It’s November 8th, and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history:
- In 1949, Bonnie Lynn Raitt was born in California to Broadway musical star John Raitt and pianist Marjorie Haydock. She began playing guitar at an early age and, after being discovered by a Newsweek reporter, signed a record deal. Since 1971 she has released 17 studio albums and collected 11 Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album in 1995 and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1992. Raitt’s biggest hit was “Something To Talk About,” written by Canada’s Shirley Eikhard.
- In 2001, Jennifer Lopez won Best Female at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany. But, the night’s big winners were Gorillaz and Limp Bizkit.
- In 2012, it was reported that Jermaine Jackson filed an application two days earlier in a Los Angeles court to legally change his surname to Jacksun for “artistic reasons.” The request was granted in February 2013.
- In 2002, 8 Mile opened in cinemas. The movie, starring Eminem, was based on the rapper’s real-life early days. 8 Mile went on to gross $243 million U.S. worldwide and earned Eminem an Oscar for Best Original Song (for “Lose Yourself”).
- In 1975, David Bowie made his debut on American television with an appearance on Cher’s eponymous variety show. Bowie sang “Fame” and also did a medley with Cher.
- In 1986, Boston earned its first (and only) No. 1 song, “Amanda.” The rock ballad – recorded six years earlier – was the first single from the band’s third album, Third Stage. The track also topped the chart in Canada.
And that’s what popped on this day.