1954, Working together for the first time in a recording studio with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, Elvis Presley fools around during a break with an up-tempo version of ‘That’s All Right.’ Producer Sam Phillips has them repeat the jam and records it. It became Presley’s first release on Sun Records.
1963, The Beatles played at the Plaza Ballroom in Dudley in the West Midlands. Appearing with The Beatles – Denny and the Diplomats, led by Denny Laine, who went on to join the Moody Blues and eventually, Paul McCartney’s group Wings.
1965, Marty Balin and Paul Kantner formed a Folk-Rock group that would evolve into the Jefferson Airplane, the premier San Francisco psychedelic band of the late ’60s. The Airplane made its debut the following month at a Haight-Ashbury club, and was signed to RCA later in the year.
1966, On the recommendation of Rolling Stone Keith Richards’ girlfriend, Chas Chandler from The Animals went to see Jimi Hendrix play at The Cafe Wha in New York City. Chandler suggests that Hendrix should come to England, which he does and Chandler became his manager.
1969, The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London’s Hyde Park before an audience of 250,000, as a tribute to Brian Jones who had died two days earlier. Mick Jagger read an extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Adonais’ and released 3,500 butterflies; it was also guitarist’s Mick Taylor’s debut with the Stones, King Crimson, Family, The Third Ear Band, Screw and Alexis Korner’s New Church also appeared on the day.
1975, Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Steve Miller and Roy Harper all appeared at The Knebworth Festival, England, tickets cost £3.50. Pink Floyd premiered their new album Wish You Were Here with the help of Spitfires, pyrotechnics and an exploding plane which flies into the stage.
1975, Rolling Stone Keith Richards was arrested by the highway patrol in Arkansas on charges of reckless driving and possessing an offensive weapon, a seven-inch hunting knife.
1978, The manufacturing of Some Girls the new album by The Rolling Stones was halted at EMI’s pressing plant after complaints from celebrities including Lucille Ball who were featured in mock advertisements on the album sleeve.
1982, Sun records musical director Bill Justis died of cancer aged 55. He worked with Sam Phillips at Sun Records, worked with also worked with Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and Jerry Lee Lewis. Had the 1957 US No. 2 single ‘Raunchy’ (the first Rock and Roll instrumental hit). Also had a No.1 hit in Australia in 1963 with ‘Tamoure.’
1986, Janet Jackson started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Control’. The album featured the hit singles: ‘What Have You Done for Me Lately’, ‘Nasty’, ‘Control’, ‘When I Think of You’, and ‘Let’s Wait Awhile’.
1995, More than 100 Grateful Dead fans were hurt when a wooden deck collapsed at a campground lodge in Wentzville, Missouri. Hundreds of people were on or under the deck sheltering from heavy rain. More than 4,000 Deadheads were staying at the campground while attending Grateful Dead concerts in the St. Louis suburb.
1999, The Eurythmics announced their first world tour for more than 10 years and that all profits would be given to charity. The duo made the announcement from the Greenpeace boat ‘Rainbow Warrior’ moored on the River Thames in London.
2000, Cub Koda (Michael “Cub” Koda), founder member of Brownsville Station died of complications from kidney failure. Wrote the 2 million selling 1974 hit ‘Smokin’ In The Boys Room’, (which Motley Crue covered). He took his nickname from Cubby on television’s Mickey Mouse Club.
2002, It was reported that Dr Dre had become the richest music star after earning £62m in the last year, £37m from his own earnings plus £25m from his record label Aftermath.
2003, The Daily Star ran a front-page story claiming that the body of Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards had been found. Fishermen in an angling contest discovered bones half buried in mud on the riverbank near Avonmouth. Edwards disappeared in Feb 1995, his car was found at a service station at the Seven Bridge a well-known suicide spot.
2003, Johnny Cash made his last ever live performance when he appeared at the Carter Ranch. Before singing “Ring of Fire”, Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage: “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has.” Cash died on Sept 12th of this year.
2005, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour said artists who had seen album sales soar after the Live 8 concerts should donate their profits to charity, saying: “This is money that should be used to save lives.” UK sales figures released two days after the London concert showed Pink Floyd’s Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd had risen by 1343%, The Who – Then and Now by 863% and Annie Lennox – Eurythmics Greatest Hits by 500%.
2007, English jazz and blues singer and film critic George Melly died at his London home at the age of 80 of lung cancer and vascular dementia. His final concert took place at the 100 Club in London on 10th June of this year in aid of Admiral Nurses, part of the charity for Dementia.
2009, Michael Jackson started a seven week run at No.1 on the UK album charts with ‘The Essential Michael Jackson’, and was one of eight Jackson albums in the top twenty after the singers death on 25th June.
2012, For the second year in a row, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was honoured in two categories at the annual Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards. The 65-year-old won the specialist programme of the year award for his Absolute Radio show, and saw his weekly guest slot named best feature. Absolute also took the station of the year award.
2014, The four surviving members of The Grateful Dead gave what they said would be their final performance, playing to over 70,000 fans at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The shows came 20 years after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, who played his last show in the nation’s third-largest city in 1995.
