EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY NOVEMBER 16 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day November 16 in 1956 – With his rendition of ‘Just Walking’ in the Rain’, Johnnie Ray started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart.
1959 – The Fleetwoods scored their second number one single of the year in the US when ‘Mr. Blue’ went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1963 – With their rendition of Peter DeRose‘s 1933 song ‘Deep Purple’, the brother-and-sister vocal duo Nino Tempo & April Stevens topped the US Singles chart on this day November 16 in music history. The song also won the siblings a Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Record.
1968 – With their third and final studio album ‘Electric Ladyland’, The Jimi Hendrix Experience topped the US Billboard 200 chart.
1974 – The number one single in the United States on this day November 16 was ‘Whatever Gets You thru the Night’ by John Lennon. He also took the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart with his fifth studio album ‘Walls and Bridges’ on this day.
1974 – David Essex hit number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Gonna Make You a Star’ for the first of three consecutive weeks.
1980 – American R&B and soul music singer Overton Vertis “O.V.” Wright died on this day November 16, aged 41 from a heart attack. Best remembered for songs such as ‘That’s How Strong My Love Is’, ‘Nucleus of Soul’, and ‘Ace of Spades’.
1985 – English band Sade topped the UK Albums chart with their second studio release ‘Promise’ on this day November 16.
1985 – The newly (re)formed rock band Starship hit No.1 in America for the first of two consecutive weeks with ‘We Built This City’. Also a chart-topper in Australia, South Africa, and Canada.
1986 – The number one single in the UK on this day November 16 was ‘A Good Heart’ by the Northern Irish singer Feargal Sharkey.
1991 – Irish singer and songwriter Enya reached number one on the UK Albums chart with her third studio LP ‘Shepherd Moons’.
1994 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chester “Chet” Powers also known by his stage name Dino Valenti died at the age of 57. Best remembered as one of the lead singers of the group Quicksilver Messenger Service.
1996 – With their compilation album ‘Anthology 3’, The Beatles went to number one in the United States on this day November 16 in music history.
1996 – Girl group Spice Girls hit number one in the United Kingdom with their debut studio album ‘Spice’. The album soon became an international hit and it peaked at No.1 in nearly 20 countries.
1998 – American gospel music singer-songwriter and promoter John Daniel “J.D” Sumner died on this day November 16, aged 73.
2000 – English pop music pianist and composer Russ Conway died at the age of 75. Best remembered for his chart-topping instrumental singles ‘Side Saddle’ and ‘Roulette’.
Russ Conway – Side Saddle
2002 – British boy band Blue scored their second consecutive domestic No.1 album with ‘One Love’ on this day November 16.
2002 – The soundtrack album to the film of the same name ‘8 Mile’ started a two-week stint at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart.
2002 – Irish boy band Westlife scored their eleventh chart-topping single in the United Kingdom with ‘Unbreakable’ on this day November 16.
2013 – Indie rock band Arcade Fire reached number one on the US Albums chart with their fourth studio LP ‘Reflektor’.
2013 – Record producer and DJ Storm Queen topped the UK Singles chart with ‘Look Right Through’ on this day November 16 in music history.
2013 – American rapper Eminem scored his seventh consecutive number one album in the UK with ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2’.
2017 – With his second studio LP ‘The Thrill of It All’, singer-songwriter Sam Smith hit No.1 on the UK Albums chart.
2018 – American songwriter, producer, and arranger Sheldon David “Scott” English died on this day November 16, aged 81. Best remembered for co-writing the song ‘Brandy’ also known as ‘Mandy’ which became a hit for several artists.
BORN ON THIS DAY NOVEMBER 16 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1916 – Record producer and co-founder of Atlantic Records, Herbert C. Abramson was born in Henderson, Nevada on this day November 16 in music history.
1931 – American folk music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player Robert “Bob” Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1938 – American guitarist, singer, and songwriter Troy Harold Seals was born on this day November 16 in Bighill, Kentucky.
1941 – Songwriter, producer, and singer Dan Penn was born Wallace Daniel Pennington in Vernon, Alabama. Best known for co-writing the hit songs ‘Cy Like a Baby’, ‘Do Right Woman’, and ‘The Dark End of the Street’.
1945 – Keyboardist and guitarist Paul Raymond was born on this day November 16 in St Albans, England. Best known for his work with the rock bands UFO and the Michael Schenker Group.
1958 – American musician Harry Rushakoff was born in Chicago, Illinois. Best known as a member of the bands Special Affect and Concrete Blonde.
1962 – British bass guitarist Gary “Mani” Mounfield was born on this day November 16 in Manchester, England. He rose to fame as a member of the bands Primal Scream and The Stone Roses.
1964 – Canadian jazz music pianist, singer, and songwriter Diana Krall was born on this day in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
1966 – American guitarist and bassist Dave Kushner was born in Los Angeles, California on this day November 16 in music history.
1970 – Canadian guitarist, record producer, and songwriter Logan Conrad Mader was born in Montreal, Quebec. Best known for his work with the metal bands Once Human and Machine Head.