This Day in Music
On this day in music, April 21, 2016, the flamboyant, influential, and sometimes controversial Minneapolis musician, Prince, died aged 57. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, he began his career in the late 1970s, finding acclaim with albums like Controversy and 1999. In 1984, he achieved even broader success with the hit movie Purple Rain and its multi-platinum soundtrack album. A musical shapeshifter, whose unique style embraced R&B, funk, pop, rock, jazz, and hip-hop, Prince was also famed for his spectacular live shows. In the 90s, during a dispute with his label Warner Bros, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, becoming known for a time as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.
In 2013, DJ/producer Calvin Harris entered the history books when he became the first recording artist to score eight UK Top 10 hits all from a single album (2012’s 18 Months). Born Adam Wiles in Scotland, Harris surpassed Michael Jackson’s previous record-breaking tally of seven Top 10 smashes each from the albums Bad and Dangerous.
In 1990, Sinead O’Connor topped the Billboard Hot 100 with her haunting interpretation of the Prince-written “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a song which the latter artist first recorded with his side project, The Family, in 1985. The single spent a month at the summit of the US pop charts and also went to No.1 in 18 other countries.
In 1978, 31-year-old singer-songwriter Sandy Denny passed away. The London-born artist rose to fame in 1968 as part of the folk group Fairport Convention, then left to form her own band, Fotheringay, the following year, before launching her solo career in 1971. She is best remembered for her classic song “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” which was covered by Judy Collins in 1968.
In 1984, ex-Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins chalked up his first of seven US chart-topping singles with “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now),” taken from the soundtrack to the romantic thriller movie of the same name. It stalled at No.2 in the UK.
In 1990, Paul McCartney set a new world record when his concert at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro drew an audience of 184,000. At the time, it was the largest crowd to attend a rock concert.
BORN ON APRIL 21
1919: Don Cornell (Singer)
1947: Iggy Pop
1951: Nicole Barclay (Fanny)
1958: Mike Barson (Madness)
1959: Robert Smith (The Cure)
1959: Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)
1960: John Maher (Buzzcocks)
1963: Johnny McElhone (Altered Images, Texas)
