#1 Song 1963: “Our Day Will Come,” Ruby & the Romantics
Born: Granville “Sticks” McGhee, 1918; Chaka Khan (Yvette Marie Stevens), 1953
**************************************************************************
1957 The Platters (I can never get enough of the silky, beautiful, sublime singing of the Platters) charted with “I’m Sorry,” reaching #11 pop and #15 R&B. Its B-side, “He’s Mine,” soared to #5 R&B and #23 pop, making that Platters single the sixth 45 in a row to have both sides chart on the pop Top 10.
1957 The Paragons’ doo-wop classic “Florence” and the Coasters’ “Youngblood” (#8 pop, #1 R&B) were released. “Youngblood” was around for eight years before becoming the Coasters hit. The term was “Brooklyn-eze” or “young chicks.”
1957 “Lucille” by little Richard charted, reaching #21 pop and #1 R&B. Out of Richard’s first six singles, five had both sides chart, including the flip of “Lucille,” “Send Me Some Lovin’ ” (#3 R&B, #54 pop).
1959 The Fiestas hit the R&B charts with “So Fine” (#3, #11 pop), one of the first recordings acknowledged to be the start of the soul era.
1959 The Midnighters’ “Teardrops on Your Letter” charted and stalled at #87 pop, but its B-side woud go onto immortality as “The Twist.”
1962 The Regal Theater in Chicago presented a dynamite lineup of Llyod Price, Eddie Holland, the Crystals, Gene Chandler, Jimmy McCracklin, Solomon Burke, and Aretha Franklin.
1978 Bill Kenny, legendary singer of the pioneering Ink Spots, died.
1987 Luther Vandross and Dionne warwick co-hosted the initial Soul Train Music Awards in Hollywood, CA. It was especially sweet for Vandross, who at age thirteen had seen Dionne perform and decided then and there on a music career. Vandross, who at one time worked as a clerk for S&H Green Stamps, spent several years doing backup vocals for artists like Barbara Streisand, Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr,, and Donna Summer before earning his solo success.
1994 The Staples Singers and Patti LaBelle performed at a joint benefit for the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and the Country Music Foundation at the Universal Amphitheater.
1999 Lauryn Hill began the first of three sold-out concerts at the Madison Square Garden. The highlight was a duet with Mary J. Blige on “I Used to Love Him.” She later donated $50,000 to a refugee fund-raising project.
Ann
