Ray Charles "I Can't Stop Loving You" reaches #1 1962

Ray Charles's cover of Don Gibson's I Can't Stop Loving You reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for five weeks, making it one of the biggest hits of 1962.  It also went to #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles, Adult Contemporary, and the UK Singles Chart.

Billboard ranked it the #2 song for 1962.  Rolling Stone ranked it as #164 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. CMT ranked it as #49 on the 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. 

Ray Charles won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording in 1963.

Happy birthday, Eric Idle!

Eric Idle, born March 29, 1943 in Tyne and Wear, England, is best known for his work in the comedy troop Monty Python.  He appeared in Monty Python's Flying Circus and the movie spin-offs. He appeared with Robbie Coltrane in one of my favorites, Nuns on the Run.  

I didn't realize this, that he has been nominated for six Grammys for Best Comedy Recording and Best Spoken Word Album for Children.  He won Best Musical Show Album for Monty Python's Spamalot in 1981.

"WALL-E" released 2008

Pixar's classic animated film about a lonely robot left with the monumental task of cleaning up Earth after being completely trashed and abandoned, WALL-E was released into US theaters June 27, 2008.  It's science fiction, action, and romance all rolled into one.

It is widely considered one of the best animated movies of all time.  It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, Boston Society of Film Critics Best Animated Film, BAFTA's Best Animated Film, a Saturn for Best Animated Film, two Grammys, and one Scream Award.

In 2021, WALL-E became the second Pixar film to be selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Yvonne Elliman, first Japanese American to win a Grammy

 

Yvonne Elliman's breakout single If I Can't Have You replaced the Bee Gees Night Fever at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 May 13, 1978.  Elliman rose to fame when she joined the traveling cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Weber, as Mary Magdalene.    Her performance in the film version garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.  

Born in Honolulu, Hawai'i Territory, December 29, 1951 of Chinese, Japanese, and Irish descent, Elliman had her first Billboard Hot 100 with I Don't Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. 

She recorded If I Can't Have You, written by the Bee Gees in 1977. It became a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 and was featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.  The album won a Grammy for Album of the Year in1978, making Elliman the first Japanese-American to win a Grammy. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ad1ItSxpSGc?si=hOiCHnp8NlU-rhha

Gladys Knight & The Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia" reaches #1 1973

Gladys Knight & the Pips' single Midnight Train to Georgia reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 October 27, 1973.  It stayed at the top for two weeks.  It is the most famous recording of the song written by Jim Weatherly and also recorded by Cissy Houston. 

Knight's performance won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1974.  In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone has ranked it on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. 

The Pointer Sisters appear on the Grand Ole Opry 1974

The Pointer Sisters first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry October 25, 1974, becoming the first black female group to perform at the venue.  They performed Fairytale which went on to win a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. 

Later, Elvis Presley covered Fairytale.

MFSB wins Grammy for "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" 1975

MFSB released their biggest hit, TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) February 6, 1974.  It is an awesome instrumental disco song with strings and horns.  The Three Degrees provide background vocals.  It was written by Gamble and Huff to be the theme song for Soul Train.  

It was the first television theme song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

MFSB won the Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance at the 17th Grammy Awards held March 1, 1975.

Mannheim Steamroller wins Grammy Award for "Fresh Aire 7" 1992

Mannheim Steamroller released the seventh album in their Fresh Aire series, Fresh Aire 7, in November 1990.  It reached #77 on the Billboard album charts but on February 25, 1992, Chip Davis brought home the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.

This is my favorite song from the album:

Percy Faith's "Theme from A Summer Place" reaches #1 for 9 weeks 1960

Theme from A Summer Place was written for the 1959 movie of the same name by Max Steiner and lyrics by Mack Discant.  Hugo Winterhalter recorded the song as an instrumental for the film.  

However, it is Percy Faith's recording that is the most popular.  He released it in September 1959, and it began a slow rise to #1, reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, February 22, 1960.  It remained there for a record 9 weeks, a record which wouldn't be broken until Debby Boone's You Light Up My Life in 1977.  

Billboard ranked Faith's version as the Number One song for 1960.  Percy Faith won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year, becoming the first movie theme and first instrumental to win a Grammy for Record of the Year.

Celebrating Black History Month: Flip Wilson, first African American to win Golden Globe for television series

Clerow "Flip" Wilson, born December 8, 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey, hosted his weekly variety series, The Flip Wilson Show.  It earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 1971.  He became the first African-American to win the award. It also earned him two Emmy Awards.

Wilson won a Grammy Award for his 1970 The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress.

He got the nickname Flip when he served in the US Air Force.  He would tell funny stories, which made him popular.  His barrack mates gave him the nickname because he was always "flipped out". 

Wilson passed away in November 1998.

Here is a clip of him as his character Geraldine Jones with Ray Charles.

"Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack reaches #1 1978

The soundtrack album from the movie Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the Billboard 200 January 21, 1978 and stayed there for 24 weeks.  It generated three singles from the Bee Gees and one from Yvonne Elliman.  It is the second biggest-selling soundtrack of all time.  It won the Grammy for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1979.  It won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B album in 1979.  

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and, in 2014, was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for being culturally significant.

Silver Convention's "Fly Robin Fly" reaches #1 1975

More disco!  Silver Convention's Fly, Robin, Fly reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, bumping off KC and the Sunshine Band's That's the Way (I Like It), which had sat at the top of the charts for a week.  They are the first German act to have a #1 song on American music charts.  Fly, Robin, Fly won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1976. 

It stayed at #1 for three weeks, when it was replaced by That's the Way (I Like It).

Beyoncé releases "Love On Top" 2011

Beyonce released her single Love On Top from her album 4, September 12, 2011. It went to #1 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.  Beyonce was inspired by Etta James and the song includes elements of old school R&B and disco.  

It won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Janet Jackson's "That's The Way Love Goes" reaches #1 1993

Janet Jackson's That's the Way Love Goes, a single released from her fifth album Janet, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 May 15, 1993.  It stayed at #1 for eight weeks, the most of any song from the Jackson clan.

The single won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

Sting wins three Grammy Awards 1994

Sting took home the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for his recording of If I Ever Lose My Faith In You, at the 36th ceremony March 1, 1994.  It was the lead single from is album Ten Summoner's Tales, which won for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (Hugh Padgham) and Best Music Video, Long Form.

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  Ten Summoner's Tales was nominated for Album of the Year.

Sting was also nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for Demolition Man.

Billy Joel was nominated for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male  for the River of Dreams.

John Williams wins Grammy for Best Original Score for Jaws 1976

John Williams won his first Grammy Award for Best Original Score for his work on Jaws, the Steven Spielberg blockbuster, February 28, 1976.  It was William's second Grammy nomination.  He had been nominated for Best Sound Track Album or Recording of a Score for Checkmate back in 1962. Williams also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his composition on Jaws.

Herb Alpert wins Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance 1980

Herb Alpert released his instrumental piece Rise July 1979 and won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 22nd ceremony February 27, 1980.  Alpert is the only musician to have an instrumental performance and a vocal performance enter into the Billboard Hot 100.  His first entry was This Guy's In Love With You which reached #1 in 1968.

Rise reached #1 in October 1979 and remained for two weeks.  It also reached #4 on the R&B chart, #17 on the Disco chart, and #1 for a week on the Adult Contemporary Chart.

Billy Joel's Glass Houses wins Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male 1981

My man Billy Joel won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for his album Glass Houses at the 23rd ceremony, February 25, 1981.  It had also been nominated for Album of the Year but lost to Christopher Cross (WTF?). 

Shadowfax's "Folksong for a Nuclear Village" wins Grammy for Best New Age Album 1989

I definitely need to listen to this album again.  Shadowfax, a new age music group, won a Grammy for Best New Age Album for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village at the 31st ceremony February 22, 1989.   Another album Esperanto was also nominated for Best New Age album in 1993 but lost to Enya.

Ella Fitzgerald wins Grammy for "All That Jazz" 1991

The Queen of Jazz Ella Fitzgerald won a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female for her performance of All That Jazz at the 33rd ceremony held February 20, 1991.   It was the title track from her last studio album of the same name, which was released in 1989.