1972 - Aretha Franklin released Young, Gifted and Black, her eighteenth studio album. Her output in the early 70s was stunning, Young, Gifted and Black certainly ranks highly among her studio efforts, with many arguing that it may be her greatest. But there's much more here than just a few highlights. If you really want to go song by song, you'd be hard-pressed to find any throwaways here -- this is quite honestly an album that merits play from beginning to end. Featured "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming."
1976 - Bob Dylan started a five-week run at No. 1 with, Desire. The album features "Hurricane", which protests the conviction of former middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter for triple murder in 1966, arguing his innocence.
1980 - Clever marketing: Pink Floyd advertise their upcoming world tour to promote their album The Wall with a special billboard on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip that is gradually covered up each day with a brick until an entire wall is built over it.
They also erected a billboard on the Strip that was pasted up and each day a brick was ‘removed’ to slowly reveal the inside spread and title of the album.
2008 - Amy Winehouse was admitted into rehab in a battle to kick her addiction to drugs. A statement from her record company, Universal said she entered the facility "after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors to continue her ongoing recovery against drug addiction."
2017 - Drummer Butch Trucks from The Allman Brothers Band died of a self-inflicted gunshot, reportedly after years of financial strife. Nephew Derek founded the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and Duane drums for Widespread Panic.
2019 - Weezer released The Teal Album, a collection of covers featuring their hit rendition of "Africa." Selections include "Take On Me," "No Scrubs" and "Billie Jean."
Always a band keenly attuned to the fleeting fashions of the internet, Weezer were the ripe target of an online campaign. A 14-year-old fan intuited that Weezer would be amenable to covering Toto's 1982 chart-topper "Africa," so she started a Twitter campaign in December 2017 to petition the band to do just that. After six months of cajoling, Weezer relented -- by releasing a version of "Rosanna," the hit Toto had before "Africa." The next week, the band unveiled their cover of "Africa," which swiftly became Weezer's biggest hit since 2005, matching that year's "Perfect Situation" placement at 51 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Somehow, that wasn't the end of the shenanigans. As the single stayed on the charts, Toto returned the favor by covering Weezer's "Hash Pipe," then Weezer parodied themselves for the long-delayed video for their "Africa," bringing Weird Al Yankovic along for good measure. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc.)
Birthdays:
Ray Stevens is 83.
Aaron Neville is 81. Founding member of The Neville Brothers who had the 1966 US No.2 single 'Tell It Like It Is.' "He's the most soulful of singers, maybe in all of recorded history. If angels sing, they must sing in that voice."- Bob Dylan
Neil Diamond is 81. Wrote 'I'm A Believer', the No.1 for The Monkees. Many acts from Elvis Presley, Lulu and Deep Purple have all covered his songs. With his 2008 album ‘Home Before Dark’ Diamond became the oldest artist to have a US number one.
Warren Zevon was born today in 1947. During the early 1970s, Zevon toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player, band leader, and musical coordinator. He gets a boost when Linda Ronstadt begins recording several of his tunes.
Blues Brother John Belushi was born today in 1949. He is one of the original cast members on Saturday Night Live and forms The Blues Brothers with fellow SNL star Dan Aykroyd.
Jools Holland of Squeeze is 64. Also hosted the BBC music show Later... With Jools Holland.
On this Day In Music History is sourced from Page Six, Allmusic, This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.