TODAY IN HISTORY – MAY 9TH
1944 - Born this day, Richie Furay, musician, Buffalo Springfield, 1967 US No.17 single For What It's Worth, also with Poco, 1979 US No.17 single Crazy Love, and with Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, 1974 US No.27 single Fallin’ In Love.
1949 - Born this day, Billy Joel [William Martin Joel], Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, born in Hicksville, Long Island. Joined The Echoes in 1964, also worked as a session player including music for TV adverts. Billy made his UK live debut at London's Dury Lane Theatre in 1978. 1980 US No.1 single It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, 1983 UK No.1 and US No.3 single Uptown Girl, plus over 20 other US Top 40 singles. 1989 US No.1 album Stormfront.
During 1985, Billy married model Christie Brinkley on a boat moored alongside the Statue Of Liberty. They divorced in 1993. In 1989 he fired his manager and former brother in law Frank Weber after an audit revealed discrepancies. Joel took him to court and sued for $90 million. He was the first artist ever to play at The Yankee Stadium, New York. Billy won the Grammy Living Legend Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
1950 - Born this day, Tom Petersson, rock singer, musician, bass, Cheap Trick, 1979 UK No.29 and US No.17 single I Want You To Want Me, 1988 US No.1 single The Flame.
1962 - Born this day, Dave Gahan, singer, Depeche Mode, 1984 UK No.4 single People Are People, plus over 25 other UK top 40 singles.
1962 - The Beatles signed their first recording contract. George Martin was hired to be the group's producer and the band would record for EMI Parlophone.
1970 - Guess Who started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with American Woman. It was the group's sixth top 30 hit and only chart topper. It made No.19 in the UK.
1971 - Born on this day, Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan, bass, Oasis, (first single 'Supersonic', 1994 UK No.31, 1996 UK No.1 single 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 1994 UK No.1 album 'Definitely Maybe' fastest selling UK debut album ever. Quit in Aug 1999)
1973 - Mick Jagger added $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 raised by the Rolling Stones' January benefit concert for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
1974 - Bruce Springsteen played at Boston's Harvard Square Theatre which inspires Rolling Stone rock critic John Landau to write, 'I have seen rock & roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen'. (Landau later produced and managed Springsteen).
1975 - Born this day, Ryan 'Nik' Vikedal, drums, Nickelback, 2002 US No.1 and UK No.4 single How To Remind You, 2001 US No.2 and 2002 UK No.2 album Silver Side Up.
1980 - I Don't Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards. Supertramp's The Logical Song won Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the Awards held in London.
1981 - Adam And The Ants had their first UK No.1 single with Stand And Deliver. It stayed at the top for five weeks.
1987 - Starship started a four week run at No.1 with Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, as featured in the film Mannequin. It was also No.1 in the US.
1999 - The Backstreet boys scored their first UK No.1 single with I Want It That Way. It was their 8th UK top 10 hit.
2001 - Died this day, James Myers, whose two-minute, eight-second tune Rock Around The Clock is considered the granddaddy of all rock and roll songs, has died of leukemia. He was 81. Myers wrote the song with Max Freedman in 1953. Bill Haley and his Comets recorded it in 1954, and it soared to the top of the charts in 1955 as the theme song of the teen rebel movie The Blackboard Jungle. With its rockabilly sound, the song was considered a breakthrough for crossing racial barriers by borrowing from rhythm and blues. Myers, who also wrote under the name Jimmy DeKnight, wrote more than 300 songs and had bit parts in movies and TV shows, but Rock Around The Clock remained his most famous work.
2005 - Country singer Kenny Chesney married 'Bridget Jones' and 'Chicago' actress Renee Zellweger in the Caribbean.
2005 - Akon was at No.1 on the UK singles with ‘Lonely’, Gwen Stefani held the US No.1 spot with ‘Hollaback Girl’ and Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake were at No.1 on the Australian chart with 'Signs'.
2013 - David Bowie's latest video, which stars Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, was temporarily pulled from YouTube over its graphic content. "The Next Day" features heavy religious imagery, including Cotillard bleeding from stigmata marks. The video sees Bowie performing in a basement bar, surrounded by religious figures, while Oldman, dressed as a priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Cotillard. YouTube admitted making the "wrong call" in removing the video, and reinstated it with an adult content warning
1944 - Born this day, Richie Furay, musician, Buffalo Springfield, 1967 US No.17 single For What It's Worth, also with Poco, 1979 US No.17 single Crazy Love, and with Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, 1974 US No.27 single Fallin’ In Love.
1949 - Born this day, Billy Joel [William Martin Joel], Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, born in Hicksville, Long Island. Joined The Echoes in 1964, also worked as a session player including music for TV adverts. Billy made his UK live debut at London's Dury Lane Theatre in 1978. 1980 US No.1 single It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, 1983 UK No.1 and US No.3 single Uptown Girl, plus over 20 other US Top 40 singles. 1989 US No.1 album Stormfront.
During 1985, Billy married model Christie Brinkley on a boat moored alongside the Statue Of Liberty. They divorced in 1993. In 1989 he fired his manager and former brother in law Frank Weber after an audit revealed discrepancies. Joel took him to court and sued for $90 million. He was the first artist ever to play at The Yankee Stadium, New York. Billy won the Grammy Living Legend Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
1950 - Born this day, Tom Petersson, rock singer, musician, bass, Cheap Trick, 1979 UK No.29 and US No.17 single I Want You To Want Me, 1988 US No.1 single The Flame.
1962 - Born this day, Dave Gahan, singer, Depeche Mode, 1984 UK No.4 single People Are People, plus over 25 other UK top 40 singles.
1962 - The Beatles signed their first recording contract. George Martin was hired to be the group's producer and the band would record for EMI Parlophone.
1970 - Guess Who started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with American Woman. It was the group's sixth top 30 hit and only chart topper. It made No.19 in the UK.
1971 - Born on this day, Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan, bass, Oasis, (first single 'Supersonic', 1994 UK No.31, 1996 UK No.1 single 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 1994 UK No.1 album 'Definitely Maybe' fastest selling UK debut album ever. Quit in Aug 1999)
1973 - Mick Jagger added $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 raised by the Rolling Stones' January benefit concert for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
1974 - Bruce Springsteen played at Boston's Harvard Square Theatre which inspires Rolling Stone rock critic John Landau to write, 'I have seen rock & roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen'. (Landau later produced and managed Springsteen).
1975 - Born this day, Ryan 'Nik' Vikedal, drums, Nickelback, 2002 US No.1 and UK No.4 single How To Remind You, 2001 US No.2 and 2002 UK No.2 album Silver Side Up.
1980 - I Don't Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards. Supertramp's The Logical Song won Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the Awards held in London.
1981 - Adam And The Ants had their first UK No.1 single with Stand And Deliver. It stayed at the top for five weeks.
1987 - Starship started a four week run at No.1 with Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, as featured in the film Mannequin. It was also No.1 in the US.
1999 - The Backstreet boys scored their first UK No.1 single with I Want It That Way. It was their 8th UK top 10 hit.
2001 - Died this day, James Myers, whose two-minute, eight-second tune Rock Around The Clock is considered the granddaddy of all rock and roll songs, has died of leukemia. He was 81. Myers wrote the song with Max Freedman in 1953. Bill Haley and his Comets recorded it in 1954, and it soared to the top of the charts in 1955 as the theme song of the teen rebel movie The Blackboard Jungle. With its rockabilly sound, the song was considered a breakthrough for crossing racial barriers by borrowing from rhythm and blues. Myers, who also wrote under the name Jimmy DeKnight, wrote more than 300 songs and had bit parts in movies and TV shows, but Rock Around The Clock remained his most famous work.
2005 - Country singer Kenny Chesney married 'Bridget Jones' and 'Chicago' actress Renee Zellweger in the Caribbean.
2005 - Akon was at No.1 on the UK singles with ‘Lonely’, Gwen Stefani held the US No.1 spot with ‘Hollaback Girl’ and Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake were at No.1 on the Australian chart with 'Signs'.
2013 - David Bowie's latest video, which stars Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, was temporarily pulled from YouTube over its graphic content. "The Next Day" features heavy religious imagery, including Cotillard bleeding from stigmata marks. The video sees Bowie performing in a basement bar, surrounded by religious figures, while Oldman, dressed as a priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Cotillard. YouTube admitted making the "wrong call" in removing the video, and reinstated it with an adult content warning