This Day in Music

On August 18, 1962, after just two hours of rehearsal together, Ringo Starr played his first show with the Beatles at the Horticultural Society dance in Birkenhead, England.

…Exactly two years later, the Fab Four would arrive in San Francisco for their first American tour, where they were greeted by over 9,000 ecstatic fans.

In 1977, The Police played their first official show at Rebecca’s Nightclub in Birmingham, UK. Within two years, the London trio would achieve mainstream success with singles like “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “Roxanne,” and “Message in a Bottle,” all of which featured a unique blend of jazz, punk, and reggae.

In 1984, George Michael went to No.1 in the UK (among many other territories) with “Careless Whisper,” his first single as a solo artist. The member of Wham! also became the first person to reach No.1 on the UK pop chart as both a solo artist and as a member of a band in the same year, following Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” The group would continue to top the pop chart throughout the year, with “Freedom” and the enduring “Last Christmas.”

In 1986, Bon Jovi released their breakthrough third studio album, Slippery When Wet. Featuring some of their biggest hits, including “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and “You Give Love a Bad Name,” the album topped charts around the globe—including in the US, Australia, Canada, and Norway—and has since been certified 12x Platinum in the US.

In 1992, grunge royalty Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love celebrated the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.

BORN ON AUGUST 18

1950: Dennis Elliot (Foreigner)
1951: John Rees (Met At Work)
1953: Marvin Isley (The Isley Brothers)
1967: Dan Peters (Mudhoney)
1969: Erik Schrody (House of Pain)
1971: Richard James (Aphex Twin)
1977: Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire)
1983: Mika