Today in Music History: Happy 50th to Moby
September 11, 2015
Birthday Highlight:
Happy 50th birthday to Moby! The singer-songwriter, musician and DJ was born Richard Melville Hall in New York City today in 1965. His middle name and the nickname "Moby" were given to him by his parents because Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, is one of his ancestors. Known for his electronic music, Moby has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide; his most recent album is his 2013 release, Innocents. Although he lived most of his life in New York, Moby relocated to Los Angeles in 2011. Beyond music, Moby is also well-known for his photography, his vegan lifestyle and his support of animal rights.
Also, Today In:
1952 - Producer Ahmet Ertegun began recording his newest signing, 21-year-old Ray Charles, at Atlantic Records on West 56th Street in New York City.
1965 - The Beatles started a nine-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Help!, the group's sixth U.S. chart topper.
1971 - The animated Jackson Five series premiered on ABC.
1976 - KC and the Sunshine Band went to No. 1 on the US singles chart with "(Shake Shake Shake), Shake Your Booty," the group's third No. 1 hit.
1977 - One of the strangest pairings in the history of music turned out surprisingly well when David Bowie and Bing Crosby recorded their duet of "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth." It was broadcast in December on Bing's posthumous TV special, A Merrie Olde Christmas, and later released on disc.
1979 - The Who made their first appearance in the U.S. without their late, great drummer, Keith Moon. Replacing him at the Passaic, N.J., gig was ex-Small Faces and Faces drummer Kenney Jones.
1982 - John "Cougar" Mellencamp became the only male artist to have two singles in the U.S. Top Ten as well as the No. 1 album. The singles "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good" were at Nos. 4 and 8, respectively, while Mellencamp's album American Fool was at No. 1 for the first of nine weeks.
1987 - Peter Gabriel's video of "Sledgehammer" was deemed best of the year by MTV.
1993 - Mariah Carey started a eight week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Dreamlover."
1996 - Noel Gallagher walked out on Oasis halfway through an American tour after a fight with his brother, Liam, in a Charlotte, N.C., hotel. Noel flew back to London the following day.
2001 - Walking to work as a comic-book illustrator in New York, Gerard Way witnessed the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The day's events inspired him to start a band, which became My Chemical Romance.
More Birthdays:
Jon Langford of the Mekons is 58.
Richard Ashcroft, of The Verve, is 44.
Harry Connick Jr. is 48.
Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland is 38.
Ludacris is 38.