This Date In Music History- May 26

Birthdays:

Ray Ennis - Swinging Blue Jeans (1942)

Levon Helm - The Band (1943)

Phillip Rhodes - Gin Blossoms (1968)

Verden Allen - Mott The Hoople (1945)

Gary Peterson - Guess Who (1945)

Stevie Nicks- Fleetwood Mac (1948)

Hank Williams Jr. - country singer, songwriter, son of country music's greatest star (1949)

Lenny Kravitz (1964) Buy Lenny Kravitz Music

Vicki Lawrence, who hit the charts with "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" and acted on The Carol Burnett Show, was born in 1949.

Alan White – Oasis (1972)

Isaac Slade - The Fray (1981)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1949, Mick Ronson, guitarist, producer, member of The Rats, then worked with David Bowie. Also worked with Mott The Hoople, Bob Dylan, Ian Hunter.

Legendary R&B vocalist Little Willie John died of a heart attack in Washington State Penitentiary, in Walla Walla, at age 30 in 1968. His biggest hit was the 1960 #13 "Sleep." He also originally recorded the song "Fever," later cut by Peggy Lee (among many others).

On May 26, 1977, Billy Powell, singer with the O'Jays died of cancer.

Moondog, the only internationally acclaimed blind avant-garde composer to ply his trade while panhandling in Times Square, was born in Marysville, Kansas in 1916. He died on September 8, 1999.

In 1933, country pioneer Jimmie Rodgers died of a lung hemorrhage in New York at age 35.

Reggae legend Desmond Dekker died in England in 2006. He was 64. In 1969, he cracked the U.S. Top 10 and topped the U.K. charts with the cut "Israelites."

Norma Deloris Egstrom was born in May 26, 1920 (she died on January 21, 2002). Oh, that’s the legendary Peggy Lee by the way.


History:

Elvis Presley recorded "(You're) The Devil In Disguise" in 1963.

In 1999, it was announced that the Backstreet Boys album "Millennium" had sold 1.13 million units in its first week of release.

Don McLean recorded his future #1 smash hit and now iconic song, "American Pie," in 1971.

In 1953, at the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Show, a young Elvis Presley placed second in the talent competition.

In 1969, John and Yoko began an eight-day 'bed in', in room 1742 of The Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada, to promote world peace.

At the point of the band splitting up, David Bowie offered Mott The Hoople two of his new songs in 1972, “Suffragette City,” which they turned down and “All The Young Dudes,” which they recorded.

In 2005, Mariah Carey scored her 16th #1 hit when "We Belong Together" topped Billboard's Hot 100.

The compilation The Beatles 1967-1970, known to fans as the "Blue" album, went to #1 in 1973 on the albums chart. Buy Beatles Music

In 1973, Deep Purple released their classic hit "Smoke on the Water."

Tragedy struck at a David Cassidy concert at London's White City in 1974 when over 1,000 fans had to be treated by first aid workers due to the frenzied excitement. One fan, Bernadette Whelan, died from heart failure four days later.

In 1990, for the first time ever the Top Five positions on the US singles chart were held by female artists; Madonna was at #1 with “Vogue,” Heart were at #2, Sinead O'Connor #3, Wilson Phillips at #4 and Janet Jackson was at #5.

A fire at the home of Eric Clapton in 1996 caused over one and a half million pounds worth of damage; Firemen arrived on the scene to find Clapton braving the blaze to save his collection of guitars.