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2012 - Whitney Houston was found dead in suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub. Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. Local police said there were "no obvious signs of criminal intent." It was later ruled by the coroner to have been an "accidental drowning". She influenced many singers and was known for her powerful, soulful vocals, vocal improvisation skills, use of gospel singing techniques in pop music, and live performances. Houston had 11 No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and is the only artist to have seven consecutive No.1 singles on the chart.
Born on this day:
1962 - Sheryl Crow, US singer, songwriter, who had the 1994 US No.2 & UK No.4 single 'All I Wanna Do', from her 1993 album 'Tuesday Night Music Club' as well as hits with 'If It Makes You Happy' (1996), 'Everyday Is a Winding Road' (1996), 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (1997) the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Crow worked as a backing singer on the Michael Jackson 'Bad' tour has now sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and garnered nine Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
1941 - Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes, who had the 1983 US No.4 single 'Never Gonna Let You Go'. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2012 as co-writer of the song 'Real in Rio' from the animated film Rio.
1940 - Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, who had the 1962 US No.1 & 1973 UK No.3 single 'The Monster Mash'. The song was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato. Pickett died of leukaemia at the age of 69 on April 25th 2007.
1939 - Gerry Goffin, American songwriter of over 20 US hits with his then-wife Carole King, including The Shirelles 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', The Drifters 'Up On The Roof', The Chiffons, 'One Fine Day', Herman's Hermits, 'I'm Into Something Good'. Goffin died on 19th June 2014 at the age of 75 in Los Angeles. After he and King divorced, Goffin wrote with other composers, including Barry Goldberg and Michael Masser, with whom he wrote 'Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)' and 'Saving All My Love for You', also No.1 hits. During his career, Goffin wrote over 114 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including eight chart-toppers, and 72 UK hits.
1935 - American musician Gene Vincent who pioneered the styles of rockabilly and rock and roll. Born Eugene Craddock his 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, 'Be-Bop-a-Lula', is considered a significant early example of rockabilly. His chart career was brief, especially in his home country of the US, where he notched three top 40 hits in 1956 and 1957. In the UK, he was a somewhat bigger star, racking up eight top 40 hits from 1956 to 1961. British singer Ian Dury recorded the track 'Sweet Gene Vincent' on his first solo album, (New Boots and Panties!! in 1977). Vincent died on 12 October 1971 at the age of 36 from a combination of a ruptured ulcer, internal haemorrhage and heart failure.
1952 - Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter Michael McDonald, who with The Doobie Brothers had the 1979 US No.1 single 'What A Fool Believes', and the 1993 UK No.7 single 'Long Train Runnin'. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan and has also worked with Kenny Loggins, David Cassidy, Van Halen, Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Toto.
1939 - Ray Manzarek, keyboards, with The Doors, who had the 1967 US No.1 & UK No.9 single 'Light My Fire' and the 1971 single 'Riders On The Storm'. Manzarek died on 20th May 2013, he had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years. He formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
1920 - American guitarist and session musician Bill Pitman. He played ukulele in the Academy Award-winning song 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head,' and as a session musician played on The Byrds hit 'Mr. Tambourine Man', 'Good Vibrations', The Beach Boys, 'Strangers in the Night', Frank Sinatra, 'Be My Baby', The Ronettes, 'Deep Purple' Nino Tempo & April Stevens and 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin'' Nancy Sinatra. He died at his home on 11 August 2022, aged 102, from complications of a fall.
1961 - Henry Rollins, American singer, actor, presenter, comedian, and activist who was a member of Black Flag and fronted the Rollins Band. He has campaigned for various political causes in the United States, including the promotion of LGBT rights, World Hunger Relief, the West Memphis Three, and an end to all war.
1950 - English singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Gabriel, with Genesis who had the 1974 UK No.21 single 'I Know What I Like In Your Wardrobe'. Gabriel left Genesis in 1975 to launch his solo career and had the 1986 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Sledgehammer' from the 1986 UK No.1 & US No.2 album So. 'Sledgehammer' won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time. Gabriel has been a champion of world music for much of his career. He co-founded the WOMAD festival in 1982.
1942 - Peter Tork, American musician with The Monkees who were brought together for an American TV series in 1966. They had the 1967 UK & US No.1 single 'I'm A Believer' plus other hits including 'Last Train to Clarksville', 'Pleasant Valley Sunday', and 'Daydream Believer'. Tork was diagnosed with a rare form of tongue cancer in 2009. He died on February 21, 2019 age 77.
2010 - American singer-songwriter-musician Doug Fieger died after a long battle with cancer. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Knack, and co-wrote 'My Sharona', the biggest hit song of 1979 in the USA, and was Capitol Records' fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' in 1964. When Fieger was 25, he met 17-year-old Sharona Alperin, who he wrote the song for, as well as later becoming Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years.
1999 - American singer and songwriter Buddy Knox died of lung cancer aged 65. Knox had the 1957 US No.1 & UK No.29 single 'Party Doll' which sold over one million copies becoming the first person in the rock 'n' roll era to write and record a No.1 hit. His other hits include 'Rock Your Little Baby To Sleep' and 'Hula Love'.
1987 - KMET 94.7 in LA was yanked off the air and replaced by a smooth jazz format. KMET was a Los Angeles radio station originally owned by Metromedia that first took to the air in June 1968 at 94.7 MHz. The station, nicknamed "The Mighty Met," was L.A.s pioneering station of the "underground" progressive rock format originated in San Francisco by Tom and Raechel Donahue. Completely unadulterated free form radio, playing whatever the on air jocks wanted, and playing music (and constant "commentary") that related directly to the times... good times, bad time, news, etc. In fact, even the news was reported by Pat "Paraquat" Kelly" and Ace Young. in a completely original and entertaining way, and was rarely in sync with the news as reported on any other radio station, TV, etc.... the station literally programmed itself freely.
KMET became the soundtrack to the lifestyle, and was a station that we would all turn on first thing in the morning and listen to all day and evening long. Simply put, the best radio ever, elevating to a high art the broadcasting of rock n roll music, news and culture!
KMET's jingle was "A Little Bit of Heaven, Ninety-Four Point Seven - KMET - Tweedle-Dee".KMET signed off on February 14, 1987 with The Beatles singing "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" from "The End". KMET was the home of Jeff Gonzer, Bob Coburn, Cynthia Fox, Jack Snyder, Mary Turner, and Jim Ladd, and Dr. Demento who hosted a show with novelty tunes for 4 hours on Sunday Evenings.
Born on this day:
1972 - American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rob Thomas with Matchbox Twenty who had the 2000 US No.1 single 'Bent' and his 'Lonely No More' released in 2005 became his biggest selling solo chart success. Thomas sang on the 1999 US No.1 single 'Smooth' by Santana and also had the 2005 US No.1 solo album Something To Be. Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, Travis Tritt and Daughtry have all covered his songs.
1947 - American singer, songwriter Tim Buckley, who recorded the 1972 album Greetings From LA. His singer, songwriter son Jeff Buckley drowned while swimming in 1997. Tim himself died on June 29th 1975 of a heroin and morphine overdose.
1944 - Denny Zager, singer with Zager and Evans who had the 1969 US & UK No.1 single 'In The Year 2525'. Despite the record's huge success, follow-up singles such as 'Mr. Turnkey' went largely unnoticed. Zager now builds custom guitars at Zager Guitars, which is based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
2013 - Chubby Checker launched a $500,000 lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard for including an app on its phones and tablets that was not only named after the 71-year-old musician, but measured a man's manhood based on his shoe size.
2000 - Sting pulled-out of a concert in Vienna in protest at the inclusion of Jorg Haider's far right freedom party in Austria's new government. Lou Reed had also cancelled shows in the country.
1991 -Kelly Emberg the ex-girlfriend of Rod Stewart filed a $25 million (£14.7 million) palimony suit in Los Angeles. The couple lived together from 1985 to 1990. Stewart later said: "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."
1988 - After singer Jo Elliot had referred to El Paso as 'the place with all those greasy Mexicans', Def Leppard were forced to cancel a concert in El Paso, after they received threats that the gig would be disrupted.
1981 - American guitarist Mike Bloomfield was found dead in his car in San Francisco from an accidental heroin overdose aged 37. He was a member of the Paul Butterfield band and Electric Flag and had played on Bob Dylan's album Highway 61 Revisited. Bloomfield's Telecaster guitar licks were featured on Dylan's ‘Like a Rolling Stone’, and he appeared onstage with Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan used Bloomfield and the Butterfield Band which marked Dylan's first use of an electric band in a live performance.
1968 - John Lennon and his wife Cynthia along with George and Patti Harrison, flew to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joined them a few days later, but Starr would become bored and leave on March 1st, comparing the experience to be like a 'Butlins holiday camp.' 19 songs which would later appear on The Beatles White Album were written during March and April 1968 at a Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India.
1964 - The Beatles scored their first US No.1 album with Meet The Beatles! The album stayed at No.1 for eleven weeks and had sold over four million copies in the US by December 31, 1964. Released as their second album in the US, it was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records.
2005 - Kid Rock was arrested for allegedly punching a DJ at a strip club in Nashville, Tennessee. Police were called to the incident but Rock escaped from the club. Shortly after, he was pulled over by an officer who got an autograph but did not do a breath test despite smelling alcohol. (The officer has since been fired). The star was eventually arrested a few hours later, taken to the night court and released on $3,000 bail.
Yusuf Islam, the former Cat Stevens was awarded substantial damages from The Sunday Times and The Sun, after they had printed articles alleging he was involved in terrorism. Both newspapers apologized to the 56 year old musician for the "false and highly defamatory allegations." The papers also paid his legal bills and pledged not to repeat the allegations. The money awarded was given to Tsunami relief projects.
1991 - The Simpsons were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Do The Bartman'. The song was written by Michael Jackson and Bryan Lorenand, The Simpsons became the first cartoon characters to make No.1 since the Archies hit 'Sugar Sugar' in 1969. Jackson was a massive fan of The Simpsons and had called the producers one night offering to write Bart a number one single and do a guest spot on the show.
Born today:
1990 - Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer The Weeknd, (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye). He has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards, 19 Billboard Music Awards, 15 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.
1961 - Andy Taylor, guitarist with Duran Duran who had the 1983 UK No.1 single 'Is There Something I Should Know' plus 25 other UK Top 40 singles including the 1984 US No.1 single 'The Reflex'. Also a member of The Power Station who had the 1985 UK No.14 single 'Some Like It Hot'.
1959 - American rapper and actor Ice-T, (Tracy Morrow), he co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count in 1990. Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD detective/sergeant Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
1954 - I was born!
1935 - American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician Sonny Bono, who had the 1965 UK & US No.1 single 'I Got You Babe', as Sonny & Cher. Bono began his music career as a songwriter at Specialty Records, where his song 'Things You Do to Me' was recorded by Sam Cooke, and went on to work for record producer Phil Spector in the early 1960s. He was mayor of Palm Springs, California, from 1988 to 1992, and the Republican congressman for California's 44th district, serving from 1995 until his death in 1998. He was killed on 5 January 1998, aged 62, in a skiing accident.
1941 - Gene Pitney, singer, who had the 1962 US No.4 single 'Only Love Can Break A Heart'. Also scored the 1967 solo UK No.5 & 1989 UK No.1 single with Marc Almond 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart', plus over 15 other US & UK Top 40 hits. Pitney was found dead aged 65 in his bed in a Cardiff hotel on 5th April 2006. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness.
1972 - Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and actor with Green Day who had the 1995 UK No.7 single with 'Basket Case'. Their 1994 album Dookie has sold over 10 million copies and they were the Top Modern Rock Act in the US in 1995. Armstrong is also a member of the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side projects Foxboro Hot Tubs and The Network.
Taylor Hawkins, American drummer, who worked with Alanis Morissette as her touring drummer on her Jagged Little Pill tour. He joined Foo Fighters in 1997, and had a side project, Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, in which he played drums and sings. He was voted Best Rock Drummer in 2005 by the UK drumming magazine Rhythm. At Live Earth in 2007, Hawkins was part of SOS Allstars with Roger Taylor of Queen and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hawkins died on 25 March 2022 age 50 in Bogota, Colombia, where he was set to perform with the Foo Fighters headlining set at Lollapalooza Brazil.
1991 - Ed Sheeran, British singer, songwriter. In 2012, he won two BRIT Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist, and British Breakthrough of the Year, while 'The A Team' also won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Also won Best Song of the Year at the 2016 Grammys for 'Thinking Out Loud'. Sheeran has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists, two of his albums are in the list of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. As of April 2022, he is the most followed artist on Spotify.
2004 - Johnny Cash's family blocked an attempt by advertisers to use his hit song 'Ring of Fire' to promote hemorrhoid-relief products. The idea is said to have been backed by Merle Kilgore, who co-wrote the song with Cash's wife, June Carter Cash. Cash's daughter Rosanne said the family "would never allow the song to be demeaned like that."
1995 - Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson on a Cancun beach, Mexico, the bride wore a white bikini. Anderson and Lee who married only four days after meeting had videotaped their sexual activities while on vacation which was later stolen and released on the Internet. After suing the video company who released the tape, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement. The couple divorced in 1998.
1985 - Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio, Texas for urinating on the cenotaph at the Alamo, which honors the Alamo defenders. Osbourne was wearing a dress at the time of his arrest, (due to his wife Sharon hiding all his clothes so he couldn't go outside). Osbourne was banned from ever playing in San Antonio, Texas again, (a ban which was lifted in 1992). When later interviewed, Ozzy said his next goal was to urinate on the White House lawn.
1980 - AC/DC singer Bon Scott was pronounced dead on arrival at a London hospital after a heavy night's drinking. Scott was found in the passenger seat of a friend's parked car. The official coroner's report stated that he had "drunk himself to death", after suffocating on his own vomit.
Born on this day:
1963 - British singer-songwriter Henry Samuel, singer, songwriter, (Seal). He had the 1991 UK No.2 single 'Crazy', and the 1995 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'Kiss From A Rose'. His 1991 self-titled album spent 65 weeks on the UK chart. Seal has won multiple awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards; he won Best British Male in 1992, as well as four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award.
1957 - Falco, (Hans Holzl), who had the1986 UK & US No.1 single 'Rock Me Amadeus'. Falco became the first-ever Austrian act to score a UK and US No.1 hit single. He was killed in a car accident on 6th February 1998.
1943 - Lou Christie, US singer, who had the 1966 US No.1 single 'Lightnin Strikes', and the 1969 UK No.2 single 'I'm Gonna Make You Mine'.
1940 - American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive Smokey Robinson. With The Miracles he had the 1970 UK & US No.1 single 'The Tears Of A Clown'. As a solo artist Robinson scored the 1981 UK No.1 & US No.2 single 'Being With You'. He became the vice President of Motown Records in 1972. During the course of his 50-year career in music, Robinson has accumulated more than 4,000 songs to his credit.
2003 - 100 people died after pyrotechnics ignited a club during a gig by Great White in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Great White guitarist Ty Longley was also killed in the accident. Two brothers who owned the club were charged, along with the former tour manager with involuntary manslaughter. Foam soundproofing material at the edge of the stage set alight and the blaze spread quickly in the one-storey wooden building as fans all tried to escape through the same exit. Great White began a tour in July 2003 to raise money for the survivors and families of victims.
Born on this day:
1967 - Kurt Cobain guitarist, singer, songwriter with Nirvana who had the 1991 hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Their 1991 album 'Nevermind' spent over two years on the UK chart. During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression. Cobain committed suicide on April 5th 1994. Cobain has been remembered as one of the most iconic rock musicians in the history of alternative music.
1951 - Randy California, guitarist, singer with Spirit, who had the 1969 US No.25 single 'I Got A Line On You', and the 1981 UK No.40 album 'Potato Land'. He died on 2nd January 1997 when rescuing his 12 year-old son after he was sucked into a riptide in surf off Hawaii.
1950 - Walter Becker, bass, guitar, vocals, songwriter with American group Steely Dan. Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan's debut album, was released in 1972. Its hit singles 'Do It Again' and 'Reelin' In the Years' reached No. 6 and No. 11 respectively on the Billboard singles chart and the songs became staples on progressive radio. Steely Dan's Two Against Nature won a Grammy in 2001 for Album of the year. Becker has produced records for Rickie Lee Jones, China Crisis and Michael Franks. Becker died on 3 September 2017 aged 67.
1946 - J Geils, American guitarist, with The J. Geils Band who had the 1982 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'Centerfold', which was taken from their US No.1 1981 album Freeze Frame. On April 11, 2017, Groton Police conducted a well-being check on Geils and found him unresponsive at his home. He was pronounced dead from natural causes at age 71.
February 20, 1960 - Jimi Hendrix made his stage debut at Garfield HS in Seattle.
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