Births
1942 Helen Reddy, US singer, songwriter, (1975 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Angie Baby'). Cher had previously turned down the song.
1944 Patti Labelle, singer, (1975 US No.1 & UK No.17single 'Lady Marmalade', 1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single with Michael McDonald, 'On My Own'.
1947 Jim Fielder, bass, Blood Sweat & Tears, (1969 US No.2 single 'Spinning Wheel', 1969 US No.12 & UK No.35 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy').
1957 Barbara Kooyman, Timbuk 3, (1987 UK No.21 single 'The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades').
1959 Chris Lowe, keyboards, Pet Shop Boys, (1986 UK & US No.1 single 'West End Girls', plus three other UK No.1 singles and over 20 other UK Top 40 singles).
1961 Jon Secada, US singer, (1992 UK No. 5 single 'Just Another Day').
1963 Lena Zavaroni, UK singer, (1974 UK No.10 single 'Ma He's Making Eyes At Me'). She died on 1st October 1999 from to anorexia nervosa. She was discovered on TV talent show Opportunity Knocks, became the youngest British singer to earn a silver disc.
1965 Neil Sims drummer Catherine Wheel, (1992 UK No.35 single 'I Want To Touch You').
1984 Katina Sergeevna, singer, Tatu, (2003 UK No.1 single 'All The Things She Said').
Deaths
1970 Janis Joplin was found dead of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. She had just finished recording her second solo album "Pearl."
2004 Bassist Bruce Palmer died of a heart attack. Member of The Mynah Birds and The Buffalo Springfield.
Events
1881 Edward Leveaux received a patent for the player piano.
1939 Perry Como recorded "That Old Gang of Mine" with the Ted Weems Orchestra.
1943 "Is You is or is You Ain't My Baby?" by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five was released.
1957 Winners at this years Annual NME readers poll included Pat Boone who was voted the world's No.1 singer, with Elvis Presley voted second. The top two UK group's were The King Brothers and The Stargazers.
1961 Bob Dylan played a showcase at New York's Carnegie Hall to 53 people.
1962 The Tornadoes were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the instrumental, 'Telstar'. The track went on to be the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart also reaching No.1.
1962 "Love Me Do" was released by the Beatles.
1963 Eric Clapton was asked to join the Yardbirds to replace Anthony "Top" Topham.
1963 The Beatles made their first appearance on the UK ITV pop show 'Ready Steady Go!'
1967 A 10-date package tour of the UK kicked off at London's Finsbury Park, featuring Traffic, The Young Rascals, Vanilla Fudge, Art and Keith West.
1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Green River', the group's first US chart topper.
1969 The Beatles 'Abbey Road' album went to No.1 on the UK chart. The final studio recordings from the group featured two George Harrison songs 'Something' and 'Here Comes The Sun' plus 'Come Together', 'Sun King' and 'Golden Slumbers.' The cover supposedly contained clues adding to the 'Paul Is Dead' phenomenon: Paul is barefoot and the car number plate 'LMW 281F' supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. 'LMW' was said to stand for 'Linda McCartney Weeps.' And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).
1969 The song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was released by Crosby, Stills & Nash.
1973 The BBC broadcast the 500th edition of UK music show Top Of The Pops. Slade, Gary Glitter and The Osmonds all appeared.
1974 Thin Lizzy performed for the first time with Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson both in the lineup.
1974 "Walls And Bridges" was released by John Lennon.
1975 David Essex was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Hold Me Close.'
1975 Pink Floyd went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Wish You Were Here'. The album featured a tribute to ex band member Syd Barrett, 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'. Also No.1 in the US.
1980 Carly Simon collapsed on stage in Pittsburgh from a case of nervous exhaustion. The remainder of the tour was cancelled.
1980 Queen started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Another One Bites The Dust.'
1981 The children's holiday album "In Harmony" was released by CBS Records.
1982 The group Squeeze broke up.
1982 The Smiths made their live debut at the Ritz in Manchester England.
1983 Gary Numan appeared at The Odeon, Birmingham, England.
1986 Paul Simon started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Graceland.'
1991 Blur kicked off a 13-date UK tour at Middlesbrough Town Hall.
1992 The musical "Anna Karenina" closed after 46 performances.
1994 Dream Theater released the album "Awake."
1996 Van Halen announced that Gary Cherone, formerly of Extreme, would be the singer that would replace Sammy Hagar.
1997 Farm Aid '97 raised over $1 million for U.S. farmers.
1997 Boyz II Men went to No.1 on the US singles chart with '4 Seasons Of Loneliness', the group's fifth US No.1. A No.10 hit in the UK.
1999 It was reported that the sister of Jimi Hendrix was planning to exhume her brothers body and move it to a pay-to view mausoleum. Other plans for the new site included a chance for fans to buy one of burial plots around the guitarist's new resting-place.
2000 Craig David picked up the awards for Best R&B Act Best UK Newcomer and Best UK Single for 'Fill Me In' at the Mobo awards.
2002 A U.S. District Court judge denied DownloadCard's request for a preliminary injunction on the release of Bon Jovi's album "Bounce." The issue was over a program included on the album called "American XS."
2003 The Darkness kicked off a 15-date UK tour at Stoke, Keele University.
2006 Former R Kelly employee (who claimed to have been a "mentor and guide" to Kelly since he was a teenager) Henry Vaughn filed a lawsuit against the singer accusing him of assault, false imprisonment, and a breach of contract that defrauded him of songwriting royalties. Vaughn also claimed that Kelly and his associates dragged him to the basement at Kelly's Olympia Fields home and "repeatedly struck him about the face and body with his fists.
2007 Producer Phil Spector was set to be retried for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson following the collapse of the first trial in Sept of this year. The first trial ended with the jury deadlocked 10-2 favouring conviction. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler set another hearing for the case on 23 October.
