1959, Ray Charles recorded ‘What’d I Say’, in New York City. The song had evolved in concert as a call-and-response between Charles and his female back-up singers. It became Charles’ biggest hit to date, reaching No.1 on the R&B and No.6 on the pop charts.
1962, On weekend leave from marine training, The Everly Brothers appeared on the US Ed Sullivan show, in full uniform and with regulation cropped hair, singing their new single, ‘Crying In The Rain’.
1965, The Kinks were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Tired Of Waiting For You’, the group’s second UK No.1. According to Ray Davies, the music for ‘Tired of Waiting for You’ was written on the train to the recording studio and the words were written at a coffee shop during a break in the session.
1965, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded two new songs: John Lennon’s ‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away’ and a new Paul McCartney song ‘Tell Me What You See’.
1966, Beach Boy Brian Wilson recorded the future classic song ‘Good Vibrations’, which went on to become the band’s third US number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up “vibrations” from people, so that the dog would bark at “bad vibrations” Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.
1969, Three thousand uninvited guests showed up to see Lulu and The Bee Gees Maurice Gibb get married at St. James’ Church, Gerrard’s Cross, England. Brother Barry was the best man.
1972, On their first Australian tour, Led Zeppelin rescheduled to the following night their concert at the Memorial Drive, Adelaide, after heavy rain left the stage and equipment unsafe. Zeppelin had brought to Adelaide the largest PA system seen in Australia to produce what was expected to be the loudest rock show ever heard.
1990, Freddie Mercury made his final public appearance on stage when he joined the rest of Queen to collect the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, held at the Dominion Theatre, London, England.
1995, American guitarist Bob Stinson from The Replacements died from a drug overdose, his body was found in his Uptown, Minneapolis apartment. Founding member of The Replacements, was also a member of Static Taxi.
1998, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone Supernova guitar raised £4,600 ($7,820) in aid of Children In Need at a Bonhams auction held in London, England.
2000, An American court ordered the release of FBI files relating to John Lennon’s interests and activities including his support for the Irish Republican cause and the Workers Revolutionary Party. The British Government told the US that it wanted the files to remain secret. MI5 also had files on Lennon, which they had passed on the FBI during the 70s.
2004, Dido entered a Top 10 of the music world’s biggest earners after making £15.8 million ($26.9 million) in 2003. The singer’s second album Life For Rent was the previous years biggest selling UK album. The Rolling Stones topped the Heat magazine rich list having earned £55.3 million ($94 million) in 2003.
2004, A court case accusing Marilyn Manson of sexual assault was dismissed after the two sides reached a settlement. Security guard Joshua Keasler had sued Manson after the star allegedly put his legs around Keasler’s neck and gyrated against him on stage at a gig in Detroit, Michigan in 2001. Manson was ordered to pay $4,000 in fines and costs in the criminal proceedings.
2005, Britney Spears attacked a US magazine after it published photographs of her honeymoon without permission. Weekly publication Us printed five pages of pictures of Spears and husband Kevin Federline on holiday in Fiji. A statement from US said: “Britney should start her own magazine if she’d like to dictate her own coverage.”
2008, Carpenters fans were objecting to plans to have pop duo’s former family home in Downey, south of Los Angeles knocked down. The current owners of the house, said they objected to fans looking in the windows and leaving floral tributes. The five-bedroom house was immortalised when it featured on the cover of The Carpenters’ 1973 hit album Now & Then.
2009, Welsh songstress Duffy won three trophies at this years Brit awards, taking home Best British Female Solo Artist, British Breakthrough Act and British Album of the Year for her debut Rockferry. Kings of Leon won International Group and International Album for Only By The Night, International Male and Female Solo Artists were Kanye West and Katy Perry. British Male Solo Artist went to Paul Weller, Iron Maiden won British Live Act and Elbow won Best British Group. Outstanding Contribution to Music went to the Pet Shop Boys.
2009, Michael Jackson’s management team announced that The King Of Pop was set to auction off his American Music Award for Thriller, his Gold and Platinum records, a Rolls Royce limousine, a customized Harley Davidson, a velvet cape given to him by his children for Father’s Day in 1998, a pair of rhinestone-trimmed socks from 1981, a basketball signed by Michael Jordan and his own original artwork.
2012, Whiteny Houston had an invitation-only memorial at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Among those who performed at the funeral were Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and R. Kelly. Kevin Costner read a moving and personal Eulogy.
2013, African-American soul and R&B singer Otis Damon Harris, who was a member of The Temptations, died at the age of 62 after a 14-year battle with prostate cancer. Harris was a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1975, joining shortly after the departure of Eddie Kendricks.
2015, American singer Willie C. Jackson from Fifties doo-wop group The Spaniels died aged 79. Their 1954 hit ‘Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite’ was featured in such films as Three Men and a Baby and American Graffiti. The Spaniels became one of the first artists to sign with Vee-Jay Records, the first large, independent Afro-American owned record label.
