It’s June 20th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1949, Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. He went to university on a tennis scholarship, graduated with a degree in economics and considered becoming a priest. Instead he started a music career – first as a member of The Commodores and then as a solo artist. His many hits include “Truly,” “All Night Long (All Night)” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”
- In 1988, Bobby Brown released his sophomore studio album Don’t Be Cruel on the same day his former group New Edition released its fifth studio album Heart Break – the first one without Brown as a member.
- In 1992, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was “I’ll Be There” by Mariah Carey ft. Trey Lorenz. The original version of the song, by The Jackson Five, topped the chart in 1970.
- In 1978, Foreigner released its second album, Double Vision, which spawned the hit “Hot Blooded.”
- In 1946, Morna Anne Murray was born in Nova Scotia. She went on to become the first Canadian female solo artist to go to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (with “You Needed Me”). Her other hits include “Snowbird” and “Shadows in the Moonlight.”
- In 1989, Prince released Batman: Motion Picture Soundtrack, which included the hit “Batdance.” The album went on to top the chart for six weeks.
- In 1981, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Stars on 45,” a dance medley of eight songs by the Beatles as well as “Sugar Sugar” (co-written by Canada’s Andy Kim) and “Venus.” It was recorded by a group of European session musicians.
And that’s what popped on this day.