This Day in Music
On November 3, 1990, The Righteous Brothers scored a No.1 hit in the UK with “Unchained Melody,” 25 years after its original release, thanks to its appearance in the blockbuster film, Ghost. Written in 1955 by Alex North and Hy Zaret for the film Unchained, the ballad was first performed by Todd Duncan. Later that year, multiple artists found success with the tune including Liberace, Jimmy Young, and Les Baxter. It would soon become one of the most recorded songs in history. The Righteous Brothers’ version, released in 1965, however, would become the definitive recording. Produced by Phil Spector and featuring a solo performance by the duo’s Bobby Hatfield, the track was a hit upon its release. In 1990, when it was featured prominently in the Demi Moore/Patrick Swayze film, it gained a new generation of fans around the globe.
In 1991, approximately 300,000 people attended the free “Laughter, Love and Music,” concert at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which celebrated the life and work of Bill Graham. The 60-year-old concert promoter and impresario, who was instrumental in the rise of the ‘60s counterculture movement, was killed a week earlier in a helicopter crash. Many of the acts that Graham had supported performed at the memorial event, including the Grateful Dead, Santana, and a reunited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” was released by Sun Records. Selling one million copies in just ten days, the recording would become one of the era’s best-selling singles.
In 1990, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” became the first rap single to top the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2013, the first YouTube Music Awards were held in New York City. While the fan-voted event, which celebrated the year’s best music videos, was short-lived, it marked the overwhelming impact of the platform on the music industry.
BORN ON NOVEMBER 3
1930: Mable John
1933: John Barry (Composer)
1948: Lulu
1954: Adam Ant
1973: Mick Thomson (Slipknot)
1987: Courtney Barnett
