EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 2 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day October 2 in 1965 – With their rendition of ‘Hang On Sloppy’, The McCoys went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1970 – Pink Floyd released their fifth studio album ‘Atom Heart Mother’ through Harvest Records. It became their first chart-topper in the United Kingdom.
1971 – The number one single in the United States on this day October 2 in music history was the double A-side ‘Maggie May’/’Reason to Believe’ by Rod Stewart which topped the pop chart for five consecutive weeks. He also hit No.1 on the US and UK Album charts on this day with ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’.
1976 – A compilation album by the vocal soul group The Stylistics titled ‘The Best of the Stylistics’ reached No.1 in the UK.
1979 – Rock band The Police released their second studio album ‘Reggatta de Blanc’ through A&M Records. The album peaked at No.1 in the UK and Australia, and it features the chart-topping singles ‘Walking on the Moon’ and ‘Message in a Bottle’.
1981 – Two years later on the same date The Police released their fourth studio album ‘Ghost in the Machine’ through A&M Records. This album reached No.1 in the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands, and features four hit singles.
1982 – With ‘Jack & Diane’, John Cougar hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first of four consecutive weeks on this day October 2.
1982 – Reggae band Musical Youth hit number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Pass the Dutchie’ for the first of three consecutive weeks. The song was an international hit and it topped the charts in eight other countries as well.
1982 – With their fourth studio album ‘Love Over Gold’, Dire Straits started a four-week run at number one in the UK on this day October 2 in music history. The album also reached the top spot on the national charts in Australia, Austria, Italy, the Netherland, Norway, and New Zealand.
1989 – Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young released this seventeenth studio album ‘Freedom’ through Reprise Records.
1995 – Rock band Oasis released their second studio album ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ on this day October 2 through Creating Records. The album became a worldwide hit and it peaked at No.1 on a dozen music charts.
1998 – American singer and songwriter Gene Autry nicknamed The Singing Cowboy died on this day at the age of 91. Best remembered for songs such as ‘Back in the Saddle Again’, ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’, ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and others.
1999 – American rapper Eve topped the US Billboard 200 chart with her debut studio album ‘Let There Be Eve …Ruff Ryders’ First Lady’.
1999 – Electronic music duo Leftfield scored their first number one album in the UK with ‘Rhythm and Stealth’ on this day October 2.
2000 – English rock band Radiohead released their fourth studio album ‘Kid A’ through Parlophone Records. The album became their first chart-topper in the United States and it also peaked at No.1 in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, France, and Ireland.
Radiohead – Kid A
2004 – American rapper Nelly scored his third consecutive number one album in the US with ‘Suit’ on this day October 2.
2004 – Punk rock band Green Day topped the UK Albums chart with their breakthrough album ‘American Idiot’ which was a worldwide hit at the time reaching No.1 in 19 countries.
2009 – Mumford & Sons released their debut studio album ‘Sigh No More’ on this day. It went on to top the national album charts in Australia, Irelands, and New Zealand, while in the UK and US it peaked at No.2.
2010 – Bruno Mars hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles charts with ‘Just the Way You Are’ on this day October 2.
2010 – The number one album on the US Billboard 200 chart on this day October 2 in music history was ‘A Thousand Suns’ by Linkin Park. The album was a worldwide hit and it topped the national charts in nine other countries.
2010 – With his eight solo studio album ‘Going Back’, Phil Collins went to number one in the UK on this day October 2. His first chart-topper since 1993 when ‘Both Sides’ reached No.1.
2012 – Guitarist and session musician James George Tomkins also known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan at the age of 71.
2017 – American singer-songwriter Thomas “Tom” Petty died on this day October 2, aged 66 of a cardiac arrest. Best remembered as the frontman of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
2019 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Kimberly “Kim” Shattuck died at the age of 56. Best remembered as the frontwoman of the punk rock band The Muffs.
BORN ON THIS DAY OCTOBER 2 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1933 – Co-founder and lead singer of the vocal group The Diamonds, David “Dave” Somerville was born in Ontario, Canada on this day October 2 in music history.
1939 – Mexican American singer and guitarist Lolly Vegas was born on this day in Coalinga, California. Best known for his work with the groups The Avantis and Redbone.
1941 – Founding member and bassist of the rock band The Beau Brummels, Rong Meagher was born on this day October 2 in Oakland, California.
1945 – American singer-songwriter and guitarist Donald “Don” McLean was born in New Rochelle, New York. Best known for his hit song ‘American Pie’.
1949 – Punk rock singer-songwriter and bassist Richard Meyers better known professionally as Richard Hell was born on this day October 2 in Lexington, Kentucky.
1952 – Guitarist, bassist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock band Genesis, Michael “Mike” Rutherford was born in Chertsey, England.
1951 – Singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Gordon Summer better known by his stage name Sting was born in Wallsend, England on this day October 2 in music history. He came to prominence as the frontman of the band The Police before embarking on a solo career.
1952 – English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Otway was born on this day in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
1955 – Co-founder and frontman of the synth-pop band Human League, Philip Oakley was born on this day October 2 in Hinckley, England.
1956 – American singer Freddie Jackson was born in Harlem, New York. Best known for hit songs such as ‘Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)’, ‘Jam Tonight’, ‘Do Me Again’, etc.
1958 – Pop music singer-songwriter and guitarist Robert “Robbie” Nevil was born on this day October 2 in Los Angeles, California. Best known for hit singles like ‘C’est la Vie’, ‘Wot’s It to Ya’, and ‘Dominoes’.
1967 – American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gillian Welch was born on this day in New York City.
1967 – Multi-instrumentalist Floyd “Bud” Gaugh was born in Kihei, Hawaii. Best known for playing drums with the bands Sublime, Long Beach Dub Allstars, and Volcano.
1971 – American singer-songwriter and actress Tiffany Darwish was born in Norwalk, California on this day October 2 in music history.
1971 – American guitarist James “Jim” Root also known as #4 was born on this day October 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He rose to fame as a member of the metal bands Stone Sour and Slipknot.
1973 – Singer, songwriter, and founding member of the R&B group Xscape, LaTocha Scott was born in College Park, Georgia.
1973 – Lead singer of the Europop group Aqua, Lene Grawford Nystrom was born on this day October 2 in Tonsberg, Norway.
1988 – Co-founder, lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the rock band Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard was born in Athens, Alabama.