This Day in Top 40 History: August 16

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1962: Little Stevie Wonder released his first single, "I Call It Pretty Music (But The Old People Call It The Blues)." The drummer on the song was none other than Marvin Gaye.
• 1979: "My Sharona" by The Knack received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The single was a smash hit that summer, selling half a million copies.
• 1986: Madonna kicked off two weeks at No. 1 with her song "Papa Don't Preach." She also reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart with True Blue on the same day.
• 1994: Prince issued his 15th studio LP, Come, via Warner Bros. Records. This album, which peaked at No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 15 on the Billboard 200, delivered “Pheromone,” “Space,” and “Papa.” 
• 2019: Frank Turner released his eighth studio effort, No Man's Land, featuring “I Believed You, William Blake,” “The Graveyard Of The Outcast Dead,” and “Jinny Bingham's Ghost.” This record reached No. 3 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart. 
• 2019: Sleater-Kinney launched their ninth studio effort, The Center Won't Hold. The album stalled at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and spawned tracks such as “Hurry On Home” and “Can I Go On.” 

Cultural Milestones

• 1958: Madonna was born in Michigan. Early in her career, Madonna played drums and sang with bands such as the Breakfast Club. With 12 chart-toppers on Billboard's Hot 100 and more than 300 million records sold, she is now among the biggest players in the music industry. The “Vogue” hitmaker also has 7 GRAMMYs to her name; no wonder she's recognized as the “Queen of Pop.”
• 1985: After meeting on the set of the "Material Girl" music video, Madonna, who was celebrating her 27th birthday, and Sean Penn tied the knot in Malibu, California. Unfortunately, their marriage was marred by turmoil, thanks to the Dead Man Walking actor's arrests, intense public scrutiny, and allegations of domestic violence, which sources claim both parties have denied. Madonna and Penn's union lasted only four years. 
• 1991: Jeffrey Lamar Williams, better known as Young Thug, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. As of this writing, Young Thug has scored multiple Top 40 records in the U.S. Notable titles include So Much Fun and Business Is Business, which reached No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. 
• 2018: Aretha Franklin passed away at the age of 76. Franklin landed 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, 18 GRAMMY Awards, and countless other accolades during her incredible soul career.
• 2024: Post Malone released F-1 Trillion, marking his transition from rap to country music. It reached No. 1 later that month and included singles "I Had Some Help" and "Pour Me a Drink."

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1968: The Jackson 5 opened for Diana Ross and The Supremes in Los Angeles, a major moment in the sibling group's rise to fame.
• 1997: On the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, a tribute concert took place in Memphis, Tennessee. At the show, Presley's daughter Lisa Marie unveiled a music video for "Don't Cry Daddy."
• 2017: Kendrick Lamar took the DAMN. Tour to the Sprint Center in  Kansas City, Missouri. For this concert, he had a 20-song setlist with hits such as “King Kunta,” “Money Trees,” and “m.A.A.d city.” The DAMN. Tour supported Lamar's chart-topping record of the same name. The trek featured more than 50 dates across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. 
• 2023: At the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the Jonas Brothers brought the house down, playing songs such as “Love Bug,” “When You Look Me In The Eyes,” and “S.O.S.” This concert was a part of their Five Albums. One Night. The World Tour, which featured more than 100 shows. 
• 2024: For the first time on the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift sang "London Boy," a popular track from the Lover era, during her second consecutive night at Wembley Stadium. Delighting fans, she even swapped a lyric to say "I enjoy playing Wembley."

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1968: In New Jersey, a blues trio performed at a coffeehouse. The frontman was an 18-year-old named Bruce Springsteen.
• 1962: Pete Best's tenure as the drummer of The Beatles came to an end when the band's then-manager, Brian Epstein, told him they were letting him go. Best would be replaced by Ringo Starr, who contributed to all of the Fab Four's Top 40 albums, including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, A Hard Day's Night, and Rubber Soul.
• 2023: After being married for a little over a year, Sam Asghari filed for divorce from “...Baby One More Time” hitmaker Britney Spears, citing irreconcilable differences. According to sources, the couple met in 2016 while filming the music video for Spears' single, "Slumber Party,” and they became romantically involved soon after. 
• 2024: Lisa Jeanine Findley, from Missouri, was arrested for organizing a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family. Findley had fabricated loan documents in an attempt to auction off Graceland.
• 2024: Hozier released Unaired, an EP with three new songs not included on his 2023 album, Unreal Unearth. This EP was the second that Hozier had released since dropping his album — the first was called Unheard.