1891 Cole Porter born in Perus, In singer, composer, one of America’s greatest songwriters. Died 15/10/64. Wrote countless classic songs, ‘Night And Day’, ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’, ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’.
1915 Les Paul (Lester Polfuss) born in Waukesha, Wixconsin. US Guitarist, inventor of the Gibson Les Paul guitar who also had a 1953 UK No.7 single with ‘Vaya Con Dios’ and the US No.7 single ‘Hummingbird’ with May Ford featuring his multi-layered recording techniques. He also pioneered ‘close miking’ and echo delay recording. He broke his right arm in a car accident and had it set at an angle so he could still play guitar. Paul died in hospital in White Plains, New York at the age of 94 suffering from severe pneumonia on 13th Aug 2009.
1929 Johnny Ace(John Marshall Alaxander Jr.) – US R&B Singer, Pianist & songwriter. Died playing Russian roulette backstage at a concert 25/12/54. Billboards ‘most played artist of 1955’.
1934 Jackie Wilson born in Detroit, Michigan. US soul singer. Suffered a heart attack on stage at a New Jersey Club in 1975 and was in a coma until he died on 21/1/84. Scored 24 US Top 40 hits during late 50’s & 60’s. 1986 UK No.1 single with the re-issued ‘Reet Petite.’ Van Morrison wrote ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ covered by Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
1941 Billy Hatton born in Dingle, Liverpool. US Bass Player with Fourmost, (1964 UK No.6 single ‘A Little Loving’). Died 19 September 2017, Liverpool.
1941 Jon Lord born in Leicester, England. UK keyboard player with Deep Purple, (1970 UK No.2 single ‘Black Night’), 1973 US No. 4 single ‘Smoke On The Water’). In July 2011, Lord was found to be suffering from pancreatic cancer. After treatment in both England and in Israel,[27] he died on 16 July 2012 at the London Clinic after suffering from a pulmonary embolism
1946 Stuart Edwards – UK Lead Guitarist with Edison Lighthouse, (1970 UK No.1 single ‘Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes’).
1947 Mitch Mitchell – UK Drummer he joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Sep’66. (1967 UK No.3 single ‘Purple Haze’, 1970 UK No.1 single Voodoo Chile’). Mitchell had been in the ITV’s ‘Ready Steady Go!’ house band.
1949 George Bunnell born in Lawrence, MASSACHUSETTS – Bass Player with Strawberry Alarm Clock, (1967 US No.1 single ‘Incense And Peppermints’).
1949 Francis Monkman – UK Synthesizer player with Curved Air, (1971 UK No.4 single ‘Back Street Luv’).
1950 Trevor Boulder – UK Bass Player with Spiders From Mars, Uriah Heep, (1975 UK No.7 album ‘Return To Fantasy’).
1953 Errol Kennedy, vocals, Imagination, (1982 UK No.2 single ‘Just An Illusion’).
1954 Peter Byrne born in Bath, Somerset, England. UK Singer who formed the group Naked Eyes with Rob Fisher in the early 80’s.
1958 Johnny Mathis went to No.1 on the US album chart with his ‘Greatest Hits’ album.
1962 Eddie Lundon – UK Guitarist with China Crisis, (1984 UK No.9 single ‘Wishful Thinking’).
1963 The Beatles held the UK No.1 position on the singles chart with ‘From Me To You’. Lesley Gore was at No.1 on the US chart with ‘It’s My Party’.
1967 Everett Dean Felber, bassist for Hootie & The Blowfish, is born in Bethesda,MARYLAND. (1995 US No.1 album ‘Cracked Rear View’ sold over 15m copies. 1995 UK No.50 single ‘Hold My Hand’).
1967 Singer, songwriter John Denver married Annie Martell.
1970 Ed Simons, keyboards, The Chemical Brothers, (1996 UK No.1 single ‘Setting Sun’, 2007 UK No.1 album ‘We Are The Night’ ).
1972 Wesley Reid Scantlin, singer, songwriter, Puddle Of Man.
1972 Columbia Records boss John Hammond signed New Jersey singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
1975 Windsor Davies and Don Estelle were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Whispering Grass.’
1977 George and Patti Harrison were officially divorced.
1978 Matthew Bellamy, guitar, vocals, keyboards, Muse, (2003 UK No.1 album ‘Absolution’, 2003 UK No.8 single, ‘Time Is Running Out’).
1979 The Bee Gees went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Love You inside Out’, the groups 9th US No.1. A No.13 hit in the UK.
1980 James Walsh, singer, guitarist, Starsailor, (2001 UK No.2 album ‘Love Is Here’).
1983 Frankee (Nicole Francine Aiello), US R&B singer, (2004 UK & Australian No.1 single ‘F.U.R.B.’ (Fuck You Right Back). A response to Eamon’s single ‘Fuck It (I Don’t Want You Back’).
1984 Cyndi Lauper started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Time After Time’ a No.3 hit in the UK.
1990 M.C. Hammer’s debut album started a record braking 21 week stay at the top of the US album charts, making it the longest uninterrupted stay at the top since the album charts started.
1990 Michael Jackson was admitted to hospital with a mystery illness. It was later diagnosed as an inflamed cartilage in his rib cage.
1990 5 Star Bailiffs repossessed the mansion owned by the group 5 Star after non-payment of the mortgage. The group had achieved 15 top 20 hits over five years.
1990 Wilson Phillips went to No.1 on the US with ‘Hold On’. 25 years earlier to the day Wendy and Carnies’ father Beach Boy Brian had been at No.1 with ‘Help Me Rhonda’.
1994 After an argument TLC singer Left Eye set fire to her boyfriends Atlanta mansion worth $ 2million burning it to the ground. She was charged with arson and fined $10.000 with five years probation.
1998 Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall were involved in a brawl at The Metropolitan Hotel, London.
1998 The Ronettes appeared in the Supreme Court of New York for their lawsuit against producer Phil Spector. The Ronettes, whose hits included ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Walking In The Rain’, claimed that Spector had breached the group’s 34-year-old contract by paying the members no royalties since 1963. Although The Ronettes went on to win the case, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned the decision in October, 2002, saying that the contract the Ronettes signed with Spector in 1963 was still binding.
1999 Vanessa Amorosi’s first single ‘Have A Look’ (recorded in London) was played on Australian radio for the first time.
2002 It was announced that Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was to be given a knighthood for his services to music.
2003 Former Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating raised more than £100,000 ($170,000) for cancer charities during a 23 day walk from the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim to Kinsale in County Cork. He visited 610 towns along the way, walking an average of 32km (20 miles) each day.
2007 George Michael became the first music artist to perform at the new Wembley Stadium in London when he played the first of two shows at the venue during his ’25 Live Tour’.
2009 Rachel Stevens was robbed of jewellery by three men who followed her into her flat in north London. The men ambushed the former S Club 7 singer as she entered her flat near Regents Park, the items stolen included her engagement ring, a necklace and her watch.
2009 A Belgian music festival, which prides itself on its horse-meat sausages announced it was going meat-free on the day that vegetarian singer Morrissey appeard. The 10-day Lokerse Feesten, which boasts online about sales of sausage rolls and snails, will order stalls to sell vegetarian food only on 4 August, the day Morrissey is due to appear. In 2009, the singer left the stage at California’s Coachella festival saying he could “smell burning flesh”. The booking “meant a welcomed catering challenge for one day”, it added.
2015 James Last died aged 86 in Palm Beach, Florida.
2015 A Toronto-based company called Nutritional High announced that they had secured the licensing rights to manufacture and distribute marijuana and hemp-based products using the song titles and bearing the likeness of iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
2016 Paul Simon said he was “elated” to notch up his first UK No.1 studio album in 26 years after his 13th solo album, Stranger To Stranger, topped the charts.