1960 – American DJ Alan Freed was indicted along with seven others for accepting $30,650 in payola from six record companies. Two years later, he was convicted and given a suspended sentence and a $300 fine.
1967 – The Beatles held a press party at manager’s Brian Epstein’s house in London for the launch of the Sgt. Pepper album. Linda Eastman was hired as the press photographer.
1973 – Stevie Wonder went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life’. His third US No.1, won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. This song was the second single released from the album ‘Talking Book’.
1973 – Paul Simon released the single ‘Kodachrome’ named after the Kodak 35mm film Kodachrome which became a No.2 hit in the US. It was not released as a single in Britain, because the BBC would not play the trademarked name.
1976 – Rolling Stone Keith Richards crashed his car near Newport Pagnell, Bucks, after falling asleep at the wheel; marijuana and cocaine were found by the police resulting in another fine for the guitarist.
1978 – Dire Straits released their first major label single ‘Sultans Of Swing’, recorded on a £120 budget. The song was first recorded as a demo at Pathway Studios, North London, in July 1977, and quickly acquired a following after it was put on rotation at Radio London.
1979 – ABBA started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Voulez-Vous’ the group’s fourth No.1 album.
1979 – Eric Clapton held a party at his Surrey house celebrating his recent marriage to Patti Boyd. Clapton had set-up a small stage in the garden and as the evening progressed, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr ended up jamming together along with Clapton, Ginger Baker and Mick Jagger. The all-star band ran through old Little Richard and Eddie Cochran songs.
1979 – Supertramp went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Breakfast In America’, the group’s only US No.1. It featured three US Billboard hit singles: ‘The Logical Song’, ‘Goodbye Stranger’ and ‘Take the Long Way Home’.
1980 – Ringo Starr and his future wife were involved in a car crash less than half a mile from where Marc Bolan was killed, the car was a write-off but Starr and Bach were not seriously injured.
1984 – Bob Marley and the Wailers started a 12-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with the compilation album ‘Legend’, released to commemorate the third anniversary of Marley’s death.
1988 – James Brown was arrested for the fifth time in 12 months, following a car chase near his home, he was charged with assault, resisting arrest and being in charge of illegal weapons, he was given a 6 year jail sentence.
1990 – Madonna started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Vogue’. Originally planned as a B-side, it became the singers eighth US No.1 and seventh UK No.1 hit.
2001 – Mike Sammes founder of The Mike Sammes Singers died aged 73. He worked with Tom Jones, Cliff Richard and featured on The Beatles, ‘I Am the Walrus’, and ‘The Long And Winding Road.’
2007 – Lawyers for Michael Jackson dropped an effort to block an auction of the star’s personal belongings and other Jackson family items. An agreement was reached with representatives of an auctioneer, who was the current owner of the materials, and a New Jersey man who claimed to own a warehouse full of Jackson memorabilia after a failed business venture wound up in bankruptcy court.
2010 – ‘Stairway To Heaven’ was named the UK’s favourite rock song in a survey by listeners to radio station Absolute Classic Rock. Led Zeppelin had two other tracks in the top 10; ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was voted at No. 4 and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, from the group’s fourth album, was at No. 7.
2013 – A guitar played by John Lennon and George Harrison sold for $408,000 at auction. The custom-made instrument, built in 1966 by VOX was bought by an unidentified US buyer in New York. Harrison played ‘I Am the Walrus’, on the guitar in a scene from Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. Lennon used it in a video for ‘Hello, Goodbye’ later that year. After playing the guitar, Lennon gave it as a 25th birthday present to Alexis “Magic Alex” Mardas, a member of The Beatles’ inner circle in the 1960s.
2015 – Lee Ryan became the fourth and final member of Blue to declare himself bankrupt. Lee became the last member of the chart-topping boyband – who earned more than £80million after selling in excess of 15million records worldwide – to file for bankruptcy, following in the financial footsteps of his band mates Simon Webbe, Antony Costa and Duncan James.
2016 – John Berry, a founding member of rap group Beastie Boys died at the age of 52. Berry originally formed the four-piece hardcore punk band, the Young Aborigines, in 1978 who later became the Beastie Boys and came up with the name for the group.
