Births
1924 Jim Reeves, US country singer. The first country singer to crossover into the pop market. (1960 US No.2 single 'He'll Have To Go', 1966 UK No.1 single 'Distant Drums'). Reeves was killed in a plane crash on 31st July 1964 when the single engine aircraft flying from Arkansas to Nashville crashed in thick fog.
1931 Paul Robi, The Platters, (UK & US No.1 single 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes'). Died of cancer on 1st February 1989.
1934'Sneaky' Pete Kleinow, US country-rock steel guitar player. Died 6th Jan 2007 aged 72. He was one of the original members of the Flying Burrito Brothers with the Byrds' Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. Also worked with John Lennon and Joni Mitchell.
1940 John Lantree, The Honeycombs, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Have I The Right').
1941 Dave Brock, Hawkwind, (1972 UK No.3 single 'Silver Machine').
1946 Ralf Hutter, Kraftwerk, (1982 UK No.1 single 'Computer Love / The Model').
1947 James Pankow, Trombone, Chicago, (1976 UK & US No.1 single 'If You Leave Me Now').
1948 Robert Plant, singer, Led Zeppelin, (1969 US No.4 single 'Whole Lotta Love'. The bands fourth album released in 1971 featuring the rock classic 'Stairway To Heaven' has sold over 11 million copies). Solo (1983 UK No.11 single 'Big Log'). The Honeydrippers, (with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck & Nile Rodgers), 1984 US No.3 single 'Sea Of Love'.
1949 Phil Lynott Irish singer, songwriter, bass player, Thin Lizzy. (1973 UK No.6 single 'Whisky In The Jar'). Lynott died on 4th January 1986.
1952 Doug Fieger, The Knack, (1979 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'My Sharona').
1966 Dimebag Darrell, guitarist, Pantera, (1994 UK No.19 single 'I'm Broken'). Killed on 8th December 2004 after a man stormed the stage during a Damageplan show and began firing at the band and crowd.
1971 Fred Durst, vocals, Limp Bizkit , (2001 UK No.1 single 'Rollin' & 2000 US & UK No.1 album 'Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavoured Water').
1979 Jamie Cullum, UK Jazz, singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, (2003 UK No.5 album 'Twentysomething').
Deaths
1988 Two rock fans died while 'slam dancing' as Guns N' Roses played at the 'Monsters Of Rock' Festival, Castle Donington.
Events
1939 Orrin Tucker's orchestra recorded "Oh, Johnny, Oh, Johnny, Oh!"
1955 Bo Diddley plays the Apollo Theatre, Harlem.
1960 Connie Francis begins working on the film "Where the Boys Are."
1963 The Rolling Stones appear at The Star & Garter Hotel, Windsor, England.
1965 Andrew Loog Oldham launched the Immediate Label, home of The Small Faces, Nice and Chris Farlowe.
1966 The Temptations' "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" was released.
1967 The New York Times reported about a noise reduction system for album and tape recording developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. Elektra Record's subsidiary, Checkmate Records became the first label to use the new Dolby process in its recordings.
1968 The University of Tennessee reported that a guinea pig subjected to days of rock music played at 120 decibels had suffered acute hearing damage.
1969 After finishing 'I Want You, (She's So Heavy), The Beatles worked on the running order for the Abbey Road album. This was the last time all four Beatles were together in Abbey Road studios.
1969 Frank Zappa disbanded the Mothers of Invention right after an eight-day tour in Canada. Zappa said that he was "tired of playing for people who clap for all the wrong reasons."
1973 The Rolling Stones released "Angie."
1977 The Brotherhood Of Man had their second UK No.1 with 'Angelo'.
1977 The Emotions started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Best Of My Love', it made No.4 in the UK.
1983 The compilation album '18 Greatest Hits' by Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five started a three week run at No.1 on the UK chart.
1983 Appearing at JFK Stadium Philadelphia Madness, Joan Jett, The Police and R.E.M.
1986 Rick Allen drummer with Def Leppard made his first live appearance with the band at Donington after losing a arm in a car accident.
1987 Lindsay Buckingham quit Fleetwood Mac, (1987 UK No.5 single 'Little Lies' and 1977 world wide No.1 album 'Rumours').
1988 Steve Winwood went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Roll With It'.
1990 Appearing at the Marquee Club, London, Aerosmith. Jimmy Page joined the Band on stage for a blues jam.
1991 Nirvana and Sonic Youth kicked off a joint European tour at Sir Henry's Pub, Cork, Ireland.
1992 A US Doctor filed a $35m lawsuit against the Southwest Bell phone company. He alleged that his wife died because he could not reach 911 due to all lines being jammed by demand of Garth Brooks concert tickets.
1996 Snoop Doggy Dogg settled out of court with the Woldemariam family in a wrongful death suit that the family brought against the rapper three years earlier. Twenty-year-old Phillip Woldemariam was shot and killed by Snoop Doggy Dogg's body guard from the back of a moving car which the rapper himself drove. The two claimed the shooting occurred in self-defense.
1997 Alabama Governor Fob James joined the mayors of Montgomery and Georgina, AL, in the Alabama State Capitol to dedicate a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 65 to the memory of Hank Williams. The section of roadway was renamed the "Hank Williams Memorial Lost Highway."
1997 BBC TV aired the documentary 'Oasis; Right Here, Right Now', with the group talking about their troublesome last year plus performances of three new songs.
1999 Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim married TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter Zoe Ball.
1999 New Kids On The Block singer Donnie Wahlberg married Kim Fey.
2000 Craig David started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut release 'Born To Do It'.
2000 Janet Jackson went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Doesn't Really Matter'.
2000 Nelly started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Country Grammar'.
2000 Spiller went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Groovejet'.
2001 The remaining dates of Foo Fighters European tour was cancelled when drummer Taylor Hawkins was admitted to a hospital.
2003 In Rhode Island, OSHA fined Derco LLC, which operated The Station club, $85,200 for one "willful" violation and six serious violations related to the February 20 fire that killed 100 and injured almost 200. Great White was fined $7,000 for failing to protect employees from fire hazards.
2003 Madame Tussauds in London opened an interactive Pop Idol display with a speaking waxwork of judge Simon Cowell. The waxwork made comments such as: 'That was extraordinary. Unfortunately extraordinarily bad.' 'Do you really think that you could become a Pop Idol' Well then you're deaf.' 'Thank you. Goodbye and That was the worst performance I've ever seen.'
2006 The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at Twickenham Stadium on their 'A Bigger Bang' world tour. Feeder and The Charlatans also appeared.
2006 Christina Aguilera went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Back To Basics' the singers third UK release. Also a No.1 album in 13 other countries.
2007 The funeral of Manchester music mogul and broadcaster, Tony Wilson was held at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Manchester. Peter Hook and Stephen Morris - two members of first Factory signing Joy Division, and later incarnation, New Order attended along with Happy Mondays front man, Shaun Ryder.
