Births
1934 Little Milton, US blues singer guitarist, (1965 US No.25 single 'We're Gonna Make It'). Milton died on 4th August 2005.
1936 Buddy Holly, singer, songwriter, The Crickets, (1957 US No.1 'That'll Be The Day', 1959 UK No.1 single 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore', plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles). Influenced The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Holly was killed in a plane crash on 3rd February 1959. The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valans were also killed in the crash.
1940 Ronnie Dove, (1965 US No.14 single 'One Kiss For Old Times' Sake').
1946 Alfa Anderson, Chic, (1978 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Le Freak').
1949 Gloria Gaynor, US singer, (1979 UK & US No.1 single 'I Will Survive').
1951 Chrissie Hynde, vocals, Pretenders, (1980 UK No.1 single 'Brass In Pocket' plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles) & solo (1985 UK No.1 single 'I Got You Babe' with UB40).
1954 Benmont Tench, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, (1977 single 'American Girl', 1989 UK No.28 single 'I Won't Back Down', 1991 UK No.3 album 'Into The Great Wide Open'). Also worked with Bob Dylan, U2, Roy Orbison, Stevie Nicks.
1957 Margot Chapman, Starland Vocal Band, (1976 US No.1 & UK No.18 single 'Afternoon Delight').
1957 Jermaine Stewart, singer, Shalamar, (1986 UK No.2 single 'We Don't Have To...Take Our Clothes Off'). Also worked with Shalamar, The Temptations and Boy George. Stewart died of cancer on 17th March 1997.
1958 Hamilton Lee, Furniture, (1986 UK No.21 single 'Brilliant Mind').
1960 Brad Houser, Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, (1989 UK No.31 single 'What I Am', also a 1999 hit for Spice Girl Emma Bunton).
1961 LeRoi Moore, saxophonist , Dave Matthews Band, (1998 US No.1 album 'Before These Crowded Streets', 2005 US No.1 album 'Stand Up').
1964 Eazy-B, rapper, NWA, (1990 UK No.26 single 'Express Yourself'). Died on 26th March 1995.
1966 Chris Acland, drummer, Lush, (1996 UK No.21 single 'Single Girl'). Acland committed suicide by hanging himself on 7th September 1996.
1986 Spectacular Blue Smith, singer, Pretty Ricky, (2007 US No.1 album 'Late Night Special').
Deaths
1978 Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, died in London after overdosing on Hemenephirin at the age of 31. He was taking the prescription drug to help him with alcohol. He was replaced in The Who by Kenney Jones (from the Faces).
2003 US singer, songwriter, Warren Zevon died. Recorded over 15 solo albums, 1978 US No.21 single 'Werewolves Of London'.
Events
1940 Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Temptation".
1959 Craig Douglas was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Sam Cooke hit 'Only Sixteen'.
1968 Appearing at The Roundhouse, London, The Doors, tickets 30 shillings, ($3.60). Granada TV filmed the gig. The band also scored their only US No.1 album on this day with 'Waiting For The Sun'.
1968 Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham made their live debut as Led Zeppelin at Teen Club Box 45 in Gladsaxe in Denmark.
1969 The half hour Saturday morning cartoon "The Beatles" aired its last show. The show had debuted on September 25, 1965.
1972 David Bowie appeared at The Top Rank, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, England.
1973 The Rolling Stones kicked off a nine-date UK tour at the Empire Pool London. Tickets L2.20.
1975 Rod Stewart was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Sutherland Brothers song 'Sailing'. The song had been featured in the BBC TV series about HMS Ark Royal.
1975 The Guess Who play their final concert in Montreal.
1975 Steve Anderson set a record for picking a guitar. Anderson, at age 22, picked for 114 hours, 7 minutes. He broke the old record by more than four hours.
1976 Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Dancing Queen', the group's fourth UK No.1 single.
1976 Paul McCartney commemorated Buddy Holly's 40th birthday with the inauguration of "Buddy Holly Week" in Britain.
1978 Sid Vicious performed at Max's Kansas City, New York City punk club.
1979 Gary Numan released his LP "The Pleasure Principle."
1984 Janet Jackson announced that she had married James Debarge
1985 David Bowie and Mick Jagger were at No.1 on the UK singes chart with their version of the Martha Reeves and The Vandellas 1964 hit 'Dancing In The Street.' The song had been recorded as part of the Live Aid charity appeal.
1985 John Parr started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'St Elmo's Fire', taken from the film of the same name a No.6 hit in the UK.
1985 Ringo Starr became the first Beatle to become a grandfather when his son Zak and his wife Sarah had a daughter Tatia Jayne.
1986 Michael Nesmith joined the other original Monkees on stage for the first time since the band disbanded.
1987 Pink Floyd began their "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" tour despite threats to sue by former member Roger Waters.
1990 "Street Scene" opened at the New York State Theatre.
1991 Gloria Estefan was awarded damages of $5 million for the injuries she sustained when her tour bus was involved in an accident.
1991 Motley Crue signed a record deal for which they were guaranteed $22.5 million.
1993 Prince threw an Egyptian themed party for fan club members at a warehouse in London's King Cross.
1996 Tupac Shakur and Marion "Suge" Knight are shot while in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson fight. Shakur died six days later.
1996 Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres married model Eva Herzigova.
1997 Fleetwood Mac went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Dance'. The album went on sell over 5 million copies in the US alone.
2000 Timothy Commerford (Rage Against the Machine) was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Commerford had climbed a scaffold during the MTV Music Awards delaying the show 20 minutes.
2001 Michael Jackson was reunited onstage with the Jackson Five at his 30th Anniversary Celebration in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It ended Jackson's 11-year hiatus from performing in the U.S. Jackson was joined by Eminem, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his singing career.
2003 Black Eyed Peas started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Where Is The Love.'
2007 A report showed that two-thirds of young people who regularly used MP3 players faced premature hearing damage. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People said its findings were alarming with research showing that 72 out of 110 MP3 users tested in the UK were listening to volumes above 85 decibels. Some MP3 players at full volume registered at 105 decibels, an aircraft taking off measured at 110 decibels.
