THIS DAY IN MUSIC

July 23rd: On this Day

1955, Slim Whitman was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rose Marie.' The single stayed at the top of the charts for eleven weeks. Whitman held the record for the most consecutive weeks at No.1 (11 weeks), until 1991.

1964, The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Hard Day's Night', the group's fifth UK No.1.

1966, Frank Sinatra went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Strangers In The Night'. The LP would be the most successful of his career, being certified Platinum for 1 million copies sold in the US. The title track would earn him two Grammy awards for Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal Performance.

1968, Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' for their forthcoming double album The Beatles.

1969, The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women,' the group's 8th and last UK No.1.

1977, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was charged with assault after a concert at the Oakland Coliseum in California. Bonham and band manager Peter Grant had the help of their bodyguard in roughing up a security employee at the venue. After pleading guilty to misdemeanors, the accused settle out of court for two million dollars. The tour would eventually be cancelled after Robert Plant's son died a few days later.

1979, Keyboard player with The Grateful Dead Keith Godchaux died after being involved in a car accident aged 32. He co-wrote songs with Lowell George (of Little Feat) and was a member of The New Riders of the Purple Sage.

1983, Paul Young had his first UK No.1 single with his version of the Marvin Gayesong 'Wherever I Lay My Hat, (That's My Home.)' The song title was parodied by the UK indie band Super Furry Animals with their 1999 song 'Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)'.

1983, The Police kicked off the North American leg of their Synchronicity 107-date world tour at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois. The Police also went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Synchronicity', which spent a total of seventeen weeks at No.1.

1989, Ringo Starr kicked off his first tour since the break-up of the Beatles with a show in Dallas. His backup band included guitarist Joe Walsh, organist Billy Preston and Bruce Springsteen's sax man Clarence Clemons.

1994, The International Astronomical Union named an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter after Frank Zappa who had died the previous December.

1995, Two R.E.M. fans died at Dublin's Slane Castle gig, one drowned in the River Boyne and the other was allegedly pushed from a bridge.

1996, Rob Collins, keyboard player with The Charlatans died in a car crash, aged 29. Collins had been recording keyboard parts for the Charlatans 5th album ‘Tellin' Stories’ at a studio in Wales. An investigation into the accident showed that Collins had consumed a sizable amount of alcohol and was not wearing a seatbelt. He died from head injuries on the roadside shortly after the accident having been thrown through the windscreen.

2001, 59 year old Paul McCartney who lost his first wife Linda to cancer three years ago, became engaged to 33 year old Heather Mills, an activist for the disabled. It was the first marriage for the 33-year-old Mills, a former swimwear model whose left leg was amputated below the knee after she was run down by a police motorcyclist in 1993. The pair would split in 2006 and divorce in 2008 with a settlement that cost Macca millions.

2003, James Brown announced his separation from his fourth wife using an advertisement featuring the Disney character Goofy. The 70-year-old placed the notice in Variety magazine, it featured a picture of himself, his wife Tomi Rae and their two-year-old son, James Joseph Brown II, posing with Goofy at Walt Disney World.

2004, A 21 year-old man was arrested after being involved in a fight with Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty in Kentish Town, London. Doherty ran off before police arrived after being beaten up by three men.

2005, Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best rock concert ever by over 7,000 UK Sony Ericsson music fans. Radiohead were voted the best festival act for their 1997 Glastonbury performance and Bob Dylan's 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall gig won the best ever solo gig.

2006, George Michael was accused of engaging in anonymous public sex, after being photographed in London's Hampstead Heath with a 58-year-old unemployed van driver. Despite stating that he intended to sue both the News of the World tabloid who photographed the incident and van driver Norman Kirtland for slander, Michael stated that he openly cruised for anonymous sex and that this was not an issue in his relationship with partner Kenny Goss.

2008, Kid Rock was sentenced to a year on probation and fined $1,000 (£501) for his part in a fight in an Atlanta waffle restaurant in 2007. The 37-year-old, also received 80 hours community service and six hours of anger management counselling. The rapper pleaded no contest to one count of battery. Four other assault charges were dropped. Kid Rock had been performing at a gig in Atlanta before stopping off in his tour bus in the early hours of the morning. The fight took place when an argument broke out with another customer at the restaurant.

2008, A waxwork model of Amy Winehouse  was unveiled at Madame Tussauds. The singer's parents, Mitch and Janis, revealed the model, ‘complete with trademark beehive and sailor tattoos’, at the London attraction. Earlier in the week her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was jailed for 27 months for attacking a pub landlord and perverting the course of justice.

2009, On the afternoon of tonight's concert at First Energy Park, Lakewood, New Jersey, Bob Dylan was picked up by a young policewoman who had been alerted of a man who was 'acting suspiciously'. The police officer drove up to Dylan, who was wearing a blue jacket, and asked him his name, but she did not recognise him. When he was unable to produce any identification, Dylan was driven to his hotel where staff were able to vouch for him. The incident happened when Dylan decided to go for a walk in the afternoon while on tour with Willie Nelson who were due to perform at the local baseball stadium with John Mellencamp.

2010, Surgical instruments allegedly used to conduct Elvis Presley  autopsy were removed from an upcoming auction amid doubts about their authenticity. Forceps, needle injectors, rubber gloves and a toe tag were among the items that were expected to fetch about $14,000 at Chicago, Illinois' Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. The so-called "memorabilia" was supposedly kept by a senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home where the singer's body was stored prior to his funeral, but the claims were questioned after another employee revealed that the equipment was sterilized and used again in other autopsies.

2011,

2011, Amy Winehouse  was found dead at her north London home, she was 27. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained. London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died. The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career.

2011, A yellow Ferrari previously owned by Eric Clapton sold for £66,500 at auction. The rare 2003 Ferrari 575 Maranello, which had only 10,000 miles on the clock, was snapped up by a private buyer at a sale at the Classic Car Sale at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. The yellow Maranello was bought new by Mr Clapton, who signed its service book, was later sold to BBC radio presenter Chris Evans.

2013, Beyonce soldiered through a concert in Montreal, Canada after her hair got tangled in the blades of a fan. The singer was performing 'Halo' from an audience pit when the incident happened. She continued to sing her encore while security guards tried to extract her from the fan, which was mounted on the edge of the stage.

July 23rd: Born on this day

1935, Born on this day, Cleveland Duncan, The Penguins, (1954 US No.8 single 'Earth Angel, Will You Be Mine').

1942, Born on this day, Madeline Bell, UK singer, Blue Mink, (1970 UK No.3 single 'Melting Pot').

1944, Born on this day, Dino Danelli, drums, The Young Rascals, (1967 US No.1 & UK No.8 single 'Groovin').

1946, Born on this day, Andy Mackay, sax, woodwind, Roxy Music, (1972 UK No.4 single 'Virgina Plain' and 15 other UK Top 40 singles')

1947, Born on this day, David Essex, UK singer, actor, (1974 UK No.1 single 'Gonna Make You A Star', plus 18 other UK Top 40 singles, 1974 US No.5 single, 'Rock On').

1947, Born on this day, Tony Joe White, US singer, songwriter, (1969 US No.8 single, 'Polk Salad Annie', 1970 UK No.22 single 'Groupie Girl', wrote 'Steamy Windows', UK No.13 single for Tina Turner).

1950, Born on this day, Blair Thorton, guitar, Bachman Turner Overdrive, (1974 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet').

1952, Born on this day, Janis Siegel, singer, Manhattan Transfer, (1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City').

1957, Born on this day, Dennis Greaves, guitar, vocals, with UK R&B group Nine Below Zero.

1961, Born on this day, Martin Gore, keyboards, Depeche Mode, (1984 UK No.4 single 'People Are People', plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles, 1990 US No.8 single, 'Enjoy The Silence').

1964, Born on this day, Nick Menza, drums, Megadeth, (1990 UK No.13 single 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 1992 US No.2 album 'Countdown To Extinction'). Menza died on 21st May 2016 after suffering a "massive heart attack" on stage, while performing with his band, OHM, in Los Angeles.

1964, Born on this day, Tim Kellett, keyboards & trumpet, Simply Red, (1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Holding Back The Years'), Olive, (1997 UK No.1 single 'You're Not Alone').

1965, Born on this day, Rob Dickinson, vocals, Catherine Wheel, (1992 UK No.35 single 'I Want To Touch You').

1965, Born on this day, Slash, (Saul Hudson), guitarist with Guns N' Roses who had the 1988 US No1 and 1989 UK No.6 single Sweet Child O' Mine and the 1991 US and UK No.1 album Use Your Illusion II. The guitarist went on to form the side project Slash's Snakepit and then Velvet Revolver, who had the 2004 US No.1 and UK No.11 album Contraband.

1970, Born on this day, Sam Watters, vocals, Color Me Bad, (1991 UK No.1 single 'I Wanna Sex You Up', 1991 US No.1 single 'I Adore Mi Amor').

1971, Born on this day, Alison Krauss, bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She released her first solo album in 1987 and then was invited to join the band with which she still performs, Alison Krauss and Union Station. Winner of 1996 Rolling Stone's critic's choice best country artist. Krauss recorded Raising Sand with Robert Plant in 2007 which was nominated for and won 5 Grammys at the 51st Grammy Awards.

1971, Born on this day, Dalvin DeGrate, (Mr Dalvin), vocals, Jodeci, (1995 UK No.17 single 'Freak 'N' You').

1971, Born on this day, Chad Gracey, drummer, Live, (1997 US No.1 album ‘Secret Samadhi’).

1973, Born on this day, Fran Healy, vocals, guitar, Travis, (1999 UK No.1 album 'The Man Who', 1999 UK No.10 single 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me', plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles).

1980, Born on this day, Michelle Williams, Destiny's Child, (2000 US No.1 single 'Say My Name', 2001 US & UK No.1 single and album 'Survivor').

1980, Born on this day, Steve 'Stevo 32' Jocz, drummer, Sum 41, (2001 UK No 13 single 'In Too Deep', 2001 UK No. 7 album 'All Killer No Filler').

1984, Born on this day, Matthew Murphy, vocals, guitar and keyboards for English indie rock band The Wombats.