On This Day, June 5 in Music History
EVENTS ON JUNE 5 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day June 5 in 1961 – Roy Orbison scored his first US Billboard Hot 100 No.1 single with ‘Running Scared’. Also a hit in the UK where it peaked at No.9.
1964 – Seventeen year old David Bowie released his first single ‘Liza Jane’ under his real name David Jones and it also credits the King Bees. He later changed his stage name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
1964 – The Rolling Stones kicked off their first American tour with a show at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California on this day June 5 in music history. They played 12 shows in total and the tour concluded on June 20 in New York City at the Carnegie Hall.
1965 – The soundtrack album of the film ‘The Sound of Music’ started a ten-week stint at number one in the UK. The album also reached No.1 in the US and Australia, and it’s one of the most successful soundtracks of all time having sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
1971 – Paul and Linda McCartney topped the UK Albums chart with ‘Ram’ on this day June 5. The album also wen to No.1 in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden that year.
1976 – Country music singer Barry Authors also known by his stage name J. J. Barrie topped the UK Singles chart with his rendition of the song ‘No Charge’.
1982 – With their eighth and final studio album ‘Avalon’, pop rock band Roxy Music reached number one in the UK on this day June 5 for the first of three non-consecutive weeks.
1990 – American drummer Jim Hodder drowned in a swimming pool, aged 42. Best remembered as a founding member of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.
1993 – Country music singer-songwriter Harold Jenkins also known professionally as Conway Twitty died on this day June 5 in music history, aged 59. Best known for scoring incredible 55 number one singles on the music charts.
1993 – Janet Jackson scored her third consecutive chart-topper on the US Billboard 200 with her fifth studio album ‘janet.’. It held the top spot for six weeks straight.
1995 – Rock band Pink Floyd released their third live album ‘Pulse’ on Columbia Records in the US. The album was recorded during the band’s Division Bell Tour in 1994 and it topped the LP charts in fifteen countries, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
1999 – With their third studio album ‘Millennium’, boy band Backstreet Boys hit number one in the US on this day June 5 for the first of five consecutive weeks. The album was an international hit reaching No.1 in a dozen countries and it sold over 25 million copies.
2002 – Bass guitarist Douglas Glenn Colvin better known as Dee Dee Ramone died at the age of 50 from a heroin overdose. Best known as a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones.
2003 – Heavy metal band Metallica released their eighth studio album ‘St. Anger’ on this day June 5 through Elektra Records. It was a commercial success and it hit No.1 in eighteen countries worldwide.
2004 – Canadian singer and songwriter Avril Lavigne scored her second consecutive number one album in the UK with ‘Under My Skin’. The LP also hit No.1 in eleven more countries that year, including the US.
2010 – The cast of the musical TV series Glee scored their second No.1 album of the year in the US on this day June 5 in music history with ‘Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers’. They previously were at No.1 on May 8 with ‘Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna’.
2010 – British rapper and songwriter Dizzee Rascal scored his fourth number one single in the United Kingdom with ‘Dirtee Disco’.
2010 – With their third studio album ‘Immersion’, Australian electronic rock band Pendulum went to number one in the UK.
2016 – Agneta, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid (ABBA) reunited and performed together for the first time in 34 years at a show in Stockholm, Sweden.
2021 – South Korean boy band BTS scored their third US Billboard Hot 100 number one single with ‘Butter’ on this day June 5. It held the top spot for seven consecutive weeks and ten in total.
2021 – Singer and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo went to number one in the United States with her debut studio album ‘Sour’. The album was a big international hit reaching No.1 in over fifteen countries and it features three hit singles ‘Drivers License’, ‘Deja Vu’, and ‘Good 4 U’.
BORN ON JUNE 5 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1922 – American jazz drummer Gordon “Specs” Powell was born in New York City.
1932 – American jazz pianist and accordionist Peter Ceragioli better known as Pete Jolly was born in New Haven, Connecticut.
1941 – Argentine classical concert pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1943 – Bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Michael Davis was born in Chico, California. Best known as a member of the rock band the MC5.
1947 – English musician and songwriter Thomas Evans was born in Liverpool. Best known as a member of Badfinger.
1947 – Guitarist and vocalist Frederick Stewart better known professionally as Freddie Stone was born in Vallejo, California. He came to prominence as the co-founder of Sly and the Family Stone.
1947 – Avant-garde artist multi-instrumentalist, and composer Laurie Anderson was born in Glen Elly, Illinois.
1952 – English drummer Michael “Nicko” McBrain was born in Hackney, London. Best known as a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
1954 – Jazz drummer Peter Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey. Best known for his work with the bands Weather Report and Steps Ahead.
1956 – Smooth jazz saxophonist and composer Kenneth Gorelick also known professionally as Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time with over 75 million records sold worldwide.
1956 – English singer and songwriter Richard Butler was born in Kingston, London. Best known for fronting the bands The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love.
1969 – American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Brian McKnight was born in Buffalo, New York.
1970 – Danish instrumentalist, producer and songwriter Claus Norreen was born. Best known as a member of the Europop group Aqua.
1979 – Bassist, vocalist and songwriter Peter “Pete” Wentz was born in Wilmette, Illinois. Best known as a founding member of the pop rock band Fall Out Boy.
1981 – Guitarist and founding member of the rock band Simple Plan, Sebastien Lefebvre was born in Montreal, Canada.
1998 – British rapper, singer, and songwriter David Omoregie also known as Santan Dave was born in London.