On This Day, July 22 in Music History
EVENTS ON JULY 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day July 22 in 1965 – With their rendition of Bob Dylan‘s song ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, The Birds went to number one on the UK Singles chart. Their version also topped the charts in Ireland, South Africa, and the US.
1968 – A collaboration album between Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, and Stephen Stills called ‘Super Session’ was released on Columbia Records. It peaked at No.12 and sold over 500,000 units in the US.
1973 – American pop singer Lawrence “Larry” Finnegan died on this day July 22 in music history, aged 34 from a brain tumor. Best remembered for his chart-topping single ‘Dear One’.
1977 – English singer and songwriter Elvis Costello released his debut studio album ‘My Aim Is True’ through Stiff Records. The album reached No.14 in the UK and No.32 in the US.
1989 – Pop singer Sonia started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You’ on this day July 22. She also topped the European Hot 100 and the Irish singles chart that year.
1989 – Prince started a six-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 chart with his eleventh studio album ‘Batman’ which also served as the soundtrack to the superhero film of the same name. The album was an international hit and it topped the charts in seven other countries, including the UK and Canada.
1989 – With their third studio album ‘A New Flame’, pop and soul band Simply Red hit number one in the UK on this day July 22. The album topped the charts in Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland as well.
1989 – Marta Marrero also known professionally as Martika went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Toy Soldiers’. The song was also a chart-topper in New Zealand and it cracked the Top 10 in eleven countries worldwide.
1995 – The soundtrack album to the Disney animated film ‘Pocahontas’ went to number one in the US on this day July 22 in music history. The soundtrack won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (‘Colors of the Wind’) as well.
2000 – Alternative rock band Matchbox Twenty scored their first No.1 single in the US with ‘Bent’. The song also topped the singles chart in Canada.
2000 – Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating scored his second No.1 single in the UK with ‘Life is a Rollercoaster’ on this day July 22. The single also went to number one in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, and Scotland.
2000 – With their debut studio album ‘Parachutes’, pop rock band Coldplay reached number one in the UK. The album won the band a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, and it also topped the charts in Australia, Norway, and Scotland.
2002 – American jazz singer Marion Montgomery died on this day July 22 at the age of 67 from lung cancer. Best remembered for her renditions of the songs ‘That’s Life’ and ‘Maybe the Morning’.
2004 – French singer-songwriter and guitarist Alexandre “Sacha” Distel died at the age of 71. Best remembered for his version of ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ which peaked at No.10 in the UK.
2005 – American singer, songwriter, producer and arranger Eugene Record died on this day July 22 in music history, aged 64. Best remembered as a founding member and lead vocalist of the vocal quartet The Chi-Lites.
2006 – With the posthumously released album ‘American V: A Hundred Highways’, Johnny Cash went to No.1 in the US. The album also topped the charts in Ireland and Sweden while in the UK it reached No.9.
2010 – American electric blues guitarist Phillip Walker died on this day July 22 at the age of 73 from heart failure. Best remembered for his 1959 hit single ‘Hello My Darling’.
2019 – American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and bandleader Arthur “Art” Neville died at the age of 81. Best remembered for co-founding the bands The Meters, The Neville Brothers, and The Funky Meters.
2021 – Irish rock band Inhaler went to No.1 in the UK with their debut studio album ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ on this day July 22.
BORN ON JULY 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1924 – American traditional pop and country music singer Margaret Whiting was born in Detroit, Michigan on this day July 22 in music history.
1937 – American R&B singer Chuck Jackson was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Any Day Now’, ‘I Keep Forgettin”, and ‘I Don’t Want to Cry’.
1940 – American singer Thomas Wayne Perkins was born in Batesville, Mississippi on this day July 22. Best known for his 1959 hit single ‘Tragedy’.
1941 – Founder and leader of the music collective Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
1941 – R&B and pop music singer Estelle Bennet was born on this day July 22 in New York City. She rose to fame as a member of the girl group The Ronettes.
1943 – American singer and songwriter Robert Sherman Jr. also known professionally as Bobby Sherman was born in Santa Monica, California.
1944 – Vocalist, keyboardist and founder of the rock band Supertramp, Richard Davies was born in Swindon, England on this day July 22 in music history.
1947 – Singer, songwriter, drummer, guitarist and producer Donald Henley was born in Gilmer, Texas. Best known as a founding member of the rock band Eagles and for his solo career.
1953 – English singer Brian Howe was born on this day July 22 in Portsmouth. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock supergroup Bad Company.
1956 – English drummer and kitchen designer Michael “Mick” Pointer was born in Brill. Best known as a member of the progressive rock bands Marillion and Arena.
1961 – Singer-songwriter and producer Keith Sweat was born on this day July 22 in Harlem, New York City. Best known for hit songs such as ‘I Want Her’, ‘Get Up on It’, ‘Twisted’, and ‘Nobody’.
1963 – Singer, multi-instrumentalist and one half of the musical duo Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
1964 – Drummer of the rock band Living Colour, William Calhoun was born in the Bronx, New York on this day July 22 in music history.
1967 – Bassist, singer and songwriter Patrick “Pat” Badger was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Best known for his work with the rock band Extreme.
1971 – English singer-songwriter and guitarist Christopher “Chris” Helme was born on this day July 22 in Howden, Yorkshire,
1973 – Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and composer Rufus Wainwright was born on this day in Rhinebeck, New York.
1973 – Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and one half of the pop duo Savage Garden, Daniel Jones was born on this day July 22 in Southend, England.
1992 – American singer and actress Selena Gomez was born in Grand Prairie, Texas on this day July 22 in music history.