1957, Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Gamblin’ Man / Putting On The Style’, the singers second UK No.1. It was the last UK No.1 to be released as a 78rpm as well as a 7′ vinyl record.
1960, Eddie Cochran was at No.1 in the UK with the single ‘Three Steps To Heaven’. The American singer had been killed three months earlier in a car crash while touring the UK.
1962, The film soundtrack to ‘West Side Story’ went to No.1 on the UK charts for the first time. It spent a total of 13 weeks at No.1 on seven different occasions.
1965, The Yardbirds appeared at The City Hall, Salisbury, England, admission 10 shillings, ($1.40).
1966, The Beatles had their tenth consecutive UK No.1 single with ‘Paperback Writer’ / ‘Rain.’ The track is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles records. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process.
1973, 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rubber Bullets’, the first of three UK No.1’s for the band, (who also had a No.1 as Hotlegs).
1973, George Harrison started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Living In The Material World’, his second US No.1. His third studio solo album was the follow-up to 1970s acclaimed All Things Must Pass and his massive charity project, The Concert For Bangladesh
1975, During his ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ tour in Vancouver, Canada, Alice Cooper fell from the stage and broke six ribs.
1976, Paul McCartney and Wings played the last date on their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles.
1984, Duran Duran started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Reflex’, the group’s first US No.1, was taken from their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
1989, George Michael received the Silver Clef Award for outstanding achievements to British Music.
1990, 13-year-old Keith Sorrentino filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Madonna, claiming he suffered nightmares and bed-wetting problems after an incident outside Madonna’s home when she allegedly flung him to the ground.
1990, Elton John had his first UK solo No.1 single with ‘Sacrifice / Healing Hands’ after achieving over 50 previous UK hits and 6 chart toppers in the US.
1990, Buddy Holly’s Gibson acoustic guitar sold for £139,658 ($237,419) in a Sotheby’s auction. The guitar was in a tooled leather case made by Holly himself.
1995, Drummer Alan White made his live debut with Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Also former Take That member Robbie Williams appeared on stage with the band during the show.
1996, Bryan Adams went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ’18-Till I Die’. Metallica went to No.1 on the US album chart with their sixth studio album ‘Load’. The album has now sold over five million copies in America alone.
2003, Diana Ross appeared in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated into taking a breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). The singer said, “If I didn’t take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail”. After the hearing, Ross asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was “a little late” for that now.
2004, Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary degree by the University of St. Andrews Scotland’s oldest University and made a “Doctor of Music.”
2009, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to one count of assault on his former girlfriend, Rihanna. The 19 year-old R&B singer was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to do six months community service. Brown had faced charges of assaulting Rihanna, 21, during a row in February. The last-minute plea deal came before a hearing at a Los Angeles court at which Rihanna was due to give evidence. The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge also ordered Brown and Rihanna to stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at entertainment industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards.
2010, 62-year-old Gregg Allman underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman had begun a series of treatments for Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman said “I changed my ways years ago, but we can’t turn back time. Every day is a gift.”
2016, American bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley who was known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing, died aged 89. With his brother Carter, he helped popularise the bluegrass genre. Stanley won new fans when his work featured in the Coen brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
