Today in Tunes
On this day in music

December 20

10 moments from 1945 to 1999: 4 things that happened, 4 birthdays and 2 farewells.

Tune of the day
Mack the Knife
Bobby Darin
Why today: 1973 · Bobby Darin dies at 37 after heart surgery
Play on Spotify

What happened on December 20

  1. 195769 yrs ago
    HappenedRock

    Elvis Presley gets his Army draft notice

    He was allowed to put off his service so he could finish making the film King Creole, and he was inducted at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, in March 1958.

    Play on Spotify Source: Elvis Presley - Wikipedia
  2. 196957 yrs ago
    HappenedFolk

    Peter, Paul and Mary go to No. 1 with "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

    The trio's recording knocked Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" off the top of the Hot 100 and held it for a week before the Supremes took over.

    Play on Spotify Source: List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1969 - Wikipedia
  3. 197551 yrs ago
    HappenedR&B / Soul

    KC and the Sunshine Band return to No. 1

    "That's the Way (I Like It)" took back the top of the Hot 100, three weeks after Silver Convention's "Fly, Robin, Fly" had pushed it aside.

    Play on Spotify Source: List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1975 - Wikipedia
  4. 198640 yrs ago
    HappenedPop

    The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" hits No. 1

    Written by Liam Sternberg, the song held the No. 1 spot for four weeks, into January 1987, and Billboard ranked it as 1987's biggest song in the US.

    Play on Spotify Source: Walk Like an Egyptian - Wikipedia
  5. 194581 yrs ago
    BornRock

    Kiss drummer Peter Criss is born

    The band's co-founder played the Catman. He thought up the tune of "Beth", which reached No. 7 in 1976 and is still Kiss's highest-charting US single.

    Play on Spotify Source: Peter Criss - Wikipedia
  6. 194878 yrs ago
    BornRock

    Producer and engineer Alan Parsons is born

    He engineered the Beatles' Abbey Road and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, then formed the Alan Parsons Project, whose "Eye in the Sky" reached No. 3 in the US.

    Play on Spotify Source: Alan Parsons - Wikipedia
  7. 195076 yrs ago
    BornClassical

    Mexican composer Arturo Márquez is born

    His Danzón No. 2 is his best-known work. Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra played it across Europe and the US on tour in 2007.

    Play on Spotify Source: Arturo Márquez - Wikipedia
  8. 199036 yrs ago
    BornPop

    Singer JoJo is born

    At 13, her debut single "Leave (Get Out)" topped Billboard's Mainstream Top 40, making her the youngest solo artist ever to lead that chart.

    Play on Spotify Source: JoJo (singer) - Wikipedia
  9. 197353 yrs ago
    DiedPop

    Bobby Darin dies at 37 after heart surgery

    He was the first-ever winner of the Grammy for Best New Artist, and "Mack the Knife" took Record of the Year. His career had taken off in 1958 with "Splish Splash".

    Play on Spotify Source: Bobby Darin - Wikipedia
  10. 199927 yrs ago
    DiedCountry

    Country singer Hank Snow dies

    His "I'm Moving On" sat at No. 1 for 21 weeks, and his recording of Geoff Mack's "I've Been Everywhere" made that song popular in North America.

    Play on Spotify Source: Hank Snow - Wikipedia