Today in 2007, Amy Winehouse's second album Back to Black was named the biggest-selling album of the year. The album spawned five singles: "Rehab", "You Know I'm No Good", "Back to Black", "Tears Dry on Their Own" and "Love Is a Losing Game". Released at the end of 2006, the album had sold over 12 million copies worldwide, and won five Grammys, tying the then record for the most wins by a female artist in a single night.
Also, Today In:
1963 - The Beatles released their first hit single in the United States - "I Want To Hold Your Hand", backed with "I Saw Her Standing There." It was their first single issued by Capitol Records and within months the group became a sensation.
1964 - The Rolling Stones took out an ad in New Musical Express wishing British hairdressers a Merry Christmas.
1966 - Jimi Hendrix wrote the lyrics to "Purple Haze" in his dressing room between performances at London's Uppercrust Club.
1967 - The BBC premiered The Beatles' self-directed movie "Magical Mystery Tour". The following day the British press and viewing public pronounced the movie a disaster. The U.S. television deal for broadcasting the movie was cancelled soon afterwards.
1968 - Led Zeppelin played their first U.S. gig in Boston. They opened for Vanilla Fudge and MC5.
1970 - George Harrison became the first Beatle to top the Hot 100 as a solo artist as "My Sweet Lord" hit No. 1.
1976 - The Sex Pistols recorded their epic "God Save The Queen" at a London studio.
1981 - AC/DC started a three-week run at #1 on the US album chart with 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' the follow-up to their highly successful album 'Back In Black'.
1999 - Chicago soul pioneer Curtis Mayfield died in Roswell, Georgia, at 57 years old. On August 14, 1990, he was paralyzed from the neck down when a stage lighting rig fell on top of him at a concert in Brooklyn.
2012 - R&B singer Fontella Bass, known for the 1965 hit "Rescue Me," died of complications from a heart attack at age 72.
2017 - Jim Burns, the co-creator of MTV's iconic MTV Unplugged series, famous for hosting shows by artists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Jay-Z died at the age of 65. He was struck by a taxi while crossing Fifth Avenue in Manhattan three days earlier walking with his seeing-eye dog near his Upper East Side home.
Birthdays:
Musical pioneer (and convicted murderer) Phil Spector is 80.
Henning Schmitz, of Kraftwerk, is 66.
Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica, is 56.
Jared Leto is 48.
