October 18th 1967
The Bee Gees were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Massachusetts', the group's first of five UK No.1's. Engelbert Humperdink was at No.2 with ‘The Last Waltz’ and Traffic were at No.3 with ‘Hole In My Shoe.’
October 18th 1926
was born Chuck Berry singer, songwriter and guitarist. Berry was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music, who helped developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive; his lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism plus his own brand of showmanship became a major influence on subsequent rock music. He also had surprise hit in 1972 with the UK and US No.1 single 'My Ding A Ling'. A major influence on The Beatles and Rolling Stones, Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' was one of the examples of music from Earth sent out to space. Berry died on 18 March 2017 aged 90.
October 18th 1971 - King Crimson performed at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, England. They played songs from their album ‘Islands’ which would release two months later.
October 19th 1985
A-Ha went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Take On Me', making them the first Norwegian group to score a US No.1. The video for the song featured the band in a pencil-sketch animation method called rotoscoping, combined with live action which won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
October 19th 2011
Coldplay released their fifth studio album 'Mylo Xyloto' which charted at No.1 in thirty-four countries. In the UK 'Mylo Xyloto' became Coldplay's fifth album to debut at No.1 and became the group's third to debut at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.
October 20th 1984
Wham! started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Freedom', the duo's second No.1. The song was used in a Japanese commercial for Maxell audio cassettes, with altered lyrics.
October 20th 1979
The Eagles started a nine week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Long Run', the bands fourth US No.1.
October 20th 1960
Roy Orbison had his first UK No.1 single with 'Only The Lonely' and his first of 33 hits. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley so Orbison decided to record the song himself.
October 21st 2006
Evanescence were at No.1 on the US album chart with their second album 'The Open Door.' It became the 700th No.1 album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956.
October 21st 1972
Chuck Berry started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'My Ding-A-Ling', his first and only US and UK No.1, 17 years after his first chart hit.
October 21st 1995
was born Doja Cat, American singer, rapper, songwriter. Her second studio album, Hot Pink (2019), reached the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 and spawned the single ‘Say So’, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
October 22nd 2002
Foo Fighters released One by One their fourth studio album which includes the successful singles 'All My Life' and 'Times Like These'. One by One won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2004, the second for the band.
October 22nd 1988
Phil Collins started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with his version of 'Groovy Kind Of Love', his 6th US No.1. The song was also a hit for The Mindbenders, the group that backed Wayne Fontana in 1965.
October 22nd 1968
was born Shaggy, (Orville Richard Burrell), 1993 UK No.1 single 'Oh Carolina', 2001 UK & US No.1 single 'It Wasn't Me', 2001 UK & US No.1 album 'Hotshot').
October 23rd 2015
Adele released 'Hello' as the lead track from her third studio album, 25. The music video for the song broke the Vevo Record by achieving over 27.7 million views within 24-hours and entered the top of the UK Singles Chart with 333,000 combined sales, of which 259,000 were downloads, making it the biggest selling No.1 single on the UK chart in three years.
October 23rd 2008
Beyonce went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'If I Were A Boy', the singers fourth UK No.1 hit. Taken from her third solo album, I Am’ Sasha Fierce.
October 23rd 2005
Arctic Monkeys scored their first UK No.1 single with 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor', the Sheffield bands debut single.
October 23rd 1993
Meat Loaf had his first UK No.1 with 'I'd Do Anything For Love' (But I Won't Do That'). It stayed at No.1 for seven weeks. A No.1 in twenty-eight countries and gave Meat Loaf his first US No.1 hit.
October 23rd 1993
Take That scored their first UK No.1 album with their second release 'Everything Changes.' The album which was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize became the third best selling album of 1993 in the UK.
October 23rd 1982
Culture Club were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me', the group's first chart topper and the first of 12 UK Top 40 hits. The song became a major hit after their memorable debut performance on Top Of The Pops when they stood in for Shakin' Stevens who was ill and not able to appear.
October 23rd 1976
Chicago started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'If You Leave Me Now'. It was the group's 18th Top 40 and first US No.1, also a No.1 in the UK. It went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance.
October 24th 1987
Michael Jackson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Bad', a No.3 hit in the UK. A music video for 'Bad', directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring one of the first appearances of yet-undiscovered Wesley Snipes, was released in late 1987.
October 24th 1970
Pink Floyd were at No.1 on the UK album chart with the 'Atom Heart Mother', the group's first No.1. The album cover shows a cow standing in a pasture with no text nor any other clue as to what might be on the record.
October 24th
was born Canadian rapper, songwriter, and actor Aubrey Drake Graham who records under the mononym Drake. Scored US No.1 albums with ' Thank Me Later', (2010), 'Take Care', (2011), and 'Nothing Was the Same', (2013).
October 25th 1997
The Spice Girls went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Spice Up Your Life'. Taken from their second album 'Spiceworld' the single set new record, making them the only act to have their first five singles reach No.1.
