On This Day, January 9 in Music History
EVENTS ON JANUARY 9 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day January 9 in 1961 – With ‘Wonderland by Night’, Bert Kaempfert hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1965 – Charlie Watts left his job as a graphic designer to join The Rolling Stones as the band’s drummer. He went on to play with the group for 58 years until his death in 2021.
1965 – With ‘Beatles 65’, The Beatles hit number one on the US Billboard 200 chart for the first of nine consecutive weeks on this day January 9 in music history.
1967 – Pop rock band The Monkees released their second studio album ‘More of the Monkees’. The album was a commercial success and it became a chart-topper in the US, France, Canada, Norway, and the UK.
1970 – On Jimmy Page‘s 26th Birthday, Led Zeppelin performed at The Royal Albert Hall in London. The show was recorded but it wasn’t released until three decades later in 2003.
1971 – The number one single in the UK on this day January 9 was ‘Grandad’ by the English actor Clive Dunn. He topped the chart for three weeks straight.
1973 – Because of a 1969 drug conviction, Mick Jagger was denied entry to Japan. When asked by a reporter about his stance on drug use, Jagger replied with: “I don’t take drugs. I don’t approve of drugs and I don’t approve of people taking drugs…unless they’re very careful.”
1981 – American jazz drummer William Randolph “Cozy” Cole died on this day January 9 in music history, aged 71. Best remembered for his hit recordings of ‘Topsy I’ and ‘Topsy II’.
1982 – Synth-pop group the Human League started a three-week stint at number one on the UK Albums chart with ‘Dare!’, their third studio release.
1997 – David Bowie celebrated his 50th birthday with a show at Madison Square Garden in New York on this day January 9. The concert featured guest appearances by the likes of Lou Reed, Dave Grohl, Robert Smith, and Billy Corgan among others.
10 Interesting Facts About David Bowie
1999 – British pop group Steps scored their first domestic number one single with the double A-side ‘Heartbeat’/’Tragedy’.
1999 – With his second studio album ‘Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood’, rapper DMX hit No.1 in the US on this day January 9 for the first of three weeks.
2002 – Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist David McWilliams died at the age of 56 from a heart attack. Best remembered for his 1967 hit song ‘Days of Pearly Spencer’.
2009 – English singer-songwriter and guitarist David Harman also known professionally as Dave Dee died on this day January 9 in music history, aged 65. Best remembered as the frontman of the band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.
2010 – Scottish singer and songwriter Paolo Nutini scored his first chart-topping album in the UK with ‘Sunny Side Up’, his second studio release.
2019 – Singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi went to number one in the UK with his debut studio album – ‘Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent’ on this day January 9.
2020 – With ‘Own It’, rapper Stormzy featuring singers Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy reached the top spot on the UK Singles chart.
2021 – The number one album in the United States on this day January 9 was ‘Whole Lotta Red’ by the rapper Playboi Carti.
BORN ON JANUARY 9 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1910 – American swing music bandleader and composer Richard “Dick” Jurgens was born in Sacramento, California.
1911 – Jazz singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bulee “Slim” Gaillard also known professionally as McVouty was born in London, England.
1914 – American jazz drummer and bandleader Kenneth “Kenny” Clarke also known as Klook was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1918 – Blues music singer Elizabeth “Betty” Roche was born in Wilmington, Delaware. She came to prominence with her hit rendition of ‘Take the “A” Train’.
1920 – British actor and singer Clive Dunn was born in London, England. Best known for the chart-topping double A-side single ‘Grandad’/’I Play the Spoons’.
1928 – Italian singer, actor, and politician Domenico Modugno was born in Polignano a Mare, Italy. He gained international fame with the song ‘Nel blue dipinto di blu’ which reached No.1 in the US and was a Top 10 hit in several countries, including the UK and Canada.
1937 – English jazz musician, producer and engineer Malcolm Cecil was born in London. Best known as a founding member of The Jazz Couriers.
1939 – American singer Jimmy Boyd was born in McComb, Mississippi. Best known for his hit rendition of ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’.
1941 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist Joan Baez was born in Staten Island, New York City.
1943 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Scott Engel also known professionally as Scott Walker was born in Hamilton, Ohio. He rose to fame as the frontman of the pop group The Walker Brothers.
1944 – English guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin, James “Jimmy” Page was born in London.
1948 – Singer, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the folk rock band Steeleye Span, Tim Hart was born in Lincoln, England.
1948 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist William “Bill” Cowsill was born in Middletown, Rhode Island. Best known as the frontman of the family group The Cowsills.
1950 – Co-founder and frontman of the influential proto-punk band New York Dolls, David Johansen was born in New York City.
1951 – Country music singer Crystal Gayle was born Brenda Gail Webb in Paintsville, Kentucky. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue’, ‘Ready for the Times to Get Better’, ‘You and I’, and ‘Half the Way’ among others.
1963 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and founding member of the rock band Hole, Eric Erlandson was born in Los Angeles, California.
1967 – Singer-songwriter and instrumentalist David “Dave” Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He came to prominence as the frontman of the Dave Matthews Band.
1967 – Co-founder and frontman of the pop rock band Smash Mouth, Steven Harwell was born in Santa Clara, California.
1967 – Guitarist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the rock band Fuel, Carl Bell was born in Kenton, Tennessee.
1973 – Jamaican rapper and singer Sean Paul was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Best known for songs such as ‘Get Busy’, ‘Temperature’, ‘Rockabye’, ‘Cheap Thrills’, etc.
1978 – American singer, actor, and dancer Alexander “AJ” McLean was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He came to prominence as a member of the boy band Backstreet Boys.
1987 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paolo Giovanni Nutini was born in Paisley, Scotland.