It’s January 31st and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1981, Justin Randall Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He started singing country and gospel music as a child and, at 11, competed on Star Search. Timberlake was later cast in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, JC Chasez and Canada's Ryan Gosling. He then became part of NSYNC ("It's Gonna Be Me," "Bye Bye Bye") before launching a solo career that has spawned hits like "Can't Stop the Feeling" and "Say Something."
- In 2010, Beyoncé won six of the 10 categories she was nominated in at the Grammy Awards, setting a new record for the most wins by a female artist. Taylor Swift won Album of the Year (for Fearless), making her the youngest winner ever in that category.
- In 1981, Blondie’s “The Tide Is High” went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group’s third song to top the chart.
- In 2010, Canada’s Leonard Cohen was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards. The Montreal native joked that he was “always touched by the modesty of [the Recording Academy’s] interest in my work.”
- In 2008, Britney Spears was taken from her Los Angeles home by ambulance – with a police escort – to UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric care. A court later rules that the pop star is unable to care for herself and names her father as her conservator.
- In 1999, Cher sang the U.S. national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami. Stevie Wonder performed at the halftime show.
And that’s what popped on this day.