What Happened Today In Music

March 29th

1966 - Mick Jagger

Rolling Stone Mick Jagger was injured during a gig in Marseilles, Southern France after a fan threw a chair at the stage. Jagger required eight stitches in the cut. 

1967 - The Beatles

Working at Abbey Road studios The Beatles finished recording ‘Good Morning Good Morning’. They then started work on a new song ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, (originally titled ‘Bad Finger Boogie’), recording 10 takes of the rhythm track, then Ringo overdub a double-tracked lead vocal.

1969 - John Lennon

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Black Sabbath, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Curved Air, J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, Shy Limbs, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Sunflower Brass Band and Toe Fat all appeared at the London Free Easter Festival in Bethnal Green, London, England.

1973 - Dr Hook And The Medicine Show

Dr Hook And The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine after their hit, 'The Cover of Rolling Stone' reached No. 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said.

1975 - Labelle

Labelle went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady Marmalade', the group's only No.1. British act All Saints had an UK No.1 with the song in 1998.

1975 - Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin saw all six of their albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week, alongside their latest album Physical Graffitiat No.1. Physical Graffiti has now been certified 16 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 16 million copies.

1978 - David Bowie

David Bowie kicked off his Low / Heroes 77-date World Tour at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.

1979 - Bob Dylan

After attending a Dire Straits show during their residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, Bob Dylan asked Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on the sessions for his next album. Slow Train Coming was the album, recorded in Muscle Shoals in May of 1979, with Jerry Wexler producing. Dylan had first heard Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler when his assistant Arthur Rosato played him the single 'Sultans of Swing'.

1980 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon album spent its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King's 1971 No.1 album Tapestry. The album remained in the US Billboard charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in chart 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.

1980 - Mantovani

Mantovani, (Annunzio Paolo Mantovan), Orchestra leader died aged 74. Born in Italy his family moved to England in 1912, where he studied at Trinity College of Music in London. He recorded over 50 albums for Decca records, including Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, both reached No. 1 in the UK. In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957.

1981 - Shakin' Stevens

Shakin' Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Rosemary Clooney hit 'This Ole House', the Welsh singers first of four UK No.1's.

1985 - Jeanine Deckers

Jeanine Deckers, The Singing Nun, died aged 52 after taking an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a friend. Her 1963 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Dominique' sold over 1.5 million copies, winning a Grammy Award for the year's best Gospel song. Deckers wrote about her financial difficulties in a suicide note, and in a great irony, the very day of her suicide and unknown to her, the Belgian association that collects royalties for songwriters awarded her $300,000 (571,658 Belgian francs).

1986 - Falco

Austrian singer Falco started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rock Me Amadeus', also a No.1 in the UK. Falco became the first German speaking artist to achieve a No.1 on the US charts.

1996 - Phil Spector

Two former members of the 1950s group, The Teddy Bears filed suit in Los Angeles, California, against producer Phil Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received royalties from re-issues of their 1958 No.1 hit 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.

1999 - David Bowie

The David Bowie Internet Radio Network broadcast its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show was Bowie's favourite songs with Bowie introducing each track.

2000 - Phil Collins

Phil Collins took out a high court action against two former members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins claimed his company had overpaid the musicians by £50,000 ($85,000) in royalties on tracks including 'Sussudio' and 'Easy Lover'.

2001 - Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson was honored in a three hour tribute at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Guest performances included Billy Joel,Paul Simon, The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boy songs were Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann. Brian Wilsonhimself joined the fun when he took the stage for the final three songs, 'Barbara Ann', 'Surfin' U.S.A.' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun'.

2004 - Noir Desir

A court in Lithuania sentenced French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir to eight years in prison for killing his actress girlfriend during a fight. Cantat was convicted of fatally beating Marie Trintignant in a Vilnius hotel room in 2003. Cantat had admitted killing Ms Trintignant but said it was an accident.

2005 - Neil Young

Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York. Doctors expected the 59 year old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurred after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.

2007 - Rihanna

‘Umbrella’, by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z was released in the US. The track went on to reach No.1 in various countries, including the US. A No.1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks making it the longest running No.1 single since Wet Wet Wet's ‘Love Is All Around’ in 1994, and the longest running No.1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's ‘I Will Always Love You.’

2007 - Bono

U2 singer Bono accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin. Fellow band members The Edge and Adam Clayton joined the frontman's wife and four children at the British ambassador David Reddaway's official residence. The rock star and campaigner, 46, was not entitled to be called "Sir" because he is not a British citizen. The U2 singer's new title is Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).

2011 - The Beatles

A website that illegally sold Beatles songs online for 25 cents each agreed to pay record companies almost $1m (£625,000) to settle a legal case. BlueBeat.com, based in the US, streamed and sold music by The Beatles, Coldplay and others until it was sued in 2009. In the few days before it was forced to shut down, it had distributed more than 67,000 Beatles tracks.

2015 - Norman Greenbaum

72-year-old Norman Greenbaum, who wrote and sang the 1969 hit 'Spirit in the Sky', was critically injured when the car he was riding in turned left, crossing into the path of an on-coming motorcycle. The 20-year-old motorcyclist was killed and his passenger was severely injured. After a lengthy recovery, Greenbaum returned to the stage in Santa Rosa, California on November 15, 2015.

2016 - Thunderclap Newman

Andy Newman from Thunderclap Newman died aged 73. Thunderclap Newman, whose 1969 No.1 hit 'Something in the Air' became one of the indestructible staples of British 1960s pop. Primarily a keyboard player his schoolfriends nicknamed him Thunderclap in honour of his playing technique. The band that would become Thunderclap Newman was formed in late 1968 at the instigation of the Who’s Pete Townshend.

2017 - George Michael

George Michael's funeral took place, three months after his sudden death at the age of 53. His family said a 'small, private ceremony' was attended by family and close friends. The coroner's verdict on Michael's death only came three weeks before his funeral. Tests were ordered because an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive. 

2020 - Joe Diffie

Grammy-winning country music star Joe Diffie died age 61 from complications of COVID-19. Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at No.1. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.

2020 - Alan Merrill 

American vocalist, guitarist, songwriter Alan Merrill died age 69 after contracting coronavirus. He was the co-writer of, and lead singer on, the first released version of the song 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll', which was recorded by the Arrows in 1975. The song became a breakthrough hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has since been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic. 

Born Today In Music

March 29th

1935 - Ruby Murray

Northern Irish singer and actress Ruby Murray who was one of the most popular singers in the UK in the 1950s. In 1955 she secured seven Top 10 UK hit singles inclusing the 1955 UK No.1 'Softly, Softly' and made pop chart history in March 1955 by having five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week. She died age 61 on 17 December 1996. 

1940 - Eden Kane

English pop singer and former teen idol Eden Kane who had the 1961 UK No.1 'Well I Ask You'. He is the brother musicians Peter Sarstedt and Clive Sarstedt.

1940 - Ray Davis

American musician Ray Davis the original bass singer and one of the founding members of The Parliaments, and subsequently the bands Parliament, and Funkadelic. Davis died in New Brunswick, New Jersey on July 5, 2005, at the age of 65, of respiratory problems. 

1940 - Astrud Gilberto

Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto Her version of 'The Girl from Ipanema' won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965.

1943 - Chad Allan

Chad Allan who was the founding member and original lead singer of the Canadian rock band Guess Who who had the 1970 US No.1 & UK No.19 single 'American Woman'.

1943 - Vangelis

Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, and orchestral music Evangelos Papathanassiou, (Vangelis). He is best known for his 1981 Academy Award–winning score for the film Chariots Of Fire.

1945 - Speedy Keen

Songwriter, vocalist, drummer and keyboard player Speedy Keen, from Thunderclap Newman who had the 1969 UK No.1 & US No.37 single 'Something In The Air' which was produced by Pete Townshend. Keen died of heart failure on 21 March 2002 aged 56.

1946 - Terry Jacks

Canadian singer, songwriter Terry Jacks who had the 1974 UK & US No.1 single 'Seasons In The Sun'.

1947 - Bobby Kimball

Bobby Kimball singer 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.

1949 - Dave Greenfield

Dave Greenfield, keyboards with the English rock band the Stranglers who had the 1986 UK No.2 single 'Golden Brown' and over 20 over other UK Top 40 singles. He died on 3 May 2020 at the age of 71 after testing positive for coronavirus.

1949 - Michael Brecker

Michael Brecker, Brecker Brothers. Notable jazz and rock collaborations included work with Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Donald Fagen, Dire Straits, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, John Lennon, Aerosmith, Dan Fogelberg, Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Daltrey, and Parliament-Funkadelic. He died on January 13, 2007.

1956 - Patty Donahue

Patty Donahue, singer from experimental post-punk band from Akron, Ohio, The Waitresses best known for the 1982 hit 'Christmas Wrapping'. Donahue Died of lung cancer 6 December 1996.

1959 - Perry Farrell

American singer-songwriter and musician Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell has also led the alternative rock groups Porno for Pyros and Satellite Party.

1981 - PJ Morton

PJ Morton, American R&B singer, musician, producer and one of the keyboardists in Maroon 5.