TODAY IN HISTORY – FEBRUARY 15TH
1797 - Born this day, Henry Steinway [Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg], manufacturer, piano maker, in Wolfshagen, Germany
1944 - Born this day, Denny Zager, Zager & Evans, 1969 US and UK No.1 single In The Year 2525.
1944 - Born this day, Mick Avory, drums, The Kinks, 1967 UK No.3 single Waterloo Sunset plus 19 other UK top 40 singles.
1959 - Born this day, Ali Campbell, musician, guitar, vocals, UB40, 1983 UK No.1 and& 1988 US No.1 single Red Red Wine and over 30 other top 40 hit singles, and also solo, 1995 UK No.5 single That Look In Your Eye.
1960 - Born this day, Mikey Craig, bass, Culture Club, 1983 UK No.1 and 1984 US No.12 single Karma Chameleon plus 7 other UK top 10 singles.
1961 - Jackie Wilson was shot by Juanita Jones, a female fan who had gone to his New York apartment demanding to see him, the gun went off as he tried to disarm her, and left him with a stomach wound.
1965 - John Lennon passed his driving test first time.
1965 - Died this day, Nat King Cole (Nathaniel Adams Coles), US rhythm and blues singer, jazz singer, pianist, songwriter, the first black to have his own television show, died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, aged 47. Born 17 March 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama.
During his singing career, Cole had many hit recordings, most notably Mona Lisa, Ramblin' Rose, Smile, and Unforgettable, and he earned a Grammy for Midnight Flyer. Twenty-six years after his death in 1991, his daughter, Natalie, re-released Unforgettable with her singing duet with the previously-recorded singing of her deceased father. The song topped the charts, becoming a major hit all over again. Cole made a few films during his career, which included St. Louis Blues and appeared with Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou.
1968 - Pattie Boyd, George Harrison, and John and Cynthia Lennon arrived in India to study meditation with the Maharishi, McCartney and Starr arrived four days later. Ringo returned before the others comparing the experience to be like a Butlins holiday camp.
1969 - A hairdresser named Vickie Jones was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida for giving a phoney Aretha Franklin concert. Jones was so realistic that no one asked for a refund.
1975 - Linda Ronstadt went to No.1 on the US singles chart with You're No Good, the singers only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits.
1976 - Bette Midler bailed seven members of her entourage out of jail after they were arrested on cocaine and marijuana possession charges.
1979 - At the 21st Grammy Awards, for 1978, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won Album of the Year and the Bee Gees took home statues for Best Pop Group and Best Arrangement for Voices for Staying Alive. Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are won Record and Song of the Year. Donna Summer's Last Dance won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song. Taste of Honey also won.
1985 - The John Hughes film The Breakfast Club opened. Simple Minds has a No.1 hit with Don't You (Forget About Me) from the soundtrack.
1986 - Whitney Houston started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with How Will I Know. It made No.5 in the UK.
1986 - Life's What You Make It by Talk Talk peaked at No.90 on the US singles chart.
1986 - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean peaked at No.2 on the US singles chart.
1988 - Def Leppard were forced to cancel a concert in El Paso, Texas, when they received threats that the gig would be disrupted, after singer Jo Elliot had referred to El Paso as 'the place with all those greasy Mexicans'.
1991 - Kelly Emberg ex-girlfriend of Rod Stewart, filed a $25 million palimony suit in Los Angeles.
1994 - A federal court jury ruled Michael Jackson did not steal the idea for his hit song Dangerous from a Denver woman who had sent him a demo tape.
1997 - U2 went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Discotheque, the bands third UK No.1.
2000 - Sting pulled-out of a concert in Vienna in protest at the inclusion of Jorg Haider's far right freedom party in Austria's new government. Lou Reed had also cancelled shows in the country.
2010 – Pop group “Take That” win Best Group Award at the 2011 Brit Awards. The band which now features newly returned Robbie Williams splashed out 400,000 pounds on an after show bash to celebrate the biggest night of their career.
1797 - Born this day, Henry Steinway [Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg], manufacturer, piano maker, in Wolfshagen, Germany
1944 - Born this day, Denny Zager, Zager & Evans, 1969 US and UK No.1 single In The Year 2525.
1944 - Born this day, Mick Avory, drums, The Kinks, 1967 UK No.3 single Waterloo Sunset plus 19 other UK top 40 singles.
1959 - Born this day, Ali Campbell, musician, guitar, vocals, UB40, 1983 UK No.1 and& 1988 US No.1 single Red Red Wine and over 30 other top 40 hit singles, and also solo, 1995 UK No.5 single That Look In Your Eye.
1960 - Born this day, Mikey Craig, bass, Culture Club, 1983 UK No.1 and 1984 US No.12 single Karma Chameleon plus 7 other UK top 10 singles.
1961 - Jackie Wilson was shot by Juanita Jones, a female fan who had gone to his New York apartment demanding to see him, the gun went off as he tried to disarm her, and left him with a stomach wound.
1965 - John Lennon passed his driving test first time.
1965 - Died this day, Nat King Cole (Nathaniel Adams Coles), US rhythm and blues singer, jazz singer, pianist, songwriter, the first black to have his own television show, died of lung cancer in Santa Monica, California, aged 47. Born 17 March 1919 in Montgomery, Alabama.
During his singing career, Cole had many hit recordings, most notably Mona Lisa, Ramblin' Rose, Smile, and Unforgettable, and he earned a Grammy for Midnight Flyer. Twenty-six years after his death in 1991, his daughter, Natalie, re-released Unforgettable with her singing duet with the previously-recorded singing of her deceased father. The song topped the charts, becoming a major hit all over again. Cole made a few films during his career, which included St. Louis Blues and appeared with Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou.
1968 - Pattie Boyd, George Harrison, and John and Cynthia Lennon arrived in India to study meditation with the Maharishi, McCartney and Starr arrived four days later. Ringo returned before the others comparing the experience to be like a Butlins holiday camp.
1969 - A hairdresser named Vickie Jones was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida for giving a phoney Aretha Franklin concert. Jones was so realistic that no one asked for a refund.
1975 - Linda Ronstadt went to No.1 on the US singles chart with You're No Good, the singers only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits.
1976 - Bette Midler bailed seven members of her entourage out of jail after they were arrested on cocaine and marijuana possession charges.
1979 - At the 21st Grammy Awards, for 1978, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won Album of the Year and the Bee Gees took home statues for Best Pop Group and Best Arrangement for Voices for Staying Alive. Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are won Record and Song of the Year. Donna Summer's Last Dance won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song. Taste of Honey also won.
1985 - The John Hughes film The Breakfast Club opened. Simple Minds has a No.1 hit with Don't You (Forget About Me) from the soundtrack.
1986 - Whitney Houston started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with How Will I Know. It made No.5 in the UK.
1986 - Life's What You Make It by Talk Talk peaked at No.90 on the US singles chart.
1986 - When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going by Billy Ocean peaked at No.2 on the US singles chart.
1988 - Def Leppard were forced to cancel a concert in El Paso, Texas, when they received threats that the gig would be disrupted, after singer Jo Elliot had referred to El Paso as 'the place with all those greasy Mexicans'.
1991 - Kelly Emberg ex-girlfriend of Rod Stewart, filed a $25 million palimony suit in Los Angeles.
1994 - A federal court jury ruled Michael Jackson did not steal the idea for his hit song Dangerous from a Denver woman who had sent him a demo tape.
1997 - U2 went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Discotheque, the bands third UK No.1.
2000 - Sting pulled-out of a concert in Vienna in protest at the inclusion of Jorg Haider's far right freedom party in Austria's new government. Lou Reed had also cancelled shows in the country.
2010 – Pop group “Take That” win Best Group Award at the 2011 Brit Awards. The band which now features newly returned Robbie Williams splashed out 400,000 pounds on an after show bash to celebrate the biggest night of their career.