Births
1941 Airto Moreira drummer, Weather Report, (1976 single 'Birdland', 1977 album Heavy Weather').
1942 Rick Huxley guitar, Dave Clark Five, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Glad All Over', 1965 US No.1 single 'Over And Over' , plus over 15 other UK top 40 singles).
1946 Jimmy Webb US singer, songwriter, Wrote the 1968 hit for Richard Harris 'MacArthur Park', plus 'Galverston', for Glen Campbell, 'Up Up and Away', 5th Dimension.
1947 Gregory Leskiw, Guess Who, (1970 US No.1 & UK No.19 single 'American Woman').
1957 Louis Walsh, Irish manager of Boyzone, Westlife Samantha Mumba and Girls Aloud. Judge on reality television series Popstars : The Rivals and in 2005 as a judge (along with Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne ) on the ITV talent show, The X Factor.
1959 Pat Smear, Germs, Nirvana, (fourth member), Foo Fighters, (1995 UK No.5 single 'This Is A Call'). Left the band in 1997.
1959 Pete Burns, singer, Mystery Girls, Dead Or Alive, (1985 UK No.1 single 'You Spin Me Round, Like A Record').
1960 Calvin Hayes, Johnny Hates Jazz, (1987 UK No.5 single 'Shattered Dreams').
1960 Stuart Croxford, Kajagoogoo (1983 UK No.1 single 'Too Shy').
1963 Mike Nocito, guitar, Johnny Hates Jazz, (1987 UK No.5 single 'Shattered Dreams').
1966 Jennifer Finch, bass, L7, (1992 UK No. 21 single 'Pretend We're Dead').
1975 Dan Hipgrave, vocals, Toploader, (2000 UK No.7 single 'Dancin' In The Moonlight').
1983 Dawn Richard, singer, Danity Kane, (formed on the MTV reality show Making the Band 3). 2006 US No.1 self-titled album.
Deaths
1968 Country guitarist Luther Perkins died in a fire he caused by smoking in bed. Worked with Johnny Cash and The Carter Family.
1978 Former manager and publicist for The Who, Pete Meaden committed suicide.
1986 Musician Michael Rudetsky was found dead at Boy George's Hampstead home.
1992 Jeff Porcaro (Toto) died of cardiac arrest at age 38. He was spraying insecticide in his yard and developed an allergic reaction that triggered the heart attack.
1993 Randy Hobbs, bass player with Edgar Winter Group and Motrose was found dead in his hotel room in Dayton Ohio from a drug overdose aged 45.
Events
1956 Doris Day was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Whatever Will Be, Will Be', the singer actress' second UK No.1 single
1957 American Bandstand made its network debut on ABC-TV. The show was hosted by Dick Clark. Until this day the show had been a local show in Philadelphia since 1952.
1965 The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Help! The groups eighth consecutive UK No.1 single.
1966 The Beatles album "Revolver" was released in the U.K.
1972 Aerosmith signed to CBS Records for $125,000 after record company boss Clive Davis saw them play at Max's Kansas City Club, New York.
1972 Wizzard made their live debut at the 'Rock 'n' Roll Festival', Wembley Stadium, on the same bill as Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and Gary Glitter
1975 Kim Fowley formed the first ever all female heavy rock band, The Runaways, Joan Jett was one of the members. Robert Plant and his wife were badly injured in a car crash while on holiday in Rhodes.
1975 Stevie Wonder signed a $13 million contract to cover seven years. The contract was the largest contract in the recording industry at the time.
1975 Robert Plant and his wife were badly injured in a car crash while on holiday in Rhodes.
1976 NBC-TV aired "The Beach Boys: It's O.K." The show was a 15th anniversary special for the group.
1978 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Miss You', the groups eighth US No.1 single, it made No.3 in the UK.
1979 Def Leppard signed to Phonogram records with an advance of Ł120,000 pounds ($180,000) giving them a 10% royalty on 100% of sales for the first two years.
1980 The Osmonds split up.
1981 Olivia Newton-John received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1983 David Crosby was sentenced to five years in jail in Texas for cocaine and firearms offences.
1984 Bruce Springsteen played the first of ten nights at the Meadowlands in New Jersey to mark the homecoming of the Born in the USA Tour.
1986 Lionel Richie released the album "Dancing on the Ceiling."
1988 Appearing at The Town and Country Club, Kentish Town, London, Norman Cook.
1989 Gloria Estefan started a six week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Cuts Both Ways'.
1989 Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers had their first of three UK No.1's with 'Swing The Mood'.
1989 Prince was at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Batdance', taken from the Batman movie.
1990 Madonna ended her Blond Ambition Tour in Nice, France. The show was aired on HBO via a tape delay.
1995 Take That played the first of ten sold out nights at The Nynex Arena, Manchester, (the shows were without Robbie Williams who had quit the group on 17/7/95). Take That scored their seventh UK No.1 hit single when 'Never Forget' started a three week run at the top of the singles chart.
1996 It was reported that UK TV music show 'Top Of The Pops' had hit rock bottom with it's lowest audience ever, only two and a half million viewers. In it's heyday the show attracted 17 million.
1999 Music written by Johann Sebastian Bach was found in the Ukraine. The music was thought to have been destroyed over 50 years ago during World War II. The material was found in the musical estate of Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach, who was on of J.S. Bach's children.
2000 Police were called to Gary Glitter's West London home when a crowd gathered outside and started to shout abuse at the former pop star, who was currently back in London to attend to business affairs before heading abroad again.
2001 David Gray returned to the No.1 position on the UK album chart with 'White Ladder'. 'NSYNC sarted a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Celebrity'.
2001 *NSYNC started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Celebrity'.
2003 Dido started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Life For Rent' the UK singers second No.1 album.
2005 Bob Dylan's song 'Like a Rolling Stone' topped a poll of rock and film stars to find the music, movies, TV shows and books that changed the world. The 1965 single beat Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel' into second place in a survey for Uncut magazine. Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Robert Downey Jr, Rolling Stone Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among those who gave their opinions.
2007 DNA testing on about a dozen people who claimed late soul star James Brown was their father revealed that at least two of them were telling the truth. A former adviser for the singer, Buddy Dallas, said he could not confirm exact figures, as further test results were forthcoming. His will, which is being disputed in court, named six children.
2007 Beatles fans feared the misuse of the Fab Four's music had hit rock bottom following the decision to license 'All You Need Is Love' for use in a nappy advert. Procter & Gamble had purchased the rights to use the song from Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which now owned Northern Songs, the Beatles' catalogue. The ad featured a baby jumping on a teddy bear in a disposable nappy which offers "ultimate leak protection"
