1965: The filming of the promotional film for Bob Dylan’s "Subterranean Homesick Blues" took place at the side of the Savoy Hotel in London. Actors in the background were Allen Ginsberg and Bob Neuwirth. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film, Don't Look Back, a documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England. In the film, Dylan, who came up with the idea, holds up cue cards for the camera with selected words and phrases from the lyrics. The cue cards were written by Donovan, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth and Dylan himself. While staring at the camera, he flipped the cards as the song played.
1970: The Beatles twelfth and final album "Let It Be" was released (it was recorded before the Abbey Road album, and was originally to be called 'Get Back'). The album came in a deluxe-boxed edition with a 'Get Back' book.
1984: Roger Waters released his first solo album The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking. The concept album, as originally envisioned by Waters in 1977, rotated around a man's thoughts during a midlife crisis, and featured guest musicians Eric Clapton on guitar, David Sanborn on saxophone and Michael Kamen on piano.
2008: American audio engineer Larry Levine died of emphysema in Encino, California at the age of 80. He was known for his work with Phil Spector on the Wall of Sound recording technique. He worked on The Beach Boys' influential 1966 album Pet Sounds and received the 1966 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording for 'A Taste of Honey' performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. The recording also won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1966.
1993: Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England.
1993: Aerosmith reached number one on Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time with their eleventh studio album "Get a Grip" which spent one week on top of the chart. The album went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide as well as winning the band two Grammy awards.
1972: Billy Preston became the first rock performer to headline at Radio City Music Hall.
1964: The Beatles had held the No.1 position on the US singles chart for fourteen weeks with three No.1's in succession. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' for seven weeks, 'She Loves You' for two weeks and 'Can't Buy Me Love', for five weeks.
1976: Former lead singer of the Lovin Spoonful John Sebastian went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Welcome Back', taken from the US TV show 'Welcome Back Kotter'.
2006: The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.
2014: Chuck Berry was named as one of the 2014 Polar Music Prize laureates. A spokesperson from the award committee said: "In the course of three minutes he conjures up an image of the everyday life and dreams of a teenager, often with the focus on cars. Chuck Berry, born in 1926, was the first to drive up onto the highway and announce that we are born to run."
1998: Johnny Winter was inducted into Hollywood's Rock Walk.
♫ They Say It's Your Birthday, Happy Birthday To You ♫
1940: American rock and roll star Ricky Nelson, who had the 1958 US No.1 'Poor Little Fool', the 1961 UK No.2 single 'Hello Mary Lou' plus over 30 US Top 40 hit singles. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet. In 1972, Nelson reached the Top 40 one last time with 'Garden Party'. Nelson died in a plane crash northeast of Dallas in De Kalb, Texas on 31st December 1985.
1941: John Fred Gourrier, from John Fred and His Playboy Band who had the 1968 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)' which was a parodic play on the title of The Beatles' song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. He died on 15th April 2005 after a long battle with kidney disease aged 63.
1943: English musician Paul Samwell-Smith, bassist with The Yardbirds, who had the 1965 UK No.3 and US No.6 single 'For Your Love'. The Yardbirds spawned such noteworthy musicians as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
1943: Toni Tennille, from husband-and-wife duo The Captain and Tennille who had the 1980 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Do That To Me One More Time' and the hit 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. They divorced in July 2014.
1953: Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen who had the 1984 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Jump'. Alex has become an ordained minister and presided at the wedding of his brother Eddie Van Halen in 2009.
1977, Born in New Hartford, New York, blues rock guitarist and singer Joe Bonamassa, who has released nine studio albums as well as being a member of Black Country Communion.
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