Today in Music History: A Hit for Herman's Hermits
May 01, 2015
![Herman's Hermits](https://img.apmcdn.org/6d3d88ea0a8fcd0dc7c6c4033cf86c49cc361453/uncropped/13c829-20150501-hermans-hermits.jpg)
History Highlight:
Today in 1965, Herman's Hermits started a three-week run at No. 1 in the U.S. singles chart with "Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter." Herman's Hermits recorded the song in two takes, and it features muted rhythm guitar by Keith Hopwood and heavily accented lead vocals by Peter Noone. The band never thought the track would be a single, much less a No. 1 hit. The song was written by Trevor Peacock, who went on to have a successful acting career and is widely known for playing the role of Jim Trott in the 1990s BBC comedy series, The Vicar of Dibley.
Also, Today In:
1971 - One of The Rolling Stones' biggest singles, "Brown Sugar," was released.
1974 - The Carpenters performed at the White House, at the request of President Nixon.
1977 - The Clash launched their first tour of the British Isles with a May Day concert at the Roxy in London. The 40-day "White Riot Tour" eventually wound up at London's Rainbow Theater where the audience went wild, ripping out seats bolted to the floor to create space for dancing.
1980 - The South African government banned Pink Floyd's single "Another Brick In The Wall" after black children adopted the song as their anthem in protest against inferior education.
1984 - Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood filed for bankruptcy in the U.S.
2003- American soul singer Barry White suffered a stroke while being treated for kidney failure. The singer died two months later on July 4, 2003.
2005 - Coldplay became the first British band to have a new entry in the U.S. Top 10 singles chart since The Beatles.
Birthdays:
Judy Collins is 76.
Ray Parker Jr., the man behind the Ghostbusters song, is 61.
Former Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretzky is 47.