It’s August 19th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 2008, Lady Gaga’s debut album The Fame “was released. It featured hits like “Just Dance,” “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face” and went to No. 1 in countries around the world, including the U.S. and Canada. The album earned five Grammy nominations and won two.
- In 2003, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica premiered on MTV. The “reality” show starred 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey and singer Jessica Simpson, who split shortly after the series ended its three-season run in 2005.
- In 2016, Lou Pearlman, who created NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, died at age 62 while serving a 25-year sentence for conspiracy and money laundering. Former NSYNC member Lance Bass later produced a documentary, The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story, in which singers like Aaron Carter, AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys, Ashley Parker Angel of O-Town and JC Chasez of NSYNC appeared.
- In 1980, Alice Cooper didn’t show up for his concert at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, due to illness, sparking a riot that resulted in injuries to 12 fans and five police officers as well as 31 arrests and $175,000 in damages.
And that’s what popped on this day.