1965 – The Temptations released their second studio album Sing Smokey. As its name implies, it is composed entirely of songs written and produced by Smokey Robinson, and several other members of the Miracles as well. More importantly, it featured one of the well known Motown releases in its history ‘My Girl’.
1968 – Tammy Wynette recored her version of the Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman song ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’ which went on to top the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in June of this year. ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’ is a woman’s perspective on the impending collapse of her marriage. The lyrics begin with an old parenting trick of spelling out words mothers and fathers hope their young children will not understand.
1975 – Led Zeppelin were enjoying a six-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Physical Graffiti the group’s fourth US No.1 album. On its first day of release in the US, the album shipped a million copies – no other album in the history of Atlantic records had generated so many sales. Physical Graffiti has now been certified 16 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 16 million copies.
1980 – Pink Floyd‘s ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’ started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart. The track, which was the group’s only US chart topper, was also a No.1 in the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy and in many other countries around the world. Pink Floyd received a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group for the song, but lost to Bob Seger’s ‘Against The Wind.’
1996 – American steel guitar player Billy Williamson died aged 71. He was a member of Bill Haley and His Saddlemen, and its successor group Bill Haley & His Comets, from 1949 to 1963. Williamson had the distinction of being the only Comet allowed to record lead vocal tracks during Haley’s tenure at Decca Records (such as the song ‘Hide and Seek’ on their 1956 album, Rock and Roll Stage Show and ‘B.B. Betty’ on the 1958 Bill Haley‘s Chicks album.
