Music Almanac: August 21

Birthdays

• 1904 - Count Basie (d. 1984)
• 1930 - Christiane Legrand (Swingle Singers) (82)
• 1938 - Kenny Rogers (74)
• 1939 - James Burton (73)
• 1939 - Harold Reed (Statler Brothers) (73)
• 1944 - Jackie DeShannon (68)
• 1947 - Carl Giammarese (Buckinghams) (65)
• 1951 - Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion) (61)
• 1952 - Joe Strummer (Clash) (d. 2002)
• 1954 - Nick Kane (Mavericks) (58)
• 1954 - Steve Smith (Journey) (58)
• 1957 - Budgie (born Peter Edward Clarke) (Siouxsie & the Banshees) (55)
• 1958 - Kim Sledge (Sister Sledge) (54)
• 1967 - Serj Tankian (System of a Down) (45)
• 1968 - Dina Carroll (44)
• 1971 - Liam Howlett (Prodigy) (41)
• 1979 - Kelis (born Kelis Rogers) (33)
• 1984 - Melissa Schuman (Dream) (27)

Deaths

• 1975 - Sam McGee (McGee Brothers) - Tractor accident (81)
• 2005 - Robert Moog - Brain tumor (71)
• 2008 - Buddy Harman (Session drummer) - Congestive heart failure (79)
• 2009 - Johnny Carter (Flamingos, Dells) - Lung cancer (75)

On This Day

• 1966 - The Beatles played two shows in the U.S., including a St. Louis show in heavy rain that convinced Paul McCartney that they should stop touring.
• 1967 - Pink Floyd ended their German tour when Syd Barrett disappeared.
• 1967 - Bob Dylan resigned with Columbia Records.
• 1972 - Jack Cassidy of the Jefferson Airplane was arrested, Grace Slick maced and other band members injured during a show in Akron, Ohio after police were called "pigs."
• 1976 - RCA Records announced that sales of Elvis Presley's records had passed the 400 million mark.
• 1980 - The show Pirates of Penzance opened on Broadway with Linda Ronstadt in the lead.
• 1983 - Johnny Ramone required four-hours of brain surgery after being in a fight in New York.
• 1994 - John Denver was charged with DUI after his car ran into a tree.
• 1996 - David Byrne sued the rest of the members of the Talking Heads to stop them from touring under the name "The Heads."
• 1998 - Steve Augeri played his first show as lead singer of Journey.
• 2000 - The group Survivor sued the makers of the TV reality show Survivor after they issued a soundtrack album, claiming they were infringing on their name.
• 2000 - Easther and Vernie Bennett of Eternal announced that they are both going solo, ending the group.
• 2005 - Joan Baez camped with protesters outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch.
• 2005 - The Rolling Stones opened their Bigger Bang Tour in Boston, MA.
• 2006 - German authorities decided not to charge Madonna over a fake crucifixion in her August 20 show.
• 2008 - Gary Glitter was in limbo after being released from a Viet Nam jail, returning to Thailand after being refused entry into Hong Kong.

Marriages

• 1992 - Sting and Trudy Styler
• 1993 - Bernie Taupin and Stephanie Haymes

Recorded

• 1938 - Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller
• 1961 - Crazy - Patsy Cline
• 1967 - Strange Days - Doors (first day of recording in Hollywood, CA)

Released

• 1965 - Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire (single)
• 1965 - Do You Believe in Magic? - Lovin' Spoonful (single)
• 1990 - Graffiti Bridge - Prince

Gold & Platinum

• 1973 - Toulouse Street - Doobie Brothers (gold)
• 1973 - Brothers and Sisters - Allman Brothers (gold)

Number Ones – U.S. Singles

• 1943 - In the Blue of Evening - Tommy Dorsey (3 weeks)
• 2004 - Lean Back - Terror Squad (3 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Albums

• 1954 - The Student Prince - Mario Lanza (10 weeks)
• 1965 - Out of Our Heads - Rolling Stones (3 weeks)
• 1993 - Sleepless in Seattle - Soundtrack (1 week)
• 1999 - Millennium - Backstreet Boys (3 weeks (7 previous weeks at number 1))
• 2004 - Autobiography - Ashlee Simpson (2 weeks (1 previous week at number 1))
• 2010 - The Suburbs - Arcade Fire (1 week)

Number Ones – U.S. R&B Singles

• 1976 - Who'd She Coo? - Ohio Players (1 weeks)

Number Ones – U.S. Country Singles

• 1961 - Tender Years - George Jones (7 weeks)
• 1965 - Yes, Mr. Peters - Roy Drusky & Priscilla Mitchell (2 weeks)
• 1976 - Bring It On Home to Me - Mickey Gilley (1 week)
• 1982 - Nobody - Sylvia (1 week)
• 1993 - Why Didn't I Think of That - Doug Stone (1 week)
• 2010 - Free - Zac Brown Band (1 week)

Number Ones – U.K. Singles

• 1953 - I Believe - Frankie Laine (3 weeks (15 previous weeks at number 1))
• 1971 - I'm Still Waiting - Diana Ross (4 weeks)
• 2005 - I'll Be OK - McFly (1 week)

Number Ones – U.K. Albums

• 1971 - Top of the Pops, Volume 18 - Various Artists (3 weeks)