June 26 has served up plenty of memorable moments in Top 40 history. From surprise chart-toppers to milestone albums, this date has shaped music in small and big ways.
Breakthrough hits and milestones
– 1965: The Byrds hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their cover of a Bob Dylan song. It was the only Dylan-written track to reach No. 1 in the U.S.
– 2000: Badly Drawn Boy released his debut album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast. It peaked at No. 13 on the U.K. Albums Chart and introduced songs that helped define his sound.
– 2004: Velvet Revolver’s debut, Contraband, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It sold over 4 million copies worldwide and was the biggest debut by a new artist in the SoundScan era.
– 2020: Khruangbin released Mordechai, their third LP. The album hit No. 7 on the U.K. Albums Chart and broadened their international profile.
Cultural milestones
– 1963: Paul McCartney and John Lennon began writing a song in a Newcastle hotel room right after a show. When released in the U.S. that September, it climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks.
– 1973: Gretchen Wilson was born in Pocahontas, Arkansas. She rose from a tough childhood to country stardom, hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs in 2004 and following with more successful singles.
– 1993: Ariana Grande was born in Boca Raton, Florida. She’s a three-time GRAMMY winner with multiple Top 10 hits, including long-running No. 1s, and played Glinda in the 2024 film Wicked.
– 2018: Barry Gibb, the last surviving Bee Gee, was knighted at Buckingham Palace.
June 26 is a small date with a lot of music history. Share these facts with a fellow fan at the next concert.
