On this day

May 4th: On this Day

1956, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded 'Be Bop A Lula.' The track was written three days before the session. The song became a 1956 US No.7 & UK No.16 hit single spending 20 weeks on the US chart. In April 1957, the record company announced that over 2 million copies had been sold to date.

1961, The Marcels were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Rodgers & Hart song from the 1930s 'Blue Moon', their only UK No.1.

1967, The Young Rascals started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Groovin.' Atlantic Records head Jerry Wexler did not want to release the song. US disc jockey Murray the K heard the track and encouraged Atlantic to release it.

1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on UK TV's 'Top Of The Pops'.

1968, Mary Hopkin won her heat on the ITV talent show 'Opportunity Knocks'. She later signed with The Beatles owned Apple Records, Paul McCartney produced her UK No.1 single 'Those Were The Days', which also made No. 2 in the US. Hopkin later married record producer Tony Visconti.

1970, Four students at Kent University were killed and eleven wounded by National Guard troops at a campus demonstration protesting the escalation of the Vietnam War. The incident inspired Neil Young to compose 'Ohio' which became a hit for Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

1973, Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 North American tour, which was billed as the 'biggest and most profitable rock & roll tour in the history of the United States'. The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship' a Boeing 720 passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and a white fur bedroom.

1974, Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Waterloo', the group's first of nine UK No.1 singles was the 1974 Eurovision song contest winner for Sweden. The song was first called 'Honey Pie'.

1974, Grand Funk Railroad started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with their version of the Little Eva hit 'The Loco-Motion.' It was only the second time that a cover version had been a No.1 as well as the original.

1974, The film soundtrack to 'The Sting' by Marvin Hamlisch started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart.

1975, Mud were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Buddy Holly hit from 1958 'Oh Boy'. Their third and final No.1 single.

1975, Elvis Presley kicked off a 31 date North American Tour by playing two shows at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

1977, The Patti Smith Group, David Johansen, Dead Boys, Blondie, Suicide and Richard Hell & The Voidoids all appeared at a Punk Benefit at CBGB's in New York City.

1978, 'Night Fever' by The Bee Gees was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The group's third No.1 and the theme from the film 'Saturday Night Fever.' The song was a US No.1 for over two months.

1985, Phyllis Nelson was at No.1 on the UK singles with 'Move Closer', her only UK hit making the American singer a One-hit Wonder. More One Hit Wonders

1987, American blues vocalist, harmonica player Paul Butterfield, who fronted The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, died at his home in North Hollywood, California, of drug-related heart failure, he was 44. Gained international recognition, as one of the early acts performing during the Summer of Love, at The Monterey festival and Woodstock festival.

1989, Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine in Jersey, he was released on £5,000 bail.

1989, Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on 27th Aug 1999 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.

1990, Madonna played the first night of the North American leg on her 57-date Blond Ambition World Tour at The Summit in Houston, Texas.

1991, Cher scored her first solo UK No.1 single with 'The Shoop Shoop Song' from the film 'Mermaids'. The song had been a hit for Betty Everett on 1964, and gave Cher her first No.1 in the UK since 1965's 'I Got You Babe'.

1996, Alanis Morissette started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Jagged Little Pill'. Read the full story

1996, George Michael scored his seventh UK No.1 single as a solo artist when 'Fastlove' started a three-week run at the top of the chart. The second of six singles to be taken from George's comeback album Older.

1996, Mariah Carey started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Always Be My Baby', her 11th US No.1, a No.3 hit in the UK.

1997, Courtney Love placed an advert in The Seattle Times selling the house she had shared with Kurt Cobain. The five bedroom four bathroom house was on the market for $3m. The carriage house where Kurt Cobain died had been knocked down during refurbishment.

2000, Metallica were demanding online music service Napster cut off 335,000 users who they claimed had been illegally trading their songs. The band had passed on the names of all those they considered to be "stealing" their material over the internet in the latest development in an ongoing battle over the protection of music copyrights on the web.

2003, Madonna was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'American Life', the singers fifth US No.1.

2004, Clement Seymour Dodd died aged 72. Producer and major force in the development of ska and reggae, made the first recordings of Bob Marley.

2008, Madonna's latest album Hard Candy went straight to No.1 in the UK, giving the singer a chart double, with her song 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake, on top of the singles chart for a third week. Hard Candy was Madonna's 10th number one album.
2008, Thieves broke into the childhood home of Motown star Martha Reeves and stole about $1 million worth of uninsured recording equipment, including speakers, microphones and karaoke machines. A suspect was arrested at his home later in the day after he tried to sell the goods to a pawnshop for $400.

Source: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

1966, The Mamas and the Papas started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monday Monday', it made No.3 in the UK. The group was reported, as saying they all hated the song except for its writer John Phillips. The Mamas and the Papas won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for this song.

1967, Jimi Hendrix played two shows at London's Saville Theatre. Ringo Starr, Brian Jones and members of The Beach Boys and The Moody Blues were in the audience.

1967, Pearls Before Swine begin recording an album called 'One Nation Underground'. The LP included a song called 'Miss Morse', which would be banned in New York when it was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code. After disc jockey Murray The K played the record on the air, local Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and phoned in a complaint.

1967, Pink Floyd appeared at The Mojo Club, Tollbar, Sheffield, England, opened and owned by Peter Stringfellow. Acts who have also appeared at the club include Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker, Rod Stewart, Ike and Tina Turner, The Who, The Small Faces and Jimi Hendrix.

1972, Reginald Dwight changed his name by Deed poll to Elton Hercules John.

1972, The Rolling Stones released the second album on their own label, 'Exile on Main Street' featuring two hit singles, 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest of any Stones album on the list.

1974, Led Zeppelin held a party at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City for the launch of their new label Swan Song. Other label signings including, Scottish singer Maggie Bell (whose album Suicide Sal was the labels fourth release), and British supergroup, Bad Company also attended.

1977, Former backing singer with Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Free', her only UK No.1 hit.

1977, The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Hotel California', the group's fourth US No.1, a No.8 hit in the UK. The Eagles also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Record of the Year for 'Hotel California' at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978. The song's guitar solo is ranked 8th on Guitar Magazine's Top 100 Guitar Solos and was voted the best solo of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine.

1978, 90,000 tickets were sold in eight hours for Bob Dylan's forthcoming London dates at Earls Court.

1978, David Bowie played the first of three nights on his Low / Heroes world tour at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1983, Paul Weller unveiled his new group Style Council at an anti nuclear benefit gig in London.

1988, Terence Trent D'arby went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Wishing Well', a No.4 hit in the UK.

1991, Wilson Pickett was arrested after running into an 86 year old man and yelling death threats whilst driving his car over the mayor's front lawn in Englewood, New Jersey. Pickett was charged with driving with open bottles of alcohol in his car.

1992, A leather Jacket worn by John Lennon during 1960-1963, was sold at Christies, London, England for £24,200.

1992, Nigel Preston drummer with The Cult died in London, England aged 32. Was a founding member of The Death Cult, he also played and recorded with Sex Gang Children, Theatre of Hate and The Gun Club.

1994, Aerosmith played the first of seven nights at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, during their 245 date 'Get A Grip' world tour.

1998, Eddie Rabbitt, US singer, songwriter died of lung cancer aged 56. During his career, he scored over 20 No.1's on Billboard's country singles chart including 1981 'I Love A Rainy Night'. Elvis Presley, Dr Hook, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle and Lynn Anderson all recorded his songs.

2000, Britney Spears went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Oops!... I Did It Again'. Written and produced by hit-makers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, who had previously collaborated with Spears on '...Baby One More Time'.

2003, A US surgeon sued 50 Cent over an unpaid medical bill. The doctor claimed 50 Cent and his friend turned up at a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds in 2000, but said the rapper never paid the $20,000 he owed for treatment despite being asked several times.

2003, A Los Angeles federal jury recommended a $1.5 million award to a British record company that sued rapper-producer Dr Dre for song plagiarism. London-based Minder Music Ltd. sued Dre in 2000, claiming his 1999 song, 'Let's Get High,' used the bass line of The Fatback's 1980 song, 'Backstroking' which was featured on Dre's successful '2001' album, which sold 9 million copies worldwide.

2013- I turned 40

1960, The Silver Beetles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) auditioned for promoter Larry Parnes and singer Billy Fury for a job as Fury's backing group. Parnes was also looking for backing groups for his lesser-known acts, and The Silver Beetles were selected as backing group for singer Johnny Gentle's upcoming tour of Scotland. The group had changed its name from 'The Beatals' to 'The Silver Beetles' after Brian Casser (of Cass and the Cassanovas) remarked that the name 'Beatals' was "ridiculous". He suggested they use the name 'Long John and the Silver Beetles', but John Lennon refused to be referred to as 'Long John'.

1963, The Rolling Stones recorded the Chuck Berry song 'Come On', at Olympic Studios, London. This the bands first release was issued on the 7th June 1963 by Decca Records.

1964, Bob Dylan arrived in Britain for his first major UK tour including a show at London's Royal Festival Hall on the 17th of this month.

1965, The Rolling Stones recorded a version of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' at Chess Studios in Chicago, with Brian Jones on harmonica. The group re-recorded it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith Richards had recently aquired, adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff. Read the full story

1967, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared at Chichester Crown Court, Sussex, charged with being in possession of drugs, they elect to go to trial pleading not guilty and were both granted £100 bail.

1967, This week's UK Top 5 singles: No.5, Lulu, 'The Boat That I Row', No.4, The Tremeloes, 'Silence Is Golden', No.3, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, 'Somethin' Stupid', No.2, Mamas and the Papas, 'Dedicated To The One I Love', and No.1, Sandie Shaw, 'Puppet On A Sting.'

1969, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, The Move, Status Quo, Tremeloes, Marmalade, Love Sculpture, Van Der Graaf Generator all appeared at Nottingham County Football Ground, Nottingham, England. Presented by John Peel, tickets 22/6 on the gate.

1969, Frank Sinatra's version of 'My Way' made the British Top ten for the first time. Over the next three years it re-entered the Top 50 singles chart on eight different occasions. Paul Anka re-wrote the original French song for Sinatra, after he told Anka he was quitting the music business. Anka changed the melodic structure and lyrics to the song with Sinatra in mind.

1969, The Moody Blues started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'On The Threshold Of A Dream' (their first No.1 album).

1969, The Turtles gave a special performance at the White House as guests of Tricia Nixon. Stories circulate concerning members of the group allegedly snorted cocaine on Abraham Lincoln's desk.

1969, Led Zeppelin made their first appearance on the UK album chart when the band's debut album charted at No. 6, going on to spend 71 weeks on the UK chart. It entered the US chart the following week at No. 10. Recorded in around 36 hours, the album is now considered one of the most important debuts in rock, creating an entirely new interpretation of the Rock And Roll genre, with groundbreaking musical styles and recording techniques.

1970, David Bowie was awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song 'Space Oddity', which he performed that night accompanied by the Les Reed Orchestra. The event was transmitted live via satellite to venues in America, France, Spain, Australia, Holland and Venezuela. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs 'Ashes to Ashes' and 'Hallo Spaceboy'.

Source: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

868 - The world's oldest printed book, the Diamond Sutra is printed in China.

1792 - Merchant sea captain Robert Gray becomes the first recorded European to navigate the Columbia River. The location is today part of the Pacific Northwest United States.

1813 - William Lawson, Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth departed westward from Sydney on an expedition to become the first Europeans confirmed to cross the Blue Mountains.

1858 - Minnesota is admitted in to the union and becomes the 32nd state.

1946 - The United Malays National Organisation is founded. Today it is Malaysia's largest political party.

1962 - Marine Lieutenant John Glenn lands safely in the Atlantic Ocean after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates...552161.stm

1983 - Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen FC defeat Real Madrid 2-1 in Gothenburg, Sweden to win the European Cup-Winners' Cup.

1985 - The Bradford City stadium fire claimed 56 lives and injured a further 265 at the old Valley Parade ground. It remains the worst fire disaster in English football history.

1996 - 9 people are killed when a blizzard occurs on Mount Everest. That particular year was the worst in Everest's history with a total of 15 people killed during the season.

1364 - The oldest university in Poland, Jagiellonian University, is founded in Krakow...

1551 - ... and the oldest university in the Americas, National University of San Marcos, is founded in Lima, Peru.

1846 - George Donner, leader of the pioneer group the Donner Party, sets out on a trek from Independence, Missouri to California. The group would later become known for resorting to cannibalism when they become trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

1863 - During the American Civil War at the Battle of Raymond, two divisions of James B. McPherson's XVII Corps (ACW) turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton's defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.

1926 - In the UK, a nine day general strike by trade unions ends.

1941 - German engineer Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the first working, programmable, automatic computer to a team of scientists in Berlin.

1955 - The Allies' occupation of Austria comes to an end. The country is regaining its independence 10 years after the end of the Second World War.

1965 - Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.

1971 - Mick Jagger marries his fiancée, Bianca Perez Morena de Macias in St Tropez, France. The occasion is completed despite a dispute between Jagger's spokesman and police officers over the number of photographers and reporters in the wedding chamber.

1975 - Cambodian forces seize American container ship SS Mayaguez. The vessel is in internationally recognized waters but Cambodia claim the location as their territory.

1978 - In Zaire (today DR Congo), rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, a mining center in Shaba at the location known today as Katanga. Local government requests Belgium, France and the United States to restore order.

1982 - An assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II is foiled when security guards overpower Juan Fernandez Krohn, a priest opposed to Vatican reforms. Krohn insisted that the Pope had to be killed because he "was an agent of Moscow".

1994 - Labour Party leader John Smith passes away after suffering two heart attacks. He was 55.

2008 - An earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Ricter Scale strikes the Sichuan Province in China. 69,000 people are killed, a further 374,000 people are injured and 4.8 million are left homeless.

1780 - In the Revolutionary War, Charleston South Carolina falls to
British forces.

1928 - Mussolini abolishes women's rights in Italy.

1932 - The body of Charles and Anna Lindbergh's young son is found
a few miles from their home near Hopewell NJ.

1951 - The first H-Bomb test is carried out on Enewetak Atoll.

1959 - Elizabeth Taylor, marries her fourth husband Eddie Fisher.

1982 - The final episode of The Incredible Hulk is aired.

1984 - South African prisoner Nelson Mandela, sees his wife Winnie
for the first time in 22 years.

1997 - Russia and Chechnya sign a peace deal after 400 years of
conflict.

1967, The Monkees second album 'More Of The Monkees', went to No.1 on the UK charts. In 1967 only four albums reached No.1; 'The Sound Of Music' which spent 17 weeks at No.1, The Beatles 'Sgt Pepper's', 25 weeks at No.1 and The Monkees first and second albums spent 9 weeks at No.1.

1967, The Supremes scored their 10th US No.1 single with 'The Happening'; it made No.6 in the UK. It was the last single to be released as the Supremes, from now on they were known as Diana Ross and the Supremes.

1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave a series of interviews to help launch Apple Corps in the US.

1969, Led Zeppelin became the first major British rock group to appear in Hawaii, when they appeared at The Civic Auditorium, Honolulu. A review in the Honolulu Advertiser stated: 'The showmanship exceeded any rock performance here to date. I wondered before the concert if Led Zeppelin could sound as good as their Atlantic album – they sounded better'.

1970, The world premiere of The Beatles film 'Let It Be' took place in New York City. The film which was originally planned as a television documentary features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release.

1971, On his twenty-first birthday Stevie Wonder received all his childhood earnings. Despite having earned $30 million so far, he received only $1 million.

1971, Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane crashed her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was hospitalised.

1974, Forty-three people were arrested and more than fifty were injured after youths started throwing bottles outside a Jackson Five concert at RFK stadium in Washington DC.

1978, Boney M were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rivers of Babylon'. The single which stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks was originally by the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians, whose version of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come.

1978, Yvonne Elliman went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Gibb brothers song 'If I Can't Have You'. The song was featured in the film 'Saturday Night Fever'; a No.4 hit in the UK.

1985, Bruce Springsteen married Julianne Phillips at Lake Oswego, Oregon. Julianne filed for divorce on Aug 30th 1988.

1988, Scottish band Fairground Attraction were at No.1 on the UK singles with 'Perfect'. The group featured Eddi Reader who had previously worked as a backing singer with the Eurythmics and Sandie Shaw. 'Perfect' won the award for Best Single at the 1989 BRIT Awards.

1989, Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I'll Be There For You', the group's fourth US No.1, a No.18 hit in the UK.

1989, Kylie Minogue was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with her second solo No.1 'Hand On Your Heart.' The song was written and produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman.

1989, Simple Minds went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Street Fighting Years', their fourth No.1 album. The album featured 'Mandela Day', 'Belfast Child' and 'Biko'.

1996, Oasis became the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sold out in just nine hours, the tickets for shows at Knebworth and Loch Lomand were priced at £22.50.

2000, Shaun Ryder's Volkswagen Corrado was found abandoned after being used as the getaway car. The former Happy Mondays singer's car, was used in an armed robbery on Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurant in Manchester. £7,000 cash was taken in the robbery.

2002, Dionne Warwick was arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana after authorities found 11 joints in a lipstick case in the singer's hand luggage. The charges were dropped after she completed a drug program and made a contribution to charity.

2003, Michael Jackson launched a court case suing Motown Records. Jacko filed the lawsuit in LA, saying he hadn't been paid royalties due for the music he did with the Jackson Five in the 60s and 70s. The singer also claimed his music has been used in TV ads without his permission.

2006, Godsmack were at No.1 on the US album chart with 'IV' the American heavy metal bands second No.1 album.

2007, Brian May was under 24-hour security watch after a deranged man announced he was setting off to murder him - then disappeared. Police were hunting for a schizophrenic who left a letter behind at his home blaming the Queen guitarist for his illness. In it the man - said May was an "impostor" and that HE was the real rock star. He signed the letter "Brian May."

2007, Ne-Yo was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Because of You' the US R&B singers second No.1. The album featured the title track, a US No.2 and UK No.4 hit single.

2008, Babyshambles appeared at The Forum in London, the bands first gig since singer Pete Doherty was released from Wormwood Scrubs jail.

2008, The US Postal Service issued a 42-cent postage stamp in honour of Frank Sinatra. The design showed a 1950s-vintage image of Sinatra, wearing a hat.

2011, Like A Rolling Stone was voted as Bob Dylan’s best-ever song by Rolling Stone Magazine, who had asked the opinions of a panel of writers, academics and musicians to compile a poll to mark Dylan's 70th birthday on 24th May. Like A Rolling Stone, was described by U2's Bono as 'a black eye of a pop song', while Mick Jagger praised the simplicity of Desolation Row. Keith Richards argued that the original 1963 solo version of Girl From The North Country, ranked 30th, was superior to Dylan's 1969 duet of the same song with Johnny Cash.

2012, Donald Dunn, bassist with Booker T and the MG's died in his sleep after playing a show at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo the night before. He had been in the country as part of an ongoing tour with Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd. Booker T and the MG's scored the 1962 US No.3 single 'Green Onions', and the 1969 UK No.4 single 'Time Is Tight'.

Source: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com

World War II

1940 - The exiled Queen Wilhelmina of Holland and her cabinet are brought to England by the Royal Navy.

1940 - Winston Churchill delivers his "I have nothing to offer, but Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat" speech in the house of Commons.

1941 - Home Secretary Herbert Morrison announces the nationalization of the country's fire services.

1942 - In the USSR, an estimated 3,400 Jews are killed in Radun after the Germans sealed the ghetto five days earlier.

1943 - The Allies shatter the axis power in North Africa. A small Hussar squadron from Montgomery's Eighth Army, find's itself with around 10,000 exhausted men from the once mighty German Afrika Korps.

1944 - Chinese forces oust the Japanese from Suiping, regaining control of the Peking to Hankow railway.

1944 - Admiral Donitz loses his second son Klaus when the Free
French destroyer La Combattante and british frigate Stayning sink the E-Boat S147 in the English Channel.

1945 - In the Philippines US troops open up the Balete Pass on Luzon.

1957, Elvis Presley was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after swallowing a porcelain cap from one of his front teeth, which then lodged its-self in one of his lungs.

1960, The Silver Beats (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stu Sutcliffe, and Tommy Moore) performed at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. They played a few songs during the "interval" to audition for promoter Brian Kelly. Also appearing are Cliff Roberts & the Rockers, The Deltones, and Kingsize Taylor & the Dominoes. This is the only occasion on which the group uses the name "Silver Beats", quickly changing it back to "Silver Beetles".

1968, John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared on NBC-TV's Tonight Show with guest-host Joe Garagiola sitting in for Johnny Carson. The conversation included some light hearted banter about meditation, the forming of Apple Corps. and song writing.

1969, During a UK tour, Fairport Conventions van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing the group's 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.

1976, 33 year-old Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly earthed. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar. The Yardbirds had the hits 'For Your Love', 'Heart Full of Soul', and 'Shapes of Things'.

1977, During a UK tour, Talking Heads played a gig at The Rock Garden in London where Brian Eno who was in the audience saw the band, who then went on to produce them.

1977, Leo Sayer went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Albert Hammond and Carole Bayer Sager song 'When I Need You', the singers second US No.1, also No.1 in the UK.

1983, Spandau Ballet scored their first and only UK No.1 album with 'True.' The title track from the album spent four weeks at No.1 on the UK singles charts and reached No.2 in the US. Other singles from the album included 'Gold' (a No.2 UK hit and a Top 30 hit in the U.S.), 'Lifeline', and 'Communication'.

1988, Led Zeppelin reunited for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party at Madison Square Garden, New York, appearing with Jason Bonham the son of John Bonham on drums. Other acts performing included Foreigner, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Genesis, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wilson Pickett and Ben E. King.

1993, During an auction at Christies in London the acoustic guitar that Elvis Presley used to make his first recordings in 1954, 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Blue Moon of Kentucky',it sold for £130,285, ($152,000).
And four 'Super Hero', Costumes worn by the group Kiss sold for £20,000, ($35,385).

1994, Scottish band Stiltskin were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Inside'. The song had been used on a Levi's TV Jeans commercial. The bands only No.1 and only Top 30 hit.

1997, Mark Morrison was jailed for three months after threatening a police officer with an electric stun gun, he was also ordered to pay £350 costs.

1998, American singer and actor Frank Sinatra died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles aged 82, after suffering a heart attack. Sinatra had his first hit in 1940, working in the Swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1953 film 'From Here to Eternity'. He went on to score over 25 Top 40 singles including the 1966 No.1 'Strangers In The Night'. His 1969 single 'My Way', re-entered the UK charts eight times and spent a total of 165 weeks on the UK chart.

1998, George Michael was fined £500 after being convicted of a "lewd act" in a Los Angeles lavatory. The Los Angeles court also ordered him to undergo psychological counselling and carry out 80 hours community service.

2000, Madison Avenue went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with, 'Don't Call Me Baby'. They were the first Australian group to have a UK No.1 since Men At Work in 1983.

2000, Tom Jones was at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Reload' making the singer the oldest artist to score a UK No.1 album with new material.

2002, The musical We Will Rock You opened in the West End of London, England at the Dominion Theatre. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor. The musical tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion, and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and does the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown. WWRY has since become the longest-running musical at the Dominion Theatre.

2003, Lawyers for Britney Spears and the Skechers footwear company settled a dispute over a deal for the pop star to market a line of roller skates and accessories. Spears had filed a $1.5 million breach of agreement lawsuit against Skechers in December, claiming the company failed to pay her adequately. Skechers had responded with a $10 million lawsuit, accusing Spears of fraud and breach of the three-year licensing agreement she signed in January 2002.

2004, Phil Spector was arrested after getting into a scuffle with his chauffeur at his California mansion. The 64 year old record producer was taken into custody and later released after a court date was set.

2005, A judge in Springfield, Massachusetts, ordered rapper 50 Cent to stay clean of drugs and take an anger management course to avoid spending time in jail. The rapper appeared in court charged with assaulting three women at a concert in 2004 after leaping into the crowd.

2006, Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Stadium Arcadium' the bands ninth studio album, also a US No.1.

2008, Metallica kicked off a 26-date North American and European tour at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California.

Source: http://www.thisdayinmusic.com