It’s March 28th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1986, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born in New York City. She started learning how to play piano as a child and showed an early interest in music. After performing in a band, she made her breakout as Lady Gaga with her debut album The Fame, which spawned hits like “Just Dance,” “Poker Face” and “Paparazzi.”
- In 1996, Phil Collins announced he was leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career.
- In 1981, Blondie was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two weeks with “Rapture.” It was the band’s fourth song to top the chart.
- In 2013, Canada’s Justin Bieber was detained and his pet monkey OG Mally was seized by customs officials in Munich because Bieber didn’t have the necessary paperwork for the animal. The pop star never claimed the monkey, which was transferred to Serengeti Park in Copenhagen.
- In 1995, singer Jimmy McShane, best known for Baltimora’s 1985 hit “Tarzan Boy,” died of complications from AIDS in his native Ireland. He was 37.
- In 1985, four-year-old Alicia Cook made her acting debut as Maria on an episode of The Cosby Show titled “Slumber Party.” Cook later became singer Alicia Keys.
- In 1982, “Pac-Man Fever” – a song about the popular video game – peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written and performed by Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia, it was also a Top 10 hit in Canada.
And that’s what popped on this day.