1956, Johnnie Ray was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Just Walking In The Rain.’ It stayed at No.1 for seven weeks making it this years Christmas No.1. Written in 1952 by Johnny Bragg and Robert Riley, two prisoners at Tennessee State Prison in Nashville, after a comment made by Bragg as the pair crossed the courtyard while it was raining.
1962, The Beatles appeared at the Star Club, Hamburg, Germany, sharing the bill with Little Richard.
1965, After changing his name from Toby Tyler to Marc Bolan, the future T. Rex star performed his first single ‘The Wizard’ on the UK TV show Ready Steady Go!
1965, Velvet Underground made their live debut when the played at Summit High School, New Jersey, the band were paid $75 for the gig.
1966, The Monkees debut album started a 13-week run at No.1 on the US album chart, selling over 3 million copies in three months.
1966, Pink Floyd appeared at the Corn Exchange, Bedford, England. The set list for these early Floyd shows included: ‘Let’s Roll Another One’, ‘Gimme A Break’, ‘Interstellar Overdrive’, ‘Astronomy Domine’ and ‘Stoned Alone’. ‘Stoned Alone’ was also known as ‘I Get Stoned’, and was possibly the first song Syd Barrett wrote for Pink Floyd.
1968, UK book and record chain W.H. Smiths refused to display The Jimi Hendrix Experience album ‘Electric Ladyland’ due to the naked girls featured on the sleeve. The album was then made available as two albums with changed artwork after the complaints.
1971, Led Zeppelin appeared at The Locarno, Sunderland, England, with tickets at 75p. The set included: ‘Immigrant Song’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Black Dog’, ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’, ‘Rock And Roll’, ‘Stairway To Heaven’, ‘That’s The Way’, ‘Going To California’, ‘Tangerine’, ‘Dazed And Confused’, ‘What Is And What Should Never Be’, ‘Celebration Day’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Communication Breakdown’.
1977, The Sex Pistols went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’. the punk group’s only No.1 album. The album was met by a hail of controversy upon its release. The first problems involved the allegedly ‘obscene’ name of the album, resulting in the prosecution of the manager of the Nottingham Virgin record shop for having displayed it in a window. More outrage was sparked by the lyrics of the songs ‘God Save the Queen’ and ‘Anarchy in the UK.’
1983, Bob Dylan’s Infidels album reached its highest position when it peaked at No.9 in the UK chart. Dylan’s 22nd studio album was co-produced with Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler. Dylan had also approached Elvis Costello, David Bowie and Frank Zappa as possible producers.
1988, U2 started a six-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their sixth studio album ‘Rattle And Hum’ which went on to sell over 14 million copies.
1990, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood broke both his legs after his car crashed on the M4 motorway near Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Wood was trying to wave other cars past his when he was run over.
1997, The Spice Girls were at No.1 on the UK album chart with their second album ‘Spiceworld’, it was also the name of their tie-in film. The album became a huge hit worldwide, lengthening the so-called “Spicemania” fever at that time. It produced 4 singles all of which saw commercial success and has now sold over 20 million worldwide.
1998, Winners at the MTV Europe Awards included Madonna best female artist and album for ‘Ray Of Light’, The Spice Girls won best group, All Saints won breakthrough artist, Robbie Williams, best male artist and Natalie Imbruglia won best song with ‘Torn.’
2000, Destiny’s Child started an eleven week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Independent Women Part 1.’ Taken from the group’s third studio album, Survivor, the song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels.
2000, LeAnn Rimes sued Curb Records to void a contract signed by her parents on her behalf in 1995. In the suit the 18 year-old singer asked Curb to relinquish its rights and publishing interests in Rimes’ past work, as well as future profits.
2001, The three living former Beatles met for the last time at George Harrison’s hotel in New York City for lunch. Harrison died two weeks later at a friend’s home in Los Angeles on 29 November 2001, aged 58.
2002, Die-hard Beatles fans were enraged after Paul McCartney altered the song writing credits on his ‘Back In The US 2002’ album, changing them to McCartney and Lennon from Lennon and McCartney.
2002, The city of Atlanta declared this day as TLC day to remember Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes who was killed in a car crash on 26th April 2002 aged 30.
2003, American session drummer Tony Thompson died of cancer aged 48. He was most famous as the drummer with The Power Station along with Robert Palmer, and John Taylor and Andy Taylor of Duran Duran and Chic, whose single ‘Le Freak’ hit No.1 in the US, and No.7 in the UK. He also played on David Bowie’s hit single ‘Let’s Dance’. Thompson also played drums with Led Zeppelin (along with Phil Collins) at Live Aid in 1985.
2004, The funeral of DJ John Peel took place at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey and The White Stripes were among mourners, while Sir Elton John left a wreath of yellow roses.
2007, Former Culture Club frontman, Boy George was charged with the false imprisonment of a 28-year-old man. Police said the offence was alleged to have taken place at the 47-year-old’s home in Hackney, in London on 28 April of this year. The singer, DJ was bailed and was due to appear before Thames Magistrates’ Court on 22 November.
2008, Mitch Mitchell, the British drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience was found dead in his US hotel room aged 61. As a teenager, he starred in a children’s television programme, Jennings and Derbyshire, and starred in a leading role in the 1960 British film Bottoms Up with Jimmy Edwards. Mitchell had been working with Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames when in 1966 he was invited to audition for a new band being formed to back Jimi Hendrix. In December 1968, Mitchell played with the Dirty Mac, an all-star band assembled for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (with John Lennon, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards).
2012, A guitar signed by some of the biggest names in Manchester’s music scene sold for £6,600 in a charity auction. The Madchester Guitar, which was sold through online auction site eBay, was covered in signatures from the likes of the Stone Roses, Oasis, Elbow and Buzzcocks.
2014, After a high profile move by Taylor Swift to pull her entire back catalogue from the song-streaming service Spotify, their chief executive Daniel Ek’s defended its business model, saying it has paid out $2bn to the music industry to date.
2016, Robbie Williams broke the record for the most No.1 albums by a British solo artist. The singer’s latest album, The Heavy Entertainment Show, debuted at No.1 on this week’s chart. It is his 12th album to reach the summit and pushed him ahead of David Bowie who has 11 No.1 albums to his name.
