1999 Pope John Paul II’s “Abba Pater” compact disc is released. It rings up brisk sales in Italy, selling 50,000 copies on the first day of release. The CD features 11 tracks in which the pontiff chants and prays in Latin with a rich musical accompaniment.
1999 Michael Jackson announces that he will donate the proceeds from two upcoming concerts to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Red Cross. The singer makes the announcement with Mandela in Cape Town, South Africa.
1985 Billy Joel marries model Christie Brinkley. The couple splits nine years later.
1983 No. 1 Billboard hit: “Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson. The song is the first No. 1 single from “Thriller,” the best-selling album of all time.
1981 No. 1 Billboard hit: “Rapture,” Blondie. The song is the first rap song to reach No. 1.
1977 No. 1 Billboard hit: “Rich Girl,” Daryl Hall & John Oates. Hall and Oates met in 1969 in a service elevator while trying to escape a fight between rival gangs at a record hop in Philadelphia’s Adelphi Ballroom.
1968 Damon Albarn, singer for the group Blur, is born in London.
1953 Chaka Khan (Yvette Marie Stevens) is born in Great Lakes, Ill. Her song “I Feel for You” reaches No. 3 in 1984.
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