March 10th, 2018

1956, RCA Records placed a half page advert in Billboard Magazine claiming that Elvis Presley was ‘the new singing rage.’

1958, Big Records released ‘Our Song’ by a teenage duo from Queens, New York, Tom and Jerry. The duo will become famous in the ’60s under their real names, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

1960, UK trade paper Record Retailer published the UK’s first ever EP (extended player) chart and LP chart. No. 1 EP was ‘Expresso Bongo’ by Cliff Richard & The Shadows and No.1 LP ‘The Explosive Freddy Cannon.’

1962, Bruce Channel started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Hey! Baby’, it made No.2 on the UK chart.

1964, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded ‘The Sounds Of Silence’ as an acoustic duo. It wasn’t until record company producers added electric guitar, bass and drums, without the knowledge of Paul and Art, that the song would become a hit in late 1965.

1977, At 7am in the morning on a trestle table set up out-side Buckingham Palace, London, the Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records, (the real signing had taken place the day before). The contract lasted for six days.

1979, Gloria Gaynor started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I Will Survive’, also a No.1 in the UK. The song was originally released as the B-side to a song first recorded by The Righteous Brothers called ‘Substitute.’

1988, Younger brother of The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb died in hospital. His death from myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) followed a long battle with cocaine addiction, which had weakened his heart.

1995, Former Stone Roses’ manager Gareth Evans’ £10 million ($17 million) lawsuit with the band was settled out of court over alleged wrongful dismissal for an undisclosed sum.

1996, Alanis Morissette won Best Album for Jagged Little Pill, Best Female singer, Best Rock Album, Best songwriter and best single at the 25th Juno Awards held in Hamilton, Canada.

1997, American rhythm and blues singer Lavern Baker died from coronary complications aged 57. Had the 1958 US No.6 single ‘I Cried A Tear.’

2000, Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde was arrested for leading an animal rights protest against the clothing firm Gap, who were accused of using leather from cows slaughtered ‘illegally and cruelly’. The protest took place in a store in Manhattan.

2003, During a concert in London, England, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines said that the band was “ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas” (referring to Maines’ hometown of Lubbock and President Bush hailing from the same state). This was during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the comment sparked intense controversy and outrage among Americans, including a large share of country music fans.

2005, A survey carried out by Music Choice concluded that ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams was the song Britons would most like played at their funeral. Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ was second and Monty Python’s ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ was voted into third place.

2005, Michael Jackson arrived in a Santa Barbara court an hour late dressed in his pyjamas after being treated for a back injury. Jackson was attending the Santa Moria court for his child abuse trial.

2009, Tickets for a one-off gig by Sir Paul McCartney in Las Vegas sold out seven seconds after going on sale. The former Beatle was booked to perform at the opening of the New Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on 19 April 2009 in-front of 4,000 fans. Tickets cost $750 each.

2010, Pink Floyd won a court battle with EMI that prevented the record company from selling single downloads and ringtones on the Internet from the group’s albums. Pink Floyd’s back catalogue was second only in sales to The Beatles.

2017, American singer–songwriter, actress and producer Joni Sledge died from natural causes age 60. She was best known as a founding member of Sister Sledge, who were best known for their hits ‘We Are Family’ and ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’.

(This Day in Music)