Calendar Search Results: i he w
July 25, 1959 Introduced by Johnny Cash, 13-year-old Dolly Parton makes her Grand Ole Opry debut singing George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby." She receives three encores.
July 17, 1959 While under arrest for illegal possession of narcotics, Billie Holiday dies at age 44 at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, where she has been since June 12. Years of drug and alcohol abuse took their toll on the singer, who suffered from cirrhosis of the liver.
July 13, 1959 Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy" hits #1 for the first of four weeks.
July 11, 1959 Guitarist Richie Sambora is born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He joins Bon Jovi soon after the band form and becomes a primary songwriter along with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. Sambora says with the band until 2013, when he leaves in the middle of a tour for personal reasons.
July 10, 1959 Sandy West is born Sandy Pesavento in Long Beach, California. Together with Joan Jett, she is a founding member of the teenage all-female rock band The Runaways, playing drums. After the band splits she leaves the music industry, and dies at the age of 47 from lung cancer.
June 29, 1959 Dick Clark announces his first series of four "Caravan of Stars" concerts over the course of the next year, with his first being headlined by The Skyliners of "Since I Don't Have You" fame.
June 26, 1959 Stef Burns, who in 2001 replaces Chris Hayes as guitarist for Huey Lewis & the News, is born in Oakland, California.
June 26, 1959 Berlin lead singer Terri Nunn is born in Los Angeles. She's a teen actress before joining the band, and turns down a role on the series Dallas so she can pursue music. [Some sources list her birthdate as June 26, 1961.]
June 24, 1959 Andy McCluskey (vocalist, bass guitarist for OMD) is born in Heswall, Cheshire, England.
June 21, 1959 Country singer Kathy Mattea, known for chart-toppers like 1988's "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," is born in South Charleston, West Virginia.
June 17, 1959 Liberace wins his libel case against the Daily Mirror at the High Court in London, and says afterwards "I cried all the way to the bank." The paper published an article claiming the pianist was homosexual.
June 12, 1959 John Linnell of They Might Be Giants is born in New York City.
June 8, 1959 Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" reaches its chart peak of #2 in America. His next single is something quite different: a song about a murderous cad called "Mack The Knife." That one goes to #1.
June 5, 1959 Robert Zimmerman graduates from Hibbing High School in Minnesota. He moves on to the University of Minnesota, but soon leaves for New York City to become the full-time folk singer, Bob Dylan.
June 3, 1959 Billboard magazine responds to the growing popularity of stereophonic recordings by splitting its album chart in two: one chart for mono, one for stereo.
June 1, 1959 The music-critique show Juke Box Jury debuts on the BBC. Each week, four guest judges vote recent songs either a "hit" or "miss." The show lasts until 1967.
June 1, 1959 Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans," about a real battle in the War of 1812, hits #1 on both the country and pop charts in the US.
May 29, 1959 Herndon Stadium in Atlanta holds one of the first outdoor rock concerts, featuring Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, and B.B. King. Nine thousand people attend.
May 22, 1959 Morrissey is born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England. From 1982-1987 he fronts The Smiths, earning a reputation for gloom with songs like "How Soon Is Now?" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." His solo career continues that theme and is even more successful as he extends his fanbase to America.
May 20, 1959 Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) is born in Canton, Ohio, the youngest member and only daughter of the Cowsill family.
May 17, 1959 Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's lead singer on their first two albums, is born in London, England. He's beloved by fans but clashes with group leader Steve Harris, leading to his departure in 1981, when he's replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
May 16, 1959 Wayne Newton, 16 years old, makes his Las Vegas debut, performing with his brother, Jerry, at the Freemont Hotel downtown. A few years later, he becomes a Vegas Star and a regular on the Strip.
May 4, 1959 Country singer Randy Travis is born Randy Bruce Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina. It takes while for him to get a record deal, but when he does, he's off to the races, with 15 #1 Country hits from 1986-1994.
May 4, 1959 The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.
May 3, 1959 David Ball is born in Blackpool, England. Best known as half of the duo Soft Cell, he helps shape the sound of British electronic music, sticking with analog synthesizers as digital machines become the norm.
April 27, 1959 Sheena Easton is born in Glasgow, Scotland, the youngest of six children. She wins the Best New Artist Grammy in 1981 and has a string of hits that decade, including "Morning Train (Nine To Five)" and the Bond theme "For Your Eyes Only."
April 24, 1959 After running on Saturday nights on radio for 24 years and TV for the last nine, the final installment of the musical countdown show Your Hit Parade airs on NBC. The final Top Five: Elvis Presley, "I Need Your Love Tonight" (#5), Brook Benton, "It's Just A Matter Of Time" (#4), Ricky Nelson, "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#3), Dodie Stevens, "Pink Shoe Laces" (#2), and the Fleetwoods at #1 with "Come Softly To Me."
April 22, 1959 The Alan Freed "Rock and Roll movie" Go, Johnny, Go premieres in New York, featuring Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, The Cadillacs, and The Flamingos.
April 20, 1959 Thirteen-year-old Dolly Parton releases her first single, the rockabilly-style love tune "Puppy Love."
April 10, 1959 Brian Setzer (of Stray Cats, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) is born in Massapequa, New York.
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