From a hit track by Barry Manilow to the birthday of Steve Earle, several important events marked the day of January 16th over the years. Here, we bring to you the details of these as well as other interesting events in the musical calendar that went down on this day.
On January 17th 1966, a special series, focused on the adventures of the famous rock band ‘The Monkees,’ was purchased by the U.S. NBC-TV. The series were to be aired in the channel’s autumn schedule. Showcasing the life and career struggle of The Monkees from L.A., California, the series pioneered a gateway for numerous film techniques that are now part of the new era in television.
On this day in 1976, I Write The Songs by Barry Manilow soared to the No.1 spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Written by Bruce Johnson of The Beach Boys, the track even went on to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
This day celebrates the birth of Mick Taylor, who was born in 1948. When he was 20 years old, in 1969, the Bluesbreakers guitarist took Brian Jones’s place in the rock band The Rolling Stones. Taylor left the band in 1974.
Also celebrating his birthday on January 17th is Steve Earle, who was born 1955. Earle is well-known for his 1988 hit single in the U.K., Copperhead Road. He also had his ninth studio album Transcendental Blues hit the No.1 spot on the album chart. Famous artistes such as Johnny Cash, Gretchen Peters, Eddi Reader, Shawn Colvin and Emmylou Harris have performed and recorded Earle’s songs.
This day in 2011 witnessed the sad demise of Don Kirshner. Kirshner was 76 years old when he died of a heart failure. Also known as ‘The Man with the Golden Ear’, Kirshner helped mold the careers of artistes such as Bobby Darin, Carole King, The Monkees, Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Kansas and The Archies.