This Day in Top 40 History: March 3

Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

• 1973: At the 15th Annual GRAMMY Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, Helen Reddy won Best Female Pop Performance for her hit song "I Am Woman." At the end of Reddy's acceptance speech, she stated, “...And I would like to thank God because She makes everything possible.”
• 1973: Harry Nilsson won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for his song "Without You," and Roberta Flack won Record of the Year for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
• 1997: U2 dropped their 13-track ninth studio LP, Pop. It topped charts in more than 30 countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. A couple of tracks from this record, such as “Discotheque” and “Staring at the Sun,” cracked the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100. Those two, plus “Please,” “Last Night on Earth,” and “If God Will Send His Angels,” landed in the Top 20 on the U.K. Singles chart.
• 2000: Tom Jones won Best British Male Artist at the BRIT Awards, beating nominees such as David Bowie and Van Morrison.
• 2005: 50 Cent put out his sophomore album, The Massacre. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and charted for over 50 weeks. Even more impressive, the project spawned at least three Top 10 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, including “Disco Inferno,” “Candy Shop,” and “Just a Lil Bit.”
• 2014: American Authors launched their debut album, Oh, What a Life. The project stalled at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and performed much better on the Top Rock Albums chart, where it peaked at No. 3. In addition, it produced “Best Day of My Life,” which reached No. 11 on the Hot 100. 

Cultural Milestones

• 1973: At the 15th Annual GRAMMY Awards, George Harrison and Friends won Album of the Year for Concert for Bangladesh. This charity event was the precursor to future benefit concerts, such as USA for Africa and Live Aid.
• 1978: A few weeks after releasing their self-titled U.K. Top 40 album, Van Halen kicked off their first world tour with a performance at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. Despite issues such as malfunctioning equipment and a smaller-than-anticipated stage, the band hit it out of the park. This tour, which was meant to last a few weeks, eventually spanned eight months and over 170 concerts.
• 1979: The Bee Gees album Spirits Having Flown hit No.1 on the U.S. charts. This was the band's second No.1 album. Their music influenced disco-style music, and for years, their song "Stayin' Alive" was considered the right beat to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the American Red Cross.
• 1997: Camila Cabello was born in Cuba. She rose to fame as one-fifth of Fifth Harmony, whose most notable hit is “Work From Home,” which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100. Cabello left the group in 2016 to pursue a solo career. That move has enabled her to score a few chart-toppers in the U.S., including “Senorita” and “Havana.”
• 2011: Jennifer Lopez released her "On the Floor" music video on American Idol. Lopez is still one of the hottest Top 40 performers and continues to influence new and upcoming pop stars.

Notable Recordings and Performances

• 1965: At the Bristol Chinese R&B and Jazz Club in Gloucestershire, Eric Clapton performed with the Yardbirds for the last time. He later left the “For Your Love” hitmakers and teamed up with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. 
• 1981: U2 played two concerts at The Bayou in Washington, D.C., marking the start of the North American leg of their Boy Tour. The setlist for this event featured tracks such as “The Ocean” and “Out of Control.”
• 1984: The German band Nena's "99 Red Balloons" reached No.1 on the U.K. charts. This song was originally sung in German and titled "99 Luftballons."
• 1998: Pop diva Madonna launched her album Ray of Light. She recorded it after giving birth to her daughter Lourdes, and the album had a somewhat spiritual feel.
• 2002: Pop Idol winner Will Young's single "Anything Is Possible" hit No.1 on the U.K. charts.

Industry Changes and Challenges

• 1966: Neil Young teamed up with Stephen Stills and Richie Furay to form Buffalo Springfield. Although they released only three records and split after two years, they achieved one successful single, “For What It's Worth.” The track broke into the Top 10 on the Hot 100, reaching No. 7.
• 1995: After suffering a brain hemorrhage and collapsing on stage during an R.E.M. show in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 1, Bill Berry underwent an emergency surgery. The operation was successful, but unfortunately, the “Losing My Religion” hitmakers were forced to put their Monster tour on hold.
• 2015: The National Transportation Safety Board considered reopening an investigation into the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and the pilot Roger Peterson. This deadly plane crash occurred in February 1959.
• 2017: Jim Fuller of The Surfaris died in Arcadia, California, at 69. His cause of death was not revealed, but according to sources, he was suffering from multiple health problems. While Fuller was with The Surfaris, they released their most notable hit, “Wipe Out,” which reached No. 5 and No. 2 on the U.K. Singles Chart and Hot 100, respectively. 
• 2023: David Lindley, guitar player for Jackson Browne and Elroy-X, died. Lindley was a major force in the Los Angeles music scene, working with performers such as Linda Ronstadt, and Acoustic Guitar magazine referred to him as a "maxi-instrumentalist." 
• 2023: Former Disney performer Miley Cyrus reunited with Disney+ for a special performance of Miley Cyrus — Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions). Cyrus was the executive producer for this special, music-focused event.