April 15th

Musical birthdays today include pioneering English rocker Marty Wilde (87), Dave Edmunds (82), former Barclay James Harvest keyboardist Stuart 'Wooly' Wolstenholme (79), Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva (77)... Ex-Four Non Blondes lead singer Linda Perry (61), Samantha Fox (60), Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien (58), All That Remains lead singer Philip Labonte (51), Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney (46), and singer-songwriter Matt Cardle (423. 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Bessie Smith, born on this day in 1894... for conductor Neville Marriner, born in 1924... for Roy Clark, born in 1935... for country & rockabilly singer Bob Luman, who would have been 89... for arranger & film score composer Michael Kamen, who would have been 78... for Joey Ramone, who died on this date in 2001... and for former Game Theory frontman Scott Miller, who left us today in 2014. 

Also on April 15th: Serse, Handel's first opera with an Italian libretto, has its premiere performance at the King's Theatre, London (1738)... 'The Music Man' closes on Broadway after 1,375 performances (1961)... Bob Dylan has his first meeting with Tom Wilson, nominated by Dylan's manager Albert Grossman to replace John Hammond, whose removal from the producer's chair at his client's recording sessions Grossman insisted on (1963)... The Beatles film exterior shots at the Scala Theatre in London for 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964)... Decca Records release The Rolling Stones' album Aftermath (1966)... Roberta Flack starts a 6-week run at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' (1972)... MCA release Lynyrd Skynyrd's second album Second Helping, featuring 'Sweet Home Alabama' (1974)... Billy Joel breaks his left arm in a motorcycle accident near his home on Long Island (1982)... Queen are presented with an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music at the 32nd annual Ivor Novello Awards held in London (1987)... The Bangles have the № 1 single in Britain  and Australia with 'Eternal Flame.' It will top the US chart next week, dethroning 'She Drives Me Crazy' by Fine Young Cannibals (1989)...  Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver, Placebo, Keane and Evanescence all appear at a festival sponsored by the Quilmes Brewing Co. at the River Football Stadium in Buenos Aires (2007)... After receiving bad reviews and even enduring boos during her performance, Whitney Houston brushes off criticism of her first show in the UK in over eleven years by insisting she had been playing to a "tough crowd." She had recently been hospitalized with chronic rhinopharyngitis, i.e. a bad cold (2010).

April 14th

Musical birthdays today Ritchie Blackmore (81), cellist Julian Lloyd Webber (75), session bassist Kenny Aaronson (74), Crowbar lead guitarist Kirk Windstein (61), former Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin (61), ex-Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn LeNoble (61), and Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz trumpeter Milton 'Shorty' Rogers, born on this day in 1924... for saxophonist Gene Ammons, born in 1925... for gospel singer Inez Andrews, born in 1929... for Loretta Lynn, born in 1932... for Adán Sánchez, who would have been 42... for composer Georg Frideric Handel, who died on this date in 1759... for original Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon, who died on this day in 1983 from a drug overdose at the age of 30... for Burl Ives, who passed away in 1995... for Don Ho, who died in 2007... for Type O Negative lead singer Peter Steele, who died in 2010... and for Percy Sledge, who left us today in 2016.

Also on April 14th: In the first radio concert broadcast from an airplane, Metropolitan Opera Company soprano Jeanette Vreeland sings selections from Verdi and Meyerbeer as she flies over the city of New York (1922)... Still in search of a record deal, The Rolling Stones begin a Sunday afternoon residency at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, London. All four Beatles are in the audience (1963)... David Bowie's novelty single 'The Laughing Gnome' is released in the UK... At the Palace of Culture in Warsaw, police battle 2,000 rampaging fans with tear gas when a riot breaks out at the Stones' first concert behind the Iron Curtain (1967)... Phil Spector marries Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett (1968)... Paul McCartney and John Lennon record 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' by themselves. Paul plays bass, drums and piano, with John on guitars and lead vocals. The song will be banned from many radio stations as being blasphemous. On some stations, the word 'Christ' was edited in backwards to avoid the ban (1969)... Creedence Clearwater Revival make their live UK debut, playing the first of two nights at the Royal Albert Hall (1970)... Led Zeppelin are at № 1 on both the US and UK album charts with Houses Of The Holy. The young girl featured on the cover of the LP climbing naked up Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is Samantha Gates, who was 6 years old at the time of the photo shoot (1973)... Art Garfunkel goes to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bright Eyes' the theme from the film 'Watership Down' (1975)... Motown Records announce that they have renewed Stevie Wonder's contract for a record $13 million (1976)... Kurt Cobain is cremated at the Bleitz Funeral Home, in Seattle, WA. The death certificate lists Cobain's occupation as 'Poet/Musician' and his type of business as 'Punk rock' (1994)... Sean 'Puffy' Combs, AKA P. Diddy, is arrested in Miami for riding a Vespa near South Beach on a suspended driver's license. He is released 20 minutes later after signing a promise to appear in court (2001)... George Harrison is honoured with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Sir Paul McCartney attends the unveiling outside the landmark Capitol Records building, joining Harrison's widow Olivia and son Dhani. Eric Idle, Tom Hanks and Tom Petty are also present for the ceremony (2009)... In Amsterdam for a stop on his current European tour, Justin Bieber sparks outrage after writing a message in a guestbook at the Anne Frank Museum which states he hopes the Holocaust victim would have been a fan. The 19-year-old writes: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber" (2013).

April 13th

Musical birthdays today include Chambers Brothers vocalist Lester Chambers (86), former Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady (82), Rev. Al Green (80), Peabo Bryson (75), E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg (75), Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri (72), Brothers Johnson bassist Louis Johnson 71), original Soundgarden bassist Hiro Yamamoto (65), ex-Black Crowes lead guitarist Marc Ford (60), and Staind frontman Aaron Lewis (54). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist & band leader Bud Freeman, born on this day in 1906... for director & choreographer Stanley Donen, born in 1924... for Little Feat founder & former frontman Lowell George, who would have been 81 today... for original Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Hillel Slovak, who would have been 64... and for pianist & longtime Chuck Berry sideman Johnnie Johnson, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on April 13th: In Dublin's Fishamble Street Music Hall, Handel's Messiah is performed for the first time. The charity event raises £400 for debtor relief (1742)... American pianist Van Cliburn wins the inaugural Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow (1958)... The Beatles record 'Help!' during an evening session at Abbey Road (1965)... Nancy and Frank Sinatra are at № 1 in both the US and the UK with 'Something Stupid', making them the only father-daughter duo ever to top the charts in either country (1967)... The Rolling Stones release their first record on their own label, the single 'Brown Sugar.' The 45 RPM's packaging introduces the famous lips-and-tongue logo (1971)... David Bowie's Aladdin Sane is released (1973)... Elton John has a US № 1 with 'Bennie and the Jets', though the single will barely crack the Top 40 at home in Britain... Paul McCartney has the top album stateside with Band on the Run (1974)...David Crosby is arrested backstage at  a CSN concert in Dallas after police catch him in the act of freebasing cocaine (1982)... IRS Records release R.E.M.'s debut album Murmur (1983)... Madonna kicks off her 57-date Blonde Ambition world tour with the  first of three shows at Tokyo's Chiba Marine Stadium (1990)... Aerosmith Day is observed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the first time (1993)... Rage Against the Machine appear on Saturday Night Live. The band's second scheduled song is cancelled after they play  their opening number with inverted American flags hanging from their amplifiers (1996)... Madonna strikes back at web sites offering illegal downloads of her new album, 'American Life' by flooding P2P networks with decoy files. Users who open them are greeted by the voice of Madonna asking, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The latest Madonna album has been kept under tight wraps to avoid piracy, with promotional copies being held back from journalists until just before the official release (2003)... 

Julian Lennon sells a 'significant' stake of his share in his father's songs to US music publishing company Primary Wave. The firm will now receive payments when any Lennon compositions are sold on CD, performed live or played on the radio. The company, who are about to market Julian Lennon's new music project, decline to reveal precisely how much the deal is worth (2007)... Phil Spector is convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson after a five-month retrial. He had pleaded not guilty to the second degree murder of the 40-year-old Ms Clarkson, who was shot in the head at Spector's home in Los Angeles. During the five-month retrial, five female acquaintances testified that Spector threatened them at gunpoint in incidents dating back to the 1970s. An earlier trial was abandoned in 2007 after a jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. Spector  is remanded to custody until sentencing next month (2009).

April 12th

Musical birthdays today include Herbie Hancock (86), Steppenwolf frontman John Kay (82), Village People vocalist Alex 'G.I.' Briley (79), former Martha & the Vandellas vocalist Lois Reeves (78), Pat Travers (72), Vince Gill (69), Echo & the Bunnymen lead guitarist Will Sergeant (68), Dead Can Dance lead singer Lisa Gerrard (65), Everclear frontman Art Elaxakis (64), Indigo Girl Amy Ray (62), Cypress Hill rapper Ulpiano Reyes AKA Mellowman Ace (59), 311 frontman Nick Hexum (56), Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman (48), ex-Westlife vocalist Brian McFadden (46), country singer Easton Corbin (44), and Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendan Urie (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for New Orleans clarinetist Johnny Dodds, born on this day in 1892... for operatic soprano Lily Pons, born in 1898... for bluesman Theodore 'Hound Dog' Taylor, born in 1915... for orchestra leader & multi-instrumentalist Billy Vaughn, born in 1919... for country singer Ned Miller, born in 1925... for Herbert Khaury AKA Tiny Tim, born in 1932... for David Cassidy, who would have been 76... for violin maker Nicola Amati, who died on this date in 1684... for operatic bass Feodor Chaliapin, who died in 1937... for pianist and Miles Davis sideman Wynton Kelly, who passed away in 1971... for Lecil Martin AKA Boxcar Willie, who died in 1999.... and for operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé, who left us today in 2019. 

Also on April 12th: Bill Haley & His Comets record 'Rock around the Clock' at Pythian Temple Studios in NYC (1954)... Thelonious Monk goes into the studio to begin recording his first solo album, Thelonious Himself (1957)... Bob Dylan performs his first major solo show as headliner, at the Town Hall in NYC (1963)... Motown releases Martha and the Vandellas' Dance Party, the group's third and biggest selling album (1965)...  Jan Berry of Jan & Dean is almost killed when he crashes his car into a parked truck a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in Los Angeles. Berry is partially paralysed and suffers brain damage, but will walk again after extensive therapy (1966)... Mick Jagger is punched in the face by an airport official during a row at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris. Jagger lost his temper after The Stones were searched for drugs at such length that they missed their flight  (1967)... The 5th Dimension hit № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine in' (1969)... David Bowie announces his second career retirement, saying "I've rocked my roll. It's a boring dead end, there will be no more rock 'n' roll records from me" (1975)... After two DJs at KLOS in Los Angeles ask "What ever happened to David Cassidy?" on the air on the occasion of the one-time idol's 39th birthday, the singer calls the station up and the presenters invite him onto the show. David plays three songs live on air and is subsequently signed by a new record label... Garth Brooks releases his self-titled debut album, which will prove both a critical and a chart success (1989)... Two weeks after her death, Governor George W. Bush declares today 'Selena Day' in Texas (1995)... The Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre announces that recently identified Asteroids 4147-4150 will be named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr (1990)... Metallica file a lawsuit against Napster for copyright infringement (2000)... The Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano publishes a story praising The Beatles and saying that it forgives John Lennon for his 1966 comment that the group was "bigger than Jesus" (2010)... A study published in the journal Science states that listening to new music is rewarding for the brain. Using MRI scans, a Canadian team of scientists found that areas in the reward centre of the brain became active when people heard a song for the first time. The more the listener enjoyed what they were hearing, the stronger the connections were in the region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens (2013).

April 11th

Musical birthdays today include Joel Grey (94), operatic bass Kurt Moll (88), bluesman Luther 'Guitar Jr.' Johnson (86),Art rock multi-instrumentalist Francis Lickerish (72), Geordie bassist Tom Ford (63), former Catatonia lead singer Cerys Matthews (57), Marcy Playground bassist Dylan Keefe (56), Rammstein bassist Oliver Riedel (55), Sum 41 lead guitarist Tom Thacker (49), and Joss Stone (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early Dixieland trumpeter Nick LaRocca, born on this day in 1889... for jazz double-bassist John Levy, born in 1912... for former Ruts guitarist Paul Fox, who would have been 75 today... for Flirtations vocalist Michael Callen, who would have been 71... for Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson, who would have been 68... for Gin Blossoms lead guitarist Doug Hopkins, who would have been 65... for ragtime singer Eddie Morton, who died on this date in 1938... for folk guitarist Sandy Bull, who died in 2001... for June Pointer, who passed away in 2006... and for jazz-funk keyboardist & producer Don Blackman, who left us today in 2013. 

Also on April 11th: The first performance of Beethoven's Archduke chamber trio is given in Vienna, with the composer at the piano. His contemporary and manuscript editor Louis Spohr, who was present, wrote later that the piano was badly out of tune but that Beethoven was too deaf to notice (1815)... Amsterdam's Concertgebouw is inaugurated (1888)... Travelling from Amarillo to Nashville, the plane that Elvis Presley is flying on develops engine trouble and is forced to make an emergency landing. The incident instills a fear of flying in Presley that will last the rest of his life (1956)... Bob Dylan gives his first billed performance in NYC, opening for John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City (1961)... Buffalo Springfield make their live debut at the Troubador in Los Angeles (1966)... While Fleetwood Mac are on tour in Germany, Peter Green informs his bandmates that he is leaving the group. He agrees to stay on until the end of the tour to avoid a breach of contract lawsuit (1970)... Fantasy Records release Mardi Gras, Creedence Clearwater Revival's final studio album (1972)... The Beach Boys appear at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, GA. The group are at a very low ebb in popularity in America, and this show proves a financial disaster for the promoter, with fewer than 3,000 tickets sold for the 16,000 capacity venue. The opening act is Mothers Finest, followed by a recently signed CBS act named Bruce Springsteen who plays a 60-minute solo set (1973)... Eddie Van Halen marries Valerie Bertinelli (1981)... Cher wins the Best Actress Oscar for her work in 'Moonstruck' (1988)... Pearl Jam are the musical guests on Saturday Night Live (1992)...  Robbie Williams raises £165,000 at a charity auction with the money going to his old school in Stoke to build a performing arts wing. Items sold are Robbie's personal possessions, including a toilet from a stage show, a Union Jack bikini, tiger's head briefs, a Millennium jet pack and the hand written lyrics to 'Angels', which fetch £27,000 (2001)... The government of Malawi accuses Madonna of "bullying state officials" after she reportedly complained about her treatment on a visit to the country. Madonna - who has adopted two Malawian-born children, recently visited 10 primary schools funded by her charity. Madonna's manager accuses local governmental officials of having a "grudge" against the singer's charity, Raising Malawi (2013).

April 10th

Bunny Wailer (79), 10,000 Maniacs bassist Steve Gustafson (69), R&B songwriter and producer Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds (67), Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer (67), former Katrina and the Waves lead singer Katrina Leskanich (66), Ratt lead guitarist Warren DeMartini (63), Primus drummer Tim Alexander (61), Kamaal Ibn John Fareed AKA Q-Tip (56), ex-Arab Strap lead singer Aidan Moffat (53), Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carraba (51), former Theaudience lead singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor (47), Lifehouse bassist Bryce Soderberg (45), Atomic Kitten vocalist Liz McLarnon (44), Fun. multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost (42), Mandy Moore (42), and New Age singer Hayley Westenra (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Claude Bolling, born on this day in 1930... for Spinners lead singer Bobbie Smith, who would have been 87 today... for former Parliament-Funkadelic lead guitarist Eddie Hazel, who would have been 76... for cornet player and bandleader Joe 'King' Oliver, who died on this date in 1938... for Stuart Sutcliffe, who died in 1962... for film score composer Nino Rota, who passed away in 1979... for producer Martin Hannett, who died in 1991... for Eva Boyd AKA Little Eva, who died in 2003... and for bluesman Jimmy Dawkins, who left us today in 2014.
 
Also on April 10th: Brahms conducts the first performance of his own Deutsches Requiem at a Good Friday concert in Bremen (1868)... Nat King Cole is attacked on stage in Birmingham, AL by five members of a local White Citizens Council. After the assailants are removed by police, the singer continues the show unfazed (1956)... A school in Wrexham, North Wales sends letters to parents asking to them to please send their children to class in school uniform, and not in the 'corduroy trousers' worn by the Rolling Stones... British acts start a run of eight weeks at the top of the US charts when Freddie and the Dreamers go to № 1 with 'I'm Telling You Now'. Over the next two months, they will be followed by Wayne Fontana's 'Game Of Love', Herman's Hermits 'Mr's Brown' and The Beatles' 'Ticket To Ride (1965)... Marvin Gaye records his version of 'I Heard It through the Grapevine' (1967)... Jim Morrison is wrestled off stage by Ray Manzarek during a Doors concert in Boston, after Morrison asks the audience, "Would you like to see my genitals?" Theater management quickly switched off the power. Morrison was arrested in Miami the previous year for 'lewd and lascivious behavior' during a performance... Paul McCartney issues a press statement, announcing that The Beatles have split. McCartney says, "I have no future plans to record or appear with The Beatles again, or to write any music with John". John Lennon, who kept his much-earlier decision to leave The Beatles quiet for the sake of the others, is furious. When a reporter calls Lennon to comment upon McCartney's resignation, John says, "Paul hasn't left. I sacked him"... A Miles Davis performance in San Francisco is recorded by Columbia Records for release as Black Beauty: Live at the Fillmore West (1970)... Peter Frampton is at № 1 on the US album chart with Frampton Comes Alive!... Melody Maker publishes a scathing review of a Sex Pistols gig that concludes with the line 'I hope we shall hear no more of them' (1976)... With the Beastie Boys as her opening act, Madonna kicks off her first US tour with a show at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, WA (1985)... Fleetwood Mac release Behind the Mask, their first album since the departure of Lindsay Buckingham (1990)... Depeche Mode have the № 1 album in the USA with Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)... Nearly 10,000 fans attend a public memorial service for Kurt Cobain at the Seattle Flag Pavilion (1994)... Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland marries longtime girlfriend Heather McMillan at Disneyworld. The couple announce that they will be honeymooning in theme parks all across America, concluding at Disneyland (1998)... A charity tribute concert for the late Linda McCartney is held at the Royal Albert Hall. Among the performers are Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, George Michael, Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor (1999)... The final episode of The Osbournes is aired on MTV in the UK. The show reached a peak audience of eight million at its height during a three year run, Ozzy is at a loss to explain its popularity, saying, "I suppose Americans get a kick out of watching a crazy Brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week" (2005)... Kate Bush receives her CBE for services to music from the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle. The singer-songwriter, who was catapulted to fame in 1978 when 'Wuthering Heights' topped the charts, says that she is "incredibly thrilled". The 54-year-old dedicates the award to her family and jokes that it will have pride of place at the top of her Christmas tree (2013).

April 9th

Musical birthdays today include country singer Kay Adams (85), country singer Margo Smith (83), session drummer Steve Gadd (81), singer-songwriter John Howard (73), country singer Hal Ketchum (73), Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly (65), former My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way (49), ex-S Club vocalist Rachel Stevens (48), Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. (47), Escape the Fate lead singer Craig Mabbitt (39) and Jesse McCartney (39).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Mance Lipscomb, born on this day in 1895... for Paul Robeson, born in 1898... for Indian classical musician... for

Musical birthdays today include Tom Lehrer (97), country singer Kay Adams (84), country singer Margo Smith (82), session drummer Steve Gadd (80), singer-songwriter John Howard (72), country singer Hal Ketchum (72), Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly (64), former My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way (48), ex-S Club vocalist Rachel Stevens (47), Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. (46), Escape the Fate lead singer Craig Mabbitt (38) and Jesse McCartney (38).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Mance Lipscomb, born on this day in 1895... for Paul Robeson, born in 1898... for Tom Lehrer, born in 1928... for Indian classical musician Sharan Rani Backliwal, born in 1929... for Carl Perkins, born in 1932... for producer and manager Terry Knight, who would have been 82... for Phil Ochs, who took his own life today in 1976 at the age of 35... for Dave Prater of Sam & Dave, who died in a car crash today in 1988 at the age of 50... for avant-garde cellist Tom Cora, who died in 1998... for Delfonics founding member Randy Cain, who passed away in 2009... and for DMX, who left us four years ago today.  

Also on April 9th: On Easter Sunday, Marian Anderson performs an open-air concert for an crowd of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., after being denied permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution to appear at Constitution Hall before an integrated audience (1939)... The Righteous Brothers are at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'You're My Soul and Inspiration' (1966)... The Doors play to their largest audience to date when they open for Jefferson Airplane at Santa Monica Pier before 3,000 spectators (1967)... Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's album Nashville Skyline (1969)... Newly signed to EMI, Queen play a showcase gig for their record company at London's Marquee Club (1973)... Terry Jacks becomes the first Canadian since 1957 to score a UK № 1, with 'Seasons in the Sun' (1974)... ABBA have the № 1 single in the US, the UK and 12 other countries with 'Dancing Queen' (1977)... Bill Wyman (52) announces that he and Mandy Smith (19) are engaged. The Stones bassist further reveals that they have been dating for six years (1989)... Sir Paul McCartney plays his first show in Manchester in 24 years when he appears at the MEN Arena on the UK leg of the 'Back in the World' Tour (2003).

Sharan Rani Backliwal, born in 1929... for Carl Perkins, born in 1932... for producer and manager Terry Knight, who would have been 82... for Phil Ochs, who took his own life today in 1976 at the age of 35... for Dave Prater of Sam & Dave, who died in a car crash today in 1988 at the age of 50... for avant-garde cellist Tom Cora, who died in 1998... for Delfonics founding member Randy Cain, who passed away in 2009... and for DMX, who left us four years ago today.  

Also on April 9th: On Easter Sunday, Marian Anderson performs an open-air concert for an crowd of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., after being denied permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution to appear at Constitution Hall before an integrated audience (1939)... The Righteous Brothers are at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'You're My Soul and Inspiration' (1966)... The Doors play to their largest audience to date when they open for Jefferson Airplane at Santa Monica Pier before 3,000 spectators (1967)... Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's album Nashville Skyline (1969)... Newly signed to EMI, Queen play a showcase gig for their record company at London's Marquee Club (1973)... Terry Jacks becomes the first Canadian since 1957 to score a UK № 1, with 'Seasons in the Sun' (1974)... ABBA have the № 1 single in the US, the UK and 12 other countries with 'Dancing Queen' (1977)... Bill Wyman (52) announces that he and Mandy Smith (19) are engaged. The Stones bassist further reveals that they have been dating for six years (1989)... Sir Paul McCartney plays his first show in Manchester in 24 years when he appears at the MEN Arena on the UK leg of the 'Back in the World' Tour (2003).