This Day in Music
On October 30, 1968, Marvin Gaye scored his first No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” Though the Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong song is now a soul classic affiliated with Gaye, that wasn’t always the case. Gaye’s rendition was actually the third to be released, following versions by The Miracles (1966), as well as by Gladys Knight & the Pips, who also scored a major hit with the song in 1967. Gaye’s recording first caught the attention of DJs in 1968, as a track on his album, In the Groove. Thanks to their warm reception of the song, it was eventually released as a single.
In 2002, 37-year-old producer and DJ Jam Master Jay, of the pioneering hip-hop group, Run-DMC, was fatally shot at his New York City recording studio. The talented turntablist joined Run-DMC in 1982, providing beats for Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels shortly after they all graduated from high school. As a trio, they changed the course of rap music by incorporating rock samples into their unique tunes.
In 2015, Adele went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with her record-smashing hit, “Hello.” The blockbuster track topped the charts in 36 countries, including the US, where it reigned at No.1 for ten consecutive weeks. Today, the BRIT and Grammy-winning song remains one of the best-selling digital singles of all time.
In 1971, John Lennon’s sophomore solo album, Imagine, topped the UK charts. Co-produced by Lennon, Phil Spector, and Yoko Ono, the broadly acclaimed album also went to No.1 in Japan, the US, and Australia, among other territories. Today, Imagine is considered to be among Lennon’s best solo works (and one of the greatest albums of all time), with such enduring songs as “Jealous Guy,” “Oh Yoko!,” and the iconic title track.
In 1982, Australian band Men At Work scored their first No.1 hit in the US with “Who Can It Be Now.”
In 1998, all four original members of Black Sabbath reunited to play “Paranoid” on the David Letterman Show.
BORN ON OCTOBER 30
1939: Otis Williams (The Temptations)
1939: Eddie Holland
1939: Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane)
1947: Timothy B Schmit, (Eagles, Poco)
1960: Joey Belladonna (Anthrax)
1967: Gavin Rossdale (Bush)
