19 OCTOBER
In Music History
1967 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles release "I Second That Emotion."
1964 The incredibly influential English concert called the "American Negro Blues Festival" kicks off, featuring Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sonny Boy Williamson, among others. It is the first glimpse of these bluesmen for many upcoming British R&B and rock legends.
1961 The Beatles join forces with Gerry and the Pacemakers for a show in Liverpool, where both bands combine to perform as "The Beatmakers."
1960 Jennifer Holliday is born in Houston, Texas.
1959 ABC airs The Frank Sinatra Timex Show, the first of four Timex-sponsored TV specials hosted by the singer. Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and Mitzi Gaynor sing "High Hopes" with Frank to open the show.
1958 Jan & Arnie appear on CBS-TV's Jack Benny Show.
1957 Karl Wallinger (frontman of World Party) is born in Prestatyn, Wales.
1955 Nino DeFranco (of The DeFranco Family) is born in Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada.
1948 Patrick Simmons (of The Doobie Brothers) is born in Aberdeen, Washington.
1947 Wilbert Hart (of The Delfonics) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1946 Keith Reid (Procol Harum songwriter) is born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England.
1945 Harris Glenn Milstead, who performs as the drag queen Divine, is born in a suburb of Baltimore. Most famous as an actor (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray), he also records dance music, including the UK hit "You Think You're a Man."
1945 Jeannie C. Riley is born in Stamford, Texas.
1944 Reggae musician Peter Tosh is born Winston Hubert McIntosh in Grange Hill, Jamaica.
1944 Disco singer George McCrae is born in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Groundbreaking Video Sends "Take On Me" To #1
1985Thanks to an innovative video that takes place in a comic book, "Take On Me" gives the Norwegian group a-ha a #1 hit in America.
Read more19 OCTOBER
Featured Events
2012 Justin Timberlake marries actress Jessica Biel at a super-secret ceremony in Italy.
1984 The Talking Heads concert movie Stop Making Sense opens in theaters. A highly unconventional film that doesn't rely on crowd shots or backstage footage, it's hailed as a triumph of the genre.More
1979 Prince releases his sophomore album, Prince, containing the #1 R&B hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and the original version of "I Feel For You," later a hit for Chaka Khan. It's his first album certified Platinum for sales over 1 million.
1979 Following a vicious legal battle with MCA Records, the third Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album, Damn The Torpedoes, is released on the label's new subsidiary, Backstreet Records.More
1977 In Greenville, South Carolina, Lynyrd Skynyrd play their last show before the plane crash that kills three of their members. Nazareth is the opening act.
1958 In Nashville, Brenda Lee records "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." To get her in the Christmas spirit, her producer, Owen Bradley, sets up a Christmas tree and turns on the air conditioning.
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