TODAY IN HISTORY – FEBRUARY 1st
1937 - Born this day, Don Everly, in Brownie, Kentucky, US singer, The Everly Brothers, 1958 UK and US No.1 single All I Have To Do Is Dream, plus over 25 other UK hit singles.
1937 - Born this day, Ray Sawyer, in Alabama, vocals, Dr Hook, 1972 US No.5 & UK No.2 single Sylvia's Mother, 1976 UK No.2 single A Little Bit More, 1976 No.5 UK single If Not You, 1979 UK No.1 single When You're In Love Wih A Beautiful Woman, 1980 UK No.8 single Better Luck Next Time, 1980 UK No.4 single Sexy Eyes. 1976 UK No.5 album A Little Bit More, 1980 UK No.2 album Dr Hook's Greatest Hits.
1941 - Downbeat magazine reported that Glenn Miller had inked a new three-year contract with RCA Victor Records. The pact guaranteed Miller $750 a side, the fattest record contract signed to that time.
1948 - Born on this day, Rick James, US singer who scored the 1981 US No.3 album 'Street Songs', and the 1981 US No 16 single 'Super Freak part 1'. James was found dead at his Los Angeles home on 6th August 2004.
1949 - RCA Victor countered Columbia Records’ 33-1/3 long play phonograph disk, not only a smaller, 7-inch record (with a big hole in the center), but an entire phonograph playing system as well. The 45-rpm, soon made the 78-rpm record a blast from the past, and it made possible the invention of the Jukebox.
1954 - Born this day, Mike Campbell, guitarist, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 1989 UK No.28 single I Won't Back Down.
1963 - Paul Simon graduated from Queens College in New York.
1964 - The Beatles I Want To Hold You Hand held the No.1 position on the US singles chart.
1965 - P.J. Proby split his pants during his first number at the ABC, Luton, the manager stopped the show and gave everyone in the audience a refund. The incident caused a ban on Proby's performance in UK halls and TV.
1968 - Born this day, Lisa Marie Presley, model, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was born in Memphis, Tennessee at 5:01 pm, exactly nine months after the King's and Priscilla's wedding night. Lisa Marie married in 1994, the ‘Gloved One’, Michael Jackson. They separated on 10 December 1995 and divorced later. 2003 UK No.16 single Lights Out
1967 - At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles started work on a new song 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. It wasn't until The Beatles had recorded the song that Paul McCartney had the idea to make the song the thematic pivot for their forthcoming album.
1968 - The Doors were offered a half-million dollars to star in a film (it never happened).
1969 - Jim Morrison was arrested for exposing himself in concert.
1969 - Tommy James and the Shondells started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Crimson And Clover', the group's second and last No.1. Billy Idol had a 1987 US No.1 with 'Mony Mony' a No.3 hit for Tommy James in 1968.
1972 - Chuck Berry has his first UK No.1 single with a live recording of a song he'd been doing for over 20 years - My Ding A Ling. UK public morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse attempted to have the song banned.
1975 - Elvis Presley arranged for his daughter, Lisa Marie, to meet her favourite singer, Elton John, for her seventh birthday.
1975 - Born this day, Big Boi, Outkast, US rapper, 2001 US No.1 & UK No.2 single Ms Jackson, 2004 US No.1 & UK No.3 single Hey Ya, 2004 UK No.4 single Roses.
1975 - Neil Sedaka had his second US No.1 single with 'Laughter In The Rain', over 12 years after his last chart topper 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do'.
1975 - Pilot were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'January', the Scottish group's only No.1. The song was a No.1 hit in Australia for eight weeks.
1976 - Sonny and Cher resumed on TV despite a real life divorce.
1985 - Glen Frey of the Eagles appeared on an episode of NBC-TV's Miami Vice.
1986 - Music publisher Dick James died of a heart attack aged 65. Worked with many UK 60's acts including The Beatles. James signed Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin as unknown artists in 1967 and was the founder of the DJM record label.
1986 - Diana Ross married Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess in Geneva, Switzerland. Stevie Wonder performed at the reception. They were divorced in 2000.
1988 - The Cars announced they were breaking up after 12 years of working together.
1992 - George Michael and Elton John went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, it was also a No.1 in the UK. All proceeds from the single went to Aids charities.
1994 - Born on this day, Harry Styles from English-Irish pop boy band One Direction who formed after finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Scored the 2011 UK No.1 single 'What Makes You Beautiful' and the 2013 No.1 'One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)'.
1995 - Richey James guitarist with the Manic Street Preachers vanished leaving no clues to his whereabouts. He left The Embassy Hotel in London at 7am, leaving behind his packed suitcase. His car was found on the Severn Bridge 16 days later.
1997 - Boy George was beaten up by two bouncers after trying to jump the queue outside The Ministry Of Sound in London where he has been a guest DJ.
1997 - Blur went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beetlebum'. The song's title is said to be a stab at Liam Gallagher, lead singer of Oasis, for his over-idolisation of The Beatles.
2001 - A collection of Sir Elton John's private photo's on display at a museum in Atlanta were withdrawn. The exhibition, which included snaps of nude men, was said to be too explicit, some school trips to the museum had been cancelled.
2004 - During the MTV-provided halftime show of the Superbowl, former boy band member Justin Timberlake conducted an obviously pre-scripted move to expose Janet Jackson's right breast, which oddly sported a ninjitsu-style throwing star as a pasty. The nation was shocked, simply shocked, that a pristine, noncommercial event such as the Superbowl could be ruined by a Jackson.
2008 - US space agency Nasa announced that 'Across the Universe' by the Beatles was to become the first song ever to be beamed directly into space. The track would be transmitted through the Deep Space Network - a network of antennas - on the 40th anniversary of the song being recorded, being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. In a message to NASA, Sir Paul McCartney said the project was an "amazing" feat. "Well done, Nasa," he added. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."
2009 - Lily Allen started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Fear', the singers second UK No.1.
2010 – The 52nd Grammy Awards held at the Staple Centre, Los Angeles (NZT). Beyonce became the most decorated female on a Grammy night as she collected 6 trophies but it was another diva – Taylor Swift – who nabbed the top honour, album on the year, for her best selling “Fearless”. The awards also featured a tribute to Michael Jackson and his young children, Prince Michael and Paris, accepted a lifetime achievement award for their late father.
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio the past week has been “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran.
2013 - Coldplay's 'Clocks' topped a list by BBC Radio 6 Music's top 100 tracks of the past 10 years. More than 100,000 votes were cast in the poll which looked back over the 10 years since the station began in 2002. Arctic Monkeys' 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' was voted into second place, and Elbow's 'One Day Like This' in third.
1937 - Born this day, Don Everly, in Brownie, Kentucky, US singer, The Everly Brothers, 1958 UK and US No.1 single All I Have To Do Is Dream, plus over 25 other UK hit singles.
1937 - Born this day, Ray Sawyer, in Alabama, vocals, Dr Hook, 1972 US No.5 & UK No.2 single Sylvia's Mother, 1976 UK No.2 single A Little Bit More, 1976 No.5 UK single If Not You, 1979 UK No.1 single When You're In Love Wih A Beautiful Woman, 1980 UK No.8 single Better Luck Next Time, 1980 UK No.4 single Sexy Eyes. 1976 UK No.5 album A Little Bit More, 1980 UK No.2 album Dr Hook's Greatest Hits.
1941 - Downbeat magazine reported that Glenn Miller had inked a new three-year contract with RCA Victor Records. The pact guaranteed Miller $750 a side, the fattest record contract signed to that time.
1948 - Born on this day, Rick James, US singer who scored the 1981 US No.3 album 'Street Songs', and the 1981 US No 16 single 'Super Freak part 1'. James was found dead at his Los Angeles home on 6th August 2004.
1949 - RCA Victor countered Columbia Records’ 33-1/3 long play phonograph disk, not only a smaller, 7-inch record (with a big hole in the center), but an entire phonograph playing system as well. The 45-rpm, soon made the 78-rpm record a blast from the past, and it made possible the invention of the Jukebox.
1954 - Born this day, Mike Campbell, guitarist, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 1989 UK No.28 single I Won't Back Down.
1963 - Paul Simon graduated from Queens College in New York.
1964 - The Beatles I Want To Hold You Hand held the No.1 position on the US singles chart.
1965 - P.J. Proby split his pants during his first number at the ABC, Luton, the manager stopped the show and gave everyone in the audience a refund. The incident caused a ban on Proby's performance in UK halls and TV.
1968 - Born this day, Lisa Marie Presley, model, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was born in Memphis, Tennessee at 5:01 pm, exactly nine months after the King's and Priscilla's wedding night. Lisa Marie married in 1994, the ‘Gloved One’, Michael Jackson. They separated on 10 December 1995 and divorced later. 2003 UK No.16 single Lights Out
1967 - At Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles started work on a new song 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. It wasn't until The Beatles had recorded the song that Paul McCartney had the idea to make the song the thematic pivot for their forthcoming album.
1968 - The Doors were offered a half-million dollars to star in a film (it never happened).
1969 - Jim Morrison was arrested for exposing himself in concert.
1969 - Tommy James and the Shondells started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Crimson And Clover', the group's second and last No.1. Billy Idol had a 1987 US No.1 with 'Mony Mony' a No.3 hit for Tommy James in 1968.
1972 - Chuck Berry has his first UK No.1 single with a live recording of a song he'd been doing for over 20 years - My Ding A Ling. UK public morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse attempted to have the song banned.
1975 - Elvis Presley arranged for his daughter, Lisa Marie, to meet her favourite singer, Elton John, for her seventh birthday.
1975 - Born this day, Big Boi, Outkast, US rapper, 2001 US No.1 & UK No.2 single Ms Jackson, 2004 US No.1 & UK No.3 single Hey Ya, 2004 UK No.4 single Roses.
1975 - Neil Sedaka had his second US No.1 single with 'Laughter In The Rain', over 12 years after his last chart topper 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do'.
1975 - Pilot were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'January', the Scottish group's only No.1. The song was a No.1 hit in Australia for eight weeks.
1976 - Sonny and Cher resumed on TV despite a real life divorce.
1985 - Glen Frey of the Eagles appeared on an episode of NBC-TV's Miami Vice.
1986 - Music publisher Dick James died of a heart attack aged 65. Worked with many UK 60's acts including The Beatles. James signed Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin as unknown artists in 1967 and was the founder of the DJM record label.
1986 - Diana Ross married Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess in Geneva, Switzerland. Stevie Wonder performed at the reception. They were divorced in 2000.
1988 - The Cars announced they were breaking up after 12 years of working together.
1992 - George Michael and Elton John went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, it was also a No.1 in the UK. All proceeds from the single went to Aids charities.
1994 - Born on this day, Harry Styles from English-Irish pop boy band One Direction who formed after finishing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Scored the 2011 UK No.1 single 'What Makes You Beautiful' and the 2013 No.1 'One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)'.
1995 - Richey James guitarist with the Manic Street Preachers vanished leaving no clues to his whereabouts. He left The Embassy Hotel in London at 7am, leaving behind his packed suitcase. His car was found on the Severn Bridge 16 days later.
1997 - Boy George was beaten up by two bouncers after trying to jump the queue outside The Ministry Of Sound in London where he has been a guest DJ.
1997 - Blur went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Beetlebum'. The song's title is said to be a stab at Liam Gallagher, lead singer of Oasis, for his over-idolisation of The Beatles.
2001 - A collection of Sir Elton John's private photo's on display at a museum in Atlanta were withdrawn. The exhibition, which included snaps of nude men, was said to be too explicit, some school trips to the museum had been cancelled.
2004 - During the MTV-provided halftime show of the Superbowl, former boy band member Justin Timberlake conducted an obviously pre-scripted move to expose Janet Jackson's right breast, which oddly sported a ninjitsu-style throwing star as a pasty. The nation was shocked, simply shocked, that a pristine, noncommercial event such as the Superbowl could be ruined by a Jackson.
2008 - US space agency Nasa announced that 'Across the Universe' by the Beatles was to become the first song ever to be beamed directly into space. The track would be transmitted through the Deep Space Network - a network of antennas - on the 40th anniversary of the song being recorded, being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, 431 light-years from Earth. In a message to NASA, Sir Paul McCartney said the project was an "amazing" feat. "Well done, Nasa," he added. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."
2009 - Lily Allen started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Fear', the singers second UK No.1.
2010 – The 52nd Grammy Awards held at the Staple Centre, Los Angeles (NZT). Beyonce became the most decorated female on a Grammy night as she collected 6 trophies but it was another diva – Taylor Swift – who nabbed the top honour, album on the year, for her best selling “Fearless”. The awards also featured a tribute to Michael Jackson and his young children, Prince Michael and Paris, accepted a lifetime achievement award for their late father.
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio the past week has been “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran.
2013 - Coldplay's 'Clocks' topped a list by BBC Radio 6 Music's top 100 tracks of the past 10 years. More than 100,000 votes were cast in the poll which looked back over the 10 years since the station began in 2002. Arctic Monkeys' 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' was voted into second place, and Elbow's 'One Day Like This' in third.