On This Day

May 29th

1942 - Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby recorded the Irving Berlin song 'White Christmas'. Crosby recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers in just 18 minutes. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.

1961 - Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Travellin' Man'. Sam Cooke turned the song down, the B-side was the Gene Pitney song 'Hello Mary Lou' which became a double A side UK No.1.

1962 - Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker won a Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording for ‘Let's Twist Again’ and Ray Charles won Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for ‘Hit The Road Jack’.

1965 - Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home was at No.1 on the UK charts, his second UK No.1 album. The black and white pamphlet lying across the Time magazine with President Lyndon B. Johnson on the cover is a publication of the Earth Society, who saw its mission as protecting earth from collisions with comets and planets.

1965 - The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Help Me Rhonda', the group's second US No.1. The recording session was interrupted by the Wilson brothers' drunken father, Murry, who arrived at the studio to criticize the Boys enthusiasm. The recording reel continued to record the confrontation, which still circulates among fans.

1967 - Jimi Hendrix

The Move, Cream, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Zoot Money, Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band all appeared at the Tulip Bulb Auction Hall in Spalding, Lincoln, England. Pink Floyd were only a support band and played in a corner of the shed with a white sheet behind them with the coloured oil shining onto it. Tickets cost £1 ($1.70). The poster advertising the show promised a 'Knockout Atmosphere'.

1969 - Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash released their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records label. It spawned two Top 40 hits: 'Marrakesh Express' and 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'.

1971 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Brown Sugar', from Sticky Fingers. The first single released on Rolling Stones Records, it was the bands sixth US No.1, and a No.2 hit in the UK. The songs lyrics, which are essentially a pastiche of a number of taboo subjects, include: interracial sex, cunnilingus, slave rape, and less distinctly, sadomasochism, lost virginity, and heroin.

1971 - Grateful Dead

Three dozen Grateful Dead fans were treated for hallucinations caused by LSD after they unwittingly drank spiked apple juice served at a gig at San Francisco's Winterland.

1977 - Warsaw

Manchester band Warsaw, (later to become Joy Division) made their live debut supporting The Buzzcocks at The Electric Circus, Manchester, England. 

1983 - New Edition

US school boy band (which included Bobby Brown), New Edition were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Candy Girl'. Songwriter & producer Maurice Starr discovered New Edition performing at a local talent show. Starr went on to produce and write for New Kids On The Block.

1991 - Nirvana

After just completing the recording of the 'Nevermind' album, Nirvana played a last-minute show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience was Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl's girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who brought along her best friend Courtney Love.

1992 - Freddie Mercury

Concerned that some pupils were overly identifying with Freddie Mercury, the sacred heart School in Clifton New Jersey decided not to sing the Queen song 'We Are The Champions', at their Graduation Ceremony.

1992 - Madonna

The FBI recovered 44 nude photographs of Madonna which had been stolen in America from fashion photographer Steven Meisel.

1997 - Snoop Doggy Dogg

Sharitha Knight filed a suit at LA, Superior Court claiming she was owed $1 million (£588,000) as Snoop Doggy Dogg's personal manger between 1993-6. The claim alleged that Snoop had withheld the 20 percent she was owed.

1997 - Jeff Buckley

Singer songwriter Jeff Buckley disappeared after talking a swim in the Mississippi River, his body was found on 4th June 1997 after being spotted by a passenger on a tourist riverboat.

1997 - George Michael

The Manic Street Preachers won the best song award for 'A Design For Life' at the 42nd Ivor Novello awards. Other winners included The Spice Girls for Hit of the year with 'Wannabe', Elvis Costello for Outstanding contribution to music, George Michael won Songwriter Of The Year and Most Performed work for 'Fastlove.'

1999 - Iron Butterfly

Skeletal remains were found by photographers looking for old car wrecks to shoot at the bottom of Decker Canyon near Malibu, California. Based on forensic evidence the remains were Philip Kramer former bassist with rock group Iron Butterfly, who had disappeared on his way home from work on February 12, 1995. His death was ruled as a probable suicide.

2001 - Eagles

The Eagles made their first ever visit to Russia when they appeared at SC Olymisky in Moscow.

2002 - John Lennon

A 16ft by 6ft mosaic designed by John Lennon went on display at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. The mosaic had been built into Lennon's swimming pool at his Kenwood home in Surrey where he lived between 1964 and 1968.

2002 - Natalie Imbruglia

Australian actress and singer Natalie Imbruglia became the new face of L'Oreal when she signed a deal worth £100,000 ($170,000) with the French cosmetics manufacturer.

2005 - Gorillaz

Gorillaz scored their first UK No.1 album when 'Demon Days' went to the top of the charts.

2007 - John Lennon

A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 (£189,000) on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 Imagine album. Lennon was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to whichever studio he was working in and had used the piano hours before being shot on 8 December 1980.

2009 - Phil Spector

Phil Spector was jailed for at least 19 years for murdering an actress in 2003. The producer, 69, famed for his Wall of Sound recording technique, was last month found guilty of shooting Lana Clarkson at his California home. Spector had pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder during the five-month retrial in Los Angeles. His lawyers said he would appeal. Spector was given a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder and an additional four years for personal use of a gun.

2010 - B.B. King

Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he had played before 20,000 people.

2015 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch went up for sale with a price tag of $100m (£65m). Jackson bought the Santa Barbara development in 1987 for $19.5m but struggled to pay for it, until an investment company stepped in to help him save it from auction.

Born On This Day

May 29th

1941 - Roy Crewsdon

Roy Crewsdon, from the 1960s pop band Freddie and the Dreamers. They scored the 1963 UK No.3 single 'You Were made For Me', and the 1965 US No.1 single 'I'm Telling You Now'.

1945 - Gary Brooker

Gary Brooker, English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum who had the 1967 UK No.1 and US No.5 single A Whiter Shade Of Pale. (one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies) and scored the hits 'Homburg', 'Conquistador'. Brooker founded The Paramounts in 1962 with his guitarist friend Robin Trower and has also worked with Eric Clapton, Alan Parsons and Ringo Starr. 

1949 - Francis Rossi

Francis Rossi, guitarist, singer, songwriter with Status Quo. The group have had over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock band, including 'Pictures of Matchstick Men' in 1967, 'Whatever You Want' in 1979 and 'In the Army Now' in 2010. Twenty-two of these reached the Top 10 in the UK. In July 1985 the band opened Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with 'Rockin' All Over the World'.

1955 - Mike Porcaro

Mike Porcaro, bassist with American rock band Toto who had the 1980s Top 5 hits 'Hold the Line', 'Rosanna', and 'Africa'. The band has released 17 studio albums, and has sold over 40 million records worldwide. Porcaro died on 15th March 2015 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

1956 - La Toya Jackson

La Toya Jackson, sister of Michael Jackson. She sang backing vocals with The Jackson 5 and on Michael Jackson's Thriller album and has released various singles and albums none of which ever charted in the UK.

1959 - Mel Gaynor

Mel Gaynor, drummer with Scottish rock band, Simple Minds, who had the 1985 US No.1 single 'Don't You, Forget About Me', and the 1989 UK No.1 single 'Belfast Child', plus over 20 other UK Top 40 singles. In 2016, they won the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.

1961 - David Palmer

David Palmer, from English pop band ABC who as part of the New Romantic movement had the 1982 UK No.4 & 1983 US No.18 'The Look Of Love'. Their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love, was a UK No.1 and they achieved ten UK and five US Top 40 hit singles between 1981 and 1990.

1962 - John Pedder

John Pedder, bassist 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.

1963 - Blaze Bayley

Blaze Bayley, lead vocalist with Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999 after being chosen as Bruce Dickinson's replacement after hundreds of auditions.

1967 - Noel Gallagher

English singer, songwriter and guitarist Noel Gallagher, Oasis. First single was the 1994 UK No.31 single 'Supersonic', followed by the 1994 UK No.1 album Definitely Maybe which became the fastest selling UK debut album ever. Their third studio album, Be Here Now (1997), became the fastest-selling album in UK chart history. Gallagher now fronts Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

1975 - Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown, (Mel B), Scary Spice, The Spice Girls who scored the 1996 UK No.1 & 1997 US No.1 single 'Wannabe', plus eight other UK No.1 singles. She had the solo 1998 UK No.1 single 'I Want You Back' and has now become a television presenter, talent competition judge, and model.

1978 - Daniel Pearce

Daniel Pearce, from British boy band One True Voice, created on the ITV television series Popstars: The Rivals who had the 2002 UK No.2 single 'Sacred Trust / After You're Gone'.