1959: Buddy Holly was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Paul Anka song 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore.' A No.1 hit six weeks after Holly's death.
1961: Bob Dylan appeared on Harry Belafonte's album 'The Midnight Special' playing harmonica on the title track. Dylan was paid a $50 session fee for this his first ever recording.
1961: Del Shannon started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Runaway', also a No.1 in the UK. Del was the first person to have a hit with a Beatles song in the US with his version of 'From Me To You.'
1965: Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Game Of Love', a No.2 hit in the UK. Glyn Ellis was given a contract in 1963 on the condition that he change his name to that of the label, Fontana Records, thus Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. Eric Stewart, guitarist in the Mindbenders, went on join Hotlegs and 10CC.
1968: The Beatles new company, Apple Records turned down the offer to sign new artist David Bowie. (Apple later signed Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger and Billy Preston).
1989: Tom Petty released his debut solo album Full Moon Fever, which would go on to be the biggest selling non-compilation album of his career, selling five million copies and contain the hit singles “I Won’t Back Down”, “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “Free Fallin’”.
1977: Talking Heads began its first European tour, supporting the Ramones.
1959: "Your Hit Parade" aired for the last time. The show had been on since 1935.
1971: Alice Cooper peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “I’m Eighteen”, their first top forty single in the U.S.
1965: The Kinks peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Tired of Waiting for You” which was their third top ten single in the U.S.
1968: Louis Armstrong was at No.1 in the UK with the single 'What A Wonderful World / Cabaret.' At 69 years of age, it made Armstrong the oldest act ever to score a UK No.1.
1975: Peter Ham, British singer, songwriter with Badfinger committed suicide by hanging himself in the garage of his Surrey home, aged 27. Ham co-wrote 'Without You', with band mate Tom Evans (who also later committed suicide). The song won an Ivor Novello award for Song Of The Year in 1973, and was a hit for Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey. Ham was a founder member of The Iveys, who became Badfinger, were signed to the Beatles' Apple label, their first hit 'Come And Get It' was written by Paul McCartney.
1976: Paul and Linda McCartney spent the evening with John Lennon at his New York Dakota apartment and watched Saturday Night Live on TV. Producer of the show Lorne Michaels made an offer on air asking The Beatles to turn up and play three songs live. Lennon and McCartney thought about taking a cab to the studio, but decided they were too tired. This was the last time Lennon and McCartney were together.
1979: Ray Charles' 'Georgia On My Mind' was proclaimed the state song of Georgia. The music to the song was written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael who also recorded a version of the song in New York in the same year. Ray Charles, a native of Georgia, recorded it in 1960 on the album The Genius Hits the Road.
2016: American soul singer Billy Paul died at his home in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, New Jersey, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 81. He was best known for his 1972 hit 'Me and Mrs Jones', which won a Grammy award and reached No.1 in the US.
"They Say It's Your Birthday, Happy Birthday To You"
1945: Doug Clifford, drummer with Creedence Clearwater Revival who scored the 1969 US No.2 & UK No.1 single 'Bad Moon Rising', and the 1970 US & UK No.1 album Cosmo's Factory. The band has sold 26 million albums in the United States alone.
1947: Glenn Cornick, bass guitarist with Jethro Tull from 1967 to late 1970. He played in the three first studio albums of the band, This Was, Stand Up and Benefit. Cornick died on 28th Aug 2014 due to congestive heart failure.
1948: Steve York who, with Manfred Mann, had the 1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' and the 1968 UK No.1 & US No.10 single 'Mighty Quinn'.
1954: Jack Blades, bassist with Night Ranger and Damn Yankees, 1990 album 'Damn Yankies.'
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