EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY JUNE 8 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day June 8 in 1957 – Jazz singer and pianist Nat King Cole reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with ‘Love Is the Thing’.
1962 – Skeeter Davis recorded ‘The End of the World’ at RCA Victor Studios in Nashville. The song was released in December the same year and it became a chart-topper in 1963.
1967 – Rock group Procol Harum started a six-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ on this day June 8 in music history. The song was a huge hit worldwide that year and it became a chart-topper in over 15 countries.
1969 – Guitarist, leader and founder of the Rolling Stones – Brian Jones was fired from the band and was replaced by Mick Taylor.
1974 – With ‘Band on the Run’, Paul McCartney and Wings topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day June 8. It reached No.1 in Canada and New Zealand as well, while in the UK it peaked at No.3.
1974 – Singer-songwriter David Bowie hit No.1 in the UK with his eighth studio album ‘Diamond Dogs’ for the first of four consecutive weeks. The album was a chart-topper in Canada as well and it peaked at No.5 in the US.
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1985 – Tears for Fears topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ on this day June 8. The song also hit No.1 in Canada and New Zealand, and peaked at No.2 in the UK.
1985 – New wave band The Style Council went to No.1 in the United Kingdom with their second studio album ‘Our Favorite Shop’.
1987 – American session and touring drummer Lawrence “Yogi” Horton committed suicide on this day June 8 in music history, aged 33. He collaborated with the likes of John Lennon, Kenny G, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Hall & Oates, and Debbie Harry among others.
1991 – R&B group Color Me Badd hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1991 – The number one single in the United States on this day June 8 was ‘More Than Words’ by the hard rock band Extreme.
1991 – With her second studio album ‘Spellbound’, Paula Abdul went to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album also won her a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.
1996 – Hip hop group The Fugees started a four-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with their rendition of ‘Killing Me Softly’ on this day June 8. The song was a massive worldwide hit that year and it went to No.1 in over twenty countries.
2002 – American rapper Eminem started a five-week stint at number one on the UK Albums chart with ‘The Eminem Show’. It held the top spot for five weeks straight.
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2002 – With his version of The Doors‘ hit song ‘Light My Fire’, English singer Will Young reached number one in the UK on this day June 8 in music history.
2004 – Hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver released their debut studio album ‘Contraband’ on RCA records. The album went to number one in the US and Canada and peaked at No.11 in the UK.
2013 – The number one single in the United Kingdom on this day June 8 was ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell Williams. It topped the Singles chart for four consecutive weeks.
2013 – With their fourth studio album ‘Random Access memories’, French electronic duo Daft Punk reached number one in the US for the first of two weeks straight.
2017 – The Beatles were at number one in the UK on this day June 8 in music history with a re-issued version of their eighth studio album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
2018 – British singer-songwriter and guitarist Daniel “Danny” Kirwan died at the age of 68. Best remembered for his work with Fleetwood Mac from 1968 until 1972.
2020 – American singer Patricia “Bonnie” Pointer died at the age of 69. Best remembered as a member of the girl group the Pointer Sisters.
BORN ON THIS DAY JUNE 8 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1940 – American singer and actress Nancy Sinatra was born in Jersey City on this day June 8 in music history. Best known for her chart-topping single ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin”. She’s also the daughter of Frank Sinatra.
1940 – American singer Sherman Garnes was born on this day in New York City. Best known as a member of the doo-wop group The Teenagers with whom he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
1941 – Doo-wop and funk singer Eugene “Fuzzy” Haskins was born on this day June 8 in Elkins, West Virginia. Best known as a founding member of Parliaments-Funkadelic.
1942 – American singer-songwriter Charles Negron was born in Manhattan, New York. Best known as a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Three Dog Night.
1944 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist William “Boz” Scaggs was born on this day June 8 in Canton, Ohio. Best known for playing with the Steve Miller Band and also for his solo work.
1951 – Bluegrass guitarist and songwriter Anthony “Tony” Rice was born on this day in Danville, Virginia. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2013.
1951 – Welsh singer Gaynor Sullivan better known professionally as Bonnie Tyler was born in Skewen, Wales on this day June 8 in music history.
1953 – English drummer Jeff Rich was born in Hackney, London. He came to prominence as a member of the rock band Status Quo from 1985 until 2000.
1954 – Bassist, guitarist, songwriter, singer and producer Gregory “Greg” Ginn was born on this day June 8 in Tucson, Arizona. He rose to fame as the founder and leader of the hardcore punk band Black Flag.
1960 – Singer and songwriter Michael “Mick” Hucknall was born in Manchester, England. Best known as the lead singer of the blue-eyed soul band Simply Red.
1962 – English keyboardist Nicholas Bates also known professionally as Nick Rhodes was born on this day June 8 in Birmingham. He rose to fame as a founding member of the new wave band Duran Duran.
1965 – Singer dancer and one half of the pop music duo Milli Vanilli, Robert Pilatus was born in Munich, Germany.
1970 – R&B singer Nichole “Nicci” Gilbert was born in Detroit, Michigan on this day June 8 in music history. Best known as the lead vocalist of the female vocal group Brownstone.
1977 – American rapper and record producer Kanye West also known as Ye was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time with over 160 million records sold worldwide.
1979 – English guitarist Rob Holliday was born on this day June 8 in Birmingham. Best known for his work with Marilyn Manson, The Prodigy, and Gary Numan.
1979 – American guitarist and songwriter Derek Trucks was born in Jacksonville, Florida. Best known for playing with The Allman Brothers Band and for forming The Derek Trucks Band and the Tedeschi Trucks Band.
1981 – Founder and frontman of the rock band The Calling, Alexander Band was born on this day June 8 in Los Angeles, California.