TODAY IN HISTORY – JULY 11TH
1951 - Born this day, Bonnie Pointer, singer, Pointer Sisters, 1984 UK No.2 and US No.5 single Automatic.
1959 - Born this day, Suzanne Vega, singer, songwriter, 1987 UK No.23 single Luka, 1990 UK No.2 single Tom's Diner, with DNA. 1987 UK No.2 album Solitude Standing, 1990 UK No.7 album Days Of Open Hand.
1959 - Born this day, Richie Sambora, musician, guitarist, Bon Jovi, 1987 US No.1 and UK No.4 single Livin' On A Prayer, plus many other hits.
1964 - 18-year-old Millie Small was riding high on the pop music charts with My Boy Lollipop. It reached number 2 in the UK. Listen carefully to the tune and you'll hear Rod Stewart playing harmonica. Millie Small was known as the 'Blue Beat Girl' in Jamaica, her homeland.
1966 - Born this day, Mel Appleby (Melanie Susan Appleby), with her sister she formed duo Mel and Kim. She died 18 January 1990 from pneumonia after succumbing to spinal cancer. 1987 UK No.1 single Respectable.
1967 - Kenny Rogers formed The First Edition, just one day after he and members Thelma Camacho, Mike Settle and Terry Williams left The New Christy Minstrels. The First Edition hosted a syndicated TV variety show in 1972. Hits made popular by the group include: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In), But You Know I Love You, Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, Ruben James, and Something's Burning.
1969 - Space Oddity by David Bowie was released for the first time.
1969 - The Rolling Stones released the single Honky Tonk Women.
1970 - Three Dog Night started a two-week run at No.1 in the US with their version of the Randy Newman song 'Mama Told Me Not To Come', which was also a No.3 hit in the UK. The song was first covered by Eric Burdon on his first solo album in 1966 and gave Tom Jones & Stereophonics a No.4 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.
1975 - Born this day, Lil' Kim [Kimberly Jones], rap singer, 1997 UK No.11 single Not Tonight, 2001 US and UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink, Lady Marmalade.
1981 - The Specials had their second and final UK No.1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Despite being a song about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets.
1991 - American singer and lyricist Roger Christian died. Worked with The Beach Boys and co-wrote songs recorded by Jan and Dean. Christian worked as a radio personality in the 1960s.
1996 - Jonathan Melvoin keyboard player with the Smashing Pumpkins died from a drug overdose in New York City aged 34. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin who was with Melvoin tried but failed to revive him after Chamberlin was allegedly advised by 911 operators to put Melvoin's head in the shower. Several songs were inspired by his death, including Sarah McLachlan's hit single 'Angel.' He was the brother of Susannah and Wendy Melvoin of Prince and the Revolution. Melvoin had also been a member of The Dickies.
1999 - Ricky Martin started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Livin' La Vida Loca.
2002 - The funeral of The Who's bass player John Entwistle took place at a church in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners filed into the 12th-century church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold.
2009 - The Black Eyes Peas ‘I Gotta Feeling’ started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart ending the 12-week run of the band’s previous single ‘Boom Boom Pow’. It made the band only the fourth to replace themselves at No.1 in chart history, following The Beatles, Boyz II Men, and OutKast.
2012 – A new book written by Christopher Andersen called “Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger” claims that Mick Jagger and David Bowie were once lovers and that Mick Jagger was obsessed with actress Angelina Jolie after she appeared in their 1997 video “Has Anybody Seen My Girl”.
2012 – The number 1 song played on NZ radio this past week has been “Payphone” by Maroon 5.
1951 - Born this day, Bonnie Pointer, singer, Pointer Sisters, 1984 UK No.2 and US No.5 single Automatic.
1959 - Born this day, Suzanne Vega, singer, songwriter, 1987 UK No.23 single Luka, 1990 UK No.2 single Tom's Diner, with DNA. 1987 UK No.2 album Solitude Standing, 1990 UK No.7 album Days Of Open Hand.
1959 - Born this day, Richie Sambora, musician, guitarist, Bon Jovi, 1987 US No.1 and UK No.4 single Livin' On A Prayer, plus many other hits.
1964 - 18-year-old Millie Small was riding high on the pop music charts with My Boy Lollipop. It reached number 2 in the UK. Listen carefully to the tune and you'll hear Rod Stewart playing harmonica. Millie Small was known as the 'Blue Beat Girl' in Jamaica, her homeland.
1966 - Born this day, Mel Appleby (Melanie Susan Appleby), with her sister she formed duo Mel and Kim. She died 18 January 1990 from pneumonia after succumbing to spinal cancer. 1987 UK No.1 single Respectable.
1967 - Kenny Rogers formed The First Edition, just one day after he and members Thelma Camacho, Mike Settle and Terry Williams left The New Christy Minstrels. The First Edition hosted a syndicated TV variety show in 1972. Hits made popular by the group include: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In), But You Know I Love You, Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, Ruben James, and Something's Burning.
1969 - Space Oddity by David Bowie was released for the first time.
1969 - The Rolling Stones released the single Honky Tonk Women.
1970 - Three Dog Night started a two-week run at No.1 in the US with their version of the Randy Newman song 'Mama Told Me Not To Come', which was also a No.3 hit in the UK. The song was first covered by Eric Burdon on his first solo album in 1966 and gave Tom Jones & Stereophonics a No.4 hit on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.
1975 - Born this day, Lil' Kim [Kimberly Jones], rap singer, 1997 UK No.11 single Not Tonight, 2001 US and UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink, Lady Marmalade.
1981 - The Specials had their second and final UK No.1 single with 'Ghost Town'. Despite being a song about Coventry, the band chose to film the video of themselves driving a Vauxhall Cresta around some empty London streets.
1991 - American singer and lyricist Roger Christian died. Worked with The Beach Boys and co-wrote songs recorded by Jan and Dean. Christian worked as a radio personality in the 1960s.
1996 - Jonathan Melvoin keyboard player with the Smashing Pumpkins died from a drug overdose in New York City aged 34. Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin who was with Melvoin tried but failed to revive him after Chamberlin was allegedly advised by 911 operators to put Melvoin's head in the shower. Several songs were inspired by his death, including Sarah McLachlan's hit single 'Angel.' He was the brother of Susannah and Wendy Melvoin of Prince and the Revolution. Melvoin had also been a member of The Dickies.
1999 - Ricky Martin started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Livin' La Vida Loca.
2002 - The funeral of The Who's bass player John Entwistle took place at a church in The Cotswolds. More than 200 mourners filed into the 12th-century church of St Edward in Stow-on-the-Wold.
2009 - The Black Eyes Peas ‘I Gotta Feeling’ started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart ending the 12-week run of the band’s previous single ‘Boom Boom Pow’. It made the band only the fourth to replace themselves at No.1 in chart history, following The Beatles, Boyz II Men, and OutKast.
2012 – A new book written by Christopher Andersen called “Mick: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger” claims that Mick Jagger and David Bowie were once lovers and that Mick Jagger was obsessed with actress Angelina Jolie after she appeared in their 1997 video “Has Anybody Seen My Girl”.
2012 – The number 1 song played on NZ radio this past week has been “Payphone” by Maroon 5.