1952, After Atlantic Records bought Ray Charles' contract from Swingtime, Charles recorded his first session for Atlantic, cutting four songs. Over the next seven years, he will record such classics as ‘Mess Around,’ ‘I Got a Woman,’ ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So’ and ‘What'd I Say.’
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| 1956, Eddie Cochran signed a one year contract with Liberty Records, Cochran went on to give Liberty three top 40 hits over the next several years including ‘Summertime Blues,’ ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ and ‘C’mon Everybody’. |
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| 1957, Reet Petite' by Jackie Wilson was released for the first time, it became a UK No. 1, 29 years later. During a 1975 benefit concert, Wilson collapsed on-stage from a heart attack and subsequently fell into a coma that persisted for nearly nine years until his death in 1984. |
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1968, The Beatles performed 'Hey Jude' on the UK television show 'Frost On Sunday' in front of an invited audience. The song was the first single from The Beatles' record label Apple Records and at over seven minutes in length, 'Hey Jude' was, at the time, the longest single ever to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks as No.1 in the United States—the longest run at the top of the American charts for a Beatles' single.
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| 1968, Led Zeppelin appeared at Raventlow Parken, Nykobing, Falster, Denmark supported by The Beatnicks and The Ladybirds, (who were a all girl topless go-go dancing outfit). This was the group's third ever live gig. |
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| 1971, The Tams were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me', a reissue of a 1964 US hit. |
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| 1973, Marvin Gaye started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Let's Get It On', his second US No.1, only reached No.31 in the UK. |
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| 1973, The Allman Brothers started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Brothers And Sisters', the group's only US No.1. |
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| 1974, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Beach Boys all appeared at the New York 'Summersault '74' at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury. |
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| 1977, Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch left Wings to help re-form The Small Faces. McCulloch had played with Paul McCartney's band on the Venus and Mars and Wings At the Speed of Sound albums, as well as on the Wings Over America tour. He died two years later at the age of 26. Drummer Joe English also left Wings at this time, joining Sea Level. |
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1979, Led Zeppelin scored their eighth UK No.1 album when 'In Through The Out Door' went to the top of the charts for two weeks.
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1984, Stevie Wonder had his first UK No.1 with 'I Just Called To Say I Love You'. Taken from the film 'Lady In Red', it was 18 years after Wonder's chart debut in 1966. The song stayed at No.1 for six weeks.
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| 1990, Jon Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Blaze Of Glory', a No.2 in the UK. The track appeared in the motion picture Young Guns II, for which it was originally recorded. |
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1993, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love appeared on stage together at a show in Hollywood. They performed a song they wrote together 'Penny Royal Tea'.
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1997, Derek Taylor the publicist for The Beatles died aged 67. Taylor had been responsible for many of the legends surrounding their career and had also worked with The Beach Boys and The Byrds. In 1967 he helped organise the Monterey Pop Festival together with Lou Adler and John Philips. He helped launch the Beatles Anthology trilogy in the 90's.
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1997, 29 years after the band first formed, Led Zeppelin released 'Whole Lotta Love', their first ever single in the UK. The track recorded in 1969 and featured on the bands second album was issued to promote their re-issued back catalogue.
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| 1999, Sean Puffy Combes and his bodyguard Paul Offered both pleaded guilty to harassment in a New York Court. The pair faced charges of assaulting record company executive Steve Stoute with a champagne bottle a chair and a telephone. |
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2002, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson started his new job as an airline pilot. The heavy metal singer qualified as a £35,000 - a year first officer with Gatwick based airline Astraeus who took holidaymakers to Portugal and Egypt.
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2003, David Bowie performed the first interactive concert when his performance was beamed live into 21 cinemas from Warsaw to Edinburgh. Members of the audience talked to Bowie via microphones linked to ISDN lines and took requests for songs from fans.
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2004, Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was guest of honour at the unveiling of a statue of 15th century rebel leader Owain Glyndwr at Pennal church, near Machynlleth in Wales. Plant, who owns a farmhouse in the area had donated money towards a bronze sculpture of the Welsh prince.
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| 2004, The Honorable Oscar B. Goodman, Mayor of the City of Las Vegas proclaimed this day as Queen Day after the British group. |
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2005, Rod Stewart was ordered to pay a Las Vegas casino $2m (£1.1m) for missing a New Year concert in 2000. Stewart had said he was unable to play at the Rio hotel and casino because his voice disappeared after an operation to remove a cancerous thyroid tumour. The singer said his voice only recovered in time to begin a world tour in June 2001 and he had since performed 150 shows.
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2005, A charity album featuring some of the biggest bands in the UK was thought to be the fastest ever produced. Coldplay, Radiohead, Kaiser Chiefs, Antony and the Johnsons, The Magic Numbers, The Coral, Bloc Party and Gorillaz were among those who recorded tracks for ‘Help: A Day in the Life.’ The whole 22-track album was made available for download from the War Child website the following day.
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| 2007, Foxy Brown was sent to jail for a year in New York for violating her probation terms after she travelled outside New York without the court's permission and had missed anger management classes. The rapper (real name Inga Marchand), was arrested for allegedly assaulting a neighbour and in October 2006 she was put on probation for allegedly assaulting two nail salon workers in August 2004. |
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| 2011, Jury selection began for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors were asked to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determining their level of knowledge of the case and any strong views about Jackson or Murray. |
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| September 8th: Born on this day |
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| 1897, Born on this day, Jimmie Rodgers singer, songwriter, the first country music star. Sold over 12 million records and was the first person to be elected into the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Rodgers died on 26th May 1933. |
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| 1925, Born on this day, Peter Sellers actor, The Goons, (1956 UK No.9 single 'Ying Tong Song' with The Goons, 1960 UK No.4 single 'Goodness Gracious Me', with Sophia Loren, 1965 UK No.14 single 'A Hard Day's Night'). Sellers died of a heart attack on 24th July 1980. |
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1932, Born on this day, Patsy Cline, country singer, the first female country singer to cross over as a pop artist. (1961 US No.19 single 'Crazy'). Cline was killed in a plane crash on 5th March 1963.
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| 1942, Born on this day, Brian Cole, bass, vocals, The Association, (1967 US No.1 single 'Windy'). Cole died on 2nd August 1972. |
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| 1942, Born on this day, Sal Spampinato, The Beau Brummels, (1965 US No.8 single, 'Just A Little.') |
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| 1945, Born on this day, Kelly Groucutt, bass, vocals, Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3 & US No.4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down' plus 26 other Top 40 hits). Died from a heart attack on 19 February 2009. |
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1945, Born on this day, Ron Mckernan, organ, Grateful Dead, (1970 UK No.69 and US No.127 album 'Workingman's Dead'). Died on 8th March 1973 from cirrhosis of the liver aged 27.
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| 1955, Born on this day, Benjamin Orr bass, vocals, The Cars, (1978 UK No.3 single 'My Best Friend's Girl' and 1985 UK No.4 single 'Drive'). Orr died of cancer on 3rd October 2000. |
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| 1958, Born on this day, David Lewis, Atlantic Starr, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Always'). |
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| 1960, Born on this day, David Steele, Fine Young Cannibals, (1989 UK No.5 single 'She Drives Me Crazy'), The Beat, (1983 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Can't Get Used To Losing You'). |
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| 1960, Born on this day, Aimee Mann, US singer songwriter, member of Til Tuesday, solo, (1993 album 'Whatever'). |
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| 1972, Born on this day, Andie Rathbourne, Mansun, (1996 UK No.15 single 'Wide Open Space'). |
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| 1975, Born on this day, Richard Hughes, drums, Keane, (2004 UK No.1 album 'Hopes And Fears'). |
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| 1979, Born on this day, Pink, (Alicia Moore), 2001 UK No.2 single 'Get The Party Started', 2001 US & UK No.1 single with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim and Mya 'Lady Marmalade'. |
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| 1980, Born on this day, Slim Thug, US rapper (born Stayve Jerome Thomas). 2005 US No.2 album ‘Already Platinum’, 2006 US No.1 single with Beyonce ‘ Check On It’, also worked with Gwen Stefani and LeToya Luckett. |
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