What happened in Music on this day !?

November 25th

Born in 1960 - Amy Grant

American singer-songwriter and musician Amy Grant, who had the 1991 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Baby Baby'. As of 2009, Grant had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, won six Grammy Awards, 22 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album to go platinum.

November 26th

Born in 1944 - Jean Terrell

American R&B and jazz singer Jean Terrell. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of the Supremes in 1970. The group scored more chart success at the beginning of the new decade, including 'Up the Ladder to the Roof', 'Stoned Love', 'River Deep – Mountain High' (with the Four Tops), 'Nathan Jones', and 'Floy Joy

November 27th

Born in 1941 - Eddie Rabbitt

Eddie Rabbitt, singer, songwriter who had the 1981 US No.1 hit 'I Love A Rainy Night'. Elvis Presley, Dr Hook and Tom Jones all recorded his songs. He died of cancer on 7th May 1998.

November 28th

Born in 1943 - Randy Newman

American singer, songwriter, arranger, pianist, composer, conductor and orchestrator Randy Newman. His hits as a recording artist include 'Short People' (1977), 'I Love L.A.' (1983), and 'You've Got a Friend in Me' (1995), and has written songs such as 'Mama Told Me Not to Come' (1966), 'I Think It's Going to Rain Today' (1968), and 'You Can Leave Your Hat On' (1972). Newman has written film soundtracks including the first four Toy Story films (1995–2019), A Bug's Life (1998), both Monsters, Inc. films (2001, 2013), and the first and third Cars films (2006, 2017). He was once hailed as the greatest songwriter alive by Paul McCartney.

November 29th

1969

The Beatles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with their twenty-sixth release in the United States.'Come Together / Something', which became the group's 18th US No.1. Lennon was inspired by Timothy Leary's campaign for governor of California titled "Come together, join the party" against Ronald Reagan giving him the idea for the track. ’Something’ was the first Beatles song written by George Harrison to appear as an A-side.

November 30th

Born in 1955 - Billy Idol

English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor William Broad (Billy Idol). With Generation X he had the 1979 UK No.11 single 'King Rocker' and was one of the first punk bands to appear on the BBC Television music programme Top of the Pops. He later embarked on a solo career, which led to international recognition and made him a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in America with the music videos for his singles 'Dancing with Myself' and 'White Wedding'. He scored the 1987 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Mony Mony', plus nine other UK top 40 singles.

December 1st

Born in 1945 - Bette Midler

American singer, actress, comedian and author Bette Midler. She had the 1989 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Wind Beneath my Wings'. She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for The Rose, based on the life of Janis Joplin and won Record of the Year for 'Wind Beneath my Wings'.

December 2nd

Born in 1981 - Britney Spears

American singer Britney Spears, referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has had a significant cultural impact in the 21st century and is credited for helping revive the teen pop genre She scored the 1999 US & UK No.1 single 'Baby One More Time', (one of the best-selling singles in history), and the 1999 album Baby One More Time, spent 82 weeks on the UK chart. With over 150 million records sold worldwide, Spears is one of the best-selling music artists in history, with Nielsen SoundScan ranking her the fourth best-selling female album artist of their era. Forbes listed her as the world's highest-paid female musician twice, in 2001 and 2012. Spears received numerous industry awards, including one Grammy Award, six MTV Video Music Awards, and seven Billboard Music Awards.

December 4th

Born in 1969 - Jay-Z

American rapper, businessman, and record executive Jay-Z, (Shawn Carter). He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records in 1994 to release his first two studio albums. Jay-Z married singer Beyoncé in 2008. His music is built on a rags-to-riches narrative, worth $2.6 billion as of 2025. Jay-Z has 14 No.1 albums, tied with Drake for the second-most for a solo artist. He has topped the Billboard Hot 100 on four occasions: once as a lead artist with his 2009 single 'Empire State of Mind' (featuring Alicia Keys), and thrice with his guest performances on 'Heartbreaker' (1999) by Mariah Carey, 'Crazy in Love' (2003) by Beyoncé, and 'Umbrella' (2007) by Rihanna.

December 5th

Born in 1932 - Little Richard

American musician, singer and songwriter Richard Penniman, (Little Richard) who had the 1956 US No. 6 & 1957 UK No.3 single 'Long Tall Sally', plus over 10 other US & UK Top 40 singles. His music played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk and helped shape rhythm and blues for generations to come. He died of bone cancer on 9 May 2020 at the age of 87.

December 6th

Born in 1956 - Peter Buck

American musician and songwriter Peter Buck from R.E.M. who were pivotal in the creation and development of the alternative rock genre. They had the 1991 UK No.6 & US No.10 single 'Shiny Happy People', plus over 20 Top 40 UK singles and the 1992 UK No.1 & US No.2 album Automatic For The People. Buck has been a member of various side project groups at different times. He is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of music, as well as his extensive personal record collection. Buck estimated his record collection to be around 25,000 in the late 1990s.

December 7th

Born in 1954 - Mike Nolan

Mike Nolan, singer with British pop group Bucks Fizz who had the UK hits 'Making Your Mind Up' (1981), 'The Land of Make Believe' (1981) and 'My Camera Never Lies' (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s.

December 8th

Born in 1943 - Jim Morrison

American poet, singer, songwriter Jim Morrison from The Doors who had the 1967 US No.1 single 'Light My Fire' and 1971 single 'Riders On The Storm'. By the release of their second album, Strange Days, (1967) the Doors had become one of the most popular rock bands in the US. Due to his wild personality and performances, he is regarded by some people as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. Morrison died of heart failure in a bathtub in a Paris hotel room on 3rd July 1971. The events surrounding his death continue to be the subject of controversy, as no autopsy was performed on his body after his death, and the exact cause of his death is disputed by many to this day.

December 9th

Born in 1957 - Donny Osmond

Donny Osmond, American singer, who had the 1971 US No.1 single with ‘Go Away Little Girl’, a 1972 UK No.1 single with ‘Puppy Love’ plus seven other UK Top 40 singles. As part of American family group The Osmonds he had the 1971 US No.1 single 'One Bad Apple', the 1974 hit 'Crazy Horses' and the 1974 UK No.1 single 'Love Me For A Reason'. The Osmonds have sold over 75 million records world wide.

December 10th

Born in 1974 - Meg White

Meg White, drummer of the rock duo the White Stripes with Jack White. They presented themselves as siblings to an unknowing public and kept to a monochromatic theme, dressing only in red, white, and black. Their 2003 UK No.1 album Elephant spent 46 weeks on the UK chart and their 2007 album Icky Thump peaked at No.2 on the US chart and No.1 in the UK. White married Jack White in 1996, and they divorced in 2000. In May 2009, she married guitarist Jackson Smith, the son of musicians Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith. They divorced in July 2013.

December 11th

Born in 1944 - Brenda Lee

American singer Brenda Lee who had the 1960 US No.1 single 'I'm Sorry', the UK No.4 single 'Sweet Nothin's', plus 27 US & 18 other UK Top 40 singles. Lee is the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at the age of 79 with ‘Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree’. The song also set the record for the longest period of time between an original release and its topping the Hot 100 (65 years).

December 12th

2023 

Peter Gabriel was at No.1 on the UK chart with his tenth studio album I/O. It was Gabriel's first album of new original material since Up (2002) and had been in the works for nearly three decades (27 years and eight months), with its initial production dating back to April 1995. The album won two 2025 Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Immersive Audio Album.

December 13th

Born in 1974 - Nick McCarthy

Nick McCarthy, guitarist, with Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, who were the winners of the 2004 Mercury Music Prize for their self-titled debut album.

December 14th

Born in 1958 - Peter Stacy

Peter 'Spider' Stacy, tin whistle, from Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues who scored the 1987 UK No.8 single 'The Irish Rover' and the 1987 UK No.2 single with Kirsty MaCcoll, 'Fairytale Of New York'.

December 15th

Born in 1949 - Don Johnson

American actor and singer-songwriter Don Johnson. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice. He scored the 1986 US No.5 & single, 'Heartbeat'. 'Till I Loved You', a duet with then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand, was also a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

December 16th

Born in 1972 - Michael McCary

Michael McCary, from American R&B vocal group Boyz II Men, who had the 1992 US & UK No.1 single 'End Of The Road' which set a new record for longevity, staying at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for thirteen weeks, breaking the decades-old record held by Elvis Presley.

January 7th

Born in 1948 - Kenny Loggins

American singer, guitarist and songwriter Kenny Loggins. He was one half of Loggins & Messina from 1972 to 1977. As a solo artists he had the 1984 US No.1 & UK No. 6 single 'Footlose' from the film of the same name. Loggins wrote many successful songs for film soundtracks and became known as the King of the Movie Soundtrack. He worte 'I'm Alright' from Caddyshack, 'I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)' from Footloose; 'Meet Me Half Way' from Over the Top and 'Danger Zone' and 'Playing with the Boys' from Top Gun.

January 9th

Born in 1944 - Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page, guitarist and producer, who was a member of the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. The fourth Zeppelin album, released in 1971, featuring the rock classic Stairway To Heaven has sold over 37 million copies. Page formed The Honeydrippers, (with Robert Plant, Jeff Beck and Nile Rodgers) who had the 1984 US No.3 single 'Sea Of Love'. As a session guitarist in the 60s Page played on 'Here Comes The Night' by Them, 'Shout' by Lulu, Shirley Bassey's 'Goldfinger', Petula Clark's 'Downtown and The Who's 'Can't Explain'.

Sea of Love

by The Honeydrippers

January 10th

Born in 1945 - Rod Stewart

British rock and pop singer and songwriter Rod Stewart. He was a member of The Hoochie Coochie Men, Steampacket, Shotgun Express, Jeff Beck Group, the Faces (UK No.6 & US No.17 single 'Stay With Me'). As a solo artist he had the 1971 UK & US No.1 single 'Maggie May', plus five other UK No.1's and over 35 Top 40 hits and 10 No.1 albums. His 1971 debut album Every Picture Tell's A Story was the first album ever to simultaneously be No.1 in the UK and US. Stewart has eight children, by five mothers. In reference to his divorces, Stewart was once quoted as saying, "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."

January 11th

Born in 1971 - Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige, American R&B soul singer, songwriter, actress. (1997 US No.1 album, 'Share My World', 1999 UK No.4 single' 'As', 2001 US No.1 single, 'Family Affair', 2006 US No.1 album 'The Breakthrough'). Blige has sold over 60 million records world-wide and is known as the 'Queen of hip-hop soul.'