On This Day, November 12 in Music History
EVENTS ON NOVEMBER 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day November 12 1964 – Roy Orbison returned to number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’.
1966 – Johnny Rivers scored his first and only number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Poor Side of Town’.
1966 – Pop rock band The Monkees started a thirteen-week stint at number one on the US Billboard 200 with their debut eponymous studio album.
1977 – Punk pioneers Sex Pistols topped the UK Albums chart with their only studio LP ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’.
1983 – With ‘All Night Long (All Night)’, Lionel Richie started a four-week run at number one in the US . The song was a international hit and it also reached No.1 in Australia, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, and South Africa. Lionel also reached No.1 on the UK albums chart with ‘Can’t Slow Down’ on this day.
1984 – Singer and songwriter Madonna released her second studio album ‘Like a Virgin’ on Sire Records. The album reached No.1 in the US, Italy, Spain, the UK, New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands, and it features two chart-topping singles ‘Like a Virgin’ and ‘Into the Groove’.
1988 – The number one album in the United States was the hybrid live/studio LP ‘Rattle and Hum’ by the Irish rock band U2. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for six weeks straight.
1988 – British pop rock band Escape Club topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Wild, Wild West’. In the UK the single failed to chart.
1994 – Nirvana‘s live album ‘Unplugged in New York’ debuted at number one in the United Kingdom.
1997 – German-American guitarist and singer-songwriter Rainer Ptacker died at the age of 46 from brain tumor.
2003 – American drummer and session musician Anthony “Tony” Thompson died from cancer, aged 48. Best remembered for his work with bands such as Chic and The Power Station.
2005 – With their first greatest hits compilation ‘#1’s’, girl group Destiny’s Child went to number one on the US Albums chart.
2005 – Irish boy band Westlife started a two-week run at number one on the UK Singles chart with their rendition of ‘You Raise Me Up’. They also conquered the UK Albums chart on this day with ‘Face to Face’.
2008 – English drummer John Graham “Mitch” Mitchell died at the age of 62. Best remembered for his work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
2011 – American drummer, singer, songwriter, and composer Doyle Bramhall died at the age of 62.
2011 – With ‘We Found Love’, Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris reached No.1 on the US Singles chart for the first of eight consecutive weeks.
2011 – Pop rock band Coldplay scored their third consecutive chart-topping album in the US with ‘Mylo Xyloto’.
2011 – Indie rock band Florence and the Machine scored their second number one album in the UK with ‘Ceremonials’.
2015 – English drummer Philip “Phil” Taylor also known as “Philthy Animal” died at age 61. Best remembered for his work with the heavy metal band Motörhead.
2015 – The Elvis Presley compilation album ‘If I Can Dream’ released by RCA Records and Legacy Recordings started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK.
2016 – The number one album in the United States on this day was Lady Gaga‘s fifth studio LP ‘Joanne’.
2020 – With ‘Positions’, Ariana Grande scored her fourth consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom.
BORN ON NOVEMBER 12 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1911 – American jazz trumpeter Wilbur Dorsey “Buck” Clayton was born in Parsons, Kansas.
1917 – Traditional pop music singer Jo Stafford was born in Coalinga, California. Best known for chart-topping hits such as ‘You Belong to Me’, ‘Candy’, and ‘Make Love to Me’.
1930 – American songwriter and singer Robert “Bob” Crewe was born in Newark, New Jersey. Best known for co-writing hit songs such as ‘Lady Marmalade’, ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’, ‘Walk Like a Man’, and ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ among others.
1938 – Singer, songwriter, and pianist Mortimer “Mort” Shuman was born in Brooklyn, New York. Best known for co-writing the hit song ‘Viva Las Vegas’.
1938 – American pop music singer-songwriter and producer Terry “Buzzy” Johnson was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1943 – Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of the pop group The Walker Brothers, John Maus also known as John Walker was born in New York City.
1943 – Co-founder and frontman of the funk/soul band Hot Chocolate, Errol Brown was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
1943 – American singer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Hyland was born in Queens, New York City.
1944 – Co-founder and frontman of the band Booket T. & the M.G.’s, Booker Taliaferro Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1945 – Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player Neil Young was born in Toronto, Ontario.
1947 – Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Donald Brian Roeser also known professionally as Buck Dharma was born in New York City. Best known as the only constant member of the rock band Blue Öyster Cult.
1950 – Country and gospel music singer and songwriter Barbara Fairchild was born in Knobel, Arkansas. Best known for her chart-topping single ‘The Teddy Bear Song’.
1952 – English guitarist and session musician Laurence Juber was born in London. Best known as a member of the rock band Wings.
1955 – Scottish singer Leslie “Les” McKeown was born in Edinburgh. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the pop rock band Bay City Rollers.
1964 – Founding member and bassist of the thrash metal band Megadeth, David Ellefson was born in Jackson, Minnesota.
1964 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Victor “Vic” Chesnutt was born in Jacksonville, Florida.
1984 – American R&B singer and songwriter Omari Ishmael Grandberry also known by his stage name Omarion was born in Inglewood, California.