EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY APRIL 15 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day April 15 in 1965 – With ‘The Minute You’re Gone’, English singer Cliff Richard went to number one on the UK Singles chart.
1966 – The Rolling Stones released their studio album ‘Aftermath’ through Decca Records. The album was a big hit that year and it became a chart-topper in the UK, Canada, Finland, Germany, and the US.
1967 – Father and daughter duo Frank and Nancy Sinatra started a four-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Somethin’ Stupid’. The song was an international hit and it reached the top spot in seven other countries.
1971 – The 43rd Annual Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. French film scores composer Francis Lai won an Oscar for Best Original Score with ‘Love Story’ while The Beatles won an Oscar for Best Original Song with ‘Let It Be’.
1972 – The Pipes & Drums & Military Band of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Amazing Grace’.
1972 – With her rendition of ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, Roberta Flack hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of six consecutive weeks. Also a chart-topper in Canada and Australia that year.
1974 – Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their second studio album ‘Second Helping’. The album peaked at No.12 in the US and it features their signature song ‘Sweet Home Alabama’.
1978 – With his posthumously released compilation album ’20 Golden Greats’, Nat King Cole started a three-week run at No.1 in the UK.
1982 – Canadian heavy metal band Anvil released their second studio album ‘Metal on Metal’ through Attic Records.
1983 – Hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains released their second studio album ‘Rock For Light’ through Passport Records.
1989 – The number one single in the United States on this day was ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ by the pop rock group Fine Young Cannibals. The song was a worldwide hit and also reached No.1 in Australia, Austria, Canada, New Zealand, and Spain, while in the UK it peaked at No.5.
1989 – Pop rock group The Bangles reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Eternal Flame’ for the first of four consecutive weeks. The song was an international hit and it became a chart-topper in eight other countries including the US and Australia.
1989 – With his debut studio album ‘Lōc-ed After Dark‘, rapper Tone Lōc topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
1989 – Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue scored their first number one album in the UK with their second studio release ‘When the World Knows Your Name’.
1995 – With his debut single ‘This Is How We Do It’, Montell Jordan started a seven-week stint at No.1 in the United States.
Montell Jorday – This Is How We Do It
2000 – With his fifth studio album ‘Play’, electronic musician Moby hit number one in the UK for the first of five weeks straight.
2000 – British singer and songwriter Craig David reached number one in the UK with his debut solo single ‘Fill Me In’.
2001 – American singer Jeffrey Ross Hyman better known by his stage name Joey Ramone died at the age of 49 from lymphoma. Best remembered as a founding member and frontman of the punk rock band The Ramones.
2006 – Singer and songwriter Morrissey reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with his eighth studio release ‘Ringleader of the Tormentors’.
2011 – American singer and instrumentalist Kent Morrill died at the age of 70. Best remembered as the lead vocalist and keyboardist for the rock band The Fabulous Wailers.
2017 – American songwriter and record producer Sylvia Rose Moy died at the age of 78. Best remembered for her work with Motown Records related artists, especially Stevie Wonder.
2017 – British jazz/rock guitarist, record producer and composer Allan Holdsworth died at the age of 70.
2021 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘W.L’ by the Scottish indie rock band The Snuts.
BORN ON THIS DAY APRIL 15 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1894 – American singer Bessie Smith dubbed the “Empress of the Blues” was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1908 – Songwriter George Alexander Aberle also known as eden ahbez was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Best known for writing ‘Nature Boy’ which became a chart-topper for Nat King Cole and he was also an influential figure in the hippie movement.
1933 – Country music singer, instrumentalist, and TV show host Roy Clark was born in Meherrin, Virginia.
1937 – Country and rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert “Bob” Luman was born in Blackjack, Texas.
1939 – British singer and songwriter Marty Wilde was born Reginald Leonard Smith in London, England. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Sea of Love’, ‘Endless Sleep’, ‘Bad Boy’, etc.
1944 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer David William “Dave” Edmunds was born in Cardiff, Wales
1947 – Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Stuart “Wooly” Wolstenholme was born in Chadderton, England. Best known as a founding member of the rock band Barclay James Harvest.
1948 – American composer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist and songwriter Michael Kamen was born in New York City.
1948 – Founding member and lead singer of the rock band UFO, Phillip “Phil” Mogg was born in London, England.
1966 – British pop singer and model Samantha Fox was born in London, England. Best known for her debut single ‘Touch Me (I Want Your Body)’ which became a chart-topper in several countries worldwide.
1968 – Guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Edward “Ed” O’Brien was born in Oxford, England. He came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Radiohead.
1978 – American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer Chris Stapleton was born in Lexington, Kentucky.