EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY APRIL 19 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day April 19 in 1958 – The soundtrack album ‘The Duke Wore Jeans’ to the comedy musical of the same name started a three-week run at No.1 in the UK.
1971 – Blues rock band The Doors released their sixth studio album ‘L.A. Woman’ through Elektra Records. The LP peaked at No.9 in the US and it went on to sell over 3 million units. It was also the album to be released during Jim Morrison‘s lifetime.
1973 – Singer and songwriter David Bowie released his sixth studio album ‘Aladdin Sane’. The album was a commercial success and it features his iconic cover artwork with a lightning bolt across his face. It went to No.1 in Britain and reached No.17 in America.
1975 – Soul group The Stylistics started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK with their compilation album ‘The Best of The Stylistics’.
1975 – American pop rock band the Raspberries broke up. The group is best known for songs such as ‘Go All the Way’, ‘I Wanna Be with You’ and ‘Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)’.
1980 – With ‘Call Me’, new wave band Blondie hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of six consecutive weeks. It was the theme song to the popular 1980 movie ‘American Gigolo’.
1980 – American funk band Rose Royse reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with their compilation album ‘Greatest Hits’.
1986 – With ‘A Different Corner’, George Michael hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1986 – The number one single in the United States on this day was ‘Kiss’ by Prince and The Revolution. It didn’t top other charts but it peaked within the Top 10 in a dozen countries, including No.4 in the UK.
1993 – American saxophonist, flutist and session musician Steve Douglas died at the age of 54 from a heart attack. Best known as a member of The Wrecking Crew and for his work with the likes of Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and Phil Spector.
1994 – American rapper Nas released his seminal debut studio album ‘Illmatic’ through Columbia Records. The album went on to sell over 2 million copies worldwide and it peaked at No.12 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1997 – Electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers scored their first number one album in the UK with ‘Dig Your Own Hole’.
1997 – American drummer and singer Eldon Hoke nicknamed El Duce died after being hit by a train, aged 39. Best known as a member of the bands The Mentors, Chinas Comidas and The Screamers.
2003 – American dancer and choreographer Cholly Atkins died at the age of 89 from pancreatic cancer. Best remembered for his work with various Motown artists.
2012 – American singer and multi-instrumentalist Levon Helm died at the age of 71 from throat cancer. Best known as a longtime member of The Band with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
The Band – The Weight
2012 – Australian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter Greg Ham died at the age of 58. Best remembered for this work with rock band Men At Work.
2014 – DJ and record production duo Sigma scored their first No.1 single in the UK with ‘Nobody to Love’. The single fared well internationally and it also became ac hart-topper in Belgium, New Zealand, Poland, and Slovakia.
2018 – With her fourteenth studio album ‘Golden’, Australian singer Kylie Minogue reached No.1 in the United Kingdom.
2018 – Canadian rapper Drake scored his second number one single of the year in the UK with ‘Nice for What’. He previously topped the Singles chart for nine consecutive weeks with ‘God’s Plan’ starting February 1.
BORN ON THIS DAY APRIL 19 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1928 – British blues music singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and radio broadcaster Alexis Koerner was born in Paris, France. Dubbed the ‘founding father of British blues music’, his work influenced the likes of The Rolling Stones and Free.
1934 – American songwriter and record producer Richard ‘Dickie’ Goodman was born in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as the inventor of the ‘break-in’ method which is the precursor technique to what we call ‘sampling’ today.
1940 – American singer and songwriter Bobby Russell was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Best known for songs such as ‘1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero’, ‘Saturday Morning Confusion’, ‘Carlie’, and so on.
1942 – Founding member and keyboardist of the blues rock band The Animals, Alan Price was born in Fatfield, England. Also known for his solo work and acting career.
1942 – Singer, guitarist, and banjo player Hilario “Larry” Ramos was born in Waimea, Hawaii. He came to prominence as a member of the pop band The Association.
1943 – British recording producer and engineer Edwin “Eddie” Kramer was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Best known for his work with music acts such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Whitesnake, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Dionne Warwick and many others.
1943 – Scottish singer Eve Graham was born in Auchterarder, Scotland. She rose to fame as a member of the pop group The New Seekers.
1944 – Keyboardist, producer, and founding member of the music collective Parliament-Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell was born in Long Branch, New Jersey.
1947 – Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Mark Volman also known as Flo was born in Los Angeles, California. He rose to fame as a founding member of the rock band The Turtles and is also known as one half of the comedy rock duo Flo & Eddie.
1953 – American drummer and educator Rod Morgenstein was born in New York City. Best known as a member of the bands Dixie Dregs and Winger.
1957 – Singer-songwriter Anthony Harford better known by his stage name Tony Martin was born in Birmingham, England. Best known for fronting the heavy metal band Black Sabbath in the late 1980s and mid 1990s.