Births
1942 Jerry Jeff Walker, US singer, songwriter, wrote 'Mr Bojangles' a hit for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
1948 Michael Bruce, guitar, Alice Cooper Band, (1972 UK No.1 & US No.7 single 'School's Out').
1954 Jimmy Nail, UK actor and singer, (1992 UK No.1 single 'Ain't No Doubt').
1959 Flavor Flav of Public Enemy's born today.
1963 Stuart Kerr, drummer, Love & Money, Texas, (1989 UK No. 8 single 'I Don't Want A Lover', left in 1991).
1979 Leena Peisa, keyboards, Lordi. Became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ won the contest held in Athens in 2006.
Deaths
1970 Tammi Terrell dies of a brain tumor at the age of 23.
1970 Marvin Gaye's singing partner Tammi Terrell dies of a brain tumor at age 24.
1975 T-Bone Walker dies of pneumonia at age 64 in Los Angeles.
1991 All seven members of Country star Reba Mcentire's band were killed when their plane crashed near San Diego, Reba was flying in a separate plane.
1996 Charles Pope singer with US soul group The Tams died of heart failure. (1971 UK No.1 single 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me').
Events
1942 Fats Waller recorded "The Jitterbug Waltz" in New York.
1947 Margaret Truman made her professional radio debut. She sang with the Detroit Symphony.
1959 The Platters had the UK No.1 single with 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.'
1962 The Shadows started an eight week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Wonderful Land'
1963 "Puff The Magic Dragon" was released by Peter, Paul and Mary.
1964 Capitol released the Beatles "Can't Buy Me Love" backed with "You Can't Do That."
1967 Pink Floyd begin sessions at Abbey Road studios for their debut album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
1968 Otis Redding's single 'Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay', started a five week run at No.1 on the US chart, it made No.3 in the UK.
1969 The musical "1776" opened on Broadway.
1970 The Beatles release Let It Be.
1971 Bridge Over Troubled Water and its title track by Simon & Garfunkel win Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year at this year's Grammys.
1972 John Lennon lodged an appeal with the US immigration office in New York, after he was served with deportation orders arising from his 1968 cannabis possession conviction.
1972 Neil Diamond plays The Royal Albert Hall, London.
1973 David Cassidy played the first of six sold out shows at the Empire Pool, Wembley.
1974 Paper Lace had their only UK No.1 single with 'Billy Don't Be A Hero'.
1974 Barbra Streisand started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Way We Were', the singers second US No.1.
1975 London's Rainbow Theatre closes with an all-star concert that includes Procol Harum, John Martyn, Hatfield & the North, Richard & Linda Thompson, Frankie Miller, Sassafras, and the Kevin Coyne Band.
1977 A&M tears up its contract with the *** Pistols a mere week after signing the punk band.
1977 Paper Lace were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Billy Don't Be A Hero, ' the groups only No.1.
1979 Twisted Sister became the first band to sell out New York City's Palladium without ever releasing a record. The band did not sign a record deal until 3 years later.
1985 Howard Jones appears at Wembley Arena tickets are £6.80.
1987 Frankie Goes to Hollywood split.
1989 MTV launched a contest to give away Jon Bon Jovi's childhood home.
1989 Bez from The Happy Mondays was arrested at Manchester Airport moments before boarding a flight to Belfast for a gig and charged for trying to leave the country, breaking bail conditions set after a previous arrest.
1991 Eddie Van Halen and his wife, actress Valerie Bertinelli, have a son. The couple names the child Wolfgang Van Halen.
1991 The Farm scored their only UK No.1 album with 'Spartacus.'
1992 During a Metallica gig at Orlando Arena fans dangled an usher by his ankles from the balcony as trouble broke out at the concert. The band was charged $38,000 (£22,353) for repairs and cleaning after the audience trashed the building.
1993 Appearing at The Boardwalk, Manchester, The Spin Doctors.
1996 The Ramones performed what they claimed would be their last ever date in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1996 "One Sweet Day," by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, stays at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a 16th week, breaking all previous records.
1999 Cher was at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Believe'.
1999 Boyzone had the UK No.1 single with 'When The Going Gets Tough'.
1999 Jeff Beck releases his first solo album in six years.
1999 The album "Great Zeppelin: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin" was released by Great White.
1999 The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Diamond Awards. The awards are given in recognition of albums and singles that have sold 10 million copies or more.
1999 Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and the late Roosevelt Sykes are inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
2003 Gareth Gates featuring The Kumars started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Spirit In The Sky.' The song had been a UK No.1 for Norman Greenbaum in 1970 and for Doctor and the Medics in 1986. Also a 1982 UK airplay hit for The Cheaters.
2005 Billy Joel checked into a rehabilitation centre for alcohol abuse. A statement from the 55-year-old singer's spokesperson put his latest problems down to "a recent bout of severe gastrointestinal distress."
