1949, RCA Records issued the first ever 45rpm single, the invention of this size record made jukeboxes possible.
1963, 17 year-old Neil Young performed his first professional date at a country club in Winnipeg.
1964, The Beatles started a seven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, the first US No.1 by a UK act since The Tornadoes ‘Telstar’ in 1962 and the first of three consecutive No.1’s from the group.
1965, At the Arthur Smith Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina, James Brown recorded ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’, which will reach No.8 on the Billboard Pop chart and No.1 on the R&B chart the following August and later win a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording.
1967, At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles started work on a new song ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’. It wasn’t until The Beatles had recorded the song that Paul McCartney had the idea to make the song the thematic pivot for their forthcoming album.
1967, Pink Floyd spent the day recording parts for the Syd Barrett songs ‘Arnold Layne’ and ‘Candy And A Current Bun’ at Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London. Floyd also turned professional on this day after signing a deal with EMI Records.
1969, Tommy James and the Shondells started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Crimson And Clover’, the group’s second and last No.1. Billy Idol had a 1987 US No.1 with ‘Mony Mony’ a No.3 hit for Tommy James in 1968.
1972, Chuck Berry had his first UK No.1 single with a live recording of a song he’d been playing live for over 20 years ‘My Ding-a-Ling’. UK public morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse attempted to have the song banned due to its innuendo-laden lyrics. The Average White Band members guitarist Onnie McIntyre and drummer Robbie McIntosh played on the single.
1975, Neil Sedaka had his second US No.1 single with ‘Laughter In The Rain’, over 12 years after his last chart topper ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do’.
1979, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious was released on bail after attacking Todd Smith, singer Patti Smith’s brother, at a Skafish concert. John Lydon has since stated that Mick Jagger stepped in and paid for the lawyers for Vicious.
1980, Blondie released ‘Call Me’, the main theme song of the 1980 film American Gigolo. It peaked at No. 1 for six consecutive weeks, and became the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1980.
1986, Music publisher Dick James died of a heart attack aged 65. Worked with many UK 60’s acts including The Beatles. James signed Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin as unknown artists in 1967 and was the founder of the DJM record label.
1989, Paul Robi from The Platters died of cancer. UK & US No.1 single ‘Smoke Gets In Your Eyes’. Robi left The Platters in the early 60’s being replaced by Nate Nelson from the Flamingos.
1992, George Michael and Elton John went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’, also a No.1 in the UK. All proceeds from the single went to Aids charities.
1995, Richey Edwards guitarist with the Manic Street Preachers vanished leaving no clues to his whereabouts. He left The Embassy Hotel in London at 7am, leaving behind his packed suitcase. His car was found on the Severn Bridge outside Bristol, England sixteen days later. Edwards has never been found, despite constant searching, and in November 2008 he was declared officially dead.
1997, Blur went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Beetlebum’. The song’s title is said to be a stab at Liam Gallagher, lead singer of Oasis for his over-idolisation of The Beatles.
1999, Four hundred people were injured at an Australian concert by Marilyn Manson when he stormed off stage after being bombarded with missiles and abuse at the show in Perth. One of Manson’s guitar technicians needed treatment for cuts to his head.
2001, A collection of Sir Elton John’s private photos on display at a museum in Atlanta were withdrawn. The exhibition, which included snaps of nude men, was said to be too explicit, some school trips to the museum had been cancelled.
2008, US space agency Nasa announced that ‘Across the Universe’ by The Beatles was to become the first song ever to be beamed directly into space. The track would be transmitted through the Deep Space Network – a network of antennas – on the 40th anniversary of the song being recorded, being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. In a message to NASA, Paul McCartney said the project was an “amazing” feat. “Well done, Nasa,” he added. “Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul.”
2009, Bruce Springsteen started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Working on a Dream’ his 16th studio album.
2012, Don Cornelius, the host of US TV’s Soul Train, (from 1971 until 1993), who helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of Black culture, died. Police officers responded to a report of a shooting at 12685 Mulholland Drive and found Cornelius with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 75.
2013, Coldplay’s ‘Clocks’ topped a list by BBC Radio 6 Music’s top 100 tracks of the past 10 years. More than 100,000 votes were cast in the poll which looked back over the 10 years since the station began in 2002. Arctic Monkeys’ ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ was voted into second place, and Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’ in third.
2014, A new report found that about two-thirds of people were left with ringing in their ears after a night out at a club, gig or pub. Campaign group Action on Hearing Loss said the poll of 1,000 adults also showed a third would ignore the “safe level” on their music players.
(This Day in Music)
