THIS DAY IN MUSIC

June 23rd: On this Day

1957, Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Gamblin' Man / Putting On The Style', the singers second UK No.1. It was the last UK No.1 to be released as a 78rpm as well as a 7' vinyl record.

1960, Eddie Cochran was at No.1 in the UK with the single 'Three Steps To Heaven'. The American singer had been killed 3 months earlier in a car crash while touring the UK.

1962, Ray Charles started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music'.

1962, The film soundtrack to 'West Side Story' went to No.1 on the UK charts for the first time. It spent a total of 13 weeks at No.1 on seven different occasions.

1965, The Yardbirds appeared at The City Hall, Salisbury, England, admission 10 shillings, ($1.40).

1966, The Beatles had their tenth consecutive UK No.1 single with 'Paperback Writer' / 'Rain.' The track is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles records. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process.

1966,

1970, Cubby Checker was arrested in Niagara Falls after police discovered marijuana and other drugs in his car.

1973, 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rubber Bullets', the first of three UK No.1's for the band, (who also had a No.1 as Hotlegs).

1973, George Harrison  started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Living In The Material World', his second US No.1. His third studio solo album was the follow-up to 1970's acclaimed All Things Must Pass and his massive charity project, The Concert For Bangladesh

1975, During his 'Welcome To My Nightmare' tour in Vancouver, Canada, Alice Cooper fell from the stage and broke six ribs.

1975, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of 14 shows over 7 nights at Paul's Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of their Natty Dread Tour.

1976, Paul McCartney and Wings played the last date on their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles.

1984, Duran Duran started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'The Reflex', the group's first US No.1, was taken from their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

1989, George Michael received the Silver Clef Award for outstanding achievements to British Music.

1990, 13-year-old Keith Sorrentino filed a $500,000 (£294,118) lawsuit against Madonna, claiming he suffered nightmares and bed-wetting problems after an incident outside Madonna's home when she allegedly flung him to the ground.

1990, Elton John had his first UK solo No.1 single with 'Sacrifice / Healing Hands' after achieving over 50 previous UK hits and 6 chart toppers in the US.

1990, Buddy Holly's  Gibson acoustic guitar sold for £139,658 ($237,419) in a Sotheby's auction. The guitar was in a tooled leather case made by Holly himself.

1995, Drummer Alan White made his live debut with Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Also former Take That member Robbie Williams appeared on stage with the band during the show.

1996, Bryan Adams went to No.1 on the UK album chart with '18-Till I Die'. Metallica went to No.1 on the US album chart with their sixth studio album 'Load'. The album has now sold over five million copies in America alone.

2002, The top pop earners from US sales during 2001 were listed by Rolling Stone magazine as: Madonna at No.5 with £29.1 million ($49.5 million); Dave Matthews Band at No.4 with £31 million ($52.7 million); The Beatles at No.3 with £34.2 million ($58 million); Dr. Dre at No.2 with £37.1 million ($63 million) and, top of the list, U2 with £44.2 million ($75 million).

2003, Diana Ross appeared in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated into taking a breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). The singer said, "If I didn’t take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail". After the hearing, Ross asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was "a little late" for that now.

2004, UK DJ Tony Blackburn was suspended by radio station Classic Gold Digital for playing songs by Cliff Richard which was against station policy.

2004, Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary degree by the University of St. Andrews Scotland's oldest University and made a "Doctor of Music."

2008, Coldplay appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the first night of the North American leg, Viva la Vida, 161-date world Tour.

2009, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to one count of assault on his former girlfriend, Rihanna. The 19 year-old R&B singer was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to do six months community service. Brown had faced charges of assaulting Rihanna, 21, during a row in February. The last-minute plea deal came before a hearing at a Los Angeles court at which Rihanna was due to give evidence. The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge also ordered Brown and Rihanna to stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at entertainment industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards.

2010, 62-year-old Gregg Allman underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman had begun a series of treatments for Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman said "I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn back time. Every day is a gift."

June 23rd: Born on this day

1929, Born on this day, June Carter Cash, country singer, wife of Johnny Cash. Died 15th May 2003 aged 73. Had hits with Johnny Cash, 'Ring Of Fire', 'Jackson', 'If I Were A Carpenter'.

1937, Born on this day, Niki Sullivan, guitarist, singer, one of the three original members of Buddy Holly's  backing group, The Crickets. He co-wrote a number of his hit songs and sang back-up vocals on 27 of the 32 songs Buddy recorded over his brief career. Sullivan died suddenly of a heart attack on April 6th 2004, at his home in Independence, Missouri aged 66.

1940, Born on this day, Adam Faith, singer and actor, (1959 UK No.1 single 'What Do You Want', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles), acting roles include the TV series 'Love Hurts.' Faith died on March 8th 2003.

1940, Born on this day, Stuart Sutcliffe, original bassist of The Beatles for eighteen months (January 1960 - June 1961). Sutcliffe was living in Hamburg, Germany at the time of his death, he died of a brain haemorrhage in an ambulance on the way to hospital on April 10th 1962, aged 22.

1941, Born on this day, Robert Hunter, American lyricist, singer-songwriter and poet, best known for his work with the Grateful Dead and for collaborating with singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. An early friend of Jerry Garcia, they played together in bluegrass bands (such as the Tub Thumpers).

1956, Born on this day, Randall Darius Jackson, American musician and record producer, now best known for being a judge on the US television show American Idol.

1957, Born on this day, Lee John, Imagination, (1982 UK No.2 single 'Just An Illusion').

1960, Born on this day was American record producer, mixer, engineer, and musician Brendan O'Brien, who has produced, to date, 14 US No.1 albums for acts such as Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, The Black Crowes, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aerosmith.

1962, Born on this day, Richard Coles, Communards, (1986 UK No.1 single 'Don't Leave Me This Way').

1962, Born on this day, Steve Shelley, drums, Sonic Youth, (1993 UK No.26 single 'Sugar Kane').

1965, Born on this day, Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, guitar, Oasis (first single 'Supersonic' 1994 UK No.31, 1996 UK No.1 single 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 1994 UK No.1 album Definitely Maybe became the fastest selling UK debut album ever'). Arthurs, quit the band in Aug 1999.

1966, Born on this day, James MacPherson, drummer, The Breeders, (1993 UK No.40 'Cannonball EP').

1966, Born on this day, Mark Chadwick, guitar, vocals, The Levellers, (1995 UK No.12 single 'Just The One').

1975, Born on this day, KT Tunstall, UK singer, songwriter, 2005, UK No.3 album, 'Eye To The Telescope'.

1980, Born on this day, Jessica Taylor, singer, Liberty X, (2002 UK No.1 single 'Just A Little').

1981, Born on this day, Anthony Costa, singer, Blue, (2002 UK No.1 single 'If You Come Back').

1984, Born on this day, Aimee Anne Duffy, (Duffy) Welsh singer-songwriter who had the 2008 UK No.1 single ‘Mercy’. Her debut studio album Rockferry released in 2008 won a number of awards including the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.