1954, Bill Haley scored his first US Top ten single with ‘Shake Rattle And Roll’. He had dropped his cowboy image about a year and a half earlier, while renaming The Saddlemen to Bill Haley and His Comets. The song became the theme song for the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League. ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ was originally made popular by Big Joe Turner.
1957, Elvis Presley appeared at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, this was Presley’s last concert of the 50’s. Presley served in the United States Army between March 1958 and March 1960 and at the time of his draft he was one of the most well-known names in the world of entertainment.
1965, The final recording session for The Beatles Rubber Soul album took place, at Abbey Road, London. They needed three new songs to finish the album so an old song ‘Wait’ was pulled off the shelf and the group recorded two new songs from start to finish. Paul’s ‘You Won’t See Me’ and John’s ‘Girl’, the basic tracks for both songs being completed in two takes. Rubber Soul was completed, and finished copies of the album were in the shops by December 3 in the UK and December 6 in the US.
1969, The FBI in Phoenix, Arizona arrested Jim Morrison for drunk and disorderly conduct aboard a plane. The Doors singer who was on his way to a Rolling Stones concert with actor Tom Baker had been drinking and annoying the stewardesses. The pair spent the night in jail and were released on $2,500 bail.
1971, BBC TV’s Top Of The Pops celebrated its 400th show. The UK chart show was presented by Tony Blackburn with guests; Tom Jones, Dana, John Kongos, Cher, Slade, Cilla Black, The Piglets, Clodagh Rodgers and The Newbeats.
1972, The Allman Brothers Band bass player Berry Oakley was killed when his motorcycle hit a bus at the same intersection as former band member Duane Allman, who had died a year earlier. Oakley was 24 years old.
1972, Gilbert O’Sullivan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Clair’, the singers first of two UK No.1’s. The Irish singer songwriter would dress as a 1920s worker in flat cap, braces and baggy trousers.
1973, Thirty US radio stations broadcasted a ‘live’ Mott The Hoople concert. In reality it was the band recorded in the studio with the applause dubbed in.
1978, Donna Summer started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with her version of Jimmy Webb’s ‘MacArther Park’, also a hit for actor Richard Harris in 1968, (made No.5 in the UK). Also on this day Summer went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Live And More’.
1978, The Cars released ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’, the first picture-disc single commercially available, which went on to be a No.3 hit on the UK charts and top 40 in the US.
1978, David Bowie played the first night of his 8-date Low / Heroes tour of Australia and New Zealand at The Oval in Adelaide. This was Bowies first ever show in Australia.
1982, Prince kicked off his 87-date ‘1999’ North American tour at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
1983, Mick Jagger appeared on the UK TV show The Tube to defend the video to The Rolling Stones latest single ‘Undercover Of The Night’ which had been banned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The Tube aired the video, minus the scene where Mick was shot through the head. The single peaked at No.8 on the UK chart
1986, Pink Floyd issued a press statement stating that they intend to continue using the name without Roger Waters and were recording their next album.
1989, Chris Rea started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘The Road To Hell.’ The iconic album cover features art by the English artist, Adrian Chesterman who was also responsible for creating cover art for, amongst others, Motörhead for their 1979 ‘Bomber’ album.
1989, Lisa Stansfield was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘All Around The World’. The British singers debut solo single was a No.1 hit in 11 other countries and a No.3 hit in the US.
1990, A 21 year-old AC/DC fan died after being attacked outside the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey where the band were playing a gig that night.
1990, Ted Albert the founder of Albert Productions died from a heart attack aged 53. His Australian based company helped launch the careers of The Easybeats, John Paul Young, The Angels, Rose Tattoo and AC/DC. In recognition of his contribution to the music industry, the Australasian Performing Right Association established the annual “Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music”.
1998, Irish singer Paddy Clancy of the Clancy Brothers died aged 76, he wrote the classic Irish songs ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and ‘Carrickfergus.’
1999, Britney Spears won four MTV Awards; Best Female Singer, Best Pop Act, Best Song, ‘…Baby One More Time’, Best Breakthrough Artist. Best Rock Act went to The Offspring, Best Male Act, Will Smith and Bono won the Free Your Mind award.
2004, Coldplay fan Sarah Sainsbury wrote to the band asking for their autographs so she could sell them to raise funds at her school charity. Coldplay sent her a triple platinum disc worth over £4,000.
2004, Liza Minnelli’s former bodyguard accused the singer of forcing him to have sex with her in order to keep his job, court documents revealed. M’hammed Soumayah was suing Minnelli for $100m damages, saying she made “many repeated attempts” to compel him into sex and he “eventually succumbed”.
2004, Robbie Williams, The Rolling Stones and Queen were inducted into the UK’s first music Hall of Fame at a ceremony in London. One act had been chosen by TV viewers of a Channel 4 program to represent each decade since the 1950s. Williams represented the 1990s, Michael Jackson the 1980s, Queen the 1970s, the Rolling Stones the 1960s, and Cliff Richard the 1950s.
2009, David Gilmour received an honorary doctorate from the Anglia Ruskin University, England. Gilmour had attended Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, now part of Anglia Ruskin University, which has campuses in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and Chelmsford, Essex.
2011, The four original band members of Black Sabbath announced that they were reuniting and recording a new album followed by a world tour in 2012.
2014, Big Bank Hank (Henry Lee Jackson), from The Sugarhill Gang died aged 58 from kidney complications due to cancer. The Sugarhill Gang were the first hip hop act to have a hit with the cross-over single ‘Rapper’s Delight’ in the pop charts in 1979.
2014, A collection of dresses and outfits worn by Madonna during her career in music and film helped a celebrity auction raise $3.2m. The highest lot was a jacket from Desperately Seeking Susan, which fetched $252,000, while a gown from her Material Girl video reached $73,125. Other lots which attracted the bidders were a pair of John Lennon’s spectacles which sold for $25,000 and a ring worn by Elvis Presley for $57,600.
2015, Phil Taylor better known as “Philthy Animal” Taylor and drummer with Motorhead died aged 61. He was in the classic mark IV Motörhead line-up of Lemmy, Taylor, and Fast Eddie Clarke who recorded ten studio albums and the live album No Sleep ’til Hammersmith.
2016, The first day of an auction of art owned by David Bowie took £24.3m ($30.7m), more than double the pre-sale estimate. The 47 artworks sold at Sotheby’s in London, England had been valued at between £8.1m ($10.2m) and £11.7m ($14.8m). The most expensive lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Air Power, which went for £7.1m ($9m).
