What Happened Today In Music

January 2nd

1926 - The Melody Maker

The first issue of The Melody Maker went on sale priced at 3d. The monthly magazine was for 'all who are interested in the production of popular music'. In the first issue, Dance Band news, a feature on Ukuleles and how to read music by sight. Advertisements in Melody Maker helped assemble the line-ups of a number of major bands, including: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Supertramp and The Stranglers.

1954 - Eddie Calvert

Eddie Calvert started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK singles with 'Oh, Mein Papa.' This was the first No.1 to be recorded at Abbey Road studios in London and stayed at the top of the charts for 9 weeks.

1965 - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley went to No.1 on the US album chart with the soundtrack from 'Roustabout,' Presley's eighth No.1.

1969 - John Lennon

The entire shipment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album 'Two Virgins' was seized by authorities in New Jersey due to the full frontal nude photograph of the couple on the cover. The album was eventually wrapped in plain brown paper in record stores.

1969 - Alice Cooper

Led Zeppelin played the first of four nights at the Whisky A Go-Go, Los Angeles during the bands first North American tour. Support group was the Alice Cooper band. 

1969 - The Beatles

Filming began at Twickenham studios in England of The Beatlesrehearsing for the 'Let It Be' album. The project ran into several problems including George Harrison walking out on the group on January 10th.

1971 - George Harrison

The George Harrison album 'All Things Must Pass' started a seven week run at No.1 on the US album chart, making Harrison the first solo Beatle to score a US No.1 album. The triple album included the hit singles 'My Sweet Lord' and 'What Is Life', as well as songs such as 'Isn't It a Pity' and the title track that were turned down by The Beatles.

1974 - Tex Ritter

US country singer, actor and radio presenter Tex Ritter died of a heart attack when he was trying to bail a member of his band from a jail in Nashville. His song 'High Noon' won an Oscar for Best Song in 1952.

1979 - Sid Vicious

Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious went on trial in New York accused of murdering his girlfriend Nancy Spungen three months earlier, when he claimed to have awoken from a drugged stupor to find Spungen dead on the bathroom floor of their room in the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, New York.

1980 - Larry Williams

US singer Larry Williams was found dead from a gunshot wound to his head in his Los Angeles, California home aged 45. Williams had the 1957 US No.5 & UK No. 21 single 'Short Fat Fannie.' Also known for 'Bony Moronie' and 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy.' The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dr. Feelgood, Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Winter, Little Richard, The Who, Ritchie Valens and Bill Haley& His Comets all covered his songs.

1981 - David Lynch

American singer David Lynch of The Platters died of cancer. (1959 UK & US No.1 single 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes').

1985 - Ron Wood

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood married his girlfriend Jo Woodin Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England. Guests included Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewartand Jeff Beck. The couple divorced in 2009.

1989 - Kylie Minogue

Record Mirror published a chart of last years Top UK singles artists. No.1 was Kylie Minogue, No.2, Bros, No.3, Yazz, No.4 Tiffany, No.5, Phil Collins, No.6, Cliff Richard, No.7, Erasure, No.8, Pet Shop Boys, No.9, Belinda Carlisle, and No.10, Wet Wet Wet.

1994 - Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his sixth studio album Bat Out Of Hell II - Back Into Hell. The LP, which featured the single 'I'd Do Anything for Love', also topped the charts in the US and Australia and has sold more than 14 million copies world-wide.

1997 - Randy California

Guitarist Randy California from US group Spirit drowned when rescuing his 12-year old son when he was sucked into a riptide in surf off Hawaii.

1999 - Chef

Chef went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Chocolate Salty Balls (PS I Love You). Chef appeared in the cult TV series South Park, the voice was that of Isaac Hayes (who had a hit with Shaft in 1971).

2002 - Nick Carter

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested in a Tampa, Florida night-club after being involved in a fight. Police said that Carter was arguing with a woman and when they asked him to leave, he continued arguing. He was arrested on a misdemeanour count of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence.

2003 - 50 Cent

50 Cent was arrested by police in New York after guns were found in his vehicle, after his SUV was searched when it had been left in a no-parking zone. Police found a .25-calibre handgun and a .45-calibre pistol in the vehicle, officers said both guns were loaded.

2005 - Green Day

Green Day were at No.1 on the UK album chart with their seventh album 'American Idiot.' The album went on to be nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning the Best Rock Album of 2005.

2007 - Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue played the first of two nights at Wembley Arena in London during her re-scheduled Showgirl world tour. The tour was postponed last year after Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer, for which the singer had since received treatment.

2007 - George Harrison

Cristin Keleher who once broke into former Beatle George Harrison's Hawaii home was found dead after an apparent murder-suicide in California, aged 34. She made headlines in December 1999 by entering Harrison's Maui estate and then cooking herself a frozen pizza. Police said her body had been found with that of a 48-year-old man in a car, both had gunshot wounds to their heads.

2007 - Gnarls Barkley

Gnarls Barkley's song 'Crazy' was confirmed as the biggest selling UK single of 2006 selling over 700,000 copies. The track, which was the first to reach number one on downloads alone, held off the challenge of X-factor winner Leone. Snow Patrol's album 'Eyes Open' topped the album chart with estimated sales of 1.5m while Take That's comeback release 'Beautiful World' came in just behind. Singles sales had doubled to over 65m since the download chart was launched in September 2004.

2008 - Josh Groban

Josh Groban was America's top selling artist of 2007, the 26-year-old whose hits included 'You Raise Me Up', had the best-selling album of the year with the Christmas compilation Noel, which sold close to 3.7m copies. The second biggest seller was the soundtrack for Disney's High School Musical 2. The Eagles were 2007's biggest selling group with sales of 3.58m albums.

2009 - AC/DC

According to official US sales figures AC/DC were the biggest sellers of 2008 with over 3.4m sales. To promote the groups latest album Black Ice, Columbia Records created "Rock Again AC/DCStores" as well as "Black Ice" trucks which were dispatched on the streets of New York and Los Angeles playing AC/DC music aloud and making various stops each day to sell merchandise.

2012 - Larry Reinhardt

American rock guitarist Larry Reinhardt died aged 63 of cirrhosis of the liver. He played with Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond. At one time Reinhardt was known by the nicknames "El Rhino" and "Ryno".

2014 - Jay Traynor

American singer Jay Traynor died age 70. He was the third lead vocalist of the Mystics, singing falsetto on 'The White Cliffs of Dover', and lead on 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and 'Blue Star'. Later, he started Jay and the Americans with Kenny Vance and Sandy Yaguda, and was the original lead singer. He sang lead on the group's first 1962 hit, 'She Cried'.

2016 - Adele

Adele was at No.1 on the US album chart with her third studio album 25. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting at No.1 in more than 25 markets and broke first-week sales records in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and United States; in the US, the album sold 3.38 million copies in its first week of release, marking the largest single-week sales for an album since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking point-of-sale music purchases in 1991.

2018 - Rick Hall

American record producer, songwriter, music publisher, and musician Rick Hall best known as the owner of Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama died aged 85. Hall almost single-handedly established the town of Muscle Shoals as a crucible of some of the greatest soul music to be produced in America in the Sixties and Seventies. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James and Clarence Carter were just a few of the rhythm and blues artists who recorded under Hall’s supervision, using the superlative group of session musicians who formed the basis of what became known as the “Muscle Shoals sound”.

2019 - Daryl Dragon

American musician and songwriter Daryl Dragon died from kidney failure aged 76. He was known as ‘Captain’ from the musical duo Captain & Tennille with his then-wife, Toni Tennille. They scored numerous hits on the US singles charts, the most enduring of which included ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’, ‘Do That to Me One More Time’, and ‘Muskrat Love’. They hosted their own television variety series on ABC in 1976–77. Dragon also worked on The Beach Boys' 1972 release Carl and the Passions – ‘So Tough’.

2020 - Lorraine Chandler

American soul singer, songwriter and record producer Lorraine Chandler died age 73. Chandler was one of the first black female songwriters and producers. She worked with Motown Records percussionist Jack Ashford (famous for playing the tambourine on hundreds of Motown recordings). The O’Jays recorded her song 'I'll Never Forget You'.

Born Today In Music

January 2nd

1931 - Frank Marocco

American piano-accordionist, arranger and composer Frank Marocco. He worked together with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys, and performed on the 1966 classic album Pet Sounds. 

1936 - Roger Miller

Roger Miller singer, guitarist and TV star. (1965 UK No.1 & US No.4 single 'King Of The Road'). He won four Grammy awards in 1965 including Best Country & Western Album. Roger died of lung cancer on October 25th 1991, aged 56. Scottish duo The Proclaimers had the 1990 UK No.9 hit with their version of 'King Of The Road.'

1942 - Chick Churchill

Chick Churchill, keyboards, Ten Years After, 1970 UK No.10 single 'Love Like A Man.'

1954 - Glenn Gones

Glenn Goins, a singer and guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic in the mid-1970s. He died on 29 July 1978 from Hodgkin's lymphoma, aged 24.

1957 - Ricky Van Shelton

Ricky Van Shelton, US country singer, scored 10 country No.1's, including duets with Dolly Parton and Brenda Lee.

1963 - Keith Gregory

Keith Gregory, bassist from British indie rock group The Wedding Present. During 1992 they released one single every month giving them 12 Top 30 hits, making them the only group to score more than 10 new hits in one year.

1967 - Robert Gregory

Robert Gregory, drummer from British indie band Babybird, who had the 996 UK No.3 single ‘You’re Gorgeous’, and the 1996 UK No. 9 album Ugly Beautiful.

1975 - Douglas Seann Robb

Douglas Seann Robb, Hoobastank, 2004 US No.2 hit 'The Reason'.

1975 - Chris Cheney

Australian rock musician Chris Cheney, the founding mainstay guitarist, songwriter and lead vocalist of the psychobilly band, The Living End. At the APRA Awards of 2009 Cheney won 'Song of the Year' for writing The Living End's track, 'White Noise'.

1993 - Bryson Tiller

Bryson Tiller, American singer, songwriter and rapper. His debut single, 'Don't', peaked at No.13 on the US chart.