What happened on October 21
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195868 yrs ago
Buddy Holly cuts his final studio session in New York
At the Pythian Temple he recorded four songs, including "True Love Ways" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," backed by an 18-piece ensemble led by Dick Jacobs. It was a bold step toward orchestral pop just months before his death.
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197254 yrs ago
Chuck Berry finally scores a No. 1 with "My Ding-a-Ling"
The rock pioneer's only Hot 100 chart-topper was a cheeky novelty number recorded live at a festival in Coventry, England, not one of his classic guitar anthems.
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197749 yrs ago
Meat Loaf unleashes Bat Out of Hell
Written by Jim Steinman and produced by Todd Rundgren, the album has sold an estimated 34 to 40 million copies and logged 522 weeks on the UK albums chart.
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201610 yrs ago
Leonard Cohen releases his farewell album You Want It Darker
Produced partly by his son Adam, it came out just 17 days before Cohen died, and its title track later won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance.
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20224 yrs ago
Taylor Swift drops Midnights and breaks streaming records
It set Spotify's single-day and single-week streaming records, and Swift became the first act to fill the entire Hot 100 top 10. The album later won Album of the Year, her record fourth.
Play on Spotify Source: Midnights - Wikipedia -
1912114 yrs ago
Conductor Georg Solti born György Stern in Budapest
He made the first complete studio recording of Wagner's Ring cycle and won 31 Grammys, a record that stood until Beyoncé passed it in 2023.
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1917109 yrs ago
Bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie born in Cheraw, South Carolina
His trademark upturned trumpet began as an accident in 1953 when dancers damaged his horn; he liked the sound so much he had bent trumpets built for him from then on.
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1925101 yrs ago
Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, born in Havana
Her cry of "¡Azúcar!" became one of salsa's most recognizable calls, and she sold more than 30 million records across a career that began with Sonora Matancera.
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199531 yrs ago
Doja Cat born Amala Dlamini in Los Angeles
A homemade video for her absurd cow song "Mooo!" went viral, and the "Say So" remix later became the first female rap collaboration to top the Hot 100.
Play on Spotify Source: Doja Cat - Wikipedia -
200323 yrs ago
Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith dies at 34
His Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery" earned an Oscar nomination, and the famously reluctant performer sang it at the ceremony in a white suit.
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