EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MARCH 29 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day March 29 in 1963 – Instrumental rock group The Shadows scored their second No.1 single of the year in the UK with ‘Foot Tapper’. They previously topped the Singles chart on January 24 with ‘Dance On!’.
1967 – The Beatles were recording ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’, ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!’, and Good Morning, Good Morning’. All songs featured on their eight studio album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.
1969 – With their self-titled second studio album, Blood, Sweat and Tears topped the US Billboard 200 chart on this day March 29 in music history.
1974 – Rock band Kiss appeared for the first time on national television on ABC’s late-night show In Concert. They performed ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Nothin’ to Lose’, and ‘Firehouse’.
1975 – English guitarist Jeff Beck released his second and most successful solo studio album ‘Blow by Blow’ through Epic Records. The album peaked at No.4 in the US and it went on to sell over 1 million copies
1975 – The number one single in the United States on this day was ‘Lady Marmalade’ by the girl group Labelle.
1978 – David Bowie kicked off his Isolar II world tour also known as The Low/Heroes World Tour with a show at the San Diego Sports Arena. The tour concluded on December 12, 1978 with a show at the NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
1980 – Anglo-Italian conductor, composer and orchestra leader Annunzio Paolo Mantovani died at the age of 74.
1982 – Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney released their duet song ‘Ebony and Ivory’. The song became a huge hit topping a dozen charts worldwide and it sold more than 2 million copies.
1985 – Belgian singer-songwriter and guitar player Jeanine Deckers better known by her stage names The Singing Nun or Sœur Sourire died on this day March 29, aged 51.Best known for her 1963 international hit song ‘Dominique’.
1986 – Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank Marvin topped the UK Singles chart with a new comic version of Cliff‘s 1959 hit song ‘Living Doll’.
1986 – The compilation album ‘Hits 4’ by Various Artists started a four-week stint at No.1 in the UK. It features songs by music acts such as A-ha, Wham!, The Bangles, Madonna, Diana Ross, Howard Jones, Whitney Houston, Kate Bush, ELO, and others.
1986 – With ‘Rock Me Amadeus’, Austrian musician Falco hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of three weeks straight. The song was a worldwide hit and it also reached No.1 in nine other countries.
1994 – The soundtrack album to the superhero movie The Crow was released. The album features songs from The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Helmet, Pantera, and Stone Temple Pilots among others. It became a chart-topper in the US and peaked at No.2 in Australia.
1996 – After 26 years of recording and touring with the band, Phil Collins announced that he was leaving Genesis to concentrate on his solo career.
1997 – Rapper Scarface went to number one on the US Billboard 200 with his fourth studio album ‘The Untouchable’ on this day March 29.
1999 – American jazz singer Joe Williams died at the age of 80. Best remembered for his work with big bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra.
2001 – American jazz pianist, composer and arranger John Aaron Lewis died at the age of 80. Best remembered as the founder and musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
2008 – With ‘American Boy’, British singer Estelle and American rapper Kanye West hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of four consecutive weeks.
Estelle ft. Kanye West – American Boy
2011 – American singer and guitarist Raymond “Ray” Herr died at the age of 63 from esophageal cancer. Best remembered for his work with the jazz rock band The Ides of March.
2014 – Singer-songwriter George Michael went to number one in the UK with his live album ‘Symphonica’. The LP features vocals recorded at his concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 2011-12.
2014 – The number one single in the United Kingdom was ‘I Got You’ by the record producers and DJs Duke Dumont and Jax Jones.
2016 – British multi-instrumentalist Andy “Thunderclap” Newman died at the age of 73. Best known for his work with the rock band Thunderclap Newman.
BORN ON THIS DAY MARCH 29 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1902 – English composer William Walton was born in Oldham, Lancashire. Best known for compositions such as ‘Crown Imperial’, ‘Viola Concerto’, ‘First Symphony’, ‘Orb and Spectre’, etc.
1940 – English singer, guitarist, and record producer Richard Graham Sarstedt also known professionally as Eden Kane was born in New Delhi, India.
1940 – Bass singer and founding member of the vocal quintet The Parliaments, Raymond “Ray” Davis was born in Sumter, South Carolina.
1943 – Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist Chad Allan was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He rose to fame as a founding member and lead singer of the rock band The Guess Who.
1943 – Academy Award-winning Greek composer Evangelos Papathanassiou also known as Vangelis was born in Agria, Greece..
1944 – Singer-songwriter and guitarist Terrence “Terry” Jacks was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Best known for his hit song ‘Seasons in the Sun’.
1945 – Singer, songwriter, drummer, and keyboardist John David Keen also known as Speedy Keen was born in London, England. He rose to fame as a member of the rock band Thunderclap Newman.
1947 – Singer and songwriter Robert “Bobby” Kimball was born today in Orange, Texas. He came to prominence as the frontman of the rock band Toto.
1949 – British keyboardist, singer, and songwriter David Paul Greenfield was born in Brighton, England. Best known as a member of the rock band The Stranglers.
1949 – Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist and composer Michael Leonard Brecker was born in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania
1956 – American singer Patricia Donahue was born in Akron, Ohio. Best known as the lead singer of the new wave band The Waitresses.
1959 – Co-founder and frontman of the alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell was born in Queens, New York City.
1967 – American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player John Popper was born in Chardon, Ohio on this day March 29 in music history. Best known as the co-founder and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler.
1981 – Keyboardist, singer, songwriter and record producer Paul Morton Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band Maroon 5.