10 JANUARY
In Music History
1956 Folk singer Shawn Colvin is born in South Dakota. Her song "Sunny Came Home" (about a woman who burns her house down) wins the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1998.
1955 Rock guitarist Michael Schenker (of Scorpions and UFO) is born in West Germany.
1953 Perry Como's "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" hits #1 in the US.
1948 Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is born in Passaic, New Jersey.
1946 Aynsley Dunbar (drummer for Journey, Whitesnake, and Jefferson Airplane) is born in Liverpool, England.
1944 Frank Sinatra Jr. is born Francis Wayne Emmanuel Sinatra to legendary crooner Frank Sinatra and first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra, in Jersey City, New Jersey. The name Emmanuel is an homage to Frank Sr.'s friend Manie Sacks, then head of Columbia Records.
1939 Scott McKenzie ("San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)") is born Philip Wallach Blondheim in Jacksonville, Florida, but is raised in North Carolina.
1939 Actor Sal Mineo is born in New York City. His music connection is on the operatic stage, where he played in NBC Opera Theatre's 1954 production of Richard Strauss' Salome and directed Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium in 1972.
1935 Ronnie Hawkins, whose group The Hawks is a precursor to The Band, is born in Huntsville, Arkansas.
1927 Singer/violinist Gisele MacKenzie is born in Winnipeg. She finds popularity as a guest on several TV shows throughout the '50s, including The Jack Benny Program and Your Hit Parade.
1927 Johnnie Ray is born in Hopewell, Oregon. He becomes one of the most popular performers of the '50s, his career waning with the rise of rock and roll.
1924 Jazz drummer Max Roach is born in North Carolina.
1917 Jerry Wexler is born in New York City. As a producer and executive with Atlantic Records, he plays a key role in the success of Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin and Wilson Pickett.
1915 Bandleader Buddy Johnson is born in Darlington, South Carolina.
1910 The French conductor Jean Martinon is born in Lyon, France.
10 JANUARY
Featured Events
2016 Justin Bieber claims the top three spots on the UK singles chart, making him the first artist to do so. The songs: #1: "Love Yourself" #2: "Sorry" #3: "What Do You Mean?"
2006 The High School Musical soundtrack is released. It sells 6000 copies its first week, but after the movie airs on January 20, it does a lot better, eventually selling over 4 million, making it the #1 album of 2006.
1976 C.W. McCall's "Convoy" hits #1 in the US amid fascination with trucker culture and CB radios.
1969 Frustrated by a film crew recording the Let It Be sessions and plans his bandmates are making for a concert he wants no part of, George Harrison quits The Beatles, writing in his diary: "Got up. Went to Twickenham. Rehearsed until lunchtime. Left The Beatles. Went home." He is lured back a few days later with assurances that the concert would be cancelled and his wishes respected.
1953 Pat Benatar is born Patricia Andrzejewski in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York. Classically trained as a vocalist, she uses her exceptional range to soar into the choruses of hits like "Love Is A Battlefield" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." A fixture on MTV, she becomes one of the biggest stars of the '80s.
1949 The vinyl record format war heats up as RCA introduces the 45-RPM, 7-inch record. It eventually replaces the 78-RPM record for "singles" - one song on each side. The format takes off in the early years of the rock era.
1945 Rod Stewart is born in London, England. He joins the Jeff Beck Group from 1967-69 and Faces from 1969-75, but makes his biggest impact as a solo artist.
1943 Jim Croce is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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