On This Day, August 27 in Music History
EVENTS ON AUGUST 27 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day August 27 in 1964 – With their debut single “Have I the Right?’, The Honeycombs went to number one in the UK. The song also reached the top of the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden that year.
1967 – British music entrepreneur Brian Epstein died at the age of 32 from an accidental overdose. Best remembered as the manager of The Beatles.
1977 – One-hit wonder R&B/soul group The Floaters topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Float On’. In the US it peaked at No.2 on the Hot 100 chart.
1988 – George Michael scored his fourth number one single of the year in the US with ‘Monkey’ on this day August 27 in music history. He previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Faith’, ‘Father Figure’, and ‘One More Try’.
1988 – Australian singer Kylie Minogue started a four-week run at number one in the UK with her debut studio album ‘Kylie’. She was only 20 year old at the time, making her the youngest female artist to top the Albums chart.
1988 – With her self-titled debut studio album, singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
1990 – American guitarist and singer-songwriter Stevie Ray Vaughan lost his life in a helicopter crash at the age of 35. He is considered one of the best guitarists of all time.
1991 – American rock band Pearl Jam released their debut studio album ‘Ten’ through Epic Records on this day August 27. The album didn’t gain much traction at first, but with the rise of grunge rock, it reached No.2 in the US the following year and went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide.
1994 – Vocal harmony group Boyz II Men started an incredible fourteen-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘I’ll Make Love to You’. They extended their reign at the top for two more weeks in December when ‘On Bended Knee’ hit No.1 to make it 16 consecutive weeks in total.
1994 – With his fifteenth studio album ‘Come’, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Prince topped the UK Albums chart on this day August 27 in music history.
1995 – American singer and songwriter DiFosco T. Ervin Jr. also known professionally as Big Dee Irwin died at the age of 63. Best remembered for his hit rendition of ‘Swinging on a Star’.
1996 – Pearl Jam also released their fourth studio album ‘No Code’ on this day through Epic Records. The album debuted at No.1 in the US but it wasn’t as commercially successful as their previous three, and quickly fell down the charts.
2005 – Rock band Staind scored their third number one album in the US with their fifth studio release ‘Chapter V’ on this day August 27.
2005 – Pop rock band McFly went to number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘I’ll Be OK’. The band’s fourth chart-topper in the UK.
2011 – The collaborative album ‘Watch the Throne’ by rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West topped the US Billboard 200 chart. The album also reached No.1 on the charts in Norway, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and the UK.
2011 – The number one album in the UK on this day August 27 was ‘Welcome Reality’ by the electronic music trio Nero.
2011 – Katy Perry topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth time with ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)’. Also a chart-topper in Canada, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
2015 – With ‘Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself’, Jess Glynne scored her fifth number one single in the UK on this day August 27 in music history. The single was an international hit and it also reached No.1 in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland.
2016 – The soundtrack album for the superhero film Suicide Squad reached number one in the US. The album features songs by various artists, including the likes of Eminem, Skylar Grey, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons, CCR, Wiz Khalifa, and so on.
2020 – The eighth studio album ‘A Celebration of Endings’ by the alt rock band Biffy Clyro debuted at number one in the UK. It was the band’s third consecutive album to top the chart.
BORN ON AUGUST 27 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1896 – Russian inventor Leon Theremin was born in Saint Petersburg on this day August 27 in music history. Best known for inventing one of the first electronic musical instruments – the theremin.
1937 – American pop music singer and actor Thomas “Tommy” Sands was born in Chicago, Illinois. Best known for the chart-topping single ‘Teen-Age Crush’.
1937 – Scottish multi-instrumentalist Phil Shulman was born on this day August 27 in Glasgow. Best known as a member of the prog rock group Gentle Giant in the 1970s.
1942 – Musician, songwriter, and producer Daryl Dragon was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known as Captain from one half of the husband-and-wife music duo Captain & Tennille.
1942 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer Douglas Hatlelid also known professionally as Chip Douglas was born in San Francisco, California on this day August 27 in music history.
1944 – American musician John Voorhis “Tim” Bogert was born in New York City. Best known as a member of the bands Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice.
1949 – Guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of the band Alabama, Jeff Cook was born on this day August 27 in Fort Payne, Alabama.
1953 – Canadian guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Aleksandar Zhivojinovic also known professionally as Alex Lifeson was born in Fernie, British Columbia. He came to prominence as the co-founder of the prog rock band Rush.
1956 – Bass guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band The Sex Pistols, Glen Matlock was born in London, England.
1961 – American gospel singer and actress Yolanda Adams was born in Houston, Texas on this day August 27 in music history.
1970 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer Tony Kanal was born in London, England. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band No Doubt.
1975 – American rapper Mason Betha also known by his stage name Mase was born on this day August 27 in Jacksonville, Florida.
1979 – Canadian violinist Sarah Neufeld was born in Merville, British Columbia. Best known as a member of the indie rock band Arcade Fire.
1979 – Founding member and guitarist of the band Eve 6, Jonathan “Jon” Siebels was born in Los Angeles, California.
1981 – English DJ and producer Adam George Dyment also known professionally as Duke Dumont was born in London on this day August 27 in music history.
1986 – American R&B singer and songwriter Mario Dewar Barret professionally known as just Mario was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1999 – American rapper and singer Rodarius Green also known by his stage name Rod Wave was born on this day August 27 in St. Petersburg, Florida.