This Day in Top 40 History: April 13
On April 13, 1982, Ty Dolla $ign was born Tyrone William Griffin Jr. in Los Angeles, California. One of his most notable tracks is “Paranoid,” a Top 30 hit featuring…
On April 13, 1982, Ty Dolla $ign was born Tyrone William Griffin Jr. in Los Angeles, California. One of his most notable tracks is “Paranoid,” a Top 30 hit featuring guest vocals from B.o. B. Other titles on Ty Dolla $ign's list of Top 40 singles include “Psycho,” “Work from Home,” and “Hot Girl Summer.” He shares his birthday with Al Green, Max Weinberg, and Marc Ford of The Black Crowes.
Want to discover more interesting Top 40 history events from this date? Read on.
Breakthrough Hits and Milestones
April 13 has seen the release of a number of Top 40 albums, including:
- 1987: Fleetwood Mac issued their fourteenth studio LP, Tango in the Night. It was a massive success, reaching No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 7 in the U.S. The set spawned three Top 20 hits in both regions, “Big Love,” “Little Lies,” and “Everywhere.”
- 2015: Tyler, the Creator released Cherry Bomb, an album that featured contributions from big names such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Cole Alexander, and Lil Wayne. The record cruised up the charts, peaking at No. 4 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, respectively. It also delivered some notable tracks, including “SMUCKERS” and “DEATHCAMP.”
Cultural Milestones
These Top 40 historical and cultural events from April 13 are worthy of mention:
- 1970: Led Zeppelin performed “Whole Lotta Love,” "Heartbreaker,” and other songs in front of over 17,000 fans at the Montreal Forum in Canada. Grossing a reported $93,000, this was the first sold-out concert in the venue's history.
- 1993: Former Massachusetts governor William Weld declared this date “Aerosmith Day,” honoring the band, which was formed in Boston in 1970. As of this writing, Aerosmith has placed at least eight Top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, including the chart-topping “I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.”
Industry Changes and Challenges
These events from April 13 impacted the lives of various Top 40 artists and the music industry.
- 2000: “Until It Sleeps” hitmakers Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster, a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing platform, and three universities, the University of Southern California, Indiana University, and Yale University. The suit charged the entities with facilitating the distribution of the band's music without consent and violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
- 2009: A Los Angeles jury declared Phil Spector, who collaborated with The Ronettes, The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers, and other artists, guilty of Lana Clarkson's murder. According to sources, Spector shot Clarkson to death on February 3, 2003. Although the former claimed that the latter died by suicide, the official coroner's report confirmed she was killed.
- 2010: Ronald Isley was released from custody after serving a 37-month sentence for tax evasion. He was convicted in 2006 when prosecutors discovered he owed Uncle Sam up to $3 million in unpaid taxes. Ronald is best known as a member of The Isley Brothers, who are behind Top 20 hits such as “It's Your Thing” and “This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You).”
Apart from birthdays, April 13 has also hosted album releases and legal proceedings that transformed the lives of a few artists. For that reason, this day is etched in the memories of many Top 40 history fans.
