From celebratory news such as Adele’s 21 rising to the No. 1 spot on the US charts to sad news of the deaths of certain luminaries, several events mark January 21st on the music calendar. Here, we bring to you some of the most interesting ones.
This day in 1987 witnessed the induction of Aretha Franklin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards. This was the 2nd yearly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards and the celebration took place in New York City. Franklin was inducted by Keith Richards who later performed gigs along with celebrated artistes such as Bruce Springsteen, Bo Diddley, Sting, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry and Daryl Hall.
This day in 1997 witnessed the sad demise of Elvis Presley’s manager, ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker. Parker was 87 years old when he died of a heart attack in Las Vegas, Nevada. Parker’s actual birth name was Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk and he was a Dutch immigrant who changed his name to Thomas Andrew Parker as soon as he came to the United States. His entire life passed in the fear of being deported, as he had never applied for a green card. However, after he died, his death certificate labeled him as an American citizen. During his career as a talent manager, Parker managed celebrated country artistes such as Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow for short periods.
January 21st 2002 witnessed the death of actress and singer Peggy Lee who died of a heart attack brought on by diabetes complications. Born in 1920, Lee was 81 years old when she died. Lee is celebrated for her 1958 hit song Fever and was even nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, of which she won the 1969 Grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for her song Is That All There Is?
This day is 2012 witnessed Adele’s second studio album 21 soar to the No.1 spot on the U.S. album chart. Consisting of the hit track Rolling In The Deep, 21 has sold more than 26.4 million records globally.