On This Day In Music 6th June

1936 Levi Stubbs (Levi Stubbles) born in Detroit, Michigan. Lead Singer with The Four Tops, (1965 US No.1 single ‘I Can’t Help Myself’, 1967 UK No.6 single ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’). Stubbs was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, and after suffering a stroke in 2000, he was no longer able to tour with the Four Tops. He died in his sleep on October 17, 2008, at his home in Detroit.
1939 Gary U.S. Bonds (Gary Anderson) born in Jacksonville, Florida. – US Singer & Songwriter. 
1942 Howie Kane – He sang vocals with Jay & the Americans between n 1960–1973 and then from 2006-present. He also discovered many hit artists, such as Tiny Tim, Boyce and Hart., (1969 US No.6 single ‘This Magic Moment plus nine other US Top 30 hits). 
1943 Country singer Joe Stampley, known for the ’70s chart-toppers “Roll On Big Mama” and “All These Things,” is born in Springhill, Webster Parish, Louisiana. 
1944 Peter Albin born in San Francisco, California. Guitarist with the Janis Joplin Band, Big Brother and the Holding Company. (1971 US No.1 single ‘Me And Bobby McGee’, 1971 US No.1 album ‘Pearl’). 
1944 Clarence White born in Lewiston, Maine. Guitar, The Byrds, American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds, as well as for being a pioneer of the musical genre of country rock during the late 1960s.[2] White also worked extensively as a session musician, appearing on recordings by the Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker,. Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Monkees, Randy Newman,, Gene Clark,[Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie, and Jackson Browne amongst others White died on July 14, 1973, aged 29, after being struck by a drunk driver. The accident occurred shortly after 2 a.m., while he and his brother Roland were loading equipment into their car in Palmdale, California
1944 Edgar Froese born in Tilsit, East Prussia. German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for founding the electronic music group Tangerine Dream, he played keyboards, and guitar. . (1974 UK No.15 album ‘Phaedra’).Froese died suddenly in Vienna on 20 January 2015 from a pulmonary embolism, aged 79. 
1947 Terry Williams – US Singer with the New Christy Minstrels he joined in 1966. Also a member of First Edition & Kenny Rodgers. 
1948 Shorty Beck (Cornelies van der Beek) born in the Netherlands. Dutch Drummer with Shocking Blue. He died the 2 Apr 1998 (aged 49)
1951 Dwight Twilley, known for the hits “I’m On Fire” (1975) and “Girls” (1984), is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 
1955 Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” hit number one on the U.S. singles charts. Most consider this the beginning of the rock era.
1955 Michael Wallace, keyboards, Third World, (1978 UK No. 10 single ‘Now That We’ve Found Love’). Wallace was shot dead on 6th July 1999. 
1959 Robert Hodgens, guitar, vocals, The Bluebells, (1993 UK No.1 single with the re-issued ‘Young At Heart’). 
1960 Steve Vai born inCarle Place, New York.. American guitarist, composer, singer, songwriter, and producer. He was voted the “10th Greatest Guitarist” by Guitar World magazine,[1] and has sold over 15 million records.[2][3] A three-time Grammy Award winner and fifteen-time nominee,[2] Vai started his music career in 1978 at the age of 18 as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and joined his band from 1980 to 1983. He embarked on a solo career in 1983 and has released eight solo albums to date. He has recorded and toured with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, as well as having recorded with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Spinal Tap, and Ozzy Osbourne. Additionally, Vai has toured with live-only acts G3, Zappa Plays Zappa, the Experience Hendrix tour, as well as headlining international tours.
1960 Beatles Appearing at the Grosvenor Ballroom, Liscard, Lancs, England, The Silver Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers. 
1960 Bing Crosby was presented with a Platinum disc to commemorate his 200 millionth record sold. The sales figures were a combined total of 2,600 recorded singles and 125 albums. Crosby’s global lifetime sales on 179 labels in 28 countries totaled 400 million records. 
1960 Roy Orbison releases “Only The Lonely.” in the USA. 
1960 The RIAA gives Bing Crosby a special platinum record to signify career sales of 200 million records, many of them “White Christmas.” 
1960 Singer Tony Williams leaves The Plattersto embark upon a solo career. 
1961 D.C. Lee(Diane Sealey) born in London, England. She started as backing vocalist with Wham & the Style Council. The former wife of Paul Weller also had a Solo Hit (1985 UK No.3 single ‘See The Day’). 
1961 Tom Araya, vocals, bassist with American thrash metal band Slayer who released the 1986 album ‘Reign in Blood’. 
1962 The first Beatles recording session took place at Abbey Road studios. The group recorded four tracks, one of which was ‘Love Me Do’, the four musicians received payments for the session of £7.10 ($12.07) each. 
1962 the Beatles, after an unsuccessful audition for Decca Records, auditioned for EMI producer George Martin, a producer at EMI, in London. Among the songs performed that night (a 7-10pm session) were the Lennon-McCartney numbers “LOVE ME DO”, “PS I LOVE YOU” and “ASK ME WHY” After listening to a playback of the audition tapes, Martin said, “They’re pretty awful.” The following month, he signed them on to EMI’s Parlophone label and became their producer throughout the Beatles’ career. The Beatles record “Besame Mucho” with Peter Best on drums. Martin would be the groups arranger and producer through 1969. 
1964 The Dixie Cups started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Chapel Of Love’, it made No.22 in the UK. 
1964 “Do You Love Me” by Dave Clark Five peaked at #11 on the US singles chart.
1964 “P.S. I Love You” by The Beatles peaked at #10 on the US singles chart.
1964 An anonymous ad taken out in six American music trade papers states: “In the public interest, watch The Rolling Stonescrush The Beatles!” 
1965 David White, Brother Beyond, (1988 UK No.2 single ‘The Harder I Try’). 
1966 Gary Newby, The Railway Children, (1991 UK No.24 single ‘Every Beat Of The Heart’). 
1966 Simon Day born in Sydney, NSW. Guitarist and lead Vocalist with Australian rock trio Ratcat. 
1966 Roy Orbison’s first wife, Claudette, was killed when a truck pulled out of a side road and collided with the motorbike that she and her husband were riding on in Gallatin, Texas, she was 25. 
1968 Screaming Lord Sutch appeared at the Freehold Hullabaloo in Freehold, New Jersey, (Sutch was touring the East Coast in a old custom-painted Rolls Royce ‘hearse’). Support band was The Castiles (with Bruce Springsteen on vocals). 
1970 James Shaffer born in Bakersfield, California. Guitarist with Korn, (1998 UK No.23 single ‘Got The Life’, 1998 US No.1 album ‘Follow The Leader’). 
1970 Christie were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Yellow River’. Written by band leader Jeff Christie, the song was offered to The Tremeloes, who recorded it with the intention of releasing it as a single. However, they considered it too pop-orientated for their future direction. Producer Mike Smith therefore took their vocals off the recording and added those of Jeff Christie. 
1970 “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?” by Poppy Family peaked at #2 on the US singles chart.
1970 “Make Me Smile” by Chicago peaked at #9 on the US singles chart.
1970 “Up Around The Bend” by Credence Clearwater Revival peaked at #4 on the US singles chart. Also: “Run Through the Jungle”
1970 “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” by Diana Ross peaked at #20 on the US singles chart.
1970 Colosseum, Taste, Atomic Rooster, Matthews Southern Comfort, Brinsley Schwarz, The Strawbs and Daddy Longlegs all appeared at this years Buxton Festival in Derbyshire, England. 
1970 Syd Barrett played his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd at the Extravaganza 70, at London’s Olympia Hall, England, backed by a band that included his old friend Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Barrett baffled the audience (and his musicians) when he abruptly took off his guitar during the fourth number and walked off stage. 
1971 John Lennon makes his first stage appearance since 1969 when he and Yoko Ono jam with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore East in New York. The show is recorded and released as a bonus disc with the Lennon/Ono album Some Time In New York City. 
1971 The Ed Sullivan Show airs its final show, going out with guests Jerry Vale and Gladys Knight & The Pips after 23 years on the air. 
1972 Toni Pearen born in Cronulla, New South Wales. She initially became recognisable through her role on soap opera E Street from 1989 until 1992. She had a limited pop music career in the mid-1990s with the release of one album, Intimate (November 1994), which provided two ARIA certified gold singles, “In Your Room” (November 1992) and “I Want You” (April 1993).[1] She was host of Australia’s Funniest Home Video Show from 2003 to 2007, and competed on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars (2008). Australian Actress & Singer. 
1973 Barry White’s “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” is certified Gold. 
1973 The Elvis Presley concert documentary Elvis On Tour opens nationwide. 
1974 Uncle Kracker (Matthew Shafer) is born Matthew Shafer in Mount Clemens, Michigan. American singer-songwriter and musician known for his country and rock music. He is the former turntablist for Kid Rock’s backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and has recorded as a solo artist since 1999. His singles “Follow Me” and “Drift Away” were top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
1974 Billy Swan recorded “I Can Help”. 
1974 “Love Song For Jeffrey” album by Helen Reddy was certified Gold by the RIAA
1977 Elvis Presley releases “Way Down.” 
1977 Stevie Wonder appears, sponsored by Billboard, as a guest music lecturer at a UCLA symposium, talking about his early Motown days and illustrating his points with performances. 
1977 The Doobie Brothers sponsor a charity golf tournament and concert to benefit the United Way. 
1978 Canadian drummer, Jeremy Gara from Arcade Fire who scored the 2010 UK No.1 album ‘The Suburbs’. 
1978 Carl Barat, singer, The Libertines, (2004 UK No.1 album ‘The Libertines’). Dirty Pretty Things, (2006 UK No.3 album ‘Waterloo to Anywhere’). 
1979 “Dynasty” album by KISS was certified Gold by the RIAA
1979 “Parallel Lines” album by Blondie was certified Platinum by the RIAA 
1979 Def Leppard played at Crookes Workingman’s Club in Sheffield. The gig was reviewed in UK music paper ‘Sounds’ and led to a recording contract with Phonogram Records. 
1981 “Sweetheart” by Franke & The Knockouts peaked at #10 on the US singles chart.
1981 “How ‘Bout Us” by Champaign peaked at #12 on the US singles chart.
1982 Tom Petty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne all appeared at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California to a crowd of 85,000 fans at the six hour Peace Sunday, We Have A Dream antinuclear concert. Dylan was joined onstage with Joan Baez and duetted with her on Blowin’ In The Wind and With God On Our Side. The show was partly broadcast on ABC TV’s Entertainment Tonight program on the same day. 
1986 A&R man Dick Rowe died of diabetes. Rowe became famous for not signing The Beatles to Decca records and made the classic quote ‘Nobody cares about guitar group’s anymore.’ He did however sign The Rolling Stones to Decca. 
1986 Dick Rowe, the Decca Records executive who rejected The Beatles but signed The Rolling Stones, dies of diabetes at age 64. 
1987 Kyle Falconer, lead vocalist, guitarist, The View, (2007 UK No.1 album ‘Hats Off to the Buskers’). 
1987 Kim Wilde went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’, a No.2 hit in the UK. The song had been a 1966 hit for The Supremes. 
1987 Whitney Houston had her second UK No.1 single with ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)’. It reached No.1 in over a dozen other countries and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1988. 
1987 “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” by Glenn Medeiros peaked at #12 on the US singles chart.
1987 Simple Minds accumulated their third consecutive #1 U.K. album with “Live In The City Of Light”
1987 “Wanted Dead Or Alive” by Bon Jovi peaked at #7 on the US singles chart.
1987 Michael Jackson announced that he was breaking all ties with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jackson had been raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and would don disguises and go door to door with the Watchtower message in cities where he was performing 
1987 After being criticized by church members for his “worldliness,” Michael Jacksoncuts ties with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. 
1987 Heart release their ninth album, Bad Animals, which like their previous album, used outside songwriters. The big hit from the disc is the #1 ballad “Alone,” written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. 
1991 Jazz tenor saxophonist Stan Getz dies of liver cancer in Malibu, Calif., at age 64. His album “Jazz Samba” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s pop album chart in 1962. The song “The Girl from Ipanema” (with Astrud Gilbreto) reached No. 5 on the singles chart in 
1992 Lionel Richie started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK chart with the compilation LP ‘Back To Front’. 
1992 “Under The Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers peaked at #2 on the US singles chart.
1992 David Bowie and Iman renew their vows in Florence, Italy, after wondering about the legality of their wedding in Switzerland. 
1993 The Who’s Tommy, which has been converted into a Broadway play, wins five Tony Awards. 
1993 The Velvet Underground re-form for the first time in 24 years for a show at London’s Wembley Arena. 
1996 Inventor William Palmer died. He invented the magnetic tape recorder; before this music had been cut direct to record. 
1998 B*Witched scored their first UK No.1 single with ‘C’est La Vie’, making them the seventh act in chart history to debut at No.1. Also today, Boyzone scored their third UK No.1 album with ‘Where We Belong’, it was also the first time in chart history that both the No.1 positions were by Irish acts. 
1998 Boyzone scored their third UK No.1 album with ‘Where We Belong’, it was also the first time in chart history that both the No.1 positions were by Irish acts, with B*Witched at the top of the singles chart. 
1998 Brandy & Monica started an 11 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Boy Is Mine’. 
1999 Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)’. Actor Lee Perry read the narrative. The backing is the choral version of ‘Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)’, a 1991 song by Rozalla, used in the film William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. 
1999 Boyzone started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘By Request’, the group’s fourth No.1 album. 
1999 Plans were announced for Elvis Presley to tour the UK almost 23 years after his death with a virtual version of the ‘King’ performing with a live orchestra and members of his band. 
1999 Backstreet Boys started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Millennium’, the US boy bands first No.1 album. 
2001 Elton John auctions off 20 vehicles in his car collection, earning $2.75 million. He says he “doesn’t have time to drive them anymore.” 
2002 Dee Dee Ramone guitarist with The Ramones died in Los Angeles of a drug overdose aged 49. 
2002 Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) marries Liam Howlett (of The Prodigy) in France. They met two years earlier at England’s V Festival. 
2003 Keyboard player with The Animals Dave Rowberry died aged 62. He replaced Alan Price who left in 1965. The Animals had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single ‘House Of The Rising Sun’. 
2003 A High court judge in London ruled that rap lyrics should be treated as a foreign language after admitting that he was unsure of the meaning of ‘shizzle my nizzle’ and ‘mish mish man.’ The court battle was over a copyright issue between the Ant’ill Mob and the Heartless Crew who had used the lyrics on a remix. 
2004 Avril Lavigne was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Under My Skin’, the Canadian singers second US No.1. 
2005 Mario Winana feat Enya & P Diddy started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I Don’t Wanna Know.’ 
2005 John Bonham was voted at No. 1 in Classic Rock Magazine’s ’50 Greatest Drummers in Rock’ listing Moby Dick as Bonham’s defining moment. During live sets with Zeppelin his drum solo Moby Dick would often last for half an hour and regularly featured the use of his bare hands. 
2006 Billy Preston died of kidney failure. The Grammy-winning keyboard player collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. 
2008 Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle from Busted lost their £10m royalties battle. The former band members claimed they were forced to sign away their rights before being sacked from the band in October 2001. They pair said they wrote songs with the two other band members James Bourne and Matt Willis, including ‘Year 3000’ and ‘What I Go To School For’, when the group formed in 2001, but the judge in the case, Mr Justice Morgan, dismissed their claims and criticised the evidence they gave. 
2010 Marvin Isley, the youngest member of the American R&B band, the Isley Brothers, died, aged 56. Marvin Isley, who was the group’s bass player, stopped performing in 1996 because of complications from diabetes, including the loss of his legs. 
2012 Adam Clayton’s former personal assistant and housekeeper went on trial, accused of stealing almost 3m euros (£2.4m) from the U2 bass player. Carol Hawkins, from Dublin, pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 181 counts of theft. She was accused of stealing money from two of Clayton’s bank accounts over a four year period from 2004 to 2008. According to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, Bono, the Edge, Larry Mullen, Mr Clayton and their manager had a combined fortune of €628m, ($788m). 
2012 One Direction’s video release of Up All Night: The Live Tour debuts at #1 on the Billboard Music Video Sales chart. In the same week, “What Makes You Beautiful” is also peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. 
2014 The BBC broadcasts You’ve Got A Friend: The Carole King Story, named for her 1971 song. 
2015 Singer Ronnie Gilbert, a member of the influential 1950s Folk quartet The Weavers, passed away at the age of 88. At the height of their popularity the quartet sold millions of records and are most often remembered for ‘On Top Of Old Smoky’, ‘Kisses Sweeter Than Wine’ and ‘Rock Island Line’. 
2017 The site of the 1969 Woodstock music festival was officially recognised for its place in history when Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Bethel Woods Center for the Arts had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places