This Day in Music
On this day in music, March 18, 2017, rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry died at the age of 90. Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry in St. Louis, MO, Berry forged a distinctive style that married rhythm and blues with country music. Between 1955 and 1964, he racked up 22 hits on the US R&B chart including the No.1s “Maybellene,” “School Day,” and “Sweet Little Sixteen.” Berry’s best-selling single was 1972’s “My Ding-A-Ling,” which topped both the Hot 100 and the UK singles chart.
In 2001, 65-year-old John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure. Born in North Carolina, Phillips was the folk-rock group’s principal arranger and songwriter, co-authoring their iconic hit “California Dreamin’.” He also wrote Scott McKenzie’s 1967 UK chart-topper “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair)” and was one of the main organizers of the Monterey Pop Festival.
In 1978, The Gibb brothers claimed the Top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. The Bee Gees’ single “Night Fever” was at No.1 while their younger brother, Andy Gibb, occupied the No. 2 spot with “'(Love Is) Thicker Than Water,” which he’d co-written with elder brother Barry. In the No.3 position was Samantha Sang’s “Emotion,” written and produced by The Bee Gees.
In 1989, the London-based production team Stock, Aitken, and Waterman had three singles in the UK Top 5: Jason Donovan’s “Too Many Broken Hearts,” Bananarama’s “Help,” and Donna Summer’s “This Time I Know It’s For Real.” In their ten years together, the trio racked up more than 100 UK Top 40 hits.
In 2013, David Bowie‘s 25th album, The Next Day, became the UK’s fastest-selling title of the year when it debuted at No.1 on the Official Charts. It was the 66-year-old singer’s ninth chart-topping UK album and his first No.1 since 1993’s Black Tie White Noise.
In 1967, the New Musical Express announced that ex-Spencer Davis Group member Steve Winwood was forming a new band called Traffic. In June of that year, the group debuted in the UK charts with the single “Paper Sun.”
In 1972, Neil Young scored his sole No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Heart Of Gold.” The song, which remained at the top for three weeks, was taken from the Canadian artist’s fourth album, Harvest, which reached No.1 in both the US and UK.
BORN ON MARCH 18
1938: Charley Pride
1941: Wilson Pickett
1945: Chuck E. Weiss
1959: Irene Cara
1961: Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü)
1963: Vanessa Williams
1966: Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
1970: Queen Latifah
1979: Adam Levine (Maroon 5)
1986: Lykke Li
