This Day in Top 40 History: February 26

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 2002: Norah Jones released her debut album, Come Away With Me. This album became a wild success with hits such as "Don't Know Why" and "I've Got to See You Again." 
• 2008: Erykah Badu issued her fourth studio LP, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). It debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. In addition, this set sold over 120,000 copies in its opening week and delivered one Top 30 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Honey.”
• 2010: Sweet-voiced John Mayer performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Mayer was on a world tour promoting his fourth studio album, Battle Studies.
• 2011: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" landed No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. This event is especially significant as her song was the 1,000th Billboard Hot 100 song to hit No. 1.
• 2016: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their sophomore album, This Unruly Mess I've Made. This project featured contributions from a string of big names, including Ed Sheeran, KRS-One, and Chance the Rapper. It stalled at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and spawned “Downtown,” which reached No. 12 on the Hot 100.

Cultural Milestones

• 1928: Fats Domino was born on this day. His hit song "Blueberry Hill" hit the pop charts in 1956. In 1987, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award after having over 25 gold single songs and selling over 65 million records. 
• 1932: Johnny Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas. He grew up on a cotton farm with his family. Thanks to his mother's love for country music, he started exploring music at an early age. So, it's not a surprise that he has up to six Top 10 albums to his name, including Johnny Cash at San Quentin and Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.
• 1953: Michael Bolton was born Michael Bolotin in New Haven, Connecticut. The two-time GRAMMY winner started penning songs at 9. A few years later, he decided to pursue music professionally, forming his first band, The Nomads, and dropping out of school. As of this writing, he placed seven Top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including “When a Man Loved a Woman” and “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You.”
• 1982: Nate Ruess was born in Iowa. He kicked off his music career in high school and later formed his first band, Format. When they split, he established Fun, which saw him score his most notable single, “We Are Young.” Fun's other Top 20 hits include “Carry On” and “Some Nights.”
•  1997: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton won a Grammy Award for the Best Spoken Word Or Non-Musical Album for the audio version of her book It Takes a Village.
• 2002: The pop band The Bee Gees played their final performance at the Love and Hope Ball in Miami, Florida, as a benefit for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. Brothers Barry and Robin Gibb retired the band's name after this concert.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1975: Harry Chapin, best known for hits such as "Cat's in the Cradle" and "Taxi," opened his Broadway Revue, The Night That Made America Famous. This show featured Chapin along with a host of performers and closed on April 5, 1975.
• 1985: Prince delivered an exemplary performance of hits from his Purple Rain album at the 27th GRAMMY Awards ceremony, which was held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Other performers during the event were Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper.
• 1997: The 39th Grammys held at Madison Square Garden in New York City had big winners. Celine Dion won Best Pop Album and Album of the Year.
• 2002: At The Forum in Inglewood, California, “The Old Man Down The Road” singer John Fogerty performed at the Concert for Artists' Rights. Other notable artists who graced the stage at this star-studded event were Billie Joel, Eagles, and Tom Petty. They raised over $2.5 million to benefit the Recording Artists Coalition (RAC), which advocated for the fairer treatment of musicians.
• 2009: Crooner Chris Isaak aired the first episode of his talk show, The Chris Isaak Hour, on The Biography Channel. The one-hour show went on to feature guests such as Jewel, Cat Stevens, and Glen Campbell.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1990: Cornell Gunter was shot dead in his car in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to sources, he was seen arguing with an unidentified man prior to the shooting. The 53-year-old was best known as a member of The Coasters, who placed Top Five hits such as “Charlie Brown” and “Yakety Yak” on the Hot 100. In 1987, Gunter became a Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, but his murder remains unsolved.
• 2014: The "Milkshake" singer Kelis debuted her cooking show Saucy and Sweet on the Cooking Channel.
• 2019: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers filed copyright infringement against several venues across the country. This was for the venues playing their music without authorization.
• 2022: The Avicii Experience, an immersive interactive museum dedicated to Avicii, opened in Stockholm, Sweden. Since it features the “Hey Brother” artist's unreleased material, it offers fans a glimpse into his life and creative process, allowing them appreciate his artistry.
• 2024: Wham! singer George Michael had a memorable coin manufactured by The Royal Mint in Britain. The coin depicts Michael wearing his trademark sunglasses and pays tribute to his song "Faith."