On This Day(In Music )

January 15th: On this Day


1958, The Everly Brothers made their debut on British TV appearing on The Perry Como Show.

1961, The Supremes signed a world wide recording contract with Motown Records.

1964, The Beatles performed live at the Cinema Cyrano, Versailles, France, before an audience of 2,000. The show was a warm-up for a three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre that would start the next day in Paris.

1965, The Who released their first single 'I Can't Explain'. With Jimmy Page on guitar and The Ivy League on backing vocals, it went on to reach No.8 on the UK chart.

1967, The Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of 'Lets Spend The Night Together' to 'Lets Spend Some Time Together' when appearing on the US TV's The Ed Sullivan Show after the producers objected to the content of the lyrics.

1967, Donovan appeared at The Royal Albert Hall, London, Paul McCartney and George Harrison both attended the show.

1969, George Harrison had a five-hour meeting with John, Paul and Ringo where he made it clear that he was fully prepared to quit The Beatles for good. Harrison wasn’t happy with plans for live performances and the Let It Be film project.

1972, Don McLean's 'American Pie' started a four week run at No.1 in the US singles chart.

1976, Paul Simonon auditioned for The London SS, the band went on to become The Clash.

1977, Abba scored their second UK No.1 album when 'Arrival' went to the top of the charts.

1977, The Eagles went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Hotel California' the group's third US No.1 album.

1977, UK singer Leo Sayer went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing', it was the first of two US No.1's for the singer.

1980, The Ramones appeared live on UK BBC TV music show The Old Grey Whistle Test.

1982, Harry Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band was seriously injured in a head-on car crash.

1982, The Police kicked off the North American leg of their 119-date Ghost In The Machine world tour at Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, supported by The Go-Go's.

1983, A new pop music show was launched by Channel 4 TV called 'Gastank' hosted by ex Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman and Tony Ashton from Ashton Gardner & Dyke.

1983, Men At Work started a four week run at No.1 in the US singles chart with 'Down Under' the Australian act group's second US No.1, also a No.1 in the UK.

1983, Phil Collins had his first UK No.1 single with his version of 'You Can't Hurry Love,' a hit for The Supremes in 1966. Collins' version was the first track on the very first Now That's What I Call Music CD.

1991, Sean Lennon's updated version of his father John's 'Give Peace A Chance' was released to coincide with the United Nation's midnight deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait.

1992, Dee Murray bass player with the Elton John band died after suffering a stroke aged 45. He first appeared with Elton on the 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection and the milestone albums Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

1994, American singer songwriter Harry Nilsson died in his sleep of heart failure after spending the previous day in the recording studio. He recorded 'Everybody's Talkin' from the film 'Midnight Cowboy' and wrote hits for Three Dog Night and The Monkees. Had the UK & US No.1 single with his version of Badfinger Evans & Ham song 'Without You.' When John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference in 1968 to announce the formation of Apple Corps, John was asked to name his favorite American artist. He replied, "Nilsson". Paul was then asked to name his favorite American group. He replied, "Nilsson".

1998, Harmonica player Junior Wells died, (born Amos Blakemore). Worked with Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and The Rolling Stones.

2002, 1980's British pop legend Adam Ant was admitted to a mental ward 24 hours after being charged by police with pulling a gun on staff in a London pub.

2004, It was announced that album sales in the UK rose by 7.6% in 2003 to a record high. Almost 121 million artist albums were sold, according to Official UK Charts Company. The Top five albums of 2003: 1. Dido, 'Life For Rent'. 2. Justin Timberlake, 'Justified', 3. Christina Aguilera, 'Stripped', 4. Daniel Bedingfield, 'Gotta Get Thru This', 5. Norah Jones, 'Come Away With Me'. UK singles sales continued to drop, down 30% on the previous year. The Black Eyed Peas had the biggest selling single of 2003 with sales over 625,000.

2006, James Blunt was at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut album and biggest selling UK album of 2005 'Back To Bedlam.'

2008, Ronnie Wood was recovering following an operation for a hernia after he sustained the injury during the band's recent Bigger Bang tour. The 60-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist was told to rest for two months after the procedure.

2010, N-Dubz were dropped as ambassadors of anti-bullying charity Beatbullying after band member Dappy sent a woman threatening text messages. Chloe Moody texted The Chris Moyles Radio 1 Show while the band were being interviewed, calling them "losers" and labelling Dappy "repulsive", Dappy had sent a text back to her the following day saying "Your gonna die".


January 15th: Born on this day


1893, Born on this day, Ivor Novello, songwriter & actor. Annual British music awards are named after him. Died 6th March 1951.

1941, Born on this day, Don Van Vliet, (Captain Beefheart). Albums, 'Safe As Milk', 'Trout Mask Replica', 'Strictly Personal', with his Magic Band. Captain Beefheart died on 17th Dec 2010 aged 69 from complications from multiple sclerosis.

1942, Born on this day, Edward Bivens, vocals, The Manhattans, (1976 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Kiss And Say Goodbye').

1947, Born on this day, Pete Waterman, producer, TV presenter and part of the Stock, Aitken & Waterman team. Booked the first ever tour for The Bay City Rollers, signed Musical Youth and Nik Kershaw, during the 70’s was promotion consultant for John Travolta. Had 1987 UK No.13 hit with ‘Roadblock.’ Dominated UK pop in the mid-to-late 1980s. as part of S.A.W. the most successful pop writers & producers of all time producing Bananarama, Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan. Judge on UK TV’s Pop Stars.

1948, Born on this day, Ronnie Van Zant, vocalist with Lynyrd Skynyrd, (1974 US No.8 single with ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and a 1982 UK No.21 single with ‘Freebird’). He died in a plane crash on October 20th 1977.

1951, Born on this day, Martha Davis, vocals, The Motels, (1981 UK No.41 single 'Days Are OK').

1952, Born on this day, Melvyn Gale, cello, Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down', plus 26 other Top 40 hits).

1953, Born on this day, Boris Blank, Yello, (1988 UK No.7 single 'The Race').

1953, Born on this day, Douglas Elwin Erikson, Garbage, (1996 UK No. 4 single 'Stupid Girl').

1959, Born on this day, Peter Trewavas, bass, Marillion, (1985 UK No.2 single 'Kayleigh').

1961, Born on this day, Damian O'Neill, guitar, The Undertones, (1980 UK No.9 single 'My Perfect Cousin').

1965, Born on this day, Adam Jones, guitarist, Tool, (2001 US No.1 album 'Lateralus').

1967, Born on this day, Lisa Velez, vocals, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, (1987 US No.1 single 'Head To Toe').

1975, Born on this day, Belinda Chapple, Bardot, winners of the Australian Popstars reality show, (2000 Australian No.1 single ‘Poison’, and 2000 Australian No.1 self-titled album).

January 13th: On this Day


1962, Chubby Checker went back to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Twist'. The song first went to No.1 in Sept 1960 and became the only record in American chart history to top the charts on two separate occasions.

1962, Cliff Richard scored his second UK No.1 album with 'The Young Ones', which spent six weeks at the top of the charts.

1963, The Beatles recorded a TV appearance on the ABC Television program "Thank Your Lucky Stars" in Birmingham playing their new single, ‘Please Please Me.’ The show was broadcast on January 19.

1965, The first day of recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home album were held at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios in New York City. Dylan recorded ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, and ‘It's All Over Now, Baby Blue.’

1966, George Harrison and his girlfriend Patti Boyd met up with Mick Jagger and Chrissie Shrimpton at Dolly's nightclub on Jermyn Street in London's west End.

1967, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr both went to the Bag O'Nails Club, London, England to see the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

1968, Johnny Cash played a show, which was recorded, for his forthcoming live album at Folsom Prison, near Sacramento, California in-front of 2,000 inmates.

1969, Elvis Presley began a ten day recording session that would produce his final US number one record, ‘Suspicious Minds’. The tracks were laid down at American Sound Studios in Memphis and marked the first time Presley had recorded in his hometown since his Sun Records days in 1956.

1970, Steel Mill, (featuring Bruce Springsteen) played at The Matrix in San Francisco, California. Boz Scaggs was the scheduled headliner but he cancelled at that last minute due to illness. Rock critic Philip Elwood, who turned up intending to review Scaggs ended up writing a highly favorable review of Steel Mill for The San Francisco Examiner.

1973, Carly Simon started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'No Secrets'.

1973, Eric Clapton made his stage comeback at the Rainbow Theatre, London, with Pete Townsend, Ronnie Wood, Stevie Winwood, Rebop, Jim Capaldi and support from The Average White Band. The night's two shows were recorded for the 'Rainbow Concert' album. The Who's Pete Townshend had organised the concert to help Clapton kick his heroin addiction.

1973, Slade scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Slayed'.

1977, Queen kicked off a 59-date world tour at Dane County Coliseum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opening act was Thin Lizzy.

1978, The Police started recording their first album at Surrey Sound Studios, Surrey, England with producer Nigel Gray.

1979, Soul singer Donny Hathaway committed suicide falling from a 15th floor New York hotel window. (1972 UK No.29 single with Roberta Flack 'Where Is The Love', 1978 US No.2 single 'The Closer I Get.'

1980, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band appeared at the Birmingham Odeon, England.

1981, Bow Wow Wow appeared at The Venue, London, tickets cost £3 ($5.10).

1984, BBC Radio 1 announced a ban on 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, after DJ Mike Read called it 'obscene', a BBC TV ban also followed. The song went on to become a UK No.1 and spent a total of 48 weeks on the UK chart.

1986, Sex Pistol members John Lydon, Steve Jones and Paul Cook, as well as the mother of Sid Vicious, sued former manager Malcom McClaren for £1 million ($1.7 million). They settled out of court.

1990, New Kids On The Block had their second and last No.1 UK single with 'Hangin' Tough.' They had a further 7 Top 10 hits by the end of 1991. They broke up after that, but set the scene for numerous boy bands throughout the 90s.

1999, Steps were at No.1 o the UK singles chart with 'Heartbeat / Tragedy.' The five-piece pop dance outfit were put together by producer Pete Waterman. Tragedy was a hit for The Bee Gees in 1979.

2000, Christina Aguilera had the US No.1 single with 'What A Girl Wants'.

2003, Diana Ross appeared in a US court charged with driving while twice over the drink driving limit. Police in Tucson reported that Miss Ross could not walk in a straight line, touch her nose or count to 30 after she had been stopped for swerving across the road.

2003, Who guitarist Pete Townshend was arrested on suspicion of child porn offences. Police officers impounded seven computers from his £15 million ($25.5 million) home in Richmond, Surrey.

2005, a report showed that more songs had been written about Elvis Presley than any other artist. It listed over 220 songs including: ‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon, ‘A Room At The Heartbreakhotel’ by U2, ‘Calling Elvis’, Dire Straits, ‘Happy Birthday Elvis’, Loudon Wainwright III, ‘There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis’, Kirsty MacColl, ‘I Saw Elvis in a UFO’, Ray Stevens. ‘Elvis Has Left the Building’ by Frank Zappa and 'My Dog Thinks I'm Elvis' by Ray Herndon.

2008, Amy MacDonald went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut ‘This Is The Life.’

2010, Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass died at the age of 59 following a difficult recovery from colon cancer surgery. Pendergrass enjoyed early success with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, whose hits included If You Don't Know Me By Now, before going solo in 1976. He was the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums in the US.

2010, Beyonce and Jay-Z were named Hollywood's top-earning couple by Forbes magazine. The pair earned an estimated $122m (£75.1m) between June 2008 and June 2009 - more than any other couple married or unmarried.

2010, A plaque of the Beatles' iconic yellow submarine, which was stolen six months ago from Liverpool's Albert Dock, was set to be replaced by a new creation. The 5ft (1.5m) design featured the faces of the John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison peering through its portholes. The new submarine would hang outside the museum dedicated to the band, The Beatles Story. The former plaque has never been found and the thieves had never been caught.


January 13th: Born on this day


1948, Born on this day, John Lees, Barclay James Harvest, eight UK Top 40 albums from 1974-87.

1957, Born on this day, Don Snow, keyboards, Squeeze, (1979 UK No.2 single 'Up The Junction').

1957, Born on this day, Jim Paris, bass, Carmel, (1983 UK No.15 single 'Bad Day').

1961, Born on this day, Graham McPherson, (Suggs), vocals, Madness, (1982 UK No.1 single 'House Of Fun' plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles. Solo, 1995 UK No.7 single with cover of The Beatles 'I'm Only Sleeping').

1961, Born on this day, Wayne Coyne, guitar, vocals, Flaming Lips, (2002 UK No. 32 single ‘Do You Realize’).

1964, Born on this day, David McClusky, drums, The Bluebells, (1993 UK No.1 single with the re-issued 'Young At Heart').

1970, Born on this day, Zack de la Rocha, vocals, Rage Against The Machine, (1996 US No.1 album 'Evil Empire', 1993 UK No.16 single 'Bullet In The Head').

January 11th: On this Day


1958, The release date for the Elvis Presley single 'Jailhouse Rock' was put back a week after Decca Records pressing plant in the UK were unable to meet the advance orders of 250,000 copies.

1962, Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Young Ones'. It stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks and made Cliff the first UK artist to enter the chart at No.1.

1963, The Beatles recorded their first national TV show 'Thank Your Lucky Stars'. They mimed to their new single 'Please Please Me' which was released on this day.

1964, 'Ring Of Fire' by Johnny Cash became the first Country album to go to No.1 in the US album chart.

1964, 'Louie Louie' by The Kingsmen was the number one song on the US Cash Box music chart. For a while, the record was banned by a handful of US radio stations because of its indecipherable lyrics, which were rumored to contain some naughty words. Even the F.B.I. investigated the song, but finally concluded that they could find nothing wrong.

1965, The Righteous Brothers arrived in Britain for a promotional visit appearing on three TV shows, Ready Steady Go! Scene At 6.30. and Discs A Go-Go.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded 'Purple Haze'. Jimi also signed to the new record label Track Records on this day.

1981, Blancmange appeared at the Hope & Anchor, London. Depeche Mode were the support, tickets cost £1 ($1.7).

1985, A Brazilian rock Festival held in Rio, claimed to be the biggest ever staged. The festival featured; Queen, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Yes and Iron Maiden.

1986, The Pet Shop Boys scored their first UK No.1 single with 'West End Girls.' The first version of the song was released in April 1984, becoming a club hit in the United States, after the duo signed with EMI, the song was re-recorded with producer Stephen Hague.

1987, During a UK tour Motley Crue appeared at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

1987, Frankie Goes To Hollywood started what would become their final tour at the G-Mex in Manchester, England.

1990, Paul McCartney played the first of 11 sold out nights at Wembley Arena, London, England.

1992, Nirvana appeared on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live performing two songs, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and 'Territorial Pissings’. Also on this day the group’s 'Nevermind' went to No.1 on the US album chart.

1998, Rolling Stone magazine readers poll picked 'Be Here Now' by Oasis as album of the year.

1999, Barry Pritchard guitarist and singer with The Fortunes died of a heart attack. The group's biggest hit was ‘You've Got Your Troubles’ which was a UK No.2 hit in 1965, also reaching No.7 seven in the US.

1999, Ex Mighty Wah singer Pete Wylie appeared in a Liverpool Court charged with making threats to kill his ex girlfriend.

1999, *NSYNC won the Favourite Pop / Rock new artist award at the 26th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles.

2000, Gary Glitter was released from prison after serving half of a four-month sentence for possessing child pornography downloaded from the internet. Glitter was told he would have to go on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

2000, It was reported that Whitney Houston was under investigation after allegedly trying to smuggle 15.2 grams of Marijuana out of Hawaii. A security officer found the drug in the singer's handbag, Houston then walked away when he tried to detain her.

2002, Mickey Finn percussionist and sideman to Marc Bolan in Tyrannosaurus Rex (T Rex), died of kidney and liver problems aged 55. (1971 UK No.1 single 'Hot Love', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles).
2003, Britain’s oldest rockers came out winners in The Pollstar listing of the Top 10 grossing US tours of 2002: Paul McCartney $68m (£40m), The Rolling Stones $58m (£34m), Elton John $47m (£27.6m), The Who $20m (£11.8m), Ozzy Osbourne $18m (£10.6m), Peter Gabriel $10m (£5.88m), Yes $6m (£3.5m), Elvis Costello $5m (£2.94m), The Moody Blues $4m (£2.35m) and Jethro Tull $3m (£1.76m).

2003, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy was arrested after an alleged attack in a nightclub in Guildford. The Popstars Rivals winner was accused of punching a lavatory attendant.

2003, Pete Townshend issued a public statement denying being a paedophile after his name was linked with a police Internet porn inquiry. But The Who guitarist did admit studying child pornography for research into a campaign against it.

2005, Former Bread guitarist and Academy Award-winning songwriter James Griffin died at his home in Nashville at the age of 61 after suffering from cancer. Bread had the 1970's hits 'Make It With You', 'Baby I'm-a Want You', and 'Everything I Own.'

2008, Robbie Williams’ manager told The Times newspaper that the singer would refuse to make another album for his record label EMI, saying he was unhappy after the label was taken over by Terra Firma. Tim Clark told the paper Williams would not deliver a new album because he had no idea how the label would handle it. Williams had sold 47 million albums around the world since leaving Take That in 1995, making him one of EMI's most successful artists.

2008, Ringo Starr helped launch the celebrations for Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture. He was joined by acrobats who dangled on wires from cranes as the opening party kicked off a year-long programme of more than 350 events. Organisers hoped the Capital of Culture tag would attract an extra two million visitors to Liverpool and boost the economy by £100m.

2009, Lady Gaga & Colby O'Donis went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Just Dance', taken from her album The Fame.


January 11th: Born on this day


1895, Born on this day, Laurens Hammond, inventor of the Hammond organ. The sound of the Hammond was used by many rock artists including; Procol Harum, Keith Emerson, Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers and The Faces. Hammond died on 3rd July 1973.

1924, Born on this day, Don Cherry, singer, (1955 US & 1956 UK Top 10 single 'Band Of Gold').

1924, Born on this day, Slim Harpo, blues musician, (1966 US No.16 single 'Baby Scratch My Back'). Died of a heart attack on 31st January 1970 aged 46.

1942, Born on this day, Clarence Clemons, saxophonist, E Street Band, (1987 UK No.16 single 'Born To Run').

1946, Born on this day, Tony Kaye, keyboards, Yes, (left in 1971).

1948, Born on this day, Terry Williams, drummer, Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, Rockpile, Tina Turner.

1949, Born on this day, Frederick Dennis Greene, Sha Na Na, US rock 'n' roll group.

1958, Born on this day, Vicki Peterson, guitar, vocals, The Bangles, (1986 UK No.2 single with the Prince song 'Manic Monday', 1986 US No.1 single 'Walk Like An Egyptian').

1968, Born on this day, Tom Dumont, No Doubt, (1997 UK No.1 single 'Don't Speak').

1971, Born on this day, Mary Jane Blige, American R&B soul singer, songwriter, actress. (1997 US No.1 album, 'Share My World', 1999 UK No.4 single' As', 2001 US No.1 single,' Family Affair', 2006 US No.1 album 'The Breakthrough’). Sold over 60 million records world-wide known as the "Queen of hip-hop soul."

1971, Born on this day, Tom Rowlands, The Chemical Brothers, (1996 UK No.1 single 'Setting Sun', 2007 UK No.1 album 'We Are The Night').

1981, Born on this day, Thomas Meighan, lead singer, Kasabian, (2005 UK No.8 single 'Cutt Off', 2006 UK No.1 album ‘Empire’).

1981, Born on this day, Chris Edwards, Kasabian, (2005 UK No.8 single 'Cutt Off', 2006 UK No.1 album ‘Empire’).

1981, Born on this day, Jamelia, UK R&B singer, (2003, UK No.4 album 'Thank You').

1985, Born on this day, Newton Faulkner, UK singer, songwriter, (2007 UK No.1 album 'Hand Built By Robots', 2007 UK Top 10 single 'Dream Catch Me').

January 9th: On this Day


1955, Rosemary Clooney was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mambo Italiano' the singers second No.1. The song was banned by all ABC owned stations in the US because it "did not reach standards of good taste".

1961, Bert Kaempfert started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Wonderland By Night'. Kaempfert produced The Beatles first recording session when they were in Hamburg.

1961, Bob Newhart went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Button Down Mind Strikes Back!'

1963, Drummer Charlie Watts joined The Rolling Stones after leaving Blues Incorporated.

1965, The Beatles started a nine week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Beatles 65', the group's fourth No.1.

1969, The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK album chart with the 'White Album', The Rolling Stones were at No.2 with 'Beggars Banquet' and The Seekers were at No.3 with 'Best Of The Seekers.'

1971, Led Zeppelin played at London's Royal Albert Hall.

1971, TV's Dads Army star Clive Dunn was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Grandad'.

1973, Lou Reed married a cocktail waitress called Betty in New York.

1973, Mick Jagger was refused a Japanese visa on an account of a 1969 drug conviction causing The Rolling Stones to cancel a forthcoming tour.

1976, Queen were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The single enjoyed a nine week run on the chart selling more than a million copies by the end of the month. It reached No.1 again in 1991 for five weeks following Mercury's death, eventually becoming the UK's third best selling single of all time.

1977, Country singer Emmylou Harris married record producer Brian Ahern.

1979, The music for UNICEF concert took place in New York City featuring Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees, Earth Wind and Fire, Abba and Donna Summer.

1981, Terry Hall and Jerry Dammers from The Specials were both fined £400 ($680) after being found guilty of using threatening words during a gig in Cambridge, England.

1982, The Human League went back to No.1 on the UK album chart for three weeks with 'Dare'.

1988, Whitney Houston scored her sixth consecutive No.1 in the US with 'So Emotional'.

1997, David Bowie performed his 50th Birthday Bash concert (the day after his birthday) at Madison Square Garden, New York with guests Frank Black, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, The Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, and Billy Corgan and Placebo. Proceeds from the concert went to the Save The Children fund.

2000, The chauffeur who drove Puff Daddy and his girlfriend Jennifer Lopez from a night-club after a shooting was reported to be co-operating with prosecutors. Puff Daddy faced up to 15 years in jail for allegedly pulling a gun in a New York club.

2000, DMX were at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘...And Then There Was X.’

2001, Winners at the 28th annual American Music Awards; Favourite Album, Creed, 'Human Clay', Male Artist, Kid Rock, Favourite Female Artist, Faith Hill, Favourite Group, Backstreet Boys, Favourite New Artist, 3 Doors Down.

2002, Irish singer, songwriter David McWilliams died of a heart attack at his home in Ballycastle, County Antrim aged of 56. Released over 10 solo albums and wrote 'The Days Of Pearly Spencer,' 1992 UK No.4 for Marc Almond.

2003, A grand piano once owned by Elvis Presley was sold for $685,000 (£425,711). Music producer Robert Johnson and partner Larry Moss sold the piano to the chairman of the Blue Moon Group, Michael Muzio who was planning to take the piano on a casino-sponsored promotional tour. He was then planning for the piano to be shown at the proposed rock museum at Walt Disney World.

2005, Elvis Presley went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Jailhouse Rock.' The single sold just 21,262 copies to reach No.1, the lowest sales ever for a UK chart topper since data began in 1969. The single was released to celebrate the 70th anniversary of his birth, a previous Elvis chart topper was re-released each week.

2005, The Scissor Sisters went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their self-titled album. They went on to win Best International Album as well as best international Group and International Breakthrough act at the 2005 Brit awards.

2006, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson put the house they made famous in the MTV series Newlyweds up for sale after splitting up. The house in Calabasas, California, was on the market for $3.75m.

2008, Sugababes singer Amelle Berrabah was arrested after an alleged attack on a car in Aldershot, Hampshire. She was bailed to appear at Aldershot police station later in the month.

2008, Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was named the worst dressed celebrity in an annual list of fashion disasters. Fashion critic Richard Blackwell, who had compiled the poll every year since 1960, said Beckham stepped out in "one skinny-mini monstrosity after another". Amy Winehouse's trademark beehive and tattoos helped earn her second place in the list.

2009, Dave Dee died at the age of 65, following a three-year battle with cancer. The UK singer had eight top 10 hits, with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich including a UK number one single in 1968 with ‘The Legend of Xanadu’, in which Dee famously cracked a whip. The singer, whose real name was David Harman, was originally a police officer and as a police cadet was called to the scene of the car crash that killed Eddie Cochrane during a UK tour in 1960.


January 9th: Born on this day


1920, Born on this day, Clive Dunn, singer, actor in UK TV's 'Dads Army' 1971 UK No.1 single 'Granddad'.

1929, Born on this day, Bill Cowsill, The Cowsills, (1967 US No.2 single 'The Rain, The Park & Other Things', 1969 US No.2 single the theme from 'Hair'). TV's Partridge Family was based on The Cowsills family.

1941, Born on this day, Joan Baez, US folk rock singer, songwriter, (1971 US No.3 & UK No.6 single 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down').

1943, Born on this day, Kenneth Kelley, vocals, The Manhattans, (1976 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Kiss And Say Goodbye').

1943, Born on this day, Dick Yount, guitar, vocals, Harper's Bizarre, (1967 US No. 13 & UK No.34 single 'The 59th Street Bridge Song, Feelin' Groovy').

1944, Born on this day, Jimmy Page, guitarist and producer, member of the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin who had the 1969 US No.4 single Whole Lotta Love. The bands fourth album released in 1971 featuring the rock classic Stairway To Heaven has sold over 37 million copies. Formed The Honeydrippers, (with Robert Plant, Jeff Beck & Nile Rodgers) who had the 1984 US No.3 single Sea Of Love. As a session guitarist in the 60s Page played on Here Comes The Night by Them, Shout by Lulu and The Who’s Can’t Explain.

1944, Born on this day, Scott Engel, vocals, The Walker Brothers, (1966 UK No.1 & US No.13 single 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore').

1948, Born on this day, Tim Hart, guitar, vocals, Steeleye Span, UK folk group, (1975 UK No.5 single 'All Around My Hat'). Died on 24th Dec 2009.

1950, Born on this day, David Johansen, vocals, The New York Dolls, 1973 album 'New York Dolls'. Now a solo artist and actor. Played Buster Poindexter in Saturday Night Live House band.

1951, Born on this day, Crystal Gayle, singer, songwriter, (1977 US No.2 & UK No.5 single 'Don't It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue').

1963, Born on this day, Eric Erlandson, guitar, Hole, (1995 UK No.16 single 'Doll Parts').

1964, Born on this day, Phil Hartnoll, Orbital, (1996 UK No.11 single 'The Box').

1965, Born on this day, Haddaway, singer, (1993 UK No.2 'What Is Love').

1967, Born on this day, Dave Matthews, guitar, vocals, Dave Matthews Band. (1998 US No.1 album 'Before These Crowded Streets', 2001 US No.1 album 'Everyday', 2001 UK No. 35 single 'The Space Between').

1967, Born on this day, Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth, (1997 UK No.19 single 'Walkin' On The Sun').

1978, Born on this day, A.J McLean, vocals, Backstreet Boys, (1997 US No.2 single 'Quit Playing Games With My Heart', 1999 UK No.1 single 'I Want It That Way').

1987, Born on this day, Paolo Nutini, Scottish singer, songwriter, (2006 UK No.3 album ‘These Streets’, 2009 UK No.1 album 'Sunny Side Up').

January 7th: On this Day


1955, 'Rock Around The Clock' by Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the UK chart for the first time.

1961, Country singer Johnny Tillotson was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Poetry In Motion.'

1964, Harmonica player Cyril Davies died of leukaemia died aged 32. Davies was a driving force in the early 60's blues movement forming Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner.

1964, The Beatles recorded a seven-song appearance for the BBC Radio program Saturday Club. They played ‘All My Loving’, ‘Money’, ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Johnny B. Goode’, and ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’. The show was broadcast on February 15, while the Beatles were in the US.

1970, Led Zeppelin kicked off an 8-date UK tour at Birmingham Town Hall.

1971, Black Sabbath released 'Paranoid' their second studio album in the US. The album features the band's best-known signature songs, including the title track, 'Iron Man' and 'War Pigs'. The album was originally titled War Pigs, but allegedly the record company changed it to Paranoid, fearing backlash from supporters of the ongoing Vietnam War.

1974, Carly Simon and James Taylor became parents when their daughter Sarah Maria was born.

1974, Aerosmith played at the Michigan Theatre in Detroit, the first date on their 56 date North American Get Your Wings Tour.

1977, Andy Gibb was at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Just Want To Be Your Everything' a song written by his Bee Gee brother Barry.

1980, Hugh Cornwall of The Stranglers was found guilty of possession of heroin, cocaine and cannabis. He was fined £300 ($510) and sentenced to three months in Pentonville prison.

1981, The Police played the first night of a North American tour at The University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada during their Zenyatta Mondatta World Tour.

1982, Singles reviewed in this weeks Smash Hits included Haircut 100, 'Love Plus One', XTC 'Senses Working Overtime' and Robert Palmer 'Some Guys Have All The Luck'. OMD had the front cover plus interviews with Adam Ant, Squeeze and Dollar.

1989, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Stock, Aitken & Waterman produced 'Especially For You'.

1993, R.E.M. played a Greenpeace Benefit show at the 40 watt Club, Athens, Georgia, for 500 people. The show was recorded on a solar powered mobile recording studio.

1994, Oasis started recording their debut album 'Definitely Maybe', at Monrow studios in South Wales. When released in August 1994, it became the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK, (being surpassed in 2006 by Arctic Monkeys debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not). The album went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide.

1996, Robson and Jerome went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Robson and Jerome.'

2001, Rui Da Silva feat Cassandra went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Touch Me', the first Portuguese act to top the UK charts.

2003, The Beatles Book Monthly closed down after 40 years. Author Sean O'Mahony who set up the magazine in 1963 said there was nothing more to say as the number of things the former Beatles were doing gets less and less as the years go on.

2004, Drummer John Guerin died of pneumonia aged 64. Worked with Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Linda Rondstadt, Gram Parsons, Todd Rundgren. He also played on the original title tune for the television series Hawaii Five-O.

2006, Gary Glitter was formally charged with committing obscene acts with two girls aged 11 and 12 in Vietnam, the prosecutor in the southern province of Ba Ria Vung Tau said the charges would carry prison terms of three to seven years. Glitter, (Paul Gadd), had been held since November as he tried to flee the country over child sex allegations.

2006, Pink married her motocross racer boyfriend Carey Hart on a beach in Costa Rica. More than 100 people attended the singer's big day, including Lisa-Marie Presley. Pink proposed to him during one of his races in Mammoth Lakes, California, by holding up a sign that read "Will you marry me?" Hart pulled out of the race to say yes.

2006, Mary J. Blige was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Breakthrough’ the R&B singer’s third US No.1 album.

2008, US rapper Timbaland started a four week run at No.1 on the Australian album chart with ‘Timbaland Presents Shock Value Timbaland.’


January 7th: Born on this day


1937, Born on this day, Paul Revere, keyboards, Paul Revere and the Raiders, (1971 US No.1 single 'Indian Reservation', plus 14 other US Top 30 hit singles.

1942, Born on this day, Danny Williams, singer, (1961 UK No. 1 'Moon River', the Oscar-winning song was from the film Breakfast At Tiffany's).

1944, Born on this day, Mike McGear, singer, brother of Paul McCartney, The Scaffold, (1968 Christmas UK No.1 single 'Lily The Pink').

1945, Born on this day, Dave Cousins, vocals, guitar, The Strawbs, (1973 UK No.2 single with 'Part Of The Union').

1946, Born on this day, Andy Brown, drums, The Fortunes, (1965 UK No.2 & US No.7 single 'You've Got Your Troubles').

1948, Born on this day, Kenny Loggins, singer, songwriter, (one half of Loggins & Messina 1971-76), 1984 US No.1 & UK No. 6 single 'Footlose' from the film of the same name.

1959, Born on this day, Kathy Valentine, bass, The Go- Go's, (1982 US No.2 single 'We Got The Beat', 1982 UK No.47 single 'Our Lips Our Sealed').

1962, Born on this day, Taja Sevelle, (real name Nancy Richardson), US singer, she started recording at age 15 in 1987. (1988 UK No.7 single 'Love Is Contagious').

1974, Born on this day, John Rich, bass, vocals, Lonestar, (2000 US No.1 & UK No. 21 single ‘Amazed’).

1979, Born on this day, Ryan Tedder, US singer, songwriter with One Republic

joey the lips wrote: Hard to believe Phil Lynott is 26 years dead Frank,,

I have a memory of Phil Lynott standing outside The Grove

trying to get in but he was never lucky enough.

Hard to believe Phil Lynott is 26 years dead Frank,,

January 3rd: On this Day


1955, Elvis Presley appeared in Boonesville, Virginia. The 20 year-old singer was still a regional star, but by the end of 56' he had become a national sensation, recording two albums, (which included 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Blue Suede Shoes'), appeared on national television 11 times, played over 100 concerts and signed a seven year contract with Paramount Pictures.

1957, Guy Mitchell was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Singing The Blues.' (Tommy Steele and Marty Robbins had also released versions and Steele would replace this version at No.1). Also a US No.1.

1963, Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Next Time / Bachelor Boy,' both songs were from the film Summer Holiday. His sixth UK No.1.

1963, The Beatles began their first headlining tour with four nights in Scotland appearing at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom, Elgin. Two of the dates were cancelled due to bad weather.

1964, The Beatles were seen for the first time on US TV when a clip from the BBC's 'The Mersey Sound' showing the group playing 'She Loves You' was shown on The Jack Paar Show.

1964, The Rolling Stones appeared at Glenlyn Ballroom in Forest Hill, England, supported by The Detours (later to become The Who).

1967, Having received a US army draft notice, Beach Boy Carl Wilson refused to be sworn in, saying he was a conscientious objector.

1967, The Bee Gees were at No.1 on the Australian singles chart with the single 'Spickes and Speckes.'

1969, Appearing live on The Lulu show on UK TV, Jimi Hendrix was booked to perform two songs, Voodoo Child, (which is performed in full), then he stopped performing his new single ‘Hey Joe’ after a verse and chorus and instead launched into a version of the Cream song 'Sunshine Of Your Love' as a tribute to the band who had split a few days earlier. Hendrix then proceeded to continuing jamming, running over their allocated time slot on the live show, preventing the show’s host Lulu from closing the show properly.

1970, B J Thomas started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.' The song was featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

1970, Working on the Get Back sessions at Studio Two of EMI Studios, London, three Beatles (Paul, George, and Ringo) record 16 takes of the George Harrison song ‘I Me Mine.’ John Lennon was away in Denmark at the time. A decade later it became the title of George Harrison's auto-biography.

1972, Two weeks of rehearsals for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon tour began at the Bermondsey in London, England, (the venue was owned by The Rolling Stones).

1973, Two thousand international fashion editors and experts voted Mick and Bianca Jagger two of the top dozen best-dressed men and women of 1972.

1973, Bruce Springsteen played the first of a 4 night run at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, opening for the comedy rock duo Travis Shook & The Club Wow.

1974, Bob Dylan and The Band started a 39-date US tour, Dylan's first live appearance for over 7 years. There were more than 5 million applications for the 660,000 tickets.

1976, The Bay City Rollers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Saturday Night.' At the height of their US success, the Scottish group signed a deal to promote breakfast cereal.

1976, Bob Dylan's song, 'Hurricane', peaked at No.33 on the Billboard singles chart, helping to cause enough publicity to eventually get former boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter released from jail. The song promoted Carter's innocence and a movie about Carter's life, starring Denzel Washington, was released in 2000.

1979, The Hype, (later to be known as U2) appeared at McGonagils in Dublin, Ireland.

1980, American rhythm and blues singer Amos Milburn died aged 52. Famous for his drinking songs including, 'Let Me Go Home, Whiskey' and 'One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer.'

1981, David Bowie made his final appearance as the Elephant Man in the Broadway show in New York City.

1982, During a UK tour Adam and the Ants appeared at The Apollo, Manchester.

1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1992, Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr married actress Patsy Kensit at Chelsea register office.

1999, Steps scored their first UK No.1 single with their version of The Bee Gees song 'Tragedy.'

2000, Luciano Pavarotti agreed to pay the Italian authorities £1.6 million ($2.72 million) after losing an appeal against tax evasion charges. It was reported that the singer was worth £300 million ($510 million) at the time.

2002, Zak Foley bassist with EMF died aged 31. The group had the 1990 world-wide hit single 'Unbelievable.'

2002, Liam and Noel Gallagher topped a poll of celebrities you would least like to live next to, getting 40% of the vote. Readers of Your Home magazine voted the brothers from Oasis as 'Neighbours From Hell'.

2004, It was reported that UK record companies were about to ditch up to 30 big names in the pop world due to poor record sales in the previous year. Gareth Gates, The Cheeky Girls, Mark Owen, Mel C and Samantha Mumber were among those listed.


January 3rd: Born on this day


1926, Born on this day, Sir George Martin, 60's EMI in-house record producer and so-called fifth Beatle. Produced all but one of The Beatles albums as well as working with comedy acts The Goons and Beyond The Fringe. Received a Knighthood in 1996.

1941, Born on this day, Van Dyke Parks, US songwriter, producer. Worked with Brian Wilson on the 'Smile' album, played keyboards on The Byrds 'Eight Miles High', produced Ry Cooder, Randy Newman, Judy Collins.

1945, Born on this day, Stephen Stills, guitar, vocals, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Manassas. 1969 UK No.17 single 'Marrakesh Express' & 1970 US No.1 album Deja Vu plus 1971 solo UK No.37 single 'Love The One Your With.'

1946, Born on this day, John Paul Jones, bass, keyboards, producer with Led Zeppelin who had the 1969 US No.4 single Whole Lotta Love. The bands fourth album released in 1971 featuring the rock classic Stairway To Heaven, has sold over 37 million copies. As a session player in the 1960s he worked with The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Donovan, Jeff Beck, Hermans Hermits, Lulu, Tom Jones. In recent years Jones has worked with R.E.M. on 1992 Automatic For The People album and is a member of Them Crooked Vultures.

1964, Born on this day, Raymond McGinley, guitar & vocals, Teenage Fanclub, 1992 UK No.31 single 'What You Do To Me.'

January 1st: On this day


1953, Country singer Hank Williams died of a heart attack brought on by a lethal cocktail of pills and alcohol aged 29. Made his first record in 1946, scored 36 Top 10 US country hits, his best Known being 'Your Cheatin Heart.' Over 20,000 mourners attended his funeral.

1955, English singer Dickie Valentine was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Finger Of Suspicion'. Valentine hosted The Dickie Valentine TV Show in 1956.

1955, Elvis Presley appeared at The Eagles Hall in Houston Texas. Presley went on to play over 250 shows in 1955.

1956, Bill Haley's 'Rock Around The Clock' went to No.1 on the UK singles chart for the second time.

1957, BBC Television aired its new rock & roll show 'Cool For Cats' for the first time. With a miniscule budget, the program was forced to rely on artists miming and the talents of a resident dance group (led by Douglas Squires). Ker Robertson, the first host, was succeeded after a few weeks by Kent Walton, later better known for his ITV wrestling commentaries

1960, Johnny Cash played a free concert for the inmates of San Quentin Prison, California.

1962, The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records in West Hampstead, London. A&R boss at Decca Dick Rowe turned them down.

1964, The first edition of the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops was transmitted from an old church hall in Manchester, England. Introduced by DJ Jimmy Saville, acts miming to their latest releases included The Rolling Stones, (I Wanna Be Your Man), The Dave Clark Five, (Glad All Over), The Hollies, (Stay), and The Swinging Blue Jeans, (Hippy Hippy Shake). The first song played was Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You'. Also featured on disc and film, The Beatles, (I Want to Hold Your Hand), Freddie & the Dreamers, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Gene Pitney.

1965, The Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton), played two shows at The Odeon Cinema, Hammersmith in London. One at 6.15 and 8.45pm.

1966, Simon and Garfunkel started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Sounds Of Silence', a No.13 hit in the UK.

1967, The Doors made their first live television appearance lip-synching their first single ‘Break on Through’ on Shebang, KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles. The single peaked No. 126 on the US chart mainly due to lack of airplay after censors objected to the drug use implied by the line "she gets high", which is repeated in the middle section of the song.

1968, Billboard magazine reported that for the first time albums had outsold singles in the US with album sales reaching over 192 million units.

1969, Marmalade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of The Beatles song 'Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da'.

1970, Rolf Harris was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Two Little Boys'. The song was written by American composer Theodore Morse and lyricist Edward Madden in 1902.

1971, Radio Luxembourg aired over seven hours of continuous Beatles music to celebrate the group's tenth year in the music business. Every track played was a single or LP track by The Beatles plus tracks from solo albums.

1972, Carole King started a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Music', her second US chart topper.

1972, Marc Bolan signed a deal with EMI to release records in the UK on his own T Rex Wax co. label.

1976, Procol Harum, John Miles, Barclay James Harvest, Baker Gurvitz Army and Snafu all appeared at the Great British Music Festival, London, tickets £3.30.

1977, Genesis played the first of three nights at the new-look Rainbow Theatre, London, tickets cost £2.50 ($4.25). The theatre had been completely renovated at a cost of £80,000 ($136,000).

1977, The Clash played the opening night at punk's first real venue, The Roxy Club in London.

1977, Wings were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mull Of Kintyre.' Spending nine weeks at No.1 in became the first single to sell over 2 million copies in the UK.

1979, The Invaders played their last gig at the Filmmakers Co-Op in London and then went on to form Madness.

1980, Cliff Richard was included in the Queen's New Year list, being awarded an OBE.

1982, Abba made their final live appearance as a group when they played in Stockholm, Sweden.

1984, Alexis Korner died of lung cancer aged 55. Know as "the Founding Father of British Blues", he was a major force behind the UK early 60's R&B scene. Formed Blues Incorporated; members at various times included Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond and Charlie Watts. Had hits with CCS, including a version of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' which was used as the theme for BBC's Top Of The Pops for several years. Became a radio presenter in the 70's.

1988, Breakdancers Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan signed a contract with Boney M producer Frank Farian. Milli Vanilli were born.

1988, Prince played an after midnight New Years Eve charity gig in aid of the homeless in Minnesota. Miles Davis joined him on stage.

1989, Nirvana signed a one-year recording contract with Sub Pop records. The Seattle based label began not as a record label but as a fanzine (called Subterranean Pop), in the early 80’s, also signed Soundgarden and Mudhoney.

1990, New American radio station WKRL in Florida played the Led Zeppelin track 'Stairway To Heaven' for 24 hours, as a prelude to an all Zeppelin format.

1992, Diana Ross opened the annual Harrods January sale in London.

1994, Music weekly Melody Makers Top singles of 1993; No.3 Pulp, 'Razzamtazz', No.2, Radiohead 'Creep' and No.1 The Breeders, 'Cannonball'. Top 3 albums, 'Star' by Belly No.3, Afghan Whigs 'Gentleman' No.2 and No.1 Tindersticks self-titled debut album.

1995, Garth Brooks started a six week run at No.1 on the US album charts with 'The Hits.'

1998, a mystery buyer paid £31,000 ($52,700) for the car number plate ‘OAS 15’ at auction in Cheltenham. It was rumoured that a member from Oasis had bought the plate.

2002, Eric Clapton married 25-year old Melia McEnery the mother of his baby daughter at a secret ceremony at the 15th Century St Mary Magdalen Church in Riplley, Surrey, England.

2002, Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens spent several hours in police custody after being arrested for drink driving. The 80's singer was charged and released to appear before magistrates on January 16th.

2002, The Top five selling UK albums of 2001, No. 5, Shaggy, 'Hot Shot', No.4, Travis, 'The Invisible Band', No.3 Eva Cassidy, 'Songbird', No.2, David Gray, 'White Ladder' and No.1, Dido, 'No Angel'.

2005, in most of Europe, copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock-and-roll songs recorded in 1954 and earlier, including Bill Haley's ‘Rock Around the Clock’ and ‘Only You’ by The Platters.

2007, Queen beat The Beatles to be crowned greatest British band of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners in the UK. They pipped the Fab Four in a live contest, trouncing other finalists The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Take That. The bands were judged on song-writing, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship. More than 20,000 listeners voted by email, text and phone.

2008, The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) reported that the number of music downloads sold in the UK in the final week of 2007 was double the total of 12 months earlier. In total there were 2.95 million downloads in seven days, the highest ever recorded for any weekly period. And when the whole of the year was taken into account, 77.5 million downloads were sold in the UK in 2007.

2009, According to official UK sales figures Duffy’s debut album Rockferry came top of the year-end chart, with 1.685 million copies sold. Take That had the second biggest seller with The Circus, Kings of Leon, Only By The Night was third, Spirit by Leona Lewis was fourth and Coldplay had the fifth biggest seller with Viva La Vida. X Factor winner Alexandra Burke had the UK's top-selling single after her version of Hallelujah sold 888,000 copies in the last two weeks of the year.

2011, Chuck Berry cut short a concert at Congress Theater, Chicago, Illinois after collapsing on stage an hour into the show. Berry slumped over a keyboard and did not move for a couple of minutes before being helped off stage, he returned 15 minutes later only to be forced off again almost immediately. The 84 year-old later re-emerged on stage but told fans he had no strength to continue performing.


January 1st: Born on this day


1942, Born on this day, Joe McDonald, vocals, Country Joe and the Fish, 1968 US hit 'I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die.'

1945, Born on this day, Jim Gordon, American drummer, one of the most requested session drummers in the late 1960s and 1970s. Gordon co-wrote Layla with Eric Clapton, worked with The Everly Brothers, The Monkees, The Beach Boys, (Pet Sounds) The Byrds, George Harrison, (All Things Must Pass), John Lennon, (Imagine), The Carpenters, Traffic, Glen Campbell, (Wichita Lineman), Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Frank Zappa and many others. A diagnosed schizophrenic, Gordon murdered his mother on June 3, 1983, by pounding her head with a hammer. He was sentenced to sixteen years-to-life in prison in 1984.

1950, Born on this day, Morgan Fisher, keyboards, Mott The Hopple, 1972 UK No.3 & US No.37 single 'All The Young Dudes', a song David Bowie offered the band on hearing they were about to split up.

1956, Born on this day, Diane Warren, US songwriter. Warren has written over 80 US Top 20 hits including; Aerosmith, 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing', LeAnn Rimes, 'How Do I Live', Toni Braxton, 'Un- Break My Heart', plus hits for Cher, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart and Ace Of Base.

1958, Born on this day, Joseph Saddler, (Grandmaster Flash), 1982 UK No.8 single 'The Message.' Major force in early Rap music, was given his nickname after his rapid hand movements on the record decks.

1968, Born on this day, Rick J. Jordan (born Hendrik Stedler), German techno group Scooter who have sold over 14 million records and are considered the most successful single-record German act with 20 top ten hits. 2008 UK No.1 album ‘Jumping All Over The World.’

1972, Born on this day, Tom Barman, guitar, vocals, dEUS, (Belgium band, 1996 UK Top 50 album ‘Little Arithmetics’).

1975, Born on this day, Thomas Bangaltier, Daft Punk, 1997 UK No.5 single 'Around The World', remixed Gabrielle, Chemical Brothers.

December 30th: On this Day


1962, Ike & Tina Turner, The Ike-etts, Jimmy Thomas and Mary Brown all appeared at Cocoanut Grove, Sacrament, California.

1962, Singer Brenda Lee was hurt when she attempted to rescue her poodle, Cee Cee from her burning house. Cee Cee later died of smoke inhalation.

1965, The Kinks, The Who, Manfred Man, The Hollies and Gerry and the Pacemakers all appeared on tonight's UK TV pop show 'Shindig!'

1966, Pink Floyd and Soft Machine appeared at the UFO presents Night Tripper at the Blarney Club, London, England.

1967, The Beatles scored their 15th US No.1 with 'Hello Goodbye', Gladys Knight and the Pips were at No.2 with 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' and The Monkees at No.3 with 'Daydream Believer.'

1968, Led Zeppelin appeared at Gonzaga University Gymnasium, Spokane on their first North American tour supporting Vanilla Fudge.

1969, Peter Tork quit The Monkees, buying himself out of his contract which left him broke.

1972, Brownsville Station, Sha-Na-Na and Bruce Springsteen (who was the opening act), all appeared of the Ohio Theatre, Columbus, Ohio.

1978, Emerson Lake and Palmer announced their official break up.

1978, XTC made their live debut in the US when they played a show in Philadelphia.

1989, Chris Novoselic bass player with Nirvana married his long-time girlfriend Shelli Dilly in Washington.

1995, Clarence Satchell from The Ohio Players died aged 55. Scored the 1974 US No.1 single 'Fire' and had hits with ‘Skin Tight’, ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Love Roller Coaster.’

1999, George Harrison and his wife Olivia were attacked when an intruder broke into their home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Olivia beat off the attacker with a poker and heavy lamp. Harrison who was stabbed in the chest was admitted to hospital and treated for a collapsed lung and various minor stab wounds. His wife, Olivia, was treated for cuts and bruises she had suffered in the struggle with the intruder. Police later arrested Michael Abram from Liverpool who had nursed an irrational obsession with the Beatles.

1999, In the Queen's Millennium Honours list, former Slade singer Noddy Holder was awarded an MBE and guitarist Mark Knopfler was awarded an OBE.

2001, Nickelback went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How To Remind Me'.

2002, Diana Ross was arrested for drink driving by the Arizona highway patrol after a motorist called to report a swerving vehicle in the western state of Arizona. When asked to walk in a straight line she fell over, could not count to 30 or balance on one foot. Police said the singer was twice over the drink drive limit with a blood-alcohol of 0.20, the legal limit is 0.08.

2002, The funeral of former Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer took place in London. Strummer had died of a suspected heart attack on 22nd Dec 2002 aged 50.

2003, Cris Kirkwood from the Meat Puppets was arrested and accused of hitting a federal post office security guard in the head with a baton that the musician took from the guard during a struggle, the guard then shot Kirkwood in the back. The incident began over a dispute about parking with another customer at a Phoenix post office.

2006, R&B singer Brandy was involved in a four-car crash that left one woman dead, after the singer failed to slow down and hit the back of another car. Brandy was alone in her car and no alcohol or drugs were involved.

2006, Young Jeezy was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Inspiration’ the American rappers fourth album.


December 30th: Born on this day


1928, Born on this day, Bo Diddley, (Elias McDaniel), guitarist, singer, (R&B hits, 'Bo Diddley', 'You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover', 1963 UK No.34 single 'Pretty Thing'). When The Beatles first went to the US, John Lennon was asked what he would like to see; he replied 'Bo Diddley.' Diddley died from heart failure in Archer, Florida aged 79 on 2nd June 2008.

1934, Born on this day, Del Shannon, singer, (1961 UK and US No.1 single 'Runaway', plus 9 US & 12 other UK Top 40 singles). Died on 8th February 1990.

1940, Born on this day, Perry Ford, Ivy League, (1965 UK No.3 single 'Tossing and Turning').

1940, Born on this day, Kenny Penifallo, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, (1978 album 'Hearts Of Stone').

1942, Born on this day, Mike Nesmith, vocals, guitar, The Monkees, (1967 UK & US No.1 single 'I'm A Believer' plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles).

1942, Born on this day, Robert Quine, guitarist, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, (1977 album 'Blank Generation' features the track 'Love Comes In Spurts'). Worked with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Lloyd Cole, They Might Be Giants. Found dead on May 31st 2004 of a heroin overdose.

1945, Born on this day, Davy Jones, vocals, guitar, The Monkees, (1967 UK & US No.1 single 'I'm A Believer' plus 10 US & 8 UK Top 40 singles). Actor in 1986 London cast of 'Godspell'.

1946, Born on this day, American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist Patti Smith, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement. Smith had the 1976 album 'Horses', and the 1978 UK #5 and US #13 single 'Because The Night', co-written with Bruce Springsteen.

1947, Born on this day, Jeff Lynne, guitar, vocals, Idle Race, The Move, (1969 UK No.1 single 'Blackberry Way',) Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3& US No. 4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down'), Traveling Wilburys, (1988 UK No.28 'Handle With Care'), producer.

1959, Born on this day, Tracy Ullman, singer, actress, (1983 UK No.2 single 'They Don't Know').

1969, Born on this day, Jason Kay, vocals, (Jay Kay, Jamiroquai, 1996 UK No.3 single 'Virtual Insanity', 2001 UK No.1 album 'A Funk Odyssey').

1970, Born on this day, Sister Bliss (Ayalah Bentovim), producer, DJ, Faithless, (1996 UK No.3 album ‘Insomnia’).

1978, Born on this day, Tyrese, US male singer, (1999 UK No.55 single, 'Sweet Lady', 2001 US No. 8 album, '2000 Watts').

1988, Born on this day, Leon Jackson, Scottish singer who won the fourth series of the UK TV talent show The X Factor in 2007. His UK No.1 debut single, a cover of the Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey duet 'When You Believe' became the fastest selling UK single of 2007. It also made Jackson the first Scottish artist to achieve a UK Christmas number one.