On This Day, May 12 in Music History
EVENTS ON MAY 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 12 in 1958 – The Everly Brothers had the best-selling single in the United States with with ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. It was also a big hit in the UK where it topped the Singles chart for 7 weeks straight, starting July 4.
1963 – Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan cancelled his appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show after he was told that he wasn’t allowed to play ‘Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues’ because it was potentially libelous to the John Birch Society.
1965 – The Rolling Stones finished recording ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. It was released as a single on June 4 and it became one of the group’s most popular songs and it topped a dozen charts worldwide.
1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album ‘Are You Experienced’ through Track Records on this day May 12. In the UK the album spent 33 weeks on the chart peaking at No.2 while in the US it reached No.5.
1969 – Fairport Convention‘s van crashed on the M1 highway while travelling back from a gig during their UK tour. The accident took the lives of the group’s 19 year old drummer Martin Lamble and frontman Richard Thompson‘s girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.
1972 – The Rolling Stones released their studio album ‘Exile on Main St.’ on this day May 12 the band’s own record label. The album was a commercial success and it peaked at No.1 in the US, Spain, Norway, Canada, Netherlands, and the UK.
1973 – With their fifth studio album ‘Houses of the Holy’, Led Zeppelin started a two-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard 200. The album also topped the charts in Australia and the UK.
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1977 – The Sex Pistols signed a deal with Virgin Records on this day May 12 in music history. It was their third record label deal in the span of 6 months after previously being dropped by both EMI and A&M Records.
1984 – Lionel Richie topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Hello’. It was an international hit and reached No.1 in a dozen countries worldwide that year, including the UK and Canada.
1990 – With his breakthrough single ‘Killer’, DJ and record producer Adamski started a four-week run at No.1 in the UK on this day May 12.
1998 – Rock musician Lenny Kravitz released his fifth full-length studio album ‘5’ on Virgin Records. It became a chart-topper in Australia and it sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
2001 – American girl group Destiny’s Child topped the UK Albums chart for the first time with their third studio album ‘Survivor’.
2001 – With her seventh studio album ‘All for You’, Janet Jackson scored her fifth consecutive chart-topper on the US Billboard 200.
2001 – American singer, actor and TV personality Perry Como died on this day May 12 in music history at the age of 88. Best remembered for hit records such as ‘Till the End of Time’, ‘Prisoner of Love’, ‘Surrender’, and ‘Don’t Let The Stars Get in Your Eyes’ among many others.
2001 – Pop singer Geri Halliwell topped the UK Singles chart with her rendition of the Weather Girls 1982 song ‘It’s Raining Men’.
2007 – The No.1 single in the US on this day May 12 was ‘Makes Me Wonder’ by the pop rock band Maroon 5. The song was their first chart-topper and it set the record for the biggest jump to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from 64 to 1.
2011 – Jamaican influential modern ska and reggae drummer Lloyd Knibb died from liver cancer at the age of 80.
2012 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jack White topped the US Billboard 200 on this day May 12 with his debut solo studio release ‘Blunderbluss’.
2012 – Welsh singer and songwriter Marina Diamandis also known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds hit No.1 in the UK with her second studio album ‘Electra Heart’.
2012 – With her debut solo single ‘Young’, English singer Tulisa went to No.1 on in the United Kingdom on this day May 12 in music history.
2016 – Canadian rapper Drake scored his first chart-topper on the UK Albums chart with ‘Views’, his fourth studio LP.
2018 – With his second studio album ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’, rapper and singer Post Malone hit number one on the US Billboard 200 for the first of three consecutive weeks.
2022 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day May 12 was ‘Ribbon Around the Bomb’ by the indie pop band Blossoms.
BORN ON MAY 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1927 – Multi-genre singer, guitarist, and producer Barbara Jean Spillman better known as Barbara Dane was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1929 – American composer, songwriter, singer, record producer and pianist Burt Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Best known for his collaboration with Hal David with whom he wrote over 70 Top 40 songs in the US, including chart-toppers such as ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head’, ‘This Guy’s in Love with You’, ‘That’s What Friends Are For’, etc.
1940 – Songwriter and record producer Norman Whitfield was born in Harlem, New York City. Best known for writing and producing dozens of hit songs for Motown related music acts.
1942 – Singer-songwriter and actor Ian Dury was born in Harrow, England. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the bands Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Kilburn and the High Roads.
1942 – Country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist William ‘Billy’ Swan was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Best known for his 1974 international hit single ‘I Can Help’.
1945 – English keyboardist and vocalist Ian McLagan was born in Hounslow. Best known as a member of the rock bands Small Faces and Faces.
1948 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen “Steve” Winwood was born in Handsworth, England. He rose to fame as a member of the rock bands The Spencer David Group, Traffic, and Blind Faith before establishing himself as a successful solo artist
1950 – American rock singer, songwriter and instrumentalist William ‘Billy’ Squier was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Best known for the hit songs ‘The Stroke’, ‘Everybody Wants You’, and ‘Rock Me Tonite’.
1955 – Country music singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor Kix Brooks was born Leon Eric Brooks in Shreveport, Louisiana. Best known as one half of the country duo Brooks & Dunn.
1959 – American singer Raymond “Ray” Gillen was born in New York City. He came to prominence as a member of the heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Badlands.
1961 – Co-founder and lead guitarist of the hard rock band The Cult, William ‘Billy’ Duffy was born in Manchester, England.
1962 – Guitarist, songwriter and record label owner Brett Gurewitz was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a founding member of the punk rock band Bad Religion.
1978 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Alexander “Alex” Ebert was born in Los Angeles. Best known as the frontman of the bands Ima Robot and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.