2024
English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader Zoot Money died at the age of 82. He was best known for playing the Hammond organ and for his leadership of the Big Roll Band. He worked with many British artists including Alan Price, Alexis Korner, Humble Pie and The Animals. Guitarist Andy Summers (who later became a member of the
Police) was a member of his band. In the late 1970s Money developed an acting career and had bit-parts in TV shows which included Bergerac, The Bill and EastEnders.
2020
American composer, singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, saxophonist and co-founding member of Kool & the Gang, Ronald Bell died age 68. He wrote and produced many of the Kool & the Gang’s songs, including ‘Celebration’, ‘Cherish’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ and ‘Summer Madness’. He said his favorite song was ‘Celebration’, which he wrote after picking up a Bible in a hotel room.
2016
Jamaican singer, songwriter and producer, Prince Buster died in a hospital in Miami, Florida, after suffering heart problems. The first Jamaican to have a top 20 hit in the UK, Prince Buster defined the sound of ska in the 1960s before going on to inspire the Two Tone movement of the late '70s.
2011
Jury selection began for the involuntary manslaughter trial of
Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors were asked to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determining their level of knowledge of the case and any strong views about Jackson or Murray.
2007
A commemorative plaque dedicated to Don Arden and the
Small Faces was unveiled at 52–55 Carnaby Street, London, Arden's former offices. Arden achieved notoriety in Britain for his aggressive, sometimes illegal business tactics and looked after the career's of Small Faces, the Move, the Electric Light Orchestra and
Black Sabbath. He was the father of Sharon Osbourne (and father-in-law of
Ozzy Osbourne).
2007
Foxy Brown was sent to jail for a year in New York for violating her probation terms after she travelled outside New York without the court's permission and had missed anger management classes. The rapper (real name Inga Marchand), was arrested for allegedly assaulting a neighbour and in October 2006 she was put on probation for allegedly assaulting two nail salon workers in August 2004.
2005
A charity album featuring some of the biggest bands in the UK was thought to be the fastest ever produced.
Coldplay,
Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs, Antony and the Johnsons, The Magic Numbers, The Coral, Bloc Party and Gorillaz were among those who recorded tracks for ‘Help: A Day in the Life.’ The whole 22-track album was made available for download from the War Child website the following day.
2005
Rod Stewart was ordered to pay a Las Vegas casino $2m (£1.1m) for missing a New Year concert in 2000. Stewart had said he was unable to play at the Rio hotel and casino because his voice disappeared after an operation to remove a cancerous thyroid tumour. The singer said his voice only recovered in time to begin a world tour in June 2001 and he had since performed 150 shows.
2004
Led Zeppelin frontman
Robert Plant was guest of honour at the unveiling of a statue of 15th century rebel leader Owain Glyndwr at Pennal church, near Machynlleth in Wales. Plant, who owns a farmhouse in the area had donated money towards a bronze sculpture of the Welsh prince.
2003
David Bowie performed the first interactive concert when his performance was beamed live into 21 cinemas from Warsaw to Edinburgh. Members of the audience talked to Bowie via microphones linked to ISDN lines and took requests for songs from fans.
2002
Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson started his new job as an airline pilot. The heavy metal singer qualified as a £35,000 - a year first officer with Gatwick based airline Astraeus who took holidaymakers to Portugal and Egypt.
1999
Sean Puffy Combes and his bodyguard Paul Offered both pleaded guilty to harassment in a New York Court. The pair faced charges of assaulting record company executive Steve Stoute with a champagne bottle a chair and a telephone.
1997
29 years after the band first formed,
Led Zeppelin released 'Whole Lotta Love', their first ever single in the UK. The track recorded in 1969 and featured on the bands second album was issued to promote their re-issued back catalogue.
1997
Derek Taylor the publicist for
The Beatles died aged 67. Taylor had been responsible for many of the legends surrounding their career and had also worked with
The Beach Boys and The Byrds. In 1967 he helped organise the
Monterey Pop Festival together with Lou Adler and John Philips. He helped launch the Beatles Anthology trilogy in the 90s.
1993
Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love appeared on stage together at a show in Hollywood. They performed a song they wrote together 'Penny Royal Tea'.
1990
Jon
Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Blaze Of Glory', a No.2 in the UK. The track appeared in the motion picture Young Guns II, for which it was originally recorded.
1984
Stevie Wonder had his first UK No.1 with 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'. Taken from the film 'The Woman In Red', it was 18 years after Wonder's chart debut in 1966. The song stayed at No.1 for six weeks.
1979
Led Zeppelin scored their eighth UK No.1 album when 'In Through The Out Door' went to the top of the charts for two weeks. The eighth studio album by Zeppelin, was their final album of entirely new material.
1977
Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch left Wings to help re-form the
Small Faces. McCulloch had played with
Paul McCartney band on the Venus and Mars and Wings At the Speed of Sound albums, as well as on the Wings Over America tour. He died two years later at the age of 26. Drummer Joe English also left Wings at this time, joining Sea Level.
1974
Joni Mitchell,
Crosby, Stills Nash & Young and
The Beach Boys all appeared at the New York 'Summersault '74' at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury.
1973
Marvin Gaye started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Let's Get It On', his second US No.1, only reached No.31 in the UK. At the time, the single was Motown's largest-selling recording ever, selling over four-million copies in 1973 and 1974.
1971
The Tams were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me', a reissue of a 1964 US hit.
1968
Led Zeppelin appeared at Raventlow Parken, Nykobing, Falster, Denmark supported by The Beatnicks and The Ladybirds, (who were a all girl topless go-go dancing outfit). This was the group's third ever live gig.
1968
The Beatles were seen performing
‘Hey Jude’ on the UK television show 'Frost On Sunday' in front of an invited audience. The song was the first single from
The Beatles' record label Apple Records and at over seven minutes in length, 'Hey Jude' was, at the time, the longest single ever to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks as No.1 in the United States—the longest run at the top of the American charts for a Beatles' single.
1957
Reet Petite' by Jackie Wilson was released for the first time, it became a UK No. 1, 29 years later. During a 1975 benefit concert, Wilson collapsed on-stage from a heart attack and subsequently fell into a coma that persisted for nearly nine years until his death in 1984.
1956
Eddie Cochran signed a one year contract with Liberty Records, Cochran went on to give Liberty three top 40 hits over the next several years including ‘Summertime Blues,’ ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ and ‘C’mon Everybody’.
1990
American musician and drummer Jay Weinberg, from heavy metal band Slipknot. He is the son of American drummer Max Weinberg from
Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.
1989
Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer, Tim Bergling, (Avicii). He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with 'Levels' at the 2013 Grammy Awards. His biggest single was 2013’s 'Wake Me Up'. He recorded with Wyclef Jean,
Robbie Williams,
ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Rita Ora and Billie Joe Armstrong of
Green Day. Avicii died on 20 April 2018 aged 28. It was reported that the cause of death was a suicide due to self-inflicted injuries with a broken wine bottle.
1987
Wiz Khalifa (Cameron Jibril Thomaz), American rapper and singer-songwriter. He scored the 2014 US No.1 album Blacc Hollywood and his 2015 single ‘See You Again’ (from the soundtrack of the 2015 film Furious 7 as a tribute to actor Paul Walker) spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a No.1 in seven other countries.
1980
Slim Thug, US rapper (born Stayve Jerome Thomas). 2005 US No.2 album Already Platinum’ and the 2006 US No.1 single with
Beyoncé 'Check On It’, Thug has also worked with Gwen Stefani and LeToya Luckett.
1979
Pink, (Alicia Moore), who had the 2001 UK No.2 single 'Get The Party Started', the 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim and Mya
Lady Marmalade. Pink has become one of the most successful artists of her generation, having sold over 110 million records worldwide.
1975
Richard Hughes, drums, Keane, their 2004 UK No.1 album 'Hopes And Fears' was the second best-selling British album of the year.
1972
American filmmaker and music video director Lance Bangs. He has created videos for many artists including Sonic Youth,
Nirvana,
Green Day, Arcade Fire,
R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Pavement and
George Harrison.
1971
American musician Jason "Jay" Mehler. He played guitar with Kasabian from 2006 to 2013, when he quit to become a touring member of Beady Eye, until their disbanding in late 2014. Mehler continued as a session and touring musician for
Liam Gallagher since 2017.
1960
American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. She was a member of Til Tuesday, who had the 1985 No.8 US hit 'Voices Carry' and won that year's MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Mann received wider recognition after she contributed songs to the 1999 film Magnolia. Her song 'Save Me' used in the film was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. She was named one of the greatest living songwriters by NPR and Paste.
1960
David Steele, from British band Fine Young Cannibals, who had the 1989 UK No.5 single 'She Drives Me Crazy', and as a member of The Beat had the 1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Can't Get Used To Losing You'.
1958
American musician and record producer Michael Lardie from rock bands Great White and Night Ranger. He worked on records by artists as diverse as Black Flag, Kajagoogoo, Dokken and Saint Vitus.
1958
David Lewis, from American band Atlantic Starr who had the 1987 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Always'.
1947
Benjamin Orr bass, vocals, The Cars, who had the 1978 UK No.3 single 'My Best Friend's Girl.' Their 1984 US No.3 & 1985 UK No.4 'Drive' was used as part of the soundtrack for the
Live Aid concert. Orr died of cancer in Atlanta on 3 October 2000, aged 53.
1946
American rock musician George Tickner. He played rhythm guitar and co-wrote songs as a founding member of Journey.
Before joining Journey, Tickner was a member of the San Francisco psychedelic rock band Frumious Bandersnatch. Tickner died on 5 July 2023, at the age of 76.
1945
Ron McKernan, organ, and one of the founding members of
Grateful Dead who played in the group from 1965 to 1972. Unlike the other members of the Grateful Dead, McKernan avoided psychedelic drugs, preferring to drink alcohol (namely whiskey and flavored fortified wine). By 1971, his health had been affected by alcoholism and liver damage and doctors advised him to stop touring. He died on 8th March 1973 from cirrhosis of the liver aged 27.
1945
English musician Kelly Groucutt, bassist, with Electric Light Orchestra, who had the 1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down' plus 26 other Top 40 hits. Groucutt began his musical career at 15 as Rikki Storm of Rikki Storm and the Falcons. He died from a heart attack on 19 February 2009 aged 63.
1942
American rock musician, singer and songwriter, Sal Valentino, best known as lead singer of The Beau Brummels, who had the 1965 US No.8 single, 'Just A Little.' He later fronted another band, Stoneground, which produced three albums in the early 1970s.
1942
Brian Cole, bassist and singer with American sunshine pop band The Association, who had the 1967 US No.1 single 'Windy'. The Association were an opening act at the
Monterey Pop Festival. Cole became a heavy drug user in his final years and died in Los Angeles of a heroin overdose on 2nd August 1972 at the age of 29.
1932
Patsy Cline country music singer. Her hits began in 1957 with Donn Hecht's and Alan Block's 'Walkin' After Midnight', Hank Cochran's and Harlan Howard's 'I Fall to Pieces',
Willie Nelson's 'Crazy' and ended in 1963 with Don Gibson's 'Sweet Dreams'. She died aged 30 on 5 March 1963 at the height of her career in a plane crash. She was one of the most influential, successful and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century. Ten years after her death, in 1973, she became the first female solo artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1925
English actor and comedian Peter Sellers. He featured on a number of hit comic songs and became known to a worldwide audience through his many film roles, among them Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series. He scored the 1956 UK No.9 single 'Ying Tong Song' with The Goons, the 1960 UK No.4 single 'Goodness Gracious Me', with Sophia Loren, and the 1965 UK No.14 single 'A Hard Day's Night'. Sellers died of a heart attack on 24th July 1980 age 54.
1897
American singer, songwriter, and musician Jimmie Rodgers, who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as the "Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive yodelling. He has sold over 12 million records and was the first person to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Rodgers died on 26th May 1933.