Today's birthdays:
Mylene Farmer, 62.
Mylene Jeanne Gautier, known professionally as Mylene Farmer, is a Canadian-born French singer, lyricist, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is among the most successful recording artists of all time in that country. She holds the record for the most number one hit singles in the French charts, with twenty-one to date – eight of which were consecutive.
Born in Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada to French parents, the family soon relocated to Chaville, near Paris, where Farmer pursued a career in modelling and acting. She later gained prominence as a recording artist with the release of her debut single "Maman a tort" in 1984. In 1988, she released her second studio album, "Ainsi soit je...", which sold 1.5 million copies in France. The album spawned Farmer's first number one on the French singles chart, "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces". Her third studio album, "L'autre...", sold two million copies, becoming Farmer's best-selling album to date. Its lead single, "Desenchantee", became Farmer's most successful single, and is often described as her signature song.
Departing from the synth-pop and Europop soundscape of her first albums, Farmer reinvented her musical style with the release of her fourth studio album, "Anamorphosee", in 1995. Recorded in the United States, the album features more live instrumentation and shows rock and R&B-oriented influences. Her fifth studio album, "Innamoramento", was released in 1999, featuring more techno influences. In the second part of the 2000s, Farmer continued exploring a range of genres on her albums, namely acoustic pop music on "Avant que l'ombre..." and electronica on "Point de suture".
In 2010, Farmer released her eighth studio album, "Bleu noir". The album marked Farmer's return to the dark synth-pop and Europop production of her first albums. The lead single, "Oui mais... non", sold over 170,000 copies in France. In 2015, Farmer's tenth studio album, "Interstellaires", debuted at number one in France; the album was preceded by the lead single "Stolen Car", a duet with Sting, which reached the number one position on the French singles chart in September 2015. Her eleventh studio album, "Desobeissance", was released in 2018, debuting at number one and selling over 265.000 copies.
In addition to her music career, Farmer also worked as a lyricist for French singer Alizee, while also being responsible for her image and public appearances. Her debut single, "Moi... Lolita", co-written by Farmer, reached number one in several countries in Europe, and peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart in February 2002. Farmer made her film debut in 1994, starring in Giorgino, and in 2018, she starred in the English-language horror film Ghostland.
Throughout her career, Farmer has broken a number of records. She is the best-selling French singer since 1984, has a record number of diamond records, and she is the only artist to have obtained a diamond album in four consecutive decades. Selling over two million copies, her 2001 greatest hits album "Les Mots" is the highest-selling compilation album by a French recording artist.
On this day today:
1943 - Frank Sinatra starts his film career when he signs a 7-year contract with RKO Pictures.
1944 - R&B singer Barry White is born Barry Eugene Carter in Galveston, Texas.
1960 - Nina Simone's "Nobody Knows When You're Down and Out" peaks at #93, where it will stay for one week.
1966 - The Monkees TV show makes its debut, with four actors chosen to portray a pop band based on The Beatles. While The Monkees are a fictional band, they become very real and eventually play on their own recordings instead of studio musicians.
1970 - The Woody Guthrie tribute concert takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Performers include Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Richie Havens and Joan Baez.
1975 - Pink Floyd release the album Wish You Were Here.
1977 - B.T. Express perform for US President Jimmy Carter at the White House.
1979 - The ABC news program 20/20 runs the special "The Elvis Cover-Up," which alleges that Elvis Presley's death was linked to prescription drugs. When his doctor, George Nichopoulous, is brought to trial, evidence shows that Elvis had prescriptions for about 10,000 doses of drugs just in the year he died (1977).
1985 - Rolling Stone publishes their interview with Prince, who has not spoken to the press in three years. He remains elusive, but explains why he made up stories in his early years to appease and confound reporters: "I used to tease a lot of journalists early on, because I wanted them to concentrate on the music."
1993 - Garbage find their lead singer when they see Shirley Manson in the video for "Suffocate Me" by her band Angelfish on MTV's alternative music showcase 120 Minutes. In a leap of faith, she moves from Scotland to Wisconsin to join Garbage, pairing her visceral lyrics and understated delivery with the band's progressive musical textures.
1995 - Lenny Kravitz releases his fourth studio album, Circus. The lead single, "Rock and Roll Is Dead," is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
1998 - Lauryn Hill's solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill debuts at #1 in the US.
2000 - Lynyrd Skynyrd release Christmas Time Again, their first Christmas album.
2003 - Johnny Cash dies of complications from diabetes in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 71.
2006 - Justin Timberlake releases his second solo album, FutureSex: LoveSounds. Impelled by the lead single "SexyBack," it goes to #1 in the US and sells over 9 million copies.
2007 - Led Zeppelin announce a reunion concert, with 18,000 tickets priced at $255 each doled out in an online lottery. At least a million registrations come in for the show, which is scheduled for November 26 but postponed to December 10 when Jimmy Page breaks his finger.
2008 - Metallica release Death Magnetic, produced by Rick Rubin.
2009 - The Christian rock band Skillet charts on the Hot 100 for the first time when their single "Awake and Alive" ekes in at #100. The track is from their hit crossover album Awake, which debuts at #2 in the US.
2010 - The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony is broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, on MTV, with Chelsea Handler hosting the event. Lady Gaga takes Video of the Year for "Bad Romance."
2011 - Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Glen Campbell performs "It's Your Amazing Grace" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Campbell's memory is shot, but on stage he's able to perform, reading the lyrics from a teleprompter. He had just started his Goodbye Tour, which continues for more than a year, until his condition deteriorates to the point where he can no longer perform.
2011 - Ed Sheeran's debut album, +, is released in the UK, where it tops the albums chart.
2012 - After years of mainstream popularity, considerable airplay, and being nominated for numerous awards, Matchbox Twenty finally get their due on the charts with a #1 debut on the Billboard albums chart. North is their first top-charting album and their fifth studio album in the 16 years the band has been together.
2016 - The #HotInHerreStreamingParty hashtag takes off as Nelly fans try to help him out of a $2.4 million tax debt by repeatedly streaming his hit "Hot In Herre." Based on an estimated Spotify royalty of $0.007 per stream, it will take about 342,857,142 listens to play off the debt.
2017 - Stevie Wonder, Demi Lovato and Dave Matthews are among the performers at the "Hand in Hand" telethon, which benefits victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
