In 1957, Canadian singer, songwriter Paul Anka was at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Diana" (written about his brother's baby-sitter). His only UK #1 as an artist, Anka was the first teenage solo act to reach the top position.
In 1957, Guy Mitchell, LaVern Baker, and Sal Mineo appeared on CBS-TV's "The Ed Sulivan Show."
In 1958, a Staten Island, New York doo wop group called the Elegants saw their re-worked version of the Mozart lullaby, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" hit the top of the US record charts as the re-titled "Little Star." The group spent the following 18 months milking the song for all it was worth with TV appearances and live shows, but follow up records, "Please Believe Me,""True Love Affair" and "Little Boy Blue" could not match the success of "Little Star." Although the Elegants would be around in one form or another until the 1980s, they never had another hit record.
In 1961, after playing a lunchtime gig at the Cavern Liverpool, the Beatles played aboard the Merseyside riverboat M.V.Royal Iris supporting Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band.
In 1963, Paul McCartney was fined 31 Pounds and loses his driver's license for a year after being caught speeding.
In 1965, two female Beatles fans hired a helicopter to fly over the house the Beatles were renting in Beverly Hills, California and jumped from the helicopter into the swimming pool.
In 1965, after opening in London on July 29 and premiering in New York City on August 11, the Beatles' second feature film, "Help!," finally opened in wide release in movie theaters across North America.
In 1965, "Wild on the Beach," starring Frankie Randall, Sherry Jackson, and Gayle Caldwell, with performances by Sonny & Cher, Sandy Nelson, and the Astronauts, opened in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters.
In 1966, during their last US tour, the Beatles, played two shows at the Coliseum in Seattle, Washington. The first show at 3 pm was attended by only 8,000 fans (the arena seated 15,000), but the evening show was a sell-out.
In 1967, Brian Wilson returned to performing live with the Beach Boys in Honolulu after a 2 year hiatus. The group had just released 'Heroes and Villains' in the US.
In 1970, Elton John made his US live debut when he kicked off a 17-date tour at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. In the audience that night were Don Henley, Quincy Jones and Leon Russell. Elton's latest single "Border Song" had just debuted at #92 on the US chart.
In 1970, Emerson, Lake And Palmer made their debut at Plymouth Guild Hall in Plymouth, England. During their career, the trio would sell over 40 million records.
In 1971, in Houston, Texas, Led Zeppelin performed at Sam Houston Coliseum.
In 1972, "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass was the #1 song.
In 1973, former Left Banke keyboard player Michael Brown led his new group, Stories, back to the top of both the Cashbox best sellers chart and the Billboard Hot 100 with a song called "Brother Louie." The gritty lead vocal for the song was supplied by Ian Lloyd, who would later be heard on tracks by Billy Joel, Foreigner and Peter Frampton.
In 1973, Bobby Darin performed his final concert, at the Las Vegas Hilton. He would die at the age of 37 on December 20th following his second open heart surgery.
In 1976, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello premiere their four week Summer variety series on CBS-TV.
In 1979, singer Ray Eberle, one of the featured vocalists with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, died following a heart attack at the age of 60.
In 1979, bandleader/pianist/composer Stan Kenton died after a stroke at age 67.
In 1979, nine weeks after being released, the Knack's infectious tune "My Sharona" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 where it would remain for six weeks. Billboard would later name the record as the number one single of 1979. In the UK, it reached number six.
In 1979, 25 years after his first UK #1 single, Cliff Richard had his 10th chart topper with "We Don't Talk Anymore".
In 1981, R.E.M. appeared at the Scorpio, Charlotte, North Carolina. This show was billed as "Charlotte's First Gay New Wave Disco and Costume Party," with the $3 tickets benefitting various gay-lesbian charities.
In 1986, Paul Simon released the single "Graceland," with backup vocals by the Everly Brothers. As the title track of his album that was released two weeks earlier, the song revealed Simon's thoughts during a road trip after the failure of his marriage to actress Carrie Fisher.
In 1994, Jimmy Buffett's Grumman G-44 Widgeon seaplane flipped after taking off in Nantucket, Mass. Unharmed, he swims to safety.
In 1994, New York judge officially dissolves the nine year marriage between 45 year old Billy Joel and 40 year old Christie Brinkley.
In 1994, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant reunited at LWT studios in London to tape a set for MTV's Unplugged series, set to air on October 12th. Bassist John Paul Jones was not included.
In 1995, Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, Neil Young, Green Day, Hole, Paul Weller, Soundgarden, Beck, Foo Fighters, Ash, Deus, Gene all appeared at this years UK Reading festival
In 1997, a deranged man who had escaped from a mental institution near Helsinki Finland was arrested. The man had planned to set fire to the stage that Michael Jackson was performing from was arrested before he was able to light the gasoline he had put on the stage.
In 1999, the city of Concord, California sued singer Whitney Houston for $100,000 after she cancelled a show there (due to illness).
In 2000, Academy Award-winning film score composer and record producer Jack Nitzsche died of a heart attack. He produced The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield and The Walker Brothers. Musical scores including The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, co-wrote 'Up Where We Belong' with Buffy Sainte-Marie from 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman.
In 2000, Oasis, Primal Scream, Foo Fighters, The Bluetones, Muse, Eminem, Beck, Stereophonics, Blink 182, Slipknot, Placebo, Pulp, Eminem, Rage Against The Machine, Gomez, Limp Bizkit, Embrace and The Wannadies all appeared at Carling Weekend Reading and Leeds festival in England.
In 2001,singer, actress Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas aged 22. The small Cessna plane crashed a few minutes after take off killing everyone on board with exception to four passengers who were pulled from the wreckage but later died. Aaliyah had been filming a video for her latest release 'Rock The Boat' on the island.
In 2001, jazz musician/songwriter John Nelson, the father of pop star Prince, died at the age of 85.
In 2005, former Guns N' Roses members Slash and Duff filed suit against Axl Rose for naming himself the sole holder of the copyrights of the band's works.
In 2007, singing his 1968 hit "Fire" on stage in Lewes, England, Arthur Brown caught fire himself while wearing his customary tinfoil hat with a small fire burning in the center.
In 2010, in Nashville, the Opry Circle, that small section of stage on which country music artists have performed for decades, was reinstalled at the Grand Ole Opry by construction workers, with the assistance of singers Brad Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens. Flood waters had nearly destroyed the precious piece of country music history three months earlier when the stage was under water.
