On This Day, August 6 in Music History
EVENTS ON AUGUST 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day August 6 in 1960 – The soundtrack album to the 1958 film ‘South Pacific’ starring Mitzy Gaynor and Ray Walston reached No.1 in the UK.
1964 – As a member of The Hoochie Coochie Men, Rod Stewart made his debut TV appearance. The band performed on the BBC show ‘The Beat Room’.
1965 – The Beatles released their fifth studio album ‘Help!’ on this day August 6 in music history which also served as the soundtrack to their film of the same name. The album reached No.1 in Australia, Finland, the UK, and the US that year.
1973 – Stevie Wonder was involved in a serious car crash which left him in a coma for four days. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and returned to the studio a few weeks later.
1983 – The Beach Boys hit No.1 in the UK with their compilation album ‘The Very Best of the Beach Boys’ on this day August 6.
1983 – German musician Klaus Sperber also known professionally as Klaus Nomi died at the age of 39 from AIDS.
1988 – Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses topped the US Billboard 200 chart with their debut studio album ‘Appetite for Destruction’ on this day August 6 in music history. With over 30 million units sold worldwide, it’s one of the best-selling albums of all time.
1988 – With their version of ‘The Only Way Is Up’, Yazz and the Plastic Population started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart. It also reached No.1 in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden.
1994 – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories started a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Stay (I Missed You)’. Also a chart-topper in Canada.
Lisa Loeb – Stay ( Missed You)
1994 – Italian singer and actor Dmenico Modugno died on this day August 6, aged 66. Best remembered for his 1958 Grammy Award-winning song ‘Nel blue dipinto di blu’.
1998 – English jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and bandleader Nathaniel Gonella died at the age of 90. Best remembered as the founder of the big band The Georgians.
2004 – American singer, musician, and record producer James Ambrose Johnson also known professionally as Rick James died on this day August 6 in music history, aged 56. Best remembered for hits such as ‘Super Freak’, ‘Ebony Eyes’, ‘Give It to Me Baby’, ‘Mary Jane’, ‘Fire and Desire’, etc.
2005 – English musician Carl Little died at the age of 66. Best remembered as the drummer of The Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1963.
2005 – The 19th edition of the US Now! series by various artists ‘Now That’s What I Call Music! 19’ went to number one in the United States on this day August 6. It features songs by artists such as Gwen Stefani, Eminem, Shakira, Coldplay, Destiny’s Child, Gorillaz, etc.
2011 – Adele returned to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with her second studio album ’21’. The album also topped the charts in over 30 countries worldwide and its one of the best-selling albums of all time.
2011 – Boy band JLS featuring Dev topped the UK singles chart with ‘She Makes Me Wanna’ on this day August 6. It was JLS‘ fifth chart-topping single in the country.
2011 – Two weeks after her untimely death, Amy Winehouse started a three-week run at No.1 in the UK with her second and final studio album ‘Back to Black’.
2015 – Electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers went to number one in the UK with their eighth studio album ‘Born in the Echoes’.
2016 – Sia and Sean Paul started a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Cheap Thrills’ on this day August 6 in music history. The song was a big international hit and it topped the charts in twenty-five countries.
2020 – With her eighth studio album ‘Folklore’, Taylor Swift went to number one in the UK. The album won her a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and it reached No.1 in sixteen countries worldwide.
2020 – English rock and pop singer Glyn Geoffrey Ellis also known professionally as Wayne Fontana died on this day August 6, aged 74. Best remembered for his chart-topping 1965 hit single ‘The Game of Love’.
BORN ON AUGUST 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1921 – American jazz multi-instrumentalist William Marcel “Buddy” Collette was born on this day in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet.
1929 – Saxophonist Mike Elliott was born in Jamaica on this day August 6 in music history. He rose to fame as a founding member of the soul band The Foundations.
1939 – American soul music singer, songwriter, producer, and arranger William Nelson “Sonny” Sanders was born in Chicago, Illinois. He came to prominence as the founder of the R&B group The Satintones which became the first vocal group signed to Motown Records.
1946 – British jazz and rock music guitarist and composer Allan Holdsworth was born on this day August 6 in Bradford, England. His work has influenced the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, Tom Morello, and Joe Satriani among many others.
1952 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Patrick MacDonald was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin on this day August 6 in music history. Best known for founding the rock band Timbuk 3 with his wife Barbara MacDonald.
1958 – R&B and soul singer and bass guitarist William Randall DeBarge was born on this day in Detroit, Michigan. He rose to fame as a founding member of the family vocal group DeBarge.
1969 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steven Paul Smith also known professionally as Elliot Smith was born on this day in Omaha, Nebraska.
1972 – Founding member of the girl group Spice Girls, Geri Halliwell also known as Ginger Spice was born on this day August 6 in Watford, England.