15th
15th June 1985, Dire Straits started a nine-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with, ‘Brothers In Arms’. The album is the seventh best-selling album in UK chart history and won two Grammy Awards at the 28th Grammy Awards, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards. Article source: https://www.facebook.com/19706525166/posts/10161705832815167
15th June 1996, US jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald died in Beverly Hills, California, aged 79. Already blinded by the effects of diabetes, Fitzgerald had both her legs amputated in 1993. Winner of 13 Grammy Awards, the 1956 'Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook' was the first of eight "Songbook" sets. Appeared in the TV […]
15th June 1941, born on this day, American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson, who had the 1972 UK & US No.1 single with his version of The Badfinger song 'Without You', and the 1969 US No.6 single 'Everybody's Talkin' from the film Midnight Cowboy'. The Monkees, Three Dog Night & Ronettes all covered his songs. He died […]
15th May 1994, Blur scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘Parklife’, which went on to spend over two years on the chart. The album featured four UK hit singles: 'Girls & Boys', 'End of a Century', 'Parklife' and 'To the End'. In the year following its release the album came to define the emerging […]
Happy birthday to Brian Eno, born on 15th May 1948, English musician, composer, record producer best known for his pioneering work in ambient music. With Roxy Music he had the 1972 UK No.4 single ‘Virginia Plain’. He has produced U2, Talking Heads, David Bowie, John Cale, Coldplay and Damon Albarn. Article source: https://www.facebook.com/19706525166/posts/10161579655150167
15th April 1972, Roberta Flack started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. Written in 1957 by political singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who was later to become his wife. At the time the couple were lovers, although MacColl was married […]
15th January 1972, Don McLean's 'American Pie' started a four week run at No.1 in the US singles chart. The song is a recounting of "The Day the Music Died" (a term taken from the song) the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr.), and […]
15th January 1948, Born on this day, Ronnie Van Zant, vocalist with Lynyrd Skynyrd who had the 1974 US No. 8 single 'Sweet Home Alabama' and the 1982 UK No. 21 single 'Freebird'. Van Zant died in a plane crash between shows from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on October 20th 1977 along […]
15th January 1994, American singer songwriter Harry Nilsson died in his sleep of heart failure after spending the previous day in the recording studio. He recorded 'Everybody's Talkin' from the film Midnight Cowboy and wrote hits for Three Dog Night and The Monkees. Had the UK & US No.1 single with his version of the […]
15th November 2016, American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter Mose Allison died aged 89. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz. His music influenced many blues and rock artists, including Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, the Yardbirds, John Mayall, J. J. Cale, the Who (who […]