TODAY IN HISTORY – MAY 8TH
1911 - Born on this day, Robert Johnson, blues singer, guitarist. Influenced Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Eric Clapton, (Cream covered 'Crossroads) The Rolling Stones, ('Love In Vain'). Johnson died on 16th August 1938.
1940 - Born this day, Garry Glitter, UK rock singer, born Paul Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK. 1973 UK No.1 single I'm The leader Of The Gang and 17 other UK top 40 singles including three No.1's.
1943 - Born on this day, Toni Tennille, The Captain and Tennille, (1980 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Do That To Me One More Time').
1943 - Born on this day, Danny Whitten, guitarist, singer, songwriter. Member of Neil Young's Crazy Horse and writer of 'I Don't Wanna Talk About It', covered by Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge and Everything But The Girl. The Neil Young song ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ was written about Whitten’s heroin use (before he died of an overdose on Nov 18th 1972).
1944 - Born this day, Bill Legend, T Rex, 1971 UK No.1 single Hot Love. Plus over 20 other UK top 40 singles.
1951 - Born this day, Philip Bailey, singer, conga player, percussionist, Earth Wind and Fire, 1975 US No.1 single Shining Star, 1981 UK No.3 single Let's Groove, and solo, 1985 UK No.1 single Easy Lover, a duet with Phil Collins.
1953 - Born this day, Billy Burnette, rock musician, Fleetwood Mac, son of Johnny Burnette, rockabilly star.
1954 - BBC radio in the UK banned the Johnny Ray song ‘Such a Night’ after listeners complain about its 'suggestiveness'. Ray was famous for his emotional stage act, which included beating up his piano, and writhing on the floor.
1955 - Tony Bennett was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Stranger In Paradise'. Based on a theme from Borodin's 1888 opera - 'Prince Igor'. The song was a hit in the 1953 Broadway show 'Kismet'.
1955 - Born this day, Alex Van Halen, drummer, Van Halen, 1984 US No.1 and UK No.7 single Jump.
1964 - The Beatles had held the No.1 position on the US singles chart for fourteen weeks with three No.1's in succession. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' for seven weeks, 'She Loves You' for two weeks and 'Can't Buy Me Love', for five weeks.
1964 - Born on this day, Dave Rowntree, drummer, Blur, (1994 UK No.1 album 'Parklife' spent over 2 years on the UK chart, 1995 UK No.1 single 'Country House', plus over 12 other UK Top 40 singles).
1965 - The filming of the promotional film for Bob Dylan’s 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London. Actors in the background were Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth. This became one of the first 'modern' promotional film clips, the forerunner of the music video. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Don't Look Back, a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards for the camera with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. While staring at the camera, he flipped the cards as the song played.
1970 - The Beatles last LP Let It Be was released.
1971 - The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers went to No.1 on the UK chart. The sleeve was designed by Andy Warhol complete with a real zip fastener on a pair of Jeans, the set featured Brown Sugar and Wild Horses.
1974 - UK keyboard player Graham Bond committed suicide after throwing himself under a London tube train at Finsbury Park station, aged 36. It took police two days to identify his body which was crushed beyond all recognition. Briefly a member of Blues Incorporated, a group led by Alexis Korner, before forming the Graham Bond Quartet, with a lineup of Bond on vocals and organ, Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on bass.
1975 - Born on this day, Enrique Iglesias, singer, (2000 US No.1 single 'Be With You', 2002 UK No.1 & US No.3 single 'Hero').
1976 - Abba scored their third UK No.1 single with Fernando. Also on this day Abba started a nine week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their Greatest Hits album.
1976 - Former lead singer of the Lovin Spoonful John Sebastian went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Welcome Back', taken from the US TV show 'Welcome Back Kotter'.
1978 - Donny Osmond gets married at the age of 21 (and they are still together).
1982 - Paul McCartney scored his fifth UK No.1 album with 'Tug Of War'. The album featured the duet with Stevie Wonder 'Ebony & Ivory', which was inspired by McCartney hearing comedian Spike Milligan say "black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!", (the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys on a piano).
1982 - Vangelis went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Chariots Of Fire', his only US No.1. Vangelis was accused of plagiarising 'Chariots of Fire' from a song by fellow Greek composer Stavros Logaridis called 'City of Violets'. Vangelis won in court by convincing the judge to allow him to bring his keyboard setup into the court to demonstrate his method of composing by improvising new music.
1984 - Roger Waters released his first solo album The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking. The concept album, as originally envisioned by Waters in 1977, rotated around a man's thoughts during a midlife crisis, and featured guest musicians Eric Clapton on guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone and Michael Kamen on piano.
1993 - Aerosmith entered the US album chart at No.1 with Get A Grip. Some critics said the album was a bit “shallow” and it sounded like the band were “trying too hard to have a hit record”. Track listing included “Livin on the Edge”, “Crazy”, “Cryin” & “Amazing” (Don Henley backing vocals).
1993 - Mark Knopfler received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
1996 - A Los Angeles judge ruled against Tommy Lee and wife Pamela Anderson in their bid to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.
1999 - Ricky Martin went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. The song spent 5 weeks at No.1.
2005 - Bruce Springsteen was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Devils and Dust' his 13th No.1 studio album.
2006 - The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.
1911 - Born on this day, Robert Johnson, blues singer, guitarist. Influenced Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Eric Clapton, (Cream covered 'Crossroads) The Rolling Stones, ('Love In Vain'). Johnson died on 16th August 1938.
1940 - Born this day, Garry Glitter, UK rock singer, born Paul Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK. 1973 UK No.1 single I'm The leader Of The Gang and 17 other UK top 40 singles including three No.1's.
1943 - Born on this day, Toni Tennille, The Captain and Tennille, (1980 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Do That To Me One More Time').
1943 - Born on this day, Danny Whitten, guitarist, singer, songwriter. Member of Neil Young's Crazy Horse and writer of 'I Don't Wanna Talk About It', covered by Rod Stewart, Rita Coolidge and Everything But The Girl. The Neil Young song ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’ was written about Whitten’s heroin use (before he died of an overdose on Nov 18th 1972).
1944 - Born this day, Bill Legend, T Rex, 1971 UK No.1 single Hot Love. Plus over 20 other UK top 40 singles.
1951 - Born this day, Philip Bailey, singer, conga player, percussionist, Earth Wind and Fire, 1975 US No.1 single Shining Star, 1981 UK No.3 single Let's Groove, and solo, 1985 UK No.1 single Easy Lover, a duet with Phil Collins.
1953 - Born this day, Billy Burnette, rock musician, Fleetwood Mac, son of Johnny Burnette, rockabilly star.
1954 - BBC radio in the UK banned the Johnny Ray song ‘Such a Night’ after listeners complain about its 'suggestiveness'. Ray was famous for his emotional stage act, which included beating up his piano, and writhing on the floor.
1955 - Tony Bennett was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Stranger In Paradise'. Based on a theme from Borodin's 1888 opera - 'Prince Igor'. The song was a hit in the 1953 Broadway show 'Kismet'.
1955 - Born this day, Alex Van Halen, drummer, Van Halen, 1984 US No.1 and UK No.7 single Jump.
1964 - The Beatles had held the No.1 position on the US singles chart for fourteen weeks with three No.1's in succession. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' for seven weeks, 'She Loves You' for two weeks and 'Can't Buy Me Love', for five weeks.
1964 - Born on this day, Dave Rowntree, drummer, Blur, (1994 UK No.1 album 'Parklife' spent over 2 years on the UK chart, 1995 UK No.1 single 'Country House', plus over 12 other UK Top 40 singles).
1965 - The filming of the promotional film for Bob Dylan’s 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London. Actors in the background were Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth. This became one of the first 'modern' promotional film clips, the forerunner of the music video. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Don't Look Back, a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards for the camera with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. While staring at the camera, he flipped the cards as the song played.
1970 - The Beatles last LP Let It Be was released.
1971 - The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers went to No.1 on the UK chart. The sleeve was designed by Andy Warhol complete with a real zip fastener on a pair of Jeans, the set featured Brown Sugar and Wild Horses.
1974 - UK keyboard player Graham Bond committed suicide after throwing himself under a London tube train at Finsbury Park station, aged 36. It took police two days to identify his body which was crushed beyond all recognition. Briefly a member of Blues Incorporated, a group led by Alexis Korner, before forming the Graham Bond Quartet, with a lineup of Bond on vocals and organ, Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on bass.
1975 - Born on this day, Enrique Iglesias, singer, (2000 US No.1 single 'Be With You', 2002 UK No.1 & US No.3 single 'Hero').
1976 - Abba scored their third UK No.1 single with Fernando. Also on this day Abba started a nine week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their Greatest Hits album.
1976 - Former lead singer of the Lovin Spoonful John Sebastian went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Welcome Back', taken from the US TV show 'Welcome Back Kotter'.
1978 - Donny Osmond gets married at the age of 21 (and they are still together).
1982 - Paul McCartney scored his fifth UK No.1 album with 'Tug Of War'. The album featured the duet with Stevie Wonder 'Ebony & Ivory', which was inspired by McCartney hearing comedian Spike Milligan say "black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!", (the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys on a piano).
1982 - Vangelis went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Chariots Of Fire', his only US No.1. Vangelis was accused of plagiarising 'Chariots of Fire' from a song by fellow Greek composer Stavros Logaridis called 'City of Violets'. Vangelis won in court by convincing the judge to allow him to bring his keyboard setup into the court to demonstrate his method of composing by improvising new music.
1984 - Roger Waters released his first solo album The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking. The concept album, as originally envisioned by Waters in 1977, rotated around a man's thoughts during a midlife crisis, and featured guest musicians Eric Clapton on guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone and Michael Kamen on piano.
1993 - Aerosmith entered the US album chart at No.1 with Get A Grip. Some critics said the album was a bit “shallow” and it sounded like the band were “trying too hard to have a hit record”. Track listing included “Livin on the Edge”, “Crazy”, “Cryin” & “Amazing” (Don Henley backing vocals).
1993 - Mark Knopfler received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
1996 - A Los Angeles judge ruled against Tommy Lee and wife Pamela Anderson in their bid to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.
1999 - Ricky Martin went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' La Vida Loca'. The song spent 5 weeks at No.1.
2005 - Bruce Springsteen was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Devils and Dust' his 13th No.1 studio album.
2006 - The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.