TODAY IN HISTORY - September 10th
1939 - Born this day, Cynthia Lennon, first wife of John Lennon, divorced on 8 November 1968.
1945 - Born this day, Jose Feliciano, in Lares, Puerto Rico, singer, songwriter, born blind, 1968 UK No.6 single Light My Fire.
1950 - Born this day, Joe Perry, in Boston, rock musician, guitarist, Aerosmith, 1989 UK No.13 single Love In An Elevator, 1998 US No.1 single I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.
1957 - Born this day, Siobhan Fahey, singer, Bananarama, 1984 UK No.3 single Robert De Niro's Waiting, plus over 20 other UK top 40 singles, 1986 US No.1 single Venus, with Shakespeare's Sister, 1992 UK No.1 single Stay.
1962 - The BBC banned Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers single, Monster Mash saying it was offensive. The single became a UK No.3 hit in 1973.
1963 - During a chance meeting between The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and John Lennon at Studio 51 jazz Club in London, the duo played the Stones a partly finished song, I Wanna Be Your Man, which they like and later record.
1964 - The Kinks' third single, You Really Got Me, went to No.1 in the UK. It's rumoured that Jimmy Page played lead guitar on the track.
1964 - Rod Stewart recorded his first tune, titled Good Morning Little Schoolgirl for Decca. It was not one of his more successful recordings. Before becoming a rock superstar Stewart had worked as a gravedigger.
1965 - The Byrds begin recording ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’. Unlike their first hit, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, members of the group itself were permitted to play instead of session musicians.
1966 - The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Revolver, the group's ninth US chart topper.
1966 - The Supremes started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with You Can't Hurry Love, the group's sixth US No.1. It made No.3 in the UK and gave Phil Collins a UK No.1 in 1982.
1968 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Hey Jude, the group's 15th UK No.1 and the longest chart topper ever at seven minutes ten seconds. The single was the first release on the group's Apple Records label.
1973 - The BBC banned The Rolling Stones single 'Star Star', from their Goat's Head Soup album because it contained the word "Star-fucker" in the chorus a dozen times.
1974 - The New York Dolls spit up. The influential American band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, the 1973 'New York Dolls' and 1974 'Too Much Too Soon'.
1983 - Islands in the Stream recorded by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, entered Billboard's pop charts on this date, staying on the charts for 18 weeks and in the Number 1 spot for 2 weeks. It was later certified platinum.
1983 - Former guitarist with Stevie Wonder, Michael Sembello started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Maniac, as featured in the film Flashdance. It was a No.43 hit in the UK.
1984 - Born on this day, Matthew Followill, lead guitarist, Kings of Leon, (2007 UK No.1 album ‘Because Of The Times’, 2008 UK No.1 single ‘Sex on Fire’, 2008 UK No.1 album ‘Only By The Night’)
1988 - Guns 'n' Roses started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Sweet Child O' Mine, the groups first US No.1, it was a No.24 hit in the UK.
1991 - Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was released in the US. The unexpected success of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in late 1991 propelled Nevermind to the top of the charts at the start of 1992, an event often marked as the point where alternative rock entered the mainstream.
1994 - REM were at No.9 on the UK singles chart with 'What's The Frequency Kenneth'. The song's title refers to an incident in 1986 when two unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"
1996 - Music journalist Ray Coleman died of cancer. Coleman had worked with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and had been the editor of the UK music weekly Melody Maker throughout the heyday of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, into the era of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.
1997 - An electric chair, which was used in Alcatraz and once owned by Andy Warhol, sold for £4,800 at an auction in Bristol. Warhol used to sit in the chair and watch horror movies.
1999 - Paul McCartney made headline news after being seen at a New York party minus one of his front teeth after a crown broke off when he was eating. He lost the tooth in a motorcycle accident in 1967.
2000 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats ended its record-breaking run on Broadway after 7,485 performances.
2000 - Modjo started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Lady (Hear Me Tonight.
2001 - Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay pleaded not guilty to assault charges after being accused of hitting a photographer and destroying camera equipment outside London night-club. Photographer, Dennis Gill, alleged that on April 14, Jay Kay punched him and destroyed camera equipment worth £250 outside the Attica night-club in London's West End, the case was adjourned until October 22.
2005 - The 1967 Beatles track 'A Day In The Life' from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was voted the best British song of all time by music experts. The survey by Q magazine called the track "the ultimate sonic rendition of what it means to be British". The Kinks' song 'Waterloo Sunset' came second in the poll and 'Wonderwall' by Oasis was voted in third place.
2006 - Scissor Sisters were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin', the American's band first UK No.1. The song was co-written with Elton John, who also played piano on the song.
1939 - Born this day, Cynthia Lennon, first wife of John Lennon, divorced on 8 November 1968.
1945 - Born this day, Jose Feliciano, in Lares, Puerto Rico, singer, songwriter, born blind, 1968 UK No.6 single Light My Fire.
1950 - Born this day, Joe Perry, in Boston, rock musician, guitarist, Aerosmith, 1989 UK No.13 single Love In An Elevator, 1998 US No.1 single I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.
1957 - Born this day, Siobhan Fahey, singer, Bananarama, 1984 UK No.3 single Robert De Niro's Waiting, plus over 20 other UK top 40 singles, 1986 US No.1 single Venus, with Shakespeare's Sister, 1992 UK No.1 single Stay.
1962 - The BBC banned Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers single, Monster Mash saying it was offensive. The single became a UK No.3 hit in 1973.
1963 - During a chance meeting between The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and John Lennon at Studio 51 jazz Club in London, the duo played the Stones a partly finished song, I Wanna Be Your Man, which they like and later record.
1964 - The Kinks' third single, You Really Got Me, went to No.1 in the UK. It's rumoured that Jimmy Page played lead guitar on the track.
1964 - Rod Stewart recorded his first tune, titled Good Morning Little Schoolgirl for Decca. It was not one of his more successful recordings. Before becoming a rock superstar Stewart had worked as a gravedigger.
1965 - The Byrds begin recording ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’. Unlike their first hit, ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’, members of the group itself were permitted to play instead of session musicians.
1966 - The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Revolver, the group's ninth US chart topper.
1966 - The Supremes started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with You Can't Hurry Love, the group's sixth US No.1. It made No.3 in the UK and gave Phil Collins a UK No.1 in 1982.
1968 - The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Hey Jude, the group's 15th UK No.1 and the longest chart topper ever at seven minutes ten seconds. The single was the first release on the group's Apple Records label.
1973 - The BBC banned The Rolling Stones single 'Star Star', from their Goat's Head Soup album because it contained the word "Star-fucker" in the chorus a dozen times.
1974 - The New York Dolls spit up. The influential American band formed in 1972 and made just two albums, the 1973 'New York Dolls' and 1974 'Too Much Too Soon'.
1983 - Islands in the Stream recorded by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, entered Billboard's pop charts on this date, staying on the charts for 18 weeks and in the Number 1 spot for 2 weeks. It was later certified platinum.
1983 - Former guitarist with Stevie Wonder, Michael Sembello started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Maniac, as featured in the film Flashdance. It was a No.43 hit in the UK.
1984 - Born on this day, Matthew Followill, lead guitarist, Kings of Leon, (2007 UK No.1 album ‘Because Of The Times’, 2008 UK No.1 single ‘Sex on Fire’, 2008 UK No.1 album ‘Only By The Night’)
1988 - Guns 'n' Roses started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Sweet Child O' Mine, the groups first US No.1, it was a No.24 hit in the UK.
1991 - Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was released in the US. The unexpected success of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in late 1991 propelled Nevermind to the top of the charts at the start of 1992, an event often marked as the point where alternative rock entered the mainstream.
1994 - REM were at No.9 on the UK singles chart with 'What's The Frequency Kenneth'. The song's title refers to an incident in 1986 when two unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"
1996 - Music journalist Ray Coleman died of cancer. Coleman had worked with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and had been the editor of the UK music weekly Melody Maker throughout the heyday of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, into the era of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.
1997 - An electric chair, which was used in Alcatraz and once owned by Andy Warhol, sold for £4,800 at an auction in Bristol. Warhol used to sit in the chair and watch horror movies.
1999 - Paul McCartney made headline news after being seen at a New York party minus one of his front teeth after a crown broke off when he was eating. He lost the tooth in a motorcycle accident in 1967.
2000 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats ended its record-breaking run on Broadway after 7,485 performances.
2000 - Modjo started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Lady (Hear Me Tonight.
2001 - Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay pleaded not guilty to assault charges after being accused of hitting a photographer and destroying camera equipment outside London night-club. Photographer, Dennis Gill, alleged that on April 14, Jay Kay punched him and destroyed camera equipment worth £250 outside the Attica night-club in London's West End, the case was adjourned until October 22.
2005 - The 1967 Beatles track 'A Day In The Life' from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was voted the best British song of all time by music experts. The survey by Q magazine called the track "the ultimate sonic rendition of what it means to be British". The Kinks' song 'Waterloo Sunset' came second in the poll and 'Wonderwall' by Oasis was voted in third place.
2006 - Scissor Sisters were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin', the American's band first UK No.1. The song was co-written with Elton John, who also played piano on the song.