On This Day

January 4th: On this Day

1954, Four days before his 20th birthday Elvis Presley made his second visit to the Memphis recording service and cut two songs onto a 10 acetate, 'Casual Love Affair 'and 'I'll Never Stand In Your Way'. Studio boss Sam Phillips asked Presley to leave his phone number.

1962, Liverpool's Mersey Beat published its first popularity poll, with The Beatles coming in first place and Gerry and the Pacemakers voted second.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience played the first of what would be over 240 gigs in this year when they appeared at the Bromel Club, Bromley. (Many of the concerts were two shows per night).

1967, The Doors released their self-titled debut album The Doors. The album features their breakthrough single 'Light My Fire' and the lengthy song 'The End' with its Oedipal spoken word section. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood, California over six days and unique packaging of the album included each band members bio.

1968, The University of California, Los Angeles announced that students taking music degrees would have to study the music of The Rolling Stones saying they had made such an important contribution to modern music.

1969, UK music weekly Disc and Music Echo reported that The Beatles were to release five new albums. One would be their first ever live album plus four separate LP's, each one the choice of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.

1970, Chauffeur Neil Boland was accidentally killed when The Who's drummer Keith Moon ran over him in his Bentley. Moon was trying to escape from a Gang of skinheads after a fight broke out at a pub in Hatfield, England. Boland got out to try to protect the car, but left it in gear. He fell under the car and it started moving with Moon at the wheel as he tried to escape the fight. The drummer had never passed his driving test.

1970, The Beatles (without John Lennon) re-record vocals and a new guitar solo on the Paul McCartney song 'Let It Be' at Studio Two, EMI Studios, London. This session will be the final studio appearance for The Beatles, as a group. (The final date that all four of The Beatles were in the studio together is August 20, 1969).

1974, Bruce Springsteen played the first of a three night run at Joes' Place in Cambridge Massachusetts. Supported by Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives. On the ticket it stated: Because of the energy crisis all our outside lights except for one will be shut off.

1975, Elton John started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with his version of The Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. His third US No.1, the song featured John Lennon on guitar.

1977, The Sex Pistols shocked passengers and airline staff at Heathrow Airport when they spat and vomited boarding a plane to Amsterdam.

1986, Irish singer, songwriter and bassist Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy died of heart failure and pneumonia after being in a coma for eight days following a drug overdose. With Thin Lizzy he had the 1973 hit 'Whiskey in the Jar', (their version of the traditional Irish song) and hits with ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’, ‘Jailbreak’ and ‘Waiting for an Alibi’. The groups 1978 album 'Live and Dangerous' spent 62 weeks on the UK chart. Lynott fronted several bands as a lead vocalist, including Skid Row alongside Gary Moore. A life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street in Dublin Ireland in 2005.

2001, Courtney Love filed a lawsuit against her alleged stalker claiming that Lesley Barber, the ex-wife of her current boyfriend Jim Barber, drove over her foot. This had forced her to forfeit her role in a forthcoming film and lost her the £200,000, ($340,000) fee that went with it.

2001, Madame Tussaud's waxworks in London revealed that Oasis singer Liam Gallagher had come third in 'The Most Hated Characters' list of exhibits, behind Adolf Hitler and Slobodan Milosevic.

2001, US rapper Vanilla Ice spent the night in jail after allegedly ripping out some of his wife's hair. Ice (born Robert Van Winkle) told police he pulled out some of his wife's hair to prevent her from jumping out of their truck's window. He was released the following morning from Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale on $3,500 bail.

2004, Britney Spears had her surprise marriage annulled less than 55 hours after tying the knot at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas with childhood friend Jason Alexander. They couple married on Saturday morning, during a night out in Las Vegas, but immediately her lawyers filed for an annulment, saying Spears 'lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage.'

2005, The owner of a recording studio where Eminem recorded his 'Slim Shady' LP was found shot dead. AJ Abdallah, who was 36, was discovered by a business colleague at the Detroit studio, it was thought he had been dead for at least two days. Police suggested that a robbery may also have taken place. Mr Abdallah had lived in a apartment above the studio on Eight Mile Road, the Detroit street which inspired the title of Eminem's 2002 film '8 Mile.'

2006, The house where Johnny Cash lived for 35 years was bought by Bee Gees singer Barry Gibb. The rustic house near Nashville, Tennessee went on the market in June 2005 with an asking price of $2.9m (£1.7m). Gibb said he planned to preserve the house to honour the Cash memory. Unfortunately Gibb's ownership of the house was short-lived. In April 2007, the house burned to the ground. Gibb was having the house renovated when a flammable spray sealer caused fire to break out during construction.

2008, Beyonce won a long-running legal wrangle over claims her hit song 'Baby Boy' infringed the copyright of another artist's work. The appeals court in Houston, Texas upheld a 2006 decision which dismissed musician Jennifer Armour's claims that its lyrics were based on her work. Ms Armour claimed she had posted 'I Got A Little Bit Of Love For You' to Beyonce's manager and record company in early 2003.

2008, Britney Spears was carried out of her home on a stretcher and taken into custody after police were called in a dispute involving her children. Police were called to Spears' home over a family custodial dispute that they tried to resolve, after nearly three hours, Spears handed over her children, two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James, to her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

2009, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant was voted the Greatest Voice In Rock by listeners of radio station Planet Rock. Plant beat Queen's Freddie Mercury, Free's Paul Rodgers and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan to the top spot in the UK poll.

2011, Scottish singer songwriter Gerry Rafferty died aged 63 after a long illness. Rafferty had been a member of Stealers Wheel, who had the 1973 US No.3 & UK No.8 single 'Stuck In The Middle With You' and had the solo 1978 UK No.3 and US No.2 single 'Baker Street.'

2016, Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, Robert Stigwood died aged 81. He was best known for managing Cream and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar and film productions including the hugely successful Grease and Saturday Night Fever.

January 8th: On this Day

1957, Bill Haley & His Comets started the first ever 'rock & roll tour' of Australia, playing two sold out nights in Sydney.

1958, The Everly Brothers kicked off a 17 date North American tour at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also on the bill, Buddy Holly, The Rays, Royal Teens, Shepherd Sisters, Paul Anka, Margie Rayburn and
Danny & The Juniors.

1966, The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Rubber Soul the group's seventh US chart topper, which went on to spend 56 weeks on the chart. The group also started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'We Can Work It Out' the group's 11th US No.1 single.

1969, Mike Jagger and Keith Richards were both barred from an exclusive hotel for wearing "op art" pants and nothing else. They were both asked to leave the Hotel Crillen in Lima, Peru after refusing to change clothes.

1972, The New Seekers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, (in Perfect Harmony'). The song started as a Coca Cola TV ad. It originally included the line, 'I'd like to buy the world a Coke.'

1979, Canadian rock band Rush were named the country's official Ambassadors Of Music by the Canadian government.

1991, Steve Clark guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs. The autopsy revealed he had died from an overdose of codeine and had Valium, morphine and a blood alcohol level of .30, three times the British legal driving limit. In 2007 Clark was ranked No.11 on Classic Rock Magazine's "100 Wildest Guitar Heroes".

1994, Jamaican reggae/rap (ragga) duo Chaka Demus and Pliers were at No.1 in the UK with their version of 'Twist And Shout.' The song was originally recorded (and produced by Phil Spector) by the Top Notes in 1961 and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was also covered by The Beatles on their first album Please Please Me.

1996, A Los Angeles court found Robert Hoskins guilty of five counts of stalking, assault and making terrorist threats to Madonna. Hoskins had twice scaled the walls of the singer's estate and had threatened to slash her throat from ear to ear.

2000, It was reported that police foiled a £1 million ($1.7million) kidnap plot to snatch Victoria Beckham and her baby son. The plot was uncovered after a tip off to the police. The gang had planned to kidnap the pair when husband David was away playing football.

2001, A woman who believed that Axl Rose communicated with her via telepathy was arrested for stalking the Guns N' Roses singer for a second time. Police detained Karen Jane McNeil after she was spotted loitering outside his house.

2004, The estate of George Harrison started a $10 million (£5.8 million) legal action against Dr Gilbert Lederman of Staten Island University Hospital, claiming the doctor coerced Harrison to sign souvenirs. The main allegations of the legal action was that Dr Lederman got an extremely sick Harrison to sign his son's guitar and autographs for his two daughters.

2006, The Strokes went to No.1 on the UK chart with 'First Impressions Of Earth' the bands third album and first No.1.

2010, Jimmy Page launched a new set of stamps in the UK which featured classic album covers from the last 40 years including Led Zeppelin IV, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay, Power, Corruption And Lies, New Order, Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones, London Calling, The Clash, Screamadelica, Primal Scream, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, David Bowie and Parklife by Blur.

2014, It was reported that vinyl record sales had increased 32% in 2013, while CD sales declined 14.5% in the last last year, vinyl sales grew 32% from 4.5 million units sold in 2012 to 6 million sold in 2013, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

2016, David Bowie released his twenty-fifth and final studio album Blackstar, coinciding with his 69th birthday and two days before his death. It became his first and only album to reach No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the US. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won awards for Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album; Best Recording Package, and the title single won Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock Song. The album was also awarded the British Album of the Year award at the 2017 Brit Awards.

2016, American R&B and soul singer Otis Clay died aged 73. Clay who started in gospel music scored R&B hits in the late 60s and 70s. He recorded the original version of 'The Only Way Is Up' in 1980 which later became a chart-topping single for Yazz and the Plastic Population.

2017, Northern Indian-born British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Sarstedt died at the age of 75. He was best known for the single 'Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?' which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1969 (and 14 other countries), and won an Ivor Novello Award.

January 10th: On this Day

1953, Jo Stafford was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You Belong To Me'. Originally a singer with Tommy Dorsey until 1942, Stafford was the first female to have a No.1 on the UK singles Chart.

1956, Elvis Presley made his first recordings for RCA Records at The Methodist television, radio & TV Studios in Nashville. 'Heartbreak Hotel' was one of the songs recorded during this session.

1957, Tommy Steele and the Steelmen were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Singing The Blues'. Guy Mitchell had been at No.1 the previous week with his version and then returned to No.1 the following week.

1958, Jerry Lee Lewis was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Great Balls Of Fire'. Lewis was the only major white rock 'n' roll star to play piano rather than guitar.

1964, The Rolling Stones recorded 'Not Fade Away' at Olympic Studios, London, England. The song which was first recorded by Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets, became The Stones first US single.

1964, The first US Beatles album, 'Introducing The Beatles', was released on Vee-Jay records. The album cover showed John, Paul and George with their now famous "mop top" haircuts, but Ringo had yet to convert. Vee-Jay would be forced to stop selling the disc by the end of the year because of legal complications, but by then over 1.3 million copies had been sold.

1965, John Lennon appeared on the UK TV Peter Cook and Dudley Moore show, 'Not Only But Also.'

1976, Blues artist Howlin Wolf, (Chester Burnett), died in hospital of cancer aged 66. The guitarist, singer and harmonica player's well known songs included 'Smoke Stack Lightning', 'Little Red Rooster' and 'Spoonful.'

1976, CW McCall went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Convoy', it made No.2 in the UK. CW McCall was in fact an advertising agent whose real name was Bill Fries.

1981, John Lennon's Imagine started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart, 10 years after it was recorded. Lennon had two other songs in the Top 5 this week, 'Happy Christmas, (War Is Over') and '(Just Like) Starting Over.' 'Imagine' was voted by the viewers of BBC TV as the best lyrics of all time in a poll broadcast in Oct 1999. Also on this day John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' album started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US chart. 'Just Like Starting Over' was at No.1 on the US singles chart.

1984, Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since Bobbie Gentry in 1967 to be nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

2001, American guitarist and songwriter and founder member of The Cramps Bryan Gregory died after suffering a heart attack aged 46 at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, Anaheim, California. He appeared on The Cramps first two albums Gravest Hits and Songs the Lord Taught Us. He abruptly left the band in 1980, with a van full of most of the band's equipment; no police report or proof was established. After the Cramps, Gregory went on to play in Beast from 1980-1983.

2003, A haul of 500 Beatles tapes known as the 'Get Back sessions' stolen in the 1970s were found after UK police cracked a major bootleg operation in London and Amsterdam. Five men were arrested.

2003, Bee Gee Maurice Gibb was fighting for his life after a heart attack following major stomach surgery. The 53 year-old singer had been rushed to hospital after collapsing at his Florida home.

2005, American drummer Spencer Dryden died from colon cancer at his home in California aged 66. Was the drummer for Jefferson Airplane, (replaced Skip Spence), New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Dinosaurs. Dryden was the Nephew of Charlie Chaplin.

2005, A woman was suing Gene Simmons from KISS for slander, alleging a documentary made her out to be a "sex-addicted nymphomaniac". Georgeann Walsh Ward, 53, of New York, said during a VH1 documentary her photo was flashed up as Simmons talked about his past sexual encounters. Ms Walsh Ward had dated Simmons for three years when he was a student. In the documentary, Simmons boasted of having sex with over 4,600 women.

2006, An Australian woman appeared in court charged with repeatedly stabbing her partner with a pair of scissors in the back, shoulder and thigh because he played Elvis Presley's song 'Burning Love' over and over again.

2008, Rod Allen Bainbridge, lead singer of The Fortunes, died aged 63 after battling liver cancer. 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.

2008, Radiohead topped the US album charts with the physical release of 'In Rainbows', originally sold via the internet for a price chosen by fans. The album sold 122,000 copies during its first week on release, giving the band a second US chart topper following 2000's 'Kid A', which sold an initial 207,000 copies.

2013, Claude Nobs the founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival died aged 76. During a 1971 Frank Zappa concert, at the Montreux Casino the venue caught fire. Nobs saved several young people who had hidden in the casino, thinking they would be sheltered from the flames. This act earned him a mention (as Funky Claude in the line "Funky Claude was running in and out pulling kids out the ground") in the Deep Purple song Smoke on the Water, which is about the incident.

2016, English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, painter, and actor David Bowie died from liver cancer at his New York home two days after releasing the album Blackstar on his 69th birthday. His first UK Top 40 single was the 1969 'Space Oddity' which became a UK No.1 in 1975, plus over 50 other UK Top 40 hits including five No.1's. Bowie has also scored two US No.1 singles, the 1975 'Fame' and 1983 'Let's Dance'. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million albums worldwide, made him one of the world's best-selling music artists.

2018, British guitarist Eddie Clarke, who was a member of heavy metal bands Fastway and Motörhead died in hospital, where he was being treated for pneumonia. He was 67 years old. Of Motörhead's classic lineup, which consisted of Lemmy, himself and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, he was the last surviving member.


January 10th: Born on this day

1917, Born on this day, Jerry Wexler, producer and record company executive. Co-owner of Atlantic records, vice president at Warner Brothers, worked with Ray Charles, Phil Spector, Dr John, Dusty Springfield, Dire Straits, Bob Dylan. He died on Aug 15th 2008, aged 91.

1927, Born on this day, US teen idol singer Johnnie Ray, (1956 UK No.1 & US No.2 single, 'Just Walking In The Rain', plus over 20 Top 40 singles between 1952 & 60). Died of liver failure on 21st February 1990.

1930, Born on this day, American jazz ukulele musician Lyle Ritz who as session musician on the bass guitar joined the Wrecking Crew a popular group of studio musicians in the Los Angeles recording industry. Ritz compiled over 5,000 recording credits including such notable tracks as Herb Alpert's 'A Taste of Honey', The Righteous Brothers' 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'', and the Beach Boys' 'Good Vibrations.'

1935, Born on this day, Ronnie Hawkins, singer, (1959 US No.26 single 'Mary Lou', formed The Band, (then known as The Hawks).

1939, Born on this day, Scott McKenzie, (1967 UK No.1 & US No.4 single 'San Francisco, Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair'. McKenzie also auditioned for The Monkees.) McKenzie died on August 18, 2012 aged 73.

1943, Born on this day, Jim Croce, US singer/songwriter who had a 1973 US No.1 single with 'Time In A Bottle'. He was killed in a plane crash on the way to a concert on September 20th 1973.

1945, Born on this day, Rod Stewart, singer, songwriter, The Hoochie Coochie Men, Steampacket, Shotgun Express, Jeff Beck Group, The Faces (UK No.6 & US No.17 single 'Stay With Me'). Solo, (1971 UK & US No.1 single 'Maggie May', plus five other UK No.1's & over 35 Top 40 hits). His 1971 debut album 'Every Picture Tell's A Story' was the first album ever to simultaneously be No.1 in the UK & US.

1946, Born on this day, Aynsley Dunbar, drums, Journey, (1982 US No.2 single 'Open Arms'), Whitesnake, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single 'Here I Go Again').

1946, Born on this day, Bob Lang, Mindbenders, (1965 US No.1 single 'Game Of Love', 1966 UK No.2 single 'Groovy Kind Of Love').

1947, Born on this day, Martin Turner, guitarist with British rock band Wishbone Ash who scored the 1972 UK No.3 album Argus and eight other Top 40 albums. Wishbone Ash are noted for their extensive use of the harmony twin lead guitar.

1948, Born on this day, Donald Fagen, vocals, keyboards, Steely Dan, (1973 US No.11 single 'Reeling In The Years' and nine other US Top 30 hits). Steely Dan's 'Two Against Nature' won a Grammy in 2001 for Album of the year. Also a solo artist.

1953, Born on this day, Pat Benatar, singer, and four-time Grammy winner, (1985 US No.5 and UK No.17 single 'Love Is A Battlefield' plus 10 other US Top 40 singles).

1955, Born on this day, Luci Martin, vocals, Chic, (1978 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Le Freak').

1955, Born on this day, German rock guitarist, Michael Schenker. Nicknamed the "Blonde Bomber", he first rose to fame as an early member of Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid-1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the Michael Schenker Group.

1958, Born on this day, Shawn Colvin, Singer songwriter, (1995 UK No.40 single with Mary Chapin Carpenter, 'One Cool Remove').

1964, Born on this day, Brad Roberts, vocals, guitar, with Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies best known internationally for their 1993 single 'Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm'.

1965, Born on this day, Joey Santiago, guitarist with American alternative rock band Pixies, who released the 1988 album Surfer Rosa.

January 12th: On this Day

1964, The Beatles appeared on the ATV show Sunday Night At The London Palladium performing ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘Money’ and ‘Twist And Shout’. The compere for the evening was Bruce Forsyth. When The Beatles appeared on this show on October 13, 1963, their fee had been £250, now, just three months later, their fee was £1,000.

1969, Led Zeppelin's debut album was released in the UK. Recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, the album took only about 36 hours of studio time to complete at a cost of just £1,782, most of the tracks being recorded 'live' in the studio with very few overdubs. The album spent a total of 71 weeks on the UK chart.

1974, The Steve Miller Band were at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Joker', the group's first of three No.1's. It reached No.1 on the UK chart in 1990.

1975, The first night of a UK tour kicked off under the banner of The Warner Brothers Music Show. It featured Little Feat, Montrose, Tower Of Power, The Doobie Brothers and Graham Central Station. Also released was an album sampler featuring all the acts that was priced at 69p ($1.17).

1977, EMI Records issued a statement saying it felt unable to promote The Sex Pistols records in view of the adverse publicity generated over the last two months.

1977, Rolling Stone Keith Richards was fined £750 ($1,275) for possession of cocaine found in his car after the guitarist had been involved in a car crash.

1977, The Police had their first rehearsal, held at drummer's Stewart Copeland's London flat, with Henri Padovani on guitar.

1981, It was reported that the White House had expanded its record library by including albums by Bob Dylan, KISS and the Sex Pistols.

1983, Swedish percussionist with Traffic, Reebop Kwaku Baah died from a brain haemorrhage in Stockholm, Sweden. Also worked with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Can and The Rolling Stones.

1992, Bob Geldof was arrested after a disturbance on a Boeing 727, which had been grounded for 5 hours at Stansted Airport.

1993, Van Morrison failed to turn up at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction dinner, making him the first living inductee not to attend.

1995, Snoop Doggy Dogg was charged in Los Angeles with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

1996, AC/DC played the first date on their Ballbreaker World Tour in Greensboro, North Carolina. The world tour would last for 11 months finishing on November 30, 1996 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

2001, British Airways staff complained about Oasis singer Liam Gallagher after he had grabbed a stewardess' bottom, refused to stop smoking and threw objects around the cabin during a flight from London to Rio De Janeiro.

2002, Aaliyah had the posthumous UK No.1 single with 'More Than A Woman'. Aaliyah was killed in Aug 2001 in a plane crash in the Bahamas aged 22. The Cessna plane crashed a few minutes after take off killing everyone on board. Aaliyah had been filming a video on the island for her latest release 'Rock The Boat'.

2003, Singer-songwriter Maurice Gibb from The Bee Gees died aged 53 in Miami Hospital, Florida following a heart attack during abdominal surgery. The Bee Gees released over 20 albums and had the 1979 world-wide No.1 album 'Spirits Having Flown', and 'How Deep Is Your Love, 'Stayin' Alive', and 'Night Fever' from the soundtrack 'Saturday Night Fever' were all US No.1 singles. Gibb was married to the Scottish singer Lulu from 1969 to 1973. In 2002, Maurice was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), along with his brothers.

2004, American songwriter and guitarist Randy VanWarmer died from leukaemia aged 48. (1979 US No.4 & UK No.8 single 'Just When I Needed You Most'). Also wrote The Oak Ridge Boys No.1 US Country hit 'I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes.' VanWarmer's had arranged for a space burial and his cremated remains were sent into space in 2007.

2005, It was announced that the Strawberry Field children's home immortalised by The Beatles was to close. The home in Woolton, Liverpool was made famous when John Lennon wrote 'Strawberry Fields Forever' after playing there as a child.

2007, Toni Braxton filed a lawsuit at the U.S District Court in Manhattan against her former manager Barry Hankerson for $10 million, alleging "fraud, deception and double dealing." According to Braxton, Hankerson placed his own personal financial interests ahead of hers by using "double-talk" to compromise the relationship between Braxton and her former recording label, Arista Records.

2010, Shakin' Stevens was found guilty of hitting a press photographer with a microphone stand during a concert at a hotel in Ballymena. The Welsh singer who scored No.1's in the 80s was fined £300 for assault and criminal damage and ordered to pay the photographer £479 to compensate for his damaged camera lens.

2013, The 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow used by Freddie Mercury until his death in November 1991, sold at auction for £74,000 to a Russian businessman. The 62,000-mile classic Rolls-Royce which had a guide price of just £9,000-£11,000 featured grey leather, wood trim, electric windows, automatic gearbox, a car phone and radio cassette player and a 6.75-litre V8 engine. It was sold as part of the Coys auction at Autosport International.

2017, Richard Carpenter said he was owed at least $2m (£1.6m) in royalties for the hits he recorded in The Carpenters. He claimed Universal Music had only paid the band a "minuscule fraction" of the money they were owed from downloads on sites like iTunes and Amazon. The musician was suing for compensation, according to legal documents filed in Los Angeles.


January 12th: Born on this day

1926, Born on this day Ray Price, singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music. Price died on 16th Dec 2013 aged 87 at his ranch outside Mount Pleasant, Texas.

1932, Born on this day, Des O'Connor, UK singer, comedian, TV presenter, (1968 UK No.1 single 'I Pretend'. Plus seven other UK Top 40 singles). Toured the UK with Buddy Holly in 1958.

1939, Born on this day, William Lee Gordon, Oak Ridge Boys, (1981 US No.5 single 'Elvira').

1941, Born on this day, Long John Baldry, vocals, Bluesology and solo artist, (1967 UK No.1 single 'Let The Heartaches Begin'). Baldry died of a chest infection on 21st July 2005.

1945, Born on this day, Maggie Bell, singer, The Power, Stone The Crows & solo, (UK No.11 solo single 'Hold Me').

1945, Born on this day, Abe Tilmon, Detroit Emeralds, (1973 UK No.7 single 'Feel The Need In Me'). Died of a heart attack in 1982

1946, Born on this day, Cynthia Robinson, vocals, Sly and the Family Stone who had the 1968 US No.1 singles 'Everyday People', the 1971 US No.1 'Family Affair' and the 1971 US No.1 album There's a Riot Goin' On. She died on November 23, 2015.

1946, Born on this day, American musician, composer, singer and producer George Duke. He released over thirty solo albums, of which A Brazilian Love Affair from 1980 was his most popular. Duke worked with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa and also appeared on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album. He died on August 5, 2013 aged 67.

1951, Born on this day, Chris Bell, American singer, songwriter and guitarist with Big Star. Bell was killed in a car accident on 27/12/78.

1954, Born on this day, Felipe Rose, from American disco group The Village People. They had the hit singles 'Macho Man', 'In the Navy', 'Go West and the 1978 US No.2 hit 'YMCA'. The group's name refers to New York City's Greenwich Village, at the time known for its large gay population.

1959, Born on this day, Blixa Bargeld, from Australian rock band Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds who have released over 15 studio albums including the 2013 Australian No.1 Push the Sky Away.

1960, Born on this day, Charlie Gillingham, keyboards, from American rock band Counting Crows, who had the 1994 UK hit single 'Mr Jones', and the 1996 US No.1 album Recovering The Satellites. They received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for their song 'Accidentally in Love', which was included in the film Shrek 2.

1963, Born on this day, Guy Chambers, singer, songwriter, producer, member of The Waterboys, World Party, The Lemon Trees. Worked with Robbie Williams from 1997 as co-songwriter and producer penning tracks including 'Angels', 'Rock DJ', 'Millennium' and 'Let Me Entertain You'.

1965, Born on this day, Greg Kriesel, bassist from American punk rock band The Offspring, who had the 1999 UK No.1 single 'Pretty Fly, (For A White Guy)', and the 1999 US No.6 & UK No.10 album Americana.

1968, Born on this day, American rapper Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan who had the 1997 US & UK No.1 album Wu-Tang Forever.

1970, Born on this day, American musician Zack de la Rocha, from Rage Against The Machine, who had the 1996 US No.1 album Evil Empire and the 1993 UK No.16 single 'Bullet In The Head'. He also co-founded One Day as a Lion in 2008.

1974, Born on this day, Melanie Chisholm, Mel C, Sporty Spice, The Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe'. Her first solo attempt was collaborating with Bryan Adams on a hit "When You're Gone". She then released her debut solo studio album, Northern Star in 1999, which sold four million copies.

1975, Born on this day, Jason Freese, American musician, songwriter, record producer who has performed on over 50 albums by more than 35 different artists, including multiple albums by the Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day and Jewel.

1991, Born on this day, Pixie Lott, British singer, 2009 UK No.1 with her debut single 'Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)'.

1993, Born on this day, Zayn Malik from English-Irish pop boy band One Direction who formed after finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Scored the 2011 UK N

Would loved to have been in that 25,000 audience for that 1967 get together in 'Frisco.

January 16th: On this Day

1957, The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool, England. It became the home of many Liverpool bands including The Beatles who appeared at the club 292 times. Over the years a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, The Kinks, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Queen, The Who and John Lee Hooker.

1964, The Beatles played two shows at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, France, the first of an 18-night engagement. This first show was attended mostly by Paris' 'top society' members (all dressed in formal evening attire). The French press had little good to say about The Beatles in the next day's papers, but The Beatles didn't care, because they'd just received news that their single 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' had hit No.1 in the US, selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone.

1970, Two days after it opened, the Bag One Gallery in London, England was raided by Scotland Yard. The police remove eight John Lennon lithographs under the Obscene Publications Act.

1973, Bruce Springsteen appeared at Villanova University, Philadelphia, to an audience of 25 people. Due to a strike at the time by Villanova's school newspaper The Villanovan, this concert went unadvertised, so this is probably the smallest crowd Bruce and The E Street Band have ever played in front of.

1977, David Soul one half of TV cop show Starsky & Hutch went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Don't Give Up On Us'. The track was also a No.1 in the US.

1980, Paul McCartney was jailed for nine days in Tokyo for marijuana possession after being found with 219g on his arrival at Narita Airport in Japan. McCartney said in 2004. “This stuff was too good to flush down the toilet, so I thought I’d take it with me.”

1982, Bucks Fizz were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their second No.1 'Land Of Make Believe'. The lyrics to the song were written by ex-King Crimson member Peter Sinfield.

1985, David Bowie's schizophrenic half-brother Terry Burnes killed himself aged 47 after laying down on the railway lines at Coulsdon South station, London. He was killed instantly by a passing train. Bowie refers to his half-brother in the line ‘a crack in the sky and a hand pointing down at me’ in his song ‘Oh, You Pretty Things’.

1987, TV presenter Jools Holland was suspended from Channel 4's UK music show The Tube for 6 weeks, after using the phrase 'groovy f**kers' during a live trailer broadcast in children's hour.

1988, 24 years after The Beatles first topped the chart, George Harrison went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Got My Mind Set On You' an old favorite of George's that was originally recorded by James Ray in 1962. In the UK, Harrison's version spent four weeks at No.2.

1988, Former Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle scored her first UK No.1 single with 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth.' The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason.

1988, George Michael went to No.1 on the US album charts with his debut solo album 'Faith', which went on to sell over 8 million copies.

1988, Tina Turner gave herself a place in the record books when she performed in front of 182,000 people in Rio De Janeiro. The largest audience ever for a single artist.

1989, Michael Jackson played the first of five nights at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. These were the last shows on the singers Bad World Tour. Jackson donated more than $1m of the final concert's takings to an organisation fighting child cruelty.

1990, Ike Turner was convicted of driving under the influence of cocaine and being under the influence of cocaine and sentenced to a four year prison sentence in California.

1992, Eric Clapton recorded his unplugged session for MTV. The set which included his current hit single 'Tears in Heaven' and a reworked acoustic version of 'Layla', earned six Grammy Awards for the album including Record of the Year.

1996, Jamaican authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett's seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker's plane. U2 singer Bono was also on the plane; neither singer was injured in the incident. The incident inspired Buffett to write a song called 'Jamaica Mistaica'.

2000, American singer Will Jones died aged 71 from the effects of diabetes. He is best known as the bass vocalist for The Coasters and The Cadets. The Cadets' biggest hit was ‘Stranded In The Jungle’ and his bass vocals can be heard on The Coasters' hits ‘Yakety Yak’ and ‘Charlie Brown.’ He also sang lead on The Trammps' cover version of ‘Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart’.

2000, It was reported that Mick Jagger had lost the chance of a knighthood because of his errant ways, British Prime Minister Tony Blair having doubts about the message it would give about family values. This decision was changed and on 12 December 2003, Mick Jagger was made a Knight Bachelor by The Prince of Wales for services to music, as Sir Michael Jagger.

2004, Michael Jackson appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to seven charges of child molestation. The singer who arrived 21 minutes late was told off by the Santa Barbara judge saying 'Mr Jackson, you have started out on the wrong foot here, it is an insult to the court.'

2005, Elvis Presley's single ‘One Night’ made chart history by becoming the 1,000th UK No.1. Elvis, who led last week's chart with ‘Jailhouse Rock’, had now scored more number one UK hits than any other artist with 20 No.1’s, beating The Beatles' 17 chart toppers.

2005, The Killers started a two week run at No.1 on the UK charts with their debut album 'Hot Fuss.' The Las Vegas band also entered the UK singles chart at No.3 with 'Somebody Told Me'. Green Day were at No.1 on the US album chart with 'American Idiot.'

2007, James "Pookie" Hudson the lead singer of the fifties doo-wop group The Spaniels died. Their 1954 hit 'Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite' was featured in such films as Three Men and a Baby and American Graffiti. The Spaniels became one of the first artists to sign with Vee-Jay Records, the first large, independent Afro-American owned record label.

2007, Bob Dylan and his brother bought Aultmore House a mansion in the Scottish Cairngorms National Park, near Nethybridge, Inverness-shire.

2008, Radiohead were forced to abandon an intimate gig at Rough Trade East records in London after police raised safety fears. The band moved the gig to a nearby club after over 1,500 fans turned up after the event was announced in the morning promising tickets to the first 200 fans.

2009, Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort. The Culture Club frontman denied the charge at Snaresbrook crown court and claimed the victim, Norwegian Audun Carlsen, 29, had stolen photos from his laptop. The singer told police he invited Carlsen back to his home after a cocaine-fuelled pornographic photo shoot in January, 2007, because he suspected the Norwegian of stealing pictures from his computer. He admitted handcuffing Carlsen to a wall in April 2007 but said he did so in order to trace the missing property.

2013, It was announced that Joe Strummer was to have a city square named after him in Spain following a Facebook campaign. More than 2,000 residents of Granada, where The Clash frontman became a frequent visitor, signed a petition calling for him to be honoured. City hall officials agreed to the proposals and a square in the area was set to be renamed Plaza de Joe Strummer.


January 16th: Born on this day

1937, Born on this day, American musician Bob Bogle, guitarist with The Ventures, who had the 1960 UK No.4 single 'Perfidia', and the 1960 US No.2 'Walk Don't Run'.

1942, Born on this day, Raymond Philips, from English rock band, Nashville Teens who scored the 1964 UK No.6 single and US Top 20 hit 'Tobacco Road'.

1942, Born on this day, William Francis, keyboards, with American rock band Dr Hook who had the 1970s hits 'The Cover of Rolling Stone', 'A Little Bit More', 'When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman' and 'Sylvia's Mother'.

1942, Born on this day, Barbara Lynn, US singer, (1962 US No.8 single 'You'll Lose A Good Thing').

1946, Born on this day, Ronnie Milsap, country music singer and pianist. He became country music's first well-known blind singer, and one of the most successful and versatile country "crossover" singers of his time scoring the crossover hits, 'It Was Almost Like a Song,' 'Smoky Mountain Rain,' and 'Stranger in My House.' He is credited with six Grammy awards.

1950, Born on this day, American guitarist and Grammy Award-winning record producer, Bob Kulick best known for his studio work with KISS and for his tenure in W.A.S.P. Kulick has also worked with Meat Loaf, Michael Bolton and Lou Reed.

1955, Born on this day, Yan Style, from English pop and glam rock band Kenny who had several hit singles in the UK in the mid-1970s, including 'The Bump' and 'Fancy Pants'.

1959, Born on this day, Helen Folasade Adu (Sade), singer, 1984 UK No.6 single 'Your Love Is King', 1985 US No.5 single 'Smooth Operator'.

1962, Born on this day, Paul Webb, bass, Talk Talk, (1986 UK No.16 single 'Life's What You Make It').

1965, Born on this day, Maxine Jones, singer, En Vogue, (1992 US No.2 & UK No.4 single 'My Lovin').

1965, Born on this day, Jill Sobule, American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single 'I Kissed a Girl', and 'Supermodel' from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless.

1970, Born on this day, Brendan O'Hare, Teenage Fanclub, (1992 UK No. 31 single 'What You Do To Me').

1976, Born on this day, Stuart Fletcher, The Seahorses, (1997 UK No.3 single 'Love Is The Law').

1979, Born on this day, Aaliyah, US singer, actress, killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas 25/8/01.

January 17th: On this Day

1963, The Beatles played at The Cavern Club at lunchtime and in the evening played at the Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead. At the Majestic, every ticket had been sold in advance, leaving 500 disappointed fans waiting outside.

1964, The Rolling Stones released their first EP, which included, ‘You Better Move On’, ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Bye Bye Johnny’ and ‘Money’. It peaked at No.15 on the UK chart.

1966, NBC-TV in the US bought The Monkees series, placing it on their 1966 autumn schedule. The series centered on the adventures of The Monkees, a struggling rock band from Los Angeles, California and introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to television.

1967, The Daily Mail ran the story about a local council survey finding 4,000 holes in the road in Lancashire inspiring John Lennon's contribution to The Beatles song 'A Day In The Life'.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded a session for Radio Luxembourg's Ready Steady Radio. The band ran up a bar bill of £2.5 shillings, ($6.21), which they were unable to pay.

1967, 40-year-old David Mason recorded the piccolo trumpet solo for The Beatle's 'Penny Lane' at Abbey Road Studios in London. He was paid £27, 10 shillings ($42) for his performance. In August, 1987, the trumpet he used was sold at a Sotheby's auction for $10,846.

1970, American rhythm and blues singer and pianist Billy Stewart and three of his band were killed when the Ford Thunderbird that Stewart was driving crashed off a bridge and plunged into the Neuse River near Smithfield, North Carolina. Stewart had the 1966 US No.10 single with his version of the George Gershwin song 'Summertime'.

1970, The Doors played the first of four shows at the Felt Forum in New York City. The shows were recorded for the bands forthcoming 'Absolutely Live' album.

1972, A section of Bellevue Boulevard in Memphis was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. The remaining length of road kept its original name after protests from the Bellevue Baptist Church.

1976, Barry Manilow scored his second US No.1 single with 'I Write The Songs', which was written by The Beach Boys Bruce Johnson.

1981, Motley Crue formed when bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the band London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist, guitarist Greg Leon, (who later left). Sixx and Lee then added guitarist Bob "Mick Mars" Deal. Vince Neil accepted an offer to join (after turning them down) in April of this year.

1982, American blues singer-songwriter and pianist Tommy Tucker died, aged 48, after being overcome by poisonous fumes while he was renovating the floors of his New York City home. Tucker wrote the 1964 US No.11 hit 'Hi Heel Sneakers'. Tucker left the music industry in the late 1960s, taking a position as a real estate agent in New Jersey.

1987, Kate Bush started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Whole Story'. The compilation album was Bush's third UK number one album as well as her best selling release.

1996, David Bowie Tom Donahue, The Jefferson Airplane, Gladys Knight And The Pips, Little Willie John, Pink Floyd, Pete Seeger, The Shirelles and The Velvet Underground were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1998, All Saints scored their first UK No.1 single with 'Never Ever'. The track spent a total of twenty-four weeks on the UK chart and was the first of five No.1 singles for the London based girl group.

2003, A long-lost recording featuring John Lennon and Mick Jagger was set to spark a biding war at a London auction. The acetate record was recorded in 1974 with Jagger singing the blues song 'Too Many Cooks' and Lennon playing guitar. The track had never been released because the two artists were both signed to different record companies.

2003, Singer Lou Rawls was arrested at Albuquerque Airport, New Mexico after an incident with his companion, Nina Inman. Officers reported that she and Rawls had been talking about their relationship when the conversation escalated into a shoving match resulting in Rawls being booked on one count of battery on a household member.

2011, American music publisher, talent manager, and songwriter Don Kirshner who helped launch the careers of Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, The Monkees, The Archies and Kansas, died of heart failure at the age of 76. Kirshner was hired by the producers of the Monkees to provide hit-worthy songs to accompany the television program and also served as a music consultant for almost two dozen TV series between 1966 and 1977.

2014, Madonna apologised for using a racial slur to refer to her son on an Instagram post, after she uploaded a snapshot of 13-year-old Rocco Ritchie boxing with the offensive epithet used in a hashtag accompanying the photo. Madonna's comment was swiftly deleted from her Instagram account after some of her 1.1 million followers berated her for using the hashtag "#disnigga"

2016, English drummer Dale Griffin died aged 67. He was a founder member of Mott the Hoople best known for classic tracks 'Roll Away The Stone' and 'All The Young Dudes'. The band who made eight albums during their five-and-a-half year existence, reformed to mark their 40th anniversary in 2009 - but Griffin was too ill to take part. Griffin also produced numerous BBC Radio 1 John Peel sessions from 1981 to 1994 including the first professional recording session for Pulp in 1981.

2016, American brass player Mic Gillette died of a heart attack. A child prodigy, Gillette picked up the trumpet and was reading music by age four. He was a member of soul band Tower of Power.


January 17th: Born on this day

1927, Born on this day, Eartha Kitt, US female singer, (1955 UK No.7 single 'Under The Bridges Of Paris,' 1989 UK No.32 single with Bronski Beat, 'Cha Cha Heels'). Kitt died from colon cancer on December 25 2008 at her Weston, Connecticut home at the age of 81.

1943, Born on this day, Chris Montez, UK singer, (1962 UK No.2 & US No.4 single 'Let's Dance').

1945, Born on this day, William Hart, singer from American R&B/soul vocal group The Delfonics who had the 1968 US No.4 single 'La-La Means I Love You', and the hits 'Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)', and 'Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)'.

1948, Born on this day, Mick Taylor, guitar, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, joined The Rolling Stones in 1969 (aged 20), and left the Stones in 1974. He has appeared on some of the Stones' classic albums including Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. Taylor has also worked with Bob Dylan, Mike Oldfield, Jack Bruce and Ronnie Wood.

1953, Born on this day, Sheila Hutchinson, vocals, The Emotions, (1977 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Best Of My Love').

1954, Born on this day, Cheryl Bentyne, singer, Manhattan Transfer, (1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City').

1955, Born on this day, Steve Earle, US singer, songwriter who had the 1988 UK No. 45 single 'Copperhead Road' and the Country and independent No.1 album 'Transcendental Blues'. Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Gretchen Peters, Shawn Colvin and Eddi Reader have all covered his songs.

1956, Born on this day, Paul Young, singer, (1983 UK No.1 single 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, That's My Home', 1985 US No.1 single 'Everytime You Go Away'. The Streetband, (1978 UK No.18 single 'Toast.' Also lead singer with 1980s Q-Tips a soul covers band.

1958, Born on this day, Jez Strode, bass, Kajagoogoo, (1983 UK No.1 single 'Too Shy').

1959, Born on this day, Susanna Hoffs, guitar vocals, The Bangles, (1986 UK No.2 single with Prince song 'Manic Monday', 1986 US No.1 single 'Walk Like An Egyptian').

1960, Born on this day, John Crawford, bassist from American new wave band Berlin, who scored the 1986 UK & US No.1 single 'Take My Breath Away' which was featured in the 1986 film Top Gun.

1961, Born on this day, Dave Collard, keyboards, with British new wave group Jo Boxers, who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Boxer Beat'.

1963, Born on this day, Andy Rourke, bassist with English rock band The Smiths who had the 1984 UK No.10 single 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now', plus 15 other UK Top 40 singles. Rourke has also played and recorded with the Pretenders and later formed Freebass with bass players Mani (ex-the Stone Roses) and Peter Hook (ex-New Order) in 2007.

1966, Born on this day, Shabba Ranks, singer, (1993 UK No.3 single 'Mr Loverman').

1971, Born on this day, Kid Rock, (Robert James Ritchie), American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper who had the 2000 US No.2 album 'History Of Rock' and the 2007 US No.1 album 'Rock N Roll Jesus' which featured the hit 'All Summer Long' charting at No.1 in eight countries.

1971, Born on this day, Jon Wysocki, drummer with American rock band Staind who had the 2001 US No.1 album, Break The Cycle.

1978, Born on this day, Ricky Wilson, vocals, Kaiser Chiefs, (2005 UK No.3 album 'Employment', 2005 UK No.6 single 'Oh My God', 2007 UK No.1 single 'Ruby').

1984, Born on this day, Calvin Harris, singer-songwriter and producer. Had the 2009 UK No.1 single 'I'm Not Alone.' His collaboration with Rihanna 'We Found Love' became an international success, giving Harris his first US No.1 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Harris broke the record for the most top 10 songs from one studio album on the UK Singles Chart with nine entries, from his 2012 album 18 Months surpassing Michael Jackson.

1986, Born on this day, Jeremiah Fraites American musician with the American folk rock band The Lumineers. Their second album, Cleopatra, released in 2016 debuted at No.1 on the US chart and also on the Canadian and UK album charts.

January 21st: On this Day

1963, The Beatles made their third appearance on the Radio Luxembourg program The Friday Spectacular. The Beatles were interviewed by the host and played two tracks, 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why.

1965, Over 3,000 screaming fans met The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrived for a 16 date tour of Australia and New Zealand.

1966, George Harrison married Patti Boyd at Leatherhead Register Office in Surrey with Paul McCartney as Best man. George had first met Patti on the set of The Beatles movie 'A Hard Day's Night'. She left Harrison in the mid-'70s and started an affair with Harrison's friend Eric Clapton, who wrote the song "Layla" about her. The two married in May 1979, but split in 1988.

1968, Jimi Hendrix recorded his version of the Bob Dylan song 'All Along the Watchtower' at Olympic Studios in London. Rolling Stone Brian Jones (percussion) and Dave Mason from Traffic (twelve-string guitar) both played on the session. The track was released in the US as a single in 1968, peaking at No.20.

1972, Pink Floyd appeared at The Guildhall, Portsmouth, England. This was the first time that they were able to perform the whole of what became the The Dark Side of The Moon album in its entirety, the previous night's performance in Brighton having been halted for technical reasons.

1978, The soundtrack album 'Saturday Night Fever' started a 24 week run at No.1 on the US album charts, it went on to sell over 30 million copies world wide, making it the best selling soundtrack album of all time.

1982, B.B. King donated his entire record collection of over 20,000 discs to Mississippi University's centre for the Study of Southern Culture,

1983, The Allman Brothers Band bassist Lamar Williams died of lung cancer age 34. He joined the band in 1972 after the death of original bassist Berry Oakley. His doctors believed that the disease was derived from exposure to Agent Orange during his Vietnam service. Opposed to the war and to killing in general, Williams went AWOL frequently and wandered around the jungles of South Vietnam, occasionally returning to various units. He was given an honorable discharge in 1970.

1984, Soul singer Jackie Wilson died aged 49. Wilson suffered a massive heart attack while playing a Dick Clark show at the Latin Casino in New Jersey on September 29, 1975, falling head-first to the stage while singing 'Lonely Teardrops', and had remained in a coma until his death 8 years later. His 1957 single Reet Petite became a posthumous No.1 when re-issued in 1987 due in part to a new animated video made for the song, featuring a clay model of Wilson. Van Morrison wrote 'Jackie Wilson Said' which was covered by Dexy's Midnight Runners.

1987, Keith Richards inducted Aretha Franklin at the second annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards, held in New York City. Keith later took part in a jam with Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison, Sting, and Daryl Hall.

1989, Six weeks after his death Roy Orbison started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'The Legendary Roy Orbison' collection.

1992, Billy Idol pleaded guilty to assault and battery charges after an incident outside a West Hollywood restaurant. He was fined $2,700 (£1,588) and ordered to appear in a series of anti-drug commercials.

1997, 'Colonel' Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager and agent died of a stroke in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the age of 87. Born Andreas van Kuijk, a Dutch immigrant who changed his name as soon as he arrived in the US, Parker never applied for a green card and feared deportation his entire life. He briefly managed country singers Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow.

1997, American songwriter Irwin Levine died of kidney failure aged 58. He co-wrote, 'Knock Three Times' and 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon' both US & UK No.1's for Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early Seventies.

2002, American singer and actress Peggy Lee died of complications from diabetes and a heart attack at the age of 81. 1958 US No. 8 & UK No.5 single 'Fever.' Lee worked with Benny Goodman, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones and was nominated for 12 Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for her 1969 hit 'Is That All There Is?'

2003, David Palmer, former keyboard player for Jethro Tull changed his name to Dee Palmer after a successful sex change operation. Palmer was the keyboard player for Jethro Tull between 1969 and 1980. He played on all the Tull classics including 'Thick As A Brick' and 'Aqualung.'

2004, As the third season of American Idol was aired on US TV a memo was leaked showing a list of songs banned from being performed at this year's auditions that included, Elton John's 'Candle In The Wind' and 'Fallin' by Alicia Keys. Also all songs by Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, R. Kelly, Tom Petty, Korn and Linkin Park were not allowed after concerns over the cost of securing rights for the song's use, (or the composers not wanting their song's to be performed on the show).

2007, Mika scored his debut UK number one hit single with 'Grace Kelly', which went on to be became the third biggest-selling single in the UK in 2007. Amy Winehouse kept her place at the top of the UK album chart with 'Back to Black'.

2012, Adele was at No.1 on the US album chart with her second studio album 21. The album which yielded five hit singles including the lead single 'Rolling in the Deep', has now sold over 26.4 million copies worldwide.

2015, An Israeli man was arrested on suspicion of hacking into the computers of pop stars including Madonna and selling unreleased songs online. During the investigation it appeared the suspect had broken into the computers of a number of international artists, stole unreleased demos and final tracks and sold them over the internet.


January 21st: Born on this day

1922, Born on this day, Telly Savalas, singer, actor (1975 UK No.1 single 'If'). Played Lt. Theo Kojak a bald New York City detective in the television series Kojak, with a fondness for lollipops and whose trademark line was "Who loves ya, baby?" Died of cancer on 22nd January 1994.

1938, Born on this day, DJ Wolfman Jack. Master of ceremonies for the rock 'n' roll generation of the '60s on radio, and later on television during the '70s. Died of a heart attack 1 July 1995.

1941, Born on this day, Placido Domingo, Spanish singer, (1994 UK No.21 single with Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, 'Libiamo / La Donna E Mobile').

1941, Born on this day, Richie Havens, folk singer, (1971 US No.16 single with his version of George Harrison's 'Here Comes The Sun', appeared at Woodstock, Newport, and Isle Of Wight festivals). Havens died of a heart attack at home in Jersey City, New Jersey aged 72 on 22nd April 2013.

1942, Born on this day, Edwin Starr, singer, 1970 US No.1 and UK No.3 single 'War'). Starr died on 2nd April 2003 aged 61.

1942, Born on this day, Mac Davis, singer, songwriter. (1972 US No.1 single 'Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me', No.29 in the UK. Wrote 'In The Ghetto' and 'Don't Cry Daddy' for Elvis Presley).

1942, Born on this day, Australian artist, cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker Martin Sharp - Australia's foremost pop artist. His psychedelic posters of Bob Dylan, Donovan and others, rank as classics of the genre. Martin co-wrote one of Cream's best known songs, ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’, created the cover art for Cream's Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire albums, and in the 1970s became a champion of singer Tiny Tim. Sharp died from emphysema on 1 Dec 2013 aged 71.

1947, Born on this day, Jim Ibbotson, from American country rock band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who scored the 1971 US No.9 single 'Mr Bojangles'.

1950, Born on this day, Billy Ocean, singer, (1988 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Get Out Of My Dreams Get Into My Car').

1954, Born on this day, Nigel Glockler, drummer from English heavy metal band Saxon. As one of the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal, they had eight UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s.

1956, Born on this day, Rob Brill, drummer from American new wave band Berlin, who scored the 1986 UK & US No.1 single 'Take My Breath Away' which was featured in the 1986 film Top Gun.

1965, Born on this day, American musician and DJ Jam Master Jay, (Jason Mizell), Run-D.M.C. He was murdered by an assassin's single bullet on 30th Oct 2002. Run-D.M.C. had the 1986 UK No.8 single with Aerosmith 'Walk This Way' and the 1998 UK No.1 single 'It's Like That.'

1965, Born on this day, Robert Del Naja, 3- D, Massive Attack, (1991 UK No.13 single 'Unfinished Sympathy').

1966, Born on this day, Wendy James, singer with English group Transvision Vamp who had the 1989 UK No.3 single 'Baby I Don't Care'.

1973, Born on this day, Chris Kilmore, from American rock band Incubus, who had the 2001 US No.9 & UK No.40 single, 'Drive', and the 2004 US No.2 and UK No.6 album A Crow Left of the Murder’, and the 2006 US No.1 album Light Grenades. Worldwide, Incubus has sold over 23 million albums.

1976, Born on this day, English singer, songwriter, actress, and radio and television presenter Emma Bunton, (Baby Spice in The Spice Girls) who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe'. She had the 2001 UK No.1 solo single 'What Took You So Long'.

1979, Born on this day, Nokio, Dru Hill, (1999 US No.1 & UK No.2 single with Will Smith, 'Wild Wild West').

1980, Born on this day, Benjamin Moody, guitar, with American rock band Evanescence who had the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.5 single ‘Bring Me To Life’, and the 2003 UK No.1 & US No.3 album Fallen.

January 23rd: On this Day

1956, Rock 'n' Roll fans in Cleveland aged under 18 were banned from dancing in public (unless accompanied by an adult), after Ohio Police introduced a law dating back to 1931.

1965, 'Downtown' made Petula Clark the first UK female singer to have a No.1 on the US singles chart since Vera Lynn in 1952. The song was also a No.2 hit in the UK. Recorded in three takes (with the second take ultimately chosen as the completed track), session players in the studio recording included Jimmy Page.

1967, Pink Floyd spent the first of three days recording the Syd Barrett songs Arnold Layne and Candy And A Current Bun at Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London. According to Roger Waters, Arnold Layne was based on a real person - a transvestite whose primary pastime was stealing women's clothes and undergarments from washing lines in Cambridge.

1969, Working at Apple studios in London, The Beatles (with Billy Preston on keyboards) recorded ten takes of a new song called 'Get Back'.

1971, Steel Mill played their final show when they appeared at the Upstage Club, Asbury Park, New Jersey. Singer Bruce Springsteen formed new bands during the rest of the year known under such names as the Bruce Springsteen Jam, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and finally the Bruce Springsteen Band.

1971, George Harrison became the first solo Beatle to have a No.1 when ' 'My Sweet Lord' went to the top of the UK single charts. The song from his 'All Things Must Pass' album stayed at No.1 for five weeks. The track returned to the top of the UK charts in 2002, following his death.

1971, Dawn started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Knock Three Times', the group's first No.1, which was also an UK No.1.

1976, David Bowie released his tenth studio album Station to Station, which was the vehicle for his last great character, the Thin White Duke. The album was recorded after he completed shooting Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the cover artwork featured a still from the movie. The album made the top five in both the UK and US charts.

1978, American musician and songwriter Terry Kath, best known as the original guitarist, and founding members of the rock band Chicago accidentally shot himself dead. After a party at roadie and band technician Don Johnson's home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, Kath picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, "Don't worry about it ... look, the clip is not even in it." To satisfy Johnson's concerns, Kath showed the empty magazine to Johnson. Kath then replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. Apparently unbeknownst to Kath, however, there was still one round in the chamber, and he died instantly from the gunshot

1988, Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Way You Make Me Feel'. It was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad for which Jackson had written over sixty songs for the album, with plans of releasing a three disc album, but producer Quincy Jones convinced Jackson to make Bad a one disc LP.

1988, Nirvana recorded a 10-song demo with Seattle producer Jack Endino. Sub Pop records boss Jonathan Poneman hears the tape and offers to put out a Nirvana single.

1990, Allen Collins guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd died of pneumonia after being ill for several months. Collins who was one of the founding members also co-wrote most of the band's songs (including Free Bird), with late front man Ronnie Van Zant. He survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members. Collins was behind the wheel in a car accident in 1986 that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

1990, David Bowie announced his forthcoming Sound And Vision world tour, during which he would invite each local audience to decide on a 'greatest hits' running order, organised through local radio stations. The concert tour surpassed Bowie's previous Serious Moonlight (1983) and Glass Spider (1987) tours' statistics by visiting 27 countries with 108 performances.

1991, John Sebastian, owner and general manager of KLSK FM in Albuquerque, New Mexico, played Led Zeppelins 'Stairway To Heaven' for twenty-four solid hours to inaugurate a format change to Classic Rock. Police showed up with guns drawn: once after a listener reported that the DJ had apparently suffered a heart attack, and later because of suspicion that, this being eight days into the Gulf War, the radio station had been taken hostage by terrorists dispatched by Zeppelin freak Saddam Hussein.

1995, American singer Bill Horton with The Silhouettes died. The doo wop/R&B groups single 'Get A Job' was a No.1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. 'Get A Job' is included in the soundtracks of the film American Graffiti, Trading Places and Stand By Me. The Silhouettes performed in the 1986 movie Joey.

1998, US soul singer Johnny Funches from The Dells died of pneumonia at the age of 62. The Dells had the 1956 hit 'Oh What a Night' and 1968 US No.10 single 'Stay In My Corner'. The Dells formed in 1952 after all attending high school together.

2000, Santana started a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Supernatural', the album which went on to win eight Grammy awards spent a total of nine weeks at No.1 during this year.

2001, An English coroner criticised the rap singer Eminem's lyrics as depressing during an inquest into the death of a schoolboy who threw himself in front of a train. The 17-year old boy had printed out the lyrics to Eminem's track 'Rock Bottom' before his death.

2003, R Kelly was arrested on new child pornography charges. The singer was detained in Miami after police said digital sex pictures were discovered at his home in Florida last June. The singer was already facing 21 charges relating to producing child pornography and appearing in a video having sex with an underage girl. He was charged with a further 12 counts of possession of child pornography.

2005, Former Happy Mondays dancer Bez, won the £50,000 Celebrity Big Brother prize, after gaining 54% of the final viewer vote. The "Madchester" pop legend danced his way to becoming the sixth member of the indie-dance band in the late-1980s after playing maracas with them.

2014, Justin Bieber was arrested after racing his yellow Lamborghini against another sports car on a Miami Beach street. Police said the singer did not co-operate when pulled over also charged him with resisting arrest without violence and having an expired driving licence. The 19-year-old singer was granted bail set at $2,500 (£1,500).

2016, Scottish musician Jimmy Bain died aged 68 while in his cabin on Def Leppard's "Hysteria on the High Seas" cruise. The cause of death was determined to be lung cancer. Bain was best known for playing bass guitar in the bands Rainbow and Dio, he also worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums as well as Ian Hunter, Gary Moore and John Cale.

2017, African-American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer Bobby Freeman died of natural causes aged 76. He scored the 1958 US & UK No.5 single 'Do You Want To Dance'. The song has been covered (as 'Do You Wanna Dance') by Del Shannon, The Beach Boys, Johnny Rivers, Bette Midler, John Lennon, Cliff Richard, Marc Bolan & T.Rex, the Mamas & The Papas and the Ramones.


January 23rd: Born on this day

1910, Born on this day, Django Reinhardt, jazz guitarist. He badly burned his third and fourth fingers of his left hand in a house fire aged 18. Doctors suggested he play the guitar to keep his fingers flexible, giving him his two fingered guitar style. Has worked with Stepane Grappelli and Duke Ellington. Reinhardt died of a stroke on 15th May 1953.

1944, Born on this day, Jerry Lawson, singer with The Persuasions, a-cappella group, who worked with Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder and Don McLean.

1948, Born on this day, Anita Pointer, singer with American R&B singing group The Pointer Sisters who had the 1981 US No.2 single, 'Slow Hand' and the 1984 UK No.2 single 'Automatic'. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.

1950, Born on this day, Danny Federici, organ and keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band who had the 1984 US No.2 and 1985 UK No.4 single 'Dancing In The Dark'. Federici who had worked with Springsteen for over 40 years, including early bands Steel Mill and Child died of cancer on April 17th 2008 at the age of 58.

1950, Born on this day, Bill Cunningham, bass, piano, The Box Tops who had the 1967 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'The Letter'.

1953, Born on this day, Robin Zander, singer, songwriter from American rock band, Cheap Trick, who had the 1979 hit single 'I Want You To Want Me', and the 1988 US No.1 single 'The Flame'.

1959, Born on this day, Earl Falconer, bassist with UB40, who had the 1983 UK No.1 & US 1988 US No.1 single 'Red Red Wine' and over 30 other Top 40 hits.

1974, Born on this day, Kita, drummer with Lordi. They became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' won the contest held in Athens in 2006.

1975, Born on this day, Nick Harmer, bass guitarist with Death Cab for Cutie who scored the 2008 US No.1 album 'Narrow Stairs'.

January 25th: On this Day

1963, The Rolling Stones played at the Ricky Tick Club at the Star and Garter Hotel, Windsor, Berkshirehire, UK. This was the first time The Rolling Stones, including Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, played at this venue. All the walls in the club were painted black and the lighting was made out of old ice-cream tins.

1964, Phil Spector appeared as a panellist on this week's UK TV show Juke Box Jury.

1964, The Beatles scored their first No.1 best seller in the US when 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' reached the top of the Cash Box Magazine music chart. The Fab Four would eventually rack up 25 No.1's in America.

1967, The Beatles made a last-minute remix of 'Penny Lane' before the pressing of their next double A sided single 'Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane'. Both songs were originally intended for the forthcoming Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1969, Pink Floyd appeared at the Sixty Nine Club, Royal York Hotel, Ryde, Isle of Wight, England. Support band was The Cherokees, who had had a minor hit single in 1964 with Seven Golden Daffodils produced by Mickie Most. They later changed their name to New York Public Library.

1973, David Bowie finished a week of rehearsals at the Royal Ballroom, Tottenham, London, for the forthcoming UK leg of his Ziggy Stardust tour. Bowie had already played dates in North America and Japan, the tour saw the singer playing a total of 182 dates.

1974, Led Zeppelin appeared at the Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana to over 17,000 fans. The set list included: 'Rock And Roll', 'Over The Hills And Far Away', 'The Song Remains The Same', 'The Rain Song', 'Kashmir', 'The Wanton Song', 'No Quarter', 'Trampled Under Foot', 'Moby Dick', 'How Many More Times', 'Stairway To Heaven', 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'Black Dog'. Tickets cost $8.50.

1975, The Carpenters went to No.1 on the US singles chart with their version of The Marveletts 1961 hit 'Please Mr. Postman'. The song is notable as the first Motown song to reach the No.1 position on the Billboard singles chart late 1961.

1975, The last Sunbury Rock Festival in Victoria Australia was held. The promoters who had made heavy losses only paid Deep Purple. AC/DC were scheduled to play after Deep Purple but a fight started on stage between road crews after Purple's set when they began packing up the lights and PA and denied AC/DC use of them, who then left the festival site without playing at all.

1978, After changing their name from Warsaw, (inspired by the song Warszawa on David Bowie's Low album), Joy Division made their live debut when they played at Pips Disco in Manchester, England.

1984, Yoko Ono donated £250,000 ($425,000) to Liverpool old people's home Strawberry Fields.

1986, US manager Albert Grossman died of a heart attack while flying on Concorde from New York to London. He managed Bob Dylan (between 1962 and 1970), Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band, Janis Joplin and Todd Rundgren. Grossman built the Bearsville Recording Studio near Woodstock in 1969 and in 1970 he founded Bearsville Records.

1986, Norwegian group A-Ha were at No.1 in the UK with 'The Sun Always Shines On TV,' becoming the first ever-Norwegian act to score a UK No.1 hit single.

1989, Bobby Brown was arrested for an overtly sexually suggestive performance after a show in Columbus; he was fined $652 under the anti-lewdness ordinance law.

1992, The inaugural Big Day Out festival took place at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Acts appearing included, Nirvana, Beasts of Bourbon, Box The Jesuits, Celibate Rifles, Cosmic Psychos, The Clouds, Club Hoy, Died Pretty, Falling Joys, The Hard Ons with Henry Rollins Hellmen, Massappeal, The Meanies, Smudge, Sound Unlimited Posse, Ratcat, The Village Idiots, Violent Femmes and Yothu Yindi.

2004, Bob Dylan was paid by ladies underwear company Victoria’s Secret to fly to Venice in Northern Italy, to film a TV advertisement in an ancient palazzo with a scantily dressed model. Some fans were upset while others empathized with Dylan.

2005, Ray Peterson, the voice behind the June 1960, US No.7 hit, 'Tell Laura I Love Her' passed away at the age of 65. After the hit records stopped coming in the early seventies, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit.

2008, British Sea Power's keyboard and cornet player Phil Sumner, ended up in hospital after being knocked unconscious when he attempted a stage dive. The crowd at Leeds Irish Centre failed to catch him when he jumped off a 12-foot PA system landing head first. A spokeswoman for the band said: "The impact knocked him out straight away. He was unconscious for three minutes and there was a lot of blood."

2011, A former Miss Canada finalist became the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in The Beatles. Canadian singer Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy, 53, was one of the first students to sign up for the course on the Fab Four when it launched at Liverpool Hope University in March 2009. The ground-breaking course looked at the studio sound and composition of The Beatles and how Liverpool helped to shape their music as well as examining the significance of the music of The Beatles and their impact on Western culture.

2014, Susan Boyle applied for a minimum wage, £6-an-hour cashier's job after spotting a job advert in the window of her local bookmakers, Ladbrokes, in Blackburn, west Lothian. Upon reading the advert the singer who is said to worth over £20m entered the premises and spent around five minutes talking to the shop's deputy manager David Corr about the role.

2015, Greek singer Demis Roussos, who sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, died aged 68 in hospital in Athens. In the 1970s he was a member of Aphrodite's Child, a progressive rock group that also included Vangelis. He was best known for his solo hits in the 1970s and 80s, including 'Forever and Ever, Goodbye' and 'Quand je t'aime'.


January 25th: Born on this day

1915, Born on this day, Folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer Ewan MacColl, who was the composer of 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' a hit for Roberta Flack in 1971 for which he won a Grammy. MacColl died on 22nd October 1989. He was the father of singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl.

1931, Born on this day, Swedish songwriter, producer and ABBA's manager Stig Anderson. He co-wrote some of ABBA's biggest hits, such as ‘Waterloo’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘S.O.S’, ‘Fernando’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. During the 1960s he was one of Sweden's most prolific songwriters, producing more than 3,000 published titles. Anderson died of a heart attack on 12th Sept 1997.

1938, Born on this day, Etta James, singer, who had 9 US Top 40 hits during the 60s including the 1996 UK No.5 single 'I Just Want To Make Love To You'. James died on January 20, 2012.

1949, Born on this day, John Cooper Clarke, 'Bard of Salford', Manchester, poet laureate. Well known for 'Kung Fu International', 'I Married A Monster From Outer Space', 'The Day My Pad Went Mad'.

1950, Born on this day, Michael Cotten, synthesiser, The Tubes who had the 1977 UK No.28 single 'White Punks On Dope' and the 1983 US No.10 single 'She's A Beauty'.

1953, Born on this day, Malcolm Green, drummer from New Zealand group Split Enz who had the 1980 UK No.12 single 'I Got You'. Split Enz had ten albums (including seven studio albums) reach the top ten of the Official New Zealand Music Chart.

1954, Born on this day, Robert Finch, singer with American disco and funk group KC and the Sunshine Band who had the 1975 US No.1 single 'That's The Way, I Like It', and the 1983 UK No.1 single 'Give It Up'.

1956, Born on this day, Andy Cox, guitarist with British band The Beat who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Can't Get Used To Losing You'. Also a member of Fine Young Cannibals who had the 1989 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'She Drives Me Crazy'.

1958, Born on this day, Gary Tibbs bassist who has worked with Roxy Music and Adam And The Ants who had the 1981 UK No.1 single 'Stand And Deliver' plus 15 other Top 40 UK singles.

1962, Born on this day, Peter Coyle from the English new wave band The Lotus Eaters who had the 1983 UK No.15 single 'First Picture Of You' which was a hit in continental Europe, notably France, Italy, Belgium and Spain.

1963, Born on this day, Carl Fysh, vocals, Brother Beyond who had the 1988 UK No. 2 single 'The Harder I Try'.

1977, Born on this day, Christian Ingebrigtsen, singer with pop group A1 who had the 2000 UK No.1 single, 'Same Old Brand New You'.

1981, Born on this day, Alicia Keys, American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, (born Alicia J. Augello-Cook). Scored the 2001 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Fallin' and the 2001 US No.1 & UK No.7 album 'Songs In A Minor'. Keys has sold over 25 million albums and singles worldwide and won numerous awards, including nine Grammys.