Brooklyn Music Milestones – January 2014

Jan. 15, 1994: Brooklyn and the world loses one of its finest songwriters and recording artists when American singer songwriter Harry Nilsson dies in his sleep of heart failure after spending the previous day in the recording studio.

Jan. 17, 1975: Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, featuring extensive liner notes by Park Slope native Pete Hamill. For various reasons, Hamill’s back-of-album essay is removed from later pressings, but they are later restored after he wins a Grammy for his words in the Annotator category.

Jan. 18, 1974: Barry Manilow’s Mandy reaches number one on the Billboard singles chart. One year later (Jan. 17, 1975 to be exact) the Williamsburg native does it again with I Write the Songs.

Jan. 19, 2003: After 46 weeks on the album charts, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me finally makes it to the top and stays there for three weeks.

Jan. 30, 1961: The songwriting duo of Carole King and Gerry Goffin score their first number one hit with The Shirelles’ rendition of Will You Love Me Tomorrow. It would become one of the most covered songs in pop music history and was ranked No. 126 among Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

Feb. 3, 1979: YMCA by Village People peaks at #2 on pop singles chart. Among the group’s Brooklyn connections are original “Indian” Felipé Ortiz Rose, who grew up in our fair borough, and native Miles Jaye Davis. Davis, who replaced original “Cop” Vic Willis in the group before embarking on a successful solo career, studied music at bo
th Brooklyn College and the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.

Feb. 8, 2009: It’s a big night for two Brooklyn music legends at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards as singer/songwriter Neil Diamond is named MusiCares Person of the Year for his philanthropic work and record company executive Clive Davis receives the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’  President’s Merit Award.

Feb. 23, 2003: Norah Jones takes home five Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist; Song of the Year and Record of the Year (Don’t Know Why); and Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (Come Away With Me).