This Day in Music
On this day in music, July 27, 1996, Girl Power was in full force when the Spice Girls’ debut single, “Wannabe,” hit No.1 in the UK. The high-energy track spent seven weeks at the top of the UK pop chart. After topping the charts in 22 countries and shifting more than six million copies worldwide, it had the distinction of being the best-selling single by a female group. “Wannabe” later bagged an Ivor Novello Award for Best British-Written Single and was named Best Single at the BRITs.
In 1986, Queen was one of the first Western bands to perform behind the Iron Curtain in communist Eastern Europe when they appeared in front of an estimated 80,000 people at Budapest’s Népstadion venue. The date, which was filmed and released as Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest , was a stop on The Magic Tour.
In 1981, singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac siren Steve Nicks released her debut solo album, Belladonna. Nicks brought in Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty to produce the record, which she began two years earlier in between sessions for Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk LP. The set yielded three US hit singles including “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” a collaboration with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
In 1968, in the immediate aftermath of The Mamas and The Papas’ split, “Mama” Cass Elliot stepped out as a solo artist with her debut single, “Dream A Little Dream Of Me,” a slowed-down cover of the 1931 dance band tune. The song was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching No.11 in the UK and No.12 in the US.
In 1985, Eurythmics soared to the No.1 spot on the UK singles chart with “There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart),” taken from the British duo’s fourth album Be Yourself Tonight. The track, which featured a harmonica solo from Motown legend Stevie Wonder, proved to be Eurythmics’ only chart-topping record in the UK. In the US, the song stalled at No.22.
In 1976, Tina Turner petitioned for a divorce from her husband and musical partner, Ike Turker, citing irreconcilable differences. Following years of domestic abuse, their divorce was finalized on March 29, 1978. In the 80s, the singer reinvented herself as a pop-rock diva and enjoyed huge international success.
BORN ON JULY 27
1944: Bobbie Gentry (Singer/songwriter)
1949: Rory MacDonald (Runrig)
1953: Suzi Carr (Will To Power)
1960: Conway Savage (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds)
1962: Karl Mueller (Soul Asylum)
1964: Rex Brown (Pantera)
1967: Juliana Hatfield
1974: Pete Yorn
