On This Day, August 12 in Music History
EVENTS ON AUGUST 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day August 12 in 1940 – The Will Bradley Trio recorded ‘Down The Road a Piece’, a song that eventually became a Top 10 hit later that year.
1960 – Pete Best became the new drummer for The Silver Beetles replacing Norman Chapman who had to serve in the British armed forces. The band traveled to Hamburg, Germany the next day and also changed their name to The Beatles.
1966 – The Beatles kicked off their third and last North American concert tour with a show at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. The tour concluded on August 29 at the Candlestick Park stadium in San Francisco.
1967 – At the Jazz and Blues festival in Windsor, England, Fleetwood Mac performed live for the first time. The lineup consisted of Mick Fleetwood on drums, Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer on guitar and Bob Brunning on bass.
1968 – Led Zeppelin played their first studio rehearsal session. Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Jimmy Page recorded a cover version of ‘Train Kept A-Rollin’ at a studio in west London. However, the band’s name at the time was New Yardbirds which shortly afterwards changed to the now iconic one.
10 Interesting Led Zeppelin Facts
1970 – In front of 10,000 people at the Harvard Stadium, Janis Joplin made her last live appearance. Only two months later on October 4 she died of a drug overdose at the age of 27.
1972 – With the title track of their fifth album ‘School’s Out’, Alice Cooper topped the singles chart in the UK. Also a hit in the US where it peaked at No.7.
1978 – With ‘Three Times A Lady, The Commodores scored their first number one single in the US. The song was written by Lionel Richie and it also reached No.1 in the UK.
The Commodores – Three Times A Lady
1984 – Lionel Richie was the closing act at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He performed ‘All Night Long’ before saying farewell to one of the biggest sporting events on the planet until 1988. Over 2.6 billion people watched his performance on their TVs.
1985 – Japanese singer and actor Kyu Sakamoto died in an airplane crash at the age of 43. Best known for his hit song ‘Ue o Muite ArukÅ’ / ‘Sukiyaki’ which was a worldwide hit in 1963.
1985 – Singer-songwriter Neil Young released his 14th studio album ‘Old Ways’ on this day August 12 in music history.
1989 – Richard Marx took the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Right Here Waiting’. The single was also a chart topper in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada that year.
1991 – Heavy metal band Metallica released their eponymous fifth studio album, also known as ‘The Black Album’. The LP was a massive commercial success and it went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide. It also topped the charts in ten countries.
WATCH: Metallica perform in front of 1 million people in Moscow
1992 – American composer and music theorist John Cage died on this day August 12 aged 79 after suffering a stroke.
1994 – 25 years after the first Woodstock festival, Woodstock 2 / Woodstock ’94 was held in Saugerties, New York. The festival was a massive success with an estimated attendance of over 500,000 people.
1995 – Hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony started a two-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with their second studio album ‘E. 1999 Eternal’.
1997 – American blues guitarist Luther Allison died on this day August 12, aged 57 after a long battle with cancer. Best known for his work with Howlin’ Wolf and Freddie King.
2006 – Former ‘Destiny’s Child’ member LeToya Luckett topped the US Albums chart with her self-titled debut album ‘LeToya’.
2007 – With her debut album ‘Made of Bricks’, Kate Nash topped the UK Albums chart on this day August 12 in music history.
2010 – Founding member and drummer for Little Feat, Richie Hayward died at the age of 64 from liver cancer.
BORN ON AUGUST 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1926 – American R&B singer-songwriter Joe Jones was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on this day August 12 in music history. Best known for his Top 3 hit ‘You Talk Too Much’.
1927 – Country music singer Porter Wagoner was born in West Plains, Missouri. He introduced Dolly Parton to the world on his TV show in 1967.
1929 – American musician and band leader Alvis Edgar Owens Jr also known as Buck Owens was born on this day August 12 in Sherman, Texas.
1940 – American singer and pioneer of the “swamp pop” musical genre Rod Bernard was born on this day in Opelousas, Louisiana.
1949 – Co-founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of the rock band Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland on this day August 12 in music history.
1950 – Co-founder, keyboardist and songwriter for Sparks, Ronald ‘Ron’ Mael was born in Culver City, California.
1951 – Singer, songwriter and bandleader August Darnell also known as Kid Creole was born on this day August 12 in The Bronx, New York. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band and Kid Creole and the Coconuts.
1953 – Founding member and drummer for new wave group Men at Work, Jerry Speiser was born on this day August 12 in Australia.
1954 – American jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny was born in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He’s the only person to win Grammys in 10 categories.
1961 – Musician Roy Ernest Hay was born in Southend, England on this day August 12 in music history. He rose to fame as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of the group Culture Club.
1963 – Anthony L. Ray also known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot was born in Seattle, Washington. Best known for his 1992 number one single Baby Got Back’.
1969 – Pop & folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram was born on this day August 12 in Munster, West Germany. Best known for the songs ‘Twist in My Sobriety’ and ‘Good Tradition’.