On This Day: August 13 in Music History
EVENTS ON DAY AUGUST 13 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day August 13 in 1924 – Vernon Dalhart recorded ‘The Prisoner’s Song’. A tune that became one of the best selling records of the 1920s with over 1.3 million official sales. According to some estimates the number may be closer to 7 million.
1952 – Willie Mae Thornton also known as Big Mama Thornton recorded the first version of ‘Hound Dog’. The record was a massive hit selling half a million copies and it also topped the US Singles chart for 7 weeks straight. The best known rendition of the song is Elvis Presley‘s 1956 version which was an even bigger hit.
1963 – Elvis Presley‘s fifth soundtrack album ‘Girls Girls Girls’ was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
1964 – With their rendition of ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’, Manfred Mann topped the UK Singles chart. The song was an international hit that year and reached No.1 in the US, Sweden and Canada as well.
1965 – At the Matrix Club in their hometown of San Francisco, Jefferson Airplane made their debut live performance.
1965 – At the height of their popularity, The Beatles released their fifth studio album ‘Help!’ in the US, one week after issuing it in Britain. The album also served as the soundtrack to their film of the same name and reached No.1 in Australia, the UK, Finland, and the US that year.
1966 – With ‘Summer in the City’, Lovin Spoonful hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1969 – Canadian rock band The Guess Who recorded one of their biggest hits ‘American Woman’. The song was released in March, 1970 and it topped both the Canadian and US Singles charts.
1971 – Saxophonist Curtis Ousley also known as King Curtis (37) by his stage name, was stabbed to death outside his home in Manhattan after a brawl with drug dealers who didn’t want to move out of his building’s steps. He worked with John Lennon on his album ‘Imagine’ and played the solo on Aretha Franklin‘s hit single ‘Respect’.
1973 – Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut studio album “Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd” on this day August 13 in music history. The LP sold over 2 million copies, peaked at No.27 on the Billboard 200 and it features two of the group’s biggest hits “Free Bird” and “Simple Man”.
1977 – Progressive rock band Yes topped the UK Albums chart with their eighth studio release ‘Going for the One’. The record was certified Gold by the RIAA within a month of its release and was a Top 10 hit in the US.
1982 – American singer and songwriter Joe Tex died from a heart attack, aged 49. Best remembered for the hit songs ‘I Gotcha’, ‘Skinny Legs and All’, and ‘Hold What You’ve Got’.
1983 – Disco group KC and the Sunshine Band scored their first number one single in the UK with ‘Give It Up’. The song was also a Top 3 hit in Ireland, Belgium and Australia, while in the US it peaked at No.18.
KC and the Sunshine Band – Give It Up
1988 – Def Leppard returned to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with their fourth studio album ‘Hysteria’.
1990 – During an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Brooklyn, a stage lighting construction was blown down by high winds and fell on Curtis Mayfield while performing. The accident left the artist paralyzed from the neck down.
1994 – Joe Cocker, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, The Cranberries, Aerosmith, and Cypress Hill performed on the second day of the Woodstock ’94 music festival.
2003 – American singer, songwriter and producer Ed Townsend died of a heart attack at the age of 74.
2014 – With their debut single ‘Rude’, Magic! topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was a huge hit worldwide that year and it reached the Top 10 in a dozen countries.
BORN ON AUGUST 13 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1919 – British jazz pianist George Shearing was born in London. Best known for his jazz compositions ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ and ‘Conception’.
1921 – American pianist, songwriter and vocalist Jimmy McCracklin was born in Elaine, Arkansas.
1938 – American Pop and R&B multi-instrumentalist David Cortez Clowney was born in Detroit, Michigan. Also known as Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez by his stage name.
1941 – English pop singer Craig Douglas was born Terence Perkins in Newport, Isle of Wight. Best known for his 1959 chart topping hit ‘Only Sixteen’.
1951 – Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and composer Dan Fogelberg was born in Peoria, Illinois.
1952 – Guitarist, singer, and founding member of the Outlaws, Hughie Thomasson was born in Buchannan, Virginia. Also known for his work with the Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd.
1958 – Northern Irish singer Seán Feargal Sharkey was born in Derry. He came to prominence as the frontman of the punk band The Undertones.
1959 – Bass guitarist Michael “Mickey” Bradley was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. Best known as a member of the punk band The Undertones.
1984 – English singer-songwriter and guitarist James Morrison was born in Rugby, Warwickshire. Best known for his debut album ‘Undiscovered’ which was a chart-topper in the UK.
