On This Day, May 15 in Music History
EVENTS ON MAY 15 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 15 in 1959 – With the double A-side ‘(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I’ / ‘I Need Your Love Tonight’, Elvis Presley hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of five consecutive weeks.
1963 – The 5th Annual Grammy Awards were held at three different locations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. Among the winners – Tony Bennet, Vaughn Meader, Sammy Davis Jr, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Peter, Paul & Mary.
1971 – Pop music group Dawn started a five-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Knock Three Times’ on this day May 15 in music history. Their first and only chart-topper in the country.
1971 – Pink Floyd and Faces performed at the Crystal Palace Park in London next to a small lake. The gig resulted in an environmental disaster for the aquatic life as hundreds of fish died from the loud music and vibrations.
1971 – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young topped the US Billboard 200 chart with their debut live album ‘4 Way Street’ .
1975 – Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham performed live for the first time with Fleetwood Mac at a concert in El Paso, Texas which also marked the start of the first leg of their 128 shows tour.
1976 – The number one single in the United States on this day May 15 was ‘Boogie Fever’ by the R&B family vocal group The Sylvers.
1976 – With their fifteenth studio album ‘Black and Blue’, The Rolling Stones topped the US Billboard 200. This was the group’s first album to feature guitarist Ronnie Wood.
1982 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day May 15 was ‘A Little Peace’ by the German singer Nicole. This was the English version of her Eurovision-winning song ‘Ein bißchen Frieden’.
1982 – With their self-titled debut studio album, English rock supergroup Asia went to No.1 in the US for the first of nine non-consecutive weeks. The album finished the year at No.1 on the Billboard 200 Year-End chart.
1982 – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder started a seven-week stint at No.1 in the US with ‘Ebony and Ivory’ on this day May 15 in music history. The song was a worldwide hit reaching No.1 in eleven other countries, including Canada and the UK.
1986 – Hip-hop group Run-DMC released their third studio album ‘Raising Hell’ through Profile Records. The album peaked at No.3 in the US and it features their signature song ‘Walk This Way’.
1992 – Barbara Lee Jones died on this day May 15 at the age of 44 from a heart attack. Best known as a member of the all-girl group The Chiffons who had the 1963 No.1 hit ‘Hes So Fine’, a song that George Harrison apparently plagiarized.
1993 – With ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’, Janet Jackson hit number on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first of eight consecutive weeks.
1993 – New wave band New Order topped the UK Albums chart with their sixth studio release ‘Republic’ on this day May 15.
1995 – Alternative rock band Supergrass released their debut studio album ‘I Should Coco’ on Parlophone records. The record topped the UK Albums chart and it became the label’s biggest-selling debut album since The Beatles‘ ‘Please Please Me’.
1999 – With their fourth studio album ‘Head Music’, alternative rock band Suede reached number one in the UK on this day May 15 in music history.
1999 – The compilation album ‘Ryde or Die Vol.1’ released by the hip hop record label Ruff Ryders Entertainment was at No.1 in the US.
1999 – Boy band Backstreet Boys topped the UK Singles chart with ‘I Want It That Way’ on this day May 15. It was a big hit worldwide and it also reached No.1 in over 25 countries.
2000 – English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist Geoff Goddard died from a heart attack, aged 62. Best remembered for writing Joh Leyton’s chart-topping hit ‘Johnny Remember Me’.
2003 – American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist June Carter Cash died on this day May 15 at age of 73 following a heart surgery. Besides her illustrious career, she is also known for being Johnny Cash’s wife.
June & Johnny Cash – ‘Cause I Love You
2004 – With their second and final studio album ‘D12 World’, hip hop supergroup D12 topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
2009 – Punk rock band Green Day released their eighth studio album ’21st Century Breakdown’ via Reprise Records on this day May 15 in music history. It won the group a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and it peaked at No.1 in over 15 countries worldwide.
2010 – The number one album in the UK on this day was the debut studio LP ‘Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree’ by the singer-songwriter Diana Vickers.
2010 – Singer Usher featuring rapper and producer will.i.am topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘OMG’.
2010 – With his debut studio album ‘B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray’, rapper B.o.B. reached number one in the US.
2011 – American vocalist Bob Flanigan died on this day May 15 at the age of 84. Best remembered for co-founding the jazz vocal group The Four Freshmen.
2021 – Record producer DJ Khaled topped the US Billboard 200 chart with his twelfth studio album ‘Khaled Khaled’.
BORN ON MAY 15 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1918 – Country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Edward “Eddy” Arnold was born in Henderson, Tennessee. He sold over 85 million records worldwide and 147 of his songs charted in the US.
1937 – American singer, guitarist and actor Trini Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas. Best know for his 1960s hit songs ‘If I Had a Hammer’ and ‘Lemon Tree’.
1947 – Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Graeham Goble was born in Adelaide. He came to prominence as a founding member of the rock group Little River Band (LRB).
1948 – Multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, record producer and visual artist Brian Eno was born in Melton, Suffolk, England. Best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and as a member of Roxy Music.
1951 – Singer and songwriter Dennis ‘Fergie’ Frederiksen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Best known as the lead singer of bands such as Toto, Trillion, LeRoux, and Angel.
1953 – English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and composer Michael “Mike” Oldfield was born in Reading, England. Best known for his debut studio album ‘Tubular Bells’ that topped the charts worldwide.
1959 – Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Eldritch was born in Ely, England. He rose to fame as a founding member and frontman of the rock band The Sisters of Mercy.
1966 – English musician and DJ Peter Wiggs was born in Reigate, Surrey. Best known as a founding member of the dance pop band Saint Etienne.
1983 – American guitarist, songwriter and record producer Devin Bronson was born in Seattle, Washington. He has collaborated with musicians such as Avril Lavigne, Sebastian Bach, David Cook and others.
1997 – American rapper and record producer Omar Jeffrey Pineiro better known by his stage name Smokepurpp was born in Chicago, Illinois.