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 three months earlier in a car crash while touring the UK.

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.

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 1970s 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.

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.

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

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."

2016, American bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley who was known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing, died aged 89. With his brother Carter, he helped popularise the bluegrass genre. Stanley won new fans when his work featured in the Coen brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

June 23rd: Born on this day

1929, Born on this day, American singer, songwriter, actress June Carter Cash, wife of Johnny Cash. Had hits with Johnny Cash, 'Ring Of Fire', 'Jackson', 'If I Were A Carpenter' and won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. She died 15th May 2003 aged 73.

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.

1938, Born on this day, Alan Vega, American vocalist and visual artist, primarily known for his work with the electronic protopunk duo Suicide. Vega died on 16th July 2016.

1940, Born on this day, British teen idol, singer, actor and financial journalist Adam Faith, who had the 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 of a heart attack 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, from English three piece band Imagination, who had the 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 from British pop duo The Communards who had the 1986 UK No.1 single with a cover version of the Thelma Houston hit 'Don't Leave Me This Way'. Coles is now a Church of England priest.

1962, Born on this day, Steve Shelley, drummer with American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, who had the 1993 UK hit single 'Sugar Kane'. The band is considered to be a pivotal influence on the alternative and indie rock movements.

1965, Born on this day, English musician Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, one of the founder members of Oasis. Thier first single 'Supersonic' was released in 1994 and their 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, Mark Chadwick, guitarist, singer with English folk rock band The Levellers who had the 1995 UK No.12 single 'Just The One'.

1975, Born on this day, Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, who had the 2005, UK No.3 album, Eye To The Telescope. Her hit 'Suddenly I See' won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song in 2006 and was used as a campaign song of the US presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton in 2008.

1980, Born on this day, Jessica Taylor, singer, from British-Irish group Liberty X, who had the 2002 UK No.1 single 'Just A Little'. The group was formed by the five finalists of the British talent show Popstars who failed to make it into the group Hear'Say. Liberty X went on to achieve ten consecutive UK Top 20 singles.

1981, Born on this day, Anthony Costa, singer with English boyband, Blue who had the 2002 UK No.1 single 'If You Come Back'. The group also worked alongside artists such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Lil' Kim.

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.