This Week In Music History September 25 To October 1

September 25

• 1964 - The Temptations began recording 'My Girl' which went on to be their first US number one and the first of fifteen US Top Ten hits.
• 1990 - Drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. A year later, the band recorded Nevermind which exceeded all expectations and became a worldwide commercial success
• Birthdays: Will Smith is 52.

September 26

• 1937 - Blues singer Bessie Smith died aged 43 after being involved in a car accident while traveling along Route 61 outside Memphis, Tennessee. With the nickname "the Empress of the Blues"
• 1987 - Michael Jackson started a six-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with Bad
• Birthdays: Olivia Newton-John was born on this day in 1948. She passed away in August of 2022

September 27

• 1982 - Prince released his fifth album, 1999. It was a breakthrough, selling well over 5 million copies worldwide, thanks to "Little Red Corvette" and the title track.
• 2014 - Taylor Swift issues 1989, her biggest-selling album. The first two singles are monster hits: "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space.”
• Birthdays: Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots was born today in 1967. He passed away in 2015

September 28

• 1985 - Kate Bush scored her second UK No.1 album with 'Hounds Of Love'.
• 1991 - On the week their album, Nevermind, was released, Nirvana made an appearance at the Tower Records store in New York City and then played a show at The Marquee Club in New York
• Birthdays: Television host Ed Sullivan was born today in 1901. He passed away in 1974.

September 29

• 1976 - Enjoying his own birthday celebrations, Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player, Norman Owens, in the chest
• 1991 - MTV played the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video for the first time, giving most Americans their first look at Nirvana. A little over a month later, the song was No. 1 on the Hot 100.
• Birthdays: "Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee Lewis is 87.

September 30

• 1995 - Mariah Carey made chart history when she started an eight-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with "Fantasy," making her the first woman to enter the chart in the No. 1 spot.
• 2021 - Tony Bennett, 95, releases an album of standards with Lady Gaga called Love For Sale, making him (according to Guinness) the oldest person to release an album of new material.
• Birthdays: Singer Johnny Mathis is 87.

October 1

• 1970 - Janis Joplin makes her last recordings, singing "Mercedes Benz," which is included on her posthumous Pearl album a capella. She dies three days later.
• 1982 - Sony launched its first compact-disc player, the CDP-101, for $730. That's the equivalent of about $1,630 today.
• 1987 - Soundgarden release their first EP, Screaming Life, on Sub Pop Records
• Birthdays: Kevin Griffin frontman of Better Than Ezra is 53