Births
1923: Ed
Cassidy (Drummer for Spirit)
1928: Maynard
Ferguson (Jazz Trumpeter)
1929: Audrey Hepburn
1937: Dick
Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour)
(Guitarist)
1938: Tyrone
Davis (R&B Singer)
1940: Ronnie Bond (Drums for The Troggs)
1941: David
LaFlamme (Violinist in It's A Beautiful Day)
1942: Nickolas
Ashford (Singer in Ashford and Simpson)
1944: Peggy
Santiglia (Singer in The Angels)
1950: Darryl Hunt (Bass for The Pogues)
1951: Bruce
Day (Bass Guitar for Santana & Pablo Cruise)
1951: Mick Mars (real name Bob Deal) (Guitar for Motley
Crue)
1959: Randy Travis (Country Singer)
1972: Gregg Alexander (Singer for New Radicals)
1972: Mike Dirnt (Bass for Green Day)
1979: Lance Bass
(*NSYNC)
Events
1886: The
graphophone, a link between the earlier gramophone and the modern phonograph,
is patented, featuring wax cylinders which conducted music better than Thomas
Edison's original tinfoil ones.
1956:
England's New Musical Express erroneously reports that "Elvin"
Presley will be performing an upcoming gig at the Palladium in London. Elvis
never plays Europe.
1957: ABC-TV
premieres Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue show, an attempt to replicate
the success of their own American Bandstand. The first show features
performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal
Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.
1959: The
very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going
to Domenico Modugno's "Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)" and Henry
Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the
Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm
and Blues Performance.
1964:
Birmingham, England musicians Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder form an R&B group
they call the Moody Blues (after Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo").
1968:
Steppenwolf makes its US television debut, performing "Born To Be
Wild" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.
1968: Twiggy,
one of the first English "supermodels," catches an 18-year-old singer
named Mary Hopkin on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and calls
friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs her to Apple and gives her one of
his songs, "Those Were The Days," to record.
1970: The US
National Guard opens fire on a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University in
Ohio, killing four unarmed students and wounding eleven more. After seeing the
photos later that week in Life magazine, Neil Young immediately writes
the song "Ohio," which Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will record the
next day. Twenty-five years later to the day, Peter Paul and Mary play a
commemorative concert at the university, performing Dylan's "Blowin' In
The Wind."
1973: Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 North
American tour, which was billed as the 'biggest and most profitable rock &
roll tour in the history of the United States'. The group would gross over $4
million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship' a Boeing 720
passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and
a white fur bedroom.
1974: Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart
with 'Waterloo', the group's first of nine UK No.1 singles was the 1974 Eurovision
song contest winner for Sweden. The song was first called 'Honey Pie'.
1976: KISS performed their first concert in their
hometown of New York City.
1985: The
legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem reopens after a massive ten-million-dollar
makeover.
1987: Paul
Butterfield (Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band) dies of a drug-related heart
failure at age 44.
1989: Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was
arrested and charged with possession of cocaine in Jersey, he was released on
$9,000 bail.
1989: Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be
his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The
guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on
Aug 27th 1989 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater
in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.
1990: In an
interview, David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie (she of the Rolling Stones song),
claims for the first time that she once walked in on her ex and Stones frontman
Mick Jagger having sex.
1991: Cher scored her first solo UK No.1 single
with 'The Shoop Shoop Song' from the film 'Mermaids'. The song had been a hit
for Betty Everett on 1964, and gave Cher her first No.1 in the UK since 1965's
'I Got You Babe'.
1991: Phil Collins and Al Jarreau received Honorary
Doctor of Music Degrees from Berklee College of Music during cermonies in
Boston.
1992: Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu (Dudu Zulu), a band
member of Johnny Clegg & Savuka, died of a gunshot wound in Zululand, South
Africa, at the age of 33.
1992:
Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke declares today "KISS Day" and presents
the band with a key to the city.
1996: Alanis Morissette started a six-week run at
No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Jagged Little Pill'.
1997: Courtney Love placed an advert in The
Seattle Times selling the house she had shared with Kurt Cobain. The five
bedroom four bathroom house was on the market for $3m. The carriage house where
Kurt Cobain died had been knocked down during refurbishment.
2004: Clement
"Coxsone" Dodd (Ska Producer) died suddenly of a heart attack while
working at the Studio.
2008: Martha
Reeves' home in Detroit is burglarized and one million dollars' worth of
recording equipment stolen. In just a few hours, the perpetrator is caught
while attempting to hock the merchandise for $400.
