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Born on this day: January 28, 1968 - Genius rapper and lyricist Rakim (born William Michael Griffin Jr. in Wyandanch, Long Island, NY). Happy 45th Birthday, Rakim!!

On this day in music history: January 28, 1984 - "If Only You Knew" by Patti LaBelle hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for four weeks, also peaking at #46 on February 25th. Written by Cynthia Biggs, Kenny Gamble, and Dexter Wansel, it is the first solo chart topper for Philadelphia-born R&B vocalist. Philadelphia International Records staff writer and producer Wansel will write the music and then collaborate with Biggs who will come up with the title and write most of the lyrics. Label co-owner and producer Gamble will help finish the lyrics. Gamble will also suggest that Patti LaBelle record the song. The track is originally recorded in 1981 during sessions for LaBelle's previous album, The Spirit's In It. The song will be shelved until it is pulled from the vault and included on what will be her final album for Philadelphia International Records. Released as the first single from LaBelle's sixth solo release I'm In Love Again, it is an immediate smash at black radio and becomes her first solo #1. LaBelle will quickly score two more hits with the follow up "Love, Need, And Want You" (#10 R&B) as well as the duet "Love Has Finally Come At Last" (#3 R&B) with Bobby Womack. LaBelle will suddenly become a hot property and is quickly signed by MCA Records, where she will go on to even greater success.
 

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Born on this day: January 21, 1938 - Legendary DJ Wolfman Jack (born Robert Weston Smith in Brooklyn, NY). Happy Birthday to this radio and television icon on what would have been his 75th Birthday.

Born on this day: January 21, 1965 - Hip Hop icon DJ Jam Master Jay (born Jason William Mizell in Brooklyn, NY). Happy Birthday to this pioneering DJ and producer on what would have been his 48th Birthday.

On this day in music history: January 21, 1978 - Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack hits #1 on the Billboard Top 200 for 24 weeks. The 17-track double album to the film starring John Travolta features six tracks by The Bee Gees as well as ones by Yvonne Elliman, Tavares, Kool & The Gang, KC & The Sunshine Band, David Shire, MFSB, Walter Murphy, Ralph MacDonald, and The Trammps. Like the film itself, the album’s success is unprecedented with demand for the record being so great that RSO Records distributor Polygram cannot keep up with the demand on its own and must contract pressing facilities from rival record labels in order to keep adequate stock in stores. It will spin off six hit singles (including four number one singles, in addition to three others that topped the chart prior to the albums' release), spending over 2 1/2 years on the charts, and winning three Grammy Awards including Album Of The Year.Saturday Night Fever will be certified 15x Platinum in the US by the RIAA and over 40 million worldwide.
 

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On this day in music history: January 14, 1977 - Low, the eleventh studio album by David Bowie is released. Produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, it is recorded at the Chateau d'Herouville in Herouville, France in Late 1976. It is the first of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy," the first of his songwriting and musical collaborations with Brian Eno, though the album is recorded in France and mixed at Hansa Studios in Berlin. Bowie will move to Berlin to get away from Los Angeles where his previous album Station To Station was recorded. Many of the songs are about personal issues Bowie is dealing with, including kicking his addiction to cocaine. It will spin off the single "Sound And Vision" (#3 UK, #69 US Pop), and will come to be regarded as one of his best and most influential works. Low will peak at #2 on the UK album chart and #11 on the Billboard Top 200.
 

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Born on this day: January 7, 1948 - Singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins (born Kenneth Clark Loggins in Everett, WA).

Happy 65th Birthday, Kenny!!
 

On this day in music history: January 7, 1967 - "Tell It Like It Is" by Aaron Neville hits #1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart for five weeks, also peaking at #2 on the Hot 100 for one week on January 28th. Written by George Davis and Lee Diamond, it will be the biggest hit for the New Orleans-born vocalist. Recorded in 1965, Davis and Diamond will shop the track around to various record labels and are turned down by all of them. Over a year after that, they will start their own label, Par-Lo Records, and release it themselves. The record is an instant smash and will sell over a million copies within two months of its release However, Neville will see no real monetary reward from sales of the multi-million selling single. The owners of the Par-Lo record label will find themselves in dire financial straits when they find it nearly impossible to collect money from various independent distributors, leading them to file for bankruptcy. "Tell It Like It Is" will have enduring popularity over the years being covered by numerous artists including Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, Percy Sledge, Nina Simone, Andy Williams, and Heart whose version will return the song to the top 10 in early 1981, peaking at #8 on the Hot 100.

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Born on this day, December 31, 1948 - Singer/songwriter Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston, MA). Happy Birthday to this Disco and R&B legend on what would have been her 64th Birthday. We love and miss you, Donna!!

On this day in music history: December 31, 1966 - "I'm A Believer" by The Monkees hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. Written by Neil Diamond, it is the second chart topping single for "The Pre-Fab Four." Producer Jeff Barry will find the song while also working with Diamond. The track is recorded in New York City on October 15, 1966. The Monkees will record their vocals at RCA Victor, Studio B in Hollywood on October 23rd. Issued as the follow up to the group's first hit, "Last Train To Clarksville," it is an immediate smash. "I'm A Believer" will have an advanced order of 1,051,280 copies, the highest amount for any RCA recording artist since Elvis Presley. Entering the Hot 100 at #44 on December 10th, it will leap frog to the top just three weeks later, with the single going gold only two days after its release and becoming the biggest selling single of 1967. The B-side "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" written and produced by Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart will also chart, peaking at #20 on the Hot 100 on January 14, 1967.