Births
1929 Mike Elliot, The Foundations, (1967 UK No.1 single 'Baby Now That I've Found You'. 1969 US No.3 single 'Build Me Up A Buttercup').
1938 Isaac Hayes, singer, (1971 US No.1 & UK No.4 single, 'Theme From Shaft', 1998 UK No.2 single as Chef 'Chocolate Salty Balls').
1948 Allan Holdsworth, Soft Machine, (1970 UK No.18 album 'Third').
1952 Pat McDonald, Timbuk 3, (1987 UK No.21 single 'The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades').
1958 Randy Debarge, Debarge, (1985 UK No.4 single 'Rhythm Of The Night').
1963 Jamie Kensit, Eighth Wonder, (1988 UK No.7 single 'I'm Not Scared').
1969 Elliot Smith, US singer songwriter, 1997 album 'Either/Or'. His song 'Miss Misery' saw him nominated for an Academy Award in 1997. Smith committed suicide on 22nd October 2003 aged 34.
1972 Geri Halliwell, (Ginger Spice), vocals, The Spice Girls, (1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe', plus seven other No.1 singles. Left the group on 7th June 1998, her first UK solo No.1 single was 1999 'Mi Chico Latino'. Halliwell has scored more UK No.1's than any other female artist.
Deaths
1983 Avant-garde musician and former backing singer with David Bowie Klaus Nomi died of cancer in New York aged 38.
2004 Rick James was found dead at his Los Angeles home. (1980 UK No.41 single 'Big Time'. 1981 US No.3 album 'Street Songs', 1981 US No 16 single 'Super Freak part 1').
Events
1940 Columbia Records cut the price of its 12-inch classical records. The record were priced $1. RCA Victor followed two weeks later.
1959 ABC-Paramount acquires British teen idol Cliff Richard's hit, "Livin' Doll" for U.S. release.
1960 Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" on American TV for the first time on "American Bandstand."
1964 Rod Stewart made his television debut on the British show "The Beat Room."
1965 The Beatles released their fifth studio album and soundtrack to their second film 'Help'.
1965 Decca records released The Small Faces debut single 'Whatcha Gonna Do About It.' It peaked at No.14 on the UK chart.
1970 An anti-war rock festival was held at Shea Stadium in New York. Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Steppenwolf and Johnny Winters were the acts.
1971 Procul Harum recorded a concert with the Edmonton Symphony in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Portions would later be released as the album "Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra."
1973 Stevie Wonder was seriously injured in a car accident. He permanently lost his sense of smell. He was in a coma for four days.
1977 The Police appeared at The Red Cow, Hammersmith Road in London, admission was 60p.
1981 Stevie Nicks' first solo album, "Bella Donna," was released.
1982 "The Wall" had its U.S. premiere in New York City.
1983 'The Very Best Of The Beach Boys' went to No.1 on the UK album chart.
1984 The Cars release their video for "Drive." Actor Timothy Hutton directed it.
1987 The Beastie Boys sued the city of Jacksonville, FL for including the phrase "mature audience" on their concert tickets and ads.
1987 Madonna's movie "Who's That Girl" premiered in New York.
1988 'Appetite For Destruction', Guns N' Roses debut album went to No.1 in the US, after spending 57 weeks on the chart and selling over 5 million copies.
1988 Yazz And The Plastic Population started a five week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Only Way Is Up'.
1988 The Traveling Wilburys begin a surprise mini-tour prior to releasing their debut album. The group consists of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Rob Orbison and Tom Petty.
1989 Adam Clayton (U2) was arrested at his home in Dublin, Ireland for marijuana possession.
1990 Ace Of Base made the live debut when they played in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1994 Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley make their first public appearance as newlyweds in Budapest while Jackson shoots a Communist-themed video.
1994 Lisa Loeb started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Stay, (I Missed You)', a No.6 hit in the UK.
1994 Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards booked into a private clinic to be treated for nervous exhaustion.
1995 The first "Soul Train: Lady of Soul Awards" took place.
1996 Vince Neil attempted to play a show at an Indiana club. The show, starting more than four hours late, ended after only three songs. Neil claimed that he wasn't feeling well, and that the audience of "rednecks" didn't appreciate his talent.
1996 Eddie Vedder videotaped the Ramones placing their hands in cement on the Hollywood Rock Walk prior to a Ramones show at The Palace. The Ramones claimed that it was their last show ever.
1996 The Ramones give their last concert at L.A.'s Palace. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell jam with the boys on stage.
1998 The last new episode of Magic Johnson's talk show, "The Magic Hour," aired. The musical guests on the show were Boys II Men, Simply Red, Mary J. Blige and Hanson.
2000 - It was announced that Ice-T would play a detective on the TV series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
2000 Ex Boyzone member Ronan Keating started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut release 'Ronan'.
2000 Robbie Williams went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rock DJ'.
2001 Whitney Houston became one of the highest-paid musicians in the world after signing a new deal with Arista records, said to be worth more than $100m.
2006 UK singer songwriter James Morrison started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut album 'Undiscovered.'
2006 'Hips Don't Lie' by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean was at No.1 on the UK and Australian singles chart, 'Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado & Timbaland was at No.1 on the US chart.
2007 Marilyn Manson was being sued by a former band member who said he was owed $20m (Ł9.8m) in shared profits. Stephen Bier, who played keyboards under the stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy, claimed he was not paid properly over a period of almost two decades. In legal papers filed in Los Angeles, Bier claimed Manson falsely told him the band was not making much money and used band money to buy a $2m (Ł980,000) home and collect Nazi memorabilia, including coat hangers used by Adolf Hitler.
