Births
1940 Bobby Freeman, singer, (1958 US & UK No.5 single 'Do You Want To Dance').
1943 Esther Ofarim, singer, (1968 UK No.1 single 'Cinderella Rockerfella').
1949 Dennis Locorriere, guitar, Dr Hook, (1972 US No.5 & UK No.2 single 'Sylvia's Mother' plus 9 other US Top 40 hits).
1951 Howard Lees, Heart, (1987 US & UK No.3 single 'Alone').
1957 Rolf Brendel, Nena, (1984 UK No.1 & US No.2 single '99 Red Balloons').
1963 Robbie Merrill, bassist, Godsmack, (2003, US No.1 album ‘Faceless’, 2006 US No.1 album ‘IV’).
1968 David Gray, UK singer, songwriter. His 'White Ladder' was the second biggest selling UK album of 2001. He scored the 2000 UK No.5 single 'Babylon.'
1968 Deneice Pearson, 5 Star, (1986 UK No.3 single 'System Addict' plus 15 other UK top 40 singles).
1969 Soren Rasted, Aqua, (1997 UK No.1 single 'Barbie Girl').
1970 Rivers Cuomo, Weezer, (1995 UK No.12 single, 'Buddy Holly').
1976 Jason Brown, vocals, Five, (1998 UK No.2 single 'Everybody Get Up', 1999 UK No.1 single 'Keep On Movin').
1981 Kymberley Marsh, singer, Hear'Say, (2001 UK No.1 single 'Pure And Simple'). Quit the group in 2002. Now an actress.
Deaths
1972 Clyde McPhatter, original lead vocalist with The Drifters, died of a heart attack in New York.
2000 37-year-old Susan E Santodonato collapsed and died of a heart attack outside New York radio station Star 105.7. after a Britney Spears impersonator left the building. A crowd had gathered after a DJ claimed Britney Spears was in the studio.
Events
1958 Frank Zappa graduated from Antelope Valley High in Lancaster, CA.
1964 Louis Armstrong started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Hello Dolly!'
1964 The Rolling Stones made a television appearance on "Hollywood Palace." The show was hosted by Dean Martin.
1967 The Bee Gees appeared live on the UK TV show 'As You Like It'. The group were promting their debut single 'New York Mining Disaster 1941.'
1969 Soul Bowl '69, promoted as the biggest soul music festival ever, begins at the Houston Astrodome. Performers include Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and The Staple Singers.
1969 Mick Taylor joined The Rolling Stones as Brian Jones' replacement.
1970 Christine McVie released a solo album and then announced her retirment from music. She later came out of retirement.
1970 The Beatles started a 2 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Long And Winding Road', the groups 20th US No.1. Paul McCartney offered the song to Tom Jones who turned it down.
1975 John Lennon made his last TV appearance to sing "Imagine."
1980 Pat Benatar opened a home game for the Philadelphia Phillies by playing a brief set.
1981 Smokey Robinson was at No.1 in the UK with the single with 'Being With You.'
1984 The Jacksons' "State of Shock," was released. Mick Jagger did guest vocals.
1987 Atlantic Starr went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Always', a No.3 hit in the UK.
1987 Whitney Houston started a 6 week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with her second album 'Whitney.'
1989 Jerry Lee Lewis got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1992 Billy Ray Cyrus started a 17 week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Some Gave All'.
1992 Erasure started a 5 week run at No.1 in the UK with the 'Abba-Esque EP.'
1992 Law enforcement officials in Texas call for a ban on Ice-T's "Cop Killer" LP. Sales double on the West Coast and in Texas.
1992 Future U.S. President Bill Clinton criticized Sister Souljah for making remarks "filled with hatred" towards whites.
1992 Law enforcement officials in Texas called for a ban on Ice-T's "Cop Killer" album.
1995 Ty Hernodon was arrested by an undercover officer on drug possession charges.
1995 Alanis Morissette released the album "Jagged Little Pill."
1999 S Club 7 went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bring It All Back.'
2000 A roadie who worked for the Spice Girls, Oasis, Elton John and Whitney Houston was arrested and charged with smuggling millions of pounds worth of Ecstasy into Britain.
2000 Bobby Brown admitted he was an alcoholic, saying, 'I have a disease, I am an addict, I am an alcoholic'. The singer made the admission while appearing in a Florida court.
2003 Former East 17 member Brian Harvey was cleared of drugs charges after the prosecution's key witness refused to give evidence and left the UK for Spain. Harvey had been arrested after a News Of The World investigation and charged with possessing and supplying cocaine.
2003 The elder statesman of music were rewarded in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list for their services to music. Sting was awarded a CBE, Gerry Marsden an MBE, Errol Brown an MBE and Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour a CBE.
2003 The Arctic Monkeys made their live debut at The Grapes pub in Sheffield, England. They received ?27 from ticket sales.
2004 Faithless were at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘No Roots.’
2004 After 50 Cent mentioned R. Kelly's pending child pornography trial during an appearance at the New York Summer Jam XI concert, chairs were thrown onstage forcing 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew to leave the stage area.
2004 Warner Music Group announced that it would buy Madonna's shares of the Maverick Records label. Madonna had co-founded the label 12 year earlier.
2005 Michael Jackson was cleared of all charges of child abuse by a jury of eight women and four men at the end of a 16-week hearing in Santa Maria, California. Jackson was found not guilty of all 10 charges including abusing a 13-year-old boy, conspiracy to kidnap and supplying alcohol to a minor to assist with a felony.
