10 April

Pick a Day

10 APRIL

In Music History

Page 1
1 2 ... 4

2012 Robin Gibb's orchestral production Titanic Requiem (released to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic) premieres in London.

2009 Blues musician Rocky Hill dies at age 62 of undisclosed medical complications.

2007 Fantasia Barrino becomes the first American Idol winner to star in a Broadway musical when she takes on the role of Celie in The Color Purple. In 2023, she plays the same role in the film adaptation.

2007 Jazz singer Dakota Staton, known for the 1957 hit "The Late, Late Show," dies at age 76.

2004 Two months after her "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, Janet Jackson hosts Saturday Night Live and is also the musical guest.

2003 Pop singer Little Eva dies at age 59, 18 months after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

2003 Country singer Noel Fox (of The Oak Ridge Boys) dies at age 63, days after suffering a massive stroke.

2002 South Carolina Governor James Hodges declares James Brown the state's "Godfather Of Soul."

1999 The all-star tribute concert Here There and Everywhere: A Concert For Linda is held at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Paul McCartney, George Michael, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor raise money for animal charities while remembering Paul's wife Linda, who has recently succumbed to breast cancer.

1998 Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay, a pioneer of R&B radio who inspired The O'Jays' moniker and became their manager, dies at age 73.

1998 The romantic drama City of Angels premieres in theaters, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who gives up eternal life to be with a mortal woman (Meg Ryan). The soundtrack features Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." Both songs were written specifically for the film.

1995 Lee Greenwood and wife, Kim, welcome a baby boy, Dalton Lee, in Nashville.

1992 Brash stand-up comedian Sam Kinison, who also appeared in several music videos ("Bad Medicine," "Kickstart My Heart," "Wild Thing"), dies at age 38 when his car is hit by a teenage drunk driver.

1991 Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits guest stars as a rock star on the "Glitter Rock - April 12, 1974" episode of Quantum Leap.

1990 Maren Morris is born in Arlington, Texas. She moves to Nashville and launches a successful career in country music, but her biggest hit comes when she lends vocals to the "The Middle," a techno-dance track by the producer Zedd.

Page 1
1 2 ... 4

Depeche Mode Knocks Whitney From #1

1993

Depeche Mode's eighth album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, reaches #1 in America, knocking Whitney Houston's soundtrack from The Bodyguard off the top spot, and holding off challengers Eric Clapton, Kenny G and Sting. Inspired by the grunge scene, the band adds distorted guitars and live drums to their signature synth sound.


Producer Mark "Flood" Ellis, following the formula he used for U2's Achtung Baby (1991) - persuades the band to cohabit in a studio-equipped house for the duration of the album sessions. Instead of using only synthesizers, recordings of live instruments are cut up and reassembled using computer technology. The process lends the album a dark, claustrophobic quality that matches Martin Gore's tortured lyrics. It's not just the music that has changed. In a sharp switch from his former clean-cut image, singer David Gahan emerges bearded, with shoulder-length hair, and covered in tattoos. In the process of transforming from teen idol to rock star, he has also developed a serious heroin habit. After spending so long in close proximity, tensions have arisen between the band members. In addition to Gahan's drug addiction; songwriter Martin Gore is struggling with alcoholism and keyboard player Andy Fletcher is suffering from depression. Alan Wilder - who joined Depeche Mode in 1982 after the loss of founding member Vince Clark - decides to leave after the Devotional world tour, throughout which he plays live drums. In October, David Gahan collapses on stage during a show in New Orleans after suffering a minor heart attack. His problems with substance abuse culminate in 1996 when he enters rehab after an overdose in Los Angeles leaves him technically dead for two minutes. The event is documented in the song "Barrel of a Gun" from the follow-up album, Ultra (1997).

Categories

Comments

send your comment
Be the first to comment...

©2024 Songfacts®, LLC