On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

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 Opéra-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.

[Bikkie]

1855
Legendary sheep rustler James Mackenzie caught
In March 1855, shepherds searching for 1000 missing sheep in the upper reaches of the Waitaki Valley apprehended suspected rustler James Mackenzie, one of New Zealand’s first and most enduring folk heroes.



In Music History

2020-At 58, Garth Brooks becomes the youngest recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Past recipients of the award include Gloria & Emilio Estefan, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, Carole King, and Paul McCartney, among others.

2019-Keith Flint of The Prodigy is found dead at his home in Essex, England. Cause of death is determined to be suicide by hanging. He was 49.

2017-The Katy Perry song "Chained to the Rhythm" hits #4 on the Hot 100, making guest vocalist Skip Marley the first of the Marleys to land a Top 10 on that tally.

2016-Shakira makes her feature-film debut, voicing the pop star Gazelle in the Disney animated movie Zootopia. She also contributes the song "Try Everything" to the soundtrack.

2011-Johnny Preston ("Running Bear") dies of heart failure at age 71.

2010-Redbone co-founder Lolly Vegas, who wrote and sang their hit "Come and Get Your Love," dies of lung cancer at age 70.

2009-John Cephas of Cephas & Wiggins dies at age 78.

2004-Pimp My Ride, hosted by the rapper Xzibit, debuts on MTV. In each episode of the show, which runs for six seasons, a viewer's hoopie is transformed into a tricked-out whip. Xzibit becomes well known as a media personality, and the phrase "pimp my..." enters the lexicon, as in, "I'm going to pimp my fish tank with some live coral."

2004-John McGeoch, a Scottish guitarist who played with Magazine, PiL and Siouxsie and the Banshees, dies at age 48.

2003-Bruce Springsteen plays Hank Ballard's 1960 hit "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" at his show in Jacksonville, Florida, to honor Ballard, who died two days earlier.

2003-Evanescence release their first album, Fallen, featuring the hits "Bring Me To Life" and "Going Under."

2001-Michael Jackson and friend Macaulay Culkin spend the night shopping at a London record store, which stays open after hours to accommodate the pair.

2001-Glenn Hughes, the biker in The Village People, dies of lung cancer at age 50.

2000-"Amazed" by Lonestar hits #1 in America, knocking off another first-dance wedding favorite, "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden.

2000 & 2006- Soul Train Music Awards recognized artists like Prince, Whitney Houston, DMX, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, Destiny’s Child, and John Legend.

1999-Cowboy singer Eddie Dean dies of emphysema at age 91.

1998-Bad Religion's breakthrough album, Stranger Than Fiction, released almost four years earlier, is certified gold by the RIAA, becoming the band's only album to achieve this certification in the United States.

1996- The Beatles posthumously released Real Love, a John Lennon demo completed by the remaining members.

1996-The Beatles song "Real Love," compiled from a John Lennon demo recording, is released in the UK.

1996-Grand Ole Opry icon Minnie Pearl dies at 83.

1994-Kurt Cobain of Nirvana spends 20 hours in a coma after overdosing on Rohypnol (a prescription sedative) and champagne.

Spice Girls Form In Open Audition
1993-Melanie Chisholm, Melanie Brown and Victoria Adams are among 400 hopefuls at a London dance studio auditioning for producers who are forming a new group. They are selected, and along with Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton, become the Spice Girls.

1993-Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown welcome a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina.

1993- Patti LaBelle received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1992-Jazz guitarist Mary Osborne dies at age 70.

1992-Paul Simon recorded an acoustic performance for MTV Unplugged at Kaufman-Astoria Studios in New York City.

1990-Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones announces his judicial separation from his bride of nine months, the former Mandy Smith. When they wed, he was 52 and she was 18.

1989-Debbie Gibson's "Lost in Your Eyes" goes to #1 on the Hot 100. It's her second chart-topper, following "Foolish Beat."

1989-Time Inc. and Warner Communications merge into Time Warner, creating the world's largest media company.

1986-Songwriter Howard Greenfield, who co-wrote many of Neil Sedaka's hits, dies of complications from AIDS at 49.

1986-Richard Manuel (pianist, singer of The Band) commits suicide at age 42, following a gig in Winter Park, Florida.

1984-The Police play the final concert of their Synchronicity tour in Melbourne, Australia. It is their last show, except for a few special events together, until 2007.

1983-George Jones marries his fourth and final wife, Nancy Sepulvado, at the home of the singer's sister, Helen Scroggins, in Woodville, Texas.

1979-Mike Patto (of Patto, Spooky Tooth) dies of lymphatic leukemia at age 36.

1979-Randy Jackson (of The Jackson 5) is involved in a serious car crash near Los Angeles, breaking both legs and nearly dying when a nurse at the hospital nearby injects him with methadone.

Bee Gees Write The Hits
1978-The #3 "Sometimes When We Touch" by Dan Hill is the only song in the Top 5 not written by a member of The Bee Gees. Andy Gibb's "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" is #1, with "Stayin' Alive" at #2, "Night Fever" at #5 and Samantha Sang's "Emotion," written by Robin and Barry Gibb, at #4.

1978-The IRS raids Jerry Lee Lewis' home at dawn and repossesses $170,000 worth of automobiles to pay off his tax debt.

1977- Roger Sessions’ 6th Symphony premiered in New York City, conducted by José Serebrier with the Juilliard Orchestra.

1977-The Rolling Stones perform at Toronto's small El Morcambo Tavern, a rare intimate show that provides four tracks for their notoriously bad 1977 LP Love You Live.

1974- ABBA released Waterloo, which won the Eurovision Song Contest and became a global hit.

1973- Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon was released in the US, later becoming one of the greatest albums of all time.

1973-Elvis Presley releases "Steamroller Blues" b/w "Fool."

1972-Badfinger's "Day After Day" is certified Gold.

1971-One the eve of their new UK tour, The Rolling Stones become rock's first tax exiles by announcing that they're moving from England to France.

1971-Fergal Lawler (drummer for The Cranberries) is born in Limerick, Ireland.

1970-Bob Dylan records "Days Of '49," "Early Morning Rain," "Wigwam."

1969-Chastity Bono is born to Sonny & Cher.

1968-The Mothers of Invention release their third studio album, We're Only it It for the Money.

1968-An icy car crash sends Temptations members Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams to a Somerset, Pennsylvania, hospital.

1968- The 3rd Academy of Country Music Awards honored Glen Campbell and Lynn Anderson.

1967-The Rolling Stones chart their fourth #1 hit in America with the ballad "Ruby Tuesday."

1967-Evan Dando (frontman for The Lemonheads) is born in Essex, Massachusetts.

1967-Steve Winwood and his brother, Muff, announce they are leaving The Spencer Davis Group. Steve forms Traffic later that year.

1967- The Rolling Stones’ single Ruby Tuesday reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

1966-Patrick Hannan (drummer for The Sundays) is born in the UK.

1966-John Lennon is quoted in the London Evening Standard saying, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now." The remark goes mostly unnoticed, but causes a big stink when it is reprinted in a US publication four months later.

1966- John Lennon of The Beatles controversially stated that the band was “more popular than Jesus,” sparking protests and record burnings in the United States.

1963-Jason Newsted is born in Battle Creek, Michigan. He plays bass for Flotsam and Jetsam, Metallica and Voivod.

1963-The Beach Boys release "Surfin' U.S.A.," a reworking of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen."

1955-Boon Gould (of Level 42) is born in Shanklin, Isle of Wight, England.

1954-St Clair L. Palmer (of Sweet Sensation) is born in Saint Kitts.

1953-Emilio Estefan is born in Cuba; he moves to Miami as a teenager. In 1977 Gloria Fajardo (also Cuban-born) joins his group Miami Sound Machine. A year later they get married, and after building a huge following in the South Florida Latin scene, they break through in 1985 with the hits "Conga" and "Words Get In The Way." Gloria Estfan goes solo in 1989 with Emilio her producer and manager.

1951-Chris Rea is born in Middlesbrough, England.

1951-Rocker Pete Haycock (lead guitarist, vocalist for Climax Blues Band) is born in Stafford, Staffordshire, England.

1948-Yes bass player Chris Squire is born in London.

1948-Shakin' Stevens is born Michael Barratt in Cardiff, Wales.

1946-Frank Sinatra releases his solo debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, through Columbia Records.

1944-"Besame Mucho" by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra goes to #1 in the US.

1944--R&B/soul singer Bobby Womack is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1944Michael Wilson (original drummer and first "Mick" of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich) is born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

1943-At the Academy Awards, Irving Berlin presents the Oscar for Best Original Song, which he wins for "White Christmas." He is the only presenter to ever win the award he presented.

1936-Eric Allandale (of The Foundations) is born in Dominica, West Indies.

1934-Singer/actress Barbara McNair is born in Chicago, Illinois. She releases her debut single, "Till There Was You," in 1958 and goes on to tour with Nat King Cole.

1932-Miriam Makeba is born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

1925-Paul Mauriat is born in Marseille, France.

1678-Antonio Vivaldi, composer of "The Four Seasons," is born in Venice.

1895- Gustav Mahler conducted the premiere of his incomplete 2nd Symphony (Resurrection) in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic.

1877-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, establishing a cornerstone of classical ballet repertoire.

[Bikkie]

Cricket History: March 5, 1877, saw the English cricket team, Shaw and Lillywhites, complete a match against Otago in Dunedin. This tour was significant as it was the first complete overseas cricket tour of New Zealand, highlighting the early development of organized sports in the country.




In Music History

2023-Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington dies at 71. He was last founding member of the band still alive.

Kings Of Leon Become First Major Act To Release NFT Album
2021-Kings Of Leon release their album When You See Yourself in a non-fungible token (NFT) auction that also includes digital artwork and "Golden Tickets." Other acts (notably, Grimes) have sold NTF art, but KoL is the first big name to try it with an album and VIP package.

2016-Visiting a music-production class at N.Y.U., Pharrell Williams is blown away by a song called "Alaska" by Maggie Rogers, a senior at the university. "It's singular... your whole story I can hear it in the music," he tells her.

2013-In a Czech court, Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blythe is acquitted of manslaughter. He was charged with pushing a fan to his death at a 2013 LoG concert in Prague; in 2012 he was arrested when the band returned to the country for another show.

2013-Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath and rapper Coolio appear on Celebrity Wife Swap, where they send their respective partners to each others' homes. McGrath's wife, Carin, struggles with all the chores she has to do at Coolio's house, while Coolio's girlfriend Mimi - who leaves him just weeks after the episode is taped - squirms under the watchful eye of helicopter parent McGrath.

2011-Justin Bieber, 17, hits #1 with Never Say Never - The Remixes, a companion to his Never Say Never concert film. This makes him the only male solo artist with two #1 albums before turning 18. Before the year is over he adds a third with his Christmas album Under The Mistletoe.

2009-Michael Jackson announces his "This Is It" series of concerts to be held at the O2 Arena in London. The shows quickly sell out, but Jackson dies before they begin.

2007-Three years after publishing their well-received debut album Funeral, Arcade Fire release Neon Bible.

"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" Wins An Oscar
2006-"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the movie Hustle & Flow wins an Oscar for Best Song, just the second rap song to get the award, after "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. Three 6 Mafia become the first rappers to perform at the ceremony.

America Meets the Osbournes
2002-MTV launches its new reality television show, The Osbournes, which chronicles the domestic life of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his family. In its first season, it becomes the most-viewed series on MTV.

1999-Trauma Entertainment files a $40 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against the members of Bush for failure to deliver their next album.

1998-Korn, who have a very wired fanbase, launch an interactive video series on korntv.com called "After School Specials" to document the making of their Follow The Leader album. It uses RealPlayer to stream live and includes a chat room so fans can ask questions.

1995-Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band dies in a fire at age 51. Stanshall was asleep in his North London home when an electrical fire broke out.

1994-Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane is arrested at her home in Tiburon, California for pointing a loaded gun at police officers responding to reports of a domestic dispute. She will be sentenced to community service and forced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

1992-Soundgarden play the first of two nights at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Both nights are filmed, and several songs turn up in November as part of the Motorvision home video, with additional tracks eventually turning up as part of the 25th Anniversary edition of Badmotorfinger in 2016.

1991-Amy Grant, a fixture in the CCM community, releases a pop album, Heart In Motion. The first four singles all hit the Top 10, and "Baby Baby," a tribute to her baby daughter Millie, hits #1.

1984-Howard Jones' debut album, Human's Lib, is released in the UK, where it rises to #1.

1983-At The Stone in San Francisco, Metallica play their first show with bass player Cliff Burton. The band relocates to the Bay Area to accommodate Burton and join a metal scene far more vibrant than the one they leave behind in Los Angeles.

1983- Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking a huge moment in pop music.

1982-John Belushi of The Blues Brothers, 33, dies of a drug overdose in his bungalow at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Belushi had been injected with a speedball, a mixture of cocaine and heroin.

1981-Songwriter E.Y. "Yip" Harburg ("Over The Rainbow") dies in a car accident at age 81.

1977-18-year-old Kate Bush writes "Wuthering Heights" after catching the end of a BBC adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel of the same name. The ethereal tune becomes her debut single the following year and hits #1 in the UK.

1977-Barbra Streisand's "Love Theme From A Star Is Born (Evergreen)" hits #1 in the US. The song was written for the 1976 film she starred in with Kris Kristofferson.

1975-Rod Stewart meets the Swedish actress Britt Ekland when she comes backstage after his concert at the Los Angeles Forum, kicking off an affair that results in a famous song and a nasty lawsuit.

1974-Smokey Robinson appears on NBC-TV's Police Story.

1973- Pink Floyd released their iconic album "The Dark Side of the Moon" in the U.S., which became one of the best-selling albums ever.

1971-Led Zeppelin begins their "Thank You" tour of small clubs that supported them when they started out, charging the same prices they charged in 1968.

1970-Bob Dylan records "Alberta #1," "Alberta #2," "Gotta Travel On," and "All The Tired Horses."

1970-John Frusciante is born in New York City. He does two stints with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

1969-Elvis Presley goes to Hollywood and begins filming his last non-concert movie, Change Of Habit, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore as a nun who falls for Elvis.

1969-Elvis Presley records "Change Of Habit" and "Let's Be Friends."

1969-The rock magazine Creem is published for the first time.

1968-Syd Nathan, the record executive who founded King Records and launched James Brown's career, dies of heart disease at age 63.

1968-The 1910 Fruitgum Company's "Simon Says" is certified gold.

1968-Jerry Lee Lewis opens as Iago in Catch My Soul, a rock musical version of Shakespeare's Othello, in Hollywood.

1966-Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler's "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1966-Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's album Going Places hits #1 in America. It's the second of five #1 albums for the group in the span of 1965-1968.

1965-The Manish Boys (with David Bowie) release "I Pity The Fool."

1965-The Yardbirds release "For Your Love" in the UK.

1963-Having ironically just finished a tribute concert for the family of a country music DJ who'd been killed in a car crash, country legend Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins fly back to Nashville, with Cline's manager, Randy Hughes, at the controls. Bad weather postpones the flight an extra day, however, and, anxious to get going, Hughes phones his wife in Nashville, who informs him that the weather is clearing there. Unfortunately, she is actually in the storm's eye, and when the four proceed on, Hughes, who is not rated "on instruments," loses all visibility and attempts to land on a nearby highway. Instead, he skirts some trees, which bring the plane down in a nearby swamp. Cline, her other fellow stars, and Hughes are all killed in the accident.

1962-Craig Reid & Charlie Reid (of The Proclaimers) are born in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.

1960-Elvis Presley is officially discharged from active duty in the US Army. He will be on reserve for 4 more years.

1958-Andy Gibb is born in Manchester, England, but is raised in Redcliffe, Australia. His older brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice, form the Bee Gees.

1956-Teena Marie is born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California.

1955-Elvis Presley makes yet another appearance on the Shreveport radio show Louisiana Hayride, which is this time also carried over the TV airwaves by local station KWKH, making this Presley's first television appearance.

1953-America learns of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's death when Air Force Staff Sergeant Johnny Cash intercepts a coded message from Russia. Cash enlisted in 1950 after he turned 18 and was assigned to the 12th Radio Squadron Mobile of the US Air Force Security Service at Landsberg, West Germany, where he proved his skill as a Morse Code operator.

1952-Alan Clark (keyboardist for Dire Straits) is born in Great Lumley, England.

1951-Rock guitar distortion is invented when Willie Kizart plays "Rocket 88" using an amp that was damaged when it fell out of the van transporting him and the other members of Ike Turner's band to their recording session in Memphis.

1948-"Electric Avenue" singer Eddy Grant, founder of the UK pop group The Equals, is born in Plaisance, British Guiana.

1947-Child star Eddie Hodges, who introduces the song "Gary, Indiana" in the Broadway musical The Music Man and stars opposite Frank Sinatra in the 1959 film A Hole In The Head, is born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

1946-English performer Murray Head is born in London.

1938-Paul Evans is born in Queens, New York.

[Bikkie]

1830
Outbreak of the 'Girls' War' at Kororāreka
The so-called ‘Girls‘ War’ was fought between northern and southern Ngāpuhi hapū at Kororāreka (later Russell). Up to 100 people were killed or wounded in the fighting, after which the northern alliance took control of the important settlement.


Programme cover titled: National Orchestra of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service
1947
National Orchestra debuts
Classical music lovers packed Wellington’s Town Hall for the debut performance by New Zealand’s first national orchestra.



In Music History

2022- Glass Animals’ Heat Waves reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after 59 weeks, setting a record for the longest climb to the top.

2020-The South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, becomes the first major American festival cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Other tours and festivals around the world are called off soon after in efforts to limit the outbreak.

2017-Chance the Rapper, who made his debut mixtape, 10 Day, while on a 10-day suspension from school, announces a $1 million donation to the Chicago public schools.

2016-Diplo and his electronic dancehall project Major Lazer land a historic Havana gig, becoming the first US musical act to perform in Cuba in the new era of diplomatic relations between the island and the US, precipitating a visit from President Obama later in the month.

2014-Charles Love (vocalist, guitarist for Bloodstone) dies of complications of pneumonia at age 68 in Kansas City, Missouri.

2013-Alvin Lee (lead vocalist, guitarist for Ten Years After) dies at age 68 from complications after a routine surgery.

2012- Bruce Springsteen released his 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball.

2011-David Cassidy is the first contestant booted off Season 11 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2010-The Golden Raspberry Awards judges decide the Jonas Brothers aren't capable of portraying themselves and bestow the trio with a Razzie for Worst Actor for Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.

2010-Neo-soul singer D'Angelo is arrested in Manhattan's West Village when he tries to solicit a prostitute who ends up being an undercover police officer. He pleads guilty to a lesser count of disorderly conduct.

2009-Thousands of Phish fans descend upon Hampton, Virginia, to see Page McConnell, John Fishman, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon return to the stage for their first show since 2004. They open with "Fluffhead," a song they haven't played since 2000.

2006-Pearl Jam makes their new single "World Wide Suicide" available as a free download after the track is leaked.

2006-Renown African musician Ali Farka Toure dies of bone cancer at age 66.

2006-New Orleans soul singer King Floyd dies from complications of stroke and diabetes at age 61.

2004-Peggy DeCastro (of The DeCastro Sisters) dies of lung cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, at age 82.

2004-David Crosby (of The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) is arrested on marijuana and weapons charges in New York City (he's given a $5,000 fine and a conditional discharge).

2001-Michael "Smitty" Smith, drummer for Paul Revere & the Raiders, dies in Hawaii at age 58.

2001-MTV Cribs visits Redman's two-bedroom pad on Staten Island. Unlike the show's usual ostentatious fare, the rapper's modest crib is a testament to "keeping it real." The highlights are his makeshift doorbell (which is signaled by crossing two exposed wires), a freezer-full of Gorton's fish, and his cousin conked out on his living room floor.

2000-Eric Clapton is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making him the first person inducted three times. He is also in as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream.

1999- Eminem released The Slim Shady LP, launching his influential rap career.

1998-Liam Gallagher of Oasis headbutts 19-year-old British fan Benjamin Jones, breaking his nose. The incident takes place in Brisbane outside of the singer's hotel. Gallagher is charged with assault, but Jones later drops the case and pursues civil charges.

1998-Sixto Rodriguez performs in South Africa for the first time, where his two albums from the early '70s have made him a star. Rodriguez, who didn't know about his popularity in that country until recently, is later the subject of the documentary Searching For Sugar Man, which chronicles a South African fan's quest to find him.

1995-Annie Lennox issues her second solo album, Medusa, a collection of covers. The first single is "No More I Love You's," originally recorded by the English group The Lover Speaks.

1994-Frank Sinatra collapses on stage during a concert in Richmond, Virginia. The aging crooner would retire the following year, at age 79.

1991-Tyler, The Creator is born in Hawthorne, California. Following in the footsteps of Pharrell Williams, he makes creative leaps in music and fashion while sidestepping rap clichés. His 2019 album Igor and 2021 follow-up Call Me If You Get Lost both win Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album.

1983- U2 released War, the album that propelled them to international stardom.

Go-Go's Are First All-Girl Band With #1 Album
1982-Beauty and the Beat hits #1 in America, making The Go-Go's the first all-girl band with a #1 album.

1977-Country-rap originator Bubba Sparxxx is born Warren Anderson Mathis in Troup County, Georgia.

1976-Tina Charles’ I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance) topped the UK Singles chart.

1976-The Miracles score their biggest hit when "Love Machine (Part 1)" reaches #1 in America.

1976-EMI Records reissues 23 singles by The Beatles - every one of them charts (again) in the UK.

1975-Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone by The Average White Band won a Grammy and achieved Gold status.

1975-Average White Band's "Pick Up The Pieces" is certified Gold.

1975- Led Zeppelin received a Gold Record for Physical Graffiti, which has since sold over 8 million copies in the US.

1975-Singer-songwriter Jim Sullivan disappears without a trace into the desert near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His 1969 album U.F.O. goes on to become a cult favorite, partly due to the way its eerie music and lyrics intertwine with the story of Sullivan's mysterious disappearance.

1971- Mungo Jerry’s Baby Jump reached No.1 in the UK.

1970-Comprising songs recorded before he was jailed for masterminding murders, a Charles Manson album called Lie: The Love & Terror Cult is released.

1970-Betty Boo is born Alison Moira Clarkson in Kensington, London, England.

1969-Sandie Shaw is "arrested" in Paris for being dressed up like a French policeman. The English singer is released a few hours later after she'd explained she'd had gone to France to promote her new record, "Monsieur Dupont," about a French romeo.

1967-Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly dies at age 85.

1966-MGM Records producer Tom Wilson signs Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention to a record deal after hearing them perform the song "Trouble Every Day."

1966-The Rolling Stones began recording Paint It, Black at RCA Studios in Los Angeles, a psychedelic-tinged hit that topped charts worldwide.

1965- The Temptations scored their first US No.1 single with My Girl, co-written and produced by Smokey Robinson.

1965-Eight Days a Week by The Beatles reached No.1.

1964-Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor divorce.

1961-A pre-Monkees Davy Jones makes his acting debut on the British soap opera Coronation Street, playing Colin Lomax.

1959- The Drifters recorded There Goes My Baby, reaching No.1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No.2 on the Hot 100.

1958- The Everly Brothers recorded All I Have To Do Is Dream, which later topped all Billboard singles charts simultaneously.

1951- Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats recorded Rocket 88, often considered the first rock and roll song.

1947-Kiki Dee is born Pauline Matthews in Little Horton, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

1946-Pink Floyd singer/guitarist David Gilmour is born in Cambridge, England. He joins the group in 1967 as founding member Syd Barrett goes into decline. When Roger Waters leaves the band in 1985, Gilmour becomes their leader.

1945-Hugh Grundy (drummer for The Zombies) is born in Winchester, England.

1944-Mary Wilson (of The Supremes) is born in Greenville, Mississippi. After moving to Detroit, she meets fellow future Supreme Florence Ballard at an elementary school talent show.

1943-The Harry James Orchestra goes to #1 in America with "I've Heard That Song Before."

1935-Sylvia Vanderpool of the duo Mickey & Sylvia is born in New York City. As Sylvia Robinson, she forms Sugarhill Records and assembles the Sugarhill Gang of "Rapper's Delight" fame.

1893-Country blues guitarist Furry Lewis is born Walter Lewis in Greenwood, Mississippi. He would earn his nickname from his childhood friends.

1853- Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata premiered at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy, marking a major milestone in classical music history.