On This Day, January 20 in Music History
EVENTS ON JANUARY 20 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day January 20 in 1956 – With his rendition of the Merie Travis song ‘Sixteen Tons’, Tennessee Ford topped the UK Singles chart.
1958 – Teenage sensation Ricky Nelson reached number one on the US Albums chart with his debut studio release ‘Ricky’.
1964 – The Beatles released their second studio album in the United States ‘Meet the Beetles’ through Capitol Records on this day January 20 in music history. The album went to number one on the US Billboard 200 in February where it stayed for eleven consecutive weeks.
1965 – American disc jockey and influential rock and roll music promoter Albert “Alan” Freed died at the age of 43.
1966 – With their rendition of the Jackie Edwards song ‘Keep On Running’, the Spencer Davis Group topped the UK Singles chart.
1968 – John Fred & the Playboy Band topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)’, a song inspired by The Beatles‘ hit ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. The song was a big hit worldwide that year reaching No.1 in six other countries and peaking at No.3 in Canada and the UK.
1969 – Elvis Presley recorded ‘In the Ghetto’ on this day January 20. A song written by Mac Davis which the “King of Rock and Roll” released as a single on April 14. It became a chart-topper in nine countries worldwide and it peaked at No.3 in the US.
1973 – Irish singer and songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan went to number one in the UK with his second studio album ‘Back to Front’.
1975 – Bob Dylan released his fifteenth studio album ‘Blood on the Tracks’ on this day January 20 in music history through Columbia Records. The album peaked at No.1 in the US, Canada, and New Zealand, and reached No.4 in the UK.
1977 – Jimmy Buffett released his seventh studio album ‘Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes’. It became his best-selling album and it features his most popular song ‘Margaritaville’.
1979 – With ‘Le Freak’, Chic returned for a three-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on this day January 20.
1982 – During a show in Des Moines, Iowa, a bat found its way on the stage and Ozzy Osbourne tried to bite its head off thinking it was a toy. The Prince of Darkness had to get a preventive rabies shot after the show.
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1983 – Hard rock band Def Leppard released their third studio album ‘Pyromania’ on this day January 20. The album went on to sell over 10 million copies in the US alone where it also peaked at No.2 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1988 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees for this year’s class were – The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, Lead Belly, The Supremes, Les Paul, Woody Guthrie, and Berry Gordy Jr.
1990 – With the single ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’, Michael Bolton hit number one in the US on this day January 20 for the first of three weeks straight.
1996 – Whitney Houston started a five-week stint at No.1 on the US Albums chart with the soundtrack to the film of the same name ‘Waiting to Exhale’.
1996 – With ‘Jesus to a Child’, George Michael took the top spot on the UK Singles chart on this day January 20 in music history.
1997 – Electronic music duo Daft Punk released their debut studio album ‘Homework’. The album went on to sell over two million copies worldwide and it features the hit singles ‘Da Funk’, and ‘Around the World’.
2001 – American singer Jennifer Lopez scored her first number one single in the UK on this day January 20 with ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’.
2007 – The soundtrack album ‘Dreamgirls’ to the musical drama film of the same name reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2007 – With her second and final studio album ‘Back to Black’, singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse reached No.1 in the UK on this day January 20 in music history.
2012 – American multi-genre singer Jamesetta Hawkins better known by her stage name Etta James died at the age of 73. Best remembered for songs such as ‘At Last’, ‘Tell Mama’, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, and ‘The Wallflower’.
2022 – Seventeen-year-old singer Gayle scored her first number one single in the United Kingdom on this day January 20 with ‘ABCDEFU’.
2022 – Canadian singer and songwriter The Weeknd went to number one in the UK with his fifth studio album ‘Dawn FM’.
BORN ON JANUARY 20 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1922 – American songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter Raymond Anthony was born in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania. Best known as a member of the popular swing dance band Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.
1923 – Country and gospel music singer-songwriter Ottis Whitman also known as Slim Whitman was born in Tampa, Florida.
1926 – Avant-garde music composer and pianist David Tudor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1945 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Eric Stewart was born in Droylsden, England. He rose to fame as a founding member of the rock bands The Mindbenders and 10cc.
1951 – British musician Ian Hill was born in West Bromwich, England. Best known as a longtime member and bass guitarist of the heavy metal band Judas Priest.
1952 – Founding member, co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Kiss, Paul Stanley was born Stanley Bert Eisen in New York City.
1959 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Rusty Anderson was born in La Habra, California. Best known for his solo work and for his collaboration with Paul McCartney.
1965 – Soul singer Heather Small was born in London, England. Best known as the lead singer of the dance music band M People.
1971 – Founding member and lead singer of the pop group Take That – Gary Barlow was born in Frodsham, England.
1977 – DJ, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist Sidney “Sid” Wilson also known by his stage names 0, Dj Starscream, and TheDJ was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He rose to fame as a member of the heavy metal band Slipknot.
1979 – Founding member and drummer of the rock band Linkin Park, Robert Bourdon was born in Calabasas, California.