EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY MAY 9 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day May 9 in 1964 – The ‘Father of Rock and Roll Music’ – Chuck Berry kicked off his UK tour with a show at the Astoria Theater in London. He performed for 23 consecutive nights in England and the tour concluded on 31 May at the Hammersmith Apollo venue.
1964 – 62-year-old Luis Armstrong became the oldest artist to top the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Hello, Dolly’. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
1969 – Singer-songwriter George Harrison released his second solo album ‘Electronic Sound’ on this day May 9 in music history. Its an experimental album and was released on The Beatles‘ short lived avant-garde Zapple Records label – a subsidiary of Apple Records.
1970 – Canadian rock band The Guess Who topped Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘American Woman’ / ‘No Sugar Tonight’.
1979 – Jazz vocalist and lyricist Eddie Jefferson was shot and killed on this day May 9 at the age of 60. Best known as the innovator of vocalese and for his hit song ‘Moody’s Mood for Love’.
1981 – With ‘Stand and Deliver’, new wave band Adam and the Ants hit number one on the UK Singles chart for the first of five consecutive weeks.
1987 – With their debut album ‘Keep Your Distance’, pop band Curiosity Killed the Cat topped the UK Albums chart on this day May 9.
1987 – Pop rock band Starship started a four-week run at number one in the United Kingdom with ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’. The song was a chart-topper in the US, Canada, Ireland, and Portugal that year as well.
1992 – British dance act KWS started a five-week stint at number one in the UK with the double A-side single ‘Please Don’t Go’ / ‘Game Boy’ on this day May 9 in music history.
1998 – American blues harmonica player and singer Lester Butler died at the age of 38. Best remembered for his work with the blues rock band the Red Devils.
1998 – With their double A-side single ‘Under the Bridge’/’Lady Marmalade’, girl group All Saints scored their second chart-topper on the UK Singles chart on this day May 9.
2009 – With his third studio album ‘Deeper Than Rap’, rapper Rick Ross scored his third consecutive chart-topper on the US Billboard 200.
2009 – Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan reached the top spot on the UK Albums chart with his thirty-third studio release ‘Together Through Life’ on this day May 9.
2015 – Rock band Alabama Snakes went to number one on the US Albums chart with their second and final studio album ‘Sound & Color’.
2015 – Britpop band Blur scored their sixth consecutive number one album in the UK with their eighth studio release ‘The Magic Whip’ on this day May 9.
2015 – The No.1 single in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)’ by the Jamaican singer Omi. It held the top spot for four weeks straight.
2017 – Swedish-Italian DJ and record producer Robert Miles died on this day May 9 in music history at the age of 47 from cancer. Best remembered for his instrumental dance composition ‘Children’ which hit number one in a dozen countries worldwide and sold over 5 million copies.
Robert Miles – Children
2019 – With her eighth studio album ‘Hurts 2B Human’, singer and songwriter Pink started three-week stint at No.1 in the UK. The album also reached No.1 in nine other countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
2019 – British rapper Stormzy scored his first domestic number one single with ‘Vossi Bop’ on this day May 9. It held the top spot for two weeks.
2020 – Rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again reached the top spot on the US Billboard 200 chart with his mixtape ’38 Baby 2′.
2020 – Hip hop duo The Scotts (Travis Scott & Kid Cudi) topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on this day May 9 with their eponymous song.
BORN ON THIS DAY MAY 9 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1914 – Country music singer and songwriter Clarence ‘Hank’ Snow was born in Brooklyn, Canada on this day May 9 in music history. Best known for recording 140 albums which produced dozens of hit singles, including ‘I’m Moving On’, ‘The Rhumba Boogie’, and ‘The Golden Rocket’.
1935 – American guitarist and actor Nole ‘Nokie’ Edwards was born in Lahoma, Oklahoma. Best known for his work with the instrumental rock group The Ventures.
1937 – Singer-songwriter and guitar player Sonny Curtis was born on this day May 9 in Meadow, Texas. Best known as a member of The Crickets.
1937 – Singer and one half of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave, David Prater was born on this day in Ocilla, Georgia.
1942 – Pop rock music singer-songwriter Tommy Roe was born on this day May 9 in Atlanta, Georgia. Best known for this char-topping hits ‘Sheila’ and ‘Dizzy’.
1944 – Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Richie Furay was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He came to prominence as a founding member of the country/rock bands Buffalo Springfield and Poco
1945 – Guitarist, singer, and record producer Steve Katz was born in Brooklyn, New York on this day May 9 in music history. Best known as a member of the pop-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears and as one of the founders of Blues Project and American Flyer.
1949 – American singer-songwriter and pianist William “Billy” Joel was born on this day in Hicksville, New York. He is one of the best-selling artists of all time with over 160 million records sold worldwide.
1950 – Bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band Cheap Trick, Thomas Peterson was born on this day May 9 in Rockford, Illinois.
1953 – English bass guitarist John “Rhino” Edwards was born in London. He came to prominence as a member of the rock band Status Quo.
1962 – Co-founder and lead singer of the electronic music band Depeche Mode, David Gahan was born on this day May 9 in Epping, England.
1970 – American rapper and record producer Dennis Coles better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah was born in New York City. He rose to fame as a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan.
1971 – Bassist and founding member of the rock band Oasis, Paul McGuigan was born in Manchester, England on this day May 9 in music history.
1975 – Canadian singer and songwriter Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill was born in Windsor, Ontario. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Missing You’, ‘Stranger in My House’, ‘So Into You’, etc.
1979 – Co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Simple Plan, Pierre Bouvier was born in Montreal, Quebec on this day May 9.