31 JANUARY
In Music History
1956 Elvis Presley signs with the William Morris Agency in order to make himself available to film studios.
1951 Phil Manzanera (lead guitarist of Roxy Music) is born Philip Geoffrey Targett-Adams in London, England.
1951 Harry Wayne Casey, founder of KC and the Sunshine Band, is born in Opa-locka, Florida. He leads the way into the disco era, first by writing and producing the 1974 George McCrae hit "Rock Your Baby," and then with a string of KC hits, including "Get Down Tonight" and "I'm Your Boogie Man."
1946 Terry Kath, co-founder and guitarist of (Chicago), is born in Chicago, Illinois.
1944 Electric blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite is born in Kosciusko, Mississippi.
1928 Chuck Willis, known for his rendition of "C.C. Rider," is born in Atlanta.
1923 Broadway and film star Carol Channing is born in Seattle, Washington. Her breakout role comes in 1949 when she plays Lorelei Lee in the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and introduces the popular tune "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
1921 Italian tenor Mario Lanza is born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He takes his stage name from his mother's maiden name: Maria Lanza.
1892 Singer and entertainer Eddie Cantor is born Edward Israel Iskowitz in New York City. He catches his break when he lands a contract with the popular theatrical revue Ziegfeld Follies.
1882 Peter Dawson, famed Australian bass-baritone who made popular recordings of "Advance Australia Fair," "Waltzing Matilda," and "Song Of Australia," is born in Adelaide, South Australia, to Scottish parents Thomas and Alison Dawson.
1797 Austrian composer Franz Schubert is born in Vienna.
Beyonce, Taylor Swift Break Grammy Award Records
2010Taylor Swift and Beyoncé sweep the Grammy Awards with record-breaking wins. Earning Album of the Year for Fearless at age 19, Swift is the youngest artist to ever win the award. Beyoncé wins six out of ten nominations - including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) " - giving her the most wins in one night of any female artist.
Read more31 JANUARY
Featured Events
2021 Capping a massive bender, Morgan Wallen yells the n-word at his (white) drinking buddy outside his home. It's caught on video, and when it's released two days later, Wallen is dropped from most radio stations and banished from playlists on major streaming services. The controversy earns him a surge in streams and sales, keeping his Dangerous: The Double Album, which debuted at #1 in America on January 23, at the top for a total of 10 weeks.
1993 With just 45 minutes to kickoff, Garth Brooks threatens to cancel his national anthem performance at Super Bowl XXVII when the NFL reneges on its promise to debut the video for his controversial protest anthem "We Shall Be Free."More
1985 John Fogerty plays his first live show in years, performing with Albert Lee and Booker T. Jones at the A&M Soundstage in Hollywood. It harkens a return for Fogerty, who two weeks earlier released Centerfield, his first album in 10 years.
1981 Justin Timberlake is born in Memphis, Tennessee. After doing time in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, he makes his mark in the boy band 'N Sync before launching his solo career.
1970 The Jackson 5's debut single, "I Want You Back," hits #1 in America. It's the first of four consecutive chart toppers for the group, which is fronted by 11-year-old Michael Jackson.
1970 "Whole Lotta Love" reaches #4 in the US, the highest Led Zeppelin will ever chart on the Hot 100. Most of their songs, including "Stairway To Heaven," are not released as singles.
1967 While in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, John Lennon visits an antique shop and buys an 1843 circus poster that inspires The Beatles song "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite."
1959 17-year-old Bob Dylan (known as Robert Zimmerman) sees Buddy Holly perform at the Duluth Armory in Minnesota. Three days later, Holly dies in a plane crash.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC