On This Day, May 27 in Music History
EVENTS ON MAY 27 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 27 in 1957 – Buddy Holly and The Crickets released their debut single ‘That’ll Be the Day’ on the Brunswick Records label. The song became a hit and it topped both the US and UK Singles charts. This was also the first song The Beatles recorded as a demonstration disc under the Quarrymen name.
1963 – Bob Dylan released his second studio album ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ through Columbia Records. The album reached number one in the UK while in the US it stalled at No.22 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1963 – The Beatles released ‘From Me to You’ in the US on this day May 27 in music history. The single topped the charts in Ireland, the UK, South Africa, and New Zealand while in the US it peaked at No.41.
1965 – English pop singer Sandie Shaw started a three-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Long Live Love’. It was her second of three British No.1 hits.
1972 – Soul vocal group The Chi-Lites scored their first and only No.1 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Oh Girl’.
1977 – Neil Young released his eighth studio album ‘American Stars ‘n Bars’ through Reprise / Warner Bros Records. It features one of his most popular songs ‘Like a Hurricane’.
1977 – Punk rock band the Sex Pistols released their highly controversial song ‘God Save The Queen’ on this day May 27. Although multiple record stores and the BBC sabotaged it, they still managed to sell over 150,000 copies in the first week of release. The song also topped the UK NME chart and climbed to number two on the official UK Singles chart.
1987 – The noise and vibrations during a U2 concert in Rome were so powerful that even the alarms for earthquake went off.
1994 – After a fourteen-year hiatus, the Eagles reunited for a world tour on this day May 27 in music history. They played their first show at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in California. Some of the performances on their tour were recorded and later released as a live album titled ‘Hell Freezes Over’.
1995 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Weller topped the UK Albums chart on this day with his third solo release ‘Stanley Road’.
1995 – With their debut studio album ‘Cracked Rear View’, rock band Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 on this day May 27. The album held the top spot for eight non-consecutive weeks in total.
1999 – The 44th annual Ivor Novello Awards were held at the Grosvenor House in London. Among the winners that night – The Sundays, Cher, Robbie Williams, Hal David, Chrissie Hynde, etc. Rod Stewart received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
2000 – English singer and actress Billie Piper scored her third and last number one single in the United Kingdom on this day May 27 with ‘Day & Night’.
2000 – With her compilation album ‘Whitney: The Greatest Hits’, Whitney Houston reached No.1 in the UK for the first of two weeks straight.
2003 – Italian composer Luciano Berio died on this day May 27 in music history, aged 77. Best remembered for his pioneering work in experimental and electronic music.
2006 – Red Hot Chili Peppers‘s ninth studio album ‘Stadium Arcadium’ became the group’s first LP to top the US Billboard 200 chart.
2017 – American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Gregg Allman died on this day May 27, aged 69 from liver cancer. Best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band.
2017 – With ‘Despacito’, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first of sixteen consecutive weeks, thus tying the record for longest-reigning chart-topper.
2017 – The number one album in the United States on this day May 27 was the third studio release ‘Everybody’ by the rapper Logic.
2021 – Twenty-six years later on the same date, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Weller also topped the UK Albums chart but this time with his sixteenth studio LP ‘Fat Pop (Volume 1).
BORN ON MAY 27 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1922 – English actor and singer Christopher Lee was born in Belgravia, London. Best known for portraying Count Dracula in several movies and for playing Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
1935 – Grammy Award-winning jazz composer, pianist and radio personality Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1939 – American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist Donald ‘Don’ Williams was born in Floydada, Texas.
1943 – English singer and TV presenter Priscilla White better known as Cilla Black was born in Liverpool. She rose to fame with her chart-topping singles ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ and ‘You’re My World’.
1945 – Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Bruce Cockburn was born in Ottawa, Ontario.
1947 – English multi-instrumentalist Peter Knight was born in London. Best known for his work with the folk rock group Steeleye Span.
1948 – English multi-instrumentalist Pete Sears was born in Bromley. He worked with the likes of Jefferson Starship, John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, David Crosby, Rod Steward, etc
1950 – American jazz singer, songwriter, producer and actress Dee Dee Bridgewater was born Denise Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee.
1957 – Canadian keyboardist Edward “Eddie” Harsch was born in Toronto. Best known for his work with the bands The Black Crowes and Bulldog.
1957 – English singer-songwriter Susan Ballion also known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux was born in London. Best known for fronting the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees.
1958 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Neil Finn was born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand. Best known as the frontman of the bands Split Enz and Crowded House.
1966 – Drummer and founding member of rock band Alice in Chains, Sean Kinney was born in Renton, Washington.
1971 – Singer, songwriter and rapper Lisa Lopes also known by her stage name Left Eye was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She rose to fame as a member of the R&B girl group TLC.
1975 – American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer André 3000 was born André Lauren Benjamin in Atlanta, Georgia. Best known as one half of the hip hop duo Outkast.