EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 17 in 1958 – Rock band The Champs had the best-selling single in the US with ‘Tequila’ which topped both the R&B and Pop charts.
1958 – Pop singer Johnny Mathis released the first ever ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation album and changed the music industry forever. It peaked at No.1 in US and it held the record for longest-charting album on the Billboard 200 for 15 years until Pink Floyd broke the record with ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’.
1960 – Johnny Preston started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK with the teenage tragedy song ‘Running Bear’ on this day March 17 in music history.
1966 – With ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’, The Walker Brothers hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of four consecutive weeks.
1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their second single ‘Purple Haze’ in the UK through Track Records on this day March 17.
1968 – On the Ed Sullivan show, the Bee Gees made their first ever appearance on American Television where they performed their hit single ‘Words’.
1973 – Bluegrass musicians Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell started a three-week run at No.1 in the US on this day March 17 with heir collaborative album ‘Dueling Banjos’.
1973 – Progressive rock band Yes received two Gold certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America for their third studio LP ‘The Yes Album’ and first live album ‘Yessongs’ that sold over 1 million units each.
1979 – With ‘I Will Survive’, Gloria Gaynor topped the UK Singles chart on this day March 17 in music history. She held the top spot for four consecutive weeks.
1979 – The Bee Gees reached No.1 in the UK with their fifteenth studio album ‘Spirits Having Flown’. The album was an international hit that year and it became a chart-topper in ten other countries.
1982 – American singer and drummer Samuel George died on this day March 17, aged 39 after being fatally stabbed in a domestic fight. Best remembered as one third of the R&B and soul trio The Capitols.
1984 – Pop music singer-songwriter Howard Jones started a two-week stint at No.1 in the UK with his debut studio album ‘Human’s Lib’.
1989 – American R&B singer and songwriter Bobby Mitchell died on this day March 17, aged 54. Best remembered for the hit songs ‘I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday’ and ‘Try Rock ‘n Roll’.
1990 – British bassist and violin player Richard Grechko also known professionally as Ric Grech died at the age of 44 from liver failure. Best remembered for his work with the bands Traffic, Family, and Blind Faith.
1996 – American singer-songwriter Terry Stafford died on this day March 17, aged 54. Best remembered for his hit songs ‘I’ll Touch a Star’, ‘Suspicion’, and ‘Amarillo By Morning’.
1997 – American R&B singer Jermaine Stewart died at the age of 39 of AIDS-related liver cancer. Best remembered for his hit single ‘We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off’.
2001 – The Dave Matthews Band had the number one album in the United States on this day March 17 in music history with ‘Everyday’ their fourth studio release and second chart-topper.
2001 – Irish boy band Westlife went to number one on the UK Singles chart with their rendition of Billy Joel‘s hit song ‘Uptown Girl’.
2009 – American blues harmonica player and singer Lester “Mad Dog” Davenport died on this day March 17 at the age of 77 from prostate cancer.
2010 – American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer Alex Chilton died at the age of 59. Best known for fronting the rock bands Big Star and The Box Tops.
2012 – Bruce Springsteen scored his eighth number one album in the United Kingdom with ‘Wrecking Ball’ on this day March 17 in music history.
2012 – With ‘We Are Young’, pop rock band Fun featuring Janelle Monae started a six-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Fun ft. Janelle Monae – We Are Young
2016 – Singer and songwriter Mike Posner started a four-week stint at the top of the UK Singles chart with ‘I Took a Pill in Ibiza’ on this day March 17.
2017 – 100-year-old Vera Lynn became the oldest artist to have an album charting in the UK when her compilation LP ‘Vera Lynn 100’ debuted at No.3.
2022 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day March 17 was ‘Oochya!’ by the Welsh rock band Stereophonics
2022 – With ‘Starlight’, rapper Dave hit number one on the UK Singles chart for the first of four consecutive weeks.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1919 – Jazz singer and pianist Nathaniel Adams Coles better known by his stage name Nat King Cole was born in Montgomery, Alabama on this day March 17 in music history.
1935 – American singer, drummer and actor Patrick Henry Wade also known professionally as Adam Wade was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1938 – American singer Zoletta Lynn “Zola” Taylor was born on this day March 17 in Los Angeles, California. Best known as a founding member of the vocal group The Platters.
1941 – Rhythm guitarist, vocalist, and co-founder of the rock band Jefferson Airplane, Paul Kantner was born on this day in San Francisco, California.
1944 – American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Sebastian was born on this day March 17 in New York City. Best known as the co-founder and frontman of the rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful.
1946 – Drummer and founding member of the funk-rock band War, Harold Ray Brown was born on this day in Long Beach, California.
1951 – American guitarist and songwriter Scott Gorham was born in Glendale, California on this day March 17 in music history. He rose to fame as a member of the rock band Thin Lizzy.
1959 – Keyboardist, singer and founding member of the jazz-funk band Level 42, Mike Lindup was born on this day in London, England.
1959 – American singer and drummer Paul Mars Black was born Paul Marmorstein in San Francisco, California on this day March 17. Best known as the frontman of the glam metal band L.A. Guns.
1967 – Co-founder and frontman of the alt rock band Smashing Pumpkins, William “Billy” Corgan was born in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
1972 – Canadian guitarist, bassist, singer, and songwriter Melissa Auf der Maur was born on this day March 17 in Montreal, Quebec.
1973 – Irish singer and drummer Caroline Corr was born in Dundalk, Ireland. She rose to fame as a member of the siblings pop rock band The Corrs.
1975 – British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Justin Hawkins was born in Chertsey, England on this day March 17 in music history. Best known as the founder and frontman of the bands The Darkness and Hot Leg.
1976 – Irish singer and songwriter Stephen Gately was born on this day in Dublin, Ireland. He came to prominence as the co-lead singer of the boy band Boyzone.
1988 – Canadian singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer Claire Elise Boucher better known by her stage name Grimes was born on this day March 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1990 – Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist Andrew Hozier-Byrne also known professionally as Hozier was born in Bray, Ireland. Best known for his 2013 worldwide hit single ‘Take Me to Church’.