The Beatles Sgt. Pepper Was Released On June 1, 1967

40 years ago today Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released by The Beatles. It came out on June 1, 1967 in the UK and the following day in the US.

Sgt. Pepper is often regarded as the most influential rock album of all time.

It's often referred to as the first "Concept Album" although it's only a concept album in the loosest most broad use of the term.

The track listing:
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. With a Little Help from My Friends
3. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
4. Getting Better
5. Fixing a Hole
6. She's Leaving Home
7. Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
8. Within You Without You
9. When I'm Sixty-Four
10. Lovely Rita
11. Good Morning Good Morning
12. Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)
13. A Day in the Life

The Beatles on making Sgt Pepper (from The Beatles Anthology)

Paul McCartney's McCartney II Hits #1 in the UK On May 31, 1980

Paul McCartney's first solo album after Wings final album 1979's Back To The Egg was 1980's McCartney II which included the hit single "Coming Up." Although the version on the album is quite different from the hit single version which was actually a live recording.

The album hit #1 in the UK (on May 31, 1980) and #3 in the US.

McCartney II is like his first solo album 1970's McCartney in that Paul played all of the instruments on the album.

McCartney interview about recording McCartney II:


The studio recorded version of "Coming Up" which appears on McCartney II can be heard here along with the video that was made for the song which features Paul on numerous instruments.

Stephen Malkmus was born on May 30, 1966

Stephen Malkmus was born on May 30th of 1966 in Santa Monica, California.

Malkmus was the lead singer and songwriter of the very influential 90s indie rock band Pavement. He now has a career as a solo singer songwriter.

Pavement released five albums: 1992's Slanted and Enchanted, 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, 1995's Wowee Zowee, 1997's Brighten the Corners, and 199's Terror Twilight. These albums while not being particularly commercially successful (never reaching higher than #70 on the US album charts and #15 in the UK album charts) they were extremely critically acclaimed.

The video for "Cut Your Hair" from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Noel Gallagher was born on May 29, 1967

Noel Gallagher was born on May 29th of 1967 in Manchester, England.

Noel Gallagher is the principle songwriter and lead guitarist for the British rock band Oasis. Gallagher also sings lead vocals on some Oasis songs such as "Don't Look Back In Anger," "Talk Tonight," "Sad Song," "Magic Pie," "Sunday Morning Call," "The Importance of Being Idle," and "Part of the Queue."

Noel's brother Liam Gallagher is Oasis' lead singer.

On "Let There Be Love" the final track from Oasis' most recent album 2005's Don't Believe The Truth, Liam & Noel take turns singing. Listen to "Let There Be Love" :

Kylie Minogue was born on May 28, 1968

Australian pop star Kylie Monigue was born on May 28th of 1968. She has sold over 65 million records worldwide.

She had a worldwide smash hit in 1987 with "The Loco-Motion" which went to #3 in the US (her highest charting US single), #2 in the UK, and #1 in Austrlia & Europe.

She's gone on to have much more success in Australia and in Europe but less so in the United States where her only other top 10 hit was "Can't Get You out of My Head" which got to #7 in 2001 in the US (#1 in the Australian, UK, and European singles charts.)

Monigue has had 9 #1 singles in Australia and 8 in the UK.

See (& hear) the video for "Can't Get You Out Of My Head"


The Flaming Lips covered "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" - hear their version in this video (the video was not made by the Lips):

Andre 3000 was born on May 27, 1975

Andre 3000 of the rap group Outkast was born as Andre Lauren Benjamin on May 27th of 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia.

OutKast is a hip hop duo consisting of Andre 3000 and Big Boi. The group's 2003 album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was a double album which was basically a solo album each for Big Boi (Speakerboxxx) and Andre 3000 (The Love Below.) The album was extremely commercially and critically successful.

Here's the video for "Hey Ya"

John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their second "Bed-In For Peace" in Montreal on May 26, 1969

John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their second "Bed-In For Peace" event on May 26th of 1969. This event took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada.

It was at the Montreal "Bed-In" that "Give Peace A Chance" was recorded:


The recording of "Give Peace A Chance" (with everyone singing along on the recording) was attended by many people including Timothy Leary, Murray the K, Derek Taylor, Allen Ginsberg, Petula Clark, and Tommy Smothers (of the Smothers Brothers) who also played acoustic guitar.

Originally Lennon & Ono planned for this event to take place in New York City but US immigration officials refused to allow John Lennon to enter into the country because of his 1968 drug conviction in London. Montreal was chosen due to it's closeness to the US border. The first "Bed-In" event took place in Amsterdam about two months before.

Miles Davis was born on May 25, 1926

Miles Davis was born 81 years ago today, May 25th of 1926. Miles Davis passed away in 1991 at the age of 65.

Davis was a legendary jazz trumpeter and composer who recorded many classic albums including 1959's Kind of Blue, 1960's Sketches of Spain, 1969's In a Silent Way, and 1970's Bitches Brew.

Miles Davis and fellow legendary jazz man John Coltrane (saxophonist) play "So What" (a track that was later recorded for Kind of Blue) in 1958:

Hanson goes to #1 in the US with "MMMBop" on May 24, 1997

10 years ago today Hanson's single "MMMBop" hit the top of the charts in the United States. It stayed at #1 for three weeks. "MMMBop" was also a #1 hit in the UK.

Hanson was (and still is) a band of three brothers. At the time "MMMBop" hit #1 they were 11 (Zac the drummer), 14 (Taylor the lead singer and keyboardist), & 16 (Isaac the guitarist) years old respectively.

Video for "MMMBop" (Yes this is the second time we've had the video for "MMMBop")

Paul McCartney's solo debut album McCartney goes to #1 on the US charts on May 23, 1970

Paul McCartney's solo debut self titled album McCartney went to #1 on the US charts on May 23, 1970 and stayed there for 3 weeks. In the UK it made it to #2 and was held off the top of the charts by Simon & Garfunkel's smash hit album Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

Among the songs on McCartney was "Maybe I'm Amazed" one of Paul McCartney's most famed solo songs.

"Maybe I'm Amazed"

Wings hits #1 in the US with "Silly Love Songs" on May 22, 1976

Paul McCartney had his 5th US #1 single since leaving the Beatles with "Silly Love Songs" which was his response to music critics (and John Lennon) who claimed McCartney had a penchant for writing "silly love songs."

"Silly Love Songs" was included on the Wings album "Wings at the Speed of Sound" which also featured another #1 single "Let 'Em In."

"Silly Love Songs" went to #2 in the UK.

Video for "Silly Love Songs" -


Learn to play guitar (& bass guitar) like Paul McCartney

Stevie Wonder hits #1 with "Sir Duke" on May 21, 1977

"Sir Duke," Stevie Wonder's tribute to Duke Ellington from his Songs in the Key of Life album went to #1 on the US singles charts on May 21st of 1977 where it stayed for 3 weeks. It was his 6th US #1 hit. "Sir Duke" hit #2 on the UK charts.

Stevie Wonder performing "Sir Duke" (and another Songs in the Key of Life hit "I Wish") live:

Cher was born on May 20, 1946

Cher was born as Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere on May 20th of 1946 in California.

Cher first became famous as a singer as one half of the Sonny & Cher husband & wife pop duo in 1965. Their biggest hit was "I Got You Babe" in 1965 when Cher was only 19 years old.

Sonny & Cher went on to have success with the "Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" television program in the early 1970s. Their marriage fell apart in 1974 taking the show with it.

Cher had a solo #1 US hit single in 1971 with "Gypsys, Tramps, & Thieves."

In the 1980s Cher would be more known for her movie roles than her music as she won the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Prize for her role in 1985's Mask and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 1987's Moonstruck.

In 1989 Cher had a #3 US hit single with "If I Could Turn Back Time." The music video for this song was initially banned by MTV due to what Cher is wearing in the video (or what she is not wearing?) they did eventually begin to play it but only after 9 PM.

In 1998 Cher had a worldwide #1 hit single with "Believe" which went to #1 in 23 countries.

View the video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" -


Sonny & Cher's last performance together, singing "I Got You Babe" on Letterman -

Stevie Wonder hits #1 on the US singles charts with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" on May 19, 1973

Stevie Wonder had his 3rd US #1 single with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" when it hit the top of the charts on May 19th of 1973.

The song went to #7 in the UK and here's Wonder performing the song live in London:


Learn to play piano & keyboards like Stevie Wonder with online piano lessons.

Ian Curtis hung himself on May 18, 1980

Joy Division's Ian Curtis was only 23 years old when he hung himself on May 18th of 1980. He would be 50 years old if he were still alive today.

It was reported that he was listening to Iggy Pop's The Idiot while he killed himself. He left a note saying "At this very moment, I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore."

New Kid On The Block Jordan Knight was born on May 17, 1970

Jordan Knight, member of the late 80s/early 90s boy band the New Kids on the Block, turns 37 years old today.

His brother Jonathan Knight was also a member of New Kids on the Block along with Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.

The New Kids on the Block were a worldwide pop sensation selling over 70 million albums before disbanding in 1994.

In 1999 Knight had a comeback album (self titled and reached #29 on the billboard charts) and single ("Give It To You") which peaked at #10 on the US singles charts and #5 on the UK singles charts.

New Kids on the Block documentary:

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7


Part 8

The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds on May 16, 1966 in the United States

One of the greatest and most influential albums in pop music history, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds was released on May 16th of 1966. 41 years ago today.

The album is almost universally regarded by music critics as the Beach Boys artistic peak.

It often places extremely high on rock critics lists of the greatest albums of all time. In 2003 Rolling Stone placed it as the second greatest album of all time after only The Beatles Sgt Pepper. It also made Time's list of the top 100 albums of all time in 2006 and the The Guardian's 2006 list of 50 albums that changed music.

It's revered by Paul McCartney who says that Sgt Pepper was The Beatles attempt to equal Pet Sounds. Elton John said that to say he was "enthralled" by Pet Sounds would be an understatement and that Pet Sounds was a huge influence on him and countless others.

Montage of sounds/visions from the recording of Pet Sounds:

Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney's duet "Ebony & Ivory" went to #1 in the US on May 15, 1982

Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney collaborated on "Ebony & Ivory" single which went to #1 in both the UK and the US. It reached #1 on the US singles charts on May 15th of 1982 and it stayed there for 7 weeks.

Video for "Ebony & Ivory"


Learn to play piano like Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney with Piano Lessons Online

Asia's self titled album goes to #1 in the US on May 14, 1982

25 years ago today, Asia's debut album Asia went to #1 on the United States album charts and stayed there for 9 weeks.

Asia was made up of former members of Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and The Bugles.

Asia featured the hit song "Heat Of The Moment" which went to #4 on the US singles charts.

Watch/Listen To "Heat Of The Moment"

Ritchie Valens was born on May 13, 1941

Ritchie Valens was born as Richard Steven Valenzuela on May 13th of 1941. He took the stage name Ritchie Valens in 1958.

He recorded & released "Donna" & La Bamba" in 1958 at the age of 17. Valens wrote "Donna" about a real girlfriend of his while "La Bamba" was a traditional tune turned into a rock song by Valens.

"Donna" was chosen as a "Great Song" by Mozart Breath.

Valens died before reaching his 18th birthday in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 that killed not only Valens but also the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and their pilot Roger Peterson.

Listen to this recording of Valens attempting to record "La Bamba" -

Steve Winwood was born on May 12, 1948

Steve Winwood was born 59 years ago on May 12, 1948 in Birmingham, England.

Winwood has been a member of many bands including Traffic, Blind Faith, and the Spencer Davis Group, along with his solo career. He also often played with Jimi Hendrix and was featured on the Hendrix album Electric Ladyland in 1968.

Winwood is a singer, songwriter, and a multi instrumentalist. He is especially adept on the keys/organ.

His peak commercial success as a solo artist came with 1986's Back in the High Life album which featured the #1 hit single "Higher Love." The title track and "The Finer Things" were also hits.

One of Winwood's most well known songs is "Dear Mr. Fantasy" from the 1967 Traffic album Mr. Fantasy. The song was written by Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood. Winwood gets most of the credit for the musical construction of the song and he sang it on the album.

More music trivia: The Grateful Dead used to perform "Dear Mr. Fantasy" frequently during the 1980s with keyboardist Brent Mydland on vocals.

See Steve Winwood with Traffic performing "Dear Mr. Fantasy" live in 1972:


learn to play keyboards like Steve Winwood with online piano lessons

The Beatles debut album "Please Please Me" goes to #1 on the UK charts on May 11, 1963

The Beatles debut album Please Please Me went to #1 on the UK charts on May 11 of 1963, 44 years ago today. The album set a record of 30 consecutive weeks at #1. A record that still stands today.

The album was released on March 22nd of 1963. 10 of the songs (all of the songs that weren't previously released on singles) were recorded in less than 10 hours all on February 11th of 1963!

The final track on the album was also the last recorded due to the tremendous stress it put on John Lennon's voice. That track was a cover of the song "Twist & Shout" which the Beatles made their own.

Watch this live performance of "Twist & Shout" at the London Palladium on November 4th of 1963:


The albums track list is as follows:
1. I Saw Her Standing There (Lennon/McCartney original)
2. Misery (Lennon/McCartney)
3. Anna (cover)
4. Chains (cover)
5. Boys (cover)
6. Ask Me Why (Lennon/McCartney)
7. Please Please Me (Lennon/McCartney)
8. Love Me Do (Lennon/McCartney)
9. PS I Love You (Lennon/McCartney)
10. Baby It's You (cover)
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret? (Lennon/McCartney)
12. A Taste Of Honey (cover)
13. There's A Place (Lennon/McCartney)
14. Twist & Shout (cover)

Learn To Play Guitar Like The Beatles

Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus" hits #1 in the UK on May 10, 1986

21 years ago today Austrian pop star Falco hit #1 in the UK with his single "Rock Me Amadeus."

The song also went to #1 in the US (his only American hit), Germany, & New Zealand.

The song is about the legendary classical music composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and was inspired by the 1984 hit movie "Amadeus" which of course was based (loosely) on Mozart's life and his relationship with Antonio Salieri.

Video for "Rock Me Amadeus" -

Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949

Billy Joel turns 58 years old today. He was born as William Martin Joel on May 9th of 1949 in the Bronx.

He is one of the most commercially successful music artists of all time having sold over 110 million albums worldwide during his career.

Video for Billy Joel's "Piano Man"


Learn To Play Piano Like Billy Joel

"Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin went to #1 in the US on May 8, 1999

8 years ago today Ricky Martin was at #1 on the US charts with his biggest hit single "Livin' La Vida Loca" which also went to #1 in the UK.

Ricky Martin was born as Enrique Martin Morales in Puerto Rico in 1971. He started his music career with the boy band Menudo in the 1980s and hit his peak popularity as a solo artist in 1999 with the "Livin' La Vida Loca" single. The single was #1 in the US for 5 weeks. Translated into English the title means "Living The Crazy Life."

See the video for "Livin' La Vida Loca" -

Terence Trent D'arby was #1 on the US charts with "Wishing Well" on May 7, 1988

19 years ago today, Terence Trent D'arby's single "Wishing Well" hit #1 on the US charts. It also made it to #4 on the UK charts.

D'arby was born as Terrence Trent Howard in NYC in 1962. He released his debut album as D'arby in 1987 called Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'arby. The album has sold 12 million copies worldwide.

In 2001 D'arby changed his name to Sananda Maitreya.

Video for "Wishing Well"

Oasis had their first UK #1 single with "Some Might Say" on May 6, 1995

"Some Might Say" became the first Oasis single to hit #1 in the UK on May 6, 1995. It was the lead single for their very successful second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? which is the 3rd biggest selling UK album in history with over 4.3 million copies sold in the UK. It has sold 19 million worldwide including over 4 million in the US.

They've had seven more #1 UK singles since then: "Don't Look Back In Anger," "D'You Know What I Mean?" "All Around The World," "Go Let It Out," "The Hindu Times," "Lyla," & "The Importance of Being Idle." along with many more top 10 UK hits.

Video for "Some Might Say"

Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen was born on May 5, 1959

Ian McColloch was born on May 5, 1959 in Liverpool, England.

McColloch would go on to form Echo & the Bunnymen in 1978.

The Echo & the Bunnymen song "The Killing Moon" was a #9 UK hit in 1984 and was later featured in the popular movie Donnie Darko.

Video for "The Killing Moon" -

Four Students At Kent University Were Killed On May 4, 1970

Four students at Kent University in Ohio were killed by national guardsmen on May 4th of 1970. The students were protesting the war in Vietnam.

What does this tragic event have to do with music? This senseless killing of innocent war protesters was the inspiration for the Neil Young written song "Ohio" which was quickly recorded and released by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. Neil Young sang lead vocals on the track. The lyrics were very direct in their condemnation of the events of May 4th, 1970.

Neil Young performing "Ohio" in 1971:

Paul McCartney's first US concert performance since The Beatles was on May 3, 1976

On May 3rd of 1976 Paul McCartney made his first concert appearance in America since his days with The Beatles as Wings kicked off their Wings Across America Tour in Fort Worth, Texas. It had been almost 10 years since his last American concert with the Beatles on August 29th of 1966 in San Francisco.

Paul McCartney & Wings - "Band on the Run"