This Day in Music: January 19th

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Born on this day:

1939, Phil Everly, singer, songwriter
1943, Janis Joplin, singer
1944, Shelly Fabares, singer, actress
1946, Dolly Parton, country singer, songwriter
1947, Rod Evans, vocals, Deep Purple
1949, Robert Palmer, singer, songwriter
1959, Jeff Pilson, bass, Dokken, Foreigner|
1971, John Wozniak, vocals, songwriting, Marcy Playground

1959, The Platters’ “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart.

1967, The Monkees were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “I’m a Believer,” the group’s only U.K. #1.

1971, The Beatles’ “White Album” was played in the courtroom at the Sharon Tate murder trial to find out if any songs could have influenced Charles Manson and his followers to commit murder.

1974, Black Oak Arkansas appeared at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Support act was Bruce Springsteen. Tickets cost $4.

1978, Johnny Rotten was fired from the Sex Pistols for “not being weird enough anymore.”

1980, “Brass in Pocket” gave The Pretenders their first U.K. #1 single. Also, the band’s self-titled debut album started a four-week run at #1 on the U.K. chart on this day.

1980, Pink Floyd’s The Wall started a 15-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart. The group’s third U.S. #1, it went on to sell more than 8 million copies.

1993, Fleetwood Mac reunited to perform at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. The band’s “Don’t Stop” was used as the theme for his campaign.

1998, American rockabilly singer, songwriter Carl Perkins died at age 65 from throat cancer. He wrote the classic rock and roll song “Blue Suede Shoes,” the first record by a Sun label to sell a million copies.

2006, American soul singer Wilson Pickett died in hospital near his Ashburn, Virginia, home of a heart attack at age 64. Pickett recorded the soul classics “Mustang Sally,” “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “In the Midnight Hour” plus he scored 15 other U.S. Top 40 singles.

2007, Canadian singer songwriter and former Mamas and the Papas singer Denny Doherty died at the age of 66. He died at his home near Toronto, Canada, after a short illness.

2008, Singer-songwriter John Stewart, who wrote the Monkees hit “Daydream Believer,” died at age 68 after he suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm in San Diego. Stewart was a member of folk group The Kingston Trio and went on to record more than 45 solo albums with his biggest solo success being a U.S. top five single, “Gold,” in 1979. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

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