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Sting

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Sting
Sting - Photo: Rob Ball/WireImage

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner was born at Sir G B Hunter Memorial Hospital in Wallsend, Northumberland, England, on 2 October 1951, the eldest of four children of Audrey (née Cowell), a hairdresser, and Ernest Matthew Sumner, a milkman and former fitter at an engineering works.

Sting attended St Cuthbert’s Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne. He visited nightclubs such as Club A’Gogo where he saw Cream and Jimi Hendrix. He learned to sing and play simultaneously by listening to records at 78 rpm.

Sting worked as a schoolteacher for two years. This after having other shorter-term jobs such as tax officer, bus conductor, and construction worker. The classic Police song “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” relates the story of a student’s infatuation with her young male teacher.

Sting paid his early dues playing bass with local outfits The Newcastle Big Band, The Phoenix Jazzmen, Earthrise and Last Exit, the latter of which featured his first efforts at songwriting. Last Exit were big in the North East, but their jazz fusion was doomed to fail when punk rock exploded onto the music scene in 1976. Stewart Copeland, drummer with Curved Air, saw Last Exit on a visit to Newcastle and while the music did nothing for him he did recognise the potential and charisma of the bass player. The two hooked up shortly afterwards and within months, Sting had left his teaching job and moved to London.

Copeland and Sting, together with Corsican guitarist Henri Padovani started rehearsing and looking for gigs. Ever the businessman, Copeland took the name The Police figuring it would be good publicity, and the three started gigging in London punk venues like The Roxy, Marquee, Vortex and Nashville in London. Replacing Padovani with the virtuoso talents of Andy Summers the band also enrolled Stewart’s elder brother Miles as manager.

Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d’Amour, reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and contains the singles “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You”. Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its first two singles, “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon”, became their first UK number-one singles.

Four of the band’s five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and two of the band’s songs, “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne”, each written by Sting, appeared on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards (winning Best British Group once), and an MTV Video Music Award.

The Police became a phenomenon in the early ’80s and are still regarded as one of the greatest bands ever. However, after seven years Sting had enough and decided to call it quits. It was essentially a gamble, as having a successful career after leaving a super-successful band is akin to commercial suicide.

Sting married actress Frances Tomelty on 1 May 1976. They had two children. In 1982, after the birth of his second child, he separated from Tomelty and the couple divorced in 1984 following Sting’s affair with actress Trudie Styler. The split was controversial; as The Independent reported in 2006, Tomelty “just happened to be Trudie’s best friend (Sting and Frances lived next door to Trudie in Bayswater, west London, for several years before the two of them became lovers)”.

Sting took the lead role in Richard Loncraine’s big-screen version of Dennis Potter’s controversial play “Brimstone and Treacle” as well as in the BBC production “Artemis ’81”. In the late 70’s he had appeared in a couple of movies – a minor part in Chris Petit’s “Radio On” and an excellent cameo in Franc Roddam’s “Quadrophenia” but “Brimstone and Treacle” was a major role and Sting took up a good deal of screen time opposite Joan Plowright and Denholm Elliot.

In November 1984, Sting was part of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, which raised money for famine victims in Ethiopia. Released in June 1985, Sting sang the line “I Want My MTV” on “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits.

In June 1985, Sting released his first solo album The Dream Of The Blue Turtles. Featuring the cream of America’s young, black jazz musicians – Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim and Darryl Jones the album showed that Sting had lost none of his songwriting ability by being outside of the Police camp. The album was premiered in a series of shows at Paris’s Mogador Theatre, a period captured in Michael Apted’s rockumentary “Bring On The Night”. The success of the album, a solo appearance at Live Aid, and a well received world tour were proof that Sting had no need for the safety net of The Police.

With his wife, Trudie Styler and Raoni Metuktire, a Kayapo Indian leader in Brazil, Sting founded the Rainforest Foundation Fund to help save the rainforests and protect indigenous peoples there.

In 1995, Sting gave evidence in court against his former accountant (Keith Moore), who had misappropriated £6 million of his money. Moore was jailed for six years.

His album Nothing Like The Sun’ (Oct 1987) contains perennial favourites “Englishman In New York” and “Fragile”. Sting even got himself banned from Chilean radio thanks to “They Dance Alone”, a haunting song that resulted from his meeting with some of South America’s “Mothers of the Disappeared”.

Brand New Day album (Sep 1999) proved to be Sting’s most popular album in terms of sales in excess of eight million copies worldwide.

In the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2003 Sting was appointed a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the Music Industry. In 2006 Sting was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by Newcastle University.

In February 2007, Sting stunned everyone when together with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers The Police reformed for a performance at the annual Grammy Awards, where he announced, “We’re The Police and we’re back!” At a press conference in Los Angeles’ Whisky A Go-Go club the following day the band performed again and confirmed what was now the world’s worst-kept secret: that they would be starting a world tour. Shows sold out around the world in record time as more than 2.5 million tickets were sold.

The autumn of 2011 saw Sting celebrate his 60th birthday with a star studded concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre where artists including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga all performed.

Sting supports his hometown Premier League football club Newcastle United and in 2009 backed a supporters’ campaign against the plan of owner Mike Ashley to sell off naming rights of the club’s home stadium St James’ Park.

In March 2018, The Last Ship musical opened to widespread critical acclaim in Newcastle and toured around the provinces also visiting Dublin. The ’44/876′ album with Shaggy was released in April 2018 and the duo toured throughout the summer in Europe and North America with a number of shows in Central and South America. The album went on to win a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category.

Sting publicly opposed Brexit and supported remaining in the European Union. On 23 June 2016, in a referendum, the British public voted to leave. In October 2018, Sting was among a group of British musicians who signed an open letter sent to then Prime Minister Theresa May, drafted by Bob Geldof, calling for “a 2nd vote”, stating that Brexit will “impact every aspect of the music industry”.

Sting owns several homes worldwide, including Lake House and its sixty-acre estate near Salisbury, Wiltshire; a penthouse at 220 Central Park South in New York City; and the Villa Il Palagio estate in Figline Valdarno, Tuscany.

A keen chess player, Sting played chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in an exhibition game in 2000, along with four bandmates: Dominic Miller, Jason Rebello, Chris Botti and Russ Irwin. Kasparov beat all five simultaneously within fifty minutes

In March 2024, Sting announced the ‘STING 3.0’ Tour, a new dynamic era that showcasing his catalogue via a three piece combo alongside long time collaborator Dominic Miller on guitar and drummer Chris Maas. Dates in Europe began in the Spring and were followed by sell-out, multiple-night stints in some of the most legendary theatres across North America.

Sting has sold over 100 million records and singles. As a solo performer, he has released 15 albums between 1985 and 2021, most of which have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Important Dates In The Life Of Sting:

On this day in music
12 May 2024
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18 Sep 2023
Marilyn Manson was sentenced in New Hampshire for blowing his nose and spitting on a camerawoman. The musician would serve 20 hours of community service and pay around $1,400 (£1,100) in fines. According to a police report, Manson spat on the woman on 19 August 2019 as she filmed his performance at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. In a statement read in court, Ms Fountain said, "For him to spit on me and blow his nose on me was the most disgusting thing a human being has ever done."
21 Jul 2023
American singer Tony Bennett died at his home in New York City just two weeks short of his 97th birthday, following seven years of Alzheimer's disease. Bennett had the 1955 UK No.1 single 'Stranger In Paradise' and the 1965 UK No.25 single 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco'. In 1998, Bennett made an unlikely but highly successful appearance on the final day of a mud-soaked Glastonbury Festival in the UK dressed in an immaculate suit and tie, his whole set on this occasion consisting of songs about the weather. Bennett and Amy Winehouse recorded the duet 'Body and Soul' in March 2011 - the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011 at the age of 27. When the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 it made Bennett, at age 85, the oldest living artist ever to chart on the Hot 100.
21 Nov 2022
English singer, guitarist, songwriter Wilko Johnson died at the age of 75. Johnson was known for his distinctive guitar playing style which he achieved by not using a guitar pick but playing fingerstyle. With Dr Feelgood he had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk And Alcohol' and was a founding member of Solid Senders. Wilko stated in early 2013 that he had terminal cancer and was given just 10 months to live, and aptly announced he was going on a farewell tour. On 22 March 2013, Wilko played what he thought would be his final show guesting with Madness on the television programme Madness Live: Goodbye Television Centre which was broadcast on BBC Four. In Oct 2014 Johnson said he had been "cured" of the terminal pancreatic cancer.
28 Sep 2022
A Barcelona court ordered Shakira to stand trial for six alleged tax crimes, for allegations of tax fraud amounting to €14.5m (£12.9m). Spanish prosecutors said they wanted to jail the superstar for eight years and fine her €23.8m if she was found guilty. At the centre of this row was Shakira's residency status between 2012 and 2014, when prosecutors alleged that she was living in Spain but listing her official residence elsewhere.
20 Jan 2022
American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor Meat Loaf (Marvin Lee Aday) died aged 74. His record-breaking 1978 album Bat Out Of Hell spent 457 weeks on the UK album chart. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy of albums (consisting of Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose) has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, (his first album stayed on the charts for over nine years). In 1984, Meat Loaf legally changed his first name from Marvin to Michael because he was "haunted" by a Levi Strauss & Co. commercial which contained the line, "Poor fat Marvin can't wear Levi's."
12 Oct 2021
Irish musician, composer, and record producer Paddy Moloney died suddenly at a hospital in Dublin at the age of 83. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. Moloney aslo did session work for Mike Oldfield, Mick Jagger, Gary Moore, Paul McCartney, Sting, Don Henley and Stevie Wonder.
29 Aug 2021
Jamaican record producer and singer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry died from an unspecified illness, aged 85. He was noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style and was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks. He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, The Orb, and many others.
20 Jan 2021
Some of the UK's biggest music stars sent an open letter to the British government demanding action to ensure visa-free touring in the European Union. Sir Elton John, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Sting and Radiohead were among 110 artists who signed the letter. It said they had been "shamefully failed" by the government over post-Brexit travel rules for UK musicians.
3 May 2020
The Stranglers’ keyboard player Dave Greenfield died at the age of 71 after testing positive for coronavirus. Greenfield contracted COVID-19 following a prolonged stay in hospital for heart problems. He is best known as a long-standing member of the rock band and penning the music for their biggest hit 'Golden Brown'.
16 Aug 2019
A bandstand where David Bowie played soon after the release of his first hit single 'Space Oddity' was given a Grade II listing. The singer performed from the stand to a small audience in Croydon Road Recreation Ground on 16 August 1969. The bandstand was the centrepiece of a one-day festival, which Bowie helped to organise and later inspired him to write the seven-minute song, ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’.
12 Jul 2019
Tarazaga-Orero was arrested by police and remanded in custody for stalking former One Direction singer Harry Styles. The Spaniard had been sleeping ­on a bench near the London house owned by Styles and had been posting notes through his letter box for over two months. Permission was granted for Styles to give ­evidence from behind a screen during the trial.
10 Jun 2019
Ed Sheeran was the most-played artist in the UK in 2018, while ‘Feel It Still’ by Portugal The Man was 2018's most-played song. Sheeran topped the chart despite not releasing new music; and without an entry in the Top 10 most-played tracks, suggesting his entire catalogue of hits remains on rotation on the radio. It was the third time in four years that he's been the UK's most-played artist. Calvin Harris came second and Little Mix were third.
15 Mar 2019
George Michael's art collection sold at auction raising more than £11 million ($14,597,000) for charity at the London branch of Christie's auction house. The singer-songwriter was a major supporter of British artists, including the likes of Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst. The highest price was for The Incomplete Truth, a 2006 Hirst work consisting of a dove preserved in formaldehyde, which sold for £911,250.
15 Nov 2018
American singer and musician Roy Clark died aged 85 at his Tulsa home due to complications of pneumonia. He scored the 1969 US hit single, 'Yesterday, When I Was Young' and was best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997.
26 Dec 2017
Jim Burns, the co-creator of MTV's iconic MTV Unplugged series, famous for hosting shows by artists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Jay-Z died at the age of 65. He was struck by a taxi while crossing Fifth Avenue in Manhattan three days earlier walking with his seeing-eye dog near his Upper East Side home.
5 Nov 2017
American singer Robert Knight died age 72. He is best known for the 1967 US Top 20 hit 'Everlasting Love'. In the UK the song was an even bigger hit the following year when a version by Love Affair reached No.1, preventing Knight's version from progressing further than No. 40.
17 Oct 2017
Canadian rock musician Gord Downie died of glioblastoma aged 53. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip as well as releasing six solo albums. The bands final concert was held at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20 2016 and was broadcast and streamed live by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on television, radio and internet. It was viewed by an estimated 11.7 million people.
6 Jan 2017
Norway announced that it would become the first country in the world to gradually stop using the FM radio network. The move, which aimed to ditch the analogue platform in favour of a digital one called Digital Audio Broadcasting, would bring a clearer sound to the nation's five million people.
15 Jun 2016
Led Zeppelin's guitarist Jimmy Page denied stealing the riff to 'Stairway To Heaven' when he took the stand at a copyright trial in the US. The band were accused of lifting the opening guitar line from 'Taurus', a 1968 track by the band Spirit. Page testified that he had never heard the song until people started posting comparisons online a few years ago. Page admitted to owning several Spirit albums, but only remembered buying two of them, neither of which contained Taurus. Under questioning, he conceded that he did own a copy of the band's self-titled debut, on which the track appears, but could not recall how it came to be part of his collection.
4 Sep 2015
Cuban-born Jamaican ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez died aged 80. He recorded with many artists including Karl Pitterson, Prince Buster, and Lloyd "Matador" Daley. He was known as one of the first and most distinguished ska artists, and from the early 1960s performed and recorded in Britain, with the Specials, Jools Holland, Paul Young, and others.
21 Aug 2015
After the Westboro Baptist Church, famous for their anti-gay demonstrations, staged a protest before a Foo Fighters concert in Kansas City, the band responded by driving a truck in front of the demonstrators and Rickrolling them by blasting a version of Rick Astley's hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'
15 Jan 2015
American record producer, singer and musician Kim Fowley died of bladder cancer in Hollywood, California at the age of 75. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s. With Gary S. Paxton he recorded the novelty song ‘Alley Oop’, which reached No.1 on the charts in 1960 and was credited to the non-existent group the Hollywood Argyles. He arranged 'Nut Rocker' for B. Bumble and the Stingers, which became a No.1 hit in the UK in 1962.
22 Dec 2014
Joe Cocker died of lung cancer in Crawford, Colorado aged 70. The Sheffield-born singer was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance and definitive versions of popular songs of varying genre. Cocker had a career lasting more than 40 years, with hits including his cover of The Beatles' With a Little Help from My Friends, 'You Are So Beautiful' and 'Up Where We Belong'. He was made an OBE in 2011. In the early Sixties Cocker was performing as Vance Arnold. The name was a combination of Vince Everett, Elvis Presley's character in Jailhouse Rock (which Cocker misheard as Vance) and country singer Eddy Arnold.
21 Dec 2014
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish formally converted their civil partnership to a marriage hosting a ceremony at their Windsor estate in Berkshire. David and Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran, Lulu and actor David Walliams were among the guests.
10 Nov 2014
Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan was arrested and charged in connection with air rage on an Aer Lingus flight from JFK International Airport to Shannon Airport. During the flight, she grew verbally and physically abusive to the crew. When police were arresting her, she resisted, reminding them that her taxes paid their wages and shouting "I'm the Queen of Limerick! I'm an icon!", headbutting one Garda officer. Following her arrest, O'Riordan spent three weeks in a psychiatric hospital. She later pleaded guilty to the charges.
27 Oct 2014
The Last Ship, Sting's musical about shipbuilding in north-east England, opened on Broadway. The former frontman with The Police described watching the opening night as "an out-of-body experience". Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Blondie's Deborah Harry were among the first night audience at the Neil Simon Theatre.
26 Aug 2014
Kate Bush made her stage comeback at London's Hammersmith Apollo to an ecstatic response from fans at her first live concert for 35 years. Bush received a standing ovation as she closed the show with 'Cloudbusting', from her 1985 hit album The Hounds of Love. The 22 shows had completely sold out in less than fifteen minutes, after tickets were released in March of this year.
24 Aug 2014
Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight was injured in a shooting at a party that Chris Brown was hosting in Los Angeles. Another man and a woman, were also shot at the 1 Oak nightclub, West Hollywood. All three victims were treated at local hospitals.
21 Aug 2014
Sir Paul McCartney topped a list of the richest bassists in the world with estimated wealth of $1.2 billion according to the website www.therichest.com. Coming in at No.2 were Sting and Gene Simmons, both with a net worth of $300 million, followed by Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, U2's Adam Clayton and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
23 Jan 2014
Justin Bieber was arrested after racing his yellow Lamborghini against another sports car on a Miami Beach street. Police said the singer did not co-operate when pulled over also charged him with resisting arrest without violence and having an expired driving licence. The 19-year-old singer was granted bail set at $2,500 (£1,500).
29 Oct 2013
Hundreds of viewers complained about Lady Gaga's recent UK performance on The X Factor according to Ofcom. Around 200 people contacted the broadcasting watchdog about her outfit of shells and flesh-coloured underwear. Another 60 viewers complained directly to ITV about the singer's appearance, before the 9pm watershed.
4 Apr 2013
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman turned himself in to British police after reports emerged suggesting he began a sexual relationship with his second wife, Mandy Smith, when she was 14 years old. After a brief meeting, the authorities decided not to pursue charges.
15 Mar 2013
Friends of Lana Clarkson, the actress murdered by music producer Phil Spector, were protesting at a screening of the film about his trial. The movie, starring Al Pacino, focused on his relationship with his defence lawyer, played by Helen Mirren. But the group against the film said it was too sympathetic towards Spector's defence case. Clarkson's former publicist, Edward Lozzi, called the film a 'slap in the face'.
13 Mar 2013
Jimi Hendrix scored his highest chart debut since 1969 when his new studio album, People, Hell & Angels, consisting of unreleased tracks recorded with a variety of musicians between 1968 and 1970, sold 72,000 copies in the US on the week of release and made its debut at No.2 on the charts.
25 Sep 2012
Alpha Lorenzo Walker and Tamara Diaz, were sentenced to 292 days in jail and 3 years' probation after attempting to blackmail Stevie Wonder. The pair had created a video portraying Wonder in a negative light and were demanding $5 million under threat of releasing it to the public. The two men were caught in a sting operation.
22 May 2011
Four dead dogs in 'sealed containers' were found in the Tennessee home of former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent during an investigation that led to his arrest on charges of assaulting his wife. Vincent, a member of Kiss from 1982 to 1984, was released after posting $10,000 bond after his arrest by the Rutherford County Sheriff's Department.
12 Apr 2011
Foo Fighters released their seventh studio album Wasting Light. The album was preceded by the successful single 'Rope' which became only the second song ever to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart. Wasting Light earned four Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album.
17 Dec 2010
Sir Paul McCartney performed an intimate lunchtime gig at the 100 Club on London's Oxford Street, the historic music venue threatened with closure. Around 300 fans were treated to a set lasting almost two hours, in what was McCartney’s smallest gig in the UK for nearly 10 years. A campaign to keep the 100 Club open had attracted support from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Sir Mick Jagger.
15 Apr 2010
After receiving some bad reviews and even enduring some boos during her performance, Whitney Houston brushed off criticism of her first show in the UK in over eleven years by insisting she was playing to a 'tough crowd'. She had recently been hospitalized with chronic rhinopharyngitis, which is a swelling of the membranes in the nose and throat.
24 Aug 2009
The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide caused by a mix of drugs meant to treat insomnia. On February 8, 2010, Dr. Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles. Dr. Murray pleaded not guilty and was released after posting $75,000 bail, but would be found guilty in November, 2011 and was sentenced to four years in a Los Angeles County jail.
30 May 2009
Mick Jagger offered to buy an ice cream van but was turned down by its owner - who'd promised his daughter he would drive her to her wedding in it. Guiseppe Della Camera, had spent ten years restoring the rusting van to perfection after he spotted it on a farm - being used as a chicken shed. The restoration was such a success Sir Mick offered to buy the vehicle when he saw it at a show on Wandsworth Common. Camera said, 'Jagger told me he'd really fallen in love with my van and asked me if I would consider selling it. I was stunned when he offered me £100,000.
30 Oct 2007
Linda Stein, former co-manager of punk band the Ramones, was found beaten to death at her Manhattan apartment. Mrs Stein was the ex-wife of Seymour Stein, former president of Sire Records, which was the launching pad for the Ramones, Talking Heads and Madonna. Mrs Stein had become one of New York's leading estate agents, her clients included Sting and Billy Joel, long-time friend Sir Elton John told the New York Times he was "absolutely shocked and upset".
27 Oct 2007
Keith Richards marched with campaigners protesting against possible Sussex hospital cuts. The Stones guitarist joined 15,000 people for the walk through Chichester to oppose plans which could see St Richard's Hospital downgraded. A spokeswoman for the guitarist said: "Keith is a long-standing member of the West Wittering community and is pleased to lend his support to local efforts to save St Richard's Hospital.’
21 Oct 2007
Kid Rock and five members of his entourage were arrested after an argument with a man escalated into a fight in a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Kid Rock's tour bus was pulled over by police after it left the scene; Rock was released after posting $1,000 (£490) bail. Kid Rock also had the No.1 album on the US chart with 'Rock N Roll Jesus' his eleventh album release and first to debut at the top of the chart.
10 Oct 2007
Sting topped a list of the worst lyricists ever, for such alleged sins as name-dropping Russian novelist Vladimir Nabokov in The Police tune "Don't Stand So Close to Me," quoting a Volvo bumper sticker ("If You Love Someone Set Them Free"), and co-opting the works of Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare. The survey in Blender magazine placed Rush drummer Neil Peart at No. 2, Creed frontman Scott Stapp at No. 3 and Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at No. 4 saying Gallagher "seemed incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse."
5 Aug 2007
DNA testing on about a dozen people who claimed late soul star James Brown was their father revealed that at least two of them were telling the truth. A former adviser for the singer, Buddy Dallas, said he could not confirm exact figures, as further test results were forthcoming. His will, which was being disputed in court, named six children.
18 Jul 2007
Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler were ordered to pay their former chef compensation after losing a sexual discrimination case. Jane Martin, 41, was awarded £24,944 at an employment tribunal in Southampton, England after she was sacked by Miss Styler from the couple's estate in Wiltshire because she became pregnant.
2 Mar 2007
American R&B singer Kelis was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, after the singer started screaming racial obscenities at two female police officers who were working on an undercover operation on South Beach as prostitutes. Kelis was detained and charged with two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and for resisting arrest.
12 Feb 2007
During a press conference at West Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go club Sting confirmed that The Police were getting back together. The band were set to kick off a world tour on May 28 in Vancouver, Canada, supported by Sting's son Joe Sumner's band, Fiction Plane.
14 Aug 2006
Boy George was seen sweeping streets in New York as part of a five-day community service sentence. The former Culture Club frontman was moved into a fenced-off area after only 30 minutes after he was mobbed by the media. The 45-year-old singer was found guilty of wasting police time earlier this year and was threatened with jail if he failed to complete the court-imposed sentence.
7 Jul 2006
Syd Barrett died from complications arising from diabetes aged 60. The singer, songwriter, guitarist was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, active as a rock musician for only about seven years before he went into seclusion. He joined Pink Floyd in 1965 but left three years later after one album. Barrett released two solo albums before going into self-imposed seclusion lasting more than thirty years, with his mental deterioration blamed on drugs.
21 Dec 2005
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish became the first gay celebrities to register their relationship as a civil partnership. The 20 minute ceremony took place at The Guild Hall, Windsor, England, guest’s included Ringo Starr, Victoria Beckham, Joss Stone, Sting, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, George Michael and The Osbournes - Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly.
2 Jul 2005
The world's biggest music stars united in concerts around the world to put pressure on political leaders ahead of the G8 summit to tackle poverty in Africa. Concerts in 10 cities, including London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rome and Moscow played to hundreds of thousands of people. A TV audience of several hundred million watched the gigs. In London Pink Floyd, The Who, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Sting, The Scissor Sisters, Keane, and Paul McCartney performed. Philadelphia saw, Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Bon Jovi, Canada, Bryan Adams and Neil Young headlined, Bjork headlined in Tokyo and Green Day played in Berlin.
6 Jun 2005
John Bonham was voted at No. 1 in Classic Rock Magazine's '50 Greatest Drummers in Rock' listing Moby Dick as Bonham's defining moment. During live sets with Zeppelin his drum solo Moby Dick would often last for half an hour and regularly featured the use of his bare hands.
30 May 2005
Coldplay's new album was illegally put on the internet a week before its UK and US release. The leak took place on the day copies were sent to UK radio stations and the day before it went on sale in Japan. Security measures around the release included hosting album playbacks at Abbey Road studios for journalists instead of sending them copies of the album, any CDs that were sent out were labelled with a false name - The Fir Trees - to throw would-be pirates off the scent.
18 Apr 2004
R&B singer from New York Eamon started a four week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Fuck It, (I Don't Want You Back)' his debut single. The song earned a listing on the Guinness World Record for "the most expletives in a No.1 song", with 33.
1 Mar 2004
Michael Jackson unveiled a new website, www.mjjsource.com. The site featured a celebration of his music career plus news on his current criminal trial, including short biographies of his attorneys and a calendar listing upcoming court dates.
18 Nov 2003
American composer and orchestral arranger Michael Kamen died of a heart attack in London aged 55. Worked with Pink Floyd, Queen, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Eurythmics, Rush, Metallica, Herbie Hancock, The Cranberries, Bryan Adams, Jim Croce, Sting, and Kate Bush. Kamen co-wrote the Bryan Adams' ballad ‘(Everything I Do), I Do It for You.’
14 Jul 2003
Plans for Sting to write an official anthem for Tuscany came under fire by locals who insisted the job should go to an Italian and not a foreigner. The British pop star owned a house in Tuscany and had been nominated to compose the anthem by Franco Banchi who lived nearby.
13 Jun 2003
The elder statesman of music were rewarded in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours list for their services to music. Sting was awarded a CBE, Gerry Marsden an MBE, Errol Brown (Hot Chocolate) an MBE and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour a CBE.
5 Jun 2003
A Grandfather who set up his own pirate radio station in Wakefield, Yorkshire was under investigation by local broadcasting authorities. The man known as Ricky Rock had erected a 32ft transmitter in his garden and had been playing hits by The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Ricky said he set the station up because 'talent-less boy bands and dance music' featured on local stations did not cater to the tastes of his generation.
3 Jun 2003
Barry Manilow suffered a broken nose after he accidentally walked into a wall at his home in Palm Springs, California and knocked himself unconscious. Although he passed out for four hours, he didn't endure any lasting effects as doctors determined that surgery was not necessary.
31 Oct 2002
The mother of pop star Bjork ended a hunger strike she had staged to protest against plans for a by a US company to build a aluminum smelter and hydroelectric plant power plant in the Icelandic wilderness. Hildur Runa Hauksdottir began eating again after four week's of fasting.
23 Sep 2002
Musical winners at this years Oscars included, Sting who won Best Musical Performance for 'Sting In Tuscany...All This Time' and the Best Reality TV Show went to The Osbournes.
4 Jun 2002
Wyclef Jean was one of ten people arrested for disorderly conduct in a New York rally protesting cuts to education. Jean was arrested and led away in handcuffs following an attempt to perform, which was forbidden by the event’s permit. P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu, Foxy Brown and the Wu-Tang Clan were also at the rally to show their support and protest a proposed $1.2 billion (‘0.7 billion) cut to New York’s public education system.
3 Jun 2002
Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, The Corrs, Will Young, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7 all appeared at The Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, London.
2 Jan 2002
Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested in a Tampa, Florida night-club after being involved in a fight. Police said that Carter was arguing with a woman and when they asked him to leave, he continued arguing. He was arrested on a misdemeanour count of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.
18 Dec 2001
English singer songwriter Clifford T. Ward died aged 57 after suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1984. His first album, Singer Songwriter, was released in 1972 on Dandelion Records (a label formed by the late disc jockey John Peel). He had the 1973 UK No.8 single 'Gaye'. Working as an English teacher in the late 60’s, one of his pupils was the future wife of Sting, Trudie Styler.
7 Aug 2001
Harmonica player Larry Adler died aged 87. Known for his original collaborations with George Gershwin, Kate Bush, Sting and Vaughan Williams and his own virtuoso performances.
22 Feb 2001
Winners at the 43rd Grammy Awards included U2, record of the year and song of the year with 'Beautiful Day', Steely Dan won album of the year for Two Against Nature, Macy Gray won Female pop vocal for 'I Try', Sting won Male pop vocal for 'She Walks This Earth', Eminem won Best Rap album from The Marshall Mathers LP, Johnny Cash won Best Male country performance for Solitary Man, and Shelby Lynne won best new artist award.
29 Jan 2001
A New York based data company issued a chart listing sales of posthumous albums. The idea came about after radio stations wanted to distinguish between proper recordings when the artists were alive and CD's released after they died. Mike Shalett founder of SoundScan said there was only one problem. What to call the chart. The Top 5 chart had The Doors at No.5, Eva Cassidy at 4, Jimi Hendrix at 3, Bob Marley at 2 and 2Pac at No.1.
22 Dec 2000
Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle, Scotland. Celebrities attending the wedding included Jon Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Sting and fashion designers Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier and Stellla McCartney. The couple divorced in Nov 2008.
3 Jun 2000
Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw were arrested in Buffalo, New York after Chesney ran away with a Mounted Reserve deputy's horse, and McGraw attacked deputies that tried to corral him. Chesney asked to sit on the horse outside Ralph Wilson Stadium and the daughter of the deputy gave him permission to do so. Then Chesney mounted the horse and rode away. He was told to stop, but ignored the orders from the other deputies, the deputies were then attacked by McGraw and members of his entourage. Chesney was charged with disorderly conduct and released on bail. McGraw was charged with second-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, menacing and resisting arrest. He was released on $2,500 bail.
24 May 2000
A New York Judge told Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde that if she wanted her March arrest for protesting the sale of leather goods in a Gap store dismissed, she'd better keep her nose clean for the next six months.
24 Feb 2000
Carlos Santana won eight awards at this years Grammy Awards for his Supernatural album. Before Supernatural, the guitarist had not had a Top 10 album since 1981. Sting won two awards, one for best pop album and another for best male pop vocalist. Sir Elton John won the legend award and Phil Collins the best soundtrack award for Tarzan.
15 Feb 2000
Sting pulled out of a concert in Vienna in protest at the inclusion of Jorg Haider's far right freedom party in Austria's new government. Lou Reed had also cancelled shows in the country.
4 Oct 1999
It was reported that the sister of Jimi Hendrix was planning to exhume her brothers body and move it to a pay-to view mausoleum. Other plans for the new site included a chance for fans to buy one of burial plots around the guitarist's new resting-place.
16 Jun 1999
58-year-old singer-turned-politician Screaming Lord Sutch took his own life. He was the first long-haired pop star-boasting hair over 18 inches long and the self-styled lord (real name David Sutch), was Britain's longest-serving political leader, standing in nearly 40 elections.
23 Feb 1998
All members of Oasis were banned for life from flying Cathay Pacific Airlines after "abusive and disgusting behaviour" during a flight from Hong Kong to Perth, Australia.
12 Sep 1997
Founder of the Polar Music record label, songwriter, producer and ABBA's manager Stig Anderson died of a heart attack. Anderson co-wrote some of ABBA's biggest hits, such as ‘Waterloo’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘S.O.S’, ‘Fernando’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ and ‘The Name of the Game.’ His funeral was broadcast live on Swedish television an honour otherwise only reserved for distinguished statesmen or royalty.
28 Jun 1997
The Pink Floyd album The Dark Side Of The Moon spent its 1056th week on the US album chart. It was rumoured at the time that if the album was played while watching The Wizard of Oz movie, and started exactly when the MGM lion roared the third time during the movie's intro, very interesting connections could be made between the two.
27 Jun 1997
Radiohead, Cast, The Bluetones, Manson, The Chemical Brothers, Ash, The Seahorses, Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Dodgy, Travis, Ray Davies, Kula Shaker, Steve Winwood all appeared at the 3-day Glastonbury Festival.
28 Aug 1996
Issac Hayes, who co-wrote the Sam and Dave's classic 'Soul Man', sent a protest letter to presidential candidate Bob Dole, requesting Dole to stop using his song, which supporters had changed to 'I'm A Dole Man.'
17 Oct 1995
Sting's former accountant Keith Moore was sentenced to six years in jail after being found guilty of embezzling £6 million from the singer's 108 bank accounts.
20 May 1995
Don Henley from the Eagles married model Sharon Summerall. Guests included Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, David Crosby, Randy Newman, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Sting and Sheryl Crow.
7 Feb 1994
Blind Melon's lead singer Shannon Hoon was forced to leave the American Music Awards ceremony for his loud and disruptive behaviour. Hoon was later charged with battery, assault, resisting arrest, and destroying a police station phone.
18 Jan 1993
Elton John resigned his directorship of Watford Football Club. Having supported Watford Football Club since growing up locally, Elton John became the club's chairman and director in 1976, investing large sums of money as the club rose three divisions into the English First Division.
22 Aug 1992
Stingand Trudie Styler held their wedding reception, (the couple married on 20th August 1992), after The Troggs had played a set, all three members of The Police got on stage and played a couple of numbers.
17 Aug 1991
Nirvana shot the video for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' at GMT Studios in Culver City, California, costing less than $50,000 to make, the shoot features real Nirvana fans as the audience. The video won Nirvana the Best New Artist and Best Alternative Group awards at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2000 the Guinness World Records named 'Teen Spirit' the Most Played Video on MTV Europe.
27 Feb 1991
James Brown was paroled after spending two years of a six-year prison sentence, imposed for resisting arrest after a car chase across two States.
19 Jul 1989
James Brown changed accommodations behind bars after $40000 in cash and cheques was discovered in his minimum security cell. The Godfather of Soul had been given a six year sentence the previous December after several run-ins with the law, including illegal gun possession, resisting arrest, assault and leading the authorities on a number of car chases. His new home was at a medium security cell at the Stevenson Correctional Institute.
15 Dec 1988
Soul singer James Brown was sentenced to six years in prison for various offences including possession of weapons and resisting arrest.
2 Sep 1988
The Human Rights Now! world tour kicked off at Wembley Stadium London with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssu n'Dour. Taking in five continents and claimed to be the most ambitious rock tour in history.
19 May 1988
James Brown was arrested for the fifth time in 12 months, following a car chase near his home, he was charged with assault, resisting arrest and being in charge of illegal weapons, he was given a 6 year jail sentence.
4 Nov 1987
U2 were on the front cover of UK pop magazine 'Smash Hits', which also had features on the Pet Shop Boys, Wet Wet Wet, T'Pau, Sting and Black. Reviewed in the new singles page The Smiths 'I Started Something I Couldn't Finish'.
24 Oct 1987
Sting went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his third solo release 'Nothing Like The Sun.' The title comes from Shakespeare's Sonnet No.130 ("My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"), which Sting used in the song "Sister Moon". The album won Best British Album at the 1988 Brit Awards.
4 Jun 1986
The first of a six date Conspiracy of Hope tour was held at Cow Palace, San Francisco, California. The benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International were held to increase awareness of Amnesty on the 25th anniversary of its work for human rights. The shows were headlined by U2 and Sting, and also featured Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers.
21 Dec 1985
Bruce Springsteen's album, Born in the USA passed Michael Jackson's Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP on the Billboard US Top 10. It stayed there for 79 weeks. Only The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews lasted longer at 109 weeks.
28 Sep 1985
Kate Bush scored her second UK No.1 album with 'Hounds Of Love'. The singers second No.1 album featured the tracks 'Running Up That Hill', 'Cloudbusting', 'Hounds of Love' and 'The Big Sky'.
16 Sep 1985
Kate Bush released her fifth studio album Hounds of Love. The album's lead single, 'Running Up That Hill', became one of Bush's biggest hits and the album produced three further successful singles, 'Cloudbusting', 'Hounds of Love', and 'The Big Sky'. NME placed Hounds of Love 48th on their "500 Greatest Albums of All-Time" list.
10 Aug 1985
'Money for Nothing' by Dire Straits peaked at No.4 on the UK singles chart. Notable for its groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting singing the song's falsetto introduction and backing chorus, "I want my MTV" who also co-wrote the song with Mark Knopfler. The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on 1 August 1987.
31 Dec 1984
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen crashed his Corvette Stingray, on the A57 outside Sheffield, Allen lost his left arm in the accident. Allen was on his way to a New Year's Eve party at his family's home when a Jaguar passed him. The driver had been egging Allen on and would not allow him to pass. In his rage to pass this driver, he did not see a turn up ahead and lost control of his car. He was thrown from the car, with his left arm severed due to the seatbelt not being properly fastened.
15 Dec 1984
Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid entered the UK chart at No.1 and stayed at the top for five weeks. It became the biggest selling UK single of all time with sales over 3 and a half million. Band Aid was masterminded by former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who had been moved by a TV news story of famine in Ethiopia. Geldof had the idea of raising funds with a one-off charity single featuring the cream of the current pop world. Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Paul Young, Culture Club, George Michael, Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Bananarama all appeared on the recording.
25 Nov 1984
The cream of the British pop world gathered at S.A.R.M. Studios, London to record the historic Do They Know It's Christmas? The single, which was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, featured Paul Young, Bono, Boy George, Sting and George Michael. It went on to sell over three million copies in the UK, becoming the bestselling record ever, and raised over £8 million ($13.6 million) worldwide.
11 Nov 1983
Mick Jagger appeared on the UK TV show The Tube to defend the video to The Rolling Stones latest single 'Undercover Of The Night' which had been banned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The Tube aired the video, minus the scene where Mick was shot through the head. The single peaked at No.8 on the UK chart.
9 Jul 1983
The Police started an eight week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Every Breath You Take' also No.1 in the UK. Taken from the bands album Synchronicity, Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
4 Jun 1983
The Police started a four week run at No.1 in the UK with 'Every Breath You Take' the group's fifth and final No.1 single. Taken from the bands album Synchronicity, Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
22 Jan 1983
The new 24-hour music video network MTV started broadcasting to the West Coast of America after being picked up by Group W Cable, Los Angeles.
19 Mar 1982
Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and former Quiet Riot member Randy Rhoads was killed when the plane he was riding in crashed. After driving much of the night, the band had stopped near a small airstrip. The tour bus driver, Andrew Aycock, talked the band's keyboardist, Don Airey, into taking a test flight in a '55 Beechcraft Bonanza, the joyride ended, and the plane landed safely. Then Aycock took Rhoads and Rachel Youngblood on another flight and attempts were made to 'buzz' the tour bus. The left wing clipped the bus, which sent the plane spiralling into a nearby house and bursting into flames. All three bodies were burned beyond recognition, and were identified by dental records.
23 Aug 1980
David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Ashes To Ashes' his second UK No.1. Taken from the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album, the song continued the story of Major Tom from Bowie's 'Space Oddity'. The video for 'Ashes to Ashes' was one of the most iconic of the 1980s and costing £250,000, it was at the time the most expensive music video ever made.
4 Nov 1979
The Police released 'Walking on the Moon' as the second single from their second studio album, Reggatta de Blanc which became the band's second No.1 hit in the UK. Sting has said that he wrote the song when he was drunk one night after a concert in Munich. The following morning, he remembered the song and wrote it down.
14 Sep 1979
The film Quadrophenia was released. Based on The Who's 1973 rock opera the film featured Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and Sting.
14 Aug 1978
The Police released their third single 'Can't Stand Losing You' as the follow-up single to 'Roxanne' which when released the following year peaked at No.2 on the UK chart. Written by singer and bassist Sting as a song about suicide, the song gained minor controversy for its single cover art, featuring Stewart Copeland hanging himself.
7 Apr 1978
The Police released 'Roxanne' as the first single from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour. The song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute. The title came from the name of the character in the play Cyrano de Bergerac, which Sting saw on an old poster which was hanging in a hotel foyer in Paris, France where the group had been staying. The song failed to chart but when re-released in 1979, peaked at No.12 on the UK Singles Chart.
31 May 1977
The BBC announced a ban on the new Sex Pistols single 'God Save The Queen' saying it's, "in gross bad taste". And the IBA issued a warning to all radio stations saying the playing the single would be in breach of Section 4:1:A of the Broadcasting act. The single reached No.2 on the UK chart.
28 May 1977
Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howlett's band, Strontium 90 in Paris France. Emerging in the British new wave scene Sting, Copeland and Summers formed The Police and became globally popular from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
26 Dec 1976
The Sex Pistols recorded 'God Save The Queen' at Wessex Studios London, England. The song was released during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977. The record's lyrics, as well as the cover, were controversial at the time, and both the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority refused to play the song. The song reached No.1 on the NME charts.
23 Nov 1976
Ten hours after his last arrest, Jerry Lee Lewis was nicked again after brandishing a Derringer pistol outside Elvis Presley's Graceland's home in Memphis, demanding to see the 'King'. When police arrived they found Lewis sat in his car with the loaded Derringer pistol resting on his knee.
29 Sep 1976
Enjoying his own birthday celebrations singer Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shot his bass player Norman Owens in the chest. Lewis had been blasting holes in an office door. Owens survived but sued his boss.
3 Apr 1975
Steve Miller was charged with setting fire to the clothes of a friend, Benita Diorio. When police arrived at Miller's house, Diorio was putting out the flames, Miller then got into a fight with some of the policemen and was charged with resisting arrest.
17 Nov 1973
The Who's double album Quadrophenia entered the UK album chart peaking at No.2. One of two two full-scale rock operas from The Who (the other being the 1969 ‘Tommy’). The 1979 film based on the story stars Phil Daniels, Toyah Willcox, Ray Winstone, Michael Elphick and Sting.
14 Dec 1971
Led Zeppelin IV was riding high in the Top 10 of the US album charts. In 2006, the album was rated No.1 on Classic Rock magazine's '100 Greatest British Albums' poll, and No.1 in a poll conducted by Guitar World. The album has now sold over 23 million copies in the US. The typeface for the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven, printed on the inside sleeve of the album, was Jimmy Page's contribution. He found it in an old arts and crafts magazine from the late 19th century. He thought the lettering was interesting and arranged for a designer to create a whole alphabet.
21 May 1971
Marvin Gaye released his eleventh studio album What's Going On. The concept album consisting of nine songs tells the story from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. What's Going On is regarded as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history, and one of the greatest albums of the 20th century.
21 Dec 1970
A stretch limousine carrying Elvis Presley pulled up outside the White House in Washington, D.C. The driver handed over a letter from Elvis addressed to President Nixon requesting a meeting to discuss how the King of Rock and Roll could help Nixon fight drugs. The President agreed to give Presley a Narcotics Bureau badge - but only after learning that the chief of the narcotics bureau had turned down the same request earlier that day and told Presley the only person who could overrule his decision was the President. At Elvis' request, the meeting remained secret for more than a year, until the Washington Post broke the story on January 27th, 1972.
30 May 1970
Ray Stevens went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Everything Is Beautiful'. The former DJ had a string of novelty hits, including 'Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green & Purple Pill'.
4 May 1970
Four students at Kent University were killed and eleven wounded by National Guard troops at a campus demonstration protesting the escalation of the Vietnam War. The incident inspired Neil Young to compose 'Ohio' which became a hit for Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
22 Jul 1969
Aretha Franklin was arrested for causing a disturbance in a Detroit parking lot. After posting 50-dollars bail, she ran down a road sign while leaving the police station.
4 Jun 1969
In Glenrowan, Australia, hundreds of people signed a petition protesting against the casting of Mick Jagger in the role of the Australian folk hero Ned Kelly in the film of the same name. The film, directed by Tony Richardson, was released in October 1970.
16 Apr 1969
Elektra Records dropped Detroit's MC5 from their label after the band took out an advertisement in a local paper that included the company logo and said; 'Fuck Hudsons.' The band were protesting at the Michigan department store's refusal to stock their albums.
30 Jan 1969
The Beatles with Billy Preston, played their lunchtime rooftop gig on top of the Apple building on Savile Row, London. Lasting for just over 40 minutes it was the last time The Beatles performed live. The played ‘Get Back’, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’, ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’, ‘The One After 909’ and ‘Dig A Pony’. Traffic was brought to a standstill as crowds of people gathered below and watched from windows in nearby buildings. John Lennon ended the performance by saying "I’d like to say ‘Thank you’ on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition."
8 Jul 1968
Pink Floyd kicked off their first 20-date North American tour at the Kinetic Playground in Chicago. The club became a driving force in the music business, hosting famous rock acts such as The Doors, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Byrds, Janis Joplin, The Mothers of Invention, Grateful Dead, MC5, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Fleetwood Mac, Muddy Waters, Vanilla Fudge and Jefferson Airplane.
26 Dec 1967
BBC Television broadcast The Beatles movie ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ in black and white. The next day, the British press and the viewing public pronounce the film an utter disaster. The negative reaction was so strong that a US television deal for broadcasting the movie was cancelled.
14 Aug 1967
All UK offshore pirate radio stations were closed down when the marine broadcasting act came into force. Radio Caroline continued to broadcast until March 68.
10 Jun 1967
The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band went to No.1 in the UK. Costing £25,000 ($42,500) to produce the album was recorded over 700 hours of studio time. It was also the first album to print the lyrics on the sleeve. The album spent 27 weeks at No.1 on the UK chart.
26 May 1967
The Beatles released Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in the UK. Recorded over a 129-day period beginning in December 1966, the album is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time and was the first Beatles album where the track listings were exactly the same for the UK and US versions. As of 2011, it has sold more than 32 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in history.
31 Jan 1967
The Beatles spent a second day at Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, England to complete filming for the 'Strawberry Fields Forever' promotional video. The film was shot in colour, for the benefit of the US market, since UK television was still broadcasting only in black and white. Taking time out from filming John Lennon bought an 1843 poster from an antique shop in Surrey which provided him with most of the lyrics for The Beatles song Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite.
6 Dec 1966
The Beatles recorded Christmas and New Year's greetings for pirate radio stations Radio Caroline and Radio London. Both stations were broadcasting from ships anchored off the British coastline.
8 Aug 1966
In response to John Lennon's remark about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus, The South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles records. Also on this day The Beatles LP Revolver was released in the US, the bands seventh album featured: ‘Taxman’, ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘I'm Only Sleeping’, ‘Here, There and Everywhere’, ‘She Said She Said’, ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. It spent 77 weeks on the Billboard chart peaking at No.1.
3 Dec 1965
The Who released their debut studio album My Generation in the UK. In the United States, it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. In 2003 it was named the second greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine.
12 Nov 1965
The Velvet Underground made their live debut when they played at Summit High School, New Jersey, the band were paid $75 for the gig. Opening for the American garage rock band Myddle Class, when they decided to take the gig, drummer Angus MacLise abruptly left the group, protesting what he considered a sellout; he was also unwilling to be told when to start and stop playing.
28 Aug 1965
Bob Dylan played the first night of a 40 date North American tour at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York City. Dylan played the first set solo and was backed by a band consisting of Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Harvey Brooks and Al Kooper in the second set. This format, one acoustic and one electric set was kept through-out the tour.
24 Mar 1965
The Temptations released 'Its Growing', the follow-up to 'My Girl'. The track was the first to feature David Ruffin as the Temptations new lead singer. Interestingly both 'My Girl' and 'Its Growing' were the only Motown tunes ever covered by Otis Redding.
20 Jan 1965
American disc jockey Alan Freed died from uraemia and cirrhosis brought on by alcoholism at the age of 42. Freed called himself the "father of rock and roll", and appeared in the movies such as Rock Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Rock. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s.
6 Aug 1964
Rod Stewart made his TV debut on the BBC show The Beat Room as a member of The Hoochie Coochie Men. The tapes of all but one of the programmes were later destroyed. The only remaining programme (originally broadcast on 5 October 1964) featured Tom Jones, Julie Rogers, The Kinks, John Lee Hooker, and The Syndicats. The show also featured a sextet of female dancers, the Beat Girls formed from an existing group, the Katy-Dids.
2 Aug 1964
After an intense search the bodies of Jim Reeves and Dean Manuel were found in the wreckage of an aircraft and, at 1:00 p.m. local time, radio stations across the United States announced Reeves' death formally. The single-engine Beechcraft Debonair aircraft, with Reeves at the controls had crashed 42 hours earlier during a thunderstrom. Thousands of people travelled to pay their last respects at his funeral two days later. The coffin, draped in flowers from fans, was driven through the streets of Nashville and then to Reeves' final resting place near Carthage, Texas.
8 Feb 1964
With 'Louie Louie' by The Kingsmen under FBI investigation for containing obscene lyrics, the song's publishers offered $1,000 to anyone who could definitively distinguish the dirty words.
26 Oct 1962
The Rolling Stones (known as The Rollin' Stones), and consisting of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman recorded their first demo tape at Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury, London. They recorded three songs, Jimmy Reed's 'Close Together', Bo Diddley's 'You Cant Judge A Book By The Cover' and Muddy Waters' 'Soon Forgotten.'
31 May 1962
The Beatles played the last night of a 7-week run at the Star-Club, Hamburg, West Germany. During their residency they would play for four-and-a-half hours on weekdays and six hours on Saturdays, with some songs lasting over 20 minutes to fill out the time.
16 May 1962
B Bumble and the Stingers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Nut Rocker.' The instrumental was based on Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker Suite.'
31 Aug 1957
Elvis Presley appeared at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. This was only the third time ever Presley had performed outside of the U.S. and for Elvis it would be the last. 26,000 fans attended the show with tickets costing $1.50, $2.50 and $3.50.
16 Feb 1957
Disc jockey Pete Murray began hosting BBC television's first Rock 'n' Roll music program The Six-Five Special, named for the time the show began, five minutes after six. The show was given air-time immediately after the abolition of what was called the Toddlers' Truce, which had seen television stop between 6 and 7pm so children could be put to bed.
24 May 1956
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. The event was the brainchild of Marcel Baisoncon of the European Broadcasting Union. Seven countries participated and they were each allowed two songs. Both Luxembourg and the winner Switzerland used the same singer for both. Switzerland won with 'Refrain' by Lys Assia.
25 Mar 1955
The movie Blackboard Jungle was released, remembered for its innovative use of rock and roll in its soundtrack, for casting grown adults as high school teens, and for the unique breakout role of a black cast member, film icon Sidney Poitier, as a rebellious yet musically talented student. The song Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley which was featured in the film became the first ever rock song to chart at No.1.
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