| 1961, Elvis Presley started a 20-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Blue Hawaii', his seventh US No.1 album. |
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| 1961, The Marvelettes went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Please Mr Postman'. The session musicians on the track included 22 year old Marvin Gaye on drums. The song gave the Carpenters a US No.1 and UK No.2 single in 1975. |
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| 1964, Soul singer Sam Cooke was shot dead at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California. Bertha Franklin, manager of the motel, told police that she shot and killed Cooke in self-defense because he had attacked her. Police found Cooke's body in Franklin's apartment-office, clad only in a sports jacket and shoes, but no shirt, pants or underwear. The shooting was ultimately ruled a justifiable homicide. |
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1968, Liverpool folk group The Scaffold were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lily The Pink', this year's Christmas No.1. 'Lily the Pink' was a new version of an older folk song entitled 'The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham', and a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II.
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1968, Filming began for The Rolling Stones 'Rock & Roll Circus.' As well as clowns and acrobats, John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. It was originally meant to be aired on the BBC, but the Rolling Stones withheld it because they were unhappy with their performance. The film was eventually released in 1996.
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| 1971, UK comedian Benny Hill was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the innuendo-laden novelty song, 'Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)', giving Hill his only No.1 and the Christmas No.1 hit of 1971. The song was originally written in 1955 as the introduction to an unfilmed screenplay about Hill's milkman experiences. |
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| 1972, James Brown was arrested after show in Tennessee for trying to incite a riot. Brown threatened to sue the city for $1m, the charges were later dropped. |
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| 1973, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley was nearly electrocuted during a concert in Florida when he touched a short-circuited light. The guitarist was carried from the stage but returned 10 minutes later to finish the show. |
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1980, U2 appeared at The Mudd Club in New York City, the first date of four US shows which also took the band to Boston and Washington DC.
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| 1982, Singer, TV actress and dancer Toni Basil went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Mickey', making her a US one hit wonder. Also a No.2 hit in the UK, the song was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as 'Kitty', and was first recorded by UK group Racey during 1979. More One Hit Wonders |
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| 1982, The Jam played their last ever gig as a band when they appeared in Brighton, England. Singer and guitarist Paul Weller went on to form The Style Council with keyboardist Mick Talbot. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then-wife, vocalist Dee C. Lee. |
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1983, The Flying Pickets were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Yazoo song 'Only You'. Also this years Christmas No.1 and the first a cappella chart-topper in the UK.
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1989, The Recording Industry Association of America certified four Led Zeppelin albums as multi-platinum: ‘Presence’ (2 million), ‘Led Zeppelin’ (4 million), ‘Physical Graffiti’ (4 million) and ‘In Through The Out Door’ (5 million).
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| 1992, Manic Street Preacher Nicky Wire was quoted as saying 'I hope Michael Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury'. |
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| 1993, Janet Jackson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Again', her 7th US No.1, a No.6 hit in the UK. |
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| 1993, The character Mr Blobby as featured on UK TV's 'The Noel Edmunds House Party', started a one-week run as the UK No.1 single with the novelty song 'Mr Blobby'. The single later received the dubious honour of being voted the most irritating Christmas No.1 single in a HMV poll. |
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| 1996, Johnny Marr and Morrissey were left with a £300,000 legal bill after loosing a case over unpaid royalties with former Smiths members Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. |
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1998, During a gig in Tuscon, Arizona, a bottle thrown from the audience hit Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson. A security guard was then stabbed trying to eject a man from the crowd.
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2000, Former Verve front man Richard Ashcroft was forced to cancel the remaining dates on his current UK tour after he fell on stage and broke two ribs. The accident happened during a show in Birmingham.
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2001, Brian Harvey underwent surgery after suffering a serious head injury in an attack. The former East 17 singer was attacked by a group of youths as he left the Works nightclub in Nottingham, having appeared at a promotional event.
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| 2001, David Soul won a lawsuit against Matthew Wright, a London theatre critic who criticised Soul's stage performance without even seeing it. Wright's column had made reference to the Monday performance, when in fact, the play did not run on Mondays. |
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2003, Bobby Brown was charged with battery after allegedly hitting wife Whitney Houston in the face. Brown, turned himself in to the police three days after a reported domestic dispute at the couple's home in Atlanta, Georgia. Houston, who accompanied her husband to court, said they were trying to work out their problems "privately."
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| 2008, Simon Cowell said he was "very embarrassed" after contracts signed by this year's X Factor contestants were leaked to the Daily Mirror newspaper. The 80-page document, which is enforceable "anywhere in the world or the solar system" was signed by all 12 finalists before the live shows began. It included a clause that prevents them from saying anything "unduly negative, critical or derogatory" about Cowell. Also the show claimed the prize as a "£1m recording contract", but the contestants' contract said the prize money was £150,000. Read the full story |
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| December 11th: Born on this day |
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| 1916, Born on this day, Perez Prado, (1955 US & UK No.1 single 'Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White'). He died on 14th September 1989. |
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| 1926, Born on this day, Big Mama Thornton, singer, songwriter, Janis Joplin cover her song 'Ball And Chain', had the 1953 version of 'Hound Dog' before Elvis Presley. She died in 1984. |
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| 1940, Born on this day, David Gates, vocals, bass, Bread, (1970 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Make It With You'). |
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| 1944, Born on this day, Brenda Lee, singer, (1960 US No.1 single 'I'm Sorry', UK No.4 single 'Sweet Nothin's', plus 27 US & 18 other UK Top 40 singles). |
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| 1951, Born on this day, Philip 'Spike' Edney, keyboard player, was known as the fifth member of Queen. Also worked with Duran Duran, Boomtown Rats, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Haircut 100, The Cross, Brian May and the Rolling Stones. |
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| 1954, Born on this day, Jermaine Jackson, The Jackson Five, (1970 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'I Want You Back',) The Jackson's, (1977 UK No.1 single 'Show You The Way To Go'), solo, (1985 UK No.6 single 'Do What You Do'). |
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| 1958, Born on this day, Nikki Sixx, bass, Motley Crue, (1988 UK No.23 single 'You're All I Need' & 1989 US No.1 album 'Dr Feelgood'). |
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| 1961, Born on this day, Darryl Jones also known as "The Munch.’ American bassist who has played with the Rolling Stones since Bill Wyman's departure in 1993. Also worked with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading. |
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| 1962, Born on this day, Curtis Williams, Kool & The Gang, (1981 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Celebration', 1984 UK No.2 single Joana' and 15 other UK Top 40 hits). |
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| 1964, Born on this day, Justin Currie, bass player, Del Amitri, (1990, UK No.11 single, 'Nothing Ever Happens'). |
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| 1967, Born on this day, DJ Yella, NWA, (1990 UK No.26 single 'Express Yourself'). |
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| 1972, Born on this day, Easther Bennett, Eternal, (1997 UK No.1 single 'I Wanna Be The Only One'). |
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