THIS DAY IN MUSIC

August 3rd: On this Day

1963, The Beatles played their last ever performance at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. During their set a power cut silenced their instruments and plunged the Cavern into temporary darkness. Lennon and McCartney performed an acoustic version of 'When I'm Sixty-Four', a song they wouldn't release until 1967, while waiting for the electricity to return. The Beatles, whose fee for their first performance at the Cavern had been £5, received a fee of £300 for this performance.

1963, The Beach Boys released 'Surfer Girl', the first song Brian Wilson ever wrote and the first one he produced.

1966, The Rolling Stones began nine days recording sessions for their next album at Los Angeles, RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA. Tracks recorded included: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? Let’s Spend The Night Together, My Obsession, Yesterday's Papers and Back Street Girl.

1968, The Doors started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Hello I Love You', the group's second US No.1. 'Hello I Love You', was also in the Top 5 at the same time as Jose Feliciano's version of 'Light My Fire', giving The Doors two songs, written by the group, simultaneously in the Top 5.

1968, The two day Newport Pop Festival took place in Costa Mesa, California with Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, Chambers Brothers, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and the Fish, Electric Flag, James Cotton Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf and Tiny Tim. Over 100,000 fans attended the festival.

1971, Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings with his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist and singer Denny Laine.

1973, Stevie Wonder released his 16th studio album Innervisions. Wonder played all or virtually all instruments on six of the album's nine tracks, singles from the album were, 'Higher Ground' and 'Living for the City' and 'He's Misstra Know-It-All'.

1974, Anne Murray appeared at The Schaefer Festival in New York as the headlining act. The opening act was Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

1985, 'Drive' by The Cars was re-released following it's dramatic use on TV during the Live Aid concert. All the royalties from the record went to the Band Aid trust.

1985, Madonna scored her first UK No.1 single with 'Into The Groove'. The track was taken from the movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan' which featured Madonna and Rosanna Arquette. 'Into The Groove' is Madonna's best selling single in the UK, having sold over 850,000 copies.

1985, Tears For Fears started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Shout', the duo's second US No.1.

1986, The News Of The World in the UK printed an exclusive interview with 16 year old model Mandy Smith, who revealed she has been having an affair with Rolling Stone Bill Wyman for the past 2 and a half years.

1987, Def Leppard released their fourth studio album Hysteria which became their best selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide. The title of the album was thought up by drummer Rick Allen relating to his experiences during the time of his car accident, and the worldwide media coverage that followed.

1991, Metallica held a playback party to launch their self-titled album at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic from Nirvana both attended.

1996, Los Del Rio started a 14 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Macarena'. The song which has sold 11 million copies world-wide was ranked the No.1 Greatest One Hit Wonder of all Time by VH1 in 2002.

2000, Maurice Kinn died aged 76. The UK publisher launched The New Musical Express in 1953, which instigated the first UK charts based on record sales (first published on 14 November 1952). and organised the annual NME poll-winners concerts between 1963 and 1966.

2000, Pearl Jam played the first date on the North American leg of their Binaural 73-date world tour at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

2001, Co-founder of US group 5th Dimension Ron Townson died of kidney failure aged 68. Had the 1969 US N.1 & UK No.11 single 'Aquarius'.

2002, After an absence of 37 years, Bob Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival (now known as the Apple and Eve Newport Folk Festival) where he performed a 2 hour show of 19 songs, wearing a false beard and a wig. Songs played included: Subterranean Homesick Blues, 'Desolation Row', 'Positively 4th Street', 'The Wicked Messenger', 'Like A Rolling Stone' and 'Mr. Tambourine Man'.

2006, Arthur Lee  singer and guitarist of the influential 1960s band Love died in Memphis at the age of 61 following a battle with acute myeloid leukaemia. He called himself the "first black hippie" and formed Love in Los Angeles in 1965. Best known for the critically revered 1967 album, 'Forever Changes.'

2007, Queen guitarist Brian May handed in his astronomy PhD thesis - 36 years after abandoning it to join the band. May had recently carried out observational work in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of "zodiacal dust clouds".

2008, Kid Rock was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'All Summer Long'. The song is based on Warren Zevon's 'Werewolves of London' and Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama'.

2012, Stevie Wonder representatives confirmed that the singer had filed for divorce, ending his 10-year marriage to Kai Millard Morris. The legal proceedings were initiated under his given name, Stevland Morris. Stevie's first marriage to Syreeta Wright ended in 1972.

2015, Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleaded not guilty to breaching the conditions of his current home detention by drinking alcohol. Rudd had been under house detention since being sentenced for drug possession and making threats to kill in July of this year. The 61-year-old could face further sanctions, including jail time, if the judge decided he did violate his conditions.

August 3rd: Born on this day

1926, Born on this day, Tony Bennett, American singer, (1955 UK No.1 single 'Stranger In Paradise'1965 UK No.25 single 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco').

1935, Born on this day, Gordon Stoker, The Jordanaires, Elvis Presley's backing group. Known for providing background vocals for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972.

1939, Born on this day, Jimmy Nicol, drummer, temporary member of The Beatlesfor nine Australian gigs in 1964, after Ringo Starr collapsed and was hospitalised on 3 June 1964 with tonsillitis. George Martin suggested Nicol, as he had recently played on a budget label album called "Beatlemania" and knew the songs.

1941, Born on this day, Beverly Lee, singer with American girl group The Shirelles, notable for their popularity in the early 1960s. They were the first all female group to have a No.1 hit record with 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' in 1961.

1946, Born on this day, John York, The Byrds, (1965 UK & US No.1 single 'Mr Tambourine Man')

1949, Born on this day, B.B. Dickerson, American bassist with funk band War. Their album The World Is a Ghetto was the best-selling US album of 1973. They also scored the 1973 US No.2 single 'Cisco Kid'.

1951, Born on this day, John Graham, guitarist with Earth, Wind & Fire, who had the 1975 US No.1 single 'Shining Star', and the 1981 UK No.3 single 'Let's Groove'. The band has received 20 Grammy nominations and were the first African-American act to sell out Madison Square Garden.

1953, Born on this day, Ian Bairnson, Pilot, (1975 UK No.1 single 'January').

1956, Born on this day, Kirk Brandon, singer, guitarist, Spear Of Destiny, (1987 UK No.14 single 'Never Take Me Alive'), Theatre Of Hate, (1982 UK No.40 single 'Do You Believe In The Westworld').

1958, Born on this day, Robert Buck, from American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs that was founded in 1981. They achieved their greatest success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that charted in the top 50 in the US. Buck died on 19 December 2000.

1959, Born on this day, Martin Atkins, Public Image Ltd, (1983 UK No.5 single 'This Is Not A Love Song').

1961, Born on this day, American double bass player Lee Rocker with The Stray Cats who spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 1980s. They scored the 1980 UK No.9 single 'Runaway Boys', and the 1983 US No.3 single 'Stray Cat Strut'. The Stray Cats sold nearly 10 million albums.

1963, Born on this day, James Hetfield, guitar, vocals, Metallica, (1991 UK No.5 single 'Enter Sandman', 1991 US & UK No.1 album 'Metallica').

1966, Born on this day, Dean Sams, keyboards, with American country group Lonestar who had the 2000 US No.1 & UK No.21 single 'Amazed'. Lonestar has charted more than 20 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including 9 that reached No.1.

1967, Born on this day, Skin, (Deborah Anne Dyer), singer with British rock band Skunk Anansie who had the 1996 UK No.20 single 'Weak'. The band have spent a total of 141 weeks on both the singles and album charts.

1971, Born on this day, Deirdre Roper, (DJ Spinderella), from American hip-hop/rap trio from New York City Salt-N-Pepa who had the 1991 hit single 'Let's Talk About Sex'.

1973, Born on this day, Stephen Carpenter, from American alternative metal band Deftones, who had the 2003 US No.2 & UK No.7 album Deftones.

1976, Born on this day, Jimmy De Martini American singer and fiddle player with the Grammy Award winning country music group, Zac Brown Band. Their 2015 album Jekyll + Hyde which debuted at No.1 on the US chart featured the single 'Heavy Is the Head' with vocals from Chris Cornell.

1985, Born on this day, Holly Lake, Dream, (2001 US No.3 & UK No.17 single, 'He Loves You Not').