Births
1913 Frankie Laine, singer, (1953 UK No.1 single 'I Believe', plus over 25 other UK Top 20 singles, 1956 US No.3 single 'Moonlight Gambler').
1930 Rolf Harris, singer, artist, TV presenter, (1963 US No.3 single 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport', 1969 UK No.1 single 'Two Little Boys' and 1993 UK No.7 'Stairway To Heaven').
1942 Graeme Edge, drums, Moody Blues, (1965 UK No.1 single 'Go Now' & 1968 UK No.19 & 1972 US No.2 single 'Nights In White Satin').
1945 Eric Clapton, guitarist, singer, songwriter, The Roosters, Casey Jones and the Engineers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, (1967 UK No.11 single 'I Feel Free'). Derek and the Dominoes (1972 UK No.7 single 'Layla'). Solo, 1974 US No.1 single 'I Shot The Sheriff', 1992 UK No.5 & US No.25 single 'Tears in Heaven').
1948 Jim Dandy, Black Oak Arkansas, (70's US No.1 radio hit single 'Jim Dandy To The Rescue').
1950 Dave Ball, Procol Harum, (1967 UK No.1 & US No.5 single 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale').
1950 Re Styles, guitar, vocals, The Tubes, (1977 UK No.28 single 'White Punks On Dope', 1983 US No 10 single 'She's A Beauty').
1954 Lena Lovich, US singer, (1979 UK No.3 single 'Lucky Number').
1955 Randy VanWarmer, singer, songwriter, (1979 US No.4 & UK No.8 single 'Just When I Needed You Most'). He died of leukaemia on January 12th 2004.
1962 MC Hammer, (Stanley Kirk Burrell), 1990 US No.1 album 'Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em', record-breaking 21 weeks at the Top of the chart. 1990 UK No.3 single 'U Can't Touch This'.
1964 Tracy Chapman, singer, songwriter, (1988 UK No.5 & US No.6 single 'Fast Car', 1988 US & UK No.1 self-titled debut album).
1965 Tim Dorney, Republica, (1997 UK No.7 single 'Drop Dead Gorgeous').
1967 Martin 'Ace', Kent, guitar, Skunk Anansie, (1996 UK No.20 single 'Weak').
1968 Celine Dion, French, Canadian singer, (1994 US No.1 single 'The Power Of Love', 1998 UK No.1 single 'My Heart Will Go On', plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles, won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland, in 1988.
1976 Mark McClelland who founded Snow Patrol with Gary Lightbody. McClelland quit the band in 2005.
1979 Norah Jones, US singer, (2002 US & UK Grammy award winning No.1 album 'Come Away With Me', plus two other No.1 albums).
1979 Simon Webbe, singer, vocals, Blue, (2002 UK No.1 single 'If You Come Back').
1980 Paul Wall, US rapper, features on the US No.1 single ‘Grillz’ by Nelly with Ali & Gipp.
Deaths
2004 Timi Yuro died from cancer of the brain aged 62. Was just 18 years old when she reached No.4 on the US charts in 1961 with ‘Hurt.’
Events
1963 The Chiffons started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’, which was a No.16 UK hit. In 1971 George Harrison was taken to court accused of copying the song on his 1970 ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ordered to pay $587,000 (?345,000) to the writers.
1963 Leslie Gore first appeared on ABC's "American Bandstand."
1966 Barbra Streisand's "Color Me Barbra" special aired on CBS-TV.
1966 85 people were arrested for rioting after a Rolling Stones concert in Paris.
1967 The cover of the Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was staged and photographed.
1967 During an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on 'Top Of The Pops', a technician put on the backing track of Alan Price's 'Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear', to which Hendrix responded 'I don't know the words to this one man.'
1968 The Yardbirds performed and recorded "Live Yardbirds" at the Anderson Theater.
1974 John Denver went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Sunshine On My Shoulders', the singers first of four US No.1's. Denver was killed in a plane crash on 12th October 1997.
1976 The *** Pistols played their first show at The 100 club, London, they begin a weekly residency at the club in June.
1975 Jeff Beck released his first solo album, "Blow by Blow," in the U.S.
1978 Paul Simonon and Topper Headon of the Clash were arrested in London for shooting pigeons from the roof of a rehearsal hall.
1978 U2 won $850 and a chance to audition for CBS Ireland in a talent contest held in Dublin that was sponsored by Guinness.
1982 The Undertones appearing at the Hacienda in Manchester, England.
1985 Phil Collins started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'One More Night', his second US No.1, it made No.4 in the UK.
1989 The Stone Roses appearing at The Guildhall, Preston, England.
1989 Gladys Knight performed solo for the first time since her grammar school years without The Pips during a gig in Las Vegas.
1991 Chensey Hawks started a five-week run at the UK No.1 position with his debut single 'The One And Only' as featured in the film 'Buddy's Song.'
1991 Gloria Estefan started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Coming Out Of The Dark', a No.25 hit in the UK.
1991 The Eurythmics started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their 'Greatest Hits' LP.
1994 Pink Floyd released the album "The Division Bell."
1996 The Beatles went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Anthology 2.'
1996 The Prodigy started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Firestarter.'
1997 Rapper Scarface was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘The Untouchable.’
1999 KISS cancelled three concert dates in Russia due to anti-American sentiment over the U.N. bombing of Yugoslavia.
2000 Castle music was sold to the Sanctuary Music group for ?40 million. Castle owned the rights to all The Kinks back catalogue.
2000 Rolling Stone Mick Jagger made a nostalgic visit to his old school. He opened the new arts centre that had been named after him at Dartford Grammar. The singer said he had spent the worst years of his life at the school.
2000 Mungo Jerry singer Ray Dorset was ordered to pay a former employee ?620 ($1,054) in back wages after a tribunal heard he had harassed her after she left his company. Dorset told the court he had paid her double pay by mistake for ten months.
2001 LeAnn Rimes reached an out of court settlement with her father and her former manager. The country star filed a lawsuit claiming the pair had stolen ?7 million ($12 million) from her.
2003 Room 5 & Oliver Cheatham started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Make Luv.'
2003 Linkin Park went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their third album ‘Meteora.’ Also a US No.1.
2007 A man was arrested by police and detained under the Mental Health Act after trying to force his way into Paul McCartney’s mansion, screaming: “I must get to him.” The middle-aged man burst through security patrols into McCartney’s isolated Sussex estate; guards who feared an assassination attempt were scrambled to intercept him as he sped towards the front door. He was finally halted by trees and a fence just yards from Sir Paul’s six-bedroom home at Peasmarsh.
