On This Day, July 17 in Music History
EVENTS ON JULY 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day July 17 in 1959 – American jazz and swing music singer Billie Holiday nicknamed “Lady Day” died at the age of 44 from cirrhosis.
1967 – American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane died at the age of 40 from liver cancer. He’s one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.
1976 – Demis Roussos topped the UK Singles chart with ‘The Roussos Phenomenon’ on this day July 17 in music history.
1983 – Irene Cara started a three-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Fame’. The song featured in the film and TV series of the same name which helped increase its popularity.
1993 – Boy band Take That scored their first number one single in the UK with ‘Pray’ on this day July 17. It held the top spot for four consecutive weeks.
1993 – Irish rock band U2 reached number one in the UK with their eighth studio album ‘Zooropa’. The album was a big international hit and it topped the charts in eleven countries around the world, including the US and Canada.
1993 – With her twenty-sixth studio album ‘Back to Broadway’, Barbra Streisand topped the US Billboard 200 chart on this day July 17. By doing so she became the first female artist to have a No.1 album in four different decades.
1996 – English bassist, producer and manager James “Chas” Chandler died at the age of 57 of an aortic aneurysm. Best remembered as a founding member of The Animals and as the manager of Jimi Hendrix and Slade.
1999 – R&B group Destiny’s Child scored their first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’ on this day July 17 in music history.
1999 – Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ for the first of three consecutive weeks. This is one of the best-selling singles of all time and it was a chart-topper in over twenty countries worldwide.
2004 – Rapper Lloyd Banks went to number one in the US with his debut studio album ‘The Hunger for More’ on this day July 17. Also a hit in Canada where it peaked at No.2.
2004 – Usher briefly returned to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Burn’. The next week he replaced ‘Burn’ with ‘Confessions Part II’ at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
2004 – Pop rock band McFLY reached number one in the UK on this day July 17 with their debut studio album ‘Room on the 3rd Floor’.
2005 – Caribbean ska music singer Lorenzo “Laurel” Aitken nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Ska’ died on this day, Aged 78.
2009 – Guitarist, singer and songwriter Gordon Waller died on this day July 17 in music history, aged 64. Best known as pne half of the pop music duo Peter and Gordon.
2010 – With her eleventh studio album ‘Aphrodite’, Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue went to number one in the UK. Her fourth chart-topper in the country.
2010 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day July 17 was ‘The Club Is Alive’ by the British boyband JLS.
2021 – American violinist, cellist and singer Robert “Robby” Steinhardt died today at the age of 71. Best remembered as the co-frontman of the rock band Kansas.
2021 – Olivia Rodrigo returned for a two-week run at number one in the US with her debut studio album ‘Sour’ on this day July 17.
BORN ON JULY 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1921 – Jazz guitarist and guitar manufacturer Mary Osbourne was born in Minot, North Dakota on this day July 17 in music history.
1928 – American jazz pianist, composer and arranger Vincent Guaraldi was born in San Francisco, California. Best known for his Grammy Award-winning and radio hit song ‘Cast Your Fate to the Wind’.
1933 – Canadian singer, actress and comedian Mimi Hines was born in on this day July 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1939 – Founder and leader of The Spencer Davis Group, Spencer Davis was born in Swansea, Wales. Known for hit songs such as ‘Keep On Running’, ‘I’m a Man’, and ‘Gimme Some Lovin’.
1942 – New Zealand-born but North America-based singer Gale Garnett was born on this day July 17 in Auckland. Best known for her Grammy Award-winning song ‘We’ll Sing in the Sunshine’.
1947 – English drummer Michael “Mick” Tucker was born in London. He came to prominence as a member of the glam rock band Sweet.
1947 – Percussionist and keyboardist Wolfgan Flur was born in Frankfurt, Germany on this day July 17 in music history. Best known as a member of the electronic group Kraftwerk from 1973 until 1987.
1948 – Guitarist, bassist and songwriter Ronald Asheton was born in Washington, D.C. Best known as a founding member of the punk rock band The Stooges.
1949 – Bassist and songwriter Terence “Geezer” Butler was born on this day July 17 in Birmingham, England. He gained popularity as a founding member of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath.
1950 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Phoebe Laub better known professionally as Phoebe Snow was born in New York City. Best known for her hit songs ‘Poetry Man’ and ‘Harpo’s Blues’.
1950 – Soul and R&B singer Damon Harris was born on this day July 17 in Baltimore, Maryland. He rose to fame as a member of the vocal group The Temptations from 1971 until 1975.
1963 – American singer and songwriter Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Best known for her hit singles ‘Baby Come to Me’ and ‘Make It Like It Was’.
1966 – Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Louis Barlow was born in Dayton, Ohio on this day July 17 in music history. Best known as a founding member of the bands Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr. and The Folk Implosion.
1975 – British rapper and singer Mathangi “Maya“ Arulpragasam also known as M.I.A. was born in London. She gained international fame with the 2008 hit ‘Paper Planes’.
1976 – Country music singer-songwriter Thomas Luther Bryan also known professionally as Luke Bryan was born on this day July 17 in Leesburg, Georgia.
1982 – English singer and actress Natasha Hamilton was born in Liverpool. Best known as a member of the girl group Atomic Kitten.
1985 – Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Fletcher was born in London, England on this day July 17. He rose to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band McFly.