2024
Sabrina Carpenter became the first female artist (and third overall) to simultaneously hold the No.1 position on the UK albums and singles charts with the single ‘Taste' and the album Short ’n Sweet. When Taste, debuted at No.2 on the US Hot 100, it made Carpenter the first act since
The Beatles to chart their first three top-five hits within a single week.
2024
Danielle Moore frontwoman from British electronic group Crazy P died at the age of 52. The group released six albums and several singles, starting with 'Digging Deeper' in 1996 and built up a strong fanbase in Australia where they toured several times.
2023
American guitarist Jack Sonni best known as "the other guitarist" in
Dire Straits during the band's Brothers in Arms era died aged 68. He met founding Dire Straits members and guitarists David and Mark Knopfler in 1978 while working at Rudy's Music Stop a guitar shop in Manhattan.
2020
At the 2020
MTV Video Music Awards,
Lady Gaga was the most awarded act of the night winning song of the year for 'Rain on Me' (with Ariana Grande), Artist of the Year and the MTV Tricon Award. BTS won Best Group,
Coldplay won Best Rock track for 'Orphans' and Video of the Year went to
The Weeknd for 'Blinding Lights'.
2016
US singer Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a woman told police he had threatened her with a gun. Beauty queen Baylee Curran told the LA Times Mr Brown had pointed the gun at her face after she had been admiring his friend's jewellery. Mr Brown came out of his home after a stand-off with police.
2016
The latest edition of Guinness World Records said that
Ringo Starr's copy of
The Beatles'
White Album was officially the most expensive LP ever sold at auction. Guinness confirmed that a December 2015 sale at Julien's Auction House set a new high for album prices when the first-edition copy with the catalog number 0000001, which was kept in a vault in perfect condition by Starr for more than 35 years, sold for $790,000.
2014
Kate Bush followed her stage comeback by becoming the first woman to have eight albums in the UK charts at the same time. Two of the singer's albums were in the top 10, and eight overall in the top 40. It came after she returned for her first live concerts for 35 years.
The only artists ahead of Bush are
Elvis Presley, who had 12 entries in the top 40 after his death in 1977 and
The Beatles who had 11 in 2009.
2013
A signed copy of
John Lennon's whimsical 1964 book ‘In His Own Write’ sold for more than $5,600 after a flurry of 47 bids on eBay. Filled with cheeky quips and kaleidoscopic imagery — the author note was titled ‘About the Awful’ — Lennon’s ‘In His Own Write’ featured short stories, poems and drawings.
2013
A 96-year-old who wrote a song for his late wife made the US iTunes top 10, alongside Katy Perry and
Lady Gaga. Fred Stobaugh, whose wife Lorraine had died in April, had no previous musical experience and wrote the song on a whim for a competition. He submitted his handwritten lyrics by post and, although the contest was online-only, the organisers were so moved they put the words to music. 'Oh Sweet Lorraine' was No.7 seven on US iTunes and had seen over 1.9m YouTube views.
2013
Cinema's across the UK were handing out earplugs to parents taking their children to see One Direction’s new film. Accompanying chaperones could enjoy One Direction: This Is Us 3D without being worried by the high-levels of expected screaming and shouting in the auditoriums during the screenings. Humans are capable of screaming as loud as 120 decibels, which is the same as standing next to a running chainsaw.
2011
Alleging that
Elvis Presley "was unjustly exploited during his lifetime by his record company," his estate announced a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Arista Music, formerly RCA Records, demanding proper payment over new media income such as ringtones, downloads and entertainment apps.
2007
Rap star Lil Wayne was sued by a woman for $1m who claimed she was crushed at one of his concerts after a large amount of cash was thrown into the audience.Tyrique Layne, then 17, said she lost consciousness after being trampled by the crowd at a gig in Maryland in October 2006, and had suffered memory loss and severe headaches.
2004
Winners at the 2004
MTV Video Music awards included, Usher for Best Male Video for ‘Yeah’, Best Video went to Outkast for ‘Hay Ya’, Best Group Video No Doubt for ‘It’s My Life’ and Best Rock Video went to Jet for ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl.’
1995
Carly Simon and James Taylor performed live together in front of 10,000 fans on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. It was the first time they appeared live on the same stage since 1979. The former couple played their own solo sets before combining their efforts in raising money for the local agricultural society.
1995
Sterling Morrison founder member of the
Velvet Underground died of cancer at his home in New York City two days after his 53rd birthday. Their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, featuring the German singer and model Nico, was released in 1967 to critical indifference and poor sales but later drew widespread acclaim. The guitarist left the group in August 1971 and re-joined in 1992 for a European tour. During the 80s, he became the Captain of a Houston tugboat.
1994
Oasis performed a selection of new songs at London's Virgin Mega store Marble Arch. Main man from The Lemonheads Evan Dando joined the band for a new song called 'Whatever'.
1992
Appearing at this year's Reading Festival, England, Suede, Ride, Pavement, Public Enemy, Manic Street Preachers (bassist Nicky Wire smashed his guitar in two and hurled it into the crowd, hitting a security guard who needed 16 stitches). This was one of the most famous in the festival's history.
Nirvana played what was to become their last UK concert, and one of their most famous.
Kurt Cobain took to the stage in a wheelchair pushed by music journalist Everett True, parodying speculations about his mental health.
1989
Izzy Stradlin from Guns N' Roses was arrested for making a public disturbance on a US air flight. Stradlin had urinated on the floor, verbally abused a stewardess and smoked in the non-smoking section of the aircraft.
1989
Billy Joel fired his manager and former brother in law Frank Weber, after an audit revealed discrepancies. Joel took Weber to court and sued for $90 million.
1988
Bruce Springsteen's wife Julianne filed for a divorce after newspapers published photos of Springsteen and backing singer Patti Scialfa together.
1986
Steve Winwood went to No.1 on the US singles chart with, 'Higher Love', a No.13 hit in the UK.
1975
Rod Stewart had his fifth UK No.1 album when Atlantic Crossing started a five-week run at the top of the charts. The title indicated Stewart's new artistic direction, and on his departure to escape the 83 per cent top rate of income tax introduced by British Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson for the jet-set lifestyle in Los Angeles.
1975
Paul Kossoff guitarist with
Free and Back Street Crawler, 'died' for 35 minutes in hospital after being taken ill. (Kossoff died on 19th March 1976 of heart failure after a history of drug abuse).
1972
John Lennon and Yoko Ono played Madison Square Gardens to raise money for the Willowbrook State School.
Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na and Roberta Flack also appeared at the event. Lennon personally bought $60,000 worth of tickets which were given to volunteer fund-raisers. Several of the performances were later included on Lennon's, Live in New York City album.
1969
The three day Texas Pop Festival took place featuring
Janis Joplin,
Led Zeppelin, Sam & Dave,
Santana, Johnny Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Delaney & Bonnie, Nazz, Spirit, B.B. King, Canned Heat and Chicago. Over 120,000 fans attended the festival.
1969
One Hit Wonders Zager and Evans started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'In The Year 2525.' The song which was written by Rick Evens in 1964, also spent six weeks at No.1 on the US chart.
1969
Two weeks after the
Woodstock festival, the second Isle Of Wight festival took place. Over 150,000 turned up over the two days to see
Bob Dylan,
The Band, Blodwyn Pig, Blonde On Blonde, Bonzo Dog Dooh Dah Band, Edgar Broughton Band, Joe Cocker, Aynsley Dunbar, Family, Fat Mattress, Julie Felix,
Free, Gypsy, Richie Havens, The Moody Blues, The Nice, Tom Paxton, Pentangle, The Pretty Things, Third Ear Band and
The Who. Tickets 25 shillings, ($3.00). Celebrities who attended include
Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, John & Yoko,
George Harrison,
Ringo Starr, Jane Fonder, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.
1968
American band the Byrds released their sixth album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. The album has proved to be a landmark for the entire nascent 1970s Los Angeles country rock movement and was also influential on the outlaw country and new traditionalist movements, as well as the so-called alternative country genre of the 1990s and 2000s.
1949
Hank Williams went into Herzog Studio in Cincinnati to record 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'. Williams wrote the song originally intending that the words be spoken, rather than sung. The song about loneliness was largely inspired by his troubled relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard.
1989
American singer and songwriter Bleta Rexha. She first achieved success as a songwriter, with credits on Eminem's single 'The Monster' (which later received the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance) as well as other songs for Shinee, Selena Gomez, and Nick Jonas, among others. The 2017 single 'Meant to Be' (featuring Florida Georgia Line), had wide success as a country crossover single, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent a record-breaking 50 weeks at the top of the US country chart.
1986
George Ryan Ross III, lead guitarist, singer, with American rock band Panic! at the Disco who scored the 2008 Australian No.1 and US & UK No.2 album Pretty.Odd.
1966
Peter Cunnah, from Northern Irish pop and dance group D:Ream, who had the 1994 UK No.1 single ‘Things Can Only Get Better’.
1964
1964, Robert Clivilles , producer and DJ with from American group C +C Music Factory who had the 1991 UK No.4 single 'Things That Make You Go Hmmm..., and the 1991 US No.1 single 'Gonna Make You Sweat'.
1963
Paul Oakenfold, producer, remixer, DJ. Toured with
U2, remixed for Simply Red, M People, New Order, Stone Roses and
U2.
1961
Keith McKenzie, from Scottish electronic dance band The Shamen who had the 1992 UK No.1 single 'Ebeneezer Goode'.
1958
English drummer Martin Jackson, who was a member of Magazine (1978 UK No.41 single 'Shot By Both Sides'), and Swing Out Sister, (1986 UK No.4 single 'Breakout').
1954
Ronald Beitle, drummer with American funk rock band Wild Cherry, who had the 1976 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Play That Funky Music'.
1953
Horace Panter, also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, bassist for the British 2 Tone ska band The Specials who had the 1981 UK No.1 single 'Ghost Town'.
1952
Kenny Andrews, from British doo-wop revival band Darts who had the 1978 UK No.2 single 'Boy From New York City'.
1951
Dana, (Rosemary Brown), 1970 Irish Eurovision Song Contest winner, UK No.1 single 'All Kinds Of Everything'.
1950
Micky Moody guitar, Juicy Lucy (1970 UK No.14 single 'Who Do You Love'), Whitesnake, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single 'Here I Go Again').
1944
Charles Colbert, from American rock band American Breed, who scored the 1967 US No.5 single 'Bend Me, Shape Me', (a hit on the British charts for the British group Amen Corner). The band also found themselves in high demand in the lucrative radio jingles market, recording commercials for Coca-Cola, the United States Navy, and Bell Telephone, among others. Their television commercial for American Airlines ('Fly the American Way') was also a big success in the top twenty.
1941
John McNally, The Searchers, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Needles And Pins', 1964 US No.3 single 'Love Potion Number Nine').
1939
John Peel, BBC radio DJ. journalist and TV presenter, born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft. He was the longest running BBC
Radio 1 and the most influential British DJ ever. He was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio, and is widely acknowledged for promoting artists working in various genres, including pop, reggae, indie rock, alternative rock, punk, hardcore punk, breakcore, grindcore, death metal, British hip hop, and dance music. Peel died in Cuzco, Peru of a heart attack on 25th October 2004 aged 65.
1935
John Phillips, from American folk rock vocal group The Mamas & the Papas who had the 1965 hit 'California Dreamin'', the 1966 US No.1 single 'Monday Monday' and the 1967 hit 'Dedicated to the One I Love'. Phillips died of heart failure aged 65 on 18th March 2001.
1919
American pioneering female country music singer Ellen Muriel Deason who became known as Kitty Wells. Her 1952 hit 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels', made her the first female country singer to top the US country charts, and turned her into the first female country star. Wells died on 16 July 2012 age 92.