On This Day, December 5 in Music History
EVENTS ON DECEMBER 5 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day December 5 in 1960 – Elvis Presley scored his fifth No.1 album on the US Billboard 200 with the soundtrack ‘G.I. Blues’ which topped the chart for ten consecutive weeks.
1964 – With their first live album ‘Beach Boys Concert’, The Beach Boys started a four week run at No.1 in the US. The album was recorded during the group’s concert at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California. It was also their first chart-topper in America.
1964 – Canadian actor and singer Lorne Greene topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with the song ‘Ringo’ on this day December 5 in music history.
1965 – The Beatles played their last show ever in their hometown of Liverpool. Over 40,000 people applied for tickets, but only 5,100 were available.
1967 – Pink Floyd finished their UK tour on this day December 5 as the opening act for Jimi Hendrix at Green’s Playhouse in Glasgow, Scotland.
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1968 – The Rolling Stones organized a banquet in London to promote their new album ‘Beggar’s Banquet’. The banquet ended with a big pie fight.
1968 – Co-founder of The Hollies – Graham Nash quit the band on this day December 5 so he could form the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash a few days later.
1970 – American pop music singer Andy Williams topped the UK Albums chart with his compilation LP ‘Andy Williams’ Greatest Hits’.
1973 – Paul McCartney & Wings released their third studio album ‘Band On The Run’ in America through Apple Records on this day December 5. The album won the group a Grammy Award and became a chart-topper in the US, Australia, Canada, Norway, Spain, and the UK.
1980 – Only three days before he was murdered, John Lennon gave his last ever interview for the Rolling Stone magazine.
1981 – With his Spanish rendition of Cole Porter‘s song ‘Begin the Beguine’, Julio Iglesias topped the UK Singles chart on this day December 5 in music history.
1987 – With ‘Heaven Is a Place on Earth’, Belinda Carlisle scored her first and only number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was a worldwide hit and it also reached No.1 in eight other countries, including the UK.
1992 – With ‘I Will Always Love You’, Whitney Houston started a ten-week stint at the top of the UK Singles chart on this day December 5.
1992 – American rapper Ice Cube went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with his third studio release ‘The Predator’.
1993 – American musician and songwriter Doug Hopkins committed suicide on this day December 5 at the age of 32. Best remembered as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the band Gin Blossoms.
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1998 – Country music singer Garth Brooks scored his third number one album of the year in the US with ‘Double Live’ which was at No.1 for six weeks straight. He was previously at No.1 with ‘The Limited Series’ and ‘Sevens’.
1998 – The number one single in the US on this day December 5 was ‘I’m Your Angel’ by Celine Dion and R.Kelly who topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks straight.
2009 – Scottish singer Susan Boyle reached number one in the UK with her debut studio album ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ on this day December 5.
2009 – With his fourth studio album ‘Battle Studies’, singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
2009 – Peter Kay’s Animated All Star Band went to number one in the UK on this day December 5 with the charity single ‘The Official BBC Children in Need Medley’.
2012 – American jazz pianist and composer David “Dave” Brubeck died on this day December 5 in music history at the age of 91. Best remembered as one of the pioneers of the cool jazz genre.
2015 – Canadian singer Justin Bieber reached the top spot on the US Albums chart with his fourth studio release ‘Purpose’.
2019 – British rock band Coldplay scored their eighth consecutive number one album in the UK with ‘Everyday Life’.
2020 – South Korean boyband BTS scored their second number one single of the year in the US with ‘Life Goes On’. They previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Dynamite’ in September. The boyband also reached No.1 on the US Albums chart with ‘Be’ on this day December 5.
BORN ON DECEMBER 5 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1912 – Blues singer and harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson was born Aleck Miller in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. Best known for songs such as ‘Don’t Start Me Talkin’, ‘Bring It On Home’, and ‘Help Me’.
1922 – American singer, songwriter, and pianist Donald “Don” Robertson was born in Beijing, China. Best known for the 1956 hit single ‘The Happy Whistler’.
1932 – Singer-songwriter, pianist and rock and roll pioneer Richard Wayne Penniman better known by his stage name Little Richard was born in Macon, Georgia.
1938 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter John Weldon “J.J.” Cale was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
1946 – Canadian pop rock singer and songwriter Andrew Youakim also known professionally as Andy Kim was born in Montreal, Quebec. Best known for songs such as ‘Rock Me Gently’, ‘Baby, I Love You’, and for co-writing ‘Sugar, Sugar’.
1947 – Multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer, and recording engineer Jim Messina was born in Maywood, California. Best known as a member of the bands Buffalo Springfield and Poco.
1960 – Singer and founding member of the hard rock band Great White, Jack Russel was born in Montebello, California.
1960 – American jazz acoustic and electric bassist and record producer Brian Bromberg was born in Tucson, Arizona.
1960 – British bassist Leslie “Les” Nemes was born in Croydon, England. He rose to fame as the co-founder of the new wave band Haircut One Hundred.
1965 – Co-founder and frontman of the rock band Goo Goo Dolls, John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik was born in Buffalo, New York.
1967 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Gary Allan was born in La Mirada, California.