What happened in Music on this day !?

July 16th

2007 

The White Stripes played their 'shortest live show ever' at George Street, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Jack White played a single C# note accompanied by a bass drum/crash cymbal hit from Meg. At the end of the show, Jack announced, "We have now officially played in every province and territory in Canada." They then left the stage and performed a full show later that night in St John's.

July 17th

2019 

Snow Patrol's ballad 'Chasing Cars' was named the most-played song of the 21st Century on UK radio.Originally released in 2006, the lovestruck ballad never reached No.1 in the UK, but remained on the charts for more than three years. Second place went to Black Eyed Peas' 'I Gotta Feeling', while Pharrell's 'Happy' came third.

July 18th

1998 

The Beastie Boys went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Hello Nasty', only the second rap album to make No.1 in the UK, the first being Wu-Tang Clan.

July 19th

1947  was born  Brian May

Brian May, guitarist, singer and songwriter with Queen who had the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which returned to No.1 in 1991. Queen scored over 40 other UK Top 40 singles, and also scored the 1980 US No.1 single 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'. May had the solo 1992 UK No.5 single 'Too Much Love Will Kill You'. May was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for 'services to the music industry and his charity work'. May earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College, London, in 2007.

July 20th

1968 

 Cream started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Wheels Of Fire'. The double album which consisted of a studio and a live record reached No.3 in the United Kingdom.

July 21st

1987 

Guns N' Roses released their debut album on Geffen Records: Appetite For Destruction featured the singles 'Welcome to the Jungle', 'Sweet Child o' Mine', and 'Paradise City'. The album now has worldwide sales in excess of 28 million, 18 million of which are in the US, making it the best-selling debut album of all time there.

July 22nd

1989 

Former actress Martika started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Toy Soldiers', a No.5 hit in the UK.

1983 

Paul Young had his first UK No.1 single with his version of the Marvin Gaye song 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The song title was parodied by the UK indie band Super Furry Animals with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)'.

July 24th

1970  was born Jennifer Lopez

American singer, actress, and dancer Jennifer Lopez. She scored the 2001 UK No.1 single 'Love Don't Cost A Thing', and the 2001 US No.1 single 'I'm Real'. For her first leading role in Selena (1997), she became the first Hispanic actress to earn over $1 million for a film. She went on to star in Anaconda (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), and established herself as the highest-paid Hispanic actress in Hollywood.

July 25th

2014

The pop star parodist, Weird Al Yankovic became the first comedy act to hit the top spot for more than 50 years. Mandatory Fun, Yankovic’s 14th album, and his best-selling since Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released in 1991 went to No.1 on the US album chart. The last comedy album to reach No 1 in the US was Allan Sherman’s My Son, the Nut in 1963.

July 26th

1975 

Van McCoy and the Soul City went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Hustle', his only US chart hit, it made No.3 in the UK. McCoy died on 6th July 1979.

July 27th

1985 

The Eurythmics were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)', the duo's only UK No.1 single. The song featured a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.

July 28th

1979 

'I Don't Like Mondays' gave The Boomtown Rats their second UK No.1 single. Bob Geldof wrote the song after reading a report on the shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Ann Spencer, who fired at children playing in a school playground across the street from her home in San Diego, California. She killed two adults and injured eight children and one police officer. Spencer showed no remorse for her crime, and her full explanation for her actions was "I don't like Mondays, this livens up the day."

July 29th

2019

'Old Town Road', the viral rap song by Lil Nas X, became the longest-running No.1 in US chart history after it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks, overtaking Luis Fonsi's 'Despacito' and Mariah Carey’s 'One Sweet Day', which both spent 16 weeks at No.1. The rapper, a college dropout from Atlanta, recorded the song in 2018, using a backing track he bought online for $30 (£24.70).

July 30th

1988 

Steve Winwood started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Roll With It', a No.53 hit in the UK. Later Motown songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland were credited with co-writing the song due to its resemblance to the Junior Walker hit (I'm a) Roadrunner.

August 1st

1981

Australian singer Rick Springfield started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Jessie's Girl', which later won the singer a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The song was at No.1 when MTV launched on 1 August 1981. Rick had played Noah Drake in the TV show General Hospital.

August 3rd

1967 was born Skin

Skin, (Deborah Anne Dyer), singer with British rock band Skunk Anansie who had the 1996 UK No.20 single 'Weak'. The band have spent a total of 141 weeks on both the singles and album charts.

August 4th

1967 

Pink Floyd released their debut album The Piper At the Gates of Dawn on which most songs were penned by Syd Barrett. In subsequent years, the record has been recognised as one of the seminal psychedelic rock albums of the 1960s. When reviewed, by the two main UK music papers in the UK, Record Mirror and NME both gave the album four stars out of five. The album which was recorded at Abbey Road studios, London during the same time that The Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper peaked at No.6 on the UK album chart and failed to chart in the US.

August 5th

2016 

English indie pop band Blossoms from Stockport, Greater Manchester released their self-titled debut studio which peaked at No.1 on the UK chart. The band take their name from The Blossoms public house at the corner of Bramhall Lane and Buxton Road in Stockport.

August 6th

1972 was born Geri Halliwell

Geri Halliwell, (Ginger Spice), vocals, the Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe', plus seven other No.1 singles. She left the group on 7th June 1998 and her first UK solo No.1 single was 1999 'Mi Chico Latino'. Halliwell has scored more UK No.1's than any other female artist.

August 8th

1960 

16-year old Brian Hyland went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' it made No.8 in the UK. Also a UK No.1 for Bombalurina featuring TV presenter Timmy Mallett in 1990.

August 9th

1963 - was born Whitney Houston

singer, who had the 1985 UK & US No.1 single 'Saving All My Love For You', the 1992 UK & US No.1 single 'I Will Always Love You', plus nine other US No.1's. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most-awarded female act of all time. Houston died on February 11th 2012.

Still an icon, Whitney Houston — only a tragic life and a tragic end.

August 10th

2021

American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish was at No.1 on the UK chart with her second studio album Happier Than Ever. A few weeks before its release, with over 1.028 million pre-adds of Happier Than Ever, Eilish reclaimed the Apple Music record for the most pre-saved album ever in the platform's history. Happier Than Ever marked Eilish's second No.1 album in the United States.

August 11th

2002 

Bruce Springsteen started a two week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Rising', the singer's fifth US No.1. Hailed as a triumphant return to form for Springsteen, the album won two Grammy Awards. The Rising came seven years after The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), the longest interlude between studio albums for the artist, and was his first in almost two decades with the E Street Band.