1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets went to No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "That'll Be The Day." The title of the song was inspired by a catchphrase that John Wayne uttered repeatedly in the famous John Ford film, The Searchers.
1969 - The Northern Star newspaper of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., ran a story claiming that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash in 1966 and had been replaced by a lookalike. Russell Gibb of WKNR-FM in Detroit picked up on the claim and the story went worldwide. By late October 1969, the hoax was so well entrenched that McCartney came out of seclusion at his farm in Scotland to deny the story. When McCartney was asked to comment by a reporter visiting the farm, he replied, "Do I look dead? I'm as fit as a fiddle."
1977Steely Dan released Aja. It's a measured and textured album, filled with subtle melodies and accomplished, jazzy solos that blend easily into the lush instrumental backdrops.
1977 - David Bowie released the title track from his forthcoming album, "Heroes". This song tells the story of a German couple who are so determined to be together that they meet every day under a gun turret on The Berlin Wall. Bowie, who was living in Berlin at the time, was inspired by an affair between his producer Tony Visconti and backup singer Antonia Maass, who would kiss "by the wall" in front of Bowie as he looked out of the Hansa Studio window. Bowie moved to Berlin after burning out from touring and fame. He rented a cheap apartment above an auto-repair shop, which is where he wrote this album. (Photo by RALPH GATTI/AFP via Getty Images)
1980 - Bob Marley collapsed on stage during a concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. It would be the last time Marley ever appeared on stage; Marley had collapsed in New York's Central Park while jogging, two days before and was told to immediately cancel the US leg, but flew to Pittsburgh to perform one final performance. He died of cancer in May 1981.
2019 - Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead lyricist died at the age of 78. He provided the Grateful Dead with many of their vivid and enduring lyrics for some of the band's signature songs, including 'Uncle John's Band', 'Scarlet Begonias' and 'Dark Star.'
Birthdays:
John Coltrane was born today in 1926. He passed away in 1967. A towering musical figure of the 20th century, as a saxophonist he reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader. Pioneered the technique dubbed "sheets of sound," consisting of the saxophonist playing a flurry of notes on his tenor within the confines of a few chords. He remains the touchstone for creativity in jazz
Ray Charles was born today in 1930. He passed away in 2004. Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of Black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader.
1939 - Blues guitarist Roy Buchanan is born in Ozark, Arkansas. Long considered one of the finest, yet criminally overlooked guitarists of the blues rock genre whose lyrical leads and use of harmonics would later influence such guitar greats as Jeff Beck, his one-time student Robbie Robertson, and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. Legend: Supposedly invited to join the Rolling Stones at one point (which he turned down).
Dan Toler of Dickey Betts & Great Southern and a member of The Allman Brothers Band was born today in 1948. He passed away in 2013.
Julio Iglesias is 78.
1947 - Jerry Corbetta (lead vocalist of Sugarloaf) is born in Denver. The Denver band scored two Top 10 hits, with the singles "Green-Eyed Lady" and "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You". The name came from the mountain outside of Boulder.
Bruce Springsteen is 72. He once said he intended to make an album with words like Bob Dylan that sounded like Phil Spector where he sang like Roy Orbison, a nifty summary of many, but not all, of his artistic ambitions and a key to his appeal. Unlike any of the other singer/songwriters saddled with the appellation of "the new Dylan" in the early '70s, Springsteen never hid how he was raised on '60s AM radio. He loved rock & roll, whether it was the initial blast from the '50s or the mini-symphonies from the days before the Beatles or the garage rockers that surfaced in the wake of the British Invasion, and all this could be heard within his wild, wooly collective the E Street Band.
Ani Di Franco IS 50.
On This Day In Music History is sourced from This Day in Music, Song Facts, Allmusic, and Wikipedia.