The Weekly Almanac with Tiki Jane June 21, 2026

On this day in music, June 21, 2001, “King of the Blues” John Lee Hooker died at the age of 83. The highly influential singer, songwriter, and guitarist topped the R&B chart with his first single, 1948’s “Boogie Chillen,” and continued to score hits for the next 50 years On this day in 2011, People magazine reported that 75-year-old Glen Campbell had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "I still love making music," said Campbell. "And I still love performing for my fans. I'd like to thank them for sticking with me through thick and thin." On this day in 2000, 39 year-old Karen McNeil who claimed she was the wife of Axl Rose and that she communicated with him telepathically was jailed for one year for stalking the singer. On this day in 1975, Captain and Tennille started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. The duo of husband and wife "Captain" Daryl Dragon and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille had worked as backup musicians for Elton John and Neil Sedaka. The first Ferris wheel (invented by George Washington Gale Ferris., a Pittsburgh-based engineer) made its debut, at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, on this day in 1893.