#1 Song 1960: “Stay,” Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs
Born: Saxophone legend Coleman Hawkins, 1904; Big John Greer, 1923; Alphonse Mouzon, 1948
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1942 The King Cole Trio debuted on the R&B charts with “That Ain’t Right,” which soared to #1. They would have four #1s out of their first five chart singles and instantly become one of the most popular pop-jazz agregations in the nation.
1953 Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters reached #1 R&B with “Money Honey” and stayed there for an amazing eleven weeks. Though the group (with a variety of lineups) name would go onto have thirty-seven R&B hits, “Money Honey,” their first release, would remain their biggest. On the strength of that one hit, the group secured a ten-year contract to appear twice a year at the Apollo Theater in New York.
1961 The Impressions performed their hit “Gypsy Woman” on American Bandstand .
1974 Wilson Pickett was arrested for brandishing a gun during an argument in Andes, NY. Performing with passion was apparently not confined to his stage show.
1990 En Vogue performed at the Summit in Houston while touring as a supporting act for MC Hammer.
1991 Jimi Hendrix received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Though only five of his albums came out during his lifetime and only eight were authorized by him, it’s reported that his name appears on more than 300 albums, most of which are bootlegs.
1991 B.B. King ended a worldd tour in Washington, DC. The tour had begun seven weeks earlier in Istanbu, Turkey.
1992 Sade performed on Saturday Night Live.
1996 The reclusive Prince gave a rare interview to Oprah Winfrey on her TV show.
From the book, “On This Day In Black Music History”, by Jay Warner.
