On This Day, September 17 in Music History
EVENTS ON SEPTEMBER 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
On this day September 17 in 1954 – Frank Sinatra started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’. The song featured in the film of the same name and it won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
1955 – With his rendition of Fats Domino‘s hit song ‘Ain’t That a Shame’, Pat Boone went to number one in the US.
1967 – The Ed Sullivan Show banned The Doors from their program after Jim Morrison sang ‘Girl, we couldn’t get much higher‘ instead of ‘Girl, we couldn’t get much better‘ as requested by the producers.
1968 – Diana Ross & The Supremes started recording ‘Love Child’ on this day September 17 in music history. It was released as a single at the end of the month and it became a chart-topping hit in Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
1977 – ’20 Golden Greats’, a compilation album by Diana Ross & The Supremes started a seven-week run at No.1 in the UK on this day September 17.
1983 – Rock band The Police returned for a ten-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 with their fifth and final studio album ‘Synchronicity’. The album was also a chart-topper in Australia, Canada, Italy, and the UK.
1983 – With his debut studio album ‘No Parlez’, English singer-songwriter Paul Young went to number one in the UK.
1991 – Guns N’ Roses released two studio albums on this day – ‘Use Your Illusion I ‘ and ‘Use Your Illusion II’. Both albums were a commercial success, but only the latter reached No.1 on the charts worldwide, while the former peaked at No.2 in several countries.
1994 – The Three Tenors went to No.1 in the UK with their live album ‘The Three Tenors in Concert 1994’ on this day September 17.
1994 – Eurodance act Whigfield started a four-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Saturday Night’.
1994 – R&B quartet Boyz II Men went to number one in the US with their third studio album ‘II’ on this day September 17 in music history. The LP reached No.1 in France and New Zealand as well.
1996 – Tool released their second studio album ‘Aenima’ (stylized Ænima) through Zoo Entertainment. It was an instant commercial success with nearly 150,000 copies sold in the first week of its release, and it debuted at No.2 on the Billboard 200.
1996 – American R&B and blues singer-songwriter Jessie Hill died on this day September 17, aged 63. Best remembered for the song ‘Ooh Poo Pah Doo’.
1999 – English singer and actor Frankie Vaughan died at the age of 71. Best remembered for the songs ‘Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl’, ‘Tower of Strength’, and ‘The Garden of Eden’.
2005 – With his debut studio album ‘Back to Bedlam’, singer-songwriter James Blunt topped the UK Albums chart on this day September 17. The album features two of his biggest hits ‘Goodbye My Lover’ and ‘You’re Beautiful’.
2005 – Kanye West started a two-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 with his second studio album ‘Late Registration’. He also started an impressive ten-week stint at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Gold Digger’ featuring Jamie Foxx on this day September 17.
2005 – The Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes were at number one on the UK Singles chart with ‘Don’t Cha’. The song reached No.1 in twelve other countries in the following months.
2006 – American guitarist and session musician Alvin “Al” Casey died on this day September 17 in music history, aged 69.
2011 – English musician Example topped the UK Albums chart with ‘Playing in the Shadows’. The album features two chart-topping singles in ‘Stay Awake’ and ‘Changed the Way You Kiss Me’.
2011 – With his ninth studio album ‘The Carter IV’, rapper Lil Wayne went to number one in the US on this day September 17.
2011 – English singer Pixie Lott scored her third number one single in the United Kingdom with ‘All About Tonight’.
2011 – Adele scored her second number one single of the year in the US with ‘Someone Like You’. She previously topped the Hot 100 chart with ‘Rolling in the Deep’ back in May and June.
2013 – American country and rockabilly music singer-songwriter Marvin Rainwater died on this day September 17, aged 88. Best remembered for the hit singles ‘Whole Lotta Woman’ and ‘Gonna Find me a Bluebird’.
2014 – Country music singer and guitar player George Hege Hamilton IV died on this day at the age of 77.
2015 – The debut single by the British DJ and producer Sigala called ‘Easy Love’ went to number one on the UK Singles chart.
2015 – Heavy metal band Iron Maiden went to number one on the UK Albums chart with their sixteenth studio release ‘The Book of Souls’.
2016 – Barbra Streisand topped the US Billboard 200 chart with her thirty-fifth studio album ‘Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway’, making her the oldest female artist to achieve such a feat, aged 74. The album also reached No.1 in Australia and the UK.
2017 – Brazilian musician and record producer Laudir de Oliveira died on this day September 17, aged 77. Best remembered for his work with the rock band Chicago.
2020 – Reissued deluxe edition with bonus tracks of the Rolling Stones‘ 11th British album ‘Goats Head Soup’ went to No.1 in the UK. The album was originally released in 1973 when it also topped the chart.
BORN ON SEPTEMBER 17 IN MUSIC HISTORY
1923 – American singer and songwriter Hiram “Hank” Williams was born in Butler County, Alabama.
1926 – Bassist and bandleader William “Bill” Black Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Best known for his work with Elvis Presley and for leading his band Bill Black’s Combo.
1929 – American jazz saxophonist Sylvester “Sil” Austin was born on this day September 17 in Dunnellon, Florida.
1939 – Founding member of the vocal group The 5th Dimension, Lamonte McLemore was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1940 – Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter Roger Nichols was born in Missoula, Montana.
1950 – Singer and songwriter John Waldo “Fee” Waybill was born on this day September 17 in Omaha, Nebraska. Best known as the frontman of the rock band The Tubes.
1959 – Keyboardist, composer, producer, and one half of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp, Will Gregory was born in Bristol, England.
1962 – American gospel and R&B singer Benjamin “BeBe” Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan on this day September 17 in music history.
1968 – Rapper, DJ, producer and founding member of the hip hop group Brand Nubian, Lorenzo Dechalus also known as Lord Jamar was born in New York City.
1968 – American singer and songwriter Anastacia Lyn Newkirk was born on this day September 17 in Chicago, Illinois.
1969 – Guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of the indie rock band The Bluetones, Adam Devlin was born in London, England.
1969 – English singer and dancer Keith Flint was born in Redbridge, London. Best known as the frontman of the electronic dance music band The Prodigy.
1979 – Canadian multi-instrumentalist Charles-Andre “Chuck” Comeau was born in Montreal, Quebec on this day September 17 in music history. He came to prominence as the drummer of the rock band Simple Plan.
1985 – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan “Jon” Walker was born in Hanover Park, Illinois. Best known for playing bass with Panic! at the Disco.