On This Day, December 14 in Music History
EVENTS ON DECEMBER 14 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day December 14 in 1959 – With his rendition of ‘Heartaches by the Number’, Guy Mitchell topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1963 – American jazz singer and pianist Dinah Washington (real name Ruth Lee Jones) died of an accidental overdose, aged 39. Best remembered for songs such as ‘What a Diff’rence a Day Makes’, ‘Teach Me Tonight’, and ‘Unforgettable’.
1968 – With his rendition of ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’, Marvin Gaye started a seven-week stint at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on this day December 14 in music history. Also a chart-topper in the UK.
1979 – Punk rock band The Clash released their seminal third studio album ‘London Calling’. The album went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide.
1985 – Whitney Houston started a two-week run at the top of the UK Singles chart with ‘Saving All My Love for You’ on this day December 14.
1991 – With his eighth studio album ‘Dangerous’, Michael Jackson hit number one on the US Billboard 200 for the first of four consecutive weeks.
1996 – Irish boy band Boyzone scored their second number one single in the UK with ‘A Different Beat’ on this day December 14.
1997 – Guitarist and songwriter Kurt Winter died at the age of 51 from kidney failure. Best remembered for his work with the rock band The Guess Who.
2002 – American rapper Eminem scored his second number one single of the year in the UK on this day December 14 in music history with ‘Lose Yourself’, a track that won the rapper an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It featured in the film ‘8 Mile’ in which the rapperstarred.
2011 – Country music singer Billie Jo Spears died on this day December 14 at the age of 73. Best remembered for her chart-topping single ‘Blanket on the Ground’.
2013 – Boy band One Direction scored their third number one album in the United States with ‘Midnight Memories’. The album was a hit worldwide and it also reached No.1 in sixteen other countries, including the UK.
2017 – With his second studio LP ‘The Thrill of It All’, singer-songwriter Sam Smith topped the UK Albums chart on this day December 14.
2017 – Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran hit number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Perfect’ for the first of six consecutive weeks.
2018 – American bass guitarist and session musician Joseph “Joe” Osborn died on this day December 14 in music history, aged 81. Best known for his work with the Wrecking Crew and the Nashville A-Team.
2019 – Canadian singer The Weeknd scored his fourth number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Heartless’.
2019 – The soundtrack album to the animated film of the same name ‘Frozen’ went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart on this day December 14.
BORN ON DECEMBER 14 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1910 – American jazz saxophonist and clarinet player Albert J. “Budd” Johnson was born in Dallas, Texas.
1911 – American musician and bandleader Lindley Armstrong “Spike” Jones was born in Long Beach, California.
1920 – Trumpeter, flugelhorn player and vocalist Clark Virgil Terry was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1922 – American jazz baritone/alto saxophonist and flute player Cecil Payne was born in Brooklyn, New York City.
1932 – Country music singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Charles “Charlie” Rich nicknamed the Silver Fox was born in Colt, Arkansas.
1938 – Musician, record producer, and songwriter Gary Usher was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his work with bands such as The Beach Boys and The Byrds.
1942 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Richard “Dick” Wagner was born in Oelwein, Iowa. Best known for fronting the band The Frost and for playing with the likes of Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Lou Reed.
1943 – British bassist Frank Allen was born Francis Renaud McNeice in Hayes, England. He rose to fame as a member of The Searchers.
1946 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Jackie McAuley was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. Best known as a member of the bands Trader Home and Them.
1946 – American singer Joyce Vincent Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan. Best known as one third of the pop music group Tony Orlando and Dawn.
1949 – Bass guitarist and vocalist Clifford “Cliff” Williams was born in Romford, England. Best known as a longtime member of the hard rock band AC/DC.
1950 – Saxophonist and co-founder of the electric music group The Lounge Lizards, John Lurie was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1958 – Singer, songwriter, and tin whistle player Peter Richard “Spider” Stacy was born in Eastbourne, England. Best known as a member of the band The Pogues.
1958 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and co-founder of the band The Waterboys, Michael “Mike” Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1970 – British folktronica singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Elizabeth “Beth” Orton was born in East Dereham, England.
1992 – American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and voice actress Victoria “Tori” Kelly was born in Wildomar, California.