On this day: May 19, 1978

In the late 70's it seemed like if it wasn't disco or punk, record labels just weren't interested. Still, an unknown band, Dire Straits, scraped together $175 and recorded a song called Sultans of Swing, a song written about an aging jazz group Mark Knopfler had recently seen performing. On a side note, the name Dire Straits came from a friend of the group who said it accurately described the group's financial status.

The group sent the song to a local disc jockey who played it on the air, and within minutes the phones were lighting up with record labels asking who this group was. They soon signed with John Stainze and Phonogram Records in the UK and recorded a full album.

Other notable events for May 19:
-The Everly Brothers launched their own record label, Calliope on May 19, 1961
-Bob Marley topped the UK album chart on May 19, 1984 for the first time with Legend, an album released to coincide with the third anniversary of his death from cancer
-Irish trio the Bachelors, who had scored 8 UK top 10 hits in the 1960's finally called it a day on May 19, 1984