On This Day, May 22 in Music History
EVENTS ON MAY 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 22 in 1961 – With ‘Mother-in-law’, Ernie K Doe went to number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles chart.
1965 – The Beatles scored their third No.1 single of the year in America with with ‘Ticket to Ride’. They previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I Feel Fine’ in January and ‘Eight Days a Week’ in March.
1967 – The Monkees released their third studio album ‘Headquarters’ on this day May 22 in music history. The LP hit No.1 in the US and Canada and peaked at No.2 in the UK and Norway.
1968 – Gary Puckett & The Union Gap topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Young Girl’. The song also reached No.1 in Canada, New Zealand and Ireland that year, while in the US it peaked at No.2.
1971 – With their eleventh studio album ‘Sticky Fingers’, The Rolling Stones hit number one in the US on this day May 22 for the first of four consecutive weeks. The album was a worldwide hit and it also reached No.1 in 10 other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
1972 – Rock group The Guess Who performed at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. The concert was recorded and later released as a live album called ‘Live At The Paramount’ which reached No.39 in the US.
1976 – With ‘Silly Love Songs’, Paul McCartney and Wings topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day May 22. Paul wrote the song as a response to the critics who claimed that he wrote only insubstantial love songs. Or as John Lennon used to call them “granny songs”.
1981 – The Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) awarded Hall & Oates a Gold Disc for their single ‘Kiss on My List’ which sold over 1 million copies. The song topped the Hot 100 chart for three weeks in April.
1982 – With their greatest hits compilation ‘Complete Madness’, ska and pop group Madness started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK on this day May 22 in music history.
1989 – In an interview for The Washington Times, rapper Professor Griff stated that ‘Jews are responsible for the majority of the wickedness in the world’. The rapper faced heavy backlash for his anti-Semitic remarks and was even kicked out of his group Public Enemy.
1993 – Swedish pop group Ace of Base started a three-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘All That She Wants’ on this day May 22. The song reached No.1 in eleven other countries as well and peaked at No.2 in the US.
1999 – With his fifth studio album ‘A Place in the Sun’, country music singer and songwriter Tim McGraw scored his second chart-topper on the US Billboard 200.
1999 – Scottish rock band Texas reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with their fifth studio LP ‘The Hush’ on this day May 22.
1999 – Boy band Boyzone scored their second No.1 single of the year in the UK with their rendition of ‘You Needed Me’. They previously topped the Singles chart with ‘When the Going Gets Tough’ on March 13.
2004 – American R&B singer and songwriter Frankee reached number one in the UK with her debut single ‘F.U.R.B. (Fuck You Right Back)’ on this day May 22 in music history.
2004 – After topping the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve consecutive weeks with ‘Yeah!’, R&B singer Usher extended his run at No.1 for seven more weeks with ‘Burn’.
2004 – With their debut studio album ‘Hopes and Fears’, alternative rock band Keane went to number one in the UK.
2010 – Six years later on the same date, alternative rock band Keane scored their fourth consecutive chart-topper on the UK Albums chart with the extended play (EP) ‘Night Train’.
2010 – The No.1 album in the United States on this day May 22 was ‘The Oracle’ by the rock band Godsmack, their fifth studio release.
2014 – The 59th Ivor Novello Awards were held at Grosvenor House in London. Among the winners – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, London Grammar, Passenger, and Tom Odell. Guitarist Jeff Beck received a Music Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music while Fleetwood Mac‘s Christine McVie received a Lifetime Achievement award
BORN ON MAY 22 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1813 – German composer, conductor and theater director Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig.
1914 – American jazz composer, bandleader, poet, and keyboardist Sun Ra was born in Birmingham, Alabama. Best known for his avant-garde music and as one of the pioneers of experimental jazz.
1928 – One half of the husband-and-wife jazz vocal duo Jackie and Roy, Jacqueline Ruth “Jackie” Cain was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1930 – English jazz trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader Kenny Ball was born in Ilford, Essex. Best known as the leader of Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen.
1941 – American singer Jackie Landry Jackson was born in the Bronx, New York City. She rose to fame as a member of the pop music group The Chantels.
1941 – English drummer Bruce Rowland was born in London. Best known for his work with The Grease Band and Fairport Convention.
1942 – Singer Calvin Simon was born in Beckley, West Virginia. Best known as a member of Parliament and Funkadelic with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997
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1947 – American drummer Bill Lordan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Best known for his work with bands such as Sly & The Family Stone, The Mystics, Gypsy and others.
1950 – British songwriter and lyricist Bernie Taupin was born in Sleaford, England. Best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John.
1954 – British keyboardist, songwriter and founding member of The Specials, Jerry Dammers was born in Ootacamund, India
1959 – Singer-songwriter Steven Morrissey was born in Davyhulme, England. He rose to fame as the frontman of the alternative rock band The Smiths.
1966 – Singer and songwriter Johnny Gill was born in Washington, DC. Best known as a member of the R&B bands New Edition and LSG.
1967 – Canadian bass guitarist Dan Roberts was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He came to prominence as a member of the rock band Crash Test Dummies.
1981 – English singer Su-Elise Michelle Nash was born in Dulwich, London. Best known as a member of the girl group Mis-Teeq.