EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day October 17 in 1960 – The Drifters went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’. The song was a chart-topper in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa that year as well. In the UK it peaked at No.2.
1964 – With ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’, Manfred Mann hit number one on the US singles chart for the first of two consecutive weeks. Also a chart-topper in Canada, Sweden, and the UK.
1964 – The Rolling Stones released their second studio American album ’12 X 5′ on this day October 17 in music history. It peaked at No.3 on the Billboard 200.
1970 – The Jackson 5 hit number one in the US for the first of five consecutive weeks with ‘I’ll Be There’. It was the group’s fourth chart-topping single on the pop chart in America.
1972 – American singer Wilfred “Billy” Williams died on this day October 17, aged 61. Best remembered for his rendition of ‘I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter’ which sold over one million copies in the late 1950s.
1977 – Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released their fifth studio album ‘Street Survivors’ through MCA Records. Its the last album to feature frontman Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines who died in a plane crash only three days after the album’s release. The LP peaked at No.5 in the US.
1981 – With their rendition of ‘It’s My Party’, Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart on this day October 17.
1981 – Singer-songwriter Christopher Cross topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)’ which featured in the 1981 film ‘Arthur’.
1984 – American jazz and blues singer-songwriter Alberta Hunter died on this day October 17 at the age of 89.
1987 – The No.1 single in the United States on this day October 17 in music history was ‘Lost in Emotion’ by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.
1987 – With his eight studio album ‘Tunnel of Love’, singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen went to number one in the UK.
1987 – The Bee Gees became the first group to score a number one single in the UK in three different decades when ‘You Win Again’ took the top spot on the Singles chart on this day October 17.
1989 – Billy Joel released his eleventh studio album ‘Storm Front’ through Columbia Records. The album peaked at No.1 in the US and Australia, and it features the hit single ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’.
1991 – American singer Ernest Ford better known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford died on this day October 17, aged 72. Best remembered for hit songs such as ‘The Shotgun Boogie’ and ‘Sixteen Tons’.
1992 – The number one album in the United Kingdom on this day was ‘Symbol’ by Prince and his backing band The New Power Generation.
1992 – With ‘Sleeping Satellite’, singer-songwriter Tasmin Archer hit number one on the UK Singles chart on this day October 17 for the first of two consecutive weeks.
1993 – Co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Savatage, Christopher “Criss” Oliva was killed in a car crash by a drunk driver, aged 30.
1998 – Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies topped the US Singles chart with ‘One Week’ on this day October 17 in music history.
1998 – Phil Collins reached number one on the UK Albums chart with his greatest hits compilation ‘Hits’. The album also topped the music charts in Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and New Zealand.
1998 – Sixteen-year-old Billie scored her second number one single in the United Kingdom with ‘Girlfriend’ on this day October 17. She previously topped the chart in July with ‘Because We Want To’ when she set the record for the youngest artist to reach No.1.
1998 – Rapper Jay-Z started a five-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 with his third studio album ‘Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life’.
1999 – American steel guitarist and songwriter Thomas “Tommy” Durden died on this day October 17, aged 79. Best remembered for co-writing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ which was a hit for Elvis Presley.
2001 – Three time Academy Award-winning composer Jay Livingston died at the age of 86. Best known for his collaboration with Ray Evans which resulted in winning the ‘Best Original Song’ award three times for ‘Buttons and Bows’, ‘Mona Lisa’, and ‘ Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)’.
2007 – Prolific multi-genre American singer Teresa Brewer died on this day October 17 at the age of 76.
2008 – Founding member and lead singer of the R&B group Four Tops, Levi Stubbs died on this day at the age of 72.
2009 – Barbra Streisand became the first artist to top the Billboard 200 chart in five different decades when her thirty-second studio album ‘Love Is the Answer’ reached No.1 on this day October 17 in music history. It was her record-breaking ninth chart-topper in the US.
Barbra Streisand – Gentle Rain
2009 – With ‘Oopsy Daisy’, rapper Chipmunk hit number one on the UK Singles chart on this day October 17.
2009 – British singer Jay Sean featuring rapper Lil Wayne went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Down’.
2015 – American rapper Fetty Wap reached number one in the US with his self-titled debut studio album on this day October 17.
2017 – Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gordon Downie died on this day, aged 53 from brain tumor.
2019 – With his debut studio album ‘Without Fear’, Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy reached number one in the UK on this day October 17
2020 – The collaborative studio album ‘Savage Mode II’ by the rapper 21 Savage and record producer Metro Boomin reached No.1 in the US.
2020 – A remixed version of ‘Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)’ by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo featuring BTS topped the US Singles chart on this day October 17. The song was a worldwide hit and it reached number one in twenty countries, including the UK, Australia, and Canada.
BORN ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1909 – American jazz drummer William Randolph “Cozy” Cole was born in East Orange, New Jersey on this day October 17 in music history. Best known for his work with Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway.
1923 – American jazz guitarist and composer Barney Kessel was born on this day in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Best known as a member of the session musicians collective The Wrecking Crew.
1933 – Belgian singer-songwriter Jeannine Deckers also known as The Singing Nun was born in Brussels. She gained international fame with the song ‘Dominique’ which became a chart-topper in several countries worldwide, including the US.
1934 – Cuban trombonist and pioneer of the ska and reggae music genres Emmanuel ‘Rico’ Rodriguez, was born on this day October 17 in Havana.
1942 – One half of the soft rock duo Seals and Crofts, James Eugene Seals was born on this day in Sidney, Texas.
1942 – American singer Gary Puckett was born on this day October 17 in Hibbing, Minnesota. Best known as a solo artist and as the lead singer of Gary Puckett & the Union Gap.
1946 – American musician Michael Hossack was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He rose to fame as the drummer for The Doobie Brothers.
1949 – Founding member of the sibling music group The Hudson Brothers, William “Bill” Hudson was born in Portland, Oregon on this day October 17 in music history.
1956 – Singer and guitarist Francis “Fran” Cosmo was born on this day in Utica, New York. Best known for his work with the bands Orion the Hunter and Boston.
1958 – Country music singer and songwriter Alan Jackson was born on this day October 17 in Newnan, Georiga.
1967 – Singer-songwriter and DJ Rene Dif was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Best known as a member of the Eurodance group Aqua who had the hit single ‘Barbie Girl’.
1968 – Reggae singer-songwriter and record producer David Nesta “Ziggy” Marley was born on this day October 17 in Kingston, Jamaica. He’s the son of musicians Bob and Rita Marley.
1969 – Rapper and founding member of the hip hop group Fugees, Wyclef Jean was born in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti.
1971 – Singer-songwriter, dancer, and founding member of the boy band NSYNC, Chris Kirkpatrick was born on this day October 17 in Clarion, Pennsylvania.
1972 – American rapper and producer Marshall Mathers better known by his stage names Eminem and Slim Shady was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on this day October 17 in music history.