It’s May 14th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1973, Natalie Jane Appleton was born in Mississauga, Ont. In 1996, she and sister Nicole became members of British group All Saints, which went on to become one of the best-selling girl groups in UK history thanks to hits like “Never Ever” and “Rock Steady.”
- In 2006, Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls welcomed daughter Bluebell Madonna, by Caesarean section, with then-boyfriend Sacha Gervasi. It was her first child.
- In 1996, Martijn Gerard Garritsen was born in the Netherlands. As Martin Garrix, he found success with the 2013 track "Animals."
- In 1988, Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine earned their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Anything For You.” It topped the chart for two weeks. The group’s previous hit “Conga” peaked at No. 10 in 1985.
- In 1985, U.S. president Ronald Reagan presented Michael Jackson with a Humanitarian Award at the White House in exchange for allowing his song “Beat It” to be used in an anti-drunk driving commercial. Reagan praised Jackson as “proof of what a person can accomplish through a lifestyle free of alcohol or drug abuse.”
- In 2004, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow became first-time parents to a daughter they named Apple.
- In 1998, George Michael pleaded no contest in Beverly Hills Municipal Court to committing a "lewd act” in a park washroom a month earlier. He was fined $810 U.S., given 80 hours of community service, and ordered to undergo counselling.
- In 1969, Gregory Allen Kurstin was born in Los Angeles. He went on to write and produce pop hits for artists like Kelly Clarkson, Sia, Adele, and P!NK.
- In 1971, Daniel William Wood was born in Massachusetts. In the early ‘80s he became a member of New Kids on the Block, who went on to have hits like “Step By Step” and “The Right Stuff.”
And that’s what popped on this day.