August 13th
1940, Born on this day, John Stokes, The Bachelors, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Diane', plus 16 other UK Top 40 singles).
1949, Born on this day, Cliff Fish, bass, Paper Lace, (1974 UK No.1 single 'Billy Don't Be A Hero', 1974 US No.1 single 'The Night Chicago Died').
1951, Born on this day, Dan Fogelberg, US singer songwriter, (1979 album 'Phoenix'). Worked with Joe Walsh, Jackson Browne, Randy Newman. Fogelberg died on 16th Dec 2007 at his home in Maine at the age of 56 of prostate cancer.
1958, Born on this day, Feargal Sharkey, singer, The Undertones, (1980 UK No.9 single 'My Perfect Cousin'). Solo, (1985 UK No.1 single 'A Good Heart', a song written by Maria Mckee).
1959, Born on this day, Mark Nevin, singer, songwriter, Fairground Attraction, (1988 UK No.1 single 'Perfect').
1959, Born on this day, Michael Bradley, bass, The Undertones, (1980 UK No.9 single 'My Perfect Cousin').
1959, Born on this day, Danny Bonaduce, The Partridge Family, (1970 US No.1 single 'I Think I Love You', 1972 UK No.3 single 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do'). Star of VH1 show ‘My Reality Breakdown.’
1964, Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy', the bands first of three UK No.1's.
1964, The Supremes recorded 'Baby Love', the song went on to be the groups first UK No.1 and second US chart topper.
1965, Jefferson Airplane made their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club.
1965, Mike Smith, lead singer of The Dave Clark Five, suffered two broken ribs when he was pulled off the stage by fans. The group were in Chicago at the beginning of a US tour.
1965, The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport for a tour of North America. The set list for the tour was ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘She's a Woman’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzie’, ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby’, ‘Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘Baby's in Black’, ‘Act Naturally’, ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Help!’, and ‘I'm Down’ and ‘I Wanna Be Your Man.’ The tour was not a happy one for The Beatles, John Lennon took to screaming off-microphone obscenities at the audiences.
1966, Lovin Spoonful started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Summer In The City', it made No.8 in the UK.
1966, 'Revolver' The Beatles seventh album release in three years started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK charts. It spent a total of 34 week's on the UK chart and was also a US No.1.
1971, Saxophonist King Curtis Ousley was stabbed to death by a vagrant on the front steps of his New York home. Ousley had worked with John Lennon and also played on The Coasters 'Yakety Yak'.
1971, John Lennon flew from Heathrow Airport to New York, he never set foot on British soil again.
1975, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played the first of five sold-out nights at the Bottom Line in New York City. The shows received rave reviews and created a buzz in the music industry.
1976, The Clash played a private gig for the press at Chalk Farm rehearsal studios, London.
1977, Bachman Turner Overdrive split up. They had the 1974 US No.1 and UK No.2 hit 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet.'
1977, Yes scored their second UK No.1 album with 'Going For The One'.
1980, four masked robbers broke in to Todd Rundgren's New York house and proceeded to steal Hi-Fi equipment and paintings after tying the musician up. It was reported that one of the intruders had been humming his hit 'I Saw The Light'.
1982, Born on this day, LeAnn Rimes, US singer, (1997 US No.3 & 1998 UK No.7 single, 'How Do I Live' spent 30 weeks on the UK top 40 singles chart the first record, to do so since 'Relax' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood).
1982, soul singer Joe Tex died of a heart attack aged 49. Had nine US Top 40 hits including the 1972 US No.2 single 'I Gotcha'.
1982, major American record companies including CBS Atlantic and Warner Brothers all made staff cut-backs as the industry plunged into 'the worst shape in its history'.
1982, during a North American tour Queen appeared at the Poplar Creek Music Theater, Hoffman Estates in Illinois.
1983, KC and the Sunshine Band were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Give It Up'.
1984, Born on this day, Diamond Blue Smith, singer, Pretty Ricky, (2007 US No.1 album ‘Late Night Special’).
1984, Born on this day, James Morrison, UK singer, songwriter, and guitarist, (2006 UK No.1 album 'Undiscovered').
1988, Robert Smith of The Cure married his childhood sweetheart Mary Poole.
1992, Neil Diamond played the first of six sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York. Diamond would bring in over $40 million from touring this year, the second highest in the music industry.
1994, members from Oasis and The Verve were arrested after smashing up a hotel bar and breaking into a church to steal communion wine. Both bands had been appearing at Hulsfred Festival in Sweden.
1994, Woodstock '94 was held in Saugerties, New York, attended by over 350,000 fans, the festival featured Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tickets cost $135.00, (£89.00).
1999, Ex Guns N' Roses member Slash was arrested accused of assaulting his girlfriend at his Sunset Boulevard recording studio by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. He was released on bail.
2000, Melanie C went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Turn To You'.
2002, Adam Ant pleaded guilty to threatening drinkers at The Prince Of Wales Pub in London in January of this year. The former 1980's pop star had returned to the bar with a starting pistol after being refused entry. He had also thrown a car alternator through the window of the pub.
2004, 'Angels' by Robbie Williams was voted the best single which should have been a number one but never was, in a poll for music channel VH1. The ballad, which reached No.4 in December 1997, beat Savage Garden's ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ and Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.' Other songs said to have deserved a number one included Madonna with ‘Ray of Light’, ‘Beautiful Stranger’, ‘Crazy For You’ and ‘Material Girl’, Bon Jovi with ‘Always’ and Oasis with ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Live Forever’. Sir Cliff Richard's hit 'Millennium Prayer' was voted the worst number one single of all time.
2007, Amy Winehouse pulled out of two Rolling Stones gigs in Hamburg Germany citing exhaustion, British group Starsailor replaced Winehouse for the shows.
