1998The Beatles are named "Favourite Recording Artist Of All Time" in a poll conducted by the UK music magazine Mojo, beating out Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Queen, and Elton John in that order.
1975The Eagles' "One Of These Nights" hits #1 in the US, where it stays for one week.
1962Aretha Franklin makes her television debut, singing "Don't Cry Baby" and "Try A Little Tenderness" on American Bandstand.
1962Bob Dylan makes his name change official, legally saying adieu to his birth name, Robert Zimmerman.
2009Rockabilly musician Billy Lee Riley dies of colon cancer at age 75. Known for the 1957 hit "Red Hot."
2007Elvis Presley Enterprises announces plans to revamp Graceland, the singer's home, with a visitor's center, convention hotel, and high-tech multimedia displays.
2004Eric Clapton bails out Cordings clothing store in London, a favorite of his since his teenage years, by purchasing a 50 percent share in the retailer.
2001Ron Townson (of The 5th Dimension) dies of renal failure as a result of kidney disease at age 68.
1997Fela Kuti, a multi-instrumentalist and pioneer of Afrobeat, dies of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma, at age 58.
1992While performing his song "Don Henley Must Die" at an Austin nightclub, the psychobilly artist Mojo Nixon is surprised when Henley, who happened to be in the neighborhood, climbs up on stage and starts beatboxing along with it. Nixon says it was the first time in his life he was left speechless. Henley seeing the humor in the song forces his critics to rethink what they perceive as his earnest arrogance.
1987David Martin (bass player for Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs and co-writer of "Wooly Bully") dies of a heart attack at age 50.
1983James Jamerson, session bassist for Motown Records, dies at age 47 from a host of problems caused by alcoholism, including cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and pneumonia. Accompanied The Miracles, The Temptations, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye, among others.
1982Jose Feliciano marries Susan Omillian in California.
1973"Papa" John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas files suit against his former label, Dunhill, alleging $60 million in unpaid royalties.
1972Brian Cole (bass guitarist for The Association) dies of a heroin overdose at age 29.
1971Now down to a trio and driven by infighting, Creedence Clearwater Revivalembark on their last US tour with a gig at Tulsa, Oklahoma's Assembly Center.
1970Zelma Davis (of C and C Music Factory) is born in Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa.
1969Bob Dylan makes a rare return to his hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to attend his 10-year high school reunion. Accompanied by his wife, Sara, he joins classmates at the local Moose lodge before the event, and it proves awkward. He never makes it to the reunion itself, and makes no more public visits to the town.
Weird Al Finally Lands #1 Album
2014
Weird Al Yankovic's Mandatory Fun goes to #1, giving the parody master his first chart-topping album.
Despite artfully skewering pop stars for over 30 years, Weird Al rarely reached the upper echelon of the charts, even though his albums often earned multiple gold and platinum certifications. He first visited the Top 10 two years earlier with Straight Outta Lynwood, but it's his 14th album, Mandatory Fun, that gives him his first #1 within a week of its debut on the albums chart.
Weird Al, known for his wacky videos, opts to release a string of eight clips online in lieu of a lead single, the most popular being "Word Crimes." A parody of Robin Thicke's controversial hit "Blurred Lines," the song takes aim at the grammar-challenged masses who commit unforgivable flubs such as mistaking irony for coincidence or adding an "x" to espresso. The video draws comparison to the popular Schoolhouse Rock! educational cartoons of the '80s and is praised for its use of kinetic typography (moving text animation). It also pokes fun at the "Blurred Lines" video by mocking its use of oversized hashtags.
The song peaks at #39 on the Hot 100, making Weird Al the third artist in history - behind Michael Jackson and Madonna - to land a Top 40 single each decade since the '80s. The album, which also includes parodies of Lorde's "Royals" ("Foil") and Pharrell Williams' "Happy" ("Tacky"), wins Best Comedy Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
Weird Al, known for his wacky videos, opts to release a string of eight clips online in lieu of a lead single, the most popular being "Word Crimes." A parody of Robin Thicke's controversial hit "Blurred Lines," the song takes aim at the grammar-challenged masses who commit unforgivable flubs such as mistaking irony for coincidence or adding an "x" to espresso. The video draws comparison to the popular Schoolhouse Rock! educational cartoons of the '80s and is praised for its use of kinetic typography (moving text animation). It also pokes fun at the "Blurred Lines" video by mocking its use of oversized hashtags.
The song peaks at #39 on the Hot 100, making Weird Al the third artist in history - behind Michael Jackson and Madonna - to land a Top 40 single each decade since the '80s. The album, which also includes parodies of Lorde's "Royals" ("Foil") and Pharrell Williams' "Happy" ("Tacky"), wins Best Comedy Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
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