EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY AUGUST 30 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day August 30 in 1957 – Paul Anka started an impressive nine-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Diana’.
1969 – With ‘In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)’, pop rock duo Zager and Evans topped the UK Singles chart. The song also reached No.1 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the US that year.
1968 – Rock band The Byrds released their seminal sixth studio album ‘Sweetheart of the Rodeo’ through Columbia Records. It is considered one of the first major country rock albums.
1969 – The ‘King of Rock and Roll’ – Elvis Presley went to No.1 in the UK with his tenth studio album ‘From Elvis in Memphis’ on this day August 30.
1969 – Latin rock band Santana released their self-titled debut studio album through Columbia Records. It peaked at No.4 on the Billboard 200 chart.
1969 – Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath played their first show billed as Black Sabbath on this day August 30 in Workington, England. Before the name change the band was called Earth.
10 Interesting Facts About Black Sabbath
1970 – The fifth and last day of the Isle of Wight Festival took place at Afton Down. It featured performances by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, Jethro Tull, Leonard Cohen, The Moody Blues, and Richie Havens among others.
1971 – The Beach Boys released their 17th studio album ‘Surf’s Up’ through Brother/Reprise Records on this day August 30 in music history.
1975 – KC and the Sunshine Band scored their first number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Get Down Tonight’. Also a chart-topper in Canada that year.
1975 – Rod Stewart scored his fifth solo number one album in the UK with ‘Atlantic Crossing’ on this day August 30. Across the Atlantic, the album peaked at No.9 in the US and No.21 in Canada.
1975 – Elton John‘s ninth studio album ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirty Cowboy’ returned to No.1 on the US Billboard 200 after a six-week break from the top. The album also reached the top of the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand that year.
1980 – With ‘Sailing’, Christopher Cross went to number one on the US singles chart on this day August 30. The song also reached No.1 in Canada and it earned him three Grammy Awards for Record, Song, and Arrangement of the Year.
1986 – Steve Winwood topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time with ‘Higher Love’. The song also won him two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
1995 – American guitarist and vocalist Sterling Morrison died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one day after celebrating his 53rd birthday. Best remembered as a founding member of The Velvet Underground.
1997 – The third studio album ‘Be Here Now’ by the rock band Oasis started a four-week run at No.1 in the UK on this day August 30 in music history.
1997 – Rapper The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy & Mase started a two-week run at number one in the US with ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’. The song was posthumously released after Biggie was murdered earlier that year.
The Notorious B.I.G. – Mo Money Mo Problems
2003 – Country music singer-songwriter Alan Jackson topped the US Billboard 200 chart with his compilation album ‘Greatest Hits Volume II’.
2008 – With their third studio album ‘A Little Bit Longer’, the Jonas Brothers started a two-week run at No.1 in the US on this day August 30 in music history.
2014 – French DJ David Guetta topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Lovers on the Sun’. The song features vocals by singer-songwriter Sam Martin.
2017 – Canadian multi-instrumentalist Ronald Harry “Skip” Prokop died on this day August 30 at the age of 73. Best remembered as a founding member of the rock groups Lighthouse and The Paupers.
2018 – Ariana Grande‘s fourth studio album ‘Sweetener’ went to number one in the United Kingdom. The album topped the charts in twenty-two countries worldwide, and is also won her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.
2019 – American rock/metal band Tool released their fifth studio album ‘Fear Incolum’ on this day August 30. The album debuted at No.1 in six countries, and two of its songs were nominated for Grammy Awards with ‘7empest’ winning for Best Metal Performance.
BORN ON THIS DAY AUGUST 30 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1919 – Country music singer and songwriter Ellen Muriel Deason also known professionally as Kitty Wells was born in Nashville, Tennessee on this day August 30 in music history. She’s the first female country singer to have a No.1 hit with ‘It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels’.
1935 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist “Papa” John Phillips was born on this day in Parris Island, South Carolina. Best known as the leader of the folk rock group The Mamas & The Papas.
1941 – English guitarist and vocalist John McNally was born in Walton, Liverpool. Best known as a founding member of The Searchers, a band that he played with for over 60 years.
1950 – English guitarist and songwriter Michael “Micky” Moody was born on this day August 30 in Middlesbrough. Best known as a member of the bands Whitesnake, Juicy Lucy, and Snafu.
1951 – Irish singer and politician Dana Rosemary Scallon was born Rosemary Brown in London, England. She rose to fame with ‘All Kinds of Everything’ which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970.
1953 – Bassist Horace Panter also known as Sir Horace Gentleman was born on this day in Croydon, England. He came to prominence as a member of the 2-tone and ska band The Specials.
1955 – British drummer and keyboards player Martin Jackson was born in Manchester, England on this day August 30 in music history. Best known as a member of the bands Magazine and Swing Out Sister.
1963 – British trance DJ and record producer Paul Mark Oakenfold was born on this day August 30 in London, England.
1966 – One half of the dance-pop music duo D:Ream, Petern Cunnah was born on this day in Derry, Northern Ireland.
1974 – Singer-songwriter, rapper, and co-founder of the pop and hip hop group LFO, Richard “Rich” Cronin was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1986 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ryan Ross was born on this day August 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He rose to fame as the lead guitarist of the band Panic! at the Disco.