Nov 18th in Pop History

On this day, November 18th, in…

(1967 • 54 years ago today)

Diana Ross and the Supremes Greatest Hits topped the Album chart for a fourth week, with the former # 1 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles still at # 2.

The Supremes were an American female singing group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and it is said that their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success. They sold more than 100 million records.

Diana Ross and the Supremes

My Playlist on Spotify

Best of the Supremes Playlist

Attached here are a couple of great videos of The Supremes performing live:

Here are the The Supremes performing live on The Ed Sullivan Show. This is a “Hits Medley” of their biggest songs (Great Video!)

Here are the The Supremes again performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, doing one of their best early songs, Love Child:

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Also, on this day, November 18th, in…

• 1967 - One of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era, To Sir With Love by Lulu, remained # 1 for a fifth week

This record became the best-selling single of 1967 in the United States. At the time, it made Lulu only the second British female artist to top the US charts during the listing's Rock era after Petula Clark’s Downtown in 1965.

• 1968 - The Spiral Starecase record their million selling tune on this date, More Today Than Yesterday, which will reach # 12 on the Billboard chart and # 7 on the Cash Box Best Sellers list the following Spring

• 1968 - Glen Campbell, a former session musician who appeared on recordings by Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole and the Beach Boys, receives two Gold records - the first for By The Time I Get To Phoenix and another for Gentle On My Mind

By The Time I Get To Phoenix and

Gentle On My Mind

• 1979 - Paul McCartney releases Wonderful Christmastime, in time for the 1979 Christmas season, a tune on which he plays all the instruments himself. The song would peak at # 6 on the singles chart and # 83 on the Cash Box Best Sellers chart, but did not reach the Billboard Hot 100. Considered by many fans as one of his weakest efforts, the record nevertheless, reportedly earns Maca around $400,000 a year, which puts its cumulative earnings at near $15 million