Tennessee native Maurice White was born on this day in 1941. From a young age, he was passionate about music. This love led him to create Earth, Wind & Fire, which scored seven Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100. Their biggest hits include “Shining Star,” their only No. 1 single, along with “After the Love Has Gone” and “Let’s Groove.”
Dec. 19 has seen some significant music milestones. In 1989, Peter Murphy released his third album, *Deep*, featuring the hit “Cuts You Up,” which topped the U.S. charts for weeks. The album also included two other Top 40 singles: “The Line Between the Devil’s Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat)” and “A Strange Kind of Love.” In 2006, Bow Wow dropped his fifth album, *The Price of Fame*, featuring R. Kelly, T-Pain, and Lil Wayne. It debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 200,000 copies in its first week. The lead single, “Shortie Like Mine,” featuring Chris Brown, hit No. 9 on the Hot 100.
Culturally, Dec. 19 has its highlights too. In 1976, Al Green opened his own church, The Full Gospel Tabernacle, in Memphis after becoming a minister. He had many hits, including “Let’s Stay Together.” In 1997, *Titanic* premiered in U.S. theaters, featuring Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” which topped both the Hot 100 and UK Singles chart.
Notable performances on this day include The Friends of Distinction recording “Grazing in the Grass” in 1968, and Paul McCartney rocking the O2 Arena in London in 2024. Justin Timberlake also lit up The Enterprise Center in St. Louis during his 2024 tour.
