EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 25 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 25 in 1963 – Johnny Cash recorded the June Carter and Merle Kilgore penned song ‘Ring of Fire’. It was released on April 19 and it became one of Cash‘s biggest hits of his career.
1967 – With ‘Happy Together’, rock band The Turtles hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of three consecutive weeks. Their first and only chart-topper in America.
1967 – British rock band The Who played their first ever concert in the US on this day March 25 in music history at the RKO 58th Street Theater in New York.
1969 – At the Amsterdam Hilton hotel in Netherlands, John Lennon and Yoko Ono started their week long bed-in for peace. The couple invited journalists from all around the world to engage in discussion while promoting world peace.
1972 – Rock band Lindisfarne went to number one in the United Kingdom with their breakthrough album ‘Fog on the Tyne’.
1972 – Soft rock band America dominated the music charts in the US on this day when their single ‘A Horse with No Name’ hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while their self-titled debut studio album reached No.1 on the Billboard 200.
1977 – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded Bob Seger a Platinum Plaque for his ninth studio album ‘Night Moves’.
1978 – Willie Nelson released his version of the 1930 song ‘Georgia On My Mind’. The song reached number one on the country singles charts in the US and Canada.
1978 – The posthumously released compilation album ’20 Golden Greats’ by Buddy Holly & The Crickets started a three-week run at No.1 in the UK.
1983 – Motown Records organized a concert featuring the label’s biggest stars to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The Temptations, Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder among other acts performed at the event.
1985 – At the 57th annual Academy Awards held in Los Angeles, Stevie Wonder won an Oscar for Best Original Song with ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’, while Prince won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score for ‘Purple Rain’.
1989 – With ‘Like a Prayer’, Madonna reached number one on the UK Singles chart for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1989 – The number one single in the United States on this day March 25 was the soft rock ballad ‘The Living Years’ by Mike + The Mechanics.
1989 – Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound topped the UK Albums chart on this day with ‘Let It Loose / Anything for You’.
1993 – Alternative rock band Elastica reached number one in the UK with their self-titled debut studio album.
1995 – With the charity single ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’, Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton reached No.1 in the UK.
1997 – Sixteen days after his murder, The Notorious B.I.G.‘s second studio album ‘Life After Death’ was released by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The album became a chart-topper in the US and it went on to sell over 5 million units worldwide.
2000 – Former Spice Girl – Geri Halliwell a.k.a Ginger Spice scored her third solo consecutive No.1 single in the UK with ‘Bag It Up’.
2001 – At the 73rd annual Academy Awards held in Los Angeles, Bob Dylan won an Oscar for Best Original Song with ‘Things Have Changed’.
Bob Dylan – Things Have Changed
2006 – American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader Alvis Edgar Owens also known as Buck Owens died at the age of 76.
2006 – Pop rock band Orson went to number one in the United Kingdom with their debut single ‘No Tomorrow’.
2009 – American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Danny Wayland Seals died at the age of 61. Best remembered as one half of the soft rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, and for his solo career.
2017 – English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran started a two-week stint at No.1 in the US with his third studio album ‘÷‘ (pronounced ‘Divide’).
2021 – With his rendition of the New Zealand sea ballad song ‘Wellerman’, Scottish singer Nathan Evans topped the UK Singles chart.
2021 – British singer-songwriter Tom Grennan scored his first domestic number one album with ‘Evering Road’.
2022 – American drummer Taylor Hawkins died at the age of 50. Best remembered as a longtime member of the rock band Foo Fighters.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 25 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1923 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Bonnie ‘Guitar’ Buckingham was born in Seattle, Washington.
1931 – American jazz drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1934 – Rockabilly and pop music singer-songwriter Johnny Burnette was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1938 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Hoyt Axton was born in Duncan, Oklahoma. Best known for songs such as ‘Joy to the World’, ‘No No Song’, and ‘Never Been to Spain’.
1942 – Singer, songwriter, and pianist Aretha Franklin nicknamed the “Queen of Soul” was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1947 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Browne was born in England. Best known for his self-titled second studio album which acquired a cult status in the folk rock scene.
1947 – Singer, pianist and composer Elton John was born as Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time with more than 300 million records sold worldwide.
1947 – British multi-instrumentalist Brinsley Schwarz was born in Suffolk, England. Best known for his work with the pub rock band that bears his name.
1948 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist and TV personality Michael Stanley was born on this day in Cleveland, Ohio.
1951 – Singer, dancer, and founding member of the disco funk group Boney M, Maizie Williams was born in Brades, West Indies.
1960 – Multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the new wave band Spandau Ballet, Steve Norman was born in London, England.
1960 – American drummer and composer Chad Wackerman was born in Long Beach, California. Best known for his work with artists such as Frank Zappa and Allan Holdsworth.
1966 – Canadian multi-genre singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey “Jeff” Healey was born in Toronto, Ontario on this day March 25 in music history.
1966 – American drummer Frank Ferrer was born in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as a member of the bands Guns N’ Roses, The Psychedelic Furs, Love Spit Love, and The Beautiful.
1971 – Bass guitarist and backing vocalist Michael McKeegan was born in Lame, Northern Ireland. He came to prominence as a member of the rock band Therapy?.
1975 – British singer and founding member of the girl group All Saints, Melanie Blatt was born in London, England.
1988 – DJ, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Ryan Lewis was born in Spokane, Washington. Best known for his collaboration with rapper Macklemore.
1989 – American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress Aly Michalka was born in Torrance, California. Best known as one half of the siblings pop rock duo Aly & AJ.