1955, Little Richard entered a New Orleans recording studio to begin two days of recording. Things were not going well and during a break, Richard and his producer; Bumps Blackwell went to the Dew Drop Inn for lunch. Richard started playing the piano in the bar like crazy, singing a loud and lewd version of ‘Tutti Frutti.’ With only fifteen minutes left in the session, Richard recorded the song and coined the phrase, ‘a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.’
1967, Filming continued for The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ in South West England. The Beatles searched for a quiet, secluded field in which they could conduct filming but once they’d disembarked from the bus and set up for shooting, scores of onlookers began to crowd around, causing a traffic jam that required the police to step in.
1968, Roy Orbison’s house in Nashville burnt down, his two eldest sons both died in the blaze. Orbison was on tour in the UK at the time of the accident.
1968, The first episode of the comic strip ‘The Archies’ was aired on US TV. The recording group had contributions from Ron Dante, Andy Kim, Jeff Barry and others. Rock mogul, Don Kirshner (who also brought us The The Monkees) was put in charge of the studio group. The following year The Archies started a eight-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Sugar Sugar,’ becoming the longest running One Hit Wonder in the UK.
1971, During a US tour Led Zeppelin appeared at Berkley Community Theatre, Berkley, California. Countless major acts have appeared here, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Van Morrison, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, Genesis, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Iggy Pop and David Bowie.
1974, Eric Clapton scored a US No.1 with his version of the Bob Marley song ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ which was first released in 1973 on The Wailers’ album Burnin’. Clapton’s version was included on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard.
1974, Stevie Wonder started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Fulfillingness First Finale’ his second US No.1. The album received three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, in 1974.
1979, The film Quadrophenia was released. Based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera the film featured Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and Sting.
1981, The Rolling Stones played a secret pre-tour warm-up show at the Sir Morgan’s Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches, a local radio station announced that the Stones were in town, resulting in the club being besieged by over 4,000 fans attempted to get into the 350-person venue. Police were drafted in to control the crowds, which resulted in eleven fans being arrested.
1984, David Bowie won Video of the year for ‘China Girl’ at the first MTV Video awards. The song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appeared on Pop’s album The Idiot released in 1977.
1989, Cuban bandleader and composer Perez Prado died of a stroke in Mexico City. Had the US & UK 1955 No.1 single ‘Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White’.
1994, US singer Steve Earle was sentenced to 1 year in jail after being found guilty of possession of crack cocaine.
1995, The lyrics to The Beatles song ‘Getting Better’ hand-written by Paul McCartney sold for £161,000 at a Sotheby’s auction in London.
1996, Peter Andre scored his first UK No.1 single when ‘Flava’ went to the top for one week. The English-born Australian singer’songwriter became a major television personality after taking part in the British reality TV series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!; during which he met, fell in love with and subsequently married former glamour model Jordan. The couple split in May 2009 after three and a half years of marriage.
1997, Over 2000 fans watched Pete Townshend unveil a English Heritage Blue Plaque at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair London, to mark where Jimi Hendrix had lived in 1968-69. Hendrix was the first pop star to be awarded with the plaque.
1999, It was reported that George Michael was being sued for $10m by the policeman who arrested the singer in a public lavatory. Marcelo Rodriguez claimed he was mocked in the video ‘Outside’ leaving him in physical distress.
2005, Britney Spears gave birth to a baby boy by Caesarean section. Spears and husband Kevin Federline had been taken to the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, under police escort, early in the morning.
2005, HMV stores in Canada removed Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer’s deal to only sell his new album in Starbucks after he signed an exclusive contract with the coffee giant. The chain has previously boycotted CDs by Alanis Morissette and The Rolling Stones to complain at exclusive deals.
2005, The newly refurbished Grateful Dead’s original tour bus went on display at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. The 1965 Gillig bus, which Jerry Garcia and the rest of the Dead dubbed ‘Sugar Magnolia’ was used by the band on their frequent tours across the US between 1967 and 1985. The ceiling was lined with hundreds of vintage rock posters featuring The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin and others who had visited the bus.
2008, Kings Of Leon started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Sex On Fire’ taken from the band’s fourth studio album Only by the Night.
2008, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson was one of the pilots who flew specially chartered flights after 85,000 tourists were stranded in the US, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe after Britain’s third-largest tour operator went into administration. The singer, who had worked for the airline Astraeus for nine years, took up flying during a low point in his solo career after he quit the band in 1993.
2011, It was reported that a Swedish Bob Dylan fan had been arrested for singing Bob Dylan songs outside his ex-girlfriends house. The love-sick man had also cobbled together a group of five other men to serve as vocal accompaniment for the late-night live performance, each of who donned hoodies with their hoods up. But soon after the man began to serenade his ex, who had previously taken out a restraining order against him, she called the police, leaving 50-year-old guitarist blowin in the wind. ‘I had the idea that I’d play a Bob Dylan song for her,’ the man told police. (No word on which song, unfortunately.)
2013, Kanye West was charged with battery and attempted theft over a fight with a photographer at Los Angeles Airport in July. Paparazzo Daniel Ramos sued Mr West after the singer apparently punched him and threw his camera to the ground. If found guilty, West faced a maximum penalty of six months in prison.
2014, A life-size bronze statue of singer Amy Winehouse was unveiled in Camden, north London. Her father, Mitch Winehouse, said she was “in love with Camden” and it was the place fans associated with her. Created by sculptor Scott Eaton, the statue features the Back to Black star with her hand on hip and her trademark beehive hairdo.
