20 JUNE
Featured Events
1995 George Jones and Tammy Wynette, who divorced in 1975 after six years of marriage, release an album together called One and also go on tour.
1995 Michael Jackson's ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, is released. MTV becomes "MJTV" for a week to celebrate.
1988 MCA Records issues landmark albums by two of their hottest young R&B acts: Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel and New Edition's Heart Break.More
1972 The Tallahatchee Bridge in Money, Mississippi, made famous in Bobbie Gentry's "Ode To Billie Joe," collapses (it is later rebuilt).
1949 Lionel Richie is born in Tuskegee, Alabama. He becomes a member of the Commodores before finding fame as a solo artist.More
1942 Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys is born in Inglewood, California. The main songwriter in the group, his early songs focus on surfing and fun, but in the mid-'60s he makes complex, groundbreaking music exemplified by "Good Vibrations," which he recorded using dozens of musicians over 17 sessions.
20 JUNE
In Music History
2025 The animated movie KPop Demon Hunters debuts on Netflix with a soundtrack loaded with K-pop songs made by the same people responsible for the likes of BTS and Blackpink. The songs amass billions of streams, and "Golden," sung by the demon hunters Huntr/x, goes to #1 in America.
2014 The BBC screens the documentary Billy Joel: The Bridge To Russia about his 1987 tour in the Soviet Union.
2012 The film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter sees its theatrical release in the United States, notable in the music world for having "Powerless" by Linkin Park playing over the end credits.
2004 Paul McCartney performs his 3,000th live show, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
2003 For his 54th birthday, Lionel Richie receives a special gift: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to Richie, the star's location on Hollywood Blvd. isn't far from the Holiday Inn where The Commodores stayed on their first trip to LA while recording their debut album.
2001 The Cult return with their seventh studio album, and first new recording in seven years, Beyond Good and Evil.
2000 Deftones release their third album, White Pony. An aural journey into darkness, it holds up as one of the best metal albums of its time and earns the band their only Grammy Award: Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite."
1997 Lawrence Payton (tenor vocalist of The Four Tops) dies of liver cancer in Southfield, Michigan, at age 59.
1992 Mariah Carey's cover of the Jackson 5 classic "I'll Be There" goes to #1 in America. Recorded for her MTV Unplugged special, it's the first song from the MTV acoustic showcase to become a hit. A few months later, Eric Clapton has a hit with his Unplugged version of "Layla."
1988 Saxon release their Destiny album on the EMI label.
1983 Grace Potter is born in Waitsfield, Vermont. While attending St. Lawrence University in New York in 2002, she meets drummer Matt Burr during a campus open-mic in and they form a rock band that evolves into Grace Potter And The Nocturnals.
1981 Gary U.S. Bonds, last seen on the Hot 100 in 1962, reaches #11 with "This Little Girl," written for him by longtime admirer Bruce Springsteen.
1978 Foreigner release their second album, Double Vision. Hits from the set include the title track and "Hot Blooded."
1975 John Travolta makes his film debut as a Satanist in the horror flick The Devil's Rain, starring William Shatner. Just two years later, Travolta struts his stuff in Saturday Night Fever.
Musicians Mourn "Fifth Beatle" Billy Preston
2006Billy Preston's funeral is held at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California. Among the mourners are Little Richard, Andrae Crouch, Della Reese, The Temptations' Ali-Ollie Woodson and Joe Cocker, who sings his Preston-penned hit "You Are So Beautiful."
The 59-year-old keyboardist, known for his collaborations with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as solo hits like "Will It Go Round In Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing," died on June 6 after being in a coma for several months. Little Richard, who brought a teenage Preston on tour with him in 1962, praises his unparalleled talent. "[He] made that piano walk and talk," he said. "Nobody in the world played the piano like Billy. He never got the credit he deserved." Preston isn't just remembered as a musician, but as a friend. Letters pour in from colleagues who aren't present at the service, including the Stones, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt. Paul McCartney, who performed with Preston on the Beatles' Let It Be album, including the hit "Get Back," writes: "I am deeply saddened to lose such a wonderful friend. I love you, Billy." Preston is often referred to as the "Fifth Beatle," as his amiable presence during the album sessions held the fractious band together. He was also present for the group's last public performance on the rooftop of Apple Studios in 1969. Musical tributes include Joe Cocker singing a stirring rendition of "You Are So Beautiful," his 1975 hit co-written by Preston, and former Temptations' lead Ali-Ollie Woodson belting "With You I'm Born Again," Preston's Top 10 duet with Syreeta Wright. Tata Vega also sings the gospel tune "Walk With Me" in remembrance. The prolific performer's credits stretched over four decades in support of countless acts. His last public performance was in support of the re-release of the 1972 film The Concert for Bangladesh in 2005, where he was joined by Dhani Harrison and Ringo Starr on a rendition of George Harrison's "Isn't It A Pity."
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