Musical
birthdays today include former Average White Band saxophonist Roger
Ball (82), Michelle Phillips (82), saxophonist Anthony Braxton (81),
ex-Winger guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor (75), Eldra 'El' DeBarge
(72), R&B singer & producer Al. B Sure! [né
Albert Brown III] (57), ex-Cradle of Filth bassist Dave Pybus (55),
Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard (50), ex-Visions of Atlantis
lead singer Maxi Nil (44), Saturdays vocalist Mollie King (38), and Half
Noise drummer Zac Farro (35).
Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early Québecoise recording star La Bolduc [née
Mary Travers], born on this day in 1894... for jazzman & film score
composer Oliver Nelson, born in 1932... for Freddy
Fender, who would have been 88... for Peter and Gordon singer Gordon
Waller, who would have been 81... for Paul McCartney & Wings
guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who would have been 73.. for Lords of the New
Church frontman Steven 'Stiv' Bators, who died on this date in 1990...
for ex-Herman's Hermits guitarist Derek Leckenby, who died in 1994...
for Small Faces co-founder & bassist Ronnie Lane, who passed away in
1997... for bluegrass fiddler & banjo player John Hartford, who
died in 2001... and for Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey
Covington, who left us today in 2017.
Also
on June 4th: Georg Philipp Telemann takes up the position of cantor at
the Gymnasium Johanneum in Hamburg (1721)... In Los Angeles, Johnny
Mercer, Buddy DeSylva and Glenn Wallichs found Capitol Records. The
label will become home to such artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles,
The Beach Boys, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin,
Glen Campbell, Steve Miller, Dr. Hook, Bob Seger, Tina Turner and Heart,
among many others. Wallichs is also credited with pioneering the
technique of promoting records by sending copies of new releases to disc
jockeys (1942)... The
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, Denny Laine and The Chiffons all
appear at The Saville Theatre, London. Both Paul McCartney and George
Harrison are in the audience to see Hendrix perform the title track from
Sgt Pepper, which was released 3 days previously (1967)... In
Glenrowan, Australia, hundreds of people sign a petition protesting
against the casting of Mick Jagger in the role of the Australian folk
hero Ned Kelly in the film of the same name. The film, directed by Tony
Richardson, will be released in October 1970... Columbia releases Johnny
Cash's album Live at San Quentin (1969)... Elvis
begins a five day stint of recording at RCA's studio B in Nashville,
starting each day at 6pm and working until dawn (1970)... The Rolling
Stones become the first western group to receive royalties for sales of
their records in the USSR (1975)... The
Sex Pistols appear at The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. The
show is now often regarded as the birth of the punk rock movement, and
the catalyst for the 'Summer of Punk'. In the audience are Morrissey,
future Joy Division members Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, and Mark E
Smith who will found The Fall. Tickets cost £1 (1976)... The Jam's debut
single 'In the City' enters the UK Top 40, the first of 18 consecutive
singles of theirs to do so (1977)... The Police are at №
1 on both sides of the Atlantic and in 14 other countries with 'Every
Breath You Take' (1983)... Columbia releases Bruce Springsteen's album
Born in the USA (1984)... The
opening show of the first Conspiracy of Hope tour takes place at the
Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA. The benefit concerts on behalf of
Amnesty International are being held to increase awareness of the
organization on the 25th anniversary of its foundation. The six shows
are headlined by U2 and Sting, and also feature Bryan Adams, Peter
Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers (1986)... The
US Postal Service announce the results of a poll conducted to see which
picture of Elvis Presley should be used on a commemorative stamp. The
young Elvis won out over the older and larger 'Vegas Elvis' (1992)... Wet Wet Wet start a 4-month run at № 1 on
the UK singles chart with 'Love Is All Around', from the film 'Four
Weddings & A Funeral'. The song was written by Reg Presley of The
Troggs and was a Top 10 for his band in 1967... Philip Glass' opera
'Beauty and the Beast' has its world premiere at the Teatro de la
Maestranza in Seville, Spain (1994)... Crowded House announce that they
have disbanded (1996)... Wyclef
Jean is one of ten people arrested for disorderly conduct in a New York
rally protesting cuts in education. Jean is subdued and led away in
handcuffs following an attempt to perform, which is forbidden by the
event’s permit. P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu,
Foxy Brown and the Wu-Tang Clan are also at the rally to show their
support and to protest a proposed $1.2 billion cut in the budget for New
York’s public education system (2002).
.
Musical
birthdays today include Ian Hunter (87), Suzi Quatro (76), Deniece
Williams (76), Dan Hill (72), Rembrandts frontman Danny Wilde (70),
Ozric Tentacles lead guitarist Ed Wynne (65), Slayer guitarist Kerry
King (62), Phish bassist Mike Gordon (61), Republica lead singer Saffron
[née
Samantha Sprackling] (58), High on Fire frontman Mike Pike (53),
Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones (51), and Hi-5 guitarist Dihan
Slabbert (44).
Shoutout to the Great Beyond for blueswoman Memphis Minnie (née
Lizzie Douglas), born on this day in 1897... for Josephine Baker, born
in 1906... for Curtis Mayfield, who would have been 83 today... for
original Byrds drummer Michael Clarke, who would have been 79... for T Rex drummer Mickey Finn, who would have been 79...
for Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell, who would have been 72...
for composer Georges Bizet, who died on this date in 1875... for Bill
Haley & His Comets pianist Johnny Grande, who passed away in 2006...
and for saxophonist & Louis Prima sideman Sam Butera and 'Queen of
the Chicago blues' Koko Taylor, both of whom left us in 2009.
Also on June 3rd: Elvis
graduates from J.C. Hulmes High School in Memphis; his graduation photo
shows him to have a split curl in the middle of his forehead, later to
become his trademark. The first member of his family to graduate high
school, his final report card shows that he received an A in English but
only a C in music (1953)... Ringo
Starr is taken ill with tonsillitis and pharyngitis, days before a
world tour is about to start. After a last-minute phone call from George
Martin, session drummer Jimmy Nichol rushes over to EMI Studios, where
he and The Beatles run through six songs from their tour repertoire in a
quick rehearsal. Nichol replaces Ringo and becomes a Beatle for eleven
days (1964)... Aretha Franklin goes to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with her version of 'Respect', a top ten hit for Otis Redding the previous year (1967)... The
Kinks' Ray Davies has to make a 6,000 mile round trip from New York to
London to record one word in a song. Davies was forced to change
'Coca-Cola' to 'cherry cola' in the lyrics of the band's forthcoming
single 'Lola' due to an advertising ban on BBC Radio (1970)... The
Rolling Stones kick off their biggest North American tour to date with a
show at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC... Jethro Tull have the № 1 album in the US with Thick as a Brick... Pink Floyd release the album Obscured by Clouds (1972)... Session
drummer Jim Gordon murders his mother by pounding her head with a
hammer at the prompting of voices. A schizophrenic, it will not be until
his trial in 1984 that Gordon is properly diagnosed. Since his attorney
is unable to use the insanity defense, the drummer is sentenced to
sixteen years-to-life in prison. A Grammy Award winner for co-writing
'Layla' with Eric Clapton, Gordon also worked with The Beach Boys, John
Lennon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa and Jackson Browne, among others
(1983)... Fine Young Cannibals top the US album chart with The Raw &
The Cooked (1989)... The Carter Family and Johnny Cash are inducted
into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Asbury Park, NJ
(1990)... Paul
McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy
Osbourne, The Corrs, Will Young, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7 all appear
at The Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace (2002)... Red Hot
Chili Peppers go to № 1 on both the US and UK album charts with Stadium Arcadium, the band's ninth studio release (2009).
Musical
birthdays include Gladys
Knight & the Pips vocalist William Guest (85),
Bangles bassist Michael Steele (71), Lydia Lunch (67), former Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley (66), Misfits
guitarist Bez Cadena (65), Raconteurs multi-instrumentalist Jason
Falkner (58), Cypress Hill rapper Louis 'B-Real' Freese (56) Keane
keyboardist Time Rice-Oxley (50), and Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti
(46).
Shoutout
to the Great Beyond for composer Edward Elgar, born on this day in
1857... for pop & Motown artist Sammy Turner, born in 1932... for doo-wop & R&B singer Johnny Carter, born in 1934... for soul singer Jimmy Jones, who would have been 89... for Charlie Watts, who would have been 85...
for songwriter & arranger Marvin Hamlisch, who would have been 82...
for Dorsey Brothers trumpeter Robert 'Bunny' Berigan, who died from the
effects of alcoholism on this day in 1942 at the age of 33... for
classical guitar virtuoso Andrés
Segovia, who died in 1987... for former Bob Marley & the Wailers
vocalist Junior Braithwaite, who was murdered on this day in 1999 at the
age of 50... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick, who took
his own life in 2006 at the age of 55... and for Bo Diddley, who
left us today in 2009.
Also on June 2nd: At the Stadtstheater in Zürich, the first two acts of Alban Berg's opera Lulu are
performed for the first time; the complete 3-act version of the work
will not have its premiere until 1979 (1935)... Ray Charles is at № 1 in both in the US and the UK with his version of country artist Don Gibson's 'I Can't Stop Loving You' (1962)... In
Hilversum, Holland, Eric Dolphy plays his final concert. The show is
recorded and will be released as the album Last Date following Dolphy's
death from a diabetic coma later this year... The Rolling Stones make
their debut on US TV with an appearance on The Les Crane Show (1964)...
Paul McCartney & Wings top both the US singles and album charts with
'My Love' and Red Rose Speedway, respectively (1973)... Columbia
releases Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)...
Prince plays his first UK show at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. It will
be five years before he gives another concert in Britain (1981)...
Wham! have their first UK №
1 with 'Wake Me up before You Go Go' (1984)... Bill Wyman marries
19-year-old Mandy Smith in an unannounced private ceremony in London,
with the other four Rolling Stones present, and the bassist's
28-year-old son as best man (1988)... UK tabloids report that Paul McCartney threw his fiancée Heather
Mills' engagement ring out of a hotel window during a recent row.
Guards at the Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami, FL combed the grounds
using metal detectors and later found the £15,000 bauble (2002)... A
painting of Kylie Minogue wearing gold hot pants causes tempers to fray
among drivers in Brighton. Artist Simon Etheridge put up the almost
life-size picture in his own Art Asylum gallery as part of a Festival
and since then motorists have been causing regular traffic hold-ups as
they stop to take a second look (2003)... Franz
Ferdinand frontman, Alex Kapranos is detained by Russian police after
being suspected of being a spy. Kapranos was attempting to board a plane
in Moscow when the altercation took place. Travelling under his actual
surname of Huntley, Alex is accused of being an MI6 agent who was
previously suspected of stealing information on Russian weaponry.
Unluckily for Alex, the surname Huntley was in fact used by former MI6
agent Richard Tomlinson when stealing secrets in the early 90s. The
singer was freed after he pointed out that the Huntley they were so
concerned about was 42, 13 years older than himself (2005).
Musical
birthdays today include Pat Boone (92), Ron Wood (79), Little River
Band bassist Wayne Nelson (76), singer-songwriter & DJ Tom Robinson
(76), country singer Ronnie Dunn (72), producer & former Depeche
Mode multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilder (67), The Cure bassist Simon
Gallup (65), ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce (63), Mindy Smith (54), Alanis
Morrissette (52), Brandi Carlile (45), and multi-instrumentalist &
film score composer Ari Herstand (41).
Shoutout
to the Great Beyond for composer Mikhail Glinka, born on this day in
1804... for bandleader & arranger Nelson Riddle, born in 1921... for
bluegrass singer Hazel Dickens, born in 1935... for blues
singer & harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson I [né
John Lee Curtis], who died on this date in 1948... for ex-Temptations
lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991... for former Hi-Five lead
singer Tony Thompson, who passed away in 2007... and for jazz
saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey [né Jesse Davis], who left us today in 2012.
Also on June 1st: Lesley Gore hits №
1 in America with 'It's My Party' (1963)... The Rolling Stones are met
by some 500 fans as they disembark from British Airways flight BA 505 at
JFK to begin their first American tour. They will make promotional
appearances between now and the first scheduled date on the 5th in San
Bernardino, CA (1964)... The
John Coltrane quartet finish recording the album Crescent at the Van
Gelder Studio (1964)... Luciano Pavarotti makes his Covent Garden debut,
as Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment... The Beatles continue to add overdubs to 'Yellow Submarine'. Roadie
Mal Evans plays on a bass drum strapped to his chest, marching around
the studio with The Beatles following behind in a conga line of sorts,
singing the refrain (1966)... Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band has its worldwide release... David
Bowie's eponymous debut is released on Deram Records (1967)... Simon
& Garfunkel top the Billboard singles chart with 'Mrs. Robinson'
(1968)... The two-room shack in Tupelo, MS where Elvis was born on
January 8, 1935 is opened to the public as a museum (1971)... Miles
Davis goes into Columbia Studio E in NYC to begin recording On the
Corner (1972)... Soft
Machine founder & former drummer Robert Wyatt fractures his spine
after attempting to leave a party by climbing out of a window and down a
drainpipe. He falls three stories, sustaining injuries that leave him
permanently confined to a wheelchair (1973)... On his 28th birthday, Ron
Wood officially replaces Mick Taylor as the Stones' second guitarist,
as the band launch their biggest tour of the US to date with a concert
at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA (1975)... U2 are the band for the end of the
year dance at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin (1978)...
Prince & the Revolution have a US №
1 with the album Around the World in a Day... Bruce Springsteen &
the E Street Band kick off the European leg of the Born in the USA world
tour with a show at Slane Castle in Dublin (1985)... Spice Girl Emma
Bunton AKA Baby Spice arrives back in the UK after breaking her ankle
making a leap from a stage during an appearance on Turkish TV (1997)...
Jack White marries girlfriend Karen Elson in a ceremony in a canoe on
the Amazon (2005)... Contemporary
musicians record their own versions of songs from the Sgt Pepper album
to mark the 40th anniversary of its release. Acts including Oasis,
Travis, The Fray, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Bryan Adams and The Magic
Numbers all worked with Geoff Emerick, the engineer in charge of the
original 1967 sessions, using the original analogue 4-track equipment to
demonstrate the techniques employed for the recording at Abbey Road
studios (2007).
Musical
birthdays today include former Marmalade lead
guitarist Junior Campbell (78), Kraftwerk drummer Fritz Hilpert (69),
session keyboardist & Bonnie Tyler sideman John Young (69), Corey
Hart (62), Run-D.M.C. rapper Darryl McDaniels (61), operatic soprano
Diana Damrau (53), jazz bassist Christian McBride (53), former Reel Big
Fish multi-instrumentalist Scott Klopfenstein (45), Fall Out Boy drummer
Andy Hurley (45), and ex-Animals as Leaders drummer Navene Koperweis
(39).
Shoutout
to the Great Beyond for English music hall pianist songwriter Billy
Mayerl, born on this day in 1902... for Peter Yarrow, who would have been 88 today... for country singer Johnny Paycheck
[né
Donald Lytle], who would have been 86... for
pianist, songwriter and Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn,
who died in 1967... for soul singer Johnnie Taylor, who passed away in
2000... and for Argentine singer-songwriter and bandoneón player Rubén Juárez, who left us in 2010.
Also on May 31st: Violin prodigy Nicolò Paganini makes his concert debut in Genoa at the age of 11 (1794)... Columbia
releases what is often considered the first true jazz record, 'Darktown
Strutters' Ball' by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, as a 78 RPM,
catalog №
A-2297 (1917)... In Nashville, Johnny Cash makes his Grand Ole Opry
debut (1958)... Dick Dale and the Del-Tones record 'Let's Go Trippin'',
often regarded as the first surf rock instrumental (1961)... Filming
begins for the first season of The Monkees' TV series (1966)... With
Yoko sitting in at Studio 1, Abbey Road for the first time, The Beatles
continue to work on 'Revolution', adding the vocal tracks. After
numerous overdubs, the final six minutes of the song evolve into chaotic
jamming, with Lennon repeatedly shouting "alright" and Yoko speaking random phrases. The jam becomes the basis for ‘Revolution 9’ (1968)... The
Who give themselves a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the
loudest performance of a rock band, as they reach 120 decibels during a
gig at the Charlton Athletic football grounds in Greenwich, London
(1973)... The
BBC announce a formal ban on the new Sex Pistols single 'God Save The
Queen', declaring it 'in gross bad taste'. The IBA [Independent
Broadcasting Authority] simultaneously issues a warning to all radio
stations saying that playing the single will constitute a breach of
Section 4:1:A of the Broadcasting act (1977)... Lipps, Inc. have the №
1 single in the US and seven European countries with 'Funky Town'
(1980)... R.E.M. sign their first recording contract, a 5-album deal
with IRS Records (1982)... Sire Records release Talking Heads' album
Speaking in Tongues (1983)... David Bowie's Tin Machine make their live
debut at the International Music Awards in NYC (1989)... Geri
Halliwell announces that she has quit The Spice Girls, saying "This is
because of differences between us. I am sure the group will continue to
be successful and I wish them all the best" (1998)... UK
police announce that thousands of people at this year's rock festivals
will be subjected to a computerised drug test. Fans will be asked to
provide swab samples from their hands, which would be inserted into a
machine for analysis. It is to be a voluntary test, but Anti-drug
officers can search anyone refusing (2003)... Death Cab for Cutie go to № 1 on the US album chart with Narrow Stairs (2008).
Musical birthdays today include Dave Clark
Five guitarist Lenny Davidson (82), Dead Kennedys bassist Geoffrey
'Klaus Flouride' Lyall (76), classical pianist Zoltan Kocsis (74), The Clash drummer Topper Headon (71), Wynona Judd (62), former Rage
against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello (62), ex-Pavement frontman
Stephen Malkmus (60), Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess (59), stage
musical singer Idina Menzel (55), rapper & producer Thomas 'CeeLo
Green' Calloway (51), Shadows Fall lead singer Brian Fair (51), and
Devendra Banhart (45).
Shoutout
to the Great Beyond for Benny Goodman, born on this day in 1909... for
Latin jazz percussionist Armondo Peraza, born in 1924...for accordionist
& electronic music pioneer Pauline Oliveros, born in 1932... for rapper
Lamont 'Big L' Coleman, who would have been 52... for song & dance
man Dooley Wilson, who died on this date in 1953... for Derek & the
Dominoes bassist Carl Radle, who died in 1980... for Sun Ra, who passed
away in 1993... for big band singer & saxophonist Tex Beneke, who
died in 2000... and for guitarist & Miles Davis sideman Pete Cosey,
who left us today in 2012.
Also on May 30th: J.S. Bach makes his debut as cantor at Leipzig's Thomasschule with his first cantata performance in the city. He presents cantata № 75, Die Elenden soll essen,
at the St. Nicolai Church, and will be formally inducted into his post
tomorrow (1723)... London Records release The Rolling Stones'
self-titled debut album in America, subtitled England's Newest Hitmakers
(1964)... Dolly Parton marries Carl Thomas Dean, a road-paving
contractor, in Ringgold, GA. (1966)... At Abbey Road, The Beatles record 'Revolution', the
first of the tracks that will make up the collection that will come to
be known as The White Album (1968)... George Harrison's album Living in
the Material World is released in the US (1973)... A 14-year-old
Australian David Cassidy fan named Bernadette Whelan dies of heart
failure four days after attending her idol's concert in White City Park,
Perth. Over 1,000 other fans had to be given medical attention during
the show (1974)... David Bowie kicks off his 87-date Glass Spider world tour at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam (1987)... The Black Crowes go to № 1 on the US album chart with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)... Alan
Whitaker of Penzance appears on the UK TV quiz show Mastermind with The
Sex Pistols as his specialist subject. He wins a place in the
semi-final of the show, answering all but one of the 18 questions
correctly (1996)... Scottish pop singer Finley Quaye is
threatened with jail after his mobile phone rang when he is in the dock
waiting to be sentenced on charges of assaulting his former girlfriend.
After being found guilty, he is ordered to attend a six-month domestic
violence programme (2003)... A
leaked copy of the new White Stripes album Icky Thump is played
entirely on the Chicago radio station Q101 [WKQX FM]. Jack White
personally calls the US radio station from Spain, where he is on tour,
to voice his displeasure (2007)..
Musical
birthdays today include former Can keyboardist Irmin Schmidt (89), French chanteuse Catherine
Lara (81), ex-Ohio Express lead singer Joey Levine (79), Status Quo
frontman Francis Rossi (77), ex-Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman (74), La Toya Jackson (), Melissa
Ethridge (65), Wolfsbane lead singer Blaze Bayley (63), Noel Gallagher
(59), Blues Traveler guitarist Chan Kinchla (57), ex-Verve bassist
Simon Jones (54), Melanie Brown AKA Spice Girl Mel B (51), and Hives
lead singer Pelle Almqvist (48).
Shoutout
to the Great Beyond for film score composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold,
born on this day in 1897... for Mexican singer & actress Armida
Vendrell, born in 1911... for Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker, who would have been 80 today... for Poco bassist Mike Porcaro, who qould have been 69... for Gilbert & Sullivan librettist W.S.
Gilbert, who died on this date in 1911... for former Quicksilver
Messenger Service lead guitarist John Cipollina, who passed away in
1989... for Jeff Buckley, drowned in an accident on this day in 1997 at
the age of 30... for Doc Watson, who died in 2013... and for pop singer B.J. 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My head' Thomas, who left us four years ago today.
Also on May 29th: Beethoven attends a performance of Haydn's oratorio The Seasons in
Vienna (1801)... 'The Swedish Nightingale' Jenny Lind sails from NYC
after a triumphant 2-year US tour (1852)... The premiere of Stravinsky's
score for Diaghilev's ballet The Rite of Spring causes a riot at
the Ballet russe in Paris (1913)... Bing Crosby records Irving Berlin's
'White Christmas' in 3 takes and 18 minutes with the John Scott Trotter
Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers (1942)... Chubby Checker wins a
grammy for Best Rock & Roll Recording with 'Let's Twist Again',
while Ray Charles' 'Hit the Road Jack' takes the trophy for best R&B
Recording (1962)... Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home goes to № 1 on the UK album chart... The Beach Boys have the top US single with 'Help Me Rhonda' [The
recording session for the song was interrupted by the Wilson brothers'
father Murry, who arrived at the studio drunk and criticized the band's
enthusiasm, lifestyle and hair length. The tape reel continued to record
the confrontation, which still circulates among fans] (1965)... The
Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Zoot Money, Geno
Washington and The Ram Jam Band all appeare at the Tulip Bulb Auction
Hall in Spalding, Lincolnshire. The Floyd are only a support band and
play in a corner of the hall [basically a large shed] with a white sheet
behind them and lights projected through coloured oils onto it. Tickets
cost £1, and the poster advertising the show promises a 'Knockout
Atmosphere' (1967)... Crosby, Stills & Nash release their
self-titled debut album on Atlantic Records (1969)... The Rolling Stones
hit № 1 in the US with 'Brown Sugar'... Several
dozen Grateful Dead fans are treated for hallucinations caused by LSD
after they unwittingly drink spiked apple juice served at a gig at San
Francisco's Winterland Ballroom (1971)... The Buzzcocks play a gig at
the Electric Circus in Manchester. Their opening act, a local band
called Warsaw, are making their live debut and will soon change their
name to Joy Division (1977)... Tina Turner releases her comeback album Private Dancer (1984)... Michael
Jackson makes an offer of $1 million to the London Hospital
Museum, where the skeleton of 'Elephant Man' John Merrick is preserved,
to buy the remains. The proposition is turned down (1987)... Fresh from
the final studio sessions for the Nevermind album, Nirvana play an
announced show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience are Iggy
Pop and Dave Grohl's girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch, who has
also brought along Courtney Love (1991)... The FBI recover 44 nude
pictures of Madonna that had been stolen from the studio of NYC
photographer Steven Meisel (1992)... Skeletal remains are found by
scuba-diving photographers looking
for old car wrecks to shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu,
CA. Based on forensic analysis, the remains are those of Philip Kramer,
former bassist with rock group Iron Butterfly, who disappeared on his
way home from work on February 12, 1995. His death is ruled a probable
suicide (1999)... In Moscow, The Eagles play their first concert in
Russia as part of a 6-date tour of the country (2001)... A
16ft by 6ft mosaic designed by John Lennon goes on display at The
Beatles Story museum on the Albert Docks in Liverpool. The mosaic had
been built into Lennon's swimming pool at his Kenwood home in Surrey
where he lived between 1964 and 1968 (2002)... A
piano played by John Lennon on the night he died is put up for sale for
$375,000 online at the Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright
grand piano is the property of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New
York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 album Imagine. Lennon
was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to
whichever studio he was working in and had used the piano hours before
being shot in December 1980 (2007)... After being found guilty last
month of the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, Phil
Spector is sentenced to a minimum of 19 years by a Los Angeles judge
(2009)... A park in Sabrosa, Portugal [some 50 miles north of Lisbon] is
renamed BB King Park in honour of a live show for 20,000 spectators
that the blues legend played there in 1975 (2010).
