TODAY IN HISTORY – 10th October
1902 - The Gibson Mandolin guitar company was formed. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and in 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model made in 1952.
1939 - The real Eleanor Rigby died in her sleep of unknown causes at the age of 44. The 1966 Beatles' song that featured her name wasn't written about her, as Paul McCartney's first draft of the song named the character Miss Daisy Hawkins. Eleanor Rigby's tombstone was noticed in the 1980s in the graveyard of St. Peter's Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, a few feet from where McCartney and Lennon had met for the first time in 1957.
1955 - Born this day, David Lee Roth, vocals, Van Halen, 1984 US No.1 and UK No.7 single Jump) and also solo, 1988 UK No.27 single Just Like Paradise.
1953 - Born this day, [James] Midge Ure, in Cambuslang, Glasgow, Scotland, guitar, vocals, in group Salvation which became Slik, 1976 UK No.1 Forever And Ever. Teamed up with ex-Sex Pistols Glen Matlock to form Rich Kids, 1978 UK No.24 Rich Kids. Ultravox, Sleepwalk, 1981 UK No.2 Vienna), UK No.8 single All Stood Still, We Came to Dance, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes. Stood in for Brian Robertson in Thin Lizzy, sang with Band Aid, 1985 UK No.1 Do They Know It's Christmas) and also solo 1985 UK No.1 If I Was.
1956 - Elvis Presley's hit recording of Love Me Tender entered Billboard's popular record charts on this date, stayed on the charts for 19 weeks, and was Number 1 for 5 of those weeks. The song, from Presley's first film with the same title, was adapted from the tune Aura Lee, written in 1861.
1959 - Born this day, Kirsty MacColl, singer, songwriter, 1985 UK No.7 single A New England, 1987 UK No.2 single with The Pogues, Fairytale Of New York. Was killed in a boating accident on 18 December 2000.
1961 - Born this day, Martin Kemp, bass, Spandau Ballet, 1983 UK No.1 single True plus 16 other UK top 40 singles. Now a successful actor on Eastenders and other programs. Also played one of the Kray brothers in the film Krays.
1970 - Black Sabbath were at No.1 on the UK chart with their second album Paranoid. The album is regarded as one of the classic Heavy Metal albums.
1970 - Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Cracklin' Rosie, his first No.1 as an artist, writer of the 1966 No.1 hit I'm A Believer for The Monkees.
1978 - Joe Perry and Steve Tyler from Aerosmith were injured after a cherry bomb was thrown on stage during a gig in Philadelphia. The group performed behind a cyclone fence for the rest of the tour.
1979 - The movie The Rose, loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin and starring Bette Midler and Kris Kristofferson, premiered in Los Angeles.
1979 - Born this day, Mya [Marie Harrison], singer, 2000 US No.2 single Case Of The Ex, 2001 US and UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim and Pink, Lady Marmalade.
1980 - The funeral took place of Led Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham.
1981 - The Police went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Ghost In The Machine, their third No.1 album.
1987 - Whitesnake went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Here I Go Again. It reached No.9 in the UK in 1987.
1987 - Texan Wanda Nicholls made a official complaint that David Bowie raped her and bit her on the legs and back, telling her 'now you've got aids.' Bowie dismissed the alleged incident, claiming Nicholls was 'publicity seeking.'
1992 - R.E.M. scored their second UK No.1 album with Automatic For The People, featuring the singles Drive, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon and The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.
1999 - A charity auction selling Elvis Presley's belongings was held at The Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, his wristwatch sold for $32,500, a cigar box $25,000, an autographed baseball sold for $19,000, and a 1956 Lincoln Continental sold for $250,000.
2007 - Sting topped a list of the worst lyricists ever, for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in the Police tune "Don't Stand So Close to Me," quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ("If You Love Someone Set Them Free"), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare.
2009 – Former Boyzone singing star, Stephen Gately, dies in his apartment in Majorca from an undetected heart condition. It was initially thought he had choked on his own vomit after a night consuming alcohol and drugs with his common law husband, Andy Cowles, but an autopsy provided evidence of death by fluid on the lungs.
1902 - The Gibson Mandolin guitar company was formed. Gibson's first electric guitar the ES-150 was produced in 1936, and in 1946 Gibson introduced the P-90 single coil pickup, which was eventually used on the first Les Paul model made in 1952.
1939 - The real Eleanor Rigby died in her sleep of unknown causes at the age of 44. The 1966 Beatles' song that featured her name wasn't written about her, as Paul McCartney's first draft of the song named the character Miss Daisy Hawkins. Eleanor Rigby's tombstone was noticed in the 1980s in the graveyard of St. Peter's Parish Church in Woolton, Liverpool, a few feet from where McCartney and Lennon had met for the first time in 1957.
1955 - Born this day, David Lee Roth, vocals, Van Halen, 1984 US No.1 and UK No.7 single Jump) and also solo, 1988 UK No.27 single Just Like Paradise.
1953 - Born this day, [James] Midge Ure, in Cambuslang, Glasgow, Scotland, guitar, vocals, in group Salvation which became Slik, 1976 UK No.1 Forever And Ever. Teamed up with ex-Sex Pistols Glen Matlock to form Rich Kids, 1978 UK No.24 Rich Kids. Ultravox, Sleepwalk, 1981 UK No.2 Vienna), UK No.8 single All Stood Still, We Came to Dance, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes. Stood in for Brian Robertson in Thin Lizzy, sang with Band Aid, 1985 UK No.1 Do They Know It's Christmas) and also solo 1985 UK No.1 If I Was.
1956 - Elvis Presley's hit recording of Love Me Tender entered Billboard's popular record charts on this date, stayed on the charts for 19 weeks, and was Number 1 for 5 of those weeks. The song, from Presley's first film with the same title, was adapted from the tune Aura Lee, written in 1861.
1959 - Born this day, Kirsty MacColl, singer, songwriter, 1985 UK No.7 single A New England, 1987 UK No.2 single with The Pogues, Fairytale Of New York. Was killed in a boating accident on 18 December 2000.
1961 - Born this day, Martin Kemp, bass, Spandau Ballet, 1983 UK No.1 single True plus 16 other UK top 40 singles. Now a successful actor on Eastenders and other programs. Also played one of the Kray brothers in the film Krays.
1970 - Black Sabbath were at No.1 on the UK chart with their second album Paranoid. The album is regarded as one of the classic Heavy Metal albums.
1970 - Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Cracklin' Rosie, his first No.1 as an artist, writer of the 1966 No.1 hit I'm A Believer for The Monkees.
1978 - Joe Perry and Steve Tyler from Aerosmith were injured after a cherry bomb was thrown on stage during a gig in Philadelphia. The group performed behind a cyclone fence for the rest of the tour.
1979 - The movie The Rose, loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin and starring Bette Midler and Kris Kristofferson, premiered in Los Angeles.
1979 - Born this day, Mya [Marie Harrison], singer, 2000 US No.2 single Case Of The Ex, 2001 US and UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim and Pink, Lady Marmalade.
1980 - The funeral took place of Led Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham.
1981 - The Police went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Ghost In The Machine, their third No.1 album.
1987 - Whitesnake went to No.1 on the US singles chart with Here I Go Again. It reached No.9 in the UK in 1987.
1987 - Texan Wanda Nicholls made a official complaint that David Bowie raped her and bit her on the legs and back, telling her 'now you've got aids.' Bowie dismissed the alleged incident, claiming Nicholls was 'publicity seeking.'
1992 - R.E.M. scored their second UK No.1 album with Automatic For The People, featuring the singles Drive, Everybody Hurts, Man On The Moon and The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.
1999 - A charity auction selling Elvis Presley's belongings was held at The Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, his wristwatch sold for $32,500, a cigar box $25,000, an autographed baseball sold for $19,000, and a 1956 Lincoln Continental sold for $250,000.
2007 - Sting topped a list of the worst lyricists ever, for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in the Police tune "Don't Stand So Close to Me," quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ("If You Love Someone Set Them Free"), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare.
2009 – Former Boyzone singing star, Stephen Gately, dies in his apartment in Majorca from an undetected heart condition. It was initially thought he had choked on his own vomit after a night consuming alcohol and drugs with his common law husband, Andy Cowles, but an autopsy provided evidence of death by fluid on the lungs.