March 14th, 2018

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.

1963, Cliff Richard and The Shadows were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Summer Holiday.’ Taken from the film of the same name, it became Richards’ seventh UK No.1 single.

1964, For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK were by British acts. No.1 was ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ by Cilla Black, No.2 – ‘Bits and Pieces’ by The Dave Clark Five, No.3 – ‘Little Children’ by Billy J Kramer, No.4 – ‘Diane’ by The Bachelors, No.5 – ‘Not Fade Away’ by The Rolling Stones, No.6 – ‘Just One Look’ by The Hollies, No.7 – ‘Needles and Pins’ by The Searchers, No.8 – ‘I Think Of You’ by The Merseybeats, No.9 – ‘Boys Cry’ by Eden Kane, and No. 10 – ‘Let Me Go Lover’ by Kathy Kirby.

1968, The promotional film for ‘Lady Madonna’ was broadcast in black and white on Top Of The Pops on UK television. The video portion of the film clip was shot while The Beatles were performing the song ‘Hey Bulldog’, but the ‘Lady Madonna’ audio track was paired with the video for the promo release.

1972, Soul singer, Linda Jones, died aged 26 in New York after collapsing into a diabetic coma following a performance at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre in new York. Jones scored the 1967 US No.21 single ‘Hypnotized’.

1978, Blondie were at No.2 on the UK chart with their version of the Randy & the Rainbows song ‘Denis’, kept off the No.1 position by Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’.

1981, Eric Clapton was hospitalised with bleeding ulcers causing a US tour to be cancelled. He was back in hospital five weeks later after being involved in a car crash.

1982, Metallica made their live debut when they appeared at Radio City in Anaheim, California.

1983, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Alec John Such formed Bon Jovi. Their fourth album, New Jersey, released in 1988, is notable for producing five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date from a hard rock album.

1985, Dead Or Alive were kicked off the UK music television show The Tube after admitting they were incapable of playing ‘live.’ The group scored the 1985 UK No.1 single ‘You Spin Me Round, Like A Record’.

1987, Boy George scored his first UK No.1 single as a solo artist with the David Gates song ‘Everything I Own. Originally recorded by Gates’s band Bread for their 1972 album Baby, I’m a Want You and also a UK No.1 for Ken Boothe in 1974.

1991, American songwriter Doc Pomus died. With Mort Shuman he wrote many early 60’s hits including, ‘A Teenager in Love’, ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’, ‘Sweets For My Sweet’, ‘Can’t Get Used to Losing You’, ‘Little Sister’, ‘Suspicion’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Viva Las Vegas’.

1991, R.E.M. played the first of two nights at London’s Borderline Club under the name of ‘Bingo Hand Job.’

1995, With the release of ‘Me Against the World’ Tupac Shakur became the first male solo artist to have a No.1 album on the Billboard chart while in prison.

1999, Stereophonics went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Performance And Cocktails’, only the third Welsh band to score a No.1 and the first No.1 album for Richard Branson’s V2 label.

2001, Peter Blake, who designed The Beatles classic Sgt. Pepper album cover sued the group’s record company for more money. Blake was paid £200 ($340) for the famous figures in 1967, but was now ‘cheesed off’ that EMI had never offered to pay more money.

2005, Michael Jackson was blasted by British Army veterans for wearing military badges while on trail for child abuse. The singer had appeared in court on most days with either an Army motif on his breast pocket or a cap badge tied around his neck.

2006, U2 topped Rolling Stone magazine’s annual list of the year’s biggest money earners from 2005 with $154.2m. The Rolling Stones were listed second with $92.5m and The Eagles third with 63.2m. Paul McCartney was in fourth place with $56m and Elton John in fifth with $48.9m.

2008, Peter MacBeth, a member of The Foundations who had the 1968 UK hit with Build Me Up Buttercup, was jailed for child sex offences. MacBeth sexually assaulted a young girl on four occasions over the course of six years and downloaded child porn from the internet. The 71-year-old was suffering from cancer and had had he a tracheotomy which meant he lost his voice. Doctors had said he had between three and five years to live.

2010, Phil Blake of UK indie band Redtrack returned to his career as the bassist with the band after he underwent a pioneering operation to reattach his hand after it was hacked to the bone in a machete attack. Blake thought he would never play guitar again after a teenage robber hacked through his arm when he refused to hand over a mobile phone.

(This Day in Music)