What Happened Today In Music

March 1st

1958 - Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly played the first of 25 dates on his only UK tour at the Trocadero, Elephant & Castle, London. Also on the bill was Gary Miller, The Tanner Sisters, Des O'Connor, The Montanas, Ronnie Keene & His Orchestra.

1961 - Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley signed a five-year movie deal with producer Hal Wallis. During his career, Elvis made 31 feature films and two documentary feature films.

1967 - The Beatles

Working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles started recording a new John Lennon song 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. The song was inspired by a drawing his 3 year-old son Julian returned home from school with one day. The picture, which was of a little girl with lots of stars, was his classmate - Lucy O’Donnell, who also lived in Weybridge, and attended the same school as Julian.

1968 - Elton John

Elton John's first single 'I've Been Loving You' was released on the Phillips label, with lyrics credited to Bernie Taupin (although John later admitted that he wrote the song by himself, giving Taupin credit as an effort to earn Taupin his first publishing royalties). The song didn't chart.

1969 - Jim Morrison

Jim Morrison of The Doors was charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour after showing his penis to the audience during a show in Miami. He was found guilty and sentenced to eight months hard labour. Morrison died in Paris while the sentence was on appeal.

1973 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd released their eighth studio album The Dark Side Of The Moon in the US. It remained in the US charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history. After moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album notched up a further 759 weeks, and had reached a total of over 1,500 weeks on the combined charts by May 2006. With an estimated 45 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd's most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.

1974 - Chris Difford

Chris Difford placed an advert in a shop window saying: 'lyricist seeks musician for co-writing'. Glen Tillbrook answered the ad and the pair went on to form Squeeze and had hits with 'Cool for Cats', 'Up the Junction', 'Tempted', 'Labelled With Love', and 'Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)'.

1975 - Eagles

The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Best Of My Love', the first of five US No.1's for the band. The song was included on their 1974 album On the Border and was released as the third single from the album. According to Don Henley, the lyrics were written while in a booth in Dan Tana's Restaurant close to the Troubadour in West Hollywood.

1979 - Joy Division

Joy Division appeared at The Hope & Anchor, Islington, London, England. Admission was 75p ($1.28). 

1980 - Blondie

Blondie were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Atomic' the group's third UK No.1 single from their album 'Eat To The Beat'.

1986 - Mr Mister

Mr Mister started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Kyrie', the group's second US No.1, a No.11 hit in the UK. Also the group's album 'Welcome To The Real World' went to No.1 on the US album chart.

1990 - Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson played the first night on her 120-date Rhythm Nation world tour at the Miami Arena in Florida. As part of the show Jackson's had a live panther on-stage, but after concerns were raised over safety of the crowds and several incidents of the panther urinating on the stage Jackson axed the cat from the show in the summer leg of the tour.

1991 - Frank Smith

Frank Smith from Air Supply died of pneumonia in Melbourne, Australia. (1980 UK No.11 single 'All Out Of Love', 1981 US No.1 single 'The One That You Love').

1994 - Nirvana

Nirvana played their final ever concert when they appeared at The Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany. The 3,000 capacity venue was a small Airport Hanger. The power went off during the show so they played an impromptu acoustic set including a version of The Cars 'My Best Friend's Girl.'

1995 - R.E.M.

During a gig at the Patinoire Auditorium in Lausanne, Switzerland, R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry collapsed on stage from a ruptured brain aneurysm. He recovered and later re-joined the band.

1995 - Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's 'Streets of Philadelphia' won three Grammys for Song of the Year, Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. The track was featured in the film Philadelphia (1993), an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS which stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. 

1997 - Motley Crue

A Motley Crue fan who claimed his hearing had been irreparably damaged after a show in New Jersey had his lawsuit thrown out of court. The judge told Clifford Goldberg who had sat near the front of the stage, knew the risk he was taking.

1997 - David Bowie

'Bowie Bonds' were issued on the US Stock Exchange. Linked to David Bowie's back catalogue albums with money earned on the bonds via interest from royalties, investors could expect to make an 8% profit in about 10 years.

2001 - Sean Puffy Combs

Sean 'Puffy' Combs became the star witness of his own defence in a New York court claiming he didn't have a gun during a shooting in a New York club. The singer claimed he thought he was being shot at.

2004 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson unveiled a new website, www.mjjsource.com. The site featured a celebration of his music career plus news on his current criminal trial, including short biographies of his attorneys and a calendar listing upcoming court dates.

2009 - Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'My Life Would Suck Without You'. US singer Clarkson won American Idol in 2000 and became the only American Idol contestant to have topped the UK charts.

2016 - Ginger Baker

76-year-old Ginger Baker posted on his blog that he had cancelled all of his scheduled shows for the year and was going into immediate retirement. The former drummer for Cream and Blind Faith revealed that his doctor had just diagnosed him with serious heart problems, causing him to announce all forthcoming shows. 

2019 - Paul Williams

English blues and rock singer and musician Paul Williams died age 78. He joined Zoot Money's Big Roll Band on bass and vocals, alongside the guitarist Andy Summers. He then replaced John McVie in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He later worked with the progressive rock group Tempest. 

2019 - Fred Foster

Country Music Hall of Fame member Fred Foster died age 87. He is credited as producer behind all of Roy Orbison’s biggest hits including ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’, ‘Only the Lonely’, and ‘Crying’ and also produced major hits for Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Ray Stevens and Kris Kristofferson. 

Born Today In Music

March 1st

1904 - Glenn Miller

American big-band musician, arranger, composer, and bandleader Glenn Miller. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best-known big bands. In just four years Glenn Miller scored 23 No.1 hits. Miller's recordings include 'In the Mood', 'Moonlight Serenade', 'Pennsylvania 6-5000', and 'Chattanooga Choo Choo'. On December 15, 1944, while traveling to entertain US troops in France during World War II, Miller's aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel.

1927 - Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte, US singer, who had the 1957 UK No.1 & US No.12 single with ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ and a 1957 UK No.2 & US No.5 with ‘Banana Boat Song’. He also scored over 15 US Top 40 albums, including the 1956 Calypso.

1928 - Willie Mitchell

American trumpeter, bandleader and producer Willie Mitchell. He was best known for his Hi Records label of the 1970s, which released albums by a large stable of popular Memphis soul artists, including Mitchell himself, Al Green, O. V. Wright, Syl Johnson and Ann Peebles. Mitchell died on 5 January 2010 from a cardiac arrest age 81.

1942 - Jerry Fisher

Jerry Fisher, from jazz-rock American music group Blood Sweat & Tears. They scored the 1969 US No.2 single 'Spinning Wheel', and the 1969 US No.12 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy'. They had a US No.1 with their second album Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968.

1944 - Mike D'Abo

Mike D'Abo, singer, songwriter, who with Manfred Mann had the 1968 UK No.1 & US No.10 single 'Mighty Quinn'. He wrote 'Handbags & Gladrags' covered by Rod Stewart and Stereophonics. Also wrote 'Build Me Up A Buttercup' a 1968 hit for The Foundations.

1944 - Roger Daltrey

English singer and actor Roger Daltrey, The Who. They scored the 1965 UK No.2 single My Generation plus over 20 other UK hit singles, 16 US Top 40 singles, and the rock opera albums Tommy and Quadrophenia. Daltrey had the 1973 solo UK No.5 single 'Giving It All Away'. The Who are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide. He and Pete Townshend received Kennedy Center Honors in 2008 and The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA in 2016.

1946 - Tony Ashton

Tony Ashton, English rock pianist, keyboardist, singer and composer. With Ashton Gardner & Dyke he had the 1971 UK No.3 single 'The Resurrection Shuffle'. He was a member of the Liverpool group The Remo Four (they backed George Harrison on his album Wonderwall Music). He also worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney. Ashton died from cancer on 28 May 2001 at the age of 55.

1958 - Nik Kershaw

Nik Kershaw, English singer, songwriter, producer, who had the 1984 solo UK No.2 single 'I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me', as well as hits with 'Wouldn't It Be Good', 'Human Racing', 'The Riddle' and 'Don Quixote'. Kershaw appeared at the  Live Aid in 1985 and has also penned a number of hits for other artists, including a UK No.1 single in 1991 for Chesney Hawkes, 'The One and Only'. 

1962 - Peter Stephenson

Peter Stephenson from Scottish electronic dance band The Shamen who had the 1992 UK No.2 single 'Ebeneezer Goode'.

1963 - Rob Affuso

Rob Affuso from American heavy metal band Skid Row. The group achieved commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with its first two albums Skid Row (1989) and Slave to the Grind (1991) the latter of which reached No.1 on the Billboard chart.

1969 - Dafydd Leuan

Dafydd Leuan, drummer with Welsh rock band Super Furry Animals. They have been described as "one of the most imaginative bands of our time" by Billboard and have released nine UK top 40 albums. 

1969 - Christina Bergmark

Christina Bergmark, keyboards, vocals, with alternative Swedish rock band The Wannadies who had the 1996 UK No. 18 single, 'You And Me Song'.

1973 - Ryan Peake

Ryan Peake, guitarist from Canadian rock band, Nickelback who had the 2002 US No.1 & UK No. 4 single 'How To Remind You', and the 2001 album Silver Side Up. Nickelback is one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.

1985 - Melissa Reese

American musician Melissa Reese known for her collaborations with Bryan "Brain" Mantia and as a member of Guns N' Roses who she joined in 2016 as the band's second keyboardist.

1987 - Kesha

Kesha Rose Sebert, (Kesha), 2009 US No.1 single with Flo Rida, ‘Right Round’, solo US No.1 single ‘Tik Tok’. Her third studio album Rainbow went to No.1 on the US chart in 2017.

1994 - Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber, Canadian singer. Bieber is the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2009 debut single 'One Time' was a Top 30 hit in over 10 countries and in 2016, Bieber became the first artist to surpass 10 billion total video views on Vevo.