What happened on January 7
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195076 yrs ago
Gene Autry's "Rudolph" is the first No. 1 of the 1950s
Gene Autry's version of Johnny Marks's reindeer tale topped Billboard's best sellers chart in the first week of the decade. It went on to sell about 12.5 million copies.
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195571 yrs ago
Marian Anderson breaks the Met Opera color line
Singing Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, the great contralto became the first Black artist to perform with New York's Metropolitan Opera. The company later named her a permanent member.
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197155 yrs ago
Black Sabbath's Paranoid reaches US stores
The album had already topped the UK chart after its September 1970 release there; Warner Bros. now brought it to America. It carried "War Pigs," "Iron Man" and the title track.
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201214 yrs ago
LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" tops the Hot 100
The first Hot 100 chart dated 2012 had LMFAO's single on top, and it held No. 1 for two weeks before Rihanna's "We Found Love" returned to the summit.
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20179 yrs ago
The Weeknd's "Starboy" reaches No. 1
After eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 2, the Daft Punk-produced single finally topped the Hot 100. It was the Weeknd's third No. 1 and the French duo's first.
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1899127 yrs ago
Francis Poulenc is born in Paris
A member of the group of composers known as Les Six, Poulenc mixed wit and devotion in works like his exuberant Gloria and the opera Dialogues des Carmélites.
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194878 yrs ago
Kenny Loggins is born in Everett, Washington
After the duo Loggins and Messina, he became the king of 1980s movie songs with "Footloose," his only solo No. 1, and Top Gun's "Danger Zone."
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195076 yrs ago
Juan Gabriel is born in Michoacán, Mexico
Born Alberto Aguilera Valadez, he wrote standards like "Amor eterno" and "Querida" and sold over 100 million records, more than any other Mexican artist.
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20206 yrs ago
Rush drummer Neil Peart dies at 67
Peart was both Rush's powerhouse drummer and its main lyricist. His instrumental showcase "YYZ" won Modern Drummer's award for best drum recording of the 1980s.
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20251 yrs ago
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary dies
Yarrow co-wrote "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and sang with his trio at the 1963 March on Washington. He died at 86 in his Manhattan home.
Nothing matches these filters on January 7.