This Day in Top 40 History: September 15

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1956: "Don't Be Cruel" by Elvis Presley made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for seven consecutive weeks. The song was released as part of a set with "Hound Dog," which also achieved chart success.
• 2007: Soulja Boy made history as the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 Hot 100 song at just 17 years old. The hit song was "Crank That (Soulja Boy)."
• 2021: "Wildest Dreams" by Taylor Swift received a record number of streams after the song went viral on TikTok. Jumping on the trend, Swift released "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" ahead of her release schedule, and her own version broke the previous streaming record.

Cultural Milestones

• 1903: Roy Acuff was born in Maynardville, Tennessee. His music career spanned over five decades. It saw him release hits such as “Come And Knock (On The Door Of My Heart)” and “So Many Times,” both of which landed in the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart. Besides, Acuff sold 30+ million records and earned the moniker “The King of Country Music.”
• 1965: The Ford Motor Company began offering eight-track tape players in all of its vehicles. Another 20 years passed before CDs became the dominant physical media, followed by another 20 years until Bluetooth became the standard.
• 1979: In Through the Out Door began a six-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was Led Zeppelin's sixth album to reach No. 1 in the United States.
• 2003: Like a Prayer artist Madonna became an author when her first children's book, The English Roses, was issued across over 100 countries in 42 languages. Unsurprisingly, it landed at No. 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list and sold more than a million copies worldwide. According to sources, her daughter Lourdes Leon's friends inspired some of the characters in The English Roses. 
• 2014: The legendary Barbra Streisand made her first late-night TV appearance since 1967 when she was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Streisand and Fallon performed duets to thunderous applause.
• 2018: Cardi B had two songs in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100. "Girls Like You" held the No. 2 spot, while "I Like It," featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, remained at No. 3.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1978: Bob Dylan embarked on the second of three North American legs of the Bob Dylan World Tour. It was Dylan's longest-ever tour, during which he played to over 2 million fans around the world.
• 1982: Queen appeared at the Los Angeles Forum, which ended up being the band's last American concert with Freddie Mercury. Mercury tragically passed away nine years later.
• 2019: Ariana Grande took her Sweetener World Tour to the Arena Birmingham in England. She played a 27-song set with tracks such as “thank u, next,” “Dangerous Woman,” and “break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored.” Grande's Sweetener World Tour visited multiple other locations in North America and Europe to support her chart-topping albums Thank U, Next and Sweetener.
• 2022: While on the Twelve Carat Tour, which promoted his No. 2 fourth studio effort, Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone lit up the stage at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Among the songs on this event's setlist were chart-toppers “rockstar,” “Psycho,” and “Circles.” After over 50  shows and about 726,693 tickets sold, the Twelve Carat Tour would eventually bring in an estimated $93.7 million. 
• 2024: In Vienna, Virginia, at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts' Filene Center, James Taylor brought the house down, performing “You've Got a Friend,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” and other songs. This show was part of his An Evening with James Taylor & His All-Star Band Tour, which included stops in Colorado, California, Texas, and other states. 
• 2024: Olivia Rodrigo performed for the first of two nights in Bangkok, Thailand. The show was part of the GUTS World Tour.

Industry Changes and Challenges 

• 2003: At Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Johnny Cash was buried, right next to his second wife, June Carter Cash. Johnny died on September 12 of the same year, about four months after June's death. The 71-year-old had enjoyed a five-decade career that saw him score over 40 Top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart, including “Ring of Fire” and “Don't Take Your Guns to Town.” While at it, Johnny won 13 GRAMMYs.
• 2019: Ric Ocasek died peacefully in his apartment in New York City. According to sources, his wife, Paulina Porizkova, found him. Ocasek was best known as the founder, primary songwriter, and frontman of The Cars. With him at the helm, the band landed a number of U.S. Top 40 singles, including “Drive,” “Just What I Needed,” and “My Best Friend's Girl.”
• 2024: Tito Jackson passed away at 70. He was best known as a founding member of The Jacksons, whose other members included the King of Pop Michael Jackson. The group landed chart-topping hits such as “ABC” and “I Want You Back” in the U.S. When the brothers went solo, Tito released well-received singles such as “One Way Street” and “Get It Baby.”