26 JANUARY
In Music History
1963 DJ Jazzie B (of Soul II Soul) is born Trevor Beresford Romeo in Hornsey, London, England.
1963 The Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.
1963 Dionne Warwick lands her first solo hit when her debut single, "Don't Make Me Over," peaks at #21 on the Hot 100. It also marks the beginning of her longtime collaboration with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
1963 Andrew Ridgeley (of Wham!) is born in Windlesham, Surrey, England. He meets George Michael in high school.
1960 Charlie Gillingham (keyboardist for Counting Crows) is born in Torrance, California.
1958 R&B singer-songwriter Anita Baker is born in Toledo, Ohio, but is raised by foster parents in Detroit, Michigan.
1958 Norman Hassan (percussionist, trombonist for UB40) is born in Birmingham, England.
1953 Lucinda Williams is born in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
1951 Big Star bass player Andy Hummel is born to former Miss America (1947) Barbara Walker Hummel in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He is raised in Memphis, Tennessee.
1951 David Briggs, who replaces Ric Formosa as lead guitarist for Little River Band, is born in Melbourne, Australia.
1949 Derek Holt (guitarist for Climax Blues Band) is born in Stafford, England.
1948 Laurence "Corky" Laing (drummer for Mountain) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1947 Actress/singer Grace Moore dies in a plane crash in Copenhagen at age 48. Her life inspires the 1953 movie So This Is Love, starring Kathryn Grayson.
1945 Ashley Hutchings (bass guitarist for Fairport Convention) is born in Southgate, England.
1943 Jean Knight is born Jean Caliste in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Bridge Over Troubled Water Released
1970The Simon & Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water is released, with the title track simultaneously issued as a single.
Read more26 JANUARY
Featured Events
2020 Billie Eilish, 18, wins big at the Grammys as the death of Kobe Bryant and an internal scandal cast a cloud on the ceremony.More
2006 Garth Brooks' Double Live album, released in 1998, becomes the first live album certified Double Diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 20 million in America.
1992 Presidential candidate Bill Clinton appears on the news program 60 Minutes with his wife, Hillary, who in response to a discussion about her husband's infidelity, says, "I'm not sitting here – some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette."More
1991 At the second Rock in Rio festival, Norwegian pop trio a-ha draw a crowd of 198,000, breaking the world record for paid attendance at a rock concert - and is snubbed by the press.More
1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster musical The Phantom of the Opera debuts on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre two years after a successful run on London's West End.More
1973 Elton John issues his sixth studio album, Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player, in America. It features two of his most popular songs: the '50s flashback "Crocodile Rock" (Elton's first #1 hit in America) and the Vietnam War-inspired "Daniel."More
1970 John Lennon writes and records "Instant Karma" all in one day, calling in Phil Spector to produce the song.
1968 At the University of Southampton, Pink Floyd play their first gig without founding member Syd Barrett, who never returns to the band. The 22-year-old Barrett is an early acid casualty, no longer able to contribute to the group.
1955 Eddie Van Halen is born in Amsterdam. His family eventually settles in Pasadena, California, where he forms Van Halen with his brother, Alex, and quickly becomes one of the most acclaimed and influential guitarists in rock history.
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