1960, The Everly Brothers started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Cathy’s Clown’, which also spent seven weeks at No.1 in the UK. It became the Everly Brothers’ biggest hit single and their third and final US chart topper, selling eight million copies worldwide.
1964, Ella Fitzgerald became the first artist to have a hit with a Beatles cover when her version of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ entered the UK chart.
1970, Paul McCartney’s debut solo album, ‘McCartney’, started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart. Apart from Linda McCartney’s vocal contributions, McCartney performed (and recorded) the entire album solo. The album featured ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’, which Rod Stewart and The Faces featured on their 1971 album Long Player.
1970, The Beatles 12th and final studio album ‘Let It Be’ started a three week run at No.1 on the UK chart, featuring ‘The Long And Winding Road’, ‘Across The Universe’ and the title track.
1970, The Grateful Dead played their first gig outside the US at ‘The Hollywood Rock Music Festival’, in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffs, England.
1973, Jefferson Airplane were prevented from giving a free concert in Golden Gate Park when San Francisco authorities passed a resolution banning electronic instruments. The group later wrote ‘We Built this City’ about the ban.
1974, George Harrison announced the launch of his own record label, ‘Dark Horse.’
1978, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off their 117 show Darkness Tour at Shea’s Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York.
1979, Due to a record company dispute, Tom Petty was forced to file for bankruptcy owing $575,000. A long-running battle with his record company followed.
1982, The UK Musicians Union moved a resolution to ban synthesizers and drum rhythm machines from sessions and live concerts fearing that their use would put musicians out of work.
1987, Twelve former members of the Doobie Brothers reunited for a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The show raised $350,000 for Vietnam veterans, about two-thousand of whom attended the show for free.
1991, Photographer Michael Lavine took what would be the publicity shots for Nirvana’s Nevermind album at Jay Aaron Studios in Los Angeles. The idea for the front cover shot of the baby swimming was taken after Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies and was taken by Kirk Weddle. Several babies were used; five-month old Spencer Eldon’s photo came out best.
1992, A statement issued by Freddie Mercury’s attorneys stated that Mercury had bequeathed the majority of his estate ($17 million) to his long-time friend Mary Austin.
2000, Noel Gallagher walked out on his band Oasis during a European tour. The move was put down to a series of burst-ups with his brother Liam. The band drafted in replacement guitarist Matt Deighton for the rest of the European dates.
2002, ‘Up For Grabs’ opened at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre featuring Madonna in the lead role. The first night crowd complained that the singer was lacking in vocal power and strained to hear her lines.
2002, Winners at the 47th Ivor Novello awards included, Dido for Songwriter of the year, Best song went to U2, ‘Walk On.’ Kylie Minogue won The Dance Award and Most Performed Work and International Hit for ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.’ Hear’say won Bestselling UK single for ‘Pure And Simple’. Mick Hucknall won Outstanding Song collection and Kate Bush was awarded Outstanding Contribution to British music.
2006, The King of Sweden presented the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm recognising them as “great pioneers” of rock music. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by the daughter of drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, manager of Swedish pop group ABBA who named it after his record label, Polar Records.
2009, Amy Winehouse cancelled her appearance at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Island Records. The event, scheduled to take place on 31st May at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, had now been cancelled completely, her management said.
2010, The Rolling Stones scored their first UK No.1 album for 16 years with the re-release of their classic 1972 double LP Exile On Main Street. The album, which was first released in 1972, had been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last No.1 album was 1994’s Voodoo Lounge.
2012, Erasmus MC University Medical Center in the Netherlands announced they had drawn clear links between listening to loud music, smoking marijuana and having “risky” sex. The study, published in the Official Journal of the American Academy Of Pediatrics, revealed that young people who listened to loud music on their MP3 players were more likely to have sparked up a joint in the last month. The researchers, surveyed 944 students from inner-city vocational schools aged 15 to 25.
2014, The parents of a camera assistant who was killed after being hit by a train while shooting footage for a biopic about Gregg Allman were suing the musician and the film’s producers. The case claimed film-makers “selected an unreasonably dangerous site for the filming location” and failed to take actions to adequately protect the crew.
