On This Day, December 13 in Music History
EVENTS ON DAY DECEMBER 13 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day December 13 in 1962 – Elvis Presley started a three-week stint at the top of the UK Singles chart with ‘Return to Sender’. The song featured in the film ‘Girls! Girls! Girls!’ in which the King of Rock and Roll starred.
1975 – With their first compilation album ‘Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits’, rock band Chicago started a five-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
1980 – Country music singer Kenny Rogers started a two-week run at number one in the US with his second compilation album ‘Greatest Hits’ on this day December 13 in music history.
1986 – The number one single in the United States on this day December 6 was ‘The Way It Is’ by Bruce Hornsby and the Range.
1997 – Country music singer Garth Brooks topped the US Billboard 200 chart with his seventh studio album ‘Sevens’ on this day December 13. He held the top spot for five consecutive weeks
1997 – The cast of the children’s TV series Teletubbies reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Teletubbies say “Eh-oh”‘.
2001 – Founder and frontman of the death metal band Death, Charles “Chuck” Schuldiner died on this day December 13, aged 34 from brain cancer. .
2002 – Canadian folk-rock musician and songwriter Zalman “Zal” Yanovsky died on this day at the age of 57 from a heart attack.
2003 – After a one week break from the top spot, rapper Jay Z returned to No.1 on the US Albums chart with ‘The Black Album’ on this day December 13.
2003 – English singer and songwriter Will Young scored his second number one album in the UK with ‘Friday’s Child’.
2003 – Hip hop duo OutKast started a nine-week stint at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Hey Ya!’ on this day December 13 in music history. The song was a worldwide hit and it also earned the duo numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
2008 – The number one single in the United States on this day December 13 was ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ by Beyonce.
2008 – Boy band Take That started a five-week stint at number one on the UK Albums chart with their fifth studio release ‘The Circus’.
2008 – With her rendition of the Snow Patrol hit song ‘Run’, Leona Lewis went to number one in the UK on this day December 13.
2008 – American rapper Kanye West went to number one on the US Billboard 200 with his fourth studio album ‘808s & Heartbreak’.
2014 – Six years later on the same day December 13, Take That also reached No.1 on the UK Albums chart but this time with their seventh studio LP ‘III’.
2018 – Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Nancy Wilson died at the age of 81. Best remembered for her recordings of ‘Guess Who I Saw Today’ and ‘(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am’.
2018 – The number one album in the UK on this day December 13 in music history was ‘A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationship’ by the pop rock band The 1975.
2019 – Founding member and lead singer of the rock band Flamin’ Groovies, Roy Loney died on this day at the age of 73.
2021 – American R&B and soul music singer Joe Simon died on this day December 13 at the age of 85. Best remembered for his chart-topping singles ‘Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)’, ‘The Chokin’ Kind’, and ‘Power of Love’.
BORN ON DECEMBER 13 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1920 – Soul and jazz singer, bandleader, and organist Jackie Davis was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1940 – American jazz double bassist Reginald “Reggie” Johnson was born in Owensboro, Kentucky.
1947 – American trumpeter and session musician Charles “Chuck” Findley was in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
1948 – Guitarist, songwriter, and producer Jeffrey “Skunk” Baxter was born in Washington, D.C. Best known for his work with the bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers.
1948 – English guitarist, trumpeter and vocalist David “Davy” O’List was born in London. Best known for his work with bands such as The Attack, The Nice, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and others.
1948 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Theodore “Ted” Nugent was born in Redford, Michigan. He rose to fame as a member of The Amboy Dukes before embarking on a successful solo career.
1949 – Country-music singer, songwriter and guitarist Randy Owen was born in Fort Payne, Alabama. Best known as the co-founder and frontman of the band Alabama.
1949 – Co-founder and frontman of the rock band Television, Tom Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey.
1953 – Founding member and guitarist of the rock band The Knack, Berton Averre was born in Los Angeles, California.
1954 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitar player John Anderson was born in Apopka, Florida.
1954 – Pop music singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Stephen “Steve” Forbert was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Best known for his 1979 hit single ‘Romeo’s Tune’.
1957 – Singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboardist and leader of the group The Time, Morris Day was born in Springfield, Illinois.
1964 – Japanese guitarist, singer, and songwriter Hideto “Hide” Matsumoto was born in Yokosuka, Japan. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the rock band X Japan.
1967 – American actor and singer Eric Marlon Bishop better known professionally as Jamie Foxx was born in Terrell, Texas.
1974 – Multi-instrumentalist and singer Nicholas “Nick” McCarthy was born in Blackpool, England. Best known as a member of the band Franz Ferdinand.
1975 – Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the pop rock band Blink-182, Thomas “Tom” DeLonge was born in Poway, California.
1981 – Co-founder and lead singer of the rock band Evanescence, Amy Lynn Hartzler also known as Amy Lee was born in Riverside, California.
1989 – American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania.