1958 - Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly's last recording session took place at Pythian Temple Studios, New York City. The songs recorded included 'Raining In My Heart', 'Moondreams' and 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' which became a No.1 hit.
1965 - Bill Black
Bill Black, Elvis Presley's bass player, (1954-57), died four months after receiving surgery to remove a brain tumour, aged 39. With guitarist Scotty Moore, and Elvis Presley on rhythm guitar, Black played on ‘That's All Right (Mama)’, Heartbreak Hotel, ‘Baby Let's Play House’, ‘Mystery Train’, ‘Hound Dog’; ‘Jailhouse Rock’ in the late 1950s. Black, Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana toured extensively during Presley's early career. After leaving Presley Black formed Bill Black's Combo.
1965 - The Beatles
Wanting to improve on a previous recording session The Beatlesstarted from scratch on a new song called 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)', finishing recordings in three takes. They also begin working on another new John Lennon song 'Nowhere Man.'
1965 - The Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group recorded 'Keep On Running' at Pye Studios in London, England. The track went on to top the UK chart next January.
1967 - Lulu
Scottish singer Lulu started a five-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the theme from the film 'To Sir With Love'.
1972 - Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'My Ding-A-Ling', his first and only US and UK No.1, 17 years after his first chart hit.
1972 - Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with soundtrack to 'Superfly'.
1976 - The Who
Keith Moon played his last show with The Who at the end of a North American tour at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. On September 7, 1978, Moon died of an overdose of a sedative Heminevrin, that had been prescribed to prevent seizures induced by alcohol withdrawal.
1978 - Bernie Rhodes
The Clash sacked manager Bernie Rhodes, saying the band and record company 'found him hard to deal with'. Melody Maker journalist Caroline Coon took his place.
1989 - Jive Bunny
Jive Bunny And The Mastermixes had their second UK No.1 single with 'That's What I Like.' The Theme from Hawaii Five-O was the recurring hook in the record which also included 'Lets Twist Again', 'Lets Dance', 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'The Twist'.
1992 - George Michael
George Michael took Sony Records to court in a fight over his contract with the company; he lost the case in 1994. Michael worked with Sony again less than 10 years later.
1995 - Billie Joe
Green Day singer Billie Joe was arrested and fined $141 after mooning at the audience during a gig in Milwaukee.
1997 - Elton John
Elton John's 'Candle In The Wind 97' was declared by the Guinness Book Of Records as the biggest selling single record of all time, with 31.8 million sales in less than 40 days and raising more than £20 million for charity.
2001 - P. Diddy
Concerts at Madison Square Garden and the RFK stadium in Washington were expected to raise millions in funds for the victims of the Sept 11th attacks. Stars who appeared included Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and The Who.
2006 - Sandy West
American musician, singer, songwriter, and drummer Sandy West died. Founding member (with Joan Jett) of all girl group The Runaways, hailed by fans and critics alike to be one of the most groundbreaking drummers in rock and roll history.
2006 - John Peel
British broadcaster John Peel left over £1.8m and over 25,000 vinyl records in his will. Peel died suddenly at the age of 65 from a heart attack in 2004.
2006 - Evanescence
Evanescence were at No.1 on the US album chart with their second album 'The Open Door.' It became the 700th No.1 album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956.
2007 - Kid Rock
Kid Rock and five members of his entourage were arrested after an argument with a man escalated into a fight in a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Kid Rock's tour bus was pulled over by police after it left the scene; Rock was released after posting $1,000 (£490) bail. Kid Rock also had the No.1 album on the US chart with 'Rock N Roll Jesus' his eleventh album release and first to debut at the top of the chart.
2013 - Sid Bernstein
Sid Bernstein, the concert promoter who staged early US shows by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, died aged 95. Bernstein booked The Beatles for their legendary show at Shea Stadium in New York in 1965, which was the first concert to be staged in a stadium. Bernstein also promoted the Fab Four's gigs at Carnegie Hall in New York on their first US tour in 1964. He also arranged The Rolling Stones first five US gigs and shows for Judy Garland, Ray Charles and Tony Bennett.
2014 - Wilko Johnson
Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson said he has been "cured" of the terminal pancreatic cancer with which he was diagnosed in 2012. The 67-year-old was initially given 10 months to live after rejecting chemotherapy, but had radical surgery to remove the tumour earlier this year.
Birthdays
1940 - Manfred Mann
South African–British keyboard player, guitarist, and vocalist Manfred Mann who had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' and with Manfred Mann's Earth Band hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's 'For You', 'Blinded by the Light' and 'Spirit in the Night'.
1941 - Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper, guitarist, Booker T and the MG's, (1962 US No. 3 single 'Green Onions', 1969 UK No.4 single 'Time Is Tight').
1942 - Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop, guitarist, (1976 US No.3 & UK No.34 single 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love'). Member of Paul Butterfield Blues Band 65-68.
1943 - Ron Elliott
Ron Elliott, The Beau Brummels, (1965 US No.8 single, 'Just A Little.')
1946 - Lux Interior
Lux Interior (Erick Lee Purkhiser), singer and founding member of The Cramps. Died in Glendale, California on February 4, 2009.
1946 - Lee Loughnane
American trumpeter, flugelhorn player, vocalist, and songwriter Lee Loughnane with Chicago who had the 1976 UK & US No.1 single 'If You Leave Me Now'. The band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois as The Chicago Transit Authority before shortening the name in 1970. Chicago have had five consecutive No.1 albums on the Billboard chart and 20 top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
1947 - Tetsu Yamauchi
Tetsu Yamauchi, bass player, Faces, (1973 UK No.8 single 'Pool Hall Richard',) Free, (1973 UK No.7 single 'Wishing Well').
1948 - John Bundrick
John 'Rabbit' Bundrick, Free, (1973 UK No.7 single 'Wishing Well'). Back Street Crawler.
1952 - Brent Mydland
American keyboardist and vocalist, Brent Mydland, best known for being in Grateful Dead from 1979 to 1990. His eleven-year tenure was longer than that of any other keyboardist in the band. He was found dead on the floor of his home on 26th July 1990 aged 38 from a drug overdose.
1953 - Charlotte Caffey
Charlotte Caffey, The Go- Go's, (1982 US No.2 single, 'We Got The Beat', 1982 UK No.47 single 'Our Lips Our Sealed').
1954 - Eric Faulkner
Eric Faulkner, Scottish singer and guitarist of the 1970s pop group, Bay City Rollers who had the 1975 UK No.1 single 'Bye Bye Baby' plus 11 other UK Top 20 singles' and the 1976 US No.1 single 'Saturday Night'.
1957 - Attila The Stockbroker
Attila The Stockbroker, pop poet, worked with John Otway and TV Smith.
1957 - Julian Cope
Julian Cope, guitar, vocals, Teardrop Explodes, (1981 UK No.6 single 'Reward'), solo (1986 UK No.19 single 'World Shut Your Mouth').
1957 - Steve Lukather
American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer Steve Lukather, who with Toto had the 1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Africa'. Lukather has recorded guitar tracks for more than 1,500 albums including the guitar solo for Olivia Newton-John's 1981 No.1 single 'Physical', Michael Jackson's 'Beat It', and was also heavily involved in the recording of virtually all of Jackson's Thriller album.
1959 - Rose McDowell
Rose McDowell, singer, Strawberry Switchblade, (1984 UK No.5 single 'Since Yesterday').
1971 - Nick Oliveri
Nick Oliveri, American bassist, guitarist, vocalist who has been a member of Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator and Dwarves.
1971 - Tony Mortimer
Tony Mortimer, from English pop boy band East 17 who had the 1994 UK No.1 single 'Stay Another Day', plus 18 top-20 singles and four top-10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy bands during the early to mid-1990s.
