On This Day, November 28 in Music History
EVENTS ON NOVEMBER 28 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day November 28 in 1958 – The group of session musicians Lord Rockingham’s XI topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Hoots Mon’.
1960 – With ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’, Elvis Presley started a six-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became a chart-topper in Australia, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Spain, and the UK.
1964 – Pop girl group The Shangri-Las topped the US Singles chart with ‘Leader of the Pack’.
1970 – Rock band Santana returned to No.1 on the US Billboard 200 with their second studio LP ‘Abraxas’ for a five-weeks stint at the top.
1970 – Bob Dylan scored his second number one album of the year in the UK with ‘New Morning’. He previously topped the Albums chart with ‘Self Portrait’ in July.
1970 – With his rendition of ‘I Hear You Knocking’, singer and guitarist Dave Edmunds hit No.1 in the UK for the first of six consecutive weeks.
1971 – American blues singer and harmonica player Alexander “Papa” Lightfoot died of respiratory failure, aged 47.
1975 – Rock band Queen released their fourth studio album ‘A Night at the Opera’ on this day November 28. It became their first chart-topper in the UK and the first to reach platinum status in the US. The album also features one of the band’s biggest hits ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
1987 – With ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes reached number one on the US Singles chart. The song featured in the film ‘Dirty Dancing’ and it won the duo numerous awards, including an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe.
1987 – Pop singer Rick Astley topped the UK Albums chart with his debut studio LP ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’. The album was bolstered by the popularity of its lead single ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
1992 – Whitney Houston started a huge fourteen-week stint at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with her version of ‘I Will Always Love You’. The song won her numerous awards and it was a worldwide hit topping the national charts in over 25 countries.
1992 – Synth-pop duo Erasure reached No.1 on the UK Albums chart with their greatest hits compilation ‘Pop! The First 20 Hits’.
1993 – Canadian musician and songwriter Gerald “Jerry” Edmonton died in a car accident at the age of 47. Best remembered as the drummer and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Steppenwolf.
1998 – R&B girl group Divine went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Lately’.
2005 – English musician and founding member of the instrumental rock group The Drifters, Anthony “Tony” Meehan died at the age of 62.
2009 – With their eleventh studio album ‘The Circle’, hard rock band Bon Jovi went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart.
2009 – British singer Leona Lewis scored her second chart-topping album in the United Kingdom with ‘Echo’.
2009 – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys started a five-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Empire State of Mind’.
2019 – Irish pop group Westlife reached number one on the UK Albums chart with their eleventh studio release ‘Spectrum’.
2020 – With their seventeenth studio album ‘Power Up’, hard rock band AC/DC went to number one on the US Billboard 200. The album was a worldwide hit and it peaked at No.1 in 21 countries.
BORN ON NOVEMBER 28 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1925 – American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger Gigi Gryce was born George General Grice in Pensacola, Florida.
1929 – Songwriter, producer and founder of the Motown record label, Berry Gordy was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1932 – American singer Ethel Ennis nicknamed the ‘First Lady of Jazz’ was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
1939 – Singer and founding member of the doo-wop group The Fleetwoods, Gary Troxel was born in Centralia, Washington.
1940 – Singer-songwriter Bruce Channel was born in Jacksonville, Texas. Best known for his 1962 chart-topping single ‘Hey! Baby’.
1940 – Original lead singer of the soul band The Foundations, Clem Curtis was born Curtis Clements in Trinidad, West Indies.
1943 – Singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, and arranger Randall “Randy” Newman was born in Los Angeles, California. Best known for songs such as ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’, ‘Short People’, ‘Mama Told Me Not to Come’, etc.
1948 – Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Beeb Birties was born Gerard Bertelkamp in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Best known for his work with bands such as Little River Band, Zoot, Birties Shorrock Goble, and Mississippi.
1951 – American jazz double bassist Dennis Irwin was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He has played on over 500 albums.
1954 – British musician and founding member of the bands Modern Romance and Leyton Buzzards, David Jaymes was born in Woodford, England.
1962 – Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Matthew “Matt” Cameron was born in San Diego, California. Best known as the drummer for the rock bands Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.
1974 – Filipino-American rapper and singer Allan Pineda Lindo also known by his stage name apl.de.ap was born in Angeles City, Philippines. He rose to fame as the co-founder of the group Black Eyed Peas.
1974 – American rapper David R. Styles better known by his stage name Styles P was born in New York City. Best known for his work with the hip hop group The Lox.
1979 – American rapper Hakeem Temidayo Seriki also known professionally as Chamillionaire was born in Washington, D.C.
1983 – Multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founding member of the rock band Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij was born in Washington, D.C.
1984 – American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer Tremaine Aldon Neverson also known by his stage name Trey Songz was born in Petersburg, Virginia.