On This Day, April 23 in Music History
EVENTS ON APRIL 23 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day April 23 in 1964 – Pop music duo Peter & Gordon went to number one in the UK with ‘A World Without Love’. The song was written by Paul McCartney when he was 16.
1969 – With ‘Get Back’, The Beatles hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of six consecutive weeks. The song was a hit worldwide that year reaching No.1 in thirteen other countries and it’s also the only Beatles song to credit another artist, in this case – Billy Preston.
1970 – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded Norman Greenbaum a Gold Disc for ‘Spirit in the Sky’ which sold 1 million copies. The song was an international hit and it reached No.1 in the UK, Australia, Canada, West Germany and Ireland while in the US it peaked at No.3.
1971 – The Rolling Stones released their eleventh studio album ‘Sticky Fingers’ on the band’s eponymous new and own record label. The album was a commercial success and it reached No.1 in a dozen countries worldwide.
1976 – Five years later on the same day, The Rolling Stones released another studio album – ‘Black and Blue’, their fifteenth LP. It was also this day April 23 that guitarist Ronnie Wood was officially declared a member of the band.
1976 – Punk rock band The Ramones released their seminal eponymous debut studio album through Sire Records. It wasn’t a commercial success but that didn’t stop it from influencing future generations of punkers.
1977 – With her rendition of ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, Thelma Houston topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1979 – American bassist Douglas ‘Doug’ Rauch died on this day April 23 in music history from an heroin overdose, aged 28. Best known for his work with Carlos Santana in the early 1970s.
1983 – With his fifteenth studio album ‘Let’s Dance’, David Bowie started a three-week stint at No.1 in the UK.
David Bowie’s fascist alter ego – The Thin White Duke
1983 – Pop rock band Dexys Midnight Runners topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Come On Eileen’ on this day April 23.
1987 – American popular music composer Harold Arlen died at the age of 81. Best known for composing over 500 songs including ‘Over the Rainbow’ of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz which was voted the song of the 20th century by the RIAA and NEA.
1988 – Heavy metal band Iron Maiden topped the UK Albums chart with ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son’ on this day April 23.
1988 – With ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’, Whitney Houston scored her second number one single of the year in the US. She previously also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘So Emotional’ on January 9.
1991 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter John Genzale also known as Johnny Thunders died of a drug overdose, aged 38. Best remembered for his work with the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers.
1994 – With their fourteenth studio album The Division Bell’, Pink Floyd hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the first of four consecutive weeks.
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1994 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Prince started a two-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’.
1996 – Rock band Hootie & the Blowfish released their second studio album ‘Fairweather Johnson’ through Atlantic Records. Th album reached No.1 in the US and was a Top 10 hit in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand.
2005 – With their first greatest hits album ‘The Singles’, electronic music duo Basement Jaxx hit No.1 in the UK.
2011 – American guitarist, songwriter and arranger Thomas “Tom” King died at the age of 68. Best remembered as the founder of the rock band The Outsiders and for co-writing the group’s biggest hit ‘Time Won’t Le Me’.
The Outsiders – Time Won’t Let Me
2011 – Rock band Foo Fighters scored their third number one album in the United Kingdom with ‘Wasting Light’ on this day April 23 in music history.
2011 – Electronic music duo LMFAO featuring singer Lauren Bennett and record producer GoonRock topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Party Rock Anthem’.
2012 – American saxophone player Thomas ‘Tommy’ Marth committed suicide, aged 33. Best known for his work with the pop rock band The Killers.
2012 – American bass guitarist, pianist, and songwriter Christopher “Chris” Ethridge died from cancer, aged 65. Best remembered for his work with the country rock bands The Flying Burrito Brothers, and International Submarine Band (ISB).
2016 – Rapper and record producer Kanye West went to number one in the US with his seventh studio album ‘The Life of Pablo’.
2022 – The number one single in the United States on this day April 23 was ‘First Class’ by the rapper Jack Harlow.
BORN ON APRIL 23 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1891 – Russian pianist, composer, and conductor Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was born in Krasne, Donetsk. He is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.
1933 – American jazz alto saxophonist and educator Vernice “Bunky” Green was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1936 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player Roy Orbison was born in Vernon, Texas. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’, ‘In Dreams’, ‘Only the Lonely’, Running Scared’, ‘Crying’, etc.
1939 – Pop singer Ray Peterson was born in Denton, Texas. Best known for his hit renditions of ‘Tell Laura I Lover Her’, ‘The Wonder of You’, and ‘Corina, Corina’.
1940 – American singer and one half of the pop duo Dale & Grace, Dale Houston was born in Seminary, Mississippi. Best known for the No.1 single ‘I’m Leaving It Up to You’.
1947 – Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Alan Broadbent was born in Auckland, New Zealand.
1947 – Bassist and founding member of the rock band Jethro Tull, Glenn Cornick was born in Barrow-in-Furness, England.
1949 – Electric violinist and keyboardist David Cross was born in Plymouth, England. He rose to fame as a member of the progressive rock band King Crimson.
1949 – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist John Miles was born John Errington in Jarrow, England. Best known for his 1976 hit single ‘Music’.
1952 – American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer Narada Michael Walden was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
1960 – Guitarist and songwriter Stephen “Steve” Clark was born in Sheffield, England. Best known as a member of the hard rock band Def Leppard with whom he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018
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1968 – Drummer, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock band Sugar Ray, Stan Frazier was born in Newport Beach, California.