Today's birthdays:
Mariah Carey, 55.
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by The Guinness Book of World Records, she is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of music and is noted for her songwriting, five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register. An influential figure in popular music, Carey is credited with influencing vocal styles, merging hip-hop with pop through her collaborations and popularizing remixes. She has also been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for the enduring popularity of her holiday music, particularly the 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist.
Carey rose to fame in 1990 with her self-titled debut album under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993. She is the only artist to date to have their first five singles reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, from "Vision of Love" to "Emotions". Carey gained worldwide success with her albums Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995)?both of which rank among the best-selling albums and spawned singles such as "Dreamlover", "Hero", "Without You", "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby" and "One Sweet Day". The lattermost of these topped the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart (1990s). After separating from Mottola, Carey adopted a new urban image and began incorporating hip-hop and R&B elements with the release of Butterfly (1997) and Rainbow (1999). By the end of the 1990s, Billboard ranked Carey as the most successful artist of the decade in the United States. She left Columbia Records in 2001 after eleven consecutive years of US number-one singles and signed a record deal with Virgin Records.
Following a highly publicized breakdown and the failure of her film Glitter and its accompanying soundtrack, Virgin bought out Carey's contract, and she signed with Island Records the following year. After a brief, mildly successful period, Carey returned to the top of the charts with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) which became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. Its second single, "We Belong Together", topped the US Billboard Hot 100 decade-end chart (2000s). Her subsequent ventures included roles in the films Precious (2009), The Butler (2013), A Christmas Melody (2015), and The Lego Batman Movie (2017), being an American Idol judge, starring in the docu-series Mariah's World, performing multiple concert residencies, and publishing the memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020).
Carey is one of the best-selling music artists, with over 220 million records sold worldwide, and is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress and the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. She was ranked as the second-greatest woman in music by VH1 in 2012 and the fifth-greatest singer by Rolling Stone in 2023. Billboard named her the top-charting female solo artist, based on both album and song chart success. She holds the record for the most Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles by a solo artist (19), a female songwriter (18), and a female producer (15), spending a record 93 weeks atop the chart. Carey is the highest-certified female artist in the United States and 10th overall, with 75 million certified album units. Among her accolades are 6 Grammy Awards (including the Global Impact Award), 10 American Music Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards and 12 Guinness World Records.
Fergie, 49.
Stacy Ann "Fergie" Ferguson is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She first achieved chart success as part of the hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. Her debut solo album, The Dutchess (2006), saw commercial success and spawned three Billboard Hot 100 number one singles: "London Bridge", "Glamorous", and "Big Girls Don't Cry".
Fergie was originally a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated and the girl group Wild Orchid. In 2001, she left the group and in the subsequent year joined the Black Eyed Peas. She worked with the Black Eyed Peas on two albums before releasing her debut solo album, The Dutchess, in 2006. She continued her collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas and released a further two albums with them, The E.N.D. (2009) and The Beginning (2010). Her second solo album, Double Dutchess, was released in 2017.
Fergie has additionally appeared as an actress in various films, such as Poseidon (2006), Grindhouse (2007), and Nine (2009). She launched her first fragrance, Outspoken, under Avon in May 2010 and has since released four more fragrances. Her footwear line, Fergie Footwear, was launched in 2009.
Jessie J, 36.
Jessica Ellen Cornish known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical Whistle Down the Wind. She studied at the BRIT School before signing with Gut Records and striking a songwriting deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
After signing with Republic Records, Jessie J came to prominence with the release of her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", which peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Her following single, "Price Tag", was an international success, topping the charts in nineteen countries including the UK. It was followed by the release of her debut album, Who You Are (2011), which peaked at number two in the UK. Other singles from the album included "Nobody's Perfect", "Who You Are", "Domino" and "Laserlight", all of which peaked within the top ten in the UK, making Jessie J the first British female artist to have six top-ten singles from a sole studio album.
Jessie J's second album, Alive (2013), peaked within the top five on the UK Albums Chart and included the top-five singles "Wild" and "It's My Party". The release of her third album, Sweet Talker (2014), was preceded by the single "Bang Bang" which debuted at number one in the UK and went multi-platinum worldwide. The album made the top five in the UK and peaked at number ten on the US Billboard 200, her highest-charting album in the US. As of January 2015, Jessie J had sold over 20 million singles and 3 million albums worldwide. In 2018, she released her four-part fourth album, R.O.S.E., followed by her Christmas album, This Christmas Day.
Citing various influences, Jessie J is recognised for an unconventional musical and performance style that mixes soul vocals with contemporary R&B, electropop,[8][9] and hip-hop beats. She has received various accolades throughout her career, including the 2011 Critics' Choice Brit Award and the BBC's Sound of 2011. Jessie J has supported various charitable causes, and has appeared on the UK charity telethons BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. She has served as a coach on the television singing competition shows The Voice UK (2012–2013), The Voice Australia (2015–2016) and The Voice Kids UK (2019). In 2018, Jessie J received recognition in China after winning the sixth season of the Hunan TV singing competition show Singer, becoming the first non-Chinese contestant to win the series.
On this day today:
1956 - Tony Banks (keyboardist for Genesis) is born in East Hoathly, East Sussex, England.
1957 - "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera)" from the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
1965 - Jeff Beck joins The Yardbirds as a replacement for Eric Clapton.
1965 - The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love" hits #1 in the US, making them the first act with four consecutive #1 singles on the Hot 100.
1972 - Grand Funk fire their manager/producer, Terry Knight, accusing him of taking more than his share of royalties. Knight sues, and in December confiscates the band's equipment via a court order.
1973 - Liza Minnelli wins an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Cabaret, beating out Diana Ross, who starred in Lady Sings The Blues.
1976 - Gary Wright's big hit "Dream Weaver" reaches its US chart peak of #2. The song is inspired by the writing of Paramahansa Yogananda.
1982 - Pac-Man Fever," a song about the arcade game that has America enthralled, cracks the Top 10, becoming the only song about a video game ever to do so.
1984 - Bryan Adams went into Little Mountain Sound, Vancouver, Canada to record 'Run To You' for his fourth studio album, Reckless. It was the first single released from the album and gave Adam's his first UK hit peaking at No.11. The music video shot in London and Los Angeles was nominated for the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards in five different categories.
1986 - In Valley Center, Kansas, Metallica join Ozzy Osbourne's Ultimate Sin tour as the opening act.
1986 - Sammy Hagar makes his first appearance as Van Halen's lead singer when the group begin their tour in Louisiana.
1987 - U2 play a rooftop concert in Los Angeles to film their video for "Where The Streets Have No Name." Thousands of onlookers gather and police order the band to stop playing.
1990 - Digital Underground, a rap collective that later includes Tupac Shakur, release their debut album, Sex Packets. It's a concept album about a drug that simulates the experience of having sex.
1995 - The British boy band Take That release their most successful single, "Back For Good," which lands at #1 on several charts around the world and secures the #7 spot in America.
2004 - Prince kicks off his Musicology tour with a show in Reno, Nevada. The average ticket costs $61, which includes a copy of the Musicology album. These are counted as sales according to Billboard, so the album rises to #3 (his previous three albums failed to chart). The tour takes in $87.4 million, making it the highest-grossing of 2004.
2008 - X Factor winner Leona Lewis became the first British woman to top the US pop chart for more than 20 years with her single ‘Bleeding Love.’ Kim Wilde was the last UK female to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with her 1987 cover version of The Supremes hit ‘You Keep Me Hangin' On’. Petula Clark was the first, with her 1965 track ‘Downtown’, while Sheena Easton's ‘Morning Train’ - released in the UK as 9 To 5 followed in 1981.
2020 - Two weeks into the pandemic, Dua Lipa releases her disco-fied second album, Future Nostalgia, with the hits "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating." It earns her lots of new fans, including Elton John, who teams with her on "Cold Heart" the following year.
2022 - Summer Of Soul, directed by Questlove of The Roots, wins the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film features never-before-seen footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, including performances by Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson and Sly & the Family Stone.
