On This Day, April 10 in Music History
EVENTS ON APRIL 10 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day April 10 in 1953 – Vocal group The Stargazers became the seventh music act to top the newly formed UK Singles chart when they hit No.1 with ‘Broken Wings’.
1954 – Singer and Perry Como had the best-selling single in the US with his rendition of ‘Wanted’. The song topped the Billboard Singles chart for eight consecutive weeks.
1962 – Scottish musician and painter Stuart Sutcliffe died of a brain hemorrhage on this day April 10 in music history, aged 21. Best remembered as the original bass guitarist of The Beatles.
1965 – With ‘I’m Telling You Now’, Freddie and the Dreamers went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also became a chart-topper in Canada while in the UK it peaked at No.2 two years prior.
1965 – The soundtrack album ‘Marry Poppins’ to the film of the same name returned for a thirteen-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
1967 – Marvin Gaye finished recording his rendition of ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ at Motown’s studio. It was released as a single on October 30 and it became one of the biggest hits of his career, peaking at No.1 in the US.
1968 – With the British entry at the Eurovision Song Contest ‘Congratulations’, Cliff Richard topped the UK Singles chart on this day April 10.
1970 – Elton John released his self-titled second studio album through UNI and DJM Records. The album became a Top 5 hit in the US, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and UK, and it features his breakthrough single ‘Your Song’.
1973 – The RIAA awarded Led Zeppelin a Gold Plaque for their fifth studio album ‘Houses of the Holy’ which sold 500,000 copies.
10 Led Zeppelin Facts You May Have Not Known
1976 – Peter Frampton went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with his first double live album ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’.
1979 – Italian composer, pianist and conductor Giovanni Rota also known professionally as Nino Rota died at the age of 67. Best remembered for composing the scores for the first two Godfather films which won him an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
1982 – Heavy metal band Iron Maiden topped the UK Albums chart with their third studio release ‘The Number of the Beast’ on this day April 10 in music history.
1986 – American songwriter and lyricist Linda Creed died at the age of 37 after a decade long battle with breast cancer.
1990 – Hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest released their debut studio album ‘People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhytm’.
1990 – Hip hop group Public Enemy released their third studio album ‘Fear of a Black Planet’. The LP was a commercial success and it features the group’s career-defining single ‘Fight the Power’.
1993 – Electronic music band Depeche Mode topped the US Billboard 200 chart with their eighth studio album ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’. The album was an international hit that year and it peaked at No.1 in eight other countries.
1993 – Alternative rock band Suede reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with their self-titled debut studio LP on this day April 10.
1999 – With ‘No Scrubs’, girl group TLC hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks.
2003 – American pop singer Eva Boyd also known by her stage name Little Eva died at the age of 59. Best remembered for her hit single ‘The Loco-Motion’.
2004 – R&B singer Usher started a five-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with his fourth studio album ‘Confessions’. He topped the chart for nine weeks in total that year.
2004 – With their debut single ‘Five Colours in Her Hair’, pop rock band McFly went to number one in the UK.
McFly – Five Colours in Her Hair
2004 – American singer Anastacia went to number one in the UK with her self-titled third studio album. The album was never released in her home country although it was a big hit worldwide reaching No.1 in a dozen countries.
2009 – Blues singer, bassist and guitarist John Rockford “Rocky” Hill died on this day April 10, aged 62. He was the older brother of fellow musician Dusty Hill.
2010 – With his debut studio album ‘My World 2.0’, Canadian teenage star Justin Bieber went to number one in the US.
2010 – Pop rock band Scouting for Girls scored their first number one single in the UK with ‘This Ain’t a Love Song’.
2018 – American vocalist Yvonne Staples died at the age of 81. Best known as a member of the family music group The Staple Singers.
2021 – With his third studio album ‘SoulFly’, rapper Rod Wave reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2021 – Rapper and singer Lil Nas X scored his second US Billboard Hot 100 number one single with ‘Montero (Call Me by Your Name)’.
BORN ON APRIL 10 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1921 – American singer, songwriter, actor, and comedian Shelby ‘Sheb’ Wooley also known by his stage name Ben Colder was born in Erick, Oklahoma. Best known for the hit songs ‘The Purple People Eater’ and ‘Almost Persuaded No.2’.
1928 – Canadian jazz multi-instrumentalist John Fraser MacPherson was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba.
1936 – American R&B singer Robert “Bobby” Smith was born in Detroit, Michigan. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Spinners.
1936 – Welsh pop singer David Spencer better known by his stage name Ricky Valance was born in Ynysddu. Best known for his chart-topping single ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’.
1947 – Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist Neville O’Riley Livingston also known as Bunny Wailer was born in Kingston. Best known as the co-founder of the reggae group Bob Marley & The Wailers.
1948 – American bass guitarist Fred Smith was born in New York City. Best known for his work with the rock bands Television and Blondie.
1950 – American bassist and songwriter Kenny Gradney was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He rose to fame as a member of the rock band Little Feat.
1950 – Guitarist and singer Edward “Eddie” Hazel was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Best known as a member of the music collective Parliament-Funkadelic and for playing the iconic ten-minute guitar solo on ‘Maggot Brain’.
1959 – Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Brian Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York. Best known as a founding member of the rockabilly band Stray Cats.
1959 – Singer-songwriter, producer and record executive Kenneth Brian ‘Babyface’ Edmonds was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1960 – Lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Katrina and the Waves, Katrina Leskanich was born in Topeka, Kansas.
1964 – English drummer and vocalist Alan John “Reni” Wren was born in Manchester. Best known as a longtime member of the rock band The Stone Roses.
1970 – American rapper, producer and DJ Kamaal Ibn John Fareed also known professionally as Q-Tip was born in New York City. He rose to fame as a member of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest.
1970 – Lead guitarist and co-founder of the nu-metal band Staind, Michael Mushok was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts. Also known for his work with the groups Saint Asonia and Newsted.
1971 – Jazz multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Joey DeFrancesco was born in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
1979 – English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor was born in Hounslow, London. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the indie rock group Theaudience before establishing herself as a solo artist.
1980 – Canadian bassist and singer Bryce Soderberg was born in Victoria, British Columbia. He gained popularity as a member of the rock band Lifehouse.
1981 – Singer, dancer and founding member of the girl group Atomic Kitten, Elizabeth “Liz” McClarnon was born in Liverpool, England.
1984 – American singer, songwriter, and actress Amanda “Mandy” Moore was born in Nashua, New Hampshire.