This Day in Music
On this day in music, May 14, 1998, it was the end of an era when 82-year-old Frank Sinatra died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, following a heart attack. Known as the “Chairman of the Board” and later “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” the singer and actor was among the most popular entertainers in the 1940s–1960s. Today, he remains one of the world’s best-selling recording artists. Sinatra first rose to fame in 1940 with “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and signed to Columbia Records in 1943. During his lengthy career, he placed over 25 Top 40 singles, including 1966’s chart-topper, “Strangers In the Night.” Among his many honors, Sinatra won 11 Grammys and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985.
In 2015, legendary blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist B.B. King died in Las Vegas at age 89. One of the most influential bluesmen and guitarists in history, the Mississippi-born artist (often called “The King of the Blues”) was revered for his innovative style on the electric guitar. Even towards the end of his long and prolific career, the hard-working artist was known to perform more than 200 concerts per year, while in his younger day, he could be seen at shows nearly every day of the year. King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and won more than a dozen Grammy Awards.
In 1988, Led Zeppelin reunited for Atlantic Records’ 40th-anniversary party at Madison Square Garden, appearing with drummer Jason Bonham, who stood in for his late father, John Bonham. Their second reunion since splitting, the band’s performance was disorganized and tense, as Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had argued about playing “Stairway to Heaven” prior to performing. Page described the appearance as “one big disappointment” and Plant agreed, noting that “the gig was foul.” Foreigner, Genesis, Ben E. King, and Wilson Pickett were among the other acts taking the stage.
In 2000, 60-year-old Tom Jones’ 34th album, Reload, topped the UK album chart, making him the oldest singer to earn a No.1 album with new material in Britain. The highest-selling album of his career, Reload featured his dancefloor smash with Mousse T, “Sex Bomb,” a No.3 hit in the UK.
In 1983, Spandau Ballet scored their first and only UK No.1 album with True. Released on March 4, 1983, the new wave group’s third studio album peaked at No.19 on the US Billboard 200, while its title track hit No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2002, musical We Will Rock You opened at London’s Dominion Theatre. A collaboration between playwright Ben Elton and Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, the musical is based around the band’s songs. It would soon become the longest-running musical at the Dominion.
BORN ON MAY 14
1936: Bobby Darin
1943: Jack Bruce (Cream)
1952: David Byrne (Talking Heads)
1971: Danny Wood (New Kids On the Block)
1973: Natalie Appleton (All Saints)
1979: Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys)
1996: Martin Garrix
