Births
1937 Merle Haggard, US country singer, songwriter, (scored 38 US country No.1's including 'Okie From Muskogee').
1942 Christopher Franke, keyboards, Tangerine Dream, (1974 UK No.15 album 'Phaedra').
1944 John Stax, The Pretty Things, (1964 UK No.10 single 'Don't Bring Me Down').
1944 Michelle Gilliam, The Mamas and the Papas, (1966 US No.1 and UK No.3 single 'Monday Monday').
1947 Tony Conner, Hot Chocolate, (1975 US No.3 single 'You Sexy Thing' 1977 UK No.1 single 'So You Win Again' plus over 25 other Top 40 hits).
1951 Ralph Cooper, drums, Air Supply, (1980 UK No.11 single 'All Out Of Love', 1981 US No.1 single 'The One That You Love').
1962 Stan Cullimore, Housemartins, (1986 UK No.1 single 'Caravan Of Love').
1965 Frank Black, guitar, vocals, Pixies, (1990 UK No.28 single 'Velouria'), Solo.
1978 Myleene Klass, singer, Hear'Say, (2001 UK No.1 single 'Pure And Simple'). Also worked as a TV presenter.
Deaths
1998 Wendy O. Williams (The Plasmatics) committed suicide.
Events
1956 Paramount Pictures signed Elvis Presley to a three-movie deal.
1956 Capitol Tower, the home of Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA, was dedicated. It was the first circular office tower designed in America. It is 13 stories tall and 92 feet in diameter.
1957 Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" was released.
1960 The Everly Brothers opened their first British tour in London.
1962 The Russian newspaper "Pravda" warned youths about the dangers of twisting.
1965 The Beach Boys recorded "California Girls."
1967 The first master tape of the The Beatles new album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was made. The song order on side one is different from the final product at this point, the last five songs on that side being initially ordered as follows: ‘Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite’, ‘Fixing a Hole’, ‘Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds’, ‘Getting Better’, and ‘She's Leaving Home’. The Beatles had specified that there were to be no gaps between songs - a unique idea at the time.
1968 Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles' record company and management and publishing firm, opened.
1968 Pink Floyd announced founder Syd Barrett has officially left the group due to his suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use.
1968 Cliff Richard sang 'Congratulations' the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest held at the Royal Albert Hall London, winning second place behind the entry from Spain.
1968 Simon and Garfunkel went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Graduate.'
1971 Carly Simon and James Taylor first met at the Troubador nightclub in Los Angeles.
1971 Rolling Stone Records was formed to promote the hits of The Rolling Stones.
1974 Swedish act Blue Swede went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Hooked On A Feeling'. The single didn't chart in the UK.
1974 the California Jam 1, festival took place in Ontario, California, featuring The Eagles, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Earth Wind and Fire, ELP, Black Oak Arkansas and Seals & Croft. Over 200,000 fans attended.
1974 "Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones" opened at New York City's Ziegfeld Theatre. It was the first concert film to feature a soundtrack in quadraphonic sound.
1979 Rod Stewart married Alana Hamilton in Beverly Hills. She was the ex-wife of actor George Hamilton.
1981 Published in this week's Sounds magazine, The Futurist chart. No.5, Visage, 'Mind Of A Toy', No.4, Depeche Mode, 'Dreaming Of Me', No.3, Spandau Ballet, 'Journey's To Glory', No.2, Landscape, 'Einstein A Go- Go', No.1, Spandau Ballet, 'Glow.'
1983 U.S. Interior Secretary James Watt banned the Beach Boys from the 4th of July celebration on the Washington Mall. He said rock 'n' roll bands attract the "wrong element."
1985 Miami Steve Van Zandt announced that he's leaving the E Street Band. Springsteen hired guitarist Nils Lofgrin as the replacement.
1985 UK singer, songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan won a lawsuit against his manager Gordon Mills for unpaid royalties and was awarded $2 million.
1985 Paul Young scored his second UK No.1 album with 'The Secret Of Association.'
1985 Gilbert O'Sullivan won a $2 million lawsuit against his former manager for unpaid royalties.
1990 Tommy Lee, of Motley Crue, suffered a mild concussion in New Haven, CT. when he fell after swinging from scaffolding above his elevated drum kit.
1992 Living Colour front man Vernon Reid married Mia McLeod.
1992 Shakespear's Sister held the UK No.1 position on the singles chart with 'Stay', Vanessa Williams was at No.1 in the US with 'Save The Best To Last.'
1998 A group of 27 country artists filed suit against Los Angeles resident Jim Salmon who registered the names of the plaintiffs as Website domain names.
1998 Dick Clark, Chubby Checker, Fabian and Lesley Gore appeared on CBS-TV's "Murphy Brown."
1999 an all star tribute to singer, songwriter Johnny Cash took place in New York City with Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak and U2 all performing for the TV special.
2000 An all-star tribute to Joni Mitchell was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City featuring performances by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Shawn Colvin, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Richard Thompson, k.d. Lang, and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
2000 Eighties pop star Steve Strange lead singer of Visage - was arrested after stealing a ?10.99 Teletubbies doll in Bridgend, south Wales. He was given a suspended jail sentence after being caught on a shoplifting spree stealing cosmetics and clothes from High Street stores. Strange was already on bail for stealing a ?15 ladies' jacket from Marks and Spencer in Cardiff when he was arrested.
2001 Dido kicked off a 6 date UK tour at Glasgow Barrowlands, tickets ?12.
2003 White Stripes went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Elephant’, the duo’s second album.
2003 Linkin Park started a two week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Meteroa’ the bands first US and UK No.1 album.
2006 Eminem filed for divorce from his wife Kim less than three months after the couple re-married. Eminem first married his high school sweetheart Kimberly Scott in 1999. He fantasised about her death in his 2000 hit ‘Kim’ and their first marriage ended the following year. The couple remarried on 14 January 2006. Eminem was seeking joint custody of their 10-year-old daughter Hailie Jade Scott.
