On This Day, July 12 in Music History
EVENTS ON JULY 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day July 12 in 1957 – Elvis Presley scored his first No.1 single in the UK with ‘All Shook Up’ which topped the Singles chart for seven consecutive weeks.
1962 – With his rendition of Don Gibson‘s song ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’, Ray Charles reached number one on the UK Singles chart for the first of two weeks. Also a chart-topper in the US, Australia and Sweden.
1962 – The Rolling Stones played their first show billed as “The Rollin Stones” at the Marquee Club in London on this day July 12 in music history.
1969 – Zager and Evans started a six-week run at number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘In the Year 2525’. The song was a big international hit and it also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK.
1969 – Country music singer Jim Reeves started a four-week stint at No.1 on the UK Albums chart with his studio LP ‘According to My Heart’ on this day July 12.
1975 – Singer and songwriter Johnny Nash scored his first and only number one single in the UK with ‘Tears on My Pillow’.
1979 – American soul music singer Minnie Riperton died on this day July 12 at the age of 31 from breast cancer. Best remembered for her chart-topping 1975 single ‘Lovin’ You’.
1980 – Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Xanadu’ which is the title song to the movie of the same name.
1983 – Multi-instrumentalist Christopher “Chris” Wood died on this day July 12 in music history, aged 39 from liver disease. Best remembered as a founding member of the rock band Traffic.
1985 – Pop rock band Tears for Tears topped the US Billboard 200 chart with their second studio album ‘Songs from the Big Chair’. The album was an international hit and it features their best-known song ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ which was also a chart-topper.
1986 – With ‘Holding Back the Years’, Simply Red hit number one on the US Singles chart on this day July 12. Also a chart-topper in Canada and Ireland that year and a No.2 hit in the UK.
1986 – Madonna started a three-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Papa Don’t Preach’. She also hit No.1 on the UK Albums chart with ‘True Blue’ on this day which held the top spot for six weeks.
1997 – Electronic music group The Prodigy went to number one in the UK on this day July 12 with their third studio album ‘The Fat of the Land’.
1997 – The Spice Girls returned to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with their debut studio album ‘Spice’. The album was a big hit worldwide and it topped the charts in seventeen countries. Also, four of its singles went to number one in over 50 countries around the world.
Spice Girls – Say You’ll Be There
1998 – Folk music songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James Morris also known as Jimmy Driftwood died on this day July 12 in music history, aged 91. Best remembered for the songs ‘The Battle of New Orleans’ and ‘Tennessee Stud’.
2003 – Jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader Bennett “Benny” Carter died at the age of 95.
2003 – Beyonce and Jay-Z reached No.1 on both the US and UK Singles charts with ‘Crazy in Love’. Beyonce also topped the Billboard 200 with her debut album ‘Dangerously in Love’ on this day July 12.
2008 – Rapper Dizzee Rascal featuring DJ Calvin Harris and singer Chrome topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Dance wiv Me’. It held the top spot for four weeks.
2012 – Linkin Park went to number one in the US with their fifth studio album ‘Living Things’ on this day July 12. The album was a big commercial success and it topped the charts in nineteen countries worldwide.
2014 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Problem’ by Ariana Granda featuring Iggy Azalea.
2014 – With his second studio album ‘X’ also known as ‘Multiply’, Ed Sheeran went to No.1 in the US on this day July 12 in music history.
2018 – Canadian rapper Drake scored his second number one album in the UK with ‘Scorpion’. his fifth studio LP.
2020 – English singer and songwriter Judith “Judy” Dyble died at the age of 71. Best remembered as a founding member of the bands Trader Home and Fairport Convention.
BORN ON JULY 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1927 – American jazz trumpeter Secondo “Conte” Candoli was born in Mishawaka, Indiana on this day July 12 in music history.
1934 – American pianist Harvey Lavan “Van” Cliburn was born on this day in Shreveport, Louisiana. He gained popularity after winning the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958.
1935 – English singer and songwriter Barry Mason was born on this day July 12 in Wigan, Lancashire. Best known for writing chart-topping songs such as ‘I Pretend’, ‘Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)’, and ‘The Last Waltz’.
1937 – British R&B and rock saxophonist Howard “Howie” Casey was born on this day in Liverpool, England. He rose to fame as a member of Derry and the Seniors.
1939 – American singer Kenneth J. Diono better known professionally as Kenny Dino was born on this day July 12 in Queens, New York.
1943 – Singer, songwriter and keyboardist Christine McVie was born in Bouth, England. Best known as a longtime member of Fleetwood Mac with whom she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
1947 – Guitarist, singer and songwriter Wilko Johnson was born John Andrew Wilkinson in Essex, England on this day July 12 in music history. He rose to fame as a member of the pub rock band Dr. Feelgood.
1948 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Walter Egan was born in Queens, New York. Best known for his 1978 hit single ‘Magnet and Steel’.
1950 – Drummer Paul Charles Caravello also known professionally as Eric Carr was born on this day July 12 in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as a member of the rock band Kiss from 1980 until 1991.
1952 – American bass guitarist Philip Taylor Kramer was born on this day in Youngstown, Ohio. Best known for his work with the rock band Iron Butterfly.
1952 – Singer and founding member of the disco/funk group Boney M. Elizabeth “Liz” Mitchell was born on this day July 12 in Clarendon, Jamaica.
1953 – Pop rock singer-songwriters and identical twin brothers Bobby and Billy Alessi known as the Alessi Brothers were born on Long Island, New York.
1962 – Co-founder and lead guitarist of the alt rock band Soul Asylum, Daniel Murphy was born on this day July 12 in music history in Duluth, Minnesota.
1967 – Guitarist and founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, John Petrucci was born in Kings Park, New York.
1976 – American singer, songwriter and actress Tracie Spencer was born on this day July 12 in Waterloo, Iowa.