This Day in Music: January 27th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1918, Elmore James, blues guitarist and singer
1944, Nick Mason, drums, Pink Floyd
1946, Nedra Talley, vocals, The Ronettes
1951, Brian Downey, drums, Thin Lizzy
1957, Janick Gers, guitar, Iron Maiden
1961, Gillian Gilbert, keyboards, New Order
1968, Mike Patton, vocals, Faith No More
1968, Tricky, rapper
1969, Michael Kulas, vocals, James
1971, Lil Jon, producer, rapper

1956, Elvis Presley’s single, “Heartbreak Hotel,” was released by RCA Records, which had just purchased Presley’s contract from Sun Records for $35,000. The song sold 300,000 copies in its first week and would eventually sell over a million, becoming Elvis’ first gold record.

1961, Frank Sinatra played a benefit show at Carnegie Hall in New York City for Martin Luther King Jr.

1971, David Bowie arrived in the U.S. for the first time. He couldn’t play live because of work permit restrictions, but attracted publicity when he wore a dress at a promotion event.

1972, American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson died in Chicago of heart failure and diabetes complications at age 60. Known as the “Queen of Gospel Music,” she recorded over 30 albums.

1973, “Superstition” gave Stevie Wonder had his second #1 single in the U.S., 10 years after his first #1. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1977, The Clash signed to CBS Records in the U.K. for ?100,000.

1980, Def Leppard played the first of two nights at The Marquee, London. Tickets cost ?2 ($3.40).

1984, Madonna made her first appearance in the U.K. when she appeared on C4 TV music program The Tube, performing “Holiday.” The show was broadcast live from the Hacienda Club in Manchester.

1994, Oasis made their London live debut when the played at King’s Cross Water Rats. The gig was by invite only.

1996, Babylon Zoo started a five-week run at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Spaceman,” the fastest-selling single by a debut artist in the U.K. (420,000 copies in six days). The song was used for a Levi Jeans TV commercial. The single also went to #1 in 23 other countries.

2002, Beach Boy Brian Wilson played the first of four sold-out nights at The Royal Festival Hall, London.

2006, Gene McFadden, R&B vocalist and songwriter, best known as half of the Philly soul team McFadden & Whitehead, died of cancer at the age of 56. The duo had the 1979 hit “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” which sold more than 8 million copies and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 26th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1943, Jean Knight, R&B singer
1948, Corky Laing, drums, Mountain
1951, David Briggs, guitar, Little River Band
1953, Lucinda Williams, singer-songwriter
1955, Eddie Van Halen, guitarist
1958, Anita Baker, R&B singer
1961, Tom Keifer, vocals, guitar, Cinderella
1963, Andrew Ridgeley, guitar, vocals, Wham!
1970, Kirk Franklin, gospel singer
1980, Brian Fallon, guitar, vocals, The Gaslight Anthem
1986, Matt Heafy, guitar, vocals, Trivium

1961, Elvis Presley was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” It was the singer’s sixth U.K. #1. The single included a spoken passage loosely based on Shakespeare.

1965, During The Rolling Stones tour of Australia and New Zealand, guitarist Keith Richards had his shirt torn off after 50 fans invaded the stage during the gig at The Town Hall in Brisbane.

1970, John Lennon wrote, recorded and mixed his new single “Instant Karma” all in one day.

1977, Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green was committed to a mental hospital following an incident when he threatened his accountant Clifford Adams with an air rifle when he was trying to deliver a ?30,000 ($51,000) royalty check to him. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1980, Prince made his TV debut on American Bandstand.

1986, Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, crashed his car, paralysing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts. Collins had survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed other band members.

1989, American singer Donnie Elbert died of a stroke at age 52.

1991, Cher made a special video for the troops involved in Desert Storm during the gulf war. Cher’s Video Canteen featured Janet Jackson, Paul Simon, Van Halen and Bonnie Raitt.

1991, Queen had their second U.K. #1 with “Innuendo.” It was the third-longest #1 song of all time behind The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and Simple Minds’ “Belfast Child.” The flamenco guitar solo on the track was performed by Yes guitarist Steve Howe.

2003, Billy Joel was airlifted to a hospital after his car smashed into a tree. The singer lost control of his Mercedes S500 and skidded for 100 yards before crashing. The accident happened in The Hamptons, New York.

2004, John Lydon was one of 10 contestants to take part in the latest I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here U.K. TV show set in the Australian outback. The former Sex Pistols singer was seen by 11 million viewers on the first night covered in bird seed being pecked by giant ostriches. Lydon was paid ?25,000 ($42,500) to appear in the show, but walked off the jungle set after four days.

2007, The Rolling Stones topped the U.S. music rich list for the second year running after making $150.6 million in 2006. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were second in the poll with a combined fortune of $132 million and American country band Rascal Flatts appeared third, having earned $110.5 million in the past year.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 28th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1927, Ronnie Scott, jazz musician
1968, Sarah McLachlan, singer songwriter
1980, Nick Carter, Backstreet Boys

1956, Elvis Presley (with Scotty Moore and Bill Black), made his first national television appearance on the Dorsey Brothers’ Stage Show. It was the first of six appearances on the show and the first of eight performances recorded and broadcast from CBS in New York City. After the success of their first appearance, they were signed to five more.

1965, The Who made their first appearance on U.K. TV show Ready Steady Go! To project the desired image, the hand-picked audience consisted only of teens dressed in the current mod fashion.

1968, Jim Morrison of The Doors was arrested and charged with public drunkenness after harassing a security guard at a Las Vegas adult movie theater.

1983, British Rock and Roll singer Billy Fury died of heart failure. He was known for the 1961 U.K. #3 single “Halfway to Paradise,” plus 25 other Top 40 U.K. singles. His We Want Billy (released 1963, with The Tornados) was one of the first live albums in British rock history. Played rock ’n’ roller Stormy Tempest in the film That’ll Be the Day alongside David Essex and Ringo Starr.

1984, Frankie Goes to Hollywood started a five-week run at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Relax.” BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read expressed, on air, his distaste for both the record’s suggestive sleeve and its lyrics. He announced his refusal to play the record, not knowing that the BBC had decided that the song was not to be played on the BBC anyway. Produced by Trevor Horn, the song remained on the chart for 48 weeks.

1985, the recording took place for “We are the World,” recorded by USA for Africa, the American equivalent of Band Aid. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, the song featured an all-star cast including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Perry and Bob Geldof.

1990, Paula Abdul started a 10-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with Forever Your Girl. Abdul spent 64 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 before hitting #1, making it the longest time for an album to reach the #1 spot.

1994, Paul and Linda McCartney attended the premiere of Wayne’s World II in London. The couple then went on to Hard Rock Cafe, where the film’s star Mike Myers presented them with a check for LIPA (the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) for ?25,000 ($42,500) from the sale of Linda’s vegetarian burgers.

2000, Saxophonist and bandleader Thomas “Beans” Bowles died of prostate cancer at age 73. He played on many Motown sessions including Marvin Gaye’s, “What’s Going On,” Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave” and The Supremes’ “Baby Love” and wrote the melody for Stevie Wonder’s “Fingertips - Pt. 2.”

2003, H-Town singer Keven Conner was killed in a car crash in Houston at age 28. Conner died when an SUV ran a red light and crashed into the car he was a passenger in, which had just picked him up from the recording studio.

2005, English drummer and singer-songwriter Jim Capaldi died of stomach cancer at age 60. A member of Traffic and a solo star, he also worked with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and George Harrison. For more on this story see today’s This Day in Music Spotlight.

2007, Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture was at #1 on the U.S. album chart. The movie musical, based on the history of Diana Ross and the Supremes, featured Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Keith Robinson.

2009, Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell died at the age of 56 of a heart attack in Florida. Powell called police saying he was having trouble breathing and emergency services tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead an hour later. Powell had missed a doctor’s appointment on the day before his death; the appointment was for a checkup on his heart.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 25th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1915, Ewan MacColl, folk singer-songwriter
1931, Stig Anderson, ABBA producer
1938, Etta James, singer
1954, Robert Finch, vocals, KC and the Sunshine Band
1955, Terry Chimes, drums, The Clash
1956, Andy Cox, guitar, The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals
1981, Alicia Keys, singer-pianist

1960, The original cast recording of The Sound of Music started a 16-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart.

1967, The Beatles made a last-minute remix of “Penny Lane” before the pressing of their next double-A-sided single “Strawberry Fields Forever”/“Penny Lane.” Both songs were originally intended for forthcoming album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1971, Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane gave birth to a daughter, naming her God. She was later re-named China. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1975, The Carpenters went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with their version of The Marvelettes’ 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman.”

1978, Joy Division made their live debut when they played Pips in Manchester, England.

1983, The Allman Brothers Band’s bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer at age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley.

1984, Yoko Ono donated ?250,000 ($425,000) to Liverpool old people’s home Strawberry Fields.

1986, Manager Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde from New York to London. He managed Bob Dylan (between 1962 and 1970), Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band, Janis Joplin and Todd Rundgren. Grossman built the Bearsville Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1969, and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records.

1992, The inaugural Big Day Out festival took place at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Acts appearing included, Nirvana, Beasts of Bourbon, Box The Jesuits, Celibate Rifles, Cosmic Psychos, The Clouds, Club Hoy, Died Pretty, Falling Joys, The Hard Ons with Henry Rollins Hellmen, Massappeal, The Meanies, Smudge, Sound Unlimited Posse, Ratcat, The Village Idiots, Violent Femmes and Yothu Yindi.

2008, British Sea Power’s keyboard and cornet player Phil Sumner ended up in the hospital after being knocked unconscious when he attempted a stage dive. The crowd at Leeds Irish Centre failed to catch him when he jumped off a 12-foot PA system, landing head first. A spokeswoman for the band said: "The impact knocked him out straight away. He was unconscious for three minutes and there was a lot of blood.”

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 24th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1939, Ray Stevens, singer-songwriter
1941, Neil Diamond, singer-songwriter
1941, Aaron Neville, singer
1947, Warren Zevon, singer-songwriter
1958, Jools Holland, keyboards, Squeeze
1967, John Myung, bass, Dream Theater

1953, Eddie Fisher was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Outside is Heaven.”

1958, Elvis Presley was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Jailhouse Rock.” It became the first-ever single to enter the chart at #1 and was Presley’s second U.K. #1. It went on to sell more than 4 million copies in the U.S. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1962, Brian Epstein signed a management deal with The Beatles. Epstein was to receive 25 percent of the band’s gross earnings. The normal management deal was 10 percent.

1969, New Jersey state prosecutors issued a warning to U.S. record dealers that they would be charged with distributing pornography if they were caught selling the John Lennon/Yoko Ono LP Two Virgins. The front cover of the album showed the pair frontally nude, while the back cover showed them from behind. The album still managed to reach #124 on the U.S., but failed to chart at all in the U.K., where only 5,000 copies were pressed.

1970, James Sheppard, the lead singer from the Heartbeats and Shep and the Limelites, was found murdered in his car on the Long Island Expressway. The U.S. singer had been beaten and robbed. The Limelites reached #2 in the U.S. in 1961 with “Daddy’s Home.”

1976, Bob Dylan started a five-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with Desire, his third U.S. #1.

1979, The Clash released their first single in the U.S., “I Fought the Law” (written by Sonny Curtis of Buddy Holly’s Crickets).

1981, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was hospitalized after being involved in a crash on his motorbike.

1992, Nirvana played their first-ever show in Australia at the Phoenician Club in Sydney.

1995, David Cole, producer and keyboardist in C & C Music Factory, died of meningitis at age 32. He produced music for Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin.

1998, Oasis went to #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “All Around the World.” It had the longest running time for a U.K. #1 with a total duration of 9 minutes, 38 seconds. It was one of the first songs to be written by Noel Gallagher, with the band rehearsing it as early as 1992.

2007, Record producer Dave Shayman (also known as Disco D) was found dead at his home in New York City. 26-year-old Shayman was famous for his production work on hip-hop records and was a rising star in the business. His death was being treated as a potential suicide after he was recently diagnosed with manic depression.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 23rd

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1889, Lead Belly (Huddie William Ledbetter), blues musician
1910, Django Reinhardt, guitarist
1948, Anita Pointer, singer, The Pointer Sisters
1950, Danny Federici, keyboards, Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band
1953, Robin Zander, vocals, Cheap Trick (For more, see the This Day in Music Spotlight.)

1956, Rock ‘n’ roll fans in Cleveland aged under the age of 18 were banned from dancing in public (unless accompanied by an adult) after local police began enforcing a law dating back to 1931.

1965, “Downtown” made Petula Clark the first U.K. female singer to have a #1 on the U.S. singles chart since Vera Lynn in 1952. A #2 hit in the U.K.

1971, George Harrison became the first solo Beatle to have a #1 when “My Sweet Lord” went to the top of the U.K. single charts. The song, from his All Things Must Pass album, stayed at #1 for five weeks. The track returned to the top of the U.K. charts in 2002, following his death.

1977, Patti Smith broke a vertebra when she fell off the stage at a gig in Tampa, Florida.

1978, Terry Kath, guitarist with Chicago, accidentally shot himself dead while cleaning what he believed was an unloaded gun. Kath’s last words were, "Don't worry, it's not loaded," as he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The guitarist-singer was killed instantly.

1986, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis Presley were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the first induction dinner, held in New York City.

1988, Nirvana recorded a 10-song demo with Seattle producer Jack Endino. Sub Pop Records boss Jonathan Poneman heard the tape and offered to put out a Nirvana single.

1990, Allen Collins, guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, died of pneumonia after being ill for several months. Collins, who was one of the band’s founding members, also co-wrote most of the band's songs (including “Free Bird”) with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant. He survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members. Collins was behind the wheel in a car accident in 1986 that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

1990, David Bowie announced his forthcoming and final world tour, Sound and Vision 1990, during which he invited each local audience to decide on a “greatest hits” running order, organized through local radio stations.

2005, one of the biggest charity concerts since Live Aid raised ?1.25 million for victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia. The concert, held at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, featured Eric Clapton, Manic Street Preachers, Keane, Charlotte Church, Snow Patrol, Embrace, Feeder, Craig David and Liberty X, who appeared before 60,000 fans at the sold-out concert.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 22nd

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1931, Sam Cooke, soul singer
1940, Addie Harris, vocals, The Shirelles
1949, Steve Perry, vocals, Journey
1960, Michael Hutchence, vocals, INXS
1965, Steven Adler, drums, Guns N’ Roses
1965, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ
1981, Willa Ford, singer
1981, Ben Moody, guitar, Evanescence

1959, Alone with an acoustic guitar and tape recorder in his New York City apartment, Buddy Holly made his last recordings, including “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Crying, Waiting, Hoping,” “That’s What They Say,” “What to Do,” “Learning the Game” and “That Makes it Tough.” The recordings would be overdubbed posthumously and were later released by Coral Records.

1966, The Beach Boys went into the studio to record “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” which would be the opening track on their forthcoming album Pet Sounds. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1967, The Monkees performed live for the very first time at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, to a sell-out crowd.

1968, During the band’s first Australian tour, The Who played the first of two nights at Sydney Stadium with The Small Faces and Paul Jones.

1969, The Beatles moved from Twickenham Film Studios to Apple studios in London to start recording the “Get Back” LP. Billy Preston was brought into the sessions. The Beatles were determined to record the album “live,” flaws and all.

1972, David Bowie “came out” as bisexual during an interview in the British music weekly Melody Maker.

1977, Wings went to #1 on the U.S. album chart with Wings Over America, Paul McCartney’s sixth U.S. #1 after The Beatles.

1980, During their 22-date U.K. tour The Clash appeared at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland.

1983, The new 24-hour music video network MTV started broadcasting to the West Coast of America after being picked up by Group W Cable, Los Angeles.

1993, Metallica kicked off their 77-date Nowhere Else to Roam world tour at Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

2004, Ryan Adams broke a wrist after falling during a gig at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool. Adams fell from the stage and suffered a fractured wrist. A fan said, “One minute he was on the stage and the next he had disappeared. He went down with a thud and we couldn’t believe he was trying to continue singing.”

2006, Arctic Monkeys scored their second U.K. #1 single with “When the Sun Goes Down,” from their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. The song contains the line, “and he told Roxanne to put on her red light,” a reference to The Police song, “Roxanne.”

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 21st

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1941, Placido Domingo, opera singer
1941, Richie Havens, folk singer
1942, Edwin Starr, singer
1950, Billy Ocean, singer
1965, Jam Master Jay, DJ, Run-D.M.C.
1976, Emma Bunton (a.k.a. Baby Spice), vocals, The Spice Girls

1965, More than 3,000 screaming fans met The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrived for a 16-date of tour in Australia and New Zealand.

1966, George Harrison married Patti Boyd at Leatherhead Register Office in Surrey with Paul McCartney as the best man. George had first met Patti on the set of The Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night.

1968, Jimi Hendrix recorded his version of the Bob Dylan song “All Along the Watchtower” at Olympic Studios in London. Rolling Stone Brian Jones and Dave Mason from Traffic both played on the session.

1978, The soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever started a 24-week run at #1 on the U.S. album charts. It went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling soundtrack album at that time.

1984, Soul singer Jackie Wilson died at age 49. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage while singing “Lonely Teardrops,” and had remained in a coma until his death 8 years later.

1987, Bruce Springsteen inducted Roy Orbison into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1997, Col. Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager and agent, died of a stroke in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 87. Born Andreas van Kuijk, a Dutch immigrant who changed his name as soon as he arrived in the U.S., Parker never applied for a green card and feared deportation his entire life. He briefly managed country singers Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow.

2002, American singer and actress Peggy Lee died of complications from diabetes and a heart attack at the age of 81. She had the 1958 U.S. #8 and U.K. #5 single “Fever.”

2003, David Palmer, former keyboard player for Jethro Tull, changed his name to Dee Palmer after a successful sex change operation. Palmer was the keyboard player for Jethro Tull between 1969 and 1980. He played on all the Tull classics including “Thick as a Brick” and “Aqualung.” For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 20th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1924, Slim Whitman, country singer
1933, Ron Townson, vocals, The 5th Dimension
1945, Eric Stewart, vocals, guitar, songwriting, Mindenders, Hotlegs, 10cc
1952, Paul Stanley, guitar, vocals, KISS
1965, Greg Kriesel, bass, The Offspring
1966, Tracii Guns, guitarist, L.A. Guns
1971, Gary Barlow, singer, songwriter, Take That
1971, Derrick Green, vocals, Sepultura
1971, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, drums, The Roots
1979, Rob Bourdon, drums, Linkin Park

1965, American DJ Alan Freed died from uraemia at the age of 42. Freed called himself the “father of rock and roll,” appeared in the movies such as Rock Around the Clock and Don’t Knock the Rock. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s.

1966, The Spencer Davis Group were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Keep on Running.”

1967, The Monkees TV show was shown for the first time in the U.K.

1968, One-hit wonders John Fred and the Playboy Band started a two week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Judy in Disguise, (With Glasses),” it made #3 in the U.K. The song was inspired by The Beatles “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

1972, On the first date of a U.K. tour, Pink Floyd premiered their new album The Dark Side of the Moon at The Dome, Brighton, England.

1982, During an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the audience threw an unconscious bat onto the stage. Thinking it was one of his rubber fakes, Ozzy picked it up and bit off its head. The singer was taken to hospital to be given a rabies injection. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1985, Foreigner had their only U.K. #1 single with “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

1986, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan appeared at a concert to celebrate the first Martin Luther King Day in the U.S.

1997, Ben and Jerry’s introduced Phish Food, a new flavor of ice cream named after the rock group Phish. The ingredients are chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, caramel and fish-shaped fudge.

2000, Tourism chiefs in Liverpool were banned from putting up motorway signs saying “Liverpool, the Birthplace of The Beatles,” because the Highways Agency thought the signs would distract motorists.

2002, George Harrison had the posthumous U.K. No.1 single with the re-release of the 1971 former #1 “My Sweet Lord.” Harrison’s single replaced Aaliyah’s “More Than a Woman,” the only time in chart history that one deceased artist had taken over from another at #1.

2006, American music executive Johnny Bienstock died of complications from heart disease at age 83. He wwned Moss Rose Music, worked with Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Elvis Presley, The Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Del Shannon and Meat Loaf.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 19th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1939, Phil Everly, singer, songwriter
1943, Janis Joplin, singer
1944, Shelly Fabares, singer, actress
1946, Dolly Parton, country singer, songwriter
1947, Rod Evans, vocals, Deep Purple
1949, Robert Palmer, singer, songwriter
1959, Jeff Pilson, bass, Dokken, Foreigner|
1971, John Wozniak, vocals, songwriting, Marcy Playground

1959, The Platters’ “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart.

1967, The Monkees were at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “I’m a Believer,” the group’s only U.K. #1.

1971, The Beatles’ “White Album” was played in the courtroom at the Sharon Tate murder trial to find out if any songs could have influenced Charles Manson and his followers to commit murder.

1974, Black Oak Arkansas appeared at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Support act was Bruce Springsteen. Tickets cost $4.

1978, Johnny Rotten was fired from the Sex Pistols for “not being weird enough anymore.”

1980, “Brass in Pocket” gave The Pretenders their first U.K. #1 single. Also, the band’s self-titled debut album started a four-week run at #1 on the U.K. chart on this day.

1980, Pink Floyd’s The Wall started a 15-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart. The group’s third U.S. #1, it went on to sell more than 8 million copies.

1993, Fleetwood Mac reunited to perform at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. The band’s “Don’t Stop” was used as the theme for his campaign.

1998, American rockabilly singer, songwriter Carl Perkins died at age 65 from throat cancer. He wrote the classic rock and roll song “Blue Suede Shoes,” the first record by a Sun label to sell a million copies.

2006, American soul singer Wilson Pickett died in hospital near his Ashburn, Virginia, home of a heart attack at age 64. Pickett recorded the soul classics “Mustang Sally,” “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” and “In the Midnight Hour” plus he scored 15 other U.S. Top 40 singles.

2007, Canadian singer songwriter and former Mamas and the Papas singer Denny Doherty died at the age of 66. He died at his home near Toronto, Canada, after a short illness.

2008, Singer-songwriter John Stewart, who wrote the Monkees hit “Daydream Believer,” died at age 68 after he suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm in San Diego. Stewart was a member of folk group The Kingston Trio and went on to record more than 45 solo albums with his biggest solo success being a U.S. top five single, “Gold,” in 1979. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 18th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1941, Bobby Goldsboro, singer
1941, David Ruffin, vocals, The Temptations
1944 “Legs” Larry Smith, drums, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
1971, Jonathan Davis, vocals, Korn
1980, Estelle Swaray, singer

1964, The Beatles made their U.S. chart debut when “I Want To Hold Your Hand” entered the chart at #45. It went on to spend seven weeks at the #1 position.

1965, The Rolling Stones recorded “The Last Time” and “Play with Fire” at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California. Phil Spector played bass (actually a downtuned electric guitar) on “Play with Fire.”

1967, Jimi Hendrix recorded an appearance on U.K. TV show, Top of the Pops, and also played a show at the Seven and a Half Club in Mayfair, London.

1974, former members from Free (Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell) formed Bad Company. The band went on to score a U.S. #1 album with their debut release.

1981, Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics was arrested on stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was charged with the offence of simulating sex with a sledgehammer.

1984, Van Halen kicked off their 103-date 1984 North American tour at Jacksonville Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

1991, during AC/DC’s North American tour, three fans were killed during a crush in a crowd at a gig in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more, see the This Day in Music Spotlight.

1996, Lisa Marie Presley divorced Michael Jackson after less then two years of marriage.

1997, songwriter and producer Keith Diamond died of a heart attack. He wrote “Caribbean Queen” and “Suddenly” for Billy Ocean, as well as hits for Donna Summer, James Ingram, Mick Jagger, Sheena Easton and Michael Bolton.

2000, Spencer Goodman was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas. Goodman was convicted of kidnapping and murdering the wife of ZZ Top manager Bill Ham in 1991. Ham was present for the execution.

2008, four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after they chased Britney Spears' car on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Each of the men was ordered to post $5,000 bail. The cars followed Ms. Spears' car too closely, traveled at an unsafe speed and made several unsafe lane changes, according to police.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 15th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1893, Ivor Novello, songwriter, actor
1909, Gene Krupa, drummer
1941, Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart), singer, songwriter
1948, Ronnie Van Zant, vocals, Lynyrd Skynyrd
1961, Damian O’Neill, guitar, The Undertones
1965, Adam Jones, guitar, Tool
1967, Lisa Lisa, R&B singer
1981, Pitbull, rapper

1961, The Supremes signed a worldwide recording contract with Motown Records.

1965, The Who released their first single, “I Can’t Explain.” With Jimmy Page on guitar and The Ivy League on backing vocals, it went on to reach #8 on the U.K. chart.

1967, The Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to “Let’s Spend Some Time Together” when appearing on the The Ed Sullivan Show after the producers objected to the content of the lyrics.

1969, George Harrison had a five-hour meeting with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr where he made it clear that he was fully prepared to quit The Beatles for good. Harrison wasn’t happy with plans for live performances and the Let It Be film project.

1972, Don McLean’s “American Pie” started a four-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart.

1977, The Eagles went to #1 on the U.S. album chart with Hotel California, the group’s third U.S. #1 album.

1982, The Police kicked off the North American leg of their 119-date Ghost in the Machine world tour at Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, supported by The Go-Go’s.

1983, Men at Work started a four-week run at #1 in the U.S. singles chart with “Down Under,” the Australian group’s second U.S. #1, also a #1 in the U.K.

1992, Dee Murray, bass player with the Elton John band, died after suffering a stroke at age 45. He first appeared with Elton on the 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection and also played on the milestone albums Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

1994, American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson died in his sleep of heart failure after spending the previous day in the recording studio. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

2006, James Blunt was at #1 on the U.K. album chart with his debut album and biggest-selling U.K. album of 2005, Back to Bedlam.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 16th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1942, Raymond Philips, The Nashville Teens
1946, Ronnie Milsap, country singer
1959, Sade (Helen Folasade Adu), singer
1965, Jill Sobule, singer-songwriter
1979, Aaliyah, R&B singer
1981, Nick Valensi, guitar, The Strokes

1956, Tennessee Ernie Ford was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with his version of the Merle Travis coal-mining song, “Sixteen Tons.” The song was written in 1947 about the misery of coal mining.

1957, The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. It became the home of many Liverpool bands, including The Beatles who appeared at the club 292 times. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1964, The Beatles played two shows at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France, the first of an 18-night engagement. This first show was attended mostly by Paris’ “top society” members (all dressed in formal evening attire). The French press had little good to say about The Beatles in the next day’s papers, but The Beatles didn’t care, because they’d just received news that their single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” had hit #1 in the U.S., selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone.

1969, Fleetwood Mac, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Albert Collins all appeared at the Fillmore West, San Francisco, California.

1977, One half of TV cop duo Starsky & Hutch (he was blonde Hutch), David Soul went to #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Don’t Give Up on Us.” Also a #1 in the U.S.

1988, Former Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle scored her first U.K. #1 single with “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle’s husband Morgan Mason.

1988, Tina Turner gave herself a place in the record books when she performed in front of 182,000 people in Rio De Janeiro. The largest audience ever for a single artist.

1989, Michael Jackson played the first of five nights at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. These were the last shows on the singer’s Bad World Tour. Jackson donated more than $1 million of the final concert’s takings to an organization fighting child cruelty.

1996, Jamaican authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker’s plane. U2 singer Bono also was on the plane; neither singer was injured in the incident.

2007, Bob Dylan and his brother bought Aultmore House, a mansion in the Scottish Cairngorms National Park, near Nethybridge, Inverness-shire.

2008, Radiohead were forced to abandon an intimate gig at Rough Trade East records in London after police raised safety fears. The band moved the gig to a nearby club after over 1,500 fans turned up after the event was announced in the morning promising tickets to the first 200 fans.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 17th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1945, William Hart, vocals, The Delfonics
1949, Mick Taylor, guitar, The Rolling Stones
1955, Steve Earle, singer-songwriter
1959, Susanna Hoffs, vocals, guitars, The Bangles
1964, Andy Rourke, bass, The Smiths
1966, Stephin Merritt, vocals, songwriting, The Magnetic Fields
1966, Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer
1971, Kid Rock, singer, rapper
1978, Ricky Wilson, vocals, Kaiser Chiefs
1980, Zooey Deschanel, vocals, She & Him

1964, The Rolling Stones released their first EP, which included “You Better Move On,” “Poison Ivy,” “Bye Bye Johnny” and “Money.” It peaked at #15 on the U.K. chart.

1967, The Daily Mail ran the story about a local council survey finding 4,000 holes in the road in Lancashire inspiring John Lennon’s contribution to The Beatles song “A Day in the Life.”

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for Radio Luxembourg’s Ready Steady Radio. The band ran up a bar bill of ?2.5 shillings, ($6.21), which they were unable to pay.

1970, The Doors appeared at the Felt Forum in New York City. The show was recorded for the band’s forthcoming Absolutely Live album.

1972, A section of Bellevue Boulevard in Memphis was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The remaining length of road kept its original name after protests from the Bellevue Baptist Church.

1974, Dean Martin’s son Dino Martin was arrested after attempting to sell two AK-47 machine guns to an undercover agent. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1982, Tommy Tucker died, at age 48, after being overcome by poisonous fumes while he was renovating the floors of his New York home. He wrote the 1964 U.S. #11 hit “Hi Heel Sneakers.”

1994, Donny Osmond took part in a charity boxing match held in Chicago against former Partridge Family member Danny Bonaduce. Donny lost 2-1.

2003, A long-lost recording featuring John Lennon and Mick Jagger was set to spark a biding war at a London auction. The acetate record was recorded in 1974 with Jagger singing the blues song “Too Many Cooks” and Lennon playing guitar. The track had never been released because the two artists were signed to different record companies.

2008, The Police played the first nine dates in Australia and New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on their 152-date reunion tour.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 10th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1917, Jerry Wexler, producer and record company executive
1927, Johnnie Ray, teen idol singer
1939, Scott McKenzie, singer, songwriter
1943, Jim Croce, singer, songwriter
1945, Rod Stewart, singer, songwriter, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces
1948, Donald Fagen, vocals, keyboards, Steely Dan
1955, Michael Schenker, guitarist
1986, Alex Turner, guitar, vocals, Arctic Monkeys

1956, Elvis Presley made his first recordings for RCA Records at the United Methodist Television, Radio and Film Studios in Nashville. “Heartbreak Hotel” was one of the songs recorded during this session.

1958, Jerry Lee Lewis was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Great Balls of Fire.”

1963, on his second visit to the U.K. in less than a month, Bob Dylan played at the Troubadour Club in London.

1964, The Rolling Stones recorded “Not Fade Away” at Regent Sound Studios in London, England.

1965, John Lennon appeared on the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore U.K. TV show, Not Only But Also.

1976, blues artist Howlin' Wolf (a.k.a. Chester Burnett) died of cancer, aged 66. The guitarist, singer and harmonica player's songs included “Smoke Stack Lightning,” “Little Red Rooster” and “Spoonful.” (For more on this story, see the This Day in Music Spotlight.

1990, Bon Jovi played the first of seven sold-out nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England on their New Jersey Syndicate Tour.

1981, John and Yoko's Double Fantasy album started an eight-week run at #1 on the U.S. chart. “Just Like Starting Over” was at #1 on the U.S. singles chart.

1997, English singer Kenny Pickett (from the ’60s band Creation) died of a heart attack, aged 54. The group had the 1966 hit, “Painter Man.”

1997, James Brown received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2001, American guitarist-songwriter Bryan Gregory, died after suffering a heart attack in Anaheim, California at the age of 46. He was a founding member of The Cramps.

2006, an Australian woman appeared in court charged with repeatedly stabbing her partner with a pair of scissors in the back, shoulder and thigh because he played Elvis Presley's song, "Burning Love," over and over again.

2007, Madame Tussauds unveiled its fourth waxwork of Kylie Minogue, making the Australian pop star the most modeled celebrity after the Queen. The model became the first scented waxwork, wearing Minogue's Darling perfume.

2009, Black Eyed Peas singer, Fergie, married actor Josh Duhamel at the Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu. Guests included her bandmate, will.i.am, and actress Kate Hudson.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 11th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1895, Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ
1924, Slim Harpo, blues harmonica player, singer
1942, Clarence Clemons, saxophone, E Street Band
1952, Lee Ritenour, jazz guitarist
1958, Vicki Peterson, guitar, vocals, The Bangles
1968, Tom Dumont, guitar, No Doubt
1971, Mary J. Blige, R&B singer, songwriter
1971, Tom Rowlands, The Chemical Brothers
1981, Tom Meighan, vocals, Kasabian

1958, The release date for the Elvis Presley single “Jailhouse Rock” was put back a week after Decca Records pressing plants in the U.K. were unable to meet the advance orders of 250,000 copies.

1964, Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash became the first country album to go to #1 on the U.S. album chart.

1965, The Righteous Brothers arrived in Britain for a promotional visit, appearing on three TV shows – Ready Steady Go!, Scene At 6.30 and Discs A Go-Go.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded “Purple Haze.” Jimi also signed to the new record label Track Records on this day. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1978, Elvis Costello and the Attractions appeared at Newcastle City Hall, England.

1985, A Brazilian rock festival held in Rio claimed to be the biggest ever staged. The festival featured featured Queen, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Yes and Iron Maiden.

1992, Nirvana appeared on Saturday Night Live. Also on this day, Nevermind went to #1 on the U.S. album chart.

1998, Rolling Stone magazine readers poll picked Be Here Now by Oasis as album of the year.

1999, Ex-Mighty Wah singer Pete Wylie appeared in a Liverpool Court charged with making threats to kill his ex-girlfriend.

2002, Mickey Finn, percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in T. Rex, died of kidney and liver problems at age 55.

2005, Former Bread guitarist and Academy Award-winning songwriter James Griffin died at his home in Nashville at the age of 61 after suffering from cancer. Bread had the 1970s hits “Make It with You,” “Baby I’m-a Want You” and “Everything I Own.”

2008, Ringo Starr helped launch the celebrations for Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture. He was joined by acrobats who dangled on wires from cranes as the opening party kicked off a year-long program of more than 350 events. Organizers hoped the Capital of Culture tag would attract an extra 2 million visitors to Liverpool and boost the economy by ?100m.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 9th

This Day in Music: January 9th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1941, Joan Baez, folk singer, songwriter
1944, Jimmy Page, guitarist, producer, The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin
1944, Scott Engel (a.k.a. Scott Walker), vocals, The Walker Brothers
1948, Bill Cowsill, vocals, The Cowsills
1950, David Johansen, vocals, The New York Dolls
1957, Phil Lewis, vocals, L.A. Guns
1967, Steve Harwell, vocals, Smash Mouth
1967, Dave Matthews, guitar, vocals, Dave Matthews Band
1978, AJ McLean, vocals, Backstreet Boys
1987, Paolo Nutini, singer, songwriter

1973, Mick Jagger was refused a Japanese visa on an account of a 1969 drug conviction, causing The Rolling Stones to cancel a forthcoming tour.

1979, The music for UNICEF concert took place in New York City featuring Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees, Earth, Wind and Fire, ABBA and Donna Summer.

1981, Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers from The Specials were both fined ?400 ($680) after being found guilty of using threatening words during a gig in Cambridge, England.

1997, David Bowie performed his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden, New York, with guests Frank Black, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, The Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, and Billy Corgan and Placebo. Proceeds from the concert went to the Save the Children fund.

2003, A grand piano once owned by Elvis Presley was sold for $685,000. Music producer Robert Johnson and partner Larry Moss sold the piano to the chairman of the Blue Moon Group, Michael Muzio, who was planning to take the piano on a casino-sponsored promotional tour. He was then planning for the piano to be shown at the proposed rock museum at Walt Disney World.

2005, The Scissor Sisters went to #1 on the U.K. album chart with their self-titled album. They went on to win Best International Album as well as Best International Group and International Breakthrough Act at the 2005 Brit awards.

2009, Dave Dee died at the age of 65, following a three-year battle with cancer. The U.K. singer had eight Top 10 hits with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich including a U.K. #1 single in 1968 with “The Legend of Xanadu,” in which Dee famously cracked a whip. The singer, whose real name was David Harman, was originally a police officer and, as a police cadet, was called to the scene of the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran during a U.K. tour in 1960. For more on Dee, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 8th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1935, Elvis Presley, singer, King of rock and roll
1937, Shirley Bassey, singer
1946, Robby Krieger, guitar, The Doors
1947, David Bowie, singer
1959, Paul Hester, drums, Crowded House
1967, R. Kelly, singer, writer, producer
1973, Sean Paul, singer
1976, Jenny Lewis, singer, songwriter

1957, Bill Haley and His Comets started the first ever Rock & Roll Tour of Australia, playing two sold-out nights in Sydney.

1966, The Beatles started a six-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with Rubber Soul, the group’s seventh U.S. chart topper, which went on to spend 56 weeks on the chart. The group also started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “We Can Work it Out,” the group’s 11th U.S. #1 single.

1969, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were both barred from an exclusive hotel for wearing “op art” pants and nothing else. They were both asked to leave the Hotel Crillen in Lima, Peru, after refusing to change clothes.

1979, Canadian rock band Rush were named the country’s official Ambassadors of Music by the Canadian government.

1991, Steve Clark, guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1994, Jamaican reggae/rap duo Chaka Demus and Pliers were at #1 in the U.K. with their version of “Twist and Shout.” The song was originally recorded (and produced by Phil Spector) by the Top Notes in 1961 and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was also covered by The Beatles on their first album, Please Please Me.

1996, A Los Angeles court found Robert Hoskins guilty of five counts of stalking, assault and making terrorist threats to Madonna. Hoskins had twice scaled the walls of the singer’s estate and had threatened to slash her throat from ear to ear.

2000, Police foiled a ?1 million ($1.7million) kidnap plot to snatch Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and her baby son. The plot was uncovered after a tip off to the police. The gang had planned to kidnap the pair when husband David was away playing soccer.

2000, Christina Aguilera started a two-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “What a Girl Wants.” She ended Santana’s 12-week run at #1 with “Smooth.”

2001, A woman who believed that Axl Rose communicated with her via telepathy was arrested for stalking the Guns N’ Roses singer for a second time. Police detained Karen Jane McNeil after she was spotted loitering outside his house.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 7th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:
1906, Red Allen, jazz trumpeter
1942, Danny Williams, singer
1948, Kenny Loggins, singer-songwriter
1959, Kathy Valentine, bass, The Go- Go's
1974, John Rich, vocals, guitar, Big & Rich
1975, Tift Merritt, singer-songwriter

1955, “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the U.K. chart for the first time.

1964, Harmonica player Cyril Davies died of leukemia at age 32. Davies was a driving force in the early ’60s blues movement, forming Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner.

1973, David Bowie appeared at the Newcastle City Hall, England.

1974, Aerosmith played at the Michigan Theatre in Detroit, the first date on their 56-date North American Get Your Wings Tour.

1980, Singer Larry Williams was found dead from a gunshot wound to his head in his Los Angeles, California, home at age 45. Williams had the 1957 U.S. #5 and U.K. #21 single “Short Fat Fannie.” He also is known for “Bony Moronie” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy.”For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1981, The Police played the first night of a North American tour at The University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, during their Zenyatta Mondatta World Tour.

1993, R.E.M. played a Greenpeace Benefit show at the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia, for 500 people. The show was recorded on a solar-powered mobile recording studio.

1994, Oasis started recording their debut album Definitely Maybe at Monrow Studios in South Wales.

2003, The Beatles Book Monthly closed down after 40 years. Author Sean O’Mahony, who set up the magazine in 1963, said there was nothing more to say as the number of things the former Beatles were doing got to be less and less as the years went on.

2004, Drummer John Guerin died of pneumonia at age 64. He worked with Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Linda Rondstadt, Gram Parsons, Todd Rundgren. He also played on the original title tune for the television series Hawaii Five-O.

2006, Pink married her motocross racer boyfriend Carey Hart on a beach in Costa Rica. More than 100 people attended the singer’s big day, including Lisa-Marie Presley. Pink proposed to him during one of his races in Mammoth Lakes, California, by holding up a sign that read “Will you marry me?” Hart pulled out of the race to say yes.

View the original article here

This Day in Music: January 6th

Brought to you by ThisDayinMusic.com.

Born on this day:

1924, Earl Scruggs, bluegrass banjo player
1940, Van McCoy, singer, producer
1946, Syd Barrett, guitar, vocals, Pink Floyd
1947, Sandy Denny, folk singer
1953, Malcolm Young, guitar, AC/DC
1962, Michael Houser, guitar, Widespread Panic
1964, Mark O’Toole, bass, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
1966, A.R. Rahman, Indian composer, performer
1981, Mike Jones, rapper
1986, Alex Turner, vocals, guitar, Arctic Monkeys

1956, Elvis Presley performed in the gym at Randolph High School, Mississippi. This was the last time he ever appeared in a small auditorium.

1964, The first night of a 14-date U.K. tour Group Scene 1964, featuring The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, Marty Wilde, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Dave Berry and The Cruisers, played at the Granada Theatre, Harrow on The Hill, Middlesex.

1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young made their U.K. live debut at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

1973, Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” (with Mick Jagger on backing vocals) started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1977, EMI Records dropped the Sex Pistols, giving the band ?40,000 ($68,000) to release them from their contract.

1979, The Village People scored their only U.K. #1 single with “Y.M.C.A.” At its peak, the single was selling over 150,000 copies a day. In the gay culture, from which the group sprang, the song was understood as celebrating the YMCA’s reputation as a popular cruising and hook-up spot.

1987, Eric Clapton started what became an annual event by playing six shows at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

1997, Two bronze busts worth ?50,000 were stolen from a garden at George Harrison’s estate in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Thieves had climbed a 10-foot-wall and cut the figures of two monks from their stone plinths.

2001, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour won the right to his dot com name. Dave took legal action in his battle to reclaim DavidGilmour.com from Andrew Herman, who had registered the URL and was selling Pink Floyd merchandise through the site.

2006, A collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia bought by a council worker who embezzled nearly ?600,000 was set to be sold to compensate the local authority. Julie Wall, 46, from Rippon Drive in Sleaford, was jailed for three years for the offence last October. The collection – which included rare recordings and foreign pressings of Elvis songs – was to be auctioned off by a High Court receiver to provide compensation.

2007, U.S. country-rock steel guitar player “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow, died at age 72. He was one of the original members of the Flying Burrito Brothers with The Byrds’ Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. He also worked with John Lennon and Joni Mitchell.

View the original article here