1954, 19 year old Elvis Presley signed a recording contract with Sun Records. He also gave in his notice at his day job at The Crown Electric Company. Sam Phillips from Sun Records originally wanted to use the 19 year old to make demos of songs meant for other artists, but soon realized that here was the man who could bridge the gap between white and black performances. 1962, Ray Charles was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Don Gibson penned country ballad 'I Can't Stop Loving You'. His only UK No.1 was taken from his Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album. 1962, The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). Billed as The Rollin Stones, they were paid £20 for the gig, the equivalent of £330 in 2010. 1964, The Beatles appeared at the Hippodrome Theatre in Brighton with The Fourmost and the Shubdubs (whose drummer, Jimmy Nicol, would later fill in for an ill Ringo Starr on The Beatles' world tour). Also in the US The Ed Sullivan Show re-broadcast The Beatles' first live television appearance on the Sullivan show (from February 9). On the way to tonight's gig George Harrison was involved in a minor crash in his brand new E-Type Jaguar in Kings Road, Fulham, London. Passing pedestrians collected bits of broken glass as souvenirs. 1968, Mickey Dolenz from The Monkees married Samantha Juste who he met when working in the UK on the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops. 1969, One Hit Wonders Zager and Evans started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'In The Year 2525, (Exordium And Terminus)'. The song was also No.1 in the UK, making them the only one hit wonders ever in both the US and UK singles charts. 1979, American singer songwriter Minnie Riperton died of cancer aged 31. The Stevie Wonder produced 'Loving You' gave Minnie a US No.1 single in 1975. She worked at Chess records singing backup for various artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. She also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. Also a member of Wonderlove in 1973, a backup group for Stevie Wonder. 1980, During their 23 date '11 O'clock Tick Tock' U2 played at The Moonlight, West Hampstead in London, England. 1980, Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra had the UK No.1 single with 'Xanadu', taken from the film of the same name. It gave Olivia Newton-John her third UK No.1 single. 1983, Former Traffic member Chris Wood died of liver failure after a lengthy illness. He also played with Jimi Hendrix in 1968, appearing on the Electric Ladyland album and worked with Free, John Martyn and the Small Faces. 1986, Boy George and singer Marilyn were arrested in London, England for possession of drugs. 1986, Simply Red scored their first US No.1 single with 'Holding Back The Years'. Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall wrote the song when he was seventeen, while living at his father's house. The chorus did not come to him until many years later. 1988, Michael Jackson arrived in the UK for his first ever-solo appearances. He performed a total of eight nights to 794,000 people. 1991, Take That released their debut single 'Do What U Like' which was a commercial failure, peaking at No. 82 on the UK Singles Chart. The low-budget video for the track featured the band getting naked, showing their bare buttocks and smearing jelly over themselves, resulting in the video being banned from daytime television. 1996, Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was charged with drug possession after the death of the bands keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin in his New York Hotel room. 2000, A statue erected in the memory of John Lennon was unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square. The sculpture featured a revolver with a knotted barrel created by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reutersward. 2003, Saxophonist, composer and arranger Benny Carter died aged 95. He worked with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and composed many TV theme's including Ironside and M-Squad. 2008, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood left his wife of 23 years and moved in with an 18-year-old Russian cocktail waitress. The 61 year-old dad-of-four had met the teenager while out drinking and had taken her away to his luxury pad in Ireland. 2008, American singer Earl Nelson (Earl Lee Nelson) died in Lake Charles, Louisiana. One half of the duo, Bob And Earl, (recorded Harlem Shuffle in 1963). Nelson sang background vocals on Rockin' Robin, a US No. 2 for The Jackson Five in 1972. 2012, Pollstar magazine announced that former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters had grossed up $158.1 million in concert ticket sales worldwide so far this year with The Wall Live show. Bruce Springsteen was came in second place with $79.9 million.
1947, Born on this day, John Holt, reggae singer and songwriter who first found fame as a member of the Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist. Holt penned 'The Tide Is High' made famous by Blondie. He died on 20th October 2014. 1949, Born on this day, Jeff Hana, from American country rock band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who scored the 1971 US No.9 single 'Mr Bojangles'. 1951, Born on this day, Bonnie Pointer, singer with American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters who had the 1981 US No.2 single, 'Slow Hand' and the 1984 UK No.2 single 'Automatic'. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985. 1954, Born on this day, Benny DeFranco, from family pop group The DeFranco Family, who scored the 1973 US No.3 single 'Heartbeat-It's A Lovebeat', the biggest selling US single of 1973. Based on The Osmonds, the group featured 10 year old Tony DeFranco. 1957, Born on this day, Pete Murphy, singer songwriter from English post-punk band Bauhaus, who had the 1982 UK No.15 single with their version of the David Bowie song 'Ziggy Stardust'. 1959, Born on this day, Richie Sambora, guitar, Bon Jovi, (1986 US No.1 album 'Slippery When Wet' plus 5 UK No.1 albums. 1987 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Livin' On A Prayer'). 1959, Born on this day, Suzanne Vega, US singer, songwriter, (1990 UK No.2 single 'Tom's Diner', with DNA). 1966, Born on this day, Melanie Appleby, (Mel and Kim, 1987 UK No.1 single 'Respectable'). She died from cancer on 18th January 1990 at the age of 23. 1969, Born on this day, John Kiffmeyer, known professionally as Al Sobrante, American musician, best known as a former drummer for the punk rock band Green Day. 1975, Born on this day, Lil' Kim, US singer, (Kimberly Jones), 1997 UK No.11 single 'Not Tonight', 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink, 'Lady Marmalade'). 1975, Born on this day, Rick McMurray, drummer from Northern Irish alternative rock band Ash who scored the 1995 UK No.11 single 'Girl From Mars' and the 1996 UK No.1 album 1977. 1975, Born on this day, Samer El Nahhal, bassist, Lordi. Became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song Hard Rock Hallelujah won the contest held in Athens in 2006. 1984, Born on this day, Canadian musician Tobias Jesso Jr. who was a member of The Sessions. He has also worked with Adele co-writing 'When We Were Young' from her album 25.
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1955, Alma Cogan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Dreamboat'. Cogan went on to score over 20 UK Top 40 singles. Nicknamed The Girl With the Laugh In Her Voice, she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. 1964, The Beatles appeared live on the ABC Television program "Lucky Stars (Summer Spin)", performing A Hard Day's Night, Long Tall Sally, Things We Said Today and You Can't Do That. To avoid the crowd of fans waiting for them, The Beatles arrived at the Teddington Studio Centre by boat, traveling down the River Thames. 1969, 'Space Oddity' by David Bowie was released in the UK for the first time. It was timed to coincide with the Apollo moon landing but had to be re-released before it became a hit, later in the year in the UK (but not until 1973 in the US). Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs 'Ashes to Ashes', 'Hallo Spaceboy' and possibly the music video for 'Blackstar'. 1970, Self Portrait gave Bob Dylan his fifth UK No.1 album. Released by Columbia Records, his tenth studio album was Dylan's second double album, and featured mostly cover versions of well-known pop and folk songs. 1970, Three Dog Night started a two-week run at No.1 in the US with their version of the Randy Newman song 'Mama Told Me Not To Come', which was also a No.3 hit in the UK. The song was first covered by Eric Burdon on his first solo album in 1966 and gave Tom Jones & Stereophonics a No.4 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 2000. 1971, The Bruce Springsteen Band opened for Humble Pie at the Sunshine In, Asbury Park in New Jersey. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he'd like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A & M Records. For no logical reason Springsteens manager Tinker West declined both offers on the spot. 1977, Tonight saw the opening night of a new punk venue, The Vortex Club, on Wardour Street, London with Siouxise, Adam And The Ants, The Slits and Sham 69. 1981, The Specials had their second and final UK No.1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Despite being a song about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets. 1982, Phil Collen, former guitarist with the glam rock band Girl, replaced Pete Willis in Def Leppard who was fired due to excessive alcohol consumption on the job. 1987, Heart started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Alone', it made No.3 in the UK. 1992, A range of eight 'ties', designed by Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead went on sale in the US. President Bill Clinton bought a set. The collection grossed millions in the US by the end of the year. Tie Pin Station 1996, Jonathan Melvoin keyboard player with the Smashing Pumpkins died from a drug overdose in New York City aged 34. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin who was with Melvoin tried but failed to revive him after Chamberlin was allegedly advised by 911 operators to put Melvoin's head in the shower. Several songs were inspired by his death, including Sarah McLachlan's hit single 'Angel.' He was the brother of Susannah and Wendy Melvoin of Prince and the Revolution. Melvoin had also been a member of The Dickies. 1998, Billie went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Because We Want To'. The 15 year old made chart history by becoming the second youngest female to score a No.1; Helen Shapiro was the youngest at 14 with the 1961 No.1 single 'You Don't Know'. 1999, Ricky Martin started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. A US No.1 for 5 weeks. The song was the first No.1 song to be recorded, edited, and mixed totally on a DAW (digital audio workstation). 2000, After being sacked 'out of the blue' last year, Richard Ashcroft's ex-manger Jazz Summers issued a writ citing breach of contract for an undisclosed sum said to be 'in excess of £50,000'. 2002, The funeral of The Who's bass player John Entwistle took place at a church in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners filed into the 12th century church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-wold. 2004, UK band McFly went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Room On The 3rd Floor. They broke the record set by The Beatles as the youngest group ever to debut at No.1 on the album charts. 2004, The Darkness replaced David Bowie at this years T In The Park Scottish festival following his heart operation. Other acts appearing included Muse, Franz Ferdinard, Faithless, Scissor Sisters, Black Eyed Peas and Pink. 2009, The Black Eyes Peas I Gotta Feeling started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart ending the 12-week run of the bands previous single Boom Boom Pow. It made the band only the fourth to replace themselves at No.1 in chart history, following The Beatles, Boyz II Men, and OutKast. 2011, Rob Grill, lead singer and bassist for the 1960s rock band The Grass Roots, whose hits included 'Midnight Confessions', 'Temptation Eyes' and 'Let's Live for Today', died after suffering a head injury from a fall caused by a stroke. He was 67. 2013, Pearl Jam released their tenth studio album 'Lightning Bolt' which went to No.1 on the US album chart. 2014, Producer and drummer Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi), from the influential punk rock band the Ramones died aged 65 following unsuccessful treatment for bile duct cancer. He was the last surviving original member of the Ramones before his death. Erdelyi was also an assistant engineer for the production of the Jimi Hendrix album Band of Gypsys. 2015, James McElvar the singer in the Scottish boy band Rewind was said to be lucky to be alive after collapsing with heat exhaustion on board a flight travelling from Stansted to Glasgow. The singer became ill after wearing 12 layers of clothing to avoid paying the £45 ($66), extra baggage fee.
1939, Born on this day, Mavis Staples, American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist. She recorded and performed with her family's band The Staple Singers who scored two No.1 singles, 'I'll Take You There' and 'Let's Do It Again'.
1942, Born on this day, Ronnie James Dio, vocals, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his own band Dio. He died on May 16, 2010, after a six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old.
1943, Born on this day, Jerry Miller, guitarist from American psychedelic rock group Moby Grape, known for their debut album Moby Grape (1967).
1944, Born on this day, John Dymond, (Beaky), guitarist from British pop/rock group, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, who scored the 1968 UK No.1 single 'Legend Of Xanadu'.
1947, Born on this day, Arlo Guthrie, US singer, songwriter, son of folksinger Woody Guthrie, (1967 album 'Alice's Restaurant', 1972 US No.18 single 'The City Of New Orleans').
1949, Born on this day, Dave Smalley, The Raspberries famous for their hits 'Go All The Way', 'I Wanna Be With You' and 'Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)'.
1950, Born on this day, Greg Kihn, American singer who scored the 1983 US No.2 single 'Jeopardy'.
1954, Born on this day, Neil Tennant, vocals, Pet Shop Boys, (1986 UK & US No.1 single 'West End Girls', plus 3 other UK No.1 singles and over 20 UK Top 40 hits), ex editor of music paper Smash Hits.
1958, Born on this day, American banjo player Béla Fleck, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players. Fleck has shared Grammy wins with Asleep at the Wheel, and has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, spoken word, composition, and arranging.
1959, Born on this day, Sandy West, drummer, founding member of US all girl group The Runaways. West died on 21 Oct 2006.
1960, Born on this day, Martyn P Casey, keyboards, from Australian rock band Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds who have released over 15 studio albums including the 2013 Australian No.1 Push the Sky Away.
1964, Born on this day, Graham Lambert, guitarist from English alternative rock band Inspiral Carpets who had the 1990 UK No.14 single 'This Is How It Feels'.
1965, Born on this day, Peter DiStefano, American guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work in the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros.
1970, Born on this day, Jason Orange, vocals, Take That (1995 UK No.1 single 'Back For Good' and seven other UK No.1 singles, 1993 UK No.1 album 'Everything Changes spent 78 weeks on the UK chart). Re-formed without Robbie Williams in 2006 for a sold-out European tour. Topped the UK singles and album charts simultaneously for the first time in their career when the single Patience and album Beautiful World both reached No.1 in Dec 2006.
1970, Born on this day, Gary LeVox, singer, with American country band Rascal Flatts who scored the 2004 US country No.2 single I Melt, and the 2006 US No.1 album Me And My Gang.
1974, Born on this day, Imelda May, Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist who has worked with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour. May is known for her musical style of rockabilly revival and has also been compared to female jazz musicians such as Billie Holiday
1978, Born on this day, American musician, singer-songwriter Jesse Lacey, the lead vocalist and guitarist for Brand New. Their fifth album Science Fiction released in 2017 went to No.1 on the US chart.
1980, Born on this day, Jessica Simpson, American singer who had the 2000 UK No.7 single 'I Wanna Love You Forever'. Her debut studio album released in 1999 sold over four million copies worldwide.
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1950, The US music show Your Hit Parade premiered on NBC-TV. The program, which featured vocalists covering the top hits of the week, had been on radio since 1935. It moved to CBS in 1958 but was canceled the following year, unable to cope with the rising popularity of Rock 'n' Roll.
1961, Bobby Lewis started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Tossin' and Turnin', the longest running No.1 single of 1961, spending seven weeks at the top of the chart.
1964, 200,000 Liverpudlians took to the streets to celebrate The Beatles return to Liverpool for the northern premiere of the group's first film 'A Hard Day's Night.' The group were honored in a public ceremony in front of Liverpool Town Hall and as The Beatles stood on a balcony looking at the large crowd gathered below, John Lennon gave a few Nazi "Sieg Heil" salutes. Not everyone appreciated his sense of humor.
1965, The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', the group's first chart-topper there. In the UK, the song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.
1966, Johnny Tilotson, The Jive Five, The Tymes, The Shangra-Las and local band The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals) all appeared at the Surf 'n See Club in Seabright New Jersey.
1968, Eric Clapton announced that Cream would break-up after their current tour. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album and Cream are widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup.
1968, The Nice were banned from appearing at London's Royal Albert Hall after burning an American flag on stage. Two years later, Keith Emerson, leader of the Nice, joined Greg Lake and Carl Palmer in Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
1969, The funeral of Rolling Stone Brian Jones took place in his home town at Hatherley Road Parish Church, Cheltenham. Canon Hugh Evan Hopkins read Jones' own epitaph, 'Please don't judge me too harshly'. Bill Wyman, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts from The Stones attended the funeral.
1972, Harry Nilsson's eighth album, Son of Schmilsson was released. It featured George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks. Peter Frampton also played guitar on most of the album.
1974, David Bowie played the first of five dates at The Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the recordings of which made up the David Live album released later that year. The album catches Bowie in transition from the Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane glam-rock era of his career to the 'plastic soul' of Young Americans.
1976, One Hit Wonders Starland Vocal Band started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Afternoon Delight', it was also their only hit in the UK making No.18 on the chart.
1978, Rolling Stone Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious after falling from the stage during a Stones concert at the Coliseum, St Paul, Minnesota.
1979, Chuck Berry was sentenced to five months in jail after being found guilty of tax evasion.
1984, Session drummer and former member of Derek and the Dominos, Jim Gordon, was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering his mother. It was after he was arrested that he was properly diagnosed with schizophrenia and, although at the trial the court accepted that Gordon had acute schizophrenia, he was not allowed to use an insanity defense because of changes to California law.
1986, Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead went into a five day diabetic coma, resulting in the band withdrawing from their current tour.
1987, Producer and record company executive John Hammond died. He brought Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen to Columbia Records. Hammond also worked as a producer with Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman and Count Basie.
1989, David F Pearsall age 18 from Manchester, New Jersey was charged with theft after stealing a guitar at a concert in Riverfront Park belonging to Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi.
2005, The four members of Led Zeppelin were voted the UK's ideal supergroup after 3,500 music fans were asked to create their fantasy band for Planet Rock Radio. Jimmy Page won best guitarist, followed by Guns N' Roses' Slash and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore. John Paul Jones was named top bassist, with John Bonham, who died in 1980, winning best drummer and Robert Plant beat the late Freddie Mercury to best singer.
2008, The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album sold for £541,250 ($1m) at Christie's Memorabilia auction in London. Other items sold included John Lennon's lyrics for 'Give Peace a Chance' which sold for £421,250 ($832,257) and a pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which he wore for the cover of the single 'Mind Games', sold for £39,650 ($79,000). A rare 1/4 inch reel to-reel master tape recording of the Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at the Woburn Music Festival in 1968 went for £48,050 ($95,000), a Marshall amplifier used by Hendrix in concert fetched £25,000 ($50,000).
2011, A pub in Dundee, Scotland called Lennon's Bar was forced to change the name of the venue and remove all Beatles memorabilia the former Beatles wife Yoko Ono threatened legal action for copyright infringement.
2015, John Fogerty filed a countersuit alleging that his former bandmates in Creedance Clearwater Revival had breached their contract in which he allowed them to use the name Creedence Clearwater Revisited while touring and playing the music they recorded together four decades ago. Fogertys action, claimed that Creedence bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford had not paid him in more than three years under terms of the agreement they set up more than a decade ago.
2016, Cliff Richard instructed lawyers to make formal legal complaints to South Yorkshire Police and the BBC over their handling of a police raid on his home in 2014. Police investigating historical sex allegations launched an investigation in 2014, which was filmed by the BBC.
1940, Born on this day, American bass player, songwriter, Joe B. Mauldin, best known as the bassist for the early rock and roll group The Crickets. He later became a recording engineer at Gold Star Studios, the Los Angeles studio which became the "hit factory" for Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and other major 1960s rock performers. Mauldin died on 7 Feb 2015 aged 74.
1944, Born on this day, Jaimoe Johanson, American drummer and percussionist, and one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band who released the classic album Eat a Peach in 1972 and had the 1973 US No.12 single 'Ramblin Man'.
1945, Born on this day, Ricky Wolf, from English pop group The Flowerpot Men who had the 1967 UK No.4 single 'Let's Go To San Francisco'.
1946, Born on this day, Finnish rock drummer Pentti Glan, best known for his work with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. He also appeared in the movie The Rose as the drummer of The Rose Band. He died on November 7, 2017 of lung cancer at the age of 71.
1955, Born on this day, Russell Christian, singer with English group The Christians who had the 1988 UK No.8 single 'Harvest For The World'. The name of the band refers to the surname of the three brothers that were originally in the line-up.
1960, Born on this day, Andy Fletcher, bass, synth, with English electronic band Depeche Mode. The group have had 50 songs in the UK Singles Chart and seventeen top 10 albums in the UK chart and have sold over 100 million records worldwide.
1961, Born on this day, Graham Jones, guitar, Haircut 100. The band had four UK Top 10 hit singles between 1981 and 1982, including 'Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)', 'Love Plus One' and 'Fantastic Day'.
1961, Born on this day, Toby Keith, country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. His debut 'Should've Been a Cowboy', topped the US country charts and was the most played country song of the 1990s. The song has received three million spins since then, according to Broadcast Music Incorporated.
1963, Born on this day, Joan Osborne, American singer, songwriter who had the 1996 UK No.6 single 'One Of Us'. She toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
1970, Born on this day, American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Beck David Campbell, 1994 UK No.15 single 'Loser' from his 1994 album 'Mellow Gold'. His second official studio album Odelay has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest records of the 1990s.
1971, Born on this day, Neil Mavers, drums, The La's, (1990 UK No.13 single 'There She Goes').
1976, Born on this day, David Kennedy, American guitarist, songwriter who was a member of Box Car Racer, a band formed by Blink-182 members Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker.
1985, Born on this day, Jamie Cook, guitarist, with English rock band Arctic Monkeys who had the 2005, UK No.1 single I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, and the 2006 UK No.1 album Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not. The band has won six Brit Awards winning both Best British Group and Best British Album three times, and have been nominated for three Grammy Awards.
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1954, Producer Sam Phillips took an acetate recording of Elvis Presley singing 'That's All Right' to Memphis radio station WHBQ DJ Dewey Phillips. He played the song just after 9.30 that evening, the phone lines lit up asking the DJ to play the song again.
1958, The first Gold record album presented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was awarded to the soundtrack LP, 'Oklahoma'. The honor signified that the album had reached one million dollars in sales. The first Gold single issued by the RIAA was 'Catch a Falling Star' by Perry Como in March of 1958. A Gold single represented sales of one million records.
1965, The Dave Clark Five had their movie, Catch Us If You Can, premiere in London. The film was renamed to Having a Wild Weekend for its US release. Songs featured by the group in the movie included 'Catch Us If You Can,' 'Having a Wild Weekend' and 'I Can't Stand It.'
1966, The Beatles released the Nowhere Man 4-track EP in the UK, which included: Drive My Car, Michelle and You Won't See Me. All four tracks were taken from The Beatles sixth UK studio album, Rubber Soul.
1967, UK music weekly the Melody Maker ran a front-page comment condemning the 3-month jail sentence given to Rolling Stone Mick Jagger for possession of Benzedrine tablets. Jagger was later given a conditional discharge.
1967, The Monkees began a 29-date tour with The Jimi Hendrix Experience as support act. Hendrix was dropped after six shows after being told his act was not suitable for their teenybopper audience.
1968, Pink Floyd kicked off their first 20-date North American tour at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. The club became a driving force in the music business, hosting famous rock acts such as The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Byrds, Janis Joplin, The Mothers of Invention, The Grateful Dead, MC5, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Fleetwood, Vanilla Fudge, Muddy Waters and Jefferson Airplane.
1969, Marianne Faithfull collapsed on the set of 'Ned Kelly' after taking a drug overdose. She was admitted to a Sydney Hospital, (she was later dropped from the movie).
1970, The Everly Brothers Show, started an eleven-week prime time slot on ABC- TV in the US. It began as a summer replacement in 1970 for The Johnny Cash Show.
1971, Over-enthusiastic fans at a Mott The Hoople gig at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England, caused some injuries and two damaged boxes, prompting a temporary ban on rock gigs at the venue. The group paid £1,467 for damages to property.
1972, Bill Withers started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lean On Me', his only No.1 hit, it made No.18 in the UK.
1972, Donny Osmond was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Paul Anka song 'Puppy Love.' The first of three solo No.1's for Donny.
1973, Led Zeppelin's fifth album Houses Of The Holy was on both the US and UK album charts. The album spent a total of 39 weeks on the US chart. The cover art for Houses Of The Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis.
1978, Gerry Rafferty's album City To City went to No.1 on the US chart, knocking off 'Saturday Night Fever', which had been at the top of the charts for almost six months.
1978, Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon from The Clash were arrested for being drunk and disorderly after a gig at the Apollo in Glasgow, both were fined.
1979, The B-52's made their UK live debut at London's Lyceum Ballroom, supported by The Tourists.
1984, Bob Dylan's current European tour came to an end at Slane Castle, County Meath in Ireland. Dylan was joined on stage by Van Morrison and they duetted on Its All Over Now Baby Blue. U2's Bono, who was sent to interview Dylan for the Irish rock magazine Hot Press, ended up duetting with Dylan on Blowin In The Wind and Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat. Carlos Santana also joined Dylan on stage and played guitar on the last seven songs of the set.
1995, TLC started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Waterfalls', the group's second US No.1, a No.4 hit in the UK.
1999, Take That former manager Nigel Martin Smith started a new business, as an undertaker. It was reported that he was unhappy with a service he had used so he decided to buy a local funeral firm in Manchester.
2002, Michael Jackson spoke out against the music industry's treatment of artists, alleging that the business was rife with racism. Speaking at a civil rights meeting in New York, Jackson claimed there was a 'conspiracy' among record companies, especially towards black artists. A spokesman for Jackson's record label said the remarks were 'ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful.'
2004, Mark Purseglove known as the world's biggest bootlegger was sentenced to 3 years 6 months jail by Blackfriars Crown Court. Purseglove had built up a £15 million pirate CD empire by bootlegging live concerts of some of the world's biggest stars including The Beatles, David Bowie and Pink Floyd
2006, Queen guitarist Brian May made a "substantial" donation to save hedgehogs from slaughter in the Outer Hebrides. Although the exact amount was not revealed it was said to be enough to pay for the rescue of hundreds of hedgehogs from the Uists, where Scottish Natural Heritage has been culling the animals for the past four years. May's money would go towards funding cash rewards for islanders so hundreds more hedgehogs can be saved.
2007, Prince was forced off stage by police halfway through his set at the First Avenue nightclub during a late-night gig in his home town of Minneapolis. The club was only allowed to stay open until 3.am but Prince took to the stage at 2.45am. Prince had already played two concerts in Minneapolis before his late-night club appearance; His first performance was at a department store, where he promoted his new cologne with a nine-song, 45-minute set.
2007, Chemical Brothers went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'We Are The Night' the duo's sixth studio album.
2016, Canadian rapper and singer Drake was at No.1 on the US chart with his fourth studio album Views. With Views, Drake also joined Adele, Michael Bublé and Taylor Swift as the only artists in the 2010s decade to have an album remain at No.1 on the Billboard 200 for six consecutive weeks.
1928, Born on this day, American singer Mary Ford who with half of the husband-and-wife musical team Les Paul and Mary Ford had the 1953 US No.1 single 'Vaya Con Dios' and 16 top-ten hits. Ford died from cancer on 30th September 1977.
1932, Born on this day, Joe Zawinul, pianist, Miles Davis band and American jazz fusion band of the 1970s and early 1980s Weather Report who had the 1976 single 'Birdland' and the 1977 album Heavy Weather. He died on September 11th 2007.
1933, Born on this day, J.J. Barrie, US singer, One Hit Wonder with 1976 UK No.1 single 'No Charge'.
1940, Born on this day, Richard Starkey, ( Ringo Starr, ) drums, vocals, Rory Storm, The Beatles. He sang lead vocals on one track on most Beatles albums, (The Beatles scored 21 US No.1 & 17 UK No.1 singles). Solo (1974 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'You're Sixteen' plus 9 other US Top 40 hits). Ringo Starr and his all Star Band, (featuring; Howard Jones, Ian Hunter, Peter Frampton, Greg Lake).
1944, Born on this day, Warren Entner, who with Grass Roots had the 1968 US No.5 single 'Midnight Confessions', plus 13 other US Top 40 singles.
1945, Born on this day, English musician Jim Rodford. He was a founding member of Argent who had the 1972 UK No.5 single 'Hold Your Head Up'. He was the bass guitarist for The Kinks from 1978 until they disbanded in 1996 and in 2004, he joined the reunited Zombies and was also a member of The Swinging Blue Jeans. Rodford died after a fall on 20 January 2018, aged 76.
1947, Born on this day, English rock and blues drummer Rob Townsend who with Family, had the 1971 UK No.4 single 'In My Own Time'), and later became a member of The Blues Band.
1948, Born on this day, American rock guitarist Larry Reinhardt who played with Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond. At one time Reinhardt was known by the nicknames "El Rhino" and "Ryno". Reinhardt died aged 63 of cirrhosis of the liver.
1950, Born on this day, David Hodo, from American disco group The Village People. They had the hit singles 'Macho Man', 'In the Navy', 'Go West and the 1978 US No.2 hit 'YMCA'. The group were originally conceived by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo to target disco's gay audience.
1952, Born on this day, Jamaican-born British musician Lynval Golding, guitarist with The Specials who had the 1981 UK No.1 single 'Ghost Town'.
1962, Born on this day, singer Clive Jackson who with Doctor And The Medics had the 1986 UK No.1 single with their version of the Norman Greenbaum 1969 hit 'Spirit In The Sky'.
1962, Born on this day, Mark White, bassist with American rock band The Spin Doctors who had the 1993 UK No.3 & US No.7 single 'Two Princess' and the hit 'Little Miss Can't Be Wrong'.
1981, Born on this day, Synyster Gates (Brian Elwin Haner, Jr.), American guitarist, songwriter of Avenged Sevenfold, who had the 2010 US No.1 album Nightmare and the 2013 US No.1 album Hail to the King.
1988, Born on this day, Ilan Rubin, drummer, from Welsh rock band Lostprophets, who scored the 2006 UK No.1 album Liberation Transmission.
1994, Born on this day, Ashton Irwin, drummer with 5 Seconds Of Summer who had a No.1 UK hit with 'She Looks So Perfect', their debut album was a US No.1 and UK No.2. 5 Seconds of Summer were also the first Australian act to achieve a US No.1 album with their debut album.
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1957, Elvis Presley scored his first UK No.1 with 'All Shook Up', (his tenth UK single release). It stayed at No.1 for seven weeks.
1962, The Beatles played at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, in Birkenhead. The show was a dance for the local golf club, the capacity of the hall was 450, but 500 people squeezed in to hear and see The Beatles.
1963, The Rolling Stones made their UK TV debut when they appeared on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars.' Also appearing on the show was, Mickie Most, The Cadets, Helen Shapiro and Gordon Mills. The group made a total of 13 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966.
1966, The Kinks were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Sunny Afternoon', the group's third and last UK No.1.
1969, George Harrison recorded his new song 'Here Comes the Sun' with just two other Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr at Abbey Road in London. John Lennon was absent recovering from a car crash in Scotland.
1971, 26-year-old pop star Bjorn Ulvaeus and 21-year-old Agnetha Faltskog married in Verum, Sweden. 3000 ABBA fans arrived and in the chaos a police horse stepped on the brides foot, causing her slight injury.
1973, Billy Preston started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Will It Go Round In Circles', his first of two US chart toppers.
1978, Talking Heads released their second studio album More Songs About Buildings And Food. The first of three Talking Heads LPs produced by collaborator Brian Eno, featured the groups first Top 30 single, a cover of Al Green's 'Take Me to the River.'
1980, Led Zeppelin played their last-ever concert with drummer John Bonham when they appeared at Eissporthalle, West Berlin at the end of a European tour. The set included: 'Black Dog', 'The Rain Song', 'Hot Dog', 'All My Love', 'Trampled Under Foot', 'Since Ive Been Loving You', 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Rock And Roll'. They finished the show with a 17-minute version of 'Whole Lotta Love'.
1984, Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Born In The USA'. The album went on to spend a total of 139 weeks on the US chart. Its also one of three albums (Michael Jackson's Thriller and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814) to produce seven Top-ten US singles.
1984, Prince started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'When Doves Cry', his first US No.1 which went on to sell over 2 million copies, it made No. 4 in the UK.
1989, It was announced that for the first time compact discs were out selling vinyl albums. This week's UK No.1 album was 'Emergency On Planet Earth' by Jamiroquai.
1999, It was reported that to attract young people to their mobile vans UK ice cream sellers would start to play pop hits as music instead of the traditional chimes. Spice Girls and Oasis hits would be the first to be played.
2000, Eminem's wife, Kimberly Mathers, was hospitalised after she slit her wrists following her husband's show as part of the Up in Smoke Tour at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Also on this day, Eminem scored his first UK No. single with 'The Real Slim Shady', taken from his second album The Marshall Mathers LP the song was a No.4 hit in the US.
2003, It was reported that Britney Spears had made $500.000 profit after selling her 5 bedroom home in Los Angeles. The singer had paid £1.8m for the house 2 years ago and sold for £2.3m.
2003, Darkness released their debut studio album Permission To Land which topped the UK chart for four weeks. Five singles were released from the album including I Believe in a Thing Called Love, the most successful, reaching No.2 on the UK Singles Chart. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band.
2005, Members of The Hollies asked High Court judge to jail one of their founder members claiming bass player Eric Haydock had flouted a court order made in 1998 not to play under their name. Haydock formed the group in Manchester, England in the early 1960s with Allan Clarke and Graham Nash (who left in 1966). Haydock was working in a group calling itself Eric Haydock's Hollies.
2006, Syd Barrett died from complications arising from diabetes aged 60. The singer, songwriter, guitarist was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, active as a rock musician for only about seven years before he went into seclusion. He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album. Barrett released two solo albums before going into self-imposed seclusion lasting more than thirty years, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs.
2007, Ozzy Osbourne became the first artist to be honoured on Birmingham's own Hollywood-style Walk of Fame. The singer, from Aston, told more than 1,000 fans on Broad Street that the brass paving star meant more to him that than any Hollywood accolade. Organisers named other local pop stars who could be joining Ozzy for the walk included Duran Duran, Jamelia, Robert Plant and UB40.
2007, Snow Patrol Keyboard player Tom Simpson was arrested in connection with a failed court appearance in Glasgow. He was later released and the band went on to headline the T in the Park festival in Scotland. Amy Winehouse pulled out of her slot from the event suffering from "exhaustion".
2007, The Live Earth concerts took place around the world with The Police closing the days events in New Jersey. The concerts were organised by former US Vice-President Al Gore, as part of his campaign to "heal the planet". Rock stars from around the world performed to hundreds of thousands of fans to highlight climate change. Concerts were held in Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Shanghai and Sydney. Madonna brought London's Live Earth concert to a close, playing a song she had written for the event. Other major acts who appeared included; Snow Patrol, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, The Beastie Boys, James Blunt, The Foo Fighters, Duran Duran, UB40, Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Crowded House & Joss Stone.
2009, Michael Jackson's family and fans said farewell to the pop superstar at an emotional memorial service. The singer's coffin was placed in front of the stage during the event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after an earlier private funeral. Jackson's daughter Paris, 11, fought back tears to describe him as "the best father you could ever imagine". Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Mariah Carey paid tribute before the family joined a sombre finale on stage. Motown boss Berry Gordy, who signed the Jackson Five, ended his tribute with the words: "Michael, thank you for the joy, thank you for the love. You will live in my heart forever."
2010, Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer's 70th birthday. With Ringo's All Starr Band joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, Paul belted out "Birthday" and Ringo delivered "With A Little Help From My Friends".
2015, Climate scientists from five leading universities found that 163 of Bob Dylan's 542 songs reference the climate almost a third making him the musician most likely to mention the weather in his lyrics. The Beatles came in at number two, mentioning the weather in 48 of the 308 songs they wrote.
2017, The Official Charts Company overhauled the way it compiles the UK Top 40 in an effort to stop A-list artists elbowing newer acts out of the way. The move was prompted by Ed Sheeran, whose new album ÷ [Divide] proved so popular that it propelled 16 tracks into the top 20 in March.
1925, Born on this day, Bill Haley, (William John Clifton Haley), singer, guitarist, 'The first Rock 'n' Roll star.' As Bill Haley and his Comets he had the 1955 UK & US No.1 single 'Rock Around the Clock' Haley was one of the earliest acts to bring rock and roll to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. He sold over 60 million records during his career. Haley died on 9th February 1981.
1937, Born on this day, American soul singer,Gene Chandler, (Eugene Dixon) who had the 1962 US No.1 single 'Duke Of Earl', and the 1979 UK No.11 single 'Get Down'.
1939, Born on this day, Jet Harris, the bass guitarist of the Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan who he topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in early 1963 with 'Diamonds'.
1945, Born on this day, Rik Elswit, guitarist, with American rock band Dr Hook who had the 1970s hits 'The Cover of Rolling Stone', 'A Little Bit More', 'When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman' and 'Sylvia's Mother'.
1949, Born on this day, Mike Shrieve, American drummer and percussionist with Santana, playing on their first eight albums from 1969 through 1974. His performance at the 1969 Woodstock festival, when he was 20 years old, made him one of the youngest musicians to perform at the festival.
1949, Born on this day, American drummer and, percussionist Michael Shrieve best known as the drummer of the rock band Santana. He played on all albums from 1969 to 1974. When he was 20, Shrieve was one of the youngest musicians to perform at Woodstock in 1969.
1952, Born on this day, David Smith, from British soul group The Real Thing, who had the 1976 UK No.1 single 'You To Me Are Everything'.
1952, Born on this day, Graham Oliver, from English heavy metal band Saxon. As one of the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal, they had eight UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s.
1954, Born on this day, Nanci Griffith, US singer / songwriter, (1993 album 'Other Voices, Other Rooms').
1959, Born on this day, English pop and rock drummer John Keeble with Spandau Ballet who became one of the most successful groups to emerge during the New Romantic era and have produced a number of international hits during the 80s including 'True', 'Gold' and 'Through the Barricades.'
1961, Born on this day, Robert Heaton, drummer in the English rock band New Model Army. Heaton died of pancreatic cancer on 4 November 2004, aged 43.
1963, Born on this day, Tim Bricheno, guitar, All About Eve who had the 1988 UK No.10 single 'Martha's Harbour' and with English gothic rock band, The Sisters Of Mercy the 1992 UK No.3 single 'Temple Of Love'.
1965, Born on this day, Eddie Campbell, keyboards, from Scottish pop rock band Texas who had the 1997 UK No.3 single 'Say What You Want', and the 1997 UK No.1 album White On Blonde which has been certified six-times platinum in the UK.
1969, Born on this day, Michael Grant, Musical Youth, best remembered for their successful 1982 single 'Pass the Dutchie', which became a No.1 hit around the world. It was a cover version of two songs: 'Gimme the Music' by U Brown, and 'Pass the Kouchie' by Mighty Diamonds, which deals with the recreational use of cannabis (kouchie being slang for a cannabis pipe).
1975, Born on this day, 50 Cent, (Curtis Jackson), US rapper. 2003 US No.1 single 'In Da Club', debut album, 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' was named the biggest selling US album in 2003 going platinum six times over.
1979, Born on this day, Nic Cester, singer, from Australian rock band Jet, who had the 2003 Australian No.1 & UK No.14 album Get Born. The group sold over 6.5 million albums.
1985, Born on this day, D. Woods, singer with American girl group Danity Kane, (formed on the MTV reality show Making the Band 3). They became the first female group in Billboard history to debut their first two albums at the top of the charts.
1987, Born on this day, Kate Nash, UK singer, songwriter, (2007 UK No.1 album Made Of Bricks 2007 UK No.2 single Foundations).
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1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time at The Woolton Church Parish Fete where The Quarry Men were appearing. As The Quarry Men were setting up for their evening performance, McCartney eager to impress Lennon picked up a guitar and played Twenty Flight Rock (Eddie Cochran) and Be-Bop-A-Lula (Gene Vincent). Lennon was impressed, and even more so when McCartney showed Lennon and Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they'd been paying someone else to do for them.
1963, James Brown went to No.2 on the US album chart with 'Live At The Apollo'. Recorded on the night of October 24, 1962 at Brown's own expense, it spent 66 weeks on the Billboard Albums chart. In 2003, the album was ranked No.24 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
1964, The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night premiered at The Pavilion in London. Filmed during the height of Beatlemania, and written by Alun Owen, the film was made in the style of a mockumentary, describing a couple of days in the lives of the group.
1967, Pink Floyd made their first appearance on BBC TV music show Top Of The Pops to promote their new single 'See Emily Play'. A badly damaged home video recording recovered by the British Film Institute of this show was given a public screening in London on 9th January 2010 at an event called "Missing Believed Wiped" devoted to recovered TV shows. It was the first time any footage was seen of the performance since its original broadcast.
1968, The Rolling Stones scored their fifth US No.1 single when 'Jumpin Jack Flash' hit the top of the charts. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack that's jumpin' Jack."
1968, Woburn Music Festival, Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire took place. A two-day affair featuring Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Pentangle, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alexis Korner, Family, Taste, Tim Rose, John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, Duster Bennett and Tyrannosaurus Rex, two-day tickets were priced at £2.
1971, American jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader, Louis Armstrong died. Had many hits including the 1964 US No.1 'Hello Dolly!', 1968 UK No.1 'What A Wonderful World plus When The Saints Go Marching In, Ain't Misbehavin, and We Have All the Time in the World. He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling his weight, resulting in Armstrong appearing in humorous, advertisements for laxative product Swiss Kriss; the ads bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet, as viewed through a keyhole, with the slogan "Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!"
1972, David Bowie appeared on the UK music show Top Of The Pops playing his new single 'Starman', his first hit since 1969's 'Space Oddity' three years before. The single peaked at No.10 and stayed on the charts for 11 weeks.
1973, Queen released their debut single 'Keep Yourself Alive' in the UK. The track didn't make the charts.
1979, American singer, producer songwriter, Van McCoy died from a heart attack in Englewood, New Jersey. Van McCoy and the Soul City had the US No.1 single 'The Hustle'. Worked with Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Stylistics, Aretha Franklin and David Ruffin.
1984, The Jacksons kicked off their North American Victory tour at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Over 2 million people attended the 55 concerts which grossed over $75 million. Michael Jackson donated $5 million to various charities.
1985, Phil Collins went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Sussudio', his third US No.1, it made No.12 in the UK.
1992, David Gates from Gateshead, Northumberland was given one year's probation after being convicted of stealing guitars from the back of a van belonging to The Bay City Rollers.
1996, 'Three Lions by comedians Baddiel and Skinner and The Lightning Seeds was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, (the official song of The England Football team).
1999, East 17 were dropped by their record company after the bands last album had sold less than 20,000 copies.
2001, A pair of Sir Elton John's sandals was set to become the most expensive shoes in history when they went under the hammer for charity. Offers over £20,000 were invited for the Salvatore Ferragamo sandals to raise funds for Elton's Aid Trust.
2002, George Harrison's widow Olivia put the couple's home up for sale for £20m saying she couldn't bear to live with the memories of the attack by schizophrenic Michael Abram who broke into the house in 1999.
2003, Skip Battin bassist and songwriter with The Byrds died of complications from Alzheimer's disease. (1965 US & UK No.1 single 'Mr Tambourine Man'). Also played with New Riders Of The Purple Sage and The Flying Burrito Brothers.
2003, Beyonce featuring Jay-Z started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Crazy In Love.' The track features a sample from The Chi-Lites' 1970 'Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)'. Also 8 weeks at No.1 on the US chart.
2003, The Dixie Chicks performed a concert at Dallas' American Airlines Center despite an anonymous threat that group member Natalie Maines would be shot on stage, (after the controversy regading her comments about President George W. Bush, and the Iraq war). Maines had a police escort to and from the show and then directly to the airport.
2004, American R&B, soul singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright died after a two-year battle with bone cancer aged 58. Teamed up with Billy Preston on the 1980, No.1 US hit With You I'm Born Again. Once worked as a secretary at Motown Records and married Stevie Wonder in 1970.
2004, On the 40th anniversary of the world premiere of The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night, a private reunion of the cast and crew was hosted in London by DVD producer Martin Lewis. The screening was attended by Paul McCartney actors Victor Spinetti (the television director), John Junkin (the band's road manager), David Janson (the small boy met by Ringo on his "walkabout") and many of the crew members.
2005, Grammy award winning Rap star Lil' Kim who was convicted of perjury and conspiracy in March 2005, was sentenced to a year in jail for lying to a grand jury to protect friends. Kim told the court "I testified falsely to the grand jury and during the trial. At the time I thought it was the right thing to do. Now I know it was wrong." Lil' Kim, (real name Kimberley Jones), was also fined $50,000 (£28,000). Charges were brought against her after a gunfight erupted outside a New York radio station in 2001 as a rival rap group was arriving.
2007, Avril Lavigne was facing legal action by members of 1970s rock band The Rubinoos, who claimed she had copied one of their songs. Songwriters Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer alleged Lavigne's hit Girlfriend was lifted from their 1979 song I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.
2007, Britney Spears apologised for attacking a photographer's car with an umbrella earlier this year. Pictures of the 25-year-old lashing out appeared in several newspapers shortly after photos emerged of her shaving her head in a hair salon. In a message on her website, she said: "I apologise to the pap for a stunt that was done four months ago." She said she got "carried away" preparing for a film part but added that she did not get the role.
2011, Pete Doherty was facing another prison sentence after allegedly breaking into a shop in Regensburg, Germany earlier this year. The owners of the music shop, from which The Libertines singer allegedly stole a guitar and record, were said to be pressing charges against him. The Sun Newspaper reported that Doherty admitted to smashing the shop window, but says he didn't remember stealing anything, as he was drunk at the time. Doherty was currently serving 6 months in a UK jail for cocaine possession.
2012, Carol Hawkins, the former personal assistant of U2 bassist Adam Clayton was jailed for seven years for embezzling 2.8m euros (£2.2m) of his money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Hawkins was convicted on 181 counts of theft from the bassist's bank accounts over a four-year period. The judge said Hawkins' crimes were "rooted in greed and nothing else".
2016, Drake equalled Michael Jackson's 1983 US chart record after he had the No.1 album and song in the American charts for seven consecutive weeks. 'Views' and 'One Dance' remained unbeaten on the Billboard charts respectively. In the UK 'One Dance' scored its twelfth week atop the UK charts, overtaking the Rihanna song 'Umbrella' which was the millennium's previous longest-running No.1.
2017, Jay-Z's digital-only album 4:44 went platinum within five days - despite limits on who could access it. The music was only available on Tidal, the star's own streaming service, and to customers of US mobile firm Sprint. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) platinum certification, which requires more than one million sales, is rare for digital-only albums. The RIAA only started counting digital streams last year, with 1,500 plays considered equal to one album sale.
1929, Born on this day, David Lynch, from American vocal group The Platters who had the 1959 UK & US No.1 single 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes'. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967. Lynch died of cancer on 2nd January 1981.
1930, Born on this day, Tommy Tedesco, American session guitarist. Described by Guitar Player magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history recording with The Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, The Supremes, The Monkees, The Association, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra. He died on 10th Nov 1997.
1940, Born on this day, Fontella Bass, US female singer, pianist, who had the 1965 US No.4 and UK No.11 single 'Rescue Me'. Bass died on 26th Dec 2012 of complications following a heart attack aged 72.
1943, Born on this day, Judith Durham, singer from Australian folk-influenced pop quartet The Seekers who scored the 1965 UK No.1 single 'I'll Never Find Another You'. They were the first Australian group to achieve major chart and sales success in the UK and the US.
1946, Born on this day, Victor Unitt, from English psychedelic rock group Edgar Broughton Band who had the 1970 UK hit single 'Out Demons Out'.
1947, Born on this day, English musician Top Topham best known as a blues guitarist and also for being the first lead guitarist of The Yardbirds. Topham left the band before they achieved mainstream popularity and was replaced by Eric Clapton.
1948, Born on this day, Paul Barrere, guitar, Little Feat, (Two Top 40 albums during the 70s, best known songs, 'Dixie Chicken' and 'Sailin Shoes').
1949, Born on this day, Johnnie Wilder, singer from funk, disco band Heatwave who scored the 1977 UK No.2 single 'Boogie Nights' and the hits 'The Groove Line', and 'Always and Forever'.
1952, Born on this day, Andy Fraser, bass player with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Joined Free when he was aged 16. (1970 UK No.2 & US No.4 single All Right Now'). Ted Nugent, Robert Palmer and Joe Cocker have all covered songs written by Fraser. He died on 16 March 2015 at his home in California.
1955, Born on this day, British guitarist and keyboardist Mike Corby, The Babys who had two hits on the US chart, 'Isn't It Time' (1977) and 'Everytime I Think of You' (1979).
1955, Born on this day, Neil Clark, guitarist from British pop band Lloyd Cole And The Commotions who had the 1985 UK hit single 'Brand New Friend'. Between 1984 and 1989, the band scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK.
1957, Born on this day, Laura Branigan, US singer, (1984 US No.4 & UK No.5 single 'Self Control'). Died of a brain aneurysm 26th Aug 2004.
1960, Born on this day, English synthpop musician and songwriter Vince Clarke, who with Depeche Mode had the 1981 UK No.8 single 'Just Can't Get Enough'. With Yazoo the 1982 UK No.2 single 'Only You', and with Erasure, the 1992 UK No.1 single 'Abba-Esque EP'. Clarke was also a member of The Assembly.
1968, Born on this day, Martyn Walsh, bassist from English alternative rock band Inspiral Carpets who had the 1990 UK No.14 single 'This Is How It Feels'.
1969, Born on this day, Kevin Hearn, keyboards, guitar, accordion, with Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies who scored the 1998 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'One Week'. The group has sold over 15 million records including albums and singles, and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in March of 2018.
1975, Born on this day, Javier Weyler, drummer from Welsh rock band, Stereophonics, who replaced Richard Cable in 2003. Their 1999 UK No.1 album, Performance and Cocktails spent 97 weeks on the UK chart.
1976, Born on this day, Shane Lynch, vocals, Boyzone, who have had 21 UK hit singles, including 6 UK No.1 singles. Their breakthrough hit was their second single and cover version of the classic Osmonds hit, 'Love Me for a Reason', which peaked at No.2 on the UK Singles Chart.
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1967, A private party was held at the Speakeasy Club in London, England for The Monkees. Guests included: John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Dusty Springfield, Eric Clapton, Lulu and all the members from Manfred Mann, The Who and Procol Harum.
1968, The Equals were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Baby Come Back'. The group's only UK No.1. The song was first released in 1966 but did not chart. The song was covered by and became a No.1 hit for Pato Banton in 1994, (with Robin and Ali Campbell of UB40).
1968, At an impromptu gathering at Joni Mitchell's house in Lookout Mountain, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash played together for the very first time. The trio went on to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.
1969, Brian Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, aged 27. His body was found at the bottom of the pool by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin. The coroner's report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Jones was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and in the early 60s used the name "Elmo Lewis."
1971, American singer, songwriter and poet, Jim Morrison of The Doors was found dead in a bathtub in Paris, France, the cause of death was given as a heart attack. He co-wrote some of the group's biggest hits, including Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, and Love Her Madly. On the 25th anniversary of his death an estimated 15,000 fans gathered at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France to pay their respects.
1972, Blues singer, guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died of cancer aged 68. The Rolling Stones covered his 'You Got To Move' on their Sticky Fingers album. He coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique.
1973, Laurens Hammond the inventor of the Hammond organ died aged 73. Many rock artists including Procol Harum, Keith Emerson, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Allman Brothers Band and The Faces featured the sound of the Hammond. He also invented a silent spring-driven clock and during the second world war he helped design guided missile systems.
1973, After 182 Ziggy Stardust concert performances, David Bowie announced he was about to retire from live performing, although it eventually transpires that Ziggy Stardust the stage persona is being retired and not Bowie himself. Only his guitarist Mick Ronson knew about the announcement, which came as a complete shock not only to the audience but the rest of Bowie's band and crew.
1975, Lead singer from Three Dog Night Chuck Negron was arrested at his Louisville hotel room on the opening night of the bands tour and charged with possession of cocaine.
1982, After a record breaking jump from No.33 on the UK singles charts, The Damned's guitarist Captain Sensible started a two week run at No.1 with his version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song 'Happy Talk' from the 1949 musical South Pacific.
1986, U2 crew member Greg Carroll was killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin while running an errand for Bono. The song 'One Tree Hill' on the bands Joshua Tree album is dedicated to Carroll.
2000, Harvard professor Ronald Ferguson accused the culture of hip-hop and rap music of stalling academic progress among young American blacks. He claimed time spent learning intricate rhyming lyrics detracted from reading.
2001, American singer, songwriter Johnny Russell died aged 61. Wrote 'Act Naturally' covered by The Beatles and Buck Owens. Jim Reeves, Jerry Garcia, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt all covered his songs.
2002, A session violinist serenaded a High Court judge during a copyright battle worth an estimated £100,000. The case was over the rights to The Bluebells version of 'Young At Heart.' Bobby Valentino won his case as joint owner of the song.
2002, Three diners at a newly opened Britney Spears owned restaurant suffered food poisoning. The three students who had eaten wild striped bass at the New York restaurant made official complaints and vowed never to eat they're again.
2004, David Crosby was fined $5,000 (£2,745) by a US court after admitting attempted criminal possession of a weapon. It followed his arrest in New York in March when a gun, knife and marijuana were found in his luggage.
2007, Pete Doherty escaped jail after a judge decided to defer sentencing him for drugs offences on condition he went into rehab. Doherty pleaded guilty to possessing crack cocaine and heroin at West London Magistrates' Court. He was warned by Judge Davinder Lachhar that he would go into custody if he failed to take up a place he was offered on a detox programme.
2008, Kylie Minogue received an OBE for services to music from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace, England. Earlier this year, she was also presented with the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for her "contribution to the enrichment of French culture".
2012, KISS announced that they were set to release a guitar size book containing unseen photographs from their 40-year career. The limited edition called Monster would have a $4,299 price tag and at 3 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide, was reported to be the largest music book ever published.
2017, Singer Tony Hadley said he had left 1980s group Spandau Ballet, and "will not be performing" with them in the future. In an oddly-worded statement, the star said: "I am required to state that I am no longer a member of the band". He did not indicate why he was leaving, but blamed "circumstances beyond my control".
1925, Born on this day, Marvin Rainwater, singer, 1957 US No.18 single 'Gonna Find Me A Bluebird', 1958 UK No.1 single 'Whole Lotta Woman.' He died on October 18, 1994.
1926, Born on this day, Lee Allen, saxophonist, worked with Fats Domino, Little Richard Shirley & Lee.
1936, Born on this day, Tom Springfield, from the British pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields who had the 1962 US No. 20 single 'Silver Threads And Golden Needles', and the 1963 UK No.5 single 'Island Of Dreams'. The Springfields included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom Springfield.
1937, Born on this day, David Palmer the keyboard player for Jethro Tull between 1969 and 1980. He played on all the Tull classics including 'Thick As A Brick' and 'Aqualung.' Palmer changed his name to Dee Palmer after a successful sex change operation during the nineties.
1940, Born on this day, American singer Paul Williams, who with The Temptations had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Just My Imagination' and the re-issued 'My Girl' which was a UK No.2 hit in 1992 Died on 17th August after shooting himself.
1942, Born on this day, Leapy Lee, UK singer, (Lee Graham), 1968 UK No.2 single 'Little Arrows'.
1945, Born on this day, Peter Cruickshank, bass, The Groundhogs, (1971 UK No.5 album 'Split').
1949, Born on this day, American keyboardist Roy Bittan, "The Professor", with Bruce Springsteen E Street Band which he joined on August 23, 1974. He has also worked with David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger.
1950, Born on this day, Duncan Mackay, keyboards, with English group Cockney Rebel who scored the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Make Me Smile, Come Up And See Me'.
1952, Born on this day, Johnny Colla, guitar, sax, from Huey Lewis and the News who had the 1985 UK No.11 & US No.1 single 'The Power Of Love'. Their third, and best-selling, album was the 1983 Sports, and they contributed to the soundtrack of the 1985 feature film Back to the Future.
1954, Born on this day, Pete Briquette, bass, vocals, The Boomtown Rats, (1979 UK No.1 single 'I Don't Like Mondays', plus 10 other UK Top 40 singles).
1955, Born on this day, Jerry Hall, US model, actress. Married Rolling Stone Mick Jagger in 1990.
1956, Born on this day, Jeffrey Cooper singer from American group Midnight Star who had the 1986 UK No.8 single 'Midas Touch' and a string of hits in the 1980s.
1957, Born on this day, Mike Anger from British new wave group The Blow Monkeys who had the 1986 hit 'Digging Your Scene' and the 1987 UK No.5 single 'It Doesn't Have To Be This Way'.
1961, Born on this day, Annie Ruddock, vocals, Amazulu, (1986 UK No.5 single 'Too Good To Be Forgotten').
1964, Born on this day, Roy Boulter, drummer of Liverpool-based group The Farm who had the 1990 UK No.4 single 'All Together Now'.
1966, Born on this day, Dave Parsons, bassist with English group Transvision Vamp who had the 1989 UK No.3 single 'Baby I Don't Care'. He later worked with Bush who had the 1997 UK No.7 single 'Swallowed'.
1970, Born on this day, Monie Love, UK female rapper, (1990 UK No. 12 single 'It's A Shame', plus eight other UK Top 40 singles).
1974, Born on this day, Rocky Gray, drummer, Ewith American rock band Evanescence who had the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.5 single Bring Me To Life, and the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.3 album Fallen. Also a member of Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced.
1983, Born on this day, Daron Malakian, guitarist with Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down who had the 2001 US No.1 album Toxicity and the 2005 US No.1 & UK No.2 album Mezmerize.
1985, Born on this day, Ashley Michelle Tisdale, actress and singer from High School Musical, as part of the cast had the 2006 US No.1 High School Musical album and 2007, US No.1 High School Musical 2 album. Over 17 million viewers in the United States watched the TV premier of High School Musical; making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. history. Released her debut album Headstrong in 2007.
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1956, Elvis Presley recorded 'Hound Dog' at RCA Studios, New York. Take 31 being the version they released. This was the first time The Jordanaires worked with Presley. The single sold over 10 million copies globally, became his best-selling song and topped the pop chart for 11 weeks, a record that stood for 36 years.
1962, Jimi Hendrix was honourably discharged from the 101st Airborne Paratroopers, after breaking his ankle during his 26th and final parachute jump.
1966, Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The song was taken from the film 'A Man Could Get Killed'.
1966, David Bowie and The Lower Third appeared at The Lion Hotel in Warrington, England, (they were paid £30 for the gig). Also appearing was The Powerhouse which featured Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood and Paul Jones.
1969, Working on tracks for the Abbey Road album, Paul McCartney recorded Her Majesty. Then Paul, George, and Ringo record 15 takes of Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight. John Lennon was absent, in hospital in Golspie, Scotland, following a car accident the previous day.
1969, Thunderclap Newman started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Pete Townshend produced track 'Something In The Air.' Featured on the soundtrack for the movie, 'The Magic Christian'. The band featured guitarist Jimmy McCulloch who went on to work with Wings.
1969, Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell quit The Jimi Hendrix Experience after completing the three-day Denver Pop Festival. Hendrix and drummer Mitch Mitchell would later team with bassist Billy Cox to form the short-lived Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, who played at the Woodstock Festival.
1971, Queen appeared at Surrey College, England. This was the group's first gig with the line-up of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon.
1979, Sony introduced the Walkman, the first portable audio cassette player. Over the next 30 years they sold over 385 million Walkmans in cassette, CD, mini-disc and digital file versions, and were the market leaders until the arrival of Apple's iPod and other new digital devices.
1980, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart from The Grateful Dead were arrested on suspicion of starting a riot at the San Diego Sports Arena after they tried to interfere in a drugs bust.
1982, Nicky Headon of The Clash was remanded on bail, charged with stealing a bus stop worth £30 from London's' Fulham Road.
1983, Rod Stewart started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Baby Jane', his sixth UK No.1.
1988, Michael Jackson became the first artist to have five number one singles from one album when Dirty Diana went to the top of the US charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP Bad were the title track, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, The Way You Make Me Feel and Man in the Mirror.
1988, Tracy Chapman started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her self-titled debut LP. Helped by her performance at the 'Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert' at Wembley Stadium, also No.1 in the US.
1991, Axl Rose caused a riot to break out during a Guns N' Roses gig after leaping into the crowd to remove a camera from a fan at the Riverpoint Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights. Over 50 people were injured and 15 fans were arrested.
2001, Liverpool Airport at Speke was renamed John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono was present to unveil a new logo that included the late Beatle's famous self- portrait and the words, 'Above Us Only Sky' taken from his 'Imagine' album.
2005, The world's biggest music stars united in concerts around the world to put pressure on political leaders ahead of the G8 summit to tackle poverty in Africa. Concerts in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome and Moscow played to hundreds of thousands of people. A TV audience of several hundred million watched the gigs. In London Pink Floyd, The Who, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sting, The Scissor Sisters, Keane, and Paul McCartney performed. Philadelphia saw, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Bon Jovi, Canada, Bryan Adams and Neil Young headlined, Bjork headlined in Tokyo and Green Day played in Berlin.
2007, Lyricist Hy Zaret, who wrote the words for the song 'Unchained Melody' died at his home in Westport, Connecticut, aged 99. The song (which does not feature the word "unchained"), has been recorded over 300 times. Zaret co-wrote the song with film composer Alex North for the 1955 prison film Unchained. The Righteous Brothers' 1965 version was produced by Phil Spector.
2008, The gravestone of former Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis was stolen. Cheshire Police said his memorial stone was taken from where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers were appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts, detectives said the stone, had the inscription Ian Curtis 18 - 5 - 80 and the words Love Will Tear Us Apart.
2015, Buddy Holly's widow, Maria Elena Holly, announced that she had entrusted the publishing rights to her late husband's influential catalog to the artist's performance rights group, BMG. The company was now authorised to administer royalties worldwide of nearly all of Buddy Holly's recordings.
A Night At The Opera: Queens Regal Invite Could Not Be Ignored
A Night At The Opera, as we all now know, is a masterpiece. Everything from its title (borrowed from The Marx Brothers 1935 movie) to the music, the albums artwork and the whole pomp and circumstance of the entire package is majestic.
The UK tour to support the release of Sheer Heart Attack got underway during the autumn of 1974, and after taking in Europe and America, it finished at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 May 1975. Between the bands return and the start of another UK tour on 14 November 1975, Queen recorded the album that would turn them from big stars to superstars.
Work on Queens fourth album, another co-produced by the band along with Roy Thomas Baker, began in August 1975, and it was only finished shortly before the opening date of their tour at Liverpools Empire Theatre on 14 November. A Night At The Opera, as we all now know, is a masterpiece. Everything from its title (one that is borrowed from The Marx Brothers 1935 movie) to the music, the albums artwork and the whole pomp and circumstance of the entire package is majestic.
John, Roger, Brian and Freddie took much needed holidays before work on the new project began in earnest with a three-week writing and playing session in a rented Herefordshire house. They then decamped over the Welsh Marches once more to Rockfield. The band later worked in five more studios (Roundhouse, Sarm East, Scorpio, Lansdowne, and Olympic) in their pursuit of perfection, and in so doing, their own self-belief was fully justified.
The 12 tracks that make up A Night At The Opera comfortably broke the 43-minute mark, and like its predecessor, the sequencing of this record creates its own dynamic. This is an album that should be listened to in its entirety rather than through the unpredictability of random play and shuffle.
Queen made the most of the 24 track set-ups Baker brought to the table, and along with the engineer, the late Mike Stone who sadly passed away in 2002, they collectively created a great sounding record. It opens with Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To ), a barely veiled and acerbic open letter to a businessman contact, which was actually given its finishing touches immediately before release. Its one of Freddies sharpest lyrics, so vicious that Brian May wasnt too thrilled to even have to sing the words.
Freddies Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon continued to showcase his piano playing skills and his growing confidence on keyboards helped to make the whole album so much better. There follows a neat transition into Roger Taylors Im In Love With My Car, a paean to speed and auto fixation that would one day be used as the sound-bed for a Jaguar TV advert, meanwhile offering itself as a serious love song. It was also used as B-side to Bohemian Rhapsody, but only after Roger allegedly locked himself in a cupboard at Sarm Studios until the others laughingly agreed to it.
More new ground is broken by John Deacons Youre My Best Friend, which in 1976 became the eminent bass mans first composition to be released as a Queen single, and a hit at that. Very much Johns baby, he even supplies the Wurlitzer organ.
Brian Mays 39 is his first composition to appear on this album and it is a science fiction come space travel number that is a reminder of his learned interest in astrophysics and astronomy in general. Given the songs weird skiffle arrangement, Brian asked Deacon to play double bass, and the number was included in Queens set-list by 1976, becoming an instant crowd favourite.
Brians Sweet Lady accentuated the almost wilful diversity of Queen at this point in their career, with its live rhythm section and heavily distorted rock thrash in ¾ time. Mercurys Seaside Rendezvous is another track that shows the bands inventiveness, since Freddie and Roger provide a woodwind section performed by just their voices, along with a tap dancing sequence they performed on the mixing desk with thimbles over their fingers.
The second side of the original LP commences with Brians lengthy, The Prophets Song, that was inspired, if that is the right word, when he was feverish with hepatitis during the Sheer Heart Attack sessions. A heavy, moody piece, The Prophets Song was the ideal centrepiece for the forthcoming tour. Its Biblical atmosphere being accentuated by the guitarists use of the toy koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument more usually associated with experimental classical music.
Freddies often covered Love Of My Life (written for girlfriend Mary Austin) is a quite beautiful ballad, embellished with Mays harp, Rogers delicate cymbals and the predominant Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar coincidentally purchased by Brian in Japan the previous spring.
Brians Good Company is one of his wise family pieces a song full of sound values and mature reflection. Recorded with the ukulele and his trusty Red Special to hand, their overlapping mimics a traditional Dixieland jazz band feel; the poignant narrative has a twist in the tale.
And so to the colossal, the monumental (adjectives can barely do this song justice), Bohemian Rhapsody. Composed in six sections, mostly by Mercury in his Holland Park home, this was the song that divided opinion even within the ranks. Surely they couldnt expect to get away with this? Mercury was certain of its merits, but seldom gave much away concerning the lyrical structure and the references to classic opera, Old Testament seers and the principal characters Scaramouche and Galileo.
If pressed, Freddie would say: Its one of those songs which has such a fantasy feel about it. I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them Bohemian Rhapsody didnt just come out of thin air. I did a bit of research although it was tongue-in-cheek and mock opera. Why not?
But if he kept his reasoning private, the public response was amazing, especially when he cunningly gave a pre-release tape to DJ friend, Kenny Everett, with a winking, But youre not allowed to play it on air in its entirety. Naturally, Everett ignored that demand, as Mercury knew he would, and played it fourteen times in two days. The panning, the layer upon layer of vocals, the gongs and tympani hell, the bands very own operatic chutzpah this is one of those songs that everyone knows, but that once listened to again, even in hindsight, still baffles and delights.
Ironically, prior to releasing it as a single, one senior EMI executive was convinced that it was too long and he tried to convince the band that it needed to be edited if it was to stand any chance of getting any radio plays.
Mixing the gloriously bombastic with the sweetly simple, Mays guitar solo is bang on the money. Bohemian Rhapsody was very much Freddies thing and also his tour de force, containing as it did elements of works in progress from earlier ventures.
As if the song wasnt visual enough, it was accompanied by a ground-breaking video, and while it was said to be the most expensively constructed single made to that point in time, it recouped in full, and then some.
And that wasnt the end of the affair, and there was only one way to follow it. A revisit to Mays arrangement of the National Anthem, God Save The Queen (surely that didnt go unnoticed in Sex Pistols circles either); it was something theyd been using as a tour finale for some time. Instrumental, multi-layered and strangely affecting, May would achieve a kind of lifetime ambition many years later when he performed it from the roof of Buckingham Palace for the Queens Golden Jubilee in 2002; it was also a kind of homage to Jimi Hendrixs Woodstock version of The Star-Spangled Banner.
And so the album was released on 21 November 1975 and as a result, Christmas belonged to Queen. The sold-out tour that had begun a week before the albums release culminated with a Christmas Eve concert at Hammersmith Odeon that was videotaped and broadcast by the BBC on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Their North American tour kicked off in the fourth week of January and this too proved to be a triumph. A Night At The Opera soared to No.4 on the Billboard album chart and Bohemian Rhapsody became the bands first top ten single on the Hot 100 while Queen were touring America.
Following A Night At The Operas entry into the UK charts on 15 December 1975, there were many Christmas stockings filled with the album, and two days after Christmas it topped the charts. It stayed there over the New Years holiday before being replaced by Perry Comos Greatest Hits for a week. So strong was the surge in sales, however, that Queen returned to the top spot for another two weeks. Meanwhile, Bohemian Rhapsody was at No.1 on the UK singles chart for 9 weeks, beginning on 29 November and staying there until 31 January the following year. As we now all know, it would later return to the top spot at a far less happy time.
