On This Day in 1996: Curtis Mayfield triumphs over paralysis with “New World Order”
September 27, 1996: Curtis Mayfield triumphs over paralysis with his final album, New World Order He is undoubtedly one of the most important artists of the second half of the twentieth century, and the King of Conscious Soul. Curtis Mayfield pulled few punches in his thoughtful, insightful soul music in the 60s and 70s, addressing issues of […]
On This Day in 1972: Billy Paul released the iconic “Me and Mrs. Jones”
September 13, 1972 – Billy Paul releases “Me and Mrs. Jones” Billy Paul had quite a career as a jazz and soul singer in his 81 years of life, but nothing defined his place in soul music history quite like his incredible performance on this day in 1972, when he released the quintessential adult soul […]
On This Day in 1981: Rick James hits #1 with “Super Freak”
September 12, 1981 – Rick James hits #1 with “Super Freak” Rick James had been a big time hitmaker for several years, but his star status hit a new peak on this date in 1981, when his punk-funk opus, “Super Freak” hit #1. Co-written with James and Alonzo Miller, the song was the first single […]
On This Day in 1995: Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” becomes first song ever to debut at #1
September 2, 1995 – Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” becomes first song ever to debut at #1 In the 1980s it seemed that Michael Jackson could do no wrong. His three album collaborations with Quincy Jones (Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad) were both critically acclaimed and were among the biggest selling albums of their […]
Today in Music History: A pre-teen Stevie Wonder breaks all the records
August 24, 1963 – Stevie Wonder breaks all the records A prolific musical genius who has created a “Mt. Rushmore” career, Stevie Wonder was just a kid when he was signed by Motown, a talent too good to pass up, even if the Motown brass didn’t really know how to market him. Those doubts came […]
On This Day in 1961: Motown released its first #1 song
August 21, 1961 – Motown released its first #1 hit Motown records certainly became a juggernaut in the music world, but its future wasn’t so certain on August 21, 1961. It was on that day that its Tamla imprint released “Please Mr. Postman,” the debut single by The Marvelettes. The song absolutely took off, becoming […]
On This Day in 1992: Boyz II Men began recordbreaking #1 run
August 15, 1992 – Boyz II Men begin 13 weeks at #1 with “End of The Road” First as a quartet and then as a trio, Boyz II Men has created a seemingly endless collection of great songs over more than three decades in the spotlight. And today celebrates one of the act’s biggest achievements. […]
On This Day in 1962: The soul group The Manhattans was formed
August 15, 1962 – The soul group The Manhattans was formed On this day in 1962, one of the all-time great vocal groups became a reality: The Manhattans were formed in the early 60s in New Jersey as a quintet led by writer/bass vocalist Winfred “Blue” Lovett and emotive lead singer George Smith, along with Edward […]
On This Day in 1977: The Floaters get their lone #1 hit with “Float On”
August 13, 1977 – The Floaters hit #1 with the single “Float On” The talented quartet from Detroit known as The Floaters unfortunately became synonymous with the term “One Hit Wonder,” but that one hit took the country by storm, hitting #1 on this day in 1977, and staying there for a whopping six weeks. The […]
On This Day in 1979: Michael Jackson grew up with “Off The Wall”
August 10, 1979 – Michael Jackson’s album Off the Wall is released There are times in our lives when an event, a person or, yes, an album, is such a symbol of pure bliss that it – even for a moment — drowns out all of the negative countervailing forces of the time. For many of us, […]
