8th April 1977, CBS released the self- titled first album by The Clash in the UK. The album is widely celebrated as one of the greatest punk albums of all time. CBS in the US refused to release it until 1979 and Americans bought over 100,000 imported...
April 8th 1962, Born on this day, American guitarist, singer and songwriter Izzy Stradlin, from Guns N' Roses. Their 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction reached No.1 on the Billboard chart a year after its release, on the strength of 'Sweet Child...
8th April 1964, The Supremes record 'Where Did Our Love Go' at Motown Studios in Detroit. The song would become their first US No.1 single. Originally founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful...
April 8th 1947, Born on this day, Steve Howe, guitarist, Yes, (1977 UK No.7 'Wonderous Stories', 1983 US No.1 & UK No. 28 single 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'). Asia, (1982 US No 4 & UK No. 46 single 'Heat Of The Moment'). Has also been a member of The Syndicats,...
April 8th 1929, Born on this day, Jacques Brel, Belgian singer, songwriter. Marc Almond, Alex Harvey, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, The Kingston Trio and Gavin Friday have all covered his songs. Brel has sold...
7th April 2015, The original manuscript of Don McLean's 'American Pie' sold for $1.2m (£806,000) at a New York auction. The 16-page draft had been expected to fetch as much as $1.5m (£1m) at the Christie's sale. McLean said writing the song was "a mystical...
Happy birthday Carol Douglas (born April 7, 1948) an American singer whose hit "Doctor's Orders" (1974) was a pioneer track in the disco genre. Carol Douglas was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. She is the daughter of Minnie Newsome,...
7th April 1994, Lee Brilleaux singer, harmonica player and founding member of Dr Feelgood died of throat cancer aged 41. They had the 1979 UK No.9 single 'Milk And Alcohol' and the 1976 UK No.1 live album, 'Stupidity'. In 1976, Brilleaux helped fund Stiff...
May 30th 1945, Born on this day, American singer Gladys Horton. She was the founder and lead singer of the Motown all-female vocal group The Marvelettes who had the hits 'Please Mr. Postman', (when Horton was reportedly just fifteen years old). Horton...
25th April 1987, U2 started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their fifth studio album Joshua Tree. Inspired by American tour experiences, literature, and politics, the album topped the charts in over 20 countries, and is one of the world's...
Happy birthday to Alanis Morissette, born on 1st June 1974, Canadian-American, singer, songwriter, (1996 US No.4 & UK No.11 single 'Ironic' from Jagged Little Pill album which has sold more then 30 million copies, making it the best ever selling record...
7th May 1971, 'Moonage Daydream' was released as a single by Arnold Corns, a band, formed by David Bowie the name of which was inspired by the Pink Floyd song 'Arnold Layne'. This was one of Bowie’s side projects and something of a dry run for Ziggy Stardust....
May 16th 2010, Ronnie James Dio, singer with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio died after a six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old. Dio’s career began in 1957 with The Vegas Kings, which later changed to Ronnie and the...
21st May 2013, Trevor Bolder, the bassist in David Bowie's legendary 1970s backing band Spiders From Mars, died from cancer at the age of 62. Bolder appeared on the studio albums Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from...
April 9th 1983, David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the title track from his latest album 'Let's Dance', his fourth UK No.1 and featuring blues guitaristStevie Ray Vaughan. The song introduced Bowie to a new, younger audience oblivious...
May 14th 1943, Born on this day, Jack Bruce, bass, vocals, Graham Bond Organization, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, Cream, (1967 UK No.11 single 'I Feel Free', 1968 US No.5 single 'Sunshine Of Your Love'). West, Bruce and Laing. Bruce died...
May 10th 1946, Born on this day, Graham Gouldman, UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, High Spots, The Crevattes, 10cc, (1975 UK No.1 & US No.2 single 'I'm Not In Love', plus 10 other UK Top 30 hits including 2 No.1's), Wax, (1987 UK No.12 single 'Bridge...
5th May 1942, Born on this day, Tammy Wynette, US Country singer, 1968 US No.19 and 1975 UK No.1 single 'Stand By Your Man'. Known as the first lady of country music. Had the 1991 hit with The KLF ‘Justified and Ancient’ which became a No. 1 hit in eighteen...
July 1st 1945, Born on this day, Deborah Harry, singer, Blondie who scored five UK No.1 singles including the 1979 UK & US No.1 single 'Heart Of Glass' and the 1978 world-wide No.1 album 'Parallel Lines'. As a solo artists she scored the 1986 UK No. 8...
Happy birthday to Stan Lynch, bron on 21st May 1955, American musician, songwriter and record producer who was the original drummer for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, (1977 single 'American Girl', 1989 UK No.28 single 'I Won't Back Down', 1991 UK No.3...
May 7th 1966, The Mamas and the Papas started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monday Monday', it made No.3 in the UK. The group was reported, as saying they all hated the song except for its writer John Phillips. The Mamas and the...
May 8th 1982, Paul McCartney scored his fifth UK No.1 album with 'Tug Of War'. The album featured the duet with Stevie Wonder 'Ebony & Ivory', which was inspired by McCartney hearing comedian Spike Milligan say "black notes, white notes, and you need...
May 27th 2008, Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in the United States. Yale's president, Richard Levin, said; The former Beatle had 'awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and...
Happy birthday to Tim Burgess, born on 30th May 1968, singer, songwriter with English indie rock band The Charlatans who had the 1990 UK No.9 single 'The Only One I Know'. In the UK, all of the band's thirteen studio albums have charted in the Top 40...
21st May 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the protest single Ohio, written and composed by Neil Young in reaction to the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970, when unarmed college students were shot by the Ohio National Guard. The guardsmen...