Music
Throwback Thursday: This Day In Music
1940
“I Pagliacci” by Ruggiero Leoncavallo became the first opera to be broadcast on television.
1964
Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” was recorded. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 1, 1966.
1973
Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon, in the US. It remained in the US charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from the years 1973 to 1988 – longer than any other album in history. The Dark Side of the Moon is Pink Floyd’s commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.
1979
Gloria Gaynor started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with “I Will Survive,” also a No.1 hit in the UK. The song was originally released as the B-side to a cover version of the Righteous Brothers song “Substitute.”
1983
Carrie Underwood, American Pop country music singer and winner of the fourth season of American Idol, was born. Her debut album Some Hearts is the fastest selling debut country album in history.
1996
Alanis Morissette won five Juno categories at the 25th Juno Awards in Hamilton Canada, becoming this year’s major winner. She won Best Album for Jagged Little Pill, Best Female singer, Best Rock Album, Best songwriter and best single.
1997
American rhythm and blues singer, LaVern Baker, passed away from coronary complications at the age of 57. She had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were “Tweedlee Dee” (1955), “Jim Dandy” (1956), and “I Cried A Tear” (1958).
1998
Eric Clapton’s thirteenth studio album, Pilgrim, was released. It was his first album that featured all-new studio-recorded material since his 1989 hit album Journeyman.
2003
During a London concert, nine days before the March 19, 2003 invasion of Iraq, Dixie Chicks’ lead singer Natalie Maines told the audience: “We don’t want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas”. The positive reaction to this statement from the British audience contrasted with the negative reaction, including boycotts that ensued in the US – where talk-show conservatives denounced the band – while their albums were discarded in public protest.
2009
Tickets for a one-off gig by Sir Paul McCartney in Las Vegas sold out seven seconds after going on sale. The former Beatle was booked to perform at the opening of the New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on April 19th, 2009 in front of 4,000 fans. Tickets sold for $750 each.