Births
1941 Roy Crewsdon, Freddie and the Dreamers, (1963 UK No.3 single 'You Were made For Me', 1965 US No.1 single 'I'm Telling You Now').
1945 Gary Brooker, Procol Harum, (1967 UK No.1 and US No.5 single 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale').
1955 Mike Porcaro, bass, Toto, (1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Africa').
1956 Larry Blackmon, Cameo, (1986 UK No.3 single 'Word Up').
1956 La Toya Jackson, sister of Michael Jackson. Sang backing vocals with The Jackson 5, has released various singles and albums none of which ever charted in the UK.
1958 Marie Fredriksson, Roxette, (1990 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'It Must Of Been Love').
1959 Mel Gaynor, drums, Simple Minds, (1985 US No.1 single 'Don't You, Forget About Me', 1989 UK No.1 single 'Belfast Child', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles).
1961 David Palmer, ABC, (1982 UK No.4 & US No.18 single 'The Look Of Love', plus nine other UK Top 40 singles).
1962 John Pedder, bass, Babybird, (1996 UK No.3 single ‘You’re Gorgeous’, 1996 UK No. 9 album ‘Ugly Beautiful’).
1967 Noel Gallagher, guitarist, singer, songwriter, Oasis, (first single '1994 UK No.31 single 'Supersonic', 1996 single 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 1994 UK No.1 album 'Definitely Maybe', fastest selling UK debut album ever).
1975 Melanie Brown, (Mel B), Scary Spice, The Spice Girls, (1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe', plus eight other UK No.1 singles, solo 1998 UK No.1 single 'I Want You Back').
1978 Daniel Pearce, vocals, One True Voice, (2002 UK No.2 single 'Sacred Trust / After You're Gone').
Deaths
1989 John Cipollina from US late 60's band Quicksilver Messenger Service died of emphysema.
1997 Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming with a friend off Mud Island in Memphis. His body was found on 4th June 1997 after being spotted by a passenger on a tourist riverboat.
1999 The body of Philip "Taylor" Kramer (Iron Butterfly) was found in a valley in Malibu, CA. He had been missing since 1995. His death was ruled as a probable suicide.
Events
1942 Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter Orchestra recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas."
1943 "The Million Dollar Band" was heard for the first time on NBC radio.
1952 Hank Williams and his wife, Audrey, were divorced.
1959 Ray Charles, B.B. King and Jimmy Reed performed for about 9,000 people at Atlanta's Herndon Stadium. It was one of the first outdoor rock festivals.
1961 Ricky Nelson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Travellin' Man'. Sam Cooke turned the song down, the B-side was the Gene Pitney song 'Hello Mary Lou' which became a double A side UK No.1.
1963 Del Shannon's cover of the Beatles' "From Me to You" became the first song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to appear on the American charts.
1965 Bob Dylan's album "Bringing It All Back Home" hit #1 in the U.K. It knocked his album "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" out of the #1 spot.
1965 The Beach Boys started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Help Me Rhonda', the groups second US No.1. It only reached No.27 on the UK chart.
1967 Appearing live at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincs, England, The Move, Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Zoot Money and Pink Floyd.
1969 The debut album "Crosby, Stills and Nash" was released.
1971 The Rolling Stones' single "Brown Sugar" his #1 in the U.S.
1972 Paul McCartney released his version of the nursery rhyme, "Mary Had A Little Lamb."
1973 Record executive Clive Davis was fired from Columbia Records for misappropriating $100,000.
1973 Mike Oldfield released his "Tubular Bells" LP. The title track would later become the theme for "The Exorcist."
1973 Roger McGuinn (Byrds) made his solo debut at New York's Academy of Music.
1975 Fans rioted when The Osmonds appeared at London's Wembley Pool.
1976 Diana Ross started a two week run No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Love Hangover', her fourth US No.1, it made No.10 in the UK.
1977 Manchester band Warsaw, (later to become Joy Division) made their live debut supporting The Buzzcocks at The Electric Circus, Manchester, England.
1977 In Baltimore, Elvis Presley left the stage in the middle of a concert and did not return. It was the first time he terminated a show in this manner.
1981 Prince performed in Europe for the first time.
1982 The Clash's "Combat Rock" LP was released.
1982 Duran Duran were at No.2 on the UK singles chart with 'Rio'.
1982 Paul McCartney started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Tug Of War'.
1987 George Michael's single "I Want Your Sex" was released.
1987 Michael Jackson offered $50,000 (29,412 Pounds) to buy the remains of the Elephant Man.
1991 After just completing the recording of the 'Nevermind' album, Nirvana played a last-minute show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience was Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl’s girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who brought along her best friend Courtney Love.
1992 Concerned that some pupils were overly identifying with Freddie Mercury, the sacred heart School in Clifton New Jersey decided not to sing the Queen song 'We Are The Champions', at their Graduation Ceremony.
1992 The FBI recovered 44 nude photographs of Madonna, which had been stolen in America from fashion photographer Steven Meisel.
1993 Janet Jackson went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her fourth LP 'Janet'.
1997 Sharitha Knight filed a suit at LA, Superior Court claiming she was owed $1 million (588,000 Pounds) as Snoop Doggy Dogg’s personal manger between 1993–6. The claim alleged that Snoop had withheld the 20 percent she was owed.
1997 The Manic Street Preachers won the best song award for 'A Design For Life' at the 42nd Ivor Novello awards. Other winners included The Spice Girls for Hit of the year with 'Wannabe', Elvis Costello for Outstanding contribution to music, George Michael won Songwriter Of The Year and Most Performed work for 'Fastlove.'
2001 The Eagles made their first ever visit to Russia when they appeared at SC Olymisky in Moscow.
2002 A 16ft by 6ft mosaic designed by John Lennon went on display at The Beatles Story museum 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 Australian actress and singer Natalie Imbruglia became the new face of L'Oreal when she signed a deal worth $170,000 with the French cosmetics manufacturer.
2005 Gorillaz scored their first UK No.1 album when ‘Demon Days’ went to the top of the charts.
2005 System of a Down were at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Mezmerize’, also a UK No.2.
2007 A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 Imagine album. 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 on 8 December 1980.
