1960
Barry Crump publishes A good keen man
One of the most-read books in New Zealand publishing history, A good keen man established Barry Crump’s reputation as an iconic ‘Kiwi bloke’.



In Music History

2023-Morgan Wallen releases his third album, One Thing At A Time. It spends 15 weeks at #1, the most for a country artist since 1992, when Some Gave All by Billy Ray Cyrus spent 17 weeks at the top.

2023-De La Soul's first six albums, including their 1989 groundbreaking debut, 3 Feet High And Rising, are finally made available for streaming. A label dispute, along with challenges getting the many samples cleared, kept them in purgatory.

2019-Undeterred by a lawsuit filed by Michael Jackson's estate, HBO airs the first part of the 4-hour documentary Leaving Neverland, leveling new accusations of child abuse at Jackson 10 years after his death. In the aftermath, many distance themselves from Jackson: The Simpsons pulls his episode, and some radio stations drop him from playlists.

2017-Pop singer Tommy Page, known for the 1990 hit "I'll Be Your Everything," dies in an apparent suicide at age 46.

2017-Nickelback's album All The Right Reasons is certified Diamond for sales of over 10 million copies in the United States, making them just the fourth Canadian act to reach that level. The other three are female artists: Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Alanis Morissette.

2013-Bobby Rogers (of The Miracles) dies of complications of diabetes at age 73.

2012-Rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose (Montrose) dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 64.

2010-Gorillaz' third album, Plastic Beach, is released. Featuring guest appearances from stars ranging from Snoop Dogg to Lou Reed, it is a huge worldwide hit, reaching #2 in both the US and UK.

Duffy Releases Rockferry
2008-Duffy releases her debut album, Rockferry, featuring the hit "Mercy." It sells about 9 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling album of 2008 in the UK. For her next album, Endlessly, she uses a different writing, production and marketing team, with disastrous results, as the album is a startling commercial failure with no hit singles.

2008-Norman "Hurricane" Smith, frequent engineer and producer for the Beatles, dies at age 85 in East Sussex, England.

Chumbawamba Break Record For Longest Album Title
2008-Chumbawamba break the record for longest album title with their 160-word release The Boy Bands Have Won...

2008-Arcade Fire rock for young Obama supporters at the Barack Obama benefit rally at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland.

2007-Robin Thicke tops four different Billboard charts, thanks to his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The album is at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally, while "Lost Without U" tops the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Hot Adult R&B Airplay charts.

2006-In Vietnam, Gary Glitter is sentenced to three years in prison for sex crimes against minors. Years later, a UK court sentences him to 16 years for similar offenses.

1998-After spending nearly two years promoting her debut album, Tidal, a burned-out Fiona Apple cancels her spring tour. From this point forward, she limits her public appearances and takes lots of down time, sometimes going several years between albums.

1997-Camila Cabello is born in Havana(na-na-na), Cuba.

1995-R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry undergoes successful brain surgery. Berry collapsed due to a brain aneurysm during a concert in Switzerland.

1995-A stalker is arrested trying to break into Roberta Flack's New York apartment.

1994- Kurt Cobain of Nirvana lapsed into a coma in Italy after taking a combination of Valium and champagne.

1992-Soundgarden release the third and final single off Badmotorfinger, "Rusty Cage." B-sides differ depending on the territory - among them are covers of Devo's "Girl U Want" and the Rolling Stones' "Stray Cat Blues."

1991-The investigative news show Hard Copy runs a story about an FBI investigation into film footage found on a Michigan farm showing what appeared to be a ritual killing. The "victim" turned out to be Trent Reznor; the footage was shot for the Nine Inch Nails video for "Down In It" using a Super 8 camera attached to weather balloons that flew away.

1986-Christian singer Stacie Orrico is born in Seattle, Washington.

Metallica Release Master Of Puppets
1986-Metallica release their third album, Master Of Puppets, featuring an anthemic title track that becomes their most-played live song.

1981-U2 begin their first major tour of the US with two shows at a Washington, DC, club called The Bayou.

1980-The esteemed auction house Sotheby's holds their first auction of rock memorabilia. Four dollar bills signed by The Beatles are sold for $528.

1978-Whitesnake, formed by Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale after that band splintered, play their first live gig, in Lincoln, England.

1978-Van Halen begin their first world tour, opening for Journey at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. The band, which released their debut album three weeks earlier, had been playing clubs for about four years.

1977-Pop singer Ronan Keating (of Boyzone) is born in Swords, Dublin, Ireland.

1973-The live album The Concert for Bangla Desh, taken from the Madison Square Garden benefit concert organized by George Harrison, and featuring Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, wins the Grammy for Album of the Year.

1973-Elton John's album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player hits #1 in America, where it stays for two weeks.

1972-Nilsson's album Nilsson Schmilsson is certified Gold.

1969-John Bigham (guitarist, keyboardist for Fishbone) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1967-The Jeff Beck Group, with an unknown vocalist named Rod Stewart, make their live performance debut in London at the Finsbury Park Astoria.

1966-Rapper Tone-Loc is born Anthony Terrell Smith in Los Angeles, California.

1966-Buffalo Springfield is formed (as "The Herd") by Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay.

1965-Eric Clapton plays his last show with The Yardbirds, leaving to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He is replaced by Jeff Beck.

1953-Robyn Hitchcock is born in London, England. His father is novelist Raymond Hitchcock.

1950-Rock singer Re Styles (of The Tubes) is born Shirley Marie MacLeod.

1947-Jennifer Warnes is born in Seattle, Washington.

1941-Mike Pender (vocalist for The Searchers) is born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

1938-Willie Chambers, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter of the Chambers Brothers, is born in Carthage Mississippi.

1931-Cab Calloway records "Minnie The Moocher" on the Brunswick label in New York City. It would become the first jazz recording to sell a million copies.

1875- The premiere of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen at the Opιra-Comique in Paris, France.

1794- The first performance of Joseph Haydn's 101st Symphony in D ("The Clock") at the Hanover Rooms in London.

1706-German composer Johann Pachelbel dies at age 52.