1958, Billboard introduced ‘The Hot 100 Singles Chart’, Ricky Nelson was at No.1 with ‘Poor Little Fool’.
1962, The Rolling Stones played the first of 22 weekly shows at Ealing Jazz Club in Ealing, London. They were known as The Rollin’ Stones during this period.
1963, UK music weekly The NME reported that The Beatles could score their first US hit with ‘From Me To You’ as the single was ‘bubbling under’ on the charts at No.116.
1963, The Beatles appeared at the Queen’s Theatre in Blackpool. So many fans crowded around the theatre, blocking every entrance, that The Beatles had to go through a construction area, up and across some scaffolding to the roof of the theatre, from where they were lowered through a trap door.
1966, The Troggs were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘With A Girl Like You’, the group’s only UK No.1 single.
1967, A female Monkees fan stowed away on the bands plane between shows in Minneapolis and St Louis. The girl’s father threatened to bring charges for transporting a minor across state lines.
1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album The Piper At the Gates of Dawn on which most songs were penned by Syd Barrett. In subsequent years, the record has been recognised as one of the seminal psychedelic rock albums of the 1960s. When reviewed, by the two main UK music papers in the UK, Record Mirror and NME both gave the album four stars out of five. The album which was recorded at Abbey Road studios, London during the same time that The Beatles were recording Sgt. Pepper peaked at No.6 on the UK album chart and failed to chart in the US.
1968, The second day of the two day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California with Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Byrds. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival.
1975, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and his wife were both badly injured when the hire car he was driving spun off the road and crashed on the Greek island of Rhodes. Plant smashed both his ankle and his elbow, and was not fully fit for the best part of two years. A forthcoming North American tour had to be cancelled.
1979, A benefit concert was held to raise money for Little Feat guitarist and singer Lowell George featuring members of his band plus Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt.
1984, Prince started a 24 week run at the top of the US album charts with ‘Purple Rain’. His sixth studio album which features the hits ‘When Doves Cry’ and ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, as well as the title track has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming the seventh best-selling soundtrack album of all time.
1990, During a New Kids On The Block concert in Montreal. Canada, three armed robbers stole souvenir sales proceeds valued at $260.000.
1990, Mariah Carey’s started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Vision Of Love’, her debut release. ‘Vision Of Love’ was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 33rd annual ceremony, held on February 20, 1991: Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, winning the latter.
1996, Oasis played two sold out nights at Balloch Castle Country Park, Loch Lomand, Scotland to over 80,000 fans. Oasis roadie James Hunter was crushed to death between a fork-lift truck and a lorry during the bands two days shows.
2000, Craig David scored his second UK No.1 single with ‘7 Days’. At the age of 19, he became the youngest male artist to score two No.1’s since Donny Osmond in 1973.
2001, Dave Stewart married fashion photographer Anouska Fisz on a private beach on the French Riviera. Guest’s included Elton John, Mick Jagger, Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher and his former Eurythmics partner Annie Lennox.
2001, The News Of The World reported that Mariah Carey had hired a private eye to spy on her ex husband, record boss Tommy Mottola. Investigator Jack Palladino told the paper that Mariah believed her ex husband was conducting a smear campaign against the singer.
2002, Bruce Springsteen scored his fifth UK No.1 album with ‘The Rising’, also No.1 in the US.
2005, American blues singer and guitarist Little Milton died. Milton had suffered a brain aneurysm on 25th July 2005 and had lapsed into a coma. He signed to Sun records in 1953 and had the 1965 US No.25 single ‘We’re Gonna Make It’.
2007, US singer, songwriter Lee Hazlewood died of cancer, in his home near Las Vegas aged 78. Hazlewood wrote and produced many of Nancy Sinatra’s most famous hits, including These Boots Were Made For Walkin’, Jackson and Did You Ever’ He also produced Duane Eddy and Gram Parsons and Something Stupid – the duet Nancy recorded with her father Frank in 1967.
2010, Don Henley reached an out-of-court settlement with Republican Senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore who used parodies of two Eagles’ hits for an election campaign without permission. ‘All She Wants To Do Is Dance’ and ‘The Boys of Summer’ were used in campaign videos on YouTube as ‘All She Wants To Do Is Tax’ and ‘Hope Of November’.
2015, Influential country producer Billy Sherrill, who worked with artists like George Jones, Charlie Rich, and Tammy Wynette and is known for pioneering the “countrypolitan” sound, died after a short illness at the age of 78. Sherrill also co-wrote many hit songs, including ‘Stand by Your Man’ (written with Tammy Wynette).
