On This Day, March 8 in Music History
EVENTS ON MARCH 8 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 8 in 1965 – The Manish Boys with young David Bowie on vocals and alto saxophone made their TV debut when they performed their version of ‘I Pity The Fool’ on the UK TV-show ”Gadzooks! It’s All Happening”.
1965 – Bob Dylan released ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ through Columbia Records. It became his first Top 40 hit in the US and it also made the Top 10 on the UK Singles chart.
1969 – ‘Happy Birthday’ became the first ever song performed in outer space on this day March 8 in music history when the crew of Apollo 9 sang the tune to celebrate the birthday of NASA’s Flight Operations Director Christopher Kraft who recently turned 45.
1969 – Country music singer Glen Campbell started a three-week run at No.1 in the US on this day March 8 with his eleventh studio album ‘Wichita Lineman’.
1973 – Paul McCartney pleaded guilty to charges of growing marijuana on his Scottish countryside farm for which he received a $200 fine. However, his explanation for the situation is rather bizarre. He told the police that some fans had given him seeds and he had no idea what they would grow into.
1973 – Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan died on this day March 8, aged 27 from stomach bleeding and liver failure caused by alcohol poisoning. Best remembered as a founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead
1974 – Rock band Queen released their second studio album ‘Queen II’ through EMI and Elektra Records. The album peaked at No.5 in the UK and was a Top 50 hit in the US.
1975 – The number one single in the US on this day March 8 in music history was ‘Have You Never Been Mellow’ by Olivia Newton-John.
1975 – With his rendition of Bread‘s hit song ‘If’, actor and singer Telly Savalas started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart.
1983 – English composer William Walton died on this day March 8, aged 80. Best remembered for compositions such as ‘Crown Imperial’, ‘Viola Concerto’, ‘First Symphony’, ‘Orb and Spectre’, etc.
1986 – Whitney Houston hit number one on the US Billboard 200 with her eponymous debut studio album for the first of seven consecutive weeks and fourteen in total.
1986 – Diana Ross scored her second number one single in the United Kingdom with ‘Chain Reaction’ on this day March 8. The song was written and produced by the Bee Gees.
1993 – American jazz singer and bandleader William “Billy” Eckstine died at the age of 78. Best remembered for his hit rendition of ‘I Apologize’.
1997 – Alternative rock band Live went to number one in the United States on this day March 8 in music history with their fourth studio album ‘Secret Samadhi’.
2003 – British singer and actor Terence Nelhams-Wright also known professionally as Adam Faith died of a heart attack, aged 62. Best remembered for his chart-topping singles ‘What Do You Want?’ and ‘Poor Me’.
2003 – Singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones started a four-week stint at No.1 on the UK Albums chart with her debut studio release ‘Come Away with Me’ on this day March 8.
2003 – With ‘In da Club’, rapper 50 Cent hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of nine consecutive weeks. His first chart-topping single.
2003 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day March 8 was ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera who topped the chart for two weeks straight.
2009 – Country music singer-songwriter Hank Locklin died at the age of 91. Best remembered for hit singles such as ‘Send Me the Pillow Your Dream On’ and ‘Please Help Me, I’m Falling’.
2009 – American blues music guitarist and singer Willie King died on this day March 8 in music history at the age of 65.
2011 – Bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band Alice in Chains, Michael “Mike” Starr died at the age of 44 of a drug overdose.
2011 – American R&B and soul music singer Bernard St. Clair Lee died on this day March 8 at the age of 66. Best remembered as the co-founder of the group The Hues Corporation.
2014 – With ‘Happy’, Pharrell Williams hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of ten consecutive weeks.
2016 – British record producer, arranger, composer, audio engineer and conductor George Martin died on this day March 8, aged 90. Best remembered for his work with The Beatles which earned him the moniker ‘Fifth Beatle’.
2016 – AC/DC had to postpone their US tour because Brian Johnson was going deaf and was at risk of completely losing his hearing if he continued touring.
BORN ON MARCH 8 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1927 – American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and composer Dick Hyman was born in New York City.
1945 – American singer, drummer, nd actor Michael “Micky” Dolenz was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a member of the pop rock band The Monkees.
1946 – Bass guitarist, vocalist, and founding member of the the Eagles, Randall Herman Meisner was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
1946 – American lyricist, singer-songwriter and painter Carole Bayer Sager was born in New York City.
1947 – American guitarist Michael Rand Allsup was born in Oakdale, California. Best known as a member of the rock band Three Dog Night.
1948 – English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Melville “Mel” Galley was born in Cannock. Best known for his work with the bands Whitesnake, Phenomena, Trapeze and others.
1948 – Pop music singer Little Peggy March was born Margaret Annemarie Battavio in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Best known for her 1963 chart-topping single ‘I Will Follow Him’.
1949 – Guitarist and singer-songwriter Dave Lambert was born in Hounslow, England. Best known as a member of the rock band Strawbs.
1957 – English drummer Clive Burr was born in London. He came to prominence as a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
1958 – English singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist Gary Numan was born in London. He rose to fame as the frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army before establishing himself as a solo artist.
1964 – Drummer and founding member of the synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Peter Gill was born in Liverpool, England.
1968 – American singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Best known for his 1998 hit single ‘Lullaby’.
1976 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Gareth “Gaz” Coombes was born in Oxford, England. Best known as the co-founder and frontman of the alternative rock band Supergrass.
1979 – Longtime member and lead singer of the alternative rock band Keane, Tom Chaplin was born in Hastings, England.