TODAY IN HISTORY – August 9th
1955 - Born this day, Benjamin Orr [Orzechowski], musician, bass guitarist, singer, The Cars, 1978 UK No.3 single My Best Friend's Girl and 1985 UK No.4 single Drive. Died 3 October 2000.
1958 - Britain's answer to Elvis, 17 year old Cliff Richard, signed a record deal with EMI records. Also on this day Cliff Richard started a four-week residency at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex as Cliff Richard and the Drifters.
1962 - Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.
1963 - Born this day, Whitney Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Actress and Grammy Award-winning singer. Worked as a model and backing singer. In 1988 Whitney smashed a chart record held by The Beatles and The Bee Gees when Where Do Broken Hearts Go, became her 7th consecutive US No.1, it made No.14 in the UK. Had first UK No.1 single in 1985 with Saving All My Love For You, also a US No.1. 1992 record breaking 14 week stay at No.1 in the US with the theme song from the Bodyguard soundtrack I Will Always Love You, written by Dolly Parton.
In 1987 Whitney became the first women in US history to enter the album chart at Number 1, with Whitney. She also became the first woman to top the singles chart with four consecutive releases when I Wanna Dance With Somebody hit No.1. During 2000, it was reported that Whitney Houston was under investigation after allegedly trying to smuggle 15.2 grams of Marijuana out of Hawaii. A security officer found the drug in the singers handbag who then walked away when he tried to detain her. Whitney married Bobby Brown in 1991 at her New Jersey estate. They became parents in 1993 when Whitney gave birth to a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Whitney has scored 11 US No.1 singles. 1985 UK & US No.1 single Saving All My Love For You, 1992 UK and US No.1 single I Will Always Love You.
1967 - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie started a four week run at No.1 in the UK. It was his only UK top 40 hit.
1967 - The Small Faces entered the singles chart with 'Itchycoo Park', the single peaked at No.3 in the UK chart. The song was one of the first pop singles to use flanging, an effect that can be heard in the bridge section after each chorus. Most sources credit the use of the effect to Olympic Studios engineer George Chkiantz who showed it to the Small Faces regular engineer Glyn Johns
1969 - Cult leader and struggling musician Charles Manson and his disciples committed one of Los Angeles' most heinous crimes on this day. They entered the Bel Air home of movie director Roman Polanski and brutally murdered Polanski's wife, a pregnant Sharon Tate, who was still early in her movie career that included Valley of the Dolls and The Wrecking Crew, movie director Voityck Frykowski, famous hair stylist Jay Sebring, student Steven Parent and coffee heiress Abigail Folger.
1975 - The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Jive Talkin', the group's second US No.1, it made No.5 in the UK.
1980 - AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Back In Black'. It was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, (who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33), and was dedicated to him. The album has sold an estimated 49 million copies worldwide to date, making it the second highest selling album of all time, and the best selling hard rock or heavy metal album, as well as the best selling album ever released by a band.
1980 - Abba scored their eighth UK No.1 single with The Winner Takes It All.
1986 - Queen gave what would be their last ever live performance when they appeared at Knebworth Festival.
1994 - During an Oasis gig at The Riverside in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, guitarist Noel Gallagher was hit in the face by a man who had jumped on the stage. Noel refused to carry on playing and after leaving the stage a mob of over 300 people attacked the bands bus as they were leaving.
1995 - Died this day, Jerry Garcia, guitarist and leader of the Grateful Dead rock band and a leading symbol of the counter-culture revolution of the 1960s, of an apparent heart attack. He was 53.
2005 - Marc Cohn survived being shot in the head during an attempted car jacking as he left a concert in Denver, Colorado. Cohn was struck in the temple by the bullet but it did not penetrate his skull. Police said a man tried to commandeer Cohn's tour van as it left after a show, the attacker was fleeing police after trying to pay a hotel bill with a stolen credit card.
2007 - Jennifer Lopez won $545,000 (£267,257) in a case against her first husband, who planned to publish a book claiming she had several affairs. Lopez claimed Ojani Noa had violated a previous legal settlement preventing him from revealing private details about their relationship. The star claimed Mr Noa offered not to publish the book in return for $5 million (£2.4m).
1955 - Born this day, Benjamin Orr [Orzechowski], musician, bass guitarist, singer, The Cars, 1978 UK No.3 single My Best Friend's Girl and 1985 UK No.4 single Drive. Died 3 October 2000.
1958 - Britain's answer to Elvis, 17 year old Cliff Richard, signed a record deal with EMI records. Also on this day Cliff Richard started a four-week residency at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex as Cliff Richard and the Drifters.
1962 - Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.
1963 - Born this day, Whitney Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Actress and Grammy Award-winning singer. Worked as a model and backing singer. In 1988 Whitney smashed a chart record held by The Beatles and The Bee Gees when Where Do Broken Hearts Go, became her 7th consecutive US No.1, it made No.14 in the UK. Had first UK No.1 single in 1985 with Saving All My Love For You, also a US No.1. 1992 record breaking 14 week stay at No.1 in the US with the theme song from the Bodyguard soundtrack I Will Always Love You, written by Dolly Parton.
In 1987 Whitney became the first women in US history to enter the album chart at Number 1, with Whitney. She also became the first woman to top the singles chart with four consecutive releases when I Wanna Dance With Somebody hit No.1. During 2000, it was reported that Whitney Houston was under investigation after allegedly trying to smuggle 15.2 grams of Marijuana out of Hawaii. A security officer found the drug in the singers handbag who then walked away when he tried to detain her. Whitney married Bobby Brown in 1991 at her New Jersey estate. They became parents in 1993 when Whitney gave birth to a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown. Whitney has scored 11 US No.1 singles. 1985 UK & US No.1 single Saving All My Love For You, 1992 UK and US No.1 single I Will Always Love You.
1967 - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) by Scott McKenzie started a four week run at No.1 in the UK. It was his only UK top 40 hit.
1967 - The Small Faces entered the singles chart with 'Itchycoo Park', the single peaked at No.3 in the UK chart. The song was one of the first pop singles to use flanging, an effect that can be heard in the bridge section after each chorus. Most sources credit the use of the effect to Olympic Studios engineer George Chkiantz who showed it to the Small Faces regular engineer Glyn Johns
1969 - Cult leader and struggling musician Charles Manson and his disciples committed one of Los Angeles' most heinous crimes on this day. They entered the Bel Air home of movie director Roman Polanski and brutally murdered Polanski's wife, a pregnant Sharon Tate, who was still early in her movie career that included Valley of the Dolls and The Wrecking Crew, movie director Voityck Frykowski, famous hair stylist Jay Sebring, student Steven Parent and coffee heiress Abigail Folger.
1975 - The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Jive Talkin', the group's second US No.1, it made No.5 in the UK.
1980 - AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Back In Black'. It was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, (who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33), and was dedicated to him. The album has sold an estimated 49 million copies worldwide to date, making it the second highest selling album of all time, and the best selling hard rock or heavy metal album, as well as the best selling album ever released by a band.
1980 - Abba scored their eighth UK No.1 single with The Winner Takes It All.
1986 - Queen gave what would be their last ever live performance when they appeared at Knebworth Festival.
1994 - During an Oasis gig at The Riverside in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, guitarist Noel Gallagher was hit in the face by a man who had jumped on the stage. Noel refused to carry on playing and after leaving the stage a mob of over 300 people attacked the bands bus as they were leaving.
1995 - Died this day, Jerry Garcia, guitarist and leader of the Grateful Dead rock band and a leading symbol of the counter-culture revolution of the 1960s, of an apparent heart attack. He was 53.
2005 - Marc Cohn survived being shot in the head during an attempted car jacking as he left a concert in Denver, Colorado. Cohn was struck in the temple by the bullet but it did not penetrate his skull. Police said a man tried to commandeer Cohn's tour van as it left after a show, the attacker was fleeing police after trying to pay a hotel bill with a stolen credit card.
2007 - Jennifer Lopez won $545,000 (£267,257) in a case against her first husband, who planned to publish a book claiming she had several affairs. Lopez claimed Ojani Noa had violated a previous legal settlement preventing him from revealing private details about their relationship. The star claimed Mr Noa offered not to publish the book in return for $5 million (£2.4m).