On This Day, January 3 in Music History
EVENTS ON JANUARY 3 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day January 3 in 1957 – At the Cosimo Recording Studio, Fats Domino recorded ‘I’m Walkin’ which later became his third consecutive No.1 hit on the US R&B singles chart. He got the idea for the song when his car broke down and a passing by fan shouted “Hey, look it’s Fats Domino, he’s Walking!”.
1963 – With ‘The Next Time’/’Bachelor Boy’, Cliff Richard & The Shadows started a three-week stint at the top of the UK Singles chart.
1970 – B.J. Thomas started a four-week stint at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’ on this day January 3 in music history. The song also became a chart-topper in Argentina, Canada, Norway, and Singapore that year.
1970 – After a one week break from the top spot, The Beatles returned to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with their eleventh studio album ‘Abbey Road’.
1976 – Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers had the number one single in the US on this day January 3 with ‘Saturday Night’.
1980 – American R&B singer and pianist Joseph Amos Milburn died on this day at the age of 52 from a stroke. Best remembered for his recordings of ‘Down the Road a Piece’, ‘One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer’, and ‘Bad, Bad Whiskey’.
1987 – Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on this day January 3: The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B.B King, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters, Jackie Wilson.
Related: Metal bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1997 – Alternative rock band The Verve hit number one on the UK Albums chart for the first of six consecutive weeks with their third studio LP ‘Urban Hymns’. It also became a chart-topper in Ireland, New Zealand, and Sweden that year.
2004 – With her second studio album ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’, Alicia Keys went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart on this day January 3 in music history.
2012 – British musician Robert “Bob” Weston died on this day at the age of 64. Best remembered as the guitarist for the rock band Fleetwood Mac in the 1970s.
2014 – One half of the siblings musical duo The Everly Brothers, Phillip “Phil” Everly died on this day January 3, aged 74.
2015 – Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars returned for a six-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Uptown Funk’.
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
2015 – Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift started a four-week stint at number one in the US with her fifth studio album ‘1989’.
2018 – Rapper Eminem topped the US Billboard 200 with his ninth studio album ‘Revival’ on this day January 3 in music history. The album was also a chart-topper in eight other countries, including the UK and Canada.
2019 – With ‘Sweet but Psycho’, American singer Ava Max went to number one on the UK Singles chart for the first of four consecutive weeks.
2021 – British singer-songwriter and leader of the band Gerry and the Pacemakers, Gerard “Gerry” Marsden died on this day January 3, aged 78.
BORN ON JANUARY 3 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1916 – One third of the singing group The Andrews Sisters, Maxene Anglyn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1919 – American jazz pianist and composer Herbert “Herbie” Nichols was born in New York City. Best known for composing the jazz standard ‘Lady Sings the Blues’.
1921 – American jazz saxophonist and flautist Musa Kaleem was born Orlando Wright in Wheeling, West Virginia.
1926 – British musician, record producer, composer, arranger, and conductor George Martin was born in Wiltshire, England. Best known for his work with The Beatles which earned him the nickname ‘Fifth Beatle’.
1928 – Jazz music saxophonist and clarinet player Al Belletto was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1943 – American multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
1945 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Stills was born in Dallas, Texas. Best known as a member of the bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
1946 – American singer and dancer Claire Yvonne King also known professionally as Cissy King was born in Trinidad, Colorado.
1946 – English multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, and producer John Richard Baldwin better known by his stage name John Paul Jones was born in Liverpool. He came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
1957 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer David “Dave” Dobbyn was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Best known for his solo work and also as a member of the bands Th’ Dudes and DD Smash.
1969 – American jazz multi-instrumentalist James Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1975 – French multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and singer-songwriter Thomas Bangalter was born in Paris. He rose to fame as one half of the electronic music duo Daft Punk.
1978 – American singer, songwriter, and TV personality Kimberley Locke was born in Hartsville, Tennessee.
1980 – American guitarist Rob Arnold was born. Best known for his work with the heavy metal bands Chimaira and Six Feet Under.
1995 – South Korean singer and actress Kim Ji-soo also known professionally as Jisoo was born in Gunpo, Gyeonggi. She came to prominence as a member of the K-pop girl group Blackpink.