Today's birthdays:
B. B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015).
Riley B. King , known professionally as B. B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as "the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century".
King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname "The King of the Blues", and is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.
King was born on a cotton plantation of Berclair, near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and taught himself to play guitar and began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, he toured the world extensively. King died at 89 in Las Vegas in 2015.
Nick Jonas, 31.
Nicholas Jerry Jonas is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas formed a band with his older brothers, Kevin and Joe, known as the Jonas Brothers. The group released their debut studio album, "It's About Time", through the Columbia label in 2006. After leaving Columbia Records and signing with Hollywood Records, the group released their self-titled second studio album in 2007, which became their breakthrough record. The band became prominent figures on the Disney Channel during this time, gaining a large following through the network, and appeared in the widely successful musical television film "Camp Rock" (2008) and its sequel "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" (2010), as well as two of their own series, "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream" (2008–2010) and "Jonas" (2009–2010).
After the group's official disbandment in 2013, Jonas began work on his second solo studio album, signing with Island Records and releasing Nick Jonas through the label in 2014, which saw the commercial success of the single "Jealous". Jonas later co-founded Safehouse Records, a record label in conjunction with the Island and Hollywood labels. His third studio album "Last Year Was Complicated"(2016) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. Following the release, Jonas won the Songwriters Hall of Fame's Hal David Starlight Award in 2016. In 2017, Jonas appeared in the adventure comedy film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", which became the fifth highest-grossing film of the year. The Jonas Brothers reformed in early 2019, and released the album "Happiness Begins" in June of that year. Jonas' fourth solo studio album, "Spaceman", was released on March 12, 2021.
Richard Marx, 60.
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with "What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and James Ingram, and topped the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts. His second chart-topper was 1985's "Crazy", a song he co-wrote with Rogers which reached number one in the Hot Country Songs chart. Marx's self-titled debut album went triple-platinum in 1987, and his first single, "Don't Mean Nothing", reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Between 1987 and 1994, he had 14 top 20 hits, including three number one singles.
Marx is the only male artist in history to have his first seven singles reach the top 5 of the Billboard charts.He has scored a total of 14 number one singles, both as a performer and as a songwriter/producer. As a singer, his No. 1 hits include “Hazard”, "Right Here Waiting", "Hold On to the Nights", "Endless Summer Nights", and "Satisfied". According to Billboard, Marx "holds the distinction of having written songs that have hit No. 1 on various Billboard charts in each of the last four decades."
Marc Anthony, 55.
Marco Antonio Muniz, known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award and eight-time Latin Grammy Award winner, he has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. Known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads, Anthony has won numerous awards and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions. He was the recipient of the 2009 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009. He holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling tropical/salsa artist and the most number-one albums on the Billboard Tropical Albums year-end charts. He is also the artist with the most number one songs on the Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay chart with 32 songs.
On this day today:
1963 - The Beach Boys release their third album, Surfer Girl. Five of the tracks have the word "surf" in the title.
1963 - Currently the #1 song in the UK, The Beatles' "She Loves You" is released by the tiny Swan label in America, but the Stateside public has no idea who the group is, and the single fails to chart. When Capitol releases "I Want To Hold Your Hand," Beatlemania ensues and the song hits #1. A re-released "She Loves You" single follows it to the top.
1965 - The Dean Martin Show makes its debut, with Martin using his hit "Everybody Loves Somebody" as the theme song. The popular variety show runs until 1975 and introduces us to a group of backup dancers called The Golddiggers. Martin coins a new nickname for guest Frank Sinatra when he refers to his pal as "Chairman of the Board."
1970 - Jimi Hendrix jams with Eric Burdon and War at the London club Ronnie Scott's two days before his death. It's the last time he would play music.
1970 - After eight straight years, The Beatles are finally knocked from their perch as England's top act in the Melody Maker fan poll... by Led Zeppelin.
1977 - Talking Heads release their debut album, Talking Heads: 77, featuring their first chart hit, "Psycho Killer," a song written four years earlier at the Rhode Island School of Design.
1977 - Marc Bolan of T. Rex dies in a car accident at age 29.
1978 - Boston's second album, Don't Look Back, hits #1 in America. Their self-titled debut sold over 17 million, but never hit the top spot.
1978 - The Stranglers headline an open-air gig at Battersea Park, over Peter Gabriel, who is one of the day's special guests. During a rendition of their early classic "Nice and Sleazy," a group of strippers join The Stranglers on stage.
1979 - "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang is released. It becomes the first rap song to chart on the the Hot 100.
1984 - The TV series Miami Vice makes its debut with a two-hour episode that includes a scene featuring the Phil Collins hit "In The Air Tonight."
1985 - Kate Bush's album Hounds Of Love surpasses Madonna's Like A Virgin for the #1 spot on the UK chart. Featuring the hit single "Running Up That Hill," it's the second chart-topper for the British singer-songwriter.
1988 - Phil Collins lands his first leading role in a film, playing real-life criminal Buster Edwards in the box-office bomb Buster. Musically, the movie isn't a bust, with two #1 hits on the soundtrack: "A Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Two Hearts."
1993 - Janet Jackson appears shirtless on the cover of Rolling Stone. Her arms are in the air, with her boobs supported by a pair of hands that belong to her husband, Rene Elizondo.
1998 - Lou Reed plays at a White House reception for Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel.
2003 - Joss Stone, 16, releases her debut album, a covers collection called The Soul Sessions. The first single is "Fell In Love With A Boy," her take on "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes.
2006 - 65-year-old Bob Dylan becomes the oldest person to top Billboard's Albums chart when Modern Times goes to #1.
2006 - After their triumph with "Hard Rock Hallelujah" at Eurovision, Finland's leading monster Rock band Lordi record a live concert DVD Bringing Back The Balls To Stockholm in neighboring Sweden. Naturally, the band perform in (and are cheered in) English.
2014 - At a pop-up shop in New York City that re-creates the Central Perk coffee shop from the TV show Friends, Danny Wilde and Phil Solem of The Rembrandts reunite to perform the show's theme song. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the show's first episode.
