THIS DAY IN MUSIC

March 26th: On this Day

1956, Kay Starr was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Rock And Roll Waltz.' The song is told from the point-of-view of a teenager who comes home early from a date, and catches her parents attempting to dance to one of her rock and roll records.

1961, The Beatles performed at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool, their last performance before travelling to Hamburg, West Germany, for their second visit.

1965, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones  and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes.

1969, Marvin Gaye was at No.1 on the UK singles chart, with 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'. The song was first recorded by The Miracles and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips.

1969,

1970, Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary pleaded guilty to 'taking immoral liberties' with a 14 year old girl in Washington D.C. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months in jail. Just days earlier, the trio had won a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for their album, 'Peter, Paul and Mommy'.

1976, One-man blues band Duster Bennett was killed in a car accident. 1970 album 'Smiling Like I'm Happy.' Worked with Alexis Korner, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Fleetwood Mac and B.B. King.

1977, Hall and Oates started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rich Girl', the duo's first US No.1, not a hit in the UK.

1980, The Police became the first Western pop group to play in Bombay, India for over ten years when they played a one off gig in the city.

1983, Duran Duran went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Is There Something I Should Know'. Their first No.1 and their eighth single release. The group were on a US promotional trip on this day, where they were greeted by 5,000 screaming fans at an in-store appearance in New York City.

1985, Radio stations in South Africa banned all of Stevie Wonder's records after he dedicated the Oscar he had won the night before at The Academy Awards to Nelson Mandela.

1995, Rapper producer, and record executive Eazy-E (Eric Lynn Wright) died of AIDS in Los Angeles aged 31. Formed Ruthless Records, worked with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.

1996, The Woman in Me the second studio album by Shania Twain was at No.1 on the Country chart. It went onto become her biggest-selling recording at the time of its release, selling 4 million copies by the end of the year. 'Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?', a song about a woman confronting her lover about his frequent infidelity, was released at the first single from the album.

2000, Santana started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Supernatural.' The album went on to win eight Grammy Awards including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year (for Smooth) and Song Of The Year.

2001, The toy figure of Eminem was facing a ban from UK shops. Woolworth's and Hamleys were refusing to stock the dolls. Psychologists warned parents who buy the dolls for children will be inadvertently giving their approval to bad language.

2002, Randy Castillo drummer with the Ozzy Osbourne band died of cancer aged 51. Worked with Osbourne during the 1980s and early 1990s. Also worked with Lita Ford and Motley Crue.

2004, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, died at the age of 62, after being in poor health sustained in a 1966 car crash. Had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.26 single 'Surf City', (co written by Beach Boy Brian Wilson). At the height of their fame, Jan and Dean hosted and performed at The T.A.M.I. Show, the film also featured The Rolling Stones,Chuck Berry, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

2005, Australian drummer Paul Hester died aged 46, after he "attempted suicide" and died from strangulation after being found hanged in a park in Melbourne. He had been a member of Crowded House, Split Enz and Largest Living Things. After leaving Crowded House in 1994 Hester appeared on many TV and radio shows in Australia.

2006, Readers of Total Guitar magazine voted the guitar solo by Jimmy Page in Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' as the greatest guitar solo of all time. The 1971 track was voted ahead of tracks by Van Halen, Queen, Jimi Hendrix and The Eagles. On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via US radio sources that the song had logged up an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays - back to back, that would run for 44 years solid.

2006,

2008, The Los Angeles Times apologised for claiming rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was involved in a 1994 shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. The LA Times, which published the original story on its website, initially said its claims were based on FBI records, witness accounts and other unnamed sources. The apology followed a claim that the newspaper was conned by a prisoner who doctored the documents used.

2016, Billy Joel's iconic hit, 'Piano Man', was selected by the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance." Even though the record only made it to No.25 on the Hot 100 in 1974, it had become Joel's signature song, and was ranked at No.421 in the 2004 list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

March 26th: Born on this day

1917, Born on this day, Rufus Thomas, singer, (1963 US No.10 single with ‘Walking The Dog’ and a 1970 UK No.18 & US No.28 single with ‘Do The Funky Chicken’). Thomas died on December 15th 2001.

1944, Born on this day, Diana Ross, (Diane Earle), singer, The Supremes (1964 UK & US No.1 single 'Baby Love' plus over 20 other US & UK Top 40 hits). Solo (1980 US No.1 single 'Upside Down, 1986 UK No.1 single 'Chain Reaction').

1948, Born on this day, Richard Tandy, keyboards, vocals, Electric Light Orchestra, (1979 UK No.3 & US No. 4 single 'Don't Bring Me Down' plus 26 other top 40 UK hits).

1948, Born on this day, Steven Tyler, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of Aerosmith,known as the "Demon of Screamin'". Aerosmith scored the 1989 UK No.13 single 'Love In An Elevator', their 1989 album 'Pump' spent 53 weeks on the US charts, and the 1993 US No.1 & UK No.2 album 'Get A Grip', as well as the 1998 US No.1 & UK No.4 single 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing'. In 2011, Tyler made his debut appearance as a judge on American Idol.

1949, Born on this day, Fran Sheehan, bass, Boston, (1977 UK No.22 single 'More Than A Feeling', 1986 US No.1 single 'Amanda').

1950, Born on this day, Teddy Pendergrass, soul singer, (1978 US No.25 single 'Close The Door', 1994 UK No.35 single 'The More I Get The More I Want'). One time member of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes. Died on 13th Jan 2010 at the age of 59 following a difficult recovery from colon cancer surgery.

1953, Born on this day, William Lyall, keyboards, Pilot, (1975 UK No.1 single 'January'). Also worked with Sheena Easton and The Bay City Rollers. Lyall died in 1989.

1955, Born on this day, Martin Price, 808 State, (1989 UK No.10 single 'Pacific State').

1957, Born on this day, Paul Morley, Art Of Noise, (1988 UK No.5 single with Tom Jones, 'Kiss'), music journalist.

1968, Born on this day, James Jonas Iha, guitar, Smashing Pumpkins, (1995 US No.1 album 'Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness', 1996 UK No.7 single 'Tonight Tonight').

1968, Born on this day, Kenny Chesney, US country singer, songwriter, (2002 US No.1 album ‘No Shoes, No Shirt’, 2005 US No.1 album 'Be As You Are'). Married Bridget Jones and Chicago actress Renee Zellweger in May 2005.

1971, Born on this day, John Hendy, East 17, (1994 UK No.1 single 'Stay Another Day', plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles).

1981, Born on this day, Jay Sean, British producer, 2009 US No.1 single 'Down' with Lil Wayne.