Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry!
1.The Dave Matthews Band is the only group to have 6 consecutive studio albums debut at the top of the Billboard chart.
2. Elvis Presley played only five concerts outside the U.S., all on a 3-day tour of Canada in 1957. Many believe that the reason why he never toured abroad again was that his longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was an illegal immigrant from Holland who would have been deported had he applied for a U.S. passport.
3. Johnny Cash didn't have a first name. His parents just named him with the initials, J.R. It was not uncommon for Southern kids to have names made of only initials in the days of the Depression, and Cash was called J.R. all through his childhood. It wasn’t until Cash joined the Air Force in 1950 that he had to assign himself a name. The recruiter would not accept a candidate with a name comprised of only initials, so J.R. became “John R. Cash”.
4. Sheryl Crow sang backup for Michael Jackson. She is the one who sang, "She said I am the one" on Billie Jean.
5. Such hits as “You Oughta Know”, “Hand in My Pocket”, “Ironic”, and “Head over Feet” helped Alanis Morissette become the first Canadian woman to top the Billboard 200. Her album, "Jagged Little Pill" stayed there for 12 weeks and remained in the Top 10 for a year and a half (72 weeks).
6. The world’s best-selling musical instrument is the Harmonica. It gained popularity after the massive production of 1 billion harmonicas in 1986. More recently, over 3 million harmonicas are sold every year. This is according to the 2019 Global Harmonica Sales Market Report.
7. Neil Diamond attended New York University on a fencing scholarship, and fenced for the school’s 1960 championship team! He dropped out of school to pursue a career in songwriting, but was awarded an honorary degree in 1995. He never stopped honing his swordsmanship skills, often warming up with fencing exercises before concerts.
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