This Day In Music Search

American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor Toby Keith died in his sleep in Oklahoma, at the age of 62. His chart-topping debut 'Should've Been a Cowboy', topped the US country charts and was the most-played country song of the 1990s. The song has received three million spins since then, according to Broadcast Music Incorporated. Keith released 19 studio albums and charted 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 20 No.1 hits. In June 2022, Keith announced that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Beyoncé won four Grammys breaking the record for most all-time Grammy wins with 32. Other winners at the event held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles included Harry Styles who won Album of the Year for Harry's House, becoming the first male British solo artist to win since George Michael in 1989. Lizzo won Record of the Year for 'About Damn Time', becoming the first black woman to win the award since Whitney Houston in 1994 and Bonnie Raitt won Song of the Year for 'Just Like That'.

A new species of black tarantula that lives near Folsom Prison, California, was named after Johnny Cash. Aphonopelma johnnycashi was among 14 new tarantula species from the southern US which were described by biologists in the journal ZooKeys.

INXS guitarist Tim Farriss said he may never play the guitar properly again after severing his finger in a boating accident. Farriss caught his left hand while operating a winch on his boat in Sydney, severing his ring finger. He had undergone surgery twice to try to reattach the finger but had been left with permanent hand damage.

American musician Paul Tanner died of pneumonia at the age of 95. He was a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra and later developed and played the Electro-Theremin, an electronic musical instrument that mimics the sound of the theremin. He can be heard performing on the opening title theme music of the 1963-66 CBS-TV comedy series My Favorite Martian. His Theremin playing is also featured on several recordings by The Beach Boys, most notably on 'Good Vibrations', 'Wild Honey', and 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times'.

American record producer and session musician Al De Lory died aged 82. In the early Sixties De Lory played keyboards for various Phil Spector productions, and The Beach Boys, Glen Campbell including John Hartford's ‘Gentle on My Mind’, Jimmy Webb's ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’, ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘Galveston’. He was also a member of the Los Angeles session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. As a bandleader he had his own hit in 1970 with an instrumental version of the ‘Song from M*A*S*H’.

Amy Winehouse was questioned by police in connection with a video apparently showing her smoking a crack-cocaine pipe. The singer, who was not arrested, was interviewed under caution after the video was posted online by the Sun newspaper.

Producer Phil Spector won $900,000 (£459,000) after settling an embezzlement claim. Spector said former assistant Michelle Blaine removed $425,000 (£216,000) from his pension and did not repay a $635,000 (£324,000) loan. Ms Blaine claimed the loan was a gift, and the pension funds were for a film aimed at improving Spector's image. As part of the settlement, she dropped a counter-claim of sexual harassment.

The Rolling Stones played three songs during the half-time show of The Super Bowl in Detroit. After the event, the Stones expressed their displeasure over having Mick Jagger's microphone turned down during the song "Start Me Up". The line "you make a dead man come" was cut short and a barnyard reference to "cocks" in the new song "Rough Justice" also disappeared.

Janet Jackson's right breast became the most searched-for image in net history, Jackson's breast was seen by millions on TV after Justin Timberlake pulled at her bodice during a duet. Search engines reported a big jump in searches for Janet Jackson and Super Bowl, as people turned to the web for images of the event. Wardrobe Malfunction

Courtney Love blamed her bad language for the alleged air rage incident that led to her arrest at London's Heathrow Airport. As she left Heathrow's police station the singer said: "I cussed at a lady-my daughter always said I had a potty mouth." When asked what it had been like inside the police station, the singer said: "It was fine. They were wonderful in there. It was like being on Prime Suspect."

American guitarist Tim Kelly from Slaughter was involved in a fatal car accident while traveling on Highway 96 in Arizona. Kelly's vehicle was hit head on when an 18 wheeler crossed the middle line. Kelly released four studio albums with Slaughter and two live albums.

Def Leppard's album 'Pyromania', started a 92 week run on the US charts, it never reached No.1 but sold over 6 million copies in the US alone.

American saxophonist Rudy Pompilli died of lung cancer aged 52. Although not a smoker himself, it is believed he contracted the disease through second hand smoke. With Bill Haley and his Comets, he had the 1955 UK & US No.1 single with 'Rock Around the Clock'. Pompilli released one solo album, Rudy's Rock: The Sax That Changed the World.

Paul Simon released his first new song without Art Garfunkel, 'Mother and Child Reunion', which peaked at No.4 in the US. Simon got the idea for the song's title from a chicken-and-egg dish called Mother and Child Reunion that he saw on a Chinese restaurant's menu.

T Rex were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Telegram Sam', the group's third UK No.1 which was taken from their album The Slider. The song is also known for bringing the term "main man" into popular culture.

Black Sabbath started recording what would be their third album, 'Master Of Reality' at Island Studios in London, England. Released in July of this year, it is sometimes noted as the first stoner rock album. Guitarist Tony Iommi, decided to down tune his guitar down three semi-tones, Geezer Butler also down tuned his bass guitar to match Iommi. The result was a noticeably 'darker' sound that almost two decades later would prove hugely influential on at least three of the biggest grunge acts, namely Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, and Nirvana.

David Bowie recorded four songs at the BBC Paris Cinema, London, for the John Peel Sunday Concert radio show. This was guitarists Mick Ronson's first appearance with Bowie who went on to work with Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars.

The Move were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Blackberry Way', the group's only UK No.1 and the band's most successful single.

The News Of The World reported that Mick Jagger had taken LSD at the Moody Blues' home in the UK. Jagger sued the paper for libel in an on-going feud between the News Of The World and The Rolling Stones.

The Beatles filmed part of the promo clip for 'Penny Lane' around the Royal Theatre, Stratford, London and walking up and down Angel Lane in London. Together with the video for 'Strawberry Fields Forever', this was one of the first examples of what later became known as a music video.

Petula Clark had her second No.1 in the US singles chart with 'My Love', making her the first British female to have two US No.1 hits. 'My Love' became a No. 4 in the UK.

The Beatles played two shows, one at The Cavern Club at lunchtime and in the evening at the Kingsway Club in Southport. This was the first time Ringo Starr appeared live with the group after drummer Pete Best became ill.

The first days recording sessions for Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music took place at Capitol Studios in New York City. Regarded by many critics as Charles's best studio album, the albums lead single, ‘I Can't Stop Loving You’, became a huge hit on country music radio stations and the record has now shipped over 500,000 copies in the United States alone.

5,000 fans greeted Bill Haley when he arrived from New York on the liner Queen Elizabeth at Southampton, for his debut UK concert tour. Haley was the first American rock artist to tour the UK.

American singer, songwriter Bobby Brown, who was a member of boy group New Edition who had the 1983 UK No.1 & US No.46 single 'Candy Girl'. As a solo artist he had the 1988 UK No.6 & 1989 US No.1 single 'My Prerogative'. Brown married Whitney Houston 18th July 1992.

Chris Barron, singer with American group The Spin Doctors who had the 1993 UK No.3 & US No.7 single 'Two Princess' and the hit 'Little Miss Can't Be Wrong'.

Duff McKagan, bassist with Guns N’ Roses who had the 1988 US No.1 & 1989 UK No.6 single 'Sweet Child o' Mine'. He is also a member of Velvet Revolver who had the 2004 US No.1 & UK No.11 album Contraband.

Paul Jones, bassist with alternative rock band from Wales Catatonia who had the 1998 UK No.3 single 'Mulder And Scully'.

David Denny, guitarist with the Steve Miller Band who had the 1974 US No.1 & 1990 UK No.1 single 'The Joker'.

Nigel Tufnell, guitarist with the parody heavy metal band Spinal Tap, who made the 1984 film 'This Is Spinal Tap'.

American songwriter, record producer and musician Al Kooper, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears (although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity). His first professional work was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the The Royal Teens, who in 1958 had the US No.3 single 'Shorts Shorts'. As a member of Blood Sweat & Tears, he had the 1969 US No.12 & UK No.35 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy'. Kooper played organ on Bob Dylan's 'Like A Rolling Stone' as well as playing on hundreds of records, including ones by the Rolling Stones, B. B. King, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alice Cooper, and Cream.

J.R. Cobb, from American southern rock band Atlanta Rhythm Section who had the 1977 US No.7 single 'So in to You'.

Chuck Winfield, trumpet, from jazz-rock American music group Blood Sweat & Tears. They scored the 1969 US No.2 single 'Spinning Wheel', and the 1969 US No.12 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy'. They had a US No.1 with their second album Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968.

Corey Wells, vocals, with American group Three Dog Night who had the 1970 UK No.3 & US No.1 single 'Mama Told Me Not To Come'.

American singer and songwriter Barrett Strong, who was the first artist to record a hit for Motown Records. He wrote many other Motown hits with Norman Whitfield including, 'Money', 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', 'War', 'Ball Of Confusion', and 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone'. Strong died at home in the La Jolla district of San Diego, California, on 28 January 2023, aged 81.

Scottish rock and blues musician Alex Harvey with the Sensational Alex Harvey Band who had the 1975 UK No.7 single 'Delilah, and the 1975 album 'Next'. During the 60s he was the leader of Alex Harvey's Big Soul Band. Harvey died of heart failure on February 4th 1982.

Hal Blaine, American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon and Garfunkel, the Carpenters, The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and the 5th Dimension. Blaine has played on 40 No.1 hits, over 150 top ten hits and has recorded, by his own admission, on over 35,000 pieces of music over four decades of work. Blaine died of natural causes on 11 March 2019 at his home in Palm Desert, California age 90.