What Happened Today In Music

November 26th

1958 - Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash made his debut on the US country chart when ‘Cry! Cry! Cry!’ made it to number 14. His next seven singles would all make the country top 10, with ‘I Walk the Line’ and ‘There You Go’ both hitting number 1.

1962 - The Beatles

The Beatles recorded their second single ‘Please Please Me’ in 18 takes and ‘Ask Me Why’ for the flip side at EMI studio’s London. When released in the US on the Vee-Jay label, the first pressings featured a typographical error: The band's name was spelled "The Beattles".

1967 - Ed Sullivan

The promotional film of The Beatles 'Hello, Goodbye' was aired on The Ed Sullivan show in the US. It was never shown at the time in the UK due to a musician's union ban on miming.

1967 - Jimi Hendrix

This was the 10th date on a 16-date UK package tour that Pink Floyd played alongside The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move, The Nice, The Eire Apparent, The Outer Limits and Amen Corner. Tonight's date was at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, and as with all of the dates, there were two shows per night.

1968 - Cream

Cream played their farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Also on the bill were Yes and Taste. The concert was filmed and released as Cream's Farewell Concert which has often been criticized for both its mediocre sound and visual effects: during Ginger Baker's drum solo, he seems to change clothes at lightning speed due to careless post-editing.

1973 - John Rostill

John Rostill former bassist with The Shadows died after being electrocuted at his home recording studio. A local newspaper ran the headline, 'Pop musician dies, guitar apparent cause'. After the break up of The Shadows Rostill worked with Tom Jones and wrote songs covered by Elvis Presley and Olivia Newton-John.

1973 - New York Dolls

The New York Dolls made their live UK debut at Biba's Rainbow Room, London. The American band who formed in New York in 1971 influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups.

1976 - Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley and Lol Creme left 10cc to work as a duo and concentrate on other projects including developing 'The Gizmo', a device used to make neo- orchestral sounds on a guitar. 

1976 - Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols released the single 'Anarchy In The UK'. Originally issued in a plain black sleeve, the single was the only Sex Pistolsrecording released by EMI, and reached No.38 on the UK Singles Chart before EMI dropped the group on 6 January 1977.

1988 - Pink Floyd

Russian cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 7 took into space a cassette copy (minus the cassette box for weight reasons) of the latest Pink Floyd album Delicate Sound Of Thunder and played it in orbit, making Pink Floyd the first rock band to be played in space. David Gilmour and Nick Mason both attended the launch of the spacecraft.

1991 - Garth Brooks

US Country singer Garth Brooks asked fans to bring 10 cans of food to a grocery store in exchange for a lottery envelope, some of which contained tickets to see Garth at a forthcoming show. Over 10,000 cans were donated to charity.

1994 - Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men started their 14th and final week at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'll Make Love To You' giving them the longest run in chart history along with 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston.

1994 - Eagles

The Eagles started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Hell Freezes Over.' The album name is in reference to a quote by Don Henley after the band's breakup in 1980; he commented that the band would play together again 

2000 - Madonna

Manchester club the Hacienda was auctioned off raising £18,000 for charity. Madonna made her UK TV debut at the club when C4 music show The Tube was broadcast live from the venue. Oasis, Happy Mondays, U2, New Order, Stone Roses, The Smiths and James all played at the club.

2000 - The Beatles

The Beatles went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Beatles 1.' The album features virtually every number-one single released from 1962 to 1970. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the band's break-up, it was their first compilation available on one CD. The world's best-selling album of the 21st century, 1 has sold over 31 million copies.

2003 - Soulja Slim

Rapper Soulja Slim was shot to death in front of his home in New Orleans aged 25. The rapper was featured on Juvenile's 2004 US No.1 single 'Slow Motion.'

2008 - Manic Street Preachers

The parents of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards were granted a court order for him to be declared presumed dead, after he disappeared nearly 14 years ago. Despite alleged sightings all over the world many believed to be Edwards, whose car was found near the Severn Bridge, where he was thought to have taken his own life at the age of 27.

2010 - Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson was arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus while travelling from Los Angeles to Texas. He was released after paying bail of $2,500. Prosecutor Kit Bramblett supported not sentencing Nelson to jail due to the amount of marijuana being small, but suggested instead a $100 fine and told Nelson that he would have him sing "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" for the court.

2016 - Malcolm McLaren

Punk memorabilia said to be worth £5m ($6m) was set on fire in the middle of the River Thames in London, England. Joe Corre, the son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, burnt the items on the 40th anniversary of the Sex Pistols debut single. The 48-year-old told the crowd that "punk was never meant to be nostalgic".

Born Today In Music

November 26th

1925 - Michael Holliday

Michael Holliday, singer, 1958 UK No.1 'The Story Of My Life'. The song gave the writers Bacharach and David their first UK No.1 hit. Holliday died on 29th Oct 1963

1937 - Bob Babbitt

Hungarian-American bassist, Bob Babbitt most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966 to 1972. Babbitt's most notable bass performances include 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours' by Stevie Wonder, 'War' by Edwin Starr, 'The Tears of a Clown' by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)' and 'Inner City Blues' by Marvin Gaye, 'Band Of Gold' by Freda Payne, 'Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)', and 'Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)' by The Temptations. Bob Babbitt died on July 16, 2012, aged 74, from brain cancer.

1939 - David White

David White, American singer-songwriter. He formed, and was a founding member of the doo-wop quartet Danny & the Juniors as well as being a founding member of the pop trio The Spokesmen. He wrote the Rock and Roll anthem, 'Rock and Roll is Here to Stay' and co-wrote a number of other hit songs, including 'At the Hop,' a hit for Danny & the Juniors. He died in Las Vegas on 16 March 2019 age 79.

1939 - Tina Turner

American singer, songwriter Tina Turner, (Annie Mae Bullock), who with Ike & Tina Turner had the 1966 UK No.3 single 'River Deep Mountain High', 1971 US No.4 single 'Proud Mary', and 1973 'Nutbush City Limits and solo hits with the 1984 US No.1 single 'What's Love Got To Do With It', plus over 25 other Top 40 singles. Turner is one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, she has also been referred to as The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll and is one of the most successful female Rock 'n' Roll artist receiving eleven Grammy Awards.

1944 - Jean Terrell

Jean Terrell, vocals, The Supremes joined in 1969. (1970 US No.10 & UK No.6 single 'Up The Ladder To The Roof'). 

1944 - Alan Henderson

Alan Henderson, bassist with the Northern Irish band Them who had the 1965 UK hits 'Baby, Please Don't Go' and 'Here Comes The Night' with Van Morrison on lead vocals. Morrison quit the band in 1966 and went on to a successful career as a solo artist.

1945 - John McVie

John McVie, bassist with the rock band Fleetwood Mac who had the 1968 UK No.1 hit 'Albatross' and the hits 'Man of the World' and 'Oh Well. In 1977 they scored the US No.1 single 'Dreams' taken from their worldwide No.1 album Rumours which spent 31 weeks on the US chart. He was also a member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.

1946 - Burt Reiter

Burt Reiter, bassist with Dutch rock band Focus who had the 1973 UK No.4 single 'Sylvia', and the 1973 US No. 9 single 'Hocus Pocus'.

1948 - John Rossall

John Rossall, The Glitter Band, (1974 UK No.4 single 'Angel Face').

1949 - Martin Lee

Martin Lee, Brotherhood Of Man, (1976 UK No.1 single 'Save Your Kisses For Me').

1964 - Adam Gaynor

Adam Gaynor, guitar, Matchbox Twenty who rose to international fame with their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996), which was certified 12× Platinum in the United States and multi-platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

1966 - Mark Gillespie

Mark Gillespie, Big Fun, (1989 UK No.4 single 'Blame It On The Boogie').

1967 - John Stirratt

John Stirratt, bassist from American alternative rock band Wilco who released the albums Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, A Ghost Is Born, Sky Blue Sky and Wilco (The Album).

1970 - Ron Jones

Ron Jones, guitar, The Flaming Lips. Their 1999 release The Soft Bulletin was NME magazine's Album of the Year and the group has won three Grammy Awards.

1981 - Natasha Bedingfield

Natash Bedingfield, singer, (2004 UK No.1 single 'These Words').

1984 - Benjamin Wysocki

Benjamin Wysocki, drummer, from American rock band The Fray who scored the 2005 US Top 3 single ‘How to Save a Life’. The group's self-titled, second album, released in 2009, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard charts.

1990 - Rita Ora

British singer-songwriter and actress, Rita Ora. Her debut studio album Ora (2012) debuted at No.1 in the UK, and spawned the No.1 singles 'R.I.P.' and 'How We Do (Party)'.