On This Day, January 7 in Music History
EVENTS ON JANUARY 7 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day January 7 in 1955 – Dickie Valentine with The Stargazers reached number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Finger of Suspicion’.
1964 – British blues musician and pioneer harmonica player Cyril Davies died on this day from leukemia at the age of 31.
1971 – Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath released their second studio album ‘Paranoid’ in the US on this day January 7 in music history. The album was originally titled ‘War Pigs’ but was renamed because their record label feared a backlash from the audience due to the ongoing war in Vietnam.
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1972 – David Bowie released his single ‘Changes’ through RCA Records. The single wasn’t a hit at first and it only reached No.66 on the US Billboard Hot 100 that year, however, over the years it became one of the songs that defined Bowie’s career.
1978 – Fleetwood Mac made a third comeback at number one in the US on this day January 7 with their record-breaking eleventh studio album ‘Rumours’. The LP topped the Billboard 200 for 31 non-consecutive weeks.
1980 – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded Led Zeppelin a Platinum plaque for their eighth and final studio album ‘In Through The Out Door’ which sold over one million copies.
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1980 – American singer and founding member of the doo-wop band The Rivingtons, Carl White died on this day January 7 in music history, aged 48.
1980 – American R&B singer, songwriter, pianist, and producer Lawrence “Larry” Williams died at the age of 44 from a gunshot wound to the head. Best remembered for songs such as ‘Slow Down’, ‘Dizzy, Miss Lizzy’, ‘Bony Moronie’, and ‘She Said Yeah’ among others.
1989 – Australian singers Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of three consecutive weeks with ‘Especially for You’ on this day January 7.
1995 – Country music singer and songwriter Garth Brooks topped the US Albums chart with his greatest hits compilation ‘The Hits’. He held the top spot for five weeks straight.
1998 – American musician, songwriter, producer, and recording studio founder Owen Bradley died on this day January 7, aged 82.
2001 – American R&B and soul music singer James Carr died at the age of 58. Best remembered for his hit recordings of ‘You’ve Got My Mind Messed Up’ and ‘The Dark End of the Street’.
2006 – With her seventh studio album ‘The Breakthrough’, R&B singer Mary J. Blige reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart on this day January 7 in music history.
2012 – The first number one single of the year in the United Kingdom was ‘Paradise’ by the pop rock band Coldplay.
2012 – The electronic dance music duo LMFAO started a two-week run at the top of the US Singles chart with ‘Sexy and I Know It’ on this day January 7.
2016 – American singer and songwriter Gary Wayne Schelton better known professionally as Troy Shondell died at the age of 76. Best remembered for his hit rendition of ‘This Time’.
2016 – With ‘Love Yourself’, Justin Bieber started a three-week stint at the top of the UK Singles chart on this day January 7.
2017 – Canadian singer The Weeknd featuring the French electronic duo Daft Punk topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Starboy’.
2017 – The number one album in the United States on this day January 7 in music history was ‘A Pentatonix Christmas’ by the a cappella group Peentatonix.
2020 – Canadian musician Neil Peart died at the age of 67. Best remembered as the drummer and primary lyricist of the progressive rock band Rush.
2021 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day January 7 was Michael Buble‘s seventh studio release ‘Christmas’.
2021 – 37 years after the song was originally released, pop duo Wham! topped the UK Singles chart for the first time with ‘Last Christmas’ which previously peaked at No.2 on three separate occasions.
BORN ON JANUARY 7 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1908 – American jazz trumpeter and singer Henry James “Red” Allen was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1930 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack Greene nicknamed “Jolly Greene Giant” was born in Maryville, Tennessee. Best known for his 1966 chart-topping hit ‘There Goes My Everthing’.
1938 – American keyboardist Paul Revere was born in Harvard, Nebraska. Best known as the founder and leader of the rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders.
1938 – English singer and songwriter Rory Storm was born Alan Ernest Caldwell in Liverpool. He came to prominence as the leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
1941 – British violinist and conductor Iona Brown was born in Salisbury, England.
1942 – South African pop music singer Danny Williams was born in Eastern Cape. Best known for his hit singles ‘Moon River’ and ‘White on White’.
1943 – Country music singer and instrumentalist Leona Belle Helton also known professionally as Leona Williams was born in Vienna, Missouri.
1944 – English musician and photographer Michael McCartney also known by his stage name Mike McGear was born in Liverpool. Best known for his work with the bands The Scaffold, and Grimms. He’s also the younger brother of Paul McCartney.
1945 – British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dave Cousins was born David Hindson in Hounslow. Best known as the frontman of the rock band Strawbs.
1948 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Kenneth “Kenny” Loggins was born in Everett, Washington.
1949 – American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author Marshall Chapman was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1953 – Jamaican reggae multi-instrumentalist Earl “Wire” Lindo was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Best known for his work with Bob Marley and the Wailers.
1959 – Bass guitarist Kathryn “Kathy” Valentine was born in Austin, Texas. She came to prominence as a member of the pop punk band The Go-Go’s.
1959 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitar player David Lee Murphy was born in Herrin, Illinois. Best known for the chart-topping singles ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ and ‘Dust on the Bottle’.
1963 – Singer, multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of the rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, Clinton Mansell was born in Coventry, England.
1965 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vladimir John Ondrasik also known professionally as Five for Fighting was born in Los Angeles, California.
1974 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitar player John Rich was born in Dickson, Tennessee. He rose to fame as a member of the band Lonestar.
1980 – Singer and songwriter Ivan L. Moody was born Ivan Lewis Greening in Denver, Colorado. Best known as the frontman of the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.