
1994 – Heavy metal band Pantera released their seventh studio album ‘Far Beyond Driven’ through East West Records. The album was a commercial success and it reached No.1 in the US and Australia.
1994 – American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dan Hartman died at the age of 43 from a brain tumor.
1996 – American drummer and animator Don Murray died at the age of 50 from surgery complications. Best known for his work with the bands The Turtles and The Holy Mackerel.
1996 – American steel guitar player William F. Williamson died on this day March 22 in music history, aged 71. Best remembered for his work with Bill Haley.
1997 – With his debut single ‘Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down’, rapper Puff Daddy featuring Mase started a six-week stint at No.1 in the US.
Puff Daddy ft. Mase – Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down
1997 – Irish rock band U2 went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with their ninth studio album ‘Pop.
2001 – American baritone singer Earl Beal died at the age of 76. Best remembered as a member of the doo-wop group The Silhouettes.
2003 – With their rendition of Norman Greenbaum‘s hit song ‘Spirit in the Sky’, Gareth Gates and The Kumars topped the UK Singles chart.
2005 – English guitarist Rodrick ‘Rod’ Price died at the age of 57 from a heart attack. Best remembered as a founding member of the rock band Foghat.
2014 – Canadian electronic music duo Dvbbs & DJ Borgeous ft. rapper Tinie Tempah topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Tsunami (Jump)’.
2014 – Rapper Rick Ross scored his fifth number one album on the US Billboard 200 with his sixth studio release ‘Mastermind’.
2014 – Alternative rock band Elbow went to number one in the UK on this day March 22 with their sixth studio album ‘The Take Off and Landing of Everything’.
2016 – American rapper Malik Izaak Taylor also known by his stage name Phife Dawg died at the age of 45 after a long battle with diabetes. Best known as a member of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest.
2017 – American drummer and percussionist John Thomas “Sib” Hashian died at the age of 67 after collapsing on stage from a heart attack. Best remembered for his work with the rock band Boston.
BORN ON MARCH 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1930 – American composer and lyricist Stephen Joshua Sondheim was born in New York City.
1936 – British singer-songwriter and guitarist Roger Whittaker was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Best known for his hit renditions of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, ‘I Don’t Believe in If Anymore’, and ‘The Last Farewell’.
1941 – One half of the folk duo Chad & Jeremy, Michael Jeremy Thomas Clyde was born in Dorney, England.
1943 – Singer, songwriter, harmonica player, and guitarist William Keith Relf was born in Richmond, England. He rose to fame as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds.
1943 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter George Benson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1946 – Dutch Australian guitarist, songwriter and producer Jacob van den Berg also known as Harry Vanda was born in Voorburg, Netherlands.
1948 – English composer and impresario of musical theatre Andrew Lloyd Webber was born in London.
1948 – American bassist Randy Jo Hobbs was born in Winchester, Indiana. Best known as a member of the rock group The McCoys.
1957 – American singer-songwriter Stephanie Mills was born in New York City. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Home’, ‘I Feel Good All Over’, ‘Never Knew Love Like This Before’, ‘Something in the Way (You Make me Feel)’, etc.
1958 – English singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader of the band Wah!, Peter James Wylie was born in Liverpool.
1963 – British singer Susan Ann Sulley was born in Sheffield, England. She rose to fame as a member of the synth-pop bad The Human League.
1970 – Swedish pop rock singer and songwriter Andreas Johnson was born in Bjarred, Sweden. Best known for his international hit single ‘Glorious’.
1979 – Guitarist and co-founder of the punk band The Icarus Line, Aaron North was born in Los Angeles, California.
1986 – English singer, songwriter, and piano player Amy Studt was born in London. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Misfit’, ‘All I Wanna Do’, and ‘Just a Little Girl’.