EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 21 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 21 in 1960 – Elvis Presley recorded ‘Stuck on You’ at RCA Victor’s studio in Nashville. It was released as a single only two days later on March 23 and it became his first chart-topping single after spending two years in the US Army.
1964 – After topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks with ‘I Want to Hold Your Hands’, The Beatles extended their run at No.1 for two more weeks with ‘She Loves You’.
1966 – The Beach Boys released their version of the Bahamian folk song from Nassau ‘Sloop John B’ on this day March 21 in music history. The song became one of their biggest hits peaking at No.1 in eight countries worldwide, and reaching the Top 3 in the UK, Canada, Ireland, and the US.
1976 – Iggy Pop and David Bowie were arrested after playing a show in Rochester, New York because they had 180 grams of marijuana in their hotel room. However, all charges were dropped after a hearing in April.
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1981 – Rock band REO Speedwagon scored their first US Billboard Hot 100 number one single on this day March 21 with ‘Keep on Loving You’.
1983 – Pink Floyd released their twelfth studio album ‘The Final Cut’ through Harvest and Columbia Records. It was the last album to feature co-founder Roger Waters and the first without founding member Richard Wright. The album was a commercial success and it peaked at No.1 in seven countries.
1987 – The number one single in the United States21 was Club Nouveau‘s rendition of Bill Withers‘ 1972 hit ‘Lean on Me’.
1987 – Irish rock band U2 scored their third consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom with ‘The Joshua Tree’.
1988 – Lynyrd Skynyrd released their second live album ‘Southern by the Grace of God’ through MCA Records.
1991 – Inventor and founder of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, Leonidas “Leo” Fender died at the age of 81 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
1992 – With ‘Save the Best to Last’, Vanessa Williams hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of five weeks straight.
1994 – At the 66th Academy Awards, singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen won an Oscar for the song ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ which featured in the Tom Hanks movie Philadelphia.
1998 – A new version of Run-D.M.C.‘s debut single ‘It’s Like That’ by the remixer and record producer Jason Nevins started a six-week run at No.1 in the UK.
2004 – American, singer, songwriter and record producer Johnny Bristol died at the age of 65. Best remembered for the songs ‘Hang On in There Baby’ and ‘Love Me for a Reason’.
2008 – German multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Klaus Dinger died on this day March 21 in music history, aged 61 from heart failure. Best remembered for his work with Kraftwerk, Neu!, and La Dusseldorf.
2009 – With their rendition of ‘Islands in the Stream’, Welsh actors Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon ft. singers Tom Jones and Robin Gibb topped the UK Singles chart.
2011 – American singer and songwriter Loleatta Holloway died on this day March 21 aged 64. Best remembered for hit songs such as ‘Hit and Run’, ‘Dreamin”, ‘Cry to Me’, and ‘Love Sensation’.
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2011 – American blues vocalist, pianist, and keyboardist Joe ‘Pinetop’ Perkins died at the age of 97 from natural causes.
2015 – English singer-songwriter and actress Yvonne Ann Burgess better known as Jackie Trent died at the age of 74.
2015 – The number one single in the UK on this day was ‘Lay Me Down’ by Sam Smith featuring John Legend.
2015 – With her seventh studio album ‘Piece by Piece’, pop singer Kelly Clarkson topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
2019 – British rapper Dave went to number one in the UK with his debut studio album ‘Psychodrama’ on this day March 21.
2020 – Rapper and singer Lil Uzi Vert started a two-week stint at the top of the US Albums chart with his second studio release ‘Eternal Atake’.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 21 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1902 – American delta blues singer and guitarist Edward James “Son” House was born in Lyon, Mississippi.
1918 – American jazz music pianist, organist, composer, and arranger Charles Thompson was born on this day in Springfield, Ohio.
1924 – American blues music singer and pianist Otis Spann was born today in Chicago, Illinois.
1940 – Preacher and one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s Solomon Burke was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1943 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, author and wit Vivian Stanshall was born in Oxford, England. Best known as a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
1945 – American singer and keyboardist Rosemary Stewart also known as Rose Stone was born in Dallas, Texas. She came to prominence as one of the lead singers in Sly and the Family Stone.
1946 – Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of the rock band Mango Jerry, Raymond Dorset was born in Ashford, England.
1949 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Edward Mahoney better known by his stage name Eddie Money was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1950 – Founding member and co-frontman of the progressive rock band Supertramp, Roger Hodgson was born in Portsmouth, England.
1951 – American soul singer Russell Thompkins Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He came to prominence as the original lead vocalist of the vocal group The Stylistics.
1956 – English singer-songwriter and guitarist Guy Chadwick was born in Hanover, Germany. He rose to fame as the frontman of the alternative rock band The House of Love.
1958 – Drummer, percussionist and vocalist Jonathan ‘Butch’ Norton was born in Inglewood, California.
1961 – Drummer and backing vocalist James McDonnell also known as Slim Jim Phantom was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Best known as a founding member of the rockabilly band Stray Cats.
1967 – Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer Jonas Berggren was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. Best known as a founding member of the siblings pop group Ace of Base.
1967 – English musician Keith Andrew Palmer also known professionally as Maxim was born in Peterborough. He came to prominence as the vocalist of the electronic dance music band The Prodigy.
1980 – Canadian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Dryck Whibley also known as Bizzy D was born in Toronto, Ontario. Best known as the only constant member of the rock band Sum 41.