July 6 has been a big date in Top 40 history, from the day Paul McCartney met John Lennon in Liverpool in 1957 to more recent chart milestones.
Breakthrough hits and milestones
– 1973: Queen released their first single. It didn’t chart, but the band went on to score multiple No. 1 hits and sell around 300 million records.
– 1987: The Grateful Dead’s In the Dark peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, their highest U.S. chart position, and gave them their only Top 40 single.
– 2016: Drake matched a chart feat by topping both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 at the same time, a run that lasted seven weeks.
– 2017: Jay-Z’s 4:44 went Platinum in the U.S. less than a week after release, despite being available only online.
– 2018: Meek Mill’s EP Legends of the Summer reached the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, peaking at No. 9 and No. 8, and included a Top 40 Hot 100 single.
Cultural moments
– 1975: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was born in Queens. He’s sold over 30 million records and scored multiple No. 1 hits and a GRAMMY.
– 1979: Nic Cester was born in Melbourne. As frontman of Jet, he sang on U.S. Top 40 singles and later co-founded the Australian supergroup The Wrights.
– 2016: Ciara and Russell Wilson quietly married in Cheshire, England, with friends like Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Rowland attending. The couple now share four children.
From classic first meetings to chart-topping releases and big personal moments, July 6 has given music fans plenty to remember.
