This Day In Music Search

Being Funny in a Foreign Language, the fifth studio album by English band the 1975 was at No.1 on the UK charts. Several publications, such as NME, Billboard, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Variety listed it as one of the best releases of the year. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.

Scottish singer, songwriter Lewis Capaldi achieved his first No.1 single in the US with ‘Someone You Loved’ after the track had spent 23 weeks in the US charts before reaching the top. The singer celebrated by painting his face in the style of the Stars and Stripes.

A letter John Lennon wrote to the Queen explaining why he was returning his MBE was found tucked in a record sleeve from a £10 car boot haul. The anonymous owner took the document to a valuation day at The Beatles Story in Liverpool and discovered it was worth about £60,000. Lennon had returned the MBE in protest at Britain's involvement in a civil war.

The Pet Shop Boys' Always On My Mind was voted the top cover version of all time in a BBC Music vote. The song, written by John Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, was first made famous by Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley in 1972. Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt' came in second place, followed by The Stranglers' version of Dionne Warwick's 'Walk On By'. Jimi Hendrix's take on Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower' came fourth and Jeff Buckley's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah completed the top five.

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.

Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed died at the age of 71. An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, he underwent a liver transplant in Cleveland in April 2013. Afterwards he claimed on his website to be 'bigger and stronger' than ever. After leaving The Velvet Underground Reed would go on to a much more commercially successful solo career, releasing twenty solo studio albums. His second, Transformer (1972), was produced by David Bowie and arranged by Mick Ronson and brought him mainstream recognition. The album is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, 'Walk on the Wild Side'.

Eric Clapton pulled out of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert in New York City after he underwent an operation to remove gallstones. His place at the Madison Square Garden gig was taken by Jeff Beck.

Former Moloko singer Roisin Murphy was recovering in hospital after damaging her eye socket during a show in Russia. The singer hit her head on a chair during the show at Moscow's Ikra Club and was rushed to hospital for surgery. A spokesman said she lost "a lot of blood" and had severe concussion, but her vision was unaffected and she was "recovering well".

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.’

Amy Winehouse released her second and final studio album Back to Black. The album spawned five singles: 'Rehab', 'You Know I'm No Good', 'Back to Black', 'Tears Dry on Their Own' and 'Love Is a Losing Game' and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Back to Black sold 3.58 million copies in the UK alone, becoming the UK's second best-selling album of the 21st century. Worldwide, the album has sold over 20 million copies.

The distributor of rapper 50 Cent's new film said it would remove posters advertising the film after complaints they glorify gun violence. Posters for 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' showed 50 Cent holding a gun in his left hand and a microphone the other. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich wrote to Paramount Pictures, urging them to take down the posters. The company said it had taken down one poster near a Los Angeles nursery school, and planned to remove more.

Scott Weiland singer with The Stone Temple Pilots was arrested on his birthday in Hollywood, California, after being involved in a traffic collision. He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but these charges were later dismissed after the singer successfully completed rehab and underwent subsequent drug tests.

American record producer Tom Dowd died of emphysema. He recorded albums by many artists including: Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny & Cher, The Rascals, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters and Otis Redding.

Lonnie Donegan went to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE for his services to pop music. Lonnie pioneered skiffle in the 1950s and inspired a generation of teenagers to start bands.

Bo Diddley took his ex-manager to court claiming he had taken $75,000 through unauthorised personal expenses.

U2 bass player Adam Clayton was convicted of a drink driving offence by a Dublin court after being found driving twice over the legal limit. He was fined £500 and banned from driving for 1 year

U2's film 'Rattle And Hum', received its world wide premiere in the group's hometown Dublin.

During a US tour Grateful Dead allocated a specific recording area for fans to bootleg the show; tonight's gig was in Berkeley, California.

Mark Chapman bought a five-shot .38 special for $169. A little over six weeks later, he would use the gun to kill John Lennon outside his New York City apartment.

Former T. Rex member Steve Took, choked to death on a cherry stone, after some magic mushrooms he had eaten, numbed all sensation in his throat, he was aged 31. Took was also a member of The Deviants with Pink Fairies members Twink and Mick Farren.

During a US tour Elton John collapsed on stage at Hollywood's Universal Amphitheatre suffering from exhaustion.

American musician Roy Estrada known as a founding member of Little Feat and who also worked with Frank Zappa was convicted of sexual assault on a child. Estrada served six years in prison. In January 2012, he pleaded guilty to a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child which happened in March 2008. In the plea bargain agreement, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and is not eligible for parole

Baccara were at No.1 in the UK singles chart with Yes Sir, I Can Boogie. They were the first Spanish act to score a UK No.1, and the first female duo to do so. 'Yes Sir, I Can Boogie' is also one of the thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.

After releasing the single and album Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen had the rare honour of simultaneous covers on both Time and Newsweek magazines in the US.

Gladys Knight and the Pips started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Midnight Train To Georgia'. It was the group's 18th Top 40 hit and first No.1. The record won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus and has become Knight's signature song.

Blues musician Muddy Waters was seriously injured in a car crash in Champagne, Illinois. Three of his companions in the vehicle were killed in the accident.

The Four Tops were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Reach Out I'll Be There.' The group's only UK No.1.

31 year old Salvatore Philip Bono married 18 year old Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere. For a time they performed together as Caesar and Cleo before changing the name of their act to Sonny & Cher. Their union lasted 12 years.

The Crickets started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'That'll Be The Day'. It was also a No.3 hit in the US where it went on to sell over a million. The song was inspired by a trip to the movies by Holly, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis in June 1956. The John Wayne film The Searchers was playing and Wayne's frequently-used, world-weary catchphrase, "that'll be the day" inspired the young musicians.

British television personality, singer, actress, and fashion designer Kelly Osbourne. The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she came to prominence while appearing on the reality show The Osbournes (2002–2005) with her family. She had the 2002 UK No.3 single 'Papa Don't Preach', and the 2003 UK No.1 with Ozzy Osbourne, (a Black Sabbath song) 'Changes'.

British singer, actress Sabrina Washington, from British girl group Mis-Teeq, who had the 2001 UK No.2 single 'All I Want' and seven consecutive top-ten singles. In the US, the group had had two top 5 hits on the US Billboard Dance Charts with 'One Night Stand' peaking at No. 4 and 'Scandalous' peaking at No. 2.

American singer and songwriter Scott Weiland, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots and the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver who had the 2004 US No.1 & UK No.11 album Contraband. Weiland has also established himself as a solo artist, releasing three studio albums, a cover album, and collaborations with several other musicians. Weiland's career was plagued by substance abuse issues, leading to various high-profile arrests and his firings from both Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots. Weiland died on December 3, 2015 after being found in cardiac arrest on his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota, just before he was scheduled to go on stage with his band The Wildabouts. He was 48 years old.

English singer-songwriter Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran. Emerging as one of the most successful bands of the New Romantic scene in the early 1980s, they scored the 1983 UK No.1 single 'Is There Something I Should Know', plus have had over 25 other UK Top 40 singles. Their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, became their only UK No.1 album and featured the US and UK No.1 single 'The Reflex'. In 1985, the band topped the US charts with the single 'A View to a Kill' from the soundtrack of the James Bond film of the same title. Le Bon was also a member of its offshoot Arcadia, who had the 1985 UK No.7 single 'Election Day'. Le Bon went to Pinner County Grammar School, the same school that Elton Johnattended some years earlier. He has received three Ivor Novello Awards, including the award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He also received an MBE in 2024.

English dance-pop singer, Hazell Dean who achieved her biggest success in the 1980s as a leading hi-NRG artist. She is best known for the top-ten hits in the UK, 'Searchin' (I Gotta Find a Man)', 'Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)' and 'Who's Leaving Who'.

Peter Dodd, guitarist and singer with The Thompson Twins, who scored the 1984 UK No.2 single 'You Take Me Up' and the 1984 US No.3 single, 'Hold Me Now'. The band's name was based on the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson (who are close doubles, not twins) in the English-language version of The Adventures of Tintin.

American record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Bill Bottrell. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Electric Light Orchestra, George Harrison, Starship, Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow. Bottrell was a co-writer of Michael Jackson's hit 'Black or White' and also worked on Jackson's Bad album.

K. K. Downing, English guitarist and songwriter, and one of the founding members of the British heavy metal band Judas Priest. Downing officially left Judas Priest in 2011.

American musician and record producer Garry Tallent who is the bass player with the Bruce Springsteen E Street Band. He started playing with Springsteen in 1971 and as of 2013, and not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent is the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band.

American musician Byron Allred, who played keyboards with the Steve Miller Band. They had the 1974 US No.1 & 1990 UK No.1 single 'The Joker'. The band's album Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, has sold over 13 million copies. He died in 2021.

American pianist Floyd Cramer. His signature playing style was a cornerstone of the pop-oriented "Nashville sound" of the 1950s and 1960s. He scored the 1961 UK No.1 single 'On The Rebound'. He became one of a cadre of elite players dubbed the Nashville A-Team and performed on scores of hit records. He worked with Elvis Presley on 'Heartbreak Hotel' and other hits. Cramer died on 31st December 1997.

American musical pioneer Bonnie Lou. She is recognised as one of the first female rock and roll singers. She is also one of the first artists to gain crossover success from country music to rock and roll and was a prime mover in the first days of rockabilly, and is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 1954, she recorded the song 'Two-Step Side-Step', written by Murry Wilson, father of the Beach Boys Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson.