On This Day

October 6th
1959 - Jerry Keller
Jerry Keller was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Here Comes Summer'. A One Hit Wonder, Keller went on to be a vocalist for television jingles throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
1964 - The Beatles
The Beatles spent the afternoon recording 'Eight Days A Week' at Abbey Road studios in London. Late evening was spent at The Ad Lib Club, London, partying with The Ronettes and Mick Jagger.

1967 - The Doors
The Doors appeared at the Cal State Gymnasium, Los Angeles, California. With The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The Sunshine Company.
1967 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd appeared at the Miss Teenage Brighton Contest, Top Rank Suite, Brighton, England, playing the musical interlude during the contest.
1967 - Jimi Hendrix
The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for the UK BBC radio show 'Top Gear.' Stevie Wonder who was also appearing on the show jammed with Hendrix.
1969 - George Harrison
George Harrison's song 'Something' was released as the "A" side of a Beatles' 45, a first for Harrison. Along with Lennon and McCartney's 'Come Together', the single went on reach No.1 on the US chart the following month. Both tracks were lifted from the Abbey Road album.
1972 - David Bowie
During sessions at RCA Studios, New York City, David Bowie recorded 'The Jean Genie', which became the lead single from his 1973 album Aladdin Sane. The track spent 13 weeks in the UK charts, peaking at No.2, making it Bowie's biggest hit to date. The line "He's so simple minded, he can't drive his module" would later give the band Simple Minds their name.
1973 - Cher
Cher started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Half-Breed', the singers second US No.1. The single didn't chart in the UK.

1978 - Johnny O'Keefe
Australia’s ‘King of rock 'n' roll’ Johnny O’Keefe died aged 43 of a heart attack. He was the first Australian rock’n’roll performer to tour the United States, and Australia’s most successful chart performer, with 29 Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1974,. O’Keefe’s 1958 hit, ‘Real Wild Child’, was covered by Iggy Pop in 1986.
1979 - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin's In Through The Out Door was at No.1 on the US album chart. Six versions of the cover were released, each depicting the same bar scene photographed from one of six different angles.
1979 - Bob Dylan
'Gotta Serve Somebody' gave Bob Dylan his twelfth US top 40 hit when it entered the chart for the first time. Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the song won Dylan the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Male in 1980.
1979 - Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks, supported by Joy Division appeared at the Odeon Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, tickets £2.50
1984 - David Bowie
David Bowie scored his sixth UK No.1 album with 'Tonight', featuring the single 'Blue Jean'.
1991 - Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson gave away the bride at Elizabeth Taylor's seventh wedding, held at Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The Groom was construction worker Larry Fortensky, whom Taylor would divorce in 1997.
1998 - David Bowie
A music industry poll was published by London Magazine 'Time Out', naming the top stars from the past 30 years. 5th place was Marvin Gaye, 4th; James Brown, 3rd; Bob Marley, 2nd; The Beatles and first place went to David Bowie
1999 - Tina Turner
Winners at The Mobo Awards included Kele Le Roc, for best newcomer and best single. Shanks & Bigfoot won best dance act. TLC won best video for 'No Scrubs'. Lauryn Hill, won best International act and Tina Turner won a Lifetime Achievement Award.
2000 - Busta Rhymes
Manhattan Supreme Court sentenced rapper Busta Rhymes to five years probation after pleading guilty to a gun possession charge.
2004 - Britney Spears
Britney Spears threw a full cup of cola over a photographer. The snapper was waiting to take pictures of the singer and her new husband outside a subway take-away shop in Malibu, California.
2005 - The Rolling Stones
A The Rolling Stones concert at the University of Virginia, in the US, was halted eight songs into the show at the Scott Stadium after police received a bomb threat targeting the stage area. A 45-minute police sweep of the area found nothing unusual, and the band completed the show. The Stones were touring to promote their latest album, 'A Bigger Bang.'

2007 - Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen was being sued for $850,000 (£415,973) by a man who claimed he backed out of a contract to buy a horse. Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa were both named in legal documents filed in Florida by Todd Minikus. He claimed the couple pulled out of a deal to pay $650,000 (£358,097) for a horse, named Pavarotti.
2007 - Queen
Queen's groundbreaking promo for their 1975 hit Bohemian Rhapsody was named the UK's best music video in a survey of music fans. Out of 1,051 adults polled by O2, 30% named the six-minute video, (which took only three hours to shoot and cost a mere £3,500 to make), their favourite.

2010 - John Lennon
A set of John Lennon's fingerprints were seized by the FBI from a New York memorabilia dealer who intended to sell them for $100,000 (£62,621) minimum bid. The prints were taken at a New York police station in 1976 when Lennon applied for permanent US residence. The bureau believed the card was still government property and was investigating how it landed in private hands.

2011 - Starship
Starship's 'We Built This City' was named 'the worst song of the 1980s' in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine. 'The Final Countdown' by the Swedish band Europe came in second and 'Lady in Red' by Chris de Burgh was third. Also making the top five were Wham!'s 'Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)' and 'The Safety Dance' by Men Without Hats.
2016 - Rod Temperton
The death of English songwriter, record producer, and musician Rod Temperton was announced. He initially made his mark as the keyboardist and main songwriter for the R&B funk/disco band Heatwave. Temperton was recruited by Quincy Jones to write songs for Michael Jackson, including 'Thriller', 'Off the Wall', and 'Rock with You'.

Yeah Pogue, very sad. A great eccentric and a spectacular drummer. Won't see his like again. RIP Ginger...

https://youtu.be/IKAmznY8NZs

October 8th
1964 - The Beatles
Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded their next single ‘She's a Woman’ in seven takes plus overdubs, recording the song from start to finish in five hours.

1964 - Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Oh Pretty Woman', his third UK No.1. The title was inspired by Orbison's wife Claudette interrupting a conversation to announce she was going out; when Orbison asked if she was okay for cash, his co-writer Bill Dees interjected "A pretty woman never needs any money."
1965 - Bruce Springsteen
The Florescents supported by The Castiles, which featured a young singer called Bruce Springsteen appeared at the I.B. Club in Howell, New Jersey. This was The Castiles first publicly advertised nightclub appearance. Admission was $1.00.
1965 - The Rolling Stones
During a UK The Rolling Stones appeared at The ABC, Stockton on Tees. Also on the bill, Spencer Davis Group, Unit Four + 2, The Checkmates, The End, and Charles Dickens and The Habits.

1966 - Cream
Cream drummer Ginger Baker collapsed during a gig at Sussex University, England after playing a 20 minute drum solo. He later recovered in a local hospital.
1967 - Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Brown and John's Children all appeared at the Saville Theatre in London, England.
1969 - David Bowie
David Bowie played the first of a 10 date tour supporting Humble Pie at Coventry Theatre, Coventry, England. Fronted by former Small Faces singer Steve Marriott and featuring Bowies old school friend Peter Frampton. Frampton’s father, Owen taught Art at Beckenham Technical School were Bowie was a pupil. Another of his pupils was George Underwood, who became a painter and designed three David Bowie album covers, Space Oddity, Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust.
1971 - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin II was enjoying its 100th week on the UK album charts. It was the band's first album to hit No.1 in the US, knocking The Beatles' Abbey Road twice from the top spot, where it remained for seven weeks. When first released the album had advance orders of 400,000 copies in the USA, (the advertising campaign was built around the slogan Led Zeppelin II Now Flying).
1977 - David Soul
One half of TV cop show "Starsky & Hutch" (he was blonde Hutch), David Soul was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Silver Lady', his second and last UK No.1 single.
1987 - Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His film biography, Hail, Hail Rock & Roll also premiered on the same night.

1987 - ZZ Top
The three members from ZZ Top made advance bookings for seats on the first passenger flight to the Moon. The boys are still waiting for confirmation of the trip.
1988 - U2
On their 12th single release, U2 scored their first UK No.1 with 'Desire.' The track which was also a US No.3 hit was taken from their album 'Rattle And Hum.'

1988 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of The Moon finally left Billboard's Hot 200 Album Chart after a record breaking 741 weeks.
1992 - Elvis Presley
The US Postal Service issued a set of commemorative stamps to celebrate pop music legends. The stamps included Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Otis Redding Ritchie Valens, Clyde McPhatter and Dinah Washington.
2000 - Radiohead
Radiohead started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart their fourth studio album 'Kid A'. The album became the first Radiohead release to debut at No.1 in the US.
2003 - Chris Martin
Coldplay singer Chris Martin asked Australian police to drop a charge of malicious damage after allegedly attacking a photographer's car. Martin was charged in July after breaking a windscreen with a rock after being photographed surfing. Martin did not appear in court at Byron Bay, New South Wales, when his lawyer, Megan Cusack, asked for the charge to be dropped.
2004 - Britney Spears
Britney Spears split with the manager who had guided her career since she was 13 years old. Larry Rudolph said he and the singer had "mutually agreed not to renew their nine-year management relationship".
2006 - The Killers
The Killers started a three week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Sam's Town' the US bands second album.

2007 - Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys were named the best act in the world at this year's Q Awards held in London. Best album went to Amy Winehouse for Back to Black and Muse won Best live act. The icon of the year went to Sir Paul McCartney, former Blur frontman Damon Albarn took the prize for inspiration, Classic songwriter award went to Billy Bragg and Lifetime achievement award went to Johnny Marr. The late Tony Wilson, founder of Manchester's Factory Records was named Q's hero.

2012 - The Beatles
Record label bosses at EMI recalled a vinyl, anniversary edition of The Beatles' hit single 'Love Me Do' after discovering they had accidentally pressed a version that included session musician Andy White playing drums instead of Ringo Starr. Copies of the disc featuring the wrong version were reportedly selling on eBay.

2013 - Philip Chevron
Philip Chevron, the guitarist with Irish folk-punk band The Pogues, died of cancer aged 56. He formed punk band The Radiators From Space in 1976 before joining The Pogues, who became best known for their 1987 Christmas hit single 'Fairytale of New York' featuring Kirsty MacColl.
2015 - Jim Diamond
Scottish singer-songwriter Jim Diamond died at the age of 64. His first hit was 'I Won't Let You Down' (1982), as the lead singer in the trio PhD, and the solo hit 'I Should Have Known Better', a UK No.1 hit in 1984.

1969 - Top of the Pops

I remember the furore over this record.

I did have a pic cover of this single showing Jane Birkin in the nude 🤗

October 10th
1902 - The Gibson Mandolin Guitar Company
The Gibson Mandolin guitar company was formed. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and in 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model made in 1952.
1939 - The Beatles
The real Eleanor Rigby died in her sleep of unknown causes at the age of 44. The 1966 Beatles' song that featured her name wasn't written about her, as Paul McCartney's first draft of the song named the character Miss Daisy Hawkins. Eleanor Rigby's tombstone was noticed in the 1980s in the graveyard of St. Peter's Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, a few feet from where McCartney and Lennon had met for the first time in 1957.

1956 - Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley's 'Love Me Tender' entered the US chart for a 19 week stay, peaking at No.1 for 5 weeks. The song, from Presley's first film of the same name, was adapted from the tune "Aura Lee", written in 1861.
1959 - The Quarry Men
The Quarry Men played at the Casbah Coffee Club, Liverpool. Ken Brown, suffering from a heavy cold was unable to perform and after the show, an argument started when Paul McCartney said that Brown should not get a share of the performance fee since he had not performed. Lennon and Harrison side with McCartney and Brown quits The Quarry Men.

1964 - The Beatles
During a UK tour The Beatles appeared at De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Ringo Starr drove himself to the venue after taking delivery of a brand new Facel Vega, apparently reaching speeds of 140 MPH on the M6 motorway.

1969 - King Crimson
King Crimson released their debut studio album In the Court of the Crimson King on Island Records in England and Atlantic Records in America. Rolling Stone named In the Court of the Crimson King the second greatest progressive rock album of all time, behind Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.
1970 - Sounds
The first issue of Sounds the British music paper was published. It was intended to be a weekly rival to titles such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express and was well known initially for giving away posters in the centre of the paper. Sounds closed on April 6, 1991.
1970 - Carpenters
The Carpenters were at No.2 on the US singles chart with 'We've Only Just Begun.' The song was originally recorded by Smokey Roberds, under the name "Freddie Allen", and was used in a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in 1970.

1970 - Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were at No.1 on the UK chart with their second album 'Paranoid.' The album which contains some of the band's best-known signature songs, including the title track, 'Iron Man' and 'War Pigs' is now regarded as one of the classic Heavy Metal albums.
1970 - Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Cracklin' Rosie', his first No.1 as an artist. Diamond who had spent his early career as a songwriter in the Brill Building, wrote the 1966 No.1 hit 'I'm A Believer' for The Monkees.

1978 - Steve Tyler
Joe Perry and Steve Tyler from Aerosmith were injured after a cherry bomb was thrown on stage during a gig in Philadelphia. The group performed behind a safety fence for the rest of the tour.

1978 - Lene Lovich
The second Stiff Records UK tour kicked off featuring; Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewie, Rachel Sweet, Lene Lovich and Micky Jupp. The UK tour was undertaken by train, and then continued on to the USA, without Jupp, who was afraid of flying.
1979 - Bette Midler
The Rose, starring Bette Midler as a self-destructive 1960s Rock star, (transparently based on Janis Joplin) premiered in Los Angeles. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Frederic Forrest), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Bette Midler, in her screen debut), Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
1980 - John Bonham
The funeral took place of Led Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham ‘Bonzo’ was found dead at guitarists Jimmy Page's house of what was described as asphyxiation, after inhaling his own vomit after excessive vodka consumption, (40 shots in 4 hours) aged 32.
1981 - The Police
The Police went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Ghost In The Machine', the bands third No.1 LP.

1987 - Whitesnake
Whitesnake went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Here I Go Again', a No.9 hit in the UK in 1987.
1992 - R.E.M.
R.E.M. scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Automatic For The People', featuring the singles 'Drive', 'Everybody Hurts', 'Man On The Moon' and 'The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.'

1999 - Elvis Presley
A charity auction selling Elvis Presley's belongings was held at The Grand Hotel, Las Vegas. A wristwatch sold for $32,500, a cigar box $25,000, an autographed baseball sold for $19,000, and a 1956 Lincoln Continental sold for $250,000.
1999 - Christina Aguilera
US teenager Christina Aguilera went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Genie In A Bottle.' The song spent 5 weeks at No.1 on the US chart and won Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy for the year.
2000 - Britney Spears
Britney Spears made her UK live debut when she played the first of three sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena.
2002 - Ian Brown
Twelve protesters dressed as monkeys picketed outside the north Wales holiday home of former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown. The demonstrators argued Brown, was selling the five-bedroom house, in the small village of Llithfaen on the Llyn Peninsula for an inflated price - £150,000 - which local people could not afford. The monkey costumes worn by the anonymous protesters, referred to the name of Brown's recent solo album 'Unfinished Monkey Business.'
2007 - Sting
Sting topped a list of the worst lyricists ever, for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in The Police tune "Don't Stand So Close to Me," quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ("If You Love Someone Set Them Free"), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare. The survey in Blender magazine placed Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3 and Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at No. 4 saying Gallagher "seemed incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse."

2009 - Boyzone
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately died suddenly at the age of 33 while on holiday in Majorca. Spanish police said there were no signs of suspicious circumstances, but the cause of death was not yet known. Gately was on holiday with his long-term partner Andy Cowles.
2010 - Solomon Burke
American preacher and singer Solomon Burke died at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport while on a plane from Washington Dulles Airport that had just landed. Known as the king of rock & soul, he had a string of hits including 1961 US No.24 single 'Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms', and the 1963 US No.1 R&B hit, 'Got To Get You Off My Mind'.
2013 - Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney and his band surprised New Yorkers by performing songs from his “New” album in a short impromptu free concert to roughly 3,000 people on a long truck parked in the middle of Times Square.

2014 - Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was named Billboard's Woman of the Year 2014, making her the first artist to receive the award twice. The award goes to the female artist who "has shaped and inspired the music industry with her success, leadership and innovation" over the last year.

2015 - Steve Mackay
American tenor saxophone player Steve Mackay who worked with the Stooges, Violent Femmes, Snakefinger, Commander Cody and others died from sepsis at a hospital in Daly City, California at the age of 66.

Born Today In Music
October 10th
1943 - Denis D'Ell
Denis D'Ell, The Honeycombs, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Have I The Right'). Died on 6th July 2005.
1945 - Alan Cartwright
Alan Cartwright, Procol Harum, 1967 UK No.1 & US No.5 single 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' (one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies) and scored the hits 'Homburg', 'Conquistador'.
1945 - Jerry Lacroix
Jerry Lacroix, from jazz-rock American music group Blood Sweat & Tears. They scored the 1969 US No.2 single 'Spinning Wheel', and the 1969 US No.12 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy'. They had a US No.1 with their second album Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968.
1946 - John Prine
John Prine, singer, songwriter, 1971 Vietnam War song 'Sam Stone' from the album 'John Prine.'
1948 - Cyril Neville
Cyril Neville, vocals, percussion, The Neville Brothers, (1989 UK No.47 single 'With God On Our Side').
1951 - Keith Grimes
Keith Grimes, guitarist, Eva Cassidy. (Only artist to score three posthumous UK No.1 albums, 2001 'Songbird', 2002 'Imagine', 2003 'American Tune'. 2001 UK No. 42 single 'Over The Rainbow').
1952 - Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy and star of MTV The Osbournes TV Show.
1953 - Midge Ure
Midge Ure, Scottish musician and singer-songwriter. First joined Slik, (1976 UK No.1 'Forever And Ever'), Rich Kids, (1978 UK No.24 'Rich Kids'), Visage and then Ultravox, (1981 UK No.2 'Vienna'). Ure co-wrote and produced the 1985 charity single Do They Know It's Christmas? which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. His 1985 solo debut album The Gift featured the UK No.1 'If I Was'.
1955 - David Lee Roth
American rock vocalist, songwriter David Lee Roth who with Van Halen had the 1984 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Jump' and the solo, 1988 hit single 'Just Like Paradise'. Van Halen's 1978 debut album has sold more than twelve million copies.
1955 - Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker, US country singer, 1991 Country Music Association singer of the year. Best known for her debut hit 'Delta Dawn' which she released when she was 13. She has topped the US country music charts 10 times. Starred in her own fly-on-the-wall TV show, Tuckerville, in 2005.
1959 - Kirsty MacColl
Kirsty MacColl, UK singer, songwriter, who had the 1985 UK No.7 single 'A New England', and the 1987 UK No.2 single with The Pogues .

October 12th
1955 - Chrysler
The Chrysler Corporation launched high fidelity record players for their 1956 line-up of cars. The unit measured about four inches high and less than a foot wide and was mounted under the instrument panel. The seven inch discs spun at 16 2/3 rpm and required almost three times the number of grooves per inch as an LP. The players were discontinued in 1961.
1957 - Little Richard
During an Australian tour, Little Richard publicly renounced rock 'n' roll and embraced God, telling a story of dreaming of his own damnation after praying to God when one of the engines on a plane he was on caught fire. The singer threw four diamond rings, valued at $8,000, into Sydney's Hunter River and soon after launched a Gospel career. Five years later, he would switch back to Rock.

1965 - The Beatles
The Beatles began recording their sixth UK album, Rubber Soul recording takes of new songs 'Run For Your Life' and 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'.
1968 - Janis Joplin
Big Brother And The Holding Company went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Cheap Thrills'. The cover, drawn by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, replaced the band's original idea, a picture of the group naked in bed together. Crumb had originally intended his art to be the LP's back cover, but Joplin demanded that Columbia Records use it for the front cover. Initially the album title was to have been Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills, but this didn't go down too well at Columbia Records.
1969 - Paul McCartney
A DJ on Detroit's WKNR radio station received a phone call telling him that if you play The Beatles 'Strawberry Fields Forever' backwards, you hear John Lennon say the words "I buried Paul." This started a worldwide rumour that Paul McCartney was dead.

1971 - Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent (Vincent Eugene Craddock), died from a perforated ulcer, aged 36. Had the 1956 US No.7 & UK No.16 single 'Be Bop A Lula'. Appeared in the film, The Girl Can't Help It with Jayne Mansfield. In 1960, while on tour in the UK, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran.

1974 - Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut album 'Rollin.' The album included three British chart hits 'Remember', 'Shang-a-Lang', 'Summerlove Sensation') and the debut of 'Saturday Night', never a British hit yet a No.1 smash in America.
1974 - Blondie
Blondie appeared at CBGB’s in New York City, under the name Blondie for the first time. The name is derived from comments made by truck drivers who catcalled "Hey, Blondie" to Harry as they drove by.

1975 - Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart and the Faces made their final live appearance when they played at Nassau Coliseum, Long Island.

1978 - Sid Vicious
Whilst living at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, Sex Pistol Sid Vicious called the police to say that someone had stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. He was arrested and charged with murder and placed in the detox unit of a New York prison. Vicious died of a heroin overdose before the case went to trial.

1979 - Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac their twelfth album Tusk, an experimental set of songs that cost the band over $1 million to record. The double album peaked at No.4 in the US and achieved sales in excess of two million copies, spawning two Top Ten singles, 'Sara' and the title track. It reached No.1 in the UK and achieved Platinum status.
1985 - Ricky Wilson
Ricky Wilson of the B-52's died of complications from aids. The B-52's, had the 1990 UK No.2 & US No.3 single 'Love Shack'.
1985 - Jennifer Rush
Jennifer Rush was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Power Of Love'. The song stayed at No.1 for five weeks and became the biggest selling single of the year and the biggest single ever for a woman in the UK. Celine Dion enjoyed a No.1 US hit with her version in 1993.
1991 - Mick Hucknall
Simply Reds fourth album 'Stars' went to No.1 on the UK chart for the first of five times, featuring the singles 'Thrill Me', 'For Your Babies' and the title track 'Stars.' The album became the biggest seller of 1991 and 1992 in the UK spending 134 week's on the chart.
1994 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd played the first of a 15-night run at Earls Court, London, England. Less than a minute after the band had started playing 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', a scaffolding stand holding 1200 fans, collapsed, throwing hundreds of people 20 feet to the ground. It took over an hour to free everyone from the twisted wreckage, ninety-six people were injured, with 36 needing hospital treatment. Six were detained overnight with back, neck and rib injuries. Pink Floyd sent a free T-shirt and a note of apology to all the fans who had been seated in the stand that collapsed. The show was immediately cancelled and re-scheduled. More on concert accidents
1997 - John Denver
John Denver was killed when the handmade, experimental airplane he was flying ran out of gas and crashed off the coast of Monterey Bay, California. The 53 year old star had scored 15 songs on Billboard's Top 40 Pop chart, ten of which reached number one on either Billboard's Adult Contemporary or Country chart. The Great Gig In The Sky
1999 - Bee Gees
The island of their birth, The Isle Of Man, issued six stamps honouring The Bee Gees. Their mother had run a local post office on the island.

2005 - Tommy Lee
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee suffered minor burns at a concert in Casper, Wyoming during a pyrotechnics explosion. Lee was treated at a local hospital for the injuries to his arm and face, which occurred while he was suspended from a wire 30 feet above the stage.
2005 - Midge Ure
Singer and Live Aid co-founder Midge Ure received an honorary degree from Dundee's University of Abertay. He said: "Having left school at the age of 15, I never expected to receive such an accolade."
2008 - Oasis
Oasis went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Dig Out Your Soul' the band's seventh and final studio album.
2014 - George Ezra
British singer-songwriter George Ezra was at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut studio album Wanted on Voyage which became the third best-selling album of 2014 in the UK. The album's title is a reference to the sticker used on the suitcase of Paddington Bear, who was Ezra's hero when he was a child.
2016 - David Bowie
David Bowie and Prince were both new entries in the latest list of top-earning dead celebrities compiled by Forbes. Prince's pre-tax income from 1 October 2015 to 1 October 2016 was estimated at $25m (£20.5m) by the business magazine, putting him fifth in the list. Bowie, meanwhile, was ranked at 11th for an estimated income of $10.5m (£8.5m). Both, however, are dwarfed by Michael Jackson who topped the list once again with a record-breaking estimated income of $825m (£672.8m).

Born Today In Music
October 12th
1935 - Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti, Italian singer, (1990 UK No.2 single 'Nessun Dorma', 1990 UK No.1 album 'The Essential Pavorotti', spent 72 weeks on the UK chart). He died on 6 September 2007.
1935 - Sam Moore
Sam Moore, singer, (Sam & Dave, 1964 UK No.24 & 1967 US No.2 single 'Soul Man').
1942 - Melvin Franklin
Melvin Franklin, vocals, The Temptations, (1971 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Just My Imagination' and re-issued 'My Girl' UK No.2 in 1992). He died on 23rd February 1995.

1948 - Rick Parfitt
Rick Parfitt, singer, guitarist with Status Quo. The group have had over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock band, including 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' in 1967, 'Whatever You Want' in 1979 and 'In the Army Now' in 2010. Twenty-two of these reached the Top 10 in the UK. In July 1985 the band opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with 'Rockin' All Over the World'. Parfitt died on 24th Dec 2016 in hospital in Marbella, Spain aged 68.

1955 - Pat Dinizio
American singer, songwriter Pat Dinizio, founder member of The Smithereens. Dinizio also released a number of solo albums. In 2000, DiNizio made an unsuccessful run for the New Jersey seat of the United States Senate, running on the Reform Party ticket. He finished 4th. He died on December 12, 2017.
1955 - Jane Siberry
Jane Siberry, Canadian singer, songwriter, (1989 album 'Bound By The Beauty').
1956 - David Letts
David Letts, from English punk rock band The Damned, who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Eloise'.
1960 - Bob Mould
American musician Bob Mould, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for alternative rock bands Husker Du in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s.
1966 - Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy, Irish singer, songwriter, worked with Van Morrison band & solo, (1996 UK No.27 single 'Life, Love and Happiness', 1996 UK No.19 album 'A Better Man'). Appeared on Broadway in The River Dance.
1969 - Dixie Chicks
Martie Maguire, multi-instrumentalist with Dixie Chicks. With sales of 27.2 million albums in the US alone, they have become the top selling all-female band and biggest selling country group in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era (1991–present). Maguire formed Court Yard Hounds with her sister and fellow Dixie Chick Emily Robison.

October 13th
1962 - Don Everly
Don Everly collapsed during rehearsals on stage at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on the eve of a 22 date Everly Brothers UK tour. He was flown back to the US for treatment and the tour continued with Phil Everly performing solo.
1963 - The Beatles
The Beatles made their debut on ITV's 'Sunday Night at The London Palladium', topping the bill and transmitted live to an audience of 15 million viewers. They played, 'From Me To You', 'She Loves You', 'Twist and Shout' and 'I'll Get You.'

1965 - The Who
The Who recorded 'My Generation' at Pye studios, London. When released as a single it reached No.2 on the UK chart, held off the No.1 position by The Seekers 'The Carnival Is Over'. Roger Daltrey would later say that he stuttered the lyrics to try to fit them to the music. The BBC initially refused to play the song because it did not want to offend people who stutter.

1970 - Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin's ashes were scattered at Stinson Beach in Marin County, California. The singer had been found dead on the floor beside her bed at the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood California on 4th Oct. The official cause of death was an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.
1973 - The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Goats Head Soup' the group's fourth US No.1.

1974 - Ed Sullivan
TV host Ed Sullivan died. Leader of the Ed Sullivan Singers and Orchestra. Introduced The Beatles and other UK acts to America via his Ed Sullivan TV show, from New York City, which ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971, on CBS every Sunday night at 8pm. The Beatles appearance on February 9th 1964 is considered a milestone in American pop culture and the beginning of the British Invasion in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers.
1977 - The Orlons
32 year old Shirley Brickley of The Orlons was shot and killed by an intruder in her Philadelphia home. The Orlons had five US Top 20 hits in the 60’s including ‘The Wah Watusi’, ‘Don't Hang Up’ and ‘South Street’. The Orlons provided back-up vocals on Dee Dee Sharp's 1962 hit ‘Mashed Potato Time’ and Dee Dee Sharp's second hit, ‘Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)’.
1979 - Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough', his second US solo No.1, a No.3 hit in the UK.
1979 - The Police
'Reggatta De Blanc' the second album from The Police started a four-week run at No.1 in the UK. The album which features the band's first two No.1 hits, 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Walking on the Moon', cost only £6,000 to record.

1984 - Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Just Called To Say I Love You', his 7th US No.1, also No.1 in the UK.

1984 - Brian Eno
U2 scored their second UK No.1 album with 'The Unforgettable Fire.' The album was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and featured the single 'Pride (In The Name Of Love').

1990 - George Michael
George Michael went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Praying For Time', his 6th US solo No.1, and his the last solo single to occupy the top of the chart in the US.
2000 - Toni Braxton
UK newspaper The Mirror reported that Toni Braxton had pulled out of this years US Mobo awards after one of her breast implants had exploded. A spokesman for her Arista record label said "We don't comment on our artistes personal lives."
2001 - Peter Doyle
Australian singer songwriter Peter Doyle died of throat cancer aged 52. Solo artist and a member of The New Seekers. Scored the hits, ‘What Have They Done To My Song Ma’, ‘Never Ending Song of Love’ and ‘I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing’ with The New Seekers.
2002 - Celine Dion
UK rock band Muse took legal action against Celine Dion after she announced her forthcoming Las Vegas show would be called 'Muse'. Singer Matt Bellamy from the band said 'We don't want anyone to think we're Celine Dion's backing band.'
2002 - Will Young
Will Young went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut album 'From Now On.' Young came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise. His debut single, 'Anything is Possible', was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the United Kingdom.
2004 - The Isley Brothers
The US Internal Revenue Service charged 63-year-old Ronald Isley, lead singer of the Isley Brothers, with tax evasion for failing to report income from royalties and performances by the band between 1997 and 2002. He was later found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.
2008 - Ringo Starr
In a video message on his website, Ringo Starr announced that he no longer has time to sign autographs and asked fans not to send him any mail at all. "No more fan mail and no objects to be signed. Nothing." After finishing a tour of the US and Canada, he was dividing his time between Los Angeles, the South of France and his UK home in Surrey.

2009 - Al Martino
Al Martino, a Pop crooner who scored over 10 hits including 'I Love You Because', 'Spanish Eyes' and 'I Love You More And More Every Day', died at the age of 82. He was often remembered for playing the Frank Sinatra type role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather. Martino was at No.1 on the first ever UK pop chart published on 8th Nov 1952 by the New Musical Express.
2011 - Maroon 5
American band Maroon 5 were on the top 10 of the UK singles chart with Moves Like Jagger, featuring Christina Aguilera. Its lyrics referred to a male's ability to impress a female with his dance moves, which he compared to those of Mick Jagger. The video featured old video footage of Jagger and his iconic dance moves. Moves Like Jagger was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards.

2012 - Eric Clapton
An oil painting by the German artist Gerhard Richter which was owned by Eric Clapton sold for £21m ($34m) - an auction record for a work by a living artist. Clapton was set to give the money to the Crossroads Centre drug and alcohol rehabilitation center founded by the guitarist in Antigua.
2016 - Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win the prestigious award. The 75-year-old rock legend received the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

Born Today In Music
October 13th
1940 - Chris Farlowe
Chris Farlowe, singer, (1966 UK No.1 single 'Out Of Time', which was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).
1941 - Paul Simon
Paul Simon, singer, songwriter, (1970 UK & US No.1 single with Simon and Garfunkel, 'Bridge Over Trouble Water.' The duo's 1970 album 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' spent 307 weeks on the UK chart). Solo, (1986 UK No.4 single 'You Can Call Me Al', 1986 UK No.1 album Graceland spent 115 weeks on the UK chart).
1944 - Robert Lamm
American keyboardist, singer and songwriter Robert Lamm, with Chicago, who had the 1976 UK & US No.1 single 'If You Leave Me Now'. The band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois as The Chicago Transit Authority before shortening the name in 1970. Lamm wrote many of the band's biggest hits, including 'Questions 67 & 68', 'Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?', '25 or 6 to 4', and 'Harry Truman'. Chicago have had five consecutive No.1 albums on the Billboard chart and 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
1947 - Sammy Hagar
American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter Sammy Hagar who came to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose. He replaced David Lee Roth of Van Halen in 1985 and left the band in 1996. He founded the Cabo Wabo Tequila brand and restaurant chain, as well as Sammy's Beach Bar Rum.
1948 - John Ford Coley
John Ford Coley, England Dan & John Ford Coley, (1976 US No. 2 & UK No. 26 single, 'I'd Really Love To See You Tonight.)'
1948 - Peter David Spencer
Peter David Spencer, from English rock band Smokie who had the 1975 UK No.3 single 'If You Think You Know How To Love Me'. Their most popular hit single was 'Living Next Door to Alice'.
1950 - Simon Nicol
Simon Nicol, guitar, Fairport Convention, (1969 UK No.21 single 'Si Tu Dois Partir').

1959 - Gerry Darby
Gerry Darby, Carmel, (1983 UK No.15 single 'Bad Day').
1959 - Marie Osmond
American singer, actress, doll designer Marie Osmond, who is part of The Osmonds family. She had the 1973 US No.5 & UK No.2 single 'Paper Roses'. She and her singer brother Donny Osmond hosted the television variety show Donny & Marie.
1962 - Rob Marche
Rob Marche, guitarist with British new wave group Jo Boxers, who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Boxer Beat'.
1968 - Carlos Mar
Carlos Mar’n, from the multi-national classical crossover vocal group Il Divo. Their 2004 self-titled album, was No.1 in 14 countries around the world.
1970 - Paul Potts
Paul Potts, Welsh singer who became the winner of the first series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent, (2007 UK No.1 album 'One Chance').
1980 - Ashanti
Ashanti Douglas, (2002 US No.1 single 'Foolish', 2002 US No.1 album, Ashanti').

October 14th
1957 - The Everly Brothers
Although it was banned by some US radio stations for its suggestive lyrics, The Everly Brothers had their first No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Wake Up Little Susie', (a No.2 hit in the UK).
1959 - Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mack The Knife'. From Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, the song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1960.
1965 - Spencer Davis
The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group, Unit 4 Plus 2, The Checkmates, The Habit, The End and Charlie Dickins all appeared at The Odeon, Birmingham during a UK tour.

1966 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd played their first ever "underground" set when they appeared at All Saints Hall, Notting Hill, London, UK.
1967 - The Monkees
The second series of The Monkees TV show started on BBC TV in the UK. Plans for the shows to be screened in colour were dropped, so it was aired in black & white.
1968 - Jackson Five
The Jackson Five make their national TV debut on 'ABC TV's Hollywood Palace.
1969 - Frank Sinatra
Police in New Jersey issued a warrant for the arrest of Frank Sinatra in relation to his connections with the Mafia.

1971 - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Music publishing firm, Arco Industries filed a $500,000 dollar lawsuit against Creedence Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty, claiming that Fogerty's song Travelin' Band "contained substantial material copied from Little Richard's Good Golly, Miss Molly". The suit was eventually dropped.

1972 - Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Ben', his first solo No.1. which was also a a No.7 hit in the UK.
1977 - David Bowie
David Bowie released his twelfth studio album Heroes, the second installment of his Berlin Trilogy with Brian Eno (the other releases being Low and Lodger). Heroes continued the ambient experiments of Bowie's previous album Low (released earlier that year) and featured the contributions of guitarist Robert Fripp. The album was later named NME Album of the Year.
1988 - Def Leppard
Def Leppard became first act in chart history to sell seven million copies of two consecutive LPs, with Pyromania (their third studio album released in 1983) and Hysteria, (which became the band's best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, and spawning six hit singles).

1990 - Leonard Bernstein
Multi-Emmy and Grammy award-winning American composer, pianist and conductor, Leonard Bernstein died of pneumonia. Composed music for the 1957 musical 'West Side Story', and 'On The Waterfront'. Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic aged 25 and wrote three symphonies, two operas, five musicals, and numerous other pieces.
1996 - The Rolling Stones
28 years after its creation, The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus was finally released. The 1968 event put together by The Stones comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included performaces by The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards. It was originally planned to be aired on BBC TV.

2004 - Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton was suspended from driving in France after being caught speeding at 134mph in his Porsche 911 Turbo near Merceuil. He was given a 750 euro (£515) fine and his UK licence was confiscated. After paying his fine Clapton posed for photographs with French police and then left the scene in his Porsche - with his secretary behind the wheel.
2006 - Freddy Fender
Freddy Fender, the Tex-Mex singer died of complications from lung cancer at the age of 69. Known for standards as ‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls’ (US No.1 in 1975) and ‘Wasted Days and Wasted Nights’.
2007 - TI
US rapper TI was arrested and charged with weapons offences just hours before he was due to perform and collect two awards at the BET Hip-Hop gala in Atlanta. The 27-year-old was arrested in a car park on suspicion of collecting machine guns and silencers bought for him by his bodyguard. His award for CD of the Year was accepted by rapper Common, who jointly won the prize with TI.
2008 - Ray Lowry
Illustrator and rock cartoonist Ray Lowry died. He contributed illustrations for NME, Punch, Private Eye and The Guardian and designed the artwork for The Clash album London Calling.
2009 - Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney was named Songwriter of The Year at the 29th Annual ASCAP Awards in London, England. The awards presentation honored songwriters and publishers of the most performed works in the US during 2008.

2014 - Isaiah "Ikey" Owens
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens the American keyboardist known for his work with The Mars Volta, Jack White and an array of bands from the Long Beach music scene died aged 39. Owens was found dead due to a heart attack in his hotel room in Puebla, Mexico.

October 15th
1955 - Buddy Holly
Buddy & Bob (Buddy Holly) opened for Elvis Presley at the ‘Big D Jamboree’, held at Lubbock’s Cotton Club, Texas. Nashville talent scout Eddie Crandall was in audience and arranged for Holly to audition and record demos for the Decca US label.
1960 - The Beatles
The Beatles (minus Pete Best) and two members of Rory Storm's Hurricanes (Ringo Starr and Lou Walters) recorded a version of George Gershwin's ‘Summertime’ in a Hamburg recording studio. The track which was cut onto a 78-rpm disc marked the first session that included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo together.

1965 - Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix signed his first recording contract in the UK, where he would received $1 and a 1% Royalty on all of his recordings.
1966 - Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd (who were paid £15 for the gig), The Move, Denny Laine, Soft Machine, Yoko Ono and a West Indian steel band all appeared at the launch for the International Times (which became the first and longest running British hippy paper), at London's Roundhouse. Beatle Paul McCartney attended the event in Arabian dress. The flyers for the evening stated: 'Bring your own poison, bring flowers & gass (sic), filled balloons'. Admission was 10 shillings (50p) on the door.
1966 - Four Tops
The Four Tops started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Reach Out, I'll Be There'. The group's second US No.1 and their first No.1 in the UK, (and becoming Motown's second UK chart-topper after The Supremes No. 1 hit 'Baby Love' in late 1964).

1972 - Lieutenant Pigeon
Lieutenant Pigeon were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mouldy Old Dough.' Keyboard player Rob Woodward had his mum play piano on the single, making them the only mother and son act to score a UK No.1. The song was recorded in the front room of their semi-detached house.
1973 - Keith Richards
Keith Richards was found guilty of trafficking cannabis by a Court in Nice, France. The Rolling Stone was given a one-year suspended sentence and a 5,000 franc fine. He was also banned from entering France for two years.

1977 - Debby Boone
Debby Boone started a 10 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'You Light Up My Life', the longest stay at the top since Guy Mitchell's 'Singing The Blues. A No.48 hit in the UK.
1988 - Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their fourth release, 'New Jersey.' The album produced five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album.
1988 - Neil Diamond
UB40 went to No.1 on the US singles chart with their version of the Neil Diamond song 'Red Red Wine', also a No.1 hit in the UK.

1995 - Paul and Linda McCartney
Paul and Linda McCartney were the guest voices on Fox-TV's The Simpsons in an episode called "Lisa the Vegetarian". Macca's stipulation for appearing was that Lisa's decision to become a vegetarian would be a permanent character change, to which producer David Mirkin agreed.

1996 - Motley Crue
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was charged with assault for attacking a cameraman who was trying to take pictures of Lee and his wife Pamela Anderson Lee outside an L.A. club. After pleading no contest, Lee was sentenced to four months in prison.
1997 - Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson played the last date on the HIStory Tour at King's Park Rugby Stadium, Durban, South Africa. During the tour, Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, visiting 5 continents and 35 countries.
2000 - Radiohead
Radiohead went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Kid A', the group's fourth album became the first Radiohead release to debut at No.1 in the US.
2000 - U2
U2 went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beautiful Day', the group's fourth UK No.1 single and taken from their album 'All That You Can't Leave Behind'.

2003 - The Dave Clark Five
Mike Smith, the former lead singer of The Dave Clark Five suffered a fall at his home in Spain that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Smith died of pneumonia on February 28th, 2008, less than two weeks before the band was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2004 - Procol Harum
Bill Eyden, the session drummer hired to play on Procol Harum's ’A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ died after a lengthy illness at the age of 74. Eyden also worked with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, Charlie Watts and was a member of the resident trio, led by Stan Tracey, at Ronnie Scott's club in London, England until the late 60s.
2006 - The Sugababes
The Sugababes were the most successful UK all-female act of the 21st century, according to new figures. Since their chart debut in 2000, they had scored 16 hits, beating the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears. The trio first made UK chart history in 2002 when, with ‘Freak Like Me’, made them the youngest female group to top the chart.
2007 - Britney Spears
Britney Spears visited a Los Angeles police station to be photographed and fingerprinted ahead of her hit-and-run court case. The 25-year-old singer spent about 30 minutes at the station after a judge ordered her to submit to the procedures. Ms Spears was charged last month for allegedly crashing into a parked car while driving without a valid licence.
2008 - Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi became the latest musician to disapprove of the use of his songs in John McCain's US presidential campaign. The Bon Jovi song, ‘Who Says You Can't Go Home’, was used during rallies held by Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Foo Fighters, Heart and Jackson Browne had all asked Mr McCain to stop using their tracks in his presidential bid. Bon Jovi, a Democrat supporter, threw a $30,000 (£17,000) per person, fund-raising dinner for Democratic candidate Barack Obama at his New Jersey home in September.
2013 - Madonna
Madonna was banned from a US cinema chain after being accused of texting during a film. Attending the New York Film Festival screening of 12 Years a Slave, the 55-year-old was reportedly asked to stop texting by an audience member. Tim League, CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse chain, tweeted: "Until she apologizes to movie fans, Madonna is banned from watching movies at Alamo."
2014 - U2
U2 frontman Bono said he was sorry after their latest album was automatically added to the libraries of all iTunes users around the world, saying the move was a "drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity". iTunes users complained that the 11-track Songs of Innocence had been added to their music library without permission and that it was not clear how to delete it.

October 19th
1961 - Helen Shapiro
Helen Shapiro was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Walkin' Back To Happiness.' The singers second and final UK No.1.
1966 - The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds arrived in New York for their first US tour with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on lead guitars. After two dates of the tour, Beck developed acute tonsillitis and quit the group. He would go on to form The Jeff Beck Group, that gave Rod Stewart his first major exposure.
1967 - The Sound Of Music
The soundtrack to The Sound Of Music was at No.1 on the UK album chart, spending its 132 week on the chart. The Beatles were at No.2 with Sgt. Pepper and Scott Walker was at No.3 with 'Scott.'

1968 - Cream
On their farewell tour Cream appeared at The Forum in Los Angeles, California, where live recordings were made which were included on the 'Goodbye Cream' album which was released the following year.
1968 - Humble Pie
18 year old Peter Frampton meet Steve Marriott at a Small Faces show in London. After striking up a friendship, the two started planning a new group which emerged as Humble Pie next April.

1973 - David Bowie
David Bowie released his seventh album Pin Ups. The album, which features supermodel Twiggy on the front cover, is a collection of cover versions of some of the singer’s favourite songs, including tracks by Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, The Who, The Yardbirds and The Kinks.
1980 - AC/DC
AC/DC kicked off a 20-date UK tour at Bristol Colston Hall. The bands first gigs since the death of singer Bon Scott.
1985 - A-Ha
A-Ha went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Take On Me', making them the first Norwegian group to score a US No.1. The video for the song featured the band in a pencil-sketch animation method called rotoscoping, combined with live action which won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.
1989 - Alan Murphy
Alan Murphy guitarist with English band Level 42 died of pneumonia related to aids. Murphy also worked with Kate Bush, Go West and Mike & the Mechanics.
1991 - Noel Gallagher
Oasis played The Boardwalk in their hometown Manchester, the group's first gig with Noel Gallagher in the group.
1995 - Don Cherry
African-American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry died of liver failure aged 58. Developed the genre of world fusion music, incorporating influences of Middle Eastern, traditional African, and Indian music into his playing. Is the stepfather to singer’s musicians Neneh Cherry and Eagle-Eye Cherry.
1997 - Glen Buxton
Original Alice Cooper band guitarist Glen Buxton died from pneumonia, aged 49. Born in Akron, Ohio, he attended High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he met Dennis Dunaway and Vincent Furnier, later to call himself the titular Alice Cooper. Buxton co-wrote several classic Alice Cooper hits, including 'School's Out', 'I'm Eighteen' and 'Elected.'
1998 - Noel Gallagher
Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher made a surprise appearance at the launch party of the new London venue Sound Republic. He jammed onstage with Pete Townshend and members from Ocean Colour Scene and Boo Radleys.
2000 - Robbie Williams
A judge ruled that Robbie Williams had substantially copied lyrics on his song 'Jesus In A Camper Van' from the 1961 Woody Guthrie song 'I Am The Way' and also used parts of a parody by Loudon Wainwright III. EMI Records had offered 25% royalties but the publishers Ludlow Music were demanding 50%.

2005 - Music Industry
A survey concluded that the average person spent around £21,000 ($42,000) on music during their lives, the figure included the amount spent on Hi-Fi equipment, concerts and CDs. Music enthusiasts were likely to spend more than double that, parting with just over £44,000 ($89,000), in a lifetime, according to the survey conducted by UK company Prudential.
2007 - Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr was made a visiting professor of music at the University of Salford in Manchester. The former Smiths guitarist was set to deliver a series of workshops and masterclasses to students on the BA Popular Music and Recording degree.
2009 - Elvis Presley
A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley's head when he joined the US Army in 1958 sold for $15,000 (£9,200) at an auction in Chicago, America. Other items sold belonging to Presley included a shirt which sold for $52,000 (£32,000), a set of concert-used handkerchiefs, $732 (£450) and photos from the reception of Presley's 1967 wedding to Priscilla, sold for nearly $6,000 (£3,700).
2010 - Elton John
Elton John described today's songwriters as "pretty awful", Pop music as "uninspiring" and talent shows like American Idol as "boring" in an interview with UK Radio Times magazine.

2011 - Michael Jackson
At the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray, Dr Steven Shafer testified that it would have been impossible for Michael Jackson to have self-administered a lethal dose of the sedative propofol. He later said of Dr Murray's delay in calling 911: "I almost don't know what to say. That is so completely and utterly inexcusable."
2011 - Coldplay
Coldplay released their fifth studio album 'Mylo Xyloto' which charted at No.1 in thirty-four countries. In the UK 'Mylo Xyloto' became Coldplay's fifth album to debut at No.1 and became the group's third to debut at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.
2014 - Raphael Ravenscroft
Raphael Ravenscroft who played the sax riff on the Gerry Rafferty hit 'Baker Street' died aged 60 of a suspected heart attack. He was only paid £27.50 for the 'Baker Street' session, and it has been reported that the cheque bounced and that it was kept on the wall of Ravenscroft's solicitors; by contrast the song is said to have earned Rafferty £80,000 a year in royalties.