TODAY IN HISTORY – 31st October
1952 - Born this day, Bernard Edwards, member of Chic, 1978 UK No.7 single Le Freak, producer, ABC, Power Station and Rod Stewart. Died 18th April 1996.
1952 - Pianist Johnnie Johnson hired 26 year old Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the St. Louis area, Berry kept his day job as a hairdresser for the next three years.
1959 - The Quarry Men decided to change their name to Johnny and the Moondogs. The band were in Liverpool auditioning for the Carrol Levis show. The Quarry Men featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
1961 - Born this day, Larry Mullen, drums, U2, 1984 UK No.3 single Pride, In The Name Of Love, plus over 25 other UK top 40 singles, 1987 UK and world wide No.1 album The Joshua Tree.
1964 - The Supremes started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Baby Love, the group's second of 5 consecutive US No.1's. They were formally know as the 5 piece group The Primettes.
1964 - Ray Charles was arrested by Logan Airport customs officials in Boston and charged with possession of heroin. This was his third drug charge, following incidents in 1958 and 1961. Charles avoided prison after kicking the habit in a clinic in Los Angeles, but spent a year on parole in 1966.
1967 - Rolling Stone Brian Jones was released from Wormwood Scrubs prison on £750 bail pending appeal. Jones had been found guilty of possession of cannabis. Seven Stones fans were arrested and charged with obstructing the police after demonstrating outside the prison gates.
1969 - George Harrison's Something was released in the UK.
1970 - Michelle Gilliam from The Mamas And The Papas married actor Dennis Hopper (co-star of Easy Rider), the marriage lasted for eight days.
1970 - Born this day, Malin Berggren, Ace Of Base, 1993 UK No.1 single All That She Wants, 1994 US No.1 single The Sign.
1970 - Led Zeppelin started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Led Zeppelin III', the bands second US chart topper.
1974 - Led Zeppelin held the UK launch for their new record label Swan Song at Chislehurst Caves, Surrey England on Halloween night. Drinks were served by nuns in suspenders, a naked woman lay in a coffin covered in jelly and naked male wrestlers cavorted in recesses of the caves. Label mates Bad Company, The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell also attended. The launch also tied in with the releases of The Pretty Things new album Silk Torpedo. The label was named after an unreleased Zeppelin instrumental track.
1981 - The Human League went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Dare, their first No.1 LP. The biggest his from it was the worldwide #1 “Don’t You Want Me”.
1986 - Roger Waters went to the high court to try and stop Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason from using the name Pink Floyd, for future touring and recording. He would go on to lose the case.
1987 - Forbes Magazine listed the top 40 American entertainment earners from 86-87, 8th was Whitney Houston $44 million, 7th Madonna $47 million and third place Bruce Springsteen $56 million.
1990 - During a gig in Seattle, Washington, Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish in the dressing room of Faith No More. They responded by walking on stage naked during his set.
1993 - Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea was at the scene of actor's River Phoenix fatal collapse in Los Angeles outside Johnny Depp’s club “The Viper Room”. Phoenix was hot property in Hollywood but his life was cut short by a lethal mix of cocaine & heroin at the age of only 23.
1996 - Slash announced he was no longer in Guns N' Roses. He was quoted as saying that Axl Rose and he had only been civil to each other on two occasions since 1994.
1998 - Cher started a 7 week run at No.1 with her third UK No.1 single with Believe. The biggest seller of 1998. It also made No.1 in the US and it made Cher the first female artist to have a No.1 single over the age of 50.
2000 - Britney Spears paid £6,000 to hire a private bar in Leipzig, Germany during a night off on her Oops...I did It Again Tour. Britney who at 18 is banned from drinking in the US was reportd to be knocking back vodka laced White Russians and Pina Coladas.
2002 - The mother of pop star Bjork ended a hunger strike she had staged to protest against plans by a US company to build an aluminium smelter and hydroelectric power plant in the Icelandic wilderness. Hildur Runa Hauksdottir began eating again after four week’s of fasting.
2005 - The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sold for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas. And an Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine sold for $150,000 (£84,388). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items went to Amnesty International.
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio this past week is “Wake Up’ by Aaradhna. Great to see another Kiwi artist getting plenty of airplay!
2013 - Marvin Gaye's family were taking legal action against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement over their hit song Blurred Lines. Three of Gaye's children filed legal papers accusing them of copying elements of the song 'Got To Give It Up'. The Gaye family cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their claim he had admitted to drawing on 'Got to Give it Up' when producing Blurred Lines.
1952 - Born this day, Bernard Edwards, member of Chic, 1978 UK No.7 single Le Freak, producer, ABC, Power Station and Rod Stewart. Died 18th April 1996.
1952 - Pianist Johnnie Johnson hired 26 year old Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the St. Louis area, Berry kept his day job as a hairdresser for the next three years.
1959 - The Quarry Men decided to change their name to Johnny and the Moondogs. The band were in Liverpool auditioning for the Carrol Levis show. The Quarry Men featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
1961 - Born this day, Larry Mullen, drums, U2, 1984 UK No.3 single Pride, In The Name Of Love, plus over 25 other UK top 40 singles, 1987 UK and world wide No.1 album The Joshua Tree.
1964 - The Supremes started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Baby Love, the group's second of 5 consecutive US No.1's. They were formally know as the 5 piece group The Primettes.
1964 - Ray Charles was arrested by Logan Airport customs officials in Boston and charged with possession of heroin. This was his third drug charge, following incidents in 1958 and 1961. Charles avoided prison after kicking the habit in a clinic in Los Angeles, but spent a year on parole in 1966.
1967 - Rolling Stone Brian Jones was released from Wormwood Scrubs prison on £750 bail pending appeal. Jones had been found guilty of possession of cannabis. Seven Stones fans were arrested and charged with obstructing the police after demonstrating outside the prison gates.
1969 - George Harrison's Something was released in the UK.
1970 - Michelle Gilliam from The Mamas And The Papas married actor Dennis Hopper (co-star of Easy Rider), the marriage lasted for eight days.
1970 - Born this day, Malin Berggren, Ace Of Base, 1993 UK No.1 single All That She Wants, 1994 US No.1 single The Sign.
1970 - Led Zeppelin started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Led Zeppelin III', the bands second US chart topper.
1974 - Led Zeppelin held the UK launch for their new record label Swan Song at Chislehurst Caves, Surrey England on Halloween night. Drinks were served by nuns in suspenders, a naked woman lay in a coffin covered in jelly and naked male wrestlers cavorted in recesses of the caves. Label mates Bad Company, The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell also attended. The launch also tied in with the releases of The Pretty Things new album Silk Torpedo. The label was named after an unreleased Zeppelin instrumental track.
1981 - The Human League went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Dare, their first No.1 LP. The biggest his from it was the worldwide #1 “Don’t You Want Me”.
1986 - Roger Waters went to the high court to try and stop Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason from using the name Pink Floyd, for future touring and recording. He would go on to lose the case.
1987 - Forbes Magazine listed the top 40 American entertainment earners from 86-87, 8th was Whitney Houston $44 million, 7th Madonna $47 million and third place Bruce Springsteen $56 million.
1990 - During a gig in Seattle, Washington, Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish in the dressing room of Faith No More. They responded by walking on stage naked during his set.
1993 - Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player Flea was at the scene of actor's River Phoenix fatal collapse in Los Angeles outside Johnny Depp’s club “The Viper Room”. Phoenix was hot property in Hollywood but his life was cut short by a lethal mix of cocaine & heroin at the age of only 23.
1996 - Slash announced he was no longer in Guns N' Roses. He was quoted as saying that Axl Rose and he had only been civil to each other on two occasions since 1994.
1998 - Cher started a 7 week run at No.1 with her third UK No.1 single with Believe. The biggest seller of 1998. It also made No.1 in the US and it made Cher the first female artist to have a No.1 single over the age of 50.
2000 - Britney Spears paid £6,000 to hire a private bar in Leipzig, Germany during a night off on her Oops...I did It Again Tour. Britney who at 18 is banned from drinking in the US was reportd to be knocking back vodka laced White Russians and Pina Coladas.
2002 - The mother of pop star Bjork ended a hunger strike she had staged to protest against plans by a US company to build an aluminium smelter and hydroelectric power plant in the Icelandic wilderness. Hildur Runa Hauksdottir began eating again after four week’s of fasting.
2005 - The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sold for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas. And an Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine sold for $150,000 (£84,388). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items went to Amnesty International.
2012 – Most played song on NZ radio this past week is “Wake Up’ by Aaradhna. Great to see another Kiwi artist getting plenty of airplay!
2013 - Marvin Gaye's family were taking legal action against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement over their hit song Blurred Lines. Three of Gaye's children filed legal papers accusing them of copying elements of the song 'Got To Give It Up'. The Gaye family cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their claim he had admitted to drawing on 'Got to Give it Up' when producing Blurred Lines.