On January 26, 1970, Kirk Franklin was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He shares the record for the most No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart with Tamela Mann. Some of his popular songs include his collaborations with Maverick City Music and Glorilla. Franklin has also achieved multiple Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including *The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin* and *Hello Fear*. He shares his birthday with music legends like Eddie Van Halen and Andrew Ridgeley from Wham!
January 26 has seen some significant music releases over the years. In 1973, Elton John released his sixth studio album, *Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only The Piano Player*, which hit No. 1 in both the UK and the US. It featured two big singles that made the Top Five on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2009, Franz Ferdinand dropped *Tonight: Franz Ferdinand*, reaching No. 2 in the UK and No. 9 in the US, with several UK Top 30 hits. Then in 2010, Lady A released *Need You Now*, which included their biggest hit and topped the Billboard 200, selling over 480,000 copies in its first week.
Culturally, January 26 has been memorable too. In 1987, stars like Madonna and Whitney Houston won awards at the American Music Awards, with Janet Jackson’s hit taking home the Favorite Soul/R&B Single award. Fast forward to 2020, Billie Eilish made waves at the GRAMMYs, winning five awards, including Song of the Year and Album of the Year, making her the first woman to achieve this since 1981.
The music industry has also faced changes on this date. In 1968, Pink Floyd played their first concert without Syd Barrett. In 2015, Chris Brown had to pause his tour due to a probation violation.
