This Day in Music
On this day in music, December 19, 1981, ABBA scored their seventh chart-topping album in the UK with The Visitors, while also showcasing a brand-new technology. The Visitors marked one of the first records to be digitally recorded and mixed, as well as one of the earliest titles to be released on CD the following year. For almost 40 years, The Visitors also remained ABBA’s final album, before the group reunited in 2021 with the release of Voyage.
In 2015, more than 30 years after its original release, Michael Jackson’s Thriller became the first album to sell more than 30 million copies in the US. Produced by Quincy Jones,Thriller became Jackson’s first No.1 album on the Billboard 200, where it spent a record 37 non-consecutive weeks atop the chart.
In 1970, Elton John scored his first US hit when “Your Song” entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song was first released by Three Dog Night in March 1970, when Elton, who served as an opening act for the band, allowed them to record a version of it.
In 1955, Carl Perkins recorded the now seminal rock‘n’roll standard, “Blue Suede Shoes.” The song was made famous one year later by Elvis Presley, while Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and many others also recorded their own versions.
In 1964, The Beatles’ fourth album, Beatles For Sale, began a seven-week run at the top of the UK charts. The LP was eventually dethroned by The Rolling Stones No. 2.
In 1957, the US Army served Elvis Presley his draft notice. At the time, the King of Rock’n’Roll was celebrating Christmas at his newly-purchased Memphis mansion, Graceland.
In 2016, the UK’s Official Chart Company announced that it was changing the way it calculated its Top 40 hits, to reflect the rise in streaming services as the dominant form of music consumption.
In 1964, The Supremes scored their third No.1 hit of the year when “Come See About Me” topped the Billboard Hot 100. The track was remarkable at the time as it opened with a fade-in, marking one of the first times that the technique was utilized on a recording.
In 1994, The Manic Street Preachers played the first of three nights at The Astoria in London, marking the last shows that rhythm guitarist and co-lyricist, Richey Edwards, made with the band before disappearing.
BORN ON DECEMBER 19
1958: Chris Hamill (Limahl, Kajagoogoo)
1952: Walter Murphy
1944: Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
1941: Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1918: Professor Longhair
1915: Édith Piaf
