EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MAY 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 6 in 1965 – James Brown recorded ‘I Got You (I Feel Good)’ at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. The song became his highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart where it peaked at No.3.
1969 – Jamaican ska trombonist and composer Don Drummond died at the age of 37 while being imprisoned at the Bellevue Asylum. Best remembered as one of the founding members of The Skatalites.
1972 – With their second studio album ‘Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages’, Tyrannosaurus Rex hit No.1 in the UK on this day May 6 in music history.
1973 – Three years after parting ways with Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon kicked off his first concert tour as a solo artist with a show at the Music Hall in Boston. Some of his performances on that tour were recorded and later released as a live album titled ‘Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin’ which peaked at No.33 in the US.
1978 – The Bee Gees and various artists started a massive eighteen-week stint at No.1 in the UK on this day May 6 with the soundtrack to the dance drama film ‘Soundtrack Night Fever’ starring John Travolta. The album hit No.1 in fifteen countries worldwide and it features chart-topping singles such as ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, ‘Stayin’ Alive’, and ‘Night Fever’.
1983 – Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer Kai Winding died on this day at the age of 60. Best known for his hit rendition of ‘More’ and for his collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.
1989 – English singer Holly Johnson reached number one in the United Kingdom on this day May 6 in music history with his debut solo studio album ‘Blast’.
1994 – With their third studio album ‘Throwing Copper’, alternative rock band Live topped the US Billboard 200 chart. The album also became a chart-topper in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
1995 – English rock band Oasis scored their first chart-topper on the UK Singles chart with ‘Some Might Say’ on this day May 6.
1996 – American boy band Backstreet Boys released their eponymous debut studio album through Jive Records. The album became an international hit and it went on to sell over 10 million units worldwide.
2000 – With ‘Bound 4 Da Reload (Casualty’, garage duo Oxide & Neutrino topped the UK Singles chart on this day May 6.
2001 – American songwriter, singer, and pianist Otis Blackwell died on this day at the age of 71 from a heart attack. Best remembered for compositions such as ‘Fever’, ‘Return to Sender’, ‘Great Balls of Fire’, ‘Don’t be Cruel’, and ‘All Shook Up’ among other hits.
Elvis Presley – Return to Sender
2006 – With their debut studio album ‘St. Elsewhere’, soul duo Gnarls Barkley went to number one in the UK on this day May 6 in music history.
2006 – Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Grant McLennan died from a heart attack, aged 48. Best remembered as the co-founder of the indie rock band Go-Betweens and for his solo work.
2015 – British-Jamaican singer and songwriter Errol Brown died on this day May 6, aged 71 from liver cancer. Best remembered as the co-founder and frontman of the soul and funk band Hot Chocolate.
2017 – The No.1 single in the United States on this day was ‘Humble’ by the rapper Kendrick Lamar. This was his second chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper also started a three-week run at No.1 on the Billboard 200 on this day with his fourth studio album ‘Damn’.
2021 – 80-year-old singer Tom Jones became the oldest male artist to top the UK Albums chart when his 41st studio release ‘Surrounded by Time’ hit No.1 on this day May 6.
BORN ON THIS DAY MAY 6 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1921 – English jazz trumpeter and bandleader Frederick “Freddy” Randall was born in London on this day May 6 in music history.
1929 – American R&B singer Leon Hughes Sr. was born in Dallas, Texas. Best known as a founding member of the vocal group The Coasters.
1942 – English pianist Colin Earl was born on this day May 6 in London. He rose to fame as a founding member of the rock band Mungo Jerry.
1945 – Singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist Robert ‘Bob’ Seger was born on this day in Detroit, Michigan He has sold over 75 million records worldwide making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.
1948 – American singer Mary MacGregor was born on this day May 6 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Best known for her chart-topping single ‘Torn Between Two Lovers’.
1950 – Drummer and founding member of the Average White Band (AWB), Robbie McIntosh was born in Dundee, Scotland. He’s also the son of the actor Bonar Colleano.
1951 – Scottish guitarist and vocalist Davey Johnstone was born in Edinburgh on this day May 6 in music history. Best known for his longtime collaboration with Elton John.
1960 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Flansburgh was born in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He rose to fame as a founding member of the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants
1966 – Drummer and graphic designer David Narcizo was born on this day May 6 in Newport, Rhode Island. Best known as a longtime member of the alternative rock band Throwing Muses.
1967 – Founding member, songwriter, and the lead guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish, Mark Bryan was born on this day in Silver Spring, Maryland.
1968 – British singer and guitar player Tony Wright was born on this day May 6 in Bradford, England. Best known as a member of the bands Terrorvision and Laika Dog.
1971 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Christopher Shiflett was born in Santa Barbara, California. Best known for his work with the bands Foo Fighters, No Use for a Name, and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
1971 – English singer Sarah Blackwood was born in Halifax on this day May 6 in music history. She rose to fame as a member of the groups Dubstar and Client.
1987 – American rapper and songwriter Robert Williams better known professionally as Meek Mill was born on this day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.