January 29 – Today in Music History

1889 Leadbelly, (Hurrdi William Ledbetter), Blues musician, Wrote ‘Goodnight Irene’, ‘The Rock Island Line’, ‘The Midnight Special,’ once jailed for shooting a man dead during an argument over a woman. Died 6th December 1949.
1933 French singer and guitarist Sacha Distel who had the 1970 UK No.10 single ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.’ Distel died after a long battle with deteriorating health on 22nd July 2004.
1933 R&B singer Ron Townson (of The 5th Dimension) is born in St. Louis, Missouri. After a four-year battle with kidney disease he died in his home there on August 2, 2001, of kidney failure.
1937 Bobby Scott born in The Bronx, New York. US Singer/Pianist/Songwriter. Scott died of lung cancer in New York City, at the age of 53
1938 James Jamerson, bassist played with The Funk Brothers on many Motown hits by The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Martha And The Vandellas and others. Jamerson died of a heart attack on 2nd August 1983 aged 45.
1942 BBC radio aired a new program ‘Desert Island Discs’ presented by Roy Plomley, which went on to become the longest running UK radio show.
1942 Claudine Longet is born in Paris. The French singer is the subject of the Rolling Stones song “Claudine.”
1943 Tony Blackburn born in Guildford, Surrey, England. DJ on Radio Caroline and the first D.J. on BBC Radio One. (The first song played was ‘Flowers In The Rain by The Move’). Blackburn was crowned ‘King of the jungle’ in 2003 after winning on the UK TV show ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ set in the Australian outback.
1943 Mark Wynter (Terry Lewis) born in Woking, Surrey, England. UK singer, (1962 UK No.4 single ‘Venus In Blue Jeans’).
1944 Andrew Loog Oldham, producer, manager and the first Rolling Stones manager. Oldham launched the Immediate label in 1965 which enjoyed 24 UK Top 50 hits. Also worked with Small Faces, John Mayall, Rod Stewart, The Nice, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and the Amen Corner.
1946 Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum born in Orbost, Victoria. Australian Pop Music ‘guru’ and journalist. He was the brainchild behind ABC TV’s Countdown music program (74-97) and a regular guest on the long running Hey Hey it’s Saturday Program.
1947 David Byron (David Garrick) born in Essex, England. vocals, Uriah Heep, (1975 UK No.7 album ‘Return To Fantasy’). Byron died of alcohol-related complications, including liver disease and seizures, at his home in Berkshire on 28 February 1985. He was 38 years old.
1949 Tommy Ramone (drummer for Ramones) is born Tamas Erdelyi in Budapest, Hungary, but is raised in Queens, New York. Ramone died at his home in Ridgewood, Queens, New York on July 11, 2014, aged 65. He had received hospice care following unsuccessful treatment for bile duct cancer.
1953 Luis ‘Louie’ Perez born in Los Angeles. Drums/Guitar/Percusion with Los Lobos (1987 UK & US No.1 single ‘La Bamba’).
1954 Rob Manzoli – Guitarist with Right Said Fred, (1991 US No.1 & UK No.2 single ‘I’m Too Sexy’, 1993 UK No.1 album ‘Up’).
1961 Dave Baynton-Power, drummer with James who had the 1991 UK No.2 single ‘Sit Down’. Also worked with The Alarm.
1961 Eddie Jackson bassist with American progressive heavy metal band Queensryche. Their 1994 album ‘Promised Land’ went top 3 in the US,
1961 Pauline Henry born in Jamaica. Lead Singer-Songwriter ‘The Chimes’, 1993 UK solo No.12 single with Bad Company song ‘Feel Like Making Love’, 1990 UK No.6 single with The Chimes, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’).
1961 Bob Dylan achieved his dream of meeting his idol Woody Guthrie when Guthrie was on weekend release from hospital where he was being treated for Huntington’s Chorea. Dylan told him; ‘I was a Woody Guthrie jukebox’. Guthrie gave Dylan a card which said: ‘I ain’t dead yet’.
1962 Marcus Verne born in the UK. Synthesizers with Living In A Box, (1987 UK No.5 single ‘Living In A Box’).
1962 Peter, Paul, and Mary signed with Warner Brothers Records after being created as a folk trio under manager Albert Grossman. They will go on to have big hits with harmonized versions of such Bob Dylan songs as “Blowin’ in the Wind” as well as “If I Had a Hammer,” “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
1963 Roddy Frame born in East Kilbride, Scotland. UK Guitarist/Songwriter & founder member of Aztec Camera.
1964 The Beatles spent the day at Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris, France, The Beatles’ only studio recording session for EMI held outside the UK. They recorded new vocals for ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, after EMI’s West German branch persuaded Brian Epstein that they would be unable to sell large quantities of records in Germany unless they were recorded in the German language. A translator coached John, Paul, and George, although their familiarity with the German language from their Hamburg days made things much easier.
1965 50 years ago, “Everybody Loves Somebody” album by Dean Martin was certified Gold by the RIAA
1965 During a concert in London, pop-rock singer P.J. Proby splits his pants on stage, significantly increasing his “naughty” reputation. Next month, he’ll be banned by Britian’s ABC theater chain for his new habit of purposely splitting his trousers on stage for dramatic effect.
1966 “Barbara Ann” by The Beach Boys with Dean Torrence peaked at #2 on the US singles chart.
1966 “As Tears Go By” by The Rolling Stones peaked at #6 on the US singles chart.
1966 “Jenny Take A Ride!” by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels peaked at #10 on the US singles chart.
1966 Folk singer Joan Baez wins three gold records this day, for the albums “Joan Baez,” “Joan Baez, Vol. 2” and “Joan Baez in Concert.”
1966 TV’S HOLLYWOOD PALACE Guests: THE MAMAS & PAPAS (“CALIFORNIA DREAMING”)
1967 Jimi Hendrix and The Who appeared at The Saville Theatre, London, England. 20 year-old future Queen guitarist Brian May was in the audience.
1967 On a Sunday `Soundarama’ presentation at the Saville Theatre, Brian presents, in two houses, the Who, the Jimi Hendrix Experience (on their theatre debut), the Koobas, and the Thoughts. Epstein and the Beatles attend.
1968 The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger is reportedly in Los Angeles to seek out artists, engineers and others to work for the Stones’ new record label to be called Mother Earth. The label is never realized.
1968 During a tour of Australia and New Zealand, The Who, The Small Faces and Paul Jones appeared at the Town Hall, Wellington in New Zealand.
1968 The Doors appeared at The Pussy Cat A Go Go, Las Vegas. 
After the show singer Jim Morrison taunts a security guard in the parking lot by pretending to smoke a joint, resulting in a fight. The police arrive who arrest Morrison and charge him with vagrancy, public drunkenness, and failure to possess sufficient identification.
1969 Fleetwood Mac had their only UK No.1 single with the instrumental ‘Albatross.’
1969 “Gentry/Campbell” album by Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell was certified Gold by the RIAA
1969 The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour debuts on CBS. A homey variety show with Steve Martin on board as a writer, it lasts three seasons and draws impressive ratings. Campbell, who had been a regular guest on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, gets even more exposure later in 1969 when he stars in the John Wayne movie True Grit.
1969 Peggy Lee records “Is That All There Is.”
1970 Elvis Presley releases “Kentucky Rain.” in the USA
1970 “See What Tomorrow Brings” album by Peter, Paul & Mary was certified Gold by the RIAA
1970 “Jingle Jangle” single by The Archies was certified Gold by the RIAA
1970 “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” album by Johnny Cash was certified Gold by the RIAA
1972 The triple album ‘The Concert For Bangladesh’ went to No.1 on the UK album chart. Organised by George Harrison to raise funds for the people caught up in the war and famine from the area. The set featured; Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and members from Badfinger.
1972 Allen Klein, who once controlled the finances of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, was found guilty of tax evastion. Klein’s failure to rescue their financially ailing company, Apple Corps, was cited as one reason for the Beatles breakup in 1970.
1972 “Drowning In The Sea Of Love” by Joe Simon peaked at #11 on the US singles chart.
1973 Johnny Rivers received a gold record for the hit single, “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”.
1973 “The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A,” album by Donna Fargo was certified Gold by the RIAA
1974 Grand Funk records “The Loco-Motion” after Mark Farner comes into the studio singing the song.
1975 “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” single by Elton John was certified Gold by the RIAA
1976 Abba went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ‘S.O.S.’ Staying at the top spot for 2wks.
1976 “Black Bear Road” album by C.W. McCall was certified Gold by the RIAA. It contains the hit “Convoy”
1977 Gwen Dickey former backing band for The Temptations, went to No.1 on the US singles chart as Rose Royce with ‘Car Wash’, a No.9 hit in the UK.
1977 Walk This Way” by Aerosmith peaked at #10 on the American pop singles chart.
1977 “Car Wash” by Rose Royce peaked at #1 on the US singles chart. The song is the theme to the 1976 comedy of the same name.
1977 “Dazz” by Brick peaked at #3 on the US singles chart.
1977 “Hot Line” by The Sylvers peaked at #5 on the US singles chart.
1979 16-year-old Brenda Spencer killed two people and wounded nine others when she fired from her house across the street onto the entrance of San Diego’s Grover Cleveland Elementary School. Spencer fired the shot’s from a .22-caliber rifle her father had given her for Christmas. When asked why she did it, she answered ‘I don’t like Mondays.’ The Boomtown Rats went on to write and recorded a song based on the event.
1979 Emerson, Lake and Palmer disbanded after 10 years together. They would eventually reunite.
1981 Blues guitar prodigy Jonny Lang is born Jon Langseth, Jr. in Fargo, North Dakota.
1981 Famed Drummer Cozy Cole died in Columbus, Ohio, Age 71
1981 Barry Kramer — the publisher of rock’s Creem Magazine — was found dead in his apartment in Birmingham, Michigan. He was 37.
1982 Adam Lambert is born in Indianapolis, Indiana. American singer, songwriter and actor. Since 2009, he has sold over 3 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide.Alongside his solo career, Lambert has collaborated with rock band Queen as lead vocalist for Queen + Adam Lambert since 2011, including several worldwide tours from 2014 to 2020.
1982 “A Collection Of Great Dance Songs” album by Pink Floyd was certified Gold by the RIAA
1982 Shakin’ Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Oh Julie’, the Welsh singers third UK No.1. Barry Manilow covered the song in the US.
1982 Gary Numan made a forced landing after running low on fuel at an RAF base outside Southampton, the press ran stories that he had in fact crash landed on the A3057.
1982 “Memories” album by Barbra Streisand was certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA
1982 “Heart To Heart” by Kenny Loggins peaked at #15 on the US singles chart.
1983 Australian group Men At Work went to No.1 on the British and American singles and album charts simultaneously with ‘Down Under’ and ‘Business As Usual’. The last artist to achieve this was Rod Stewart in 1971.
1983 Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac married Kim Anderson a Warner Brothers Records promotion man. She later describes as “a terrible, terrible mistake.”
1983 “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye peaked at #3 on the US singles chart.
1985 English singer-songwriter Rag’n’Bone Man. His first hit single, ‘Human’, was released in 2016, and his debut album of the same name was released in February 2017 and peaked at number one on the UK chart. At the 2017 Brit Awards, he was named British Breakthrough Act and received the Critics’ Choice Award.
1985 “Building The Perfect Beast” album by Don Henley was certified Gold by the RIAA
1985 “Man Of Steel” album by Hank Williams Jr. was certified Gold by the RIAA
1986 Cliff Richard And The Young Ones recorded ‘Living Doll’. The Charity Record remake of his ’60’s hit made No.1 in Australia.
1986 Feargal Sharkey went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ‘A Good Heart’. Staying at the top spot for 4wks.
1989 Marc Almond started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart’ with guest vocals from Gene Pitney.
1989 Billy Joel sings the US national anthem at Superbowl XXIII in Miami.
1990 “A Happening In Central Park” album by Barbra Streisand was certified Gold by the RIAA
1991 At the American Music Awards, Gloria Estefan performs live for the first time since a tour bus accident 10 months earlier where she seriously injured her back. She debuts her new single, “Coming Out Of The Dark,” which is inspired by her recovery.
1992 American blues singer and guitarist Willie Dixon died of heart failure. He wrote the classic songs ‘You Shook Me’, ‘I Can’t Quit You Baby’, ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’, ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’ and ‘Little Red Rooster’. Dixon was a major influence on The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.
1992 the Starlight Foundation named Paula Abdul its 1992 Humanitarian of the Year.
1994 The Supremes’ Mary Wilson was injured when her jeep crashed on a freeway and turned over just outside of Los Angeles, California. Wilson’s 14-year old son was killed in the accident.
1994 “Never Keeping Secrets” by Babyface peaked at #15 on the pop singles chart.
1994 Mary Wilson (of The Supremes) is injured and her 14-year-old son is killed in a California auto accident.
1995 Ken Jensen (drummer for D.O.A.), age 29, dies of smoke inhalation while trying to escape a house fire.
1996 George Michael had the UK No.1 single with ‘Jesus To A Child’, the singers sixth UK No.1 as a solo artist and the first single from his come-back album ‘Older’, (after lengthy litigation with his record company).
1996 George Michael went to No.1 in the Australian Singles Chart with ”Jesus To A Child’. Staying at the top spot for 1wk.
1996 “Korn” album by Korn was certified Gold by the RIAA
1996 Garth Brooks was a triple winner at the 23rd annual American Music Awards. Brooks was named artist of the year, but politely left the trophy on the podium…saying the other nominees deserved the award more
1996 “Design Of A Decade” video by Janet Jackson was certified Gold by the RIAA
1998 “Marcy Playground” album by Marcy Playground was certified Gold by the RIAA
2001 A New York based data company issued a chart listing sales of posthumous albums. The idea came about after radio stations wanted to distinguish between proper recordings when the artists were alive and CD’s released after they died. Mike Shalett founder of SoundScan said there was only one problem. What to call the chart. The Top 5 chart had The Doors at No.5, Eva Cassidy at 4, Jimi Hendrix at 3, Bob Marley at 2 and 2Pac at No.1.
2005 Ciara feat Petey Pablo Goodies went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with her debut single. The eighteen year old R&B singer from Atlanta, Georgia, was just the eighteen years old.
2006 Arctic Monkeys went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not’. The Sheffield-based bands album became the fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release.
2007 Hinder went to No.1 on the Australian Singles Chart with “Lips Of An Angel”. Staying at No.1 for a long seven weeks in a row.
2008 Prog rock band The Mars Volta release their album The Bedlam in Goliath. As a promotion, the band also gives away a CD-vinyl single, a special format with an optical side readable in CD players and a vinyl side that plays on a turntable for about three minutes. Both sides contain a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Candy and a Currant Bun.” The Bedlam in Goliath debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200.
2009 Singer-songwriter John Martyn died in hospital in Ireland at the age of 60. The folk, blues and funk artist was widely regarded as one of the most soulful and innovative singer-songwriters of his generation and had been cited as an influence by artists as varied as U2, Portishead and Eric Clapton.
2009 Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson made the largest ever leap to number one in US chart history, rising 96 places. Her single, My Life Would Suck Without You, rose from 97 to the top of the Billboard chart after selling 280,000 downloads in its first week of release. A clip from the video for the single was premiered in the commercial break of that week’s episode of American Idol.
2010 Sly Stone filed a $50m (£30.9m) legal claim against his former manager, alleging fraud and 20 years of stolen royalties. The 66-year-old funk musician of the 1970s group Sly and the Family Stone, claimed in the Los Angeles Superior Court that Jerry Goldstein diverted millions in royalties to fund a lavish lifestyle.
2011 Avant-garde composer Milton Babbitt, 94, died in Princeton, N.J.
2013 The Official UK Album Chart saw its lowest sales in nearly 17 years as Ed Sheeran returned to the top spot. The singer’s debut record, +, went back to No.1 for the first time since September with sales of just 20,607. This was the lowest total since September 1995 when the Levellers’ Zeitgeist was top with 13,885 sales.
2013 Kenneth Hodges (bass guitarist for Spanky & Our Gang) dies of pneumonia at age 76.
2014 Johnny Allen, a pianist and arranger for Motown and Stax Records, dies of complications from pneumonia at age 96. In 1971 he, along with Isaac Hayes, won a Grammy Award for his arrangement of the “Theme From Shaft.”
2014 More than 100,000 people signed a petition to deport Canadian citizen Justin Bieber out of America. The campaign followed his arrest earlier this month for drunk driving and driving without a valid license. According to US Government protocol, once a petition has over 100,000 signatures, it must be reviewed by White House staff, who will have to respond to it.
2015 Taylor Swift was seeking to trademark phrases including “this sick beat” and “we never go out of style”, in the United States. If granted, the trademark would stop others from using her lyrics on items such as t-shirts, stickers and bags. Other phrases she wants to protect included “nice to meet you, where you been” and “party like it’s 1989”.
2015 American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor Rod McKuen died aged 81. McKuen’s translations and adaptations of the songs of Jacques Brel were instrumental in bringing the Belgian songwriter to prominence in the English-speaking world. McKuen’s songs sold over 100 million recordings worldwide. His songs have been performed by such diverse artists as Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Andy Williams, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra.
2015 Suge Knight, former bodyguard-turned-record producer, is the alleged perpetrator in a hit-and-run which leaves his friend Terry Carter dead and actor Cle Denyale Sloan injured. Knight was filming the upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton when he reportedly fled the scene after an argument and plowed into the victims. Knight’s lawyer confirms the incident, but refuses to say more as he’s “waiting for a preliminary investigation for more information.”
2015 Shakira gives birth to her second child, baby boy Sasha, with Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique.
2016 Three weeks after his death, David Bowie lodged 12 albums in the UK top 40, equalling a record set by Elvis Presley in 1977. His last album Blackstar, spent a third week at No.1 with Best of Bowie, Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust all in the Top 10. Bowie’s other albums in the top 40 include: Nothing Has Changed (5), Heroes (28), Diamond Dogs (30), Station to Station (32) and Scary Monsters (36)
2019 American singer, songwriter James Ingram died after a long battle with brain cancer age 66. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and charted eight Top 40 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. He had two No.1 singles, the first, a duet with fellow R&B artist Patti Austin, 1982’s ‘Baby, Come to Me’ and ‘I Don’t Have the Heart’, which became his second No.1 in 1990. He also recorded the song ‘Somewhere Out There’ with Linda Ronstadt for the animated film An American Tail.