THIS DAY IN MUSIC

February 3rd: On this Day

1959, 22 year old Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, aged 17, died in a crash shortly after take-off from Clear Lake, Iowa, the pilot of the single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza plane was also killed. Holly hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. All three were travelling to Fargo, North Dakota, for the next show on their Winter Dance Party Tour which Holly had set - covering 24 cities in three weeks, to make money after the break-up of his band, The Crickets, last year.

1967, Producer Joe Meek shot his landlady Violet Shenton and then shot himself at his flat in London, Meek produced The Tornadoes hit 'Telstar', the first No.1 in the US by a British group. Meek was interested in spirituality and often attended séances . At one such meeting in 1958 he was warned that Buddy Holly would die on February 3. Meek tried his best to find Holly when he was in London to warn him but failed in his mission. Holly died on February 3, 1959.

1968, One Hit Wonders The Lemon Pipers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Green Tambourine' the song was a No.7 hit in the UK. The song has been credited as being one of the first bubblegum pop chart-toppers.

1968, The Beatles started work on their new single 'Lady Madonna' at Abbey Road studios in London. Recording three piano and drum takes with overdub bass, fuzz guitars, drums, and vocals.

1970, Led Zeppelin II was in the Top 20 on both the UK & US album charts after peaking at No.1. The album went on to spend 138 weeks on the UK chart. The album is now recognised by writers and music critics as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums ever recorded.

1973, Elton John started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Crocodile Rock'. Elton's first of five US No.1 singles.

1979, Blondie had their first of five UK No.1 singles, with 'Heart Of Glass', taken from the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines. 'Heart of Glass' was originally recorded in 1975 under the name 'Once I Had a Love.'

1986, Dire Straits were at No.1 on the UK album charts with their fifth studio album Brothers in Arms. With ten weeks at No.1, the album is the seventh best-selling album in UK chart history and won two Grammy Awards in 1986, and also won Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards. Brothers in Arms also spent nine weeks at No.1 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and thirty-four weeks at No.1 on the Australian Album Chart.

1990, For the first time ever, the UK Top 3 singles featured non-British and non-American acts. Ireland's Sinead O'Connor, Australia's Kylie Minogue and Belgium's Technotronic. Sinead O'Connor had her first No.1 single with Nothing Compares To U', a song written by Prince.

1992, On their first Europe tour Pearl Jam played at The Esplanade Club in Southend, England to 300 people, the bands first ever UK show. The tour also took Pearl Jam to Norway, Sweden, Holland, France, Spain and Italy.

1999, American soul singer Gwen Guthrie died of cancer aged 48. She sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Madonna and wrote songs for Sister Sledge and Roberta Flack. She scored the 1986 R&B No.1 'Ain't Nothin' Goin' on But the Rent'.

1999, Tony Hadley singer with Spandau Ballet told a High Court in London of his "desperate" financial situation after his solo career failed. Hadley and band members Steve Norman and drummer John Keeble, were suing Spandau Ballet songwriter Gary Kemp for hundreds of thousands of pounds of allegedly unpaid publishing royalties. Hadley earned £120,000 a year during the band's heyday in the early 1980s, but the court heard that when he fell on hard times he was forced him to sell his home to pay off a £50,000 overdraft in 1993.

2004, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs settled a $3 million (£1.76 million) court case filed by his former driver after an incident in 1999. Wardell Fenderson had driven Mr Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez away from a New York nightclub where three people had been wounded in a shooting. Mr Fenderson said he was traumatized by having guns in the car and being ordered to ignore police orders to stop, for which he was arrested.

2004, R. Kelly appeared in Court and entered of plea of not guilty to 21 charges of child pornography. Kelly, who was free on bond, did not talk during the brief hearing. Outside the Cook County Criminal Courthouse fans voiced their support for the singer, proclaiming his innocence with placards and T-shirts. Kelly had been arrested in Florida after he was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from a videotape that allegedly shows the star performing sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl.

2007, Wayne Fontana, of 'Game Of Love' fame, was arrested at his home in Glossop, Derbyshire, England and charged with arson with intent to endanger life. The 61 year-old, who was already set to appear in court in March on traffic offenses, was accused of pouring gasoline over a bailiff's car and setting it on fire. The following November, he was sentenced to 11 months in jail, but was allowed to walk free from court immediately after already serving the equivalent of his term while held under the Mental Health Act.

2008, UK singer Adele went to No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut album '19'. As of December 2011, worldwide sales for the album stood at over 6.5 million copies.

2010, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, joined a growing group of critics of Bob Geldof and U2 singer Bono over their very public charity work, saying they should stop lecturing audiences about charity work and instead do their good deeds in private. Johnson said "When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry."

2014, Bruce Springsteen was at No.1 on the US chart with his eighteenth studio album High Hopes. His eleventh No.1 album in the US, placed him third all-time for most No. 1 albums only behind The The Beatles and Jay-Z. The album is a collection of cover songs, out-takes and re-imagined versions of tracks from past albums, EPs and tours.

February 3rd: Born on this day

1928, Born on this day, Frankie Vaughan, UK singer. During the 50's he scored twenty UK Top 30 singles including, UK No.2 'Green Door'. Made an OBE in 1965. Died 17th Sept 1999 aged 71.

1928, Born on this day, Val Doonican, Irish singer, and television presenter who had the 1964 UK No. 4 single 'Walk Tall', and 1967 UK No.1 album 'Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently'. Doonican died at a nursing home in Buckinghamshire on 1 July 2015, aged 88.

1935, Born on this day, Johnny 'guitar' Watson, American blues guitarist, singer. His ferocious 'Space Guitar' single of 1954 pioneered guitar feedback and reverb. Watson died on 17th May 1996 while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. According to eyewitness reports, he collapsed mid-guitar solo. His last words were "ain't that a bitch".

1940, Born on this day, Angelo D'Aleo, vocals, Dion And The Belmonts, who 1961 US No.1 & UK No.11 single 'Runaround Sue'.

1943, Born on this day, Dennis Edwards, singer with The Temptations, who had the 1971 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Just My Imagination' and re- issued 'My Girl' UK No.2 in 1992.

1943, Born on this day, Eric Haydock, bassist with The Hollies, who have scored over 25 Top 40 singles since 1963, including the 1972 US No.2 single 'Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress', and the 1988 UK No.1 single 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', which was first released in 1969.

1946, Born on this day, Stan Webb, guitar, vocals, with British group Chicken Shack, who had the 1969 UK No.14 single 'I'd Rather Go Blind'.

1947, Born on this day, Dave Davies, guitarist with The Kinks who scored the 1964 UK No.1 & US No.7 'You Really Got Me', and the 1967 UK No.2 single 'Waterloo Sunset' plus 19 other UK Top 40 singles. Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 after being interviewed by the BBC in London where he had been promoting his then current album, 'Bug'.

1947, Born on this day, Melanie Safka, US singer, songwriter who had the 1971 US No.1 & 1972 UK No.4 single 'Brand New Key'.

1947,

1949, Born on this day, Arthur ‘Killer’ Kane, bass guitarist with The New York Dolls, who had the 1973 album 'New York Dolls'. Kane died in Los Angeles on July 13th 2004, due to complications from leukaemia, aged 55.

1956, Born on this day, Lee Ranaldo, guitarist with American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, who had the 1993 UK No.26 single 'Sugar Kane'.

1957, Born on this day, Tony Butler, bassist with Big Country, who had the 1983 UK No.10 single 'Fields Of Fire' plus 14 other UK Top 40 single. Butler has also worked with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and The Pretenders.

1959, Born on this day, Lol Tolhurst, keyboards, with The Cure, who had the 1989 US No.2 single 'Love Song', the 1992 UK No.6 single 'Friday I'm In Love', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles.

1965, Born on this day, Nick Hawkins, guitarist with Big Audio Dynamite who had the 1986 UK No.11 single 'E=MC2'.

1970, Born on this day, Richie Kotzen, Mr. Big, who had the 1992 US No.1 & UK No.3 single 'To Be With You'. Also worked with Poison.

1977, Born on this day, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer Daddy Yankee. He featured on the 2017 single 'Despacito (Remix)' with Justin Bieber and Luis Fonsi.

1990, Born on this day, Sean Kingston, (Ka'Shon Anderson), Jamaican-American reggae, rap and pop musician who scored the 2007 US and UK No.1 single 'Beautiful Girls'.