What Happened Today In Music

August 26th

1965 - Sonny & Cher

Sonny & Cher were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Got You Babe', the duo's only UK No.1. Sonny Bono was inspired to write the song to capitalize on the popularity of the term "babe," as heard in Bob Dylan's 'It Ain't Me Babe'.

1967 - The Beatles

The Beatles held a press conference at University College in Bangor, North Wales with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Beatlesannounced that they had become disciples of the guru and that they renounced the use of drugs. The four had become members of the Maharishi's 'Spiritual Regeneration Movement', which obligated them to donate one week's earnings each month to the organization.

1967 - Small Faces

Small Faces, Move, The Gass, Tomorrow, Denny Laine, Jeff Beck, Eric Burdon and Marmalade all appeared on the first day of the 3-day non-stop happening 'Festival of the Flower Children' at Woburn Abbey, England. Plus DJ's John Peel and Tommy Vance, day tickets cost £1.

1970 - Joni Mitchell

Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, (his last ever UK appearance), Donovan, Jethro Tull, Miles Davis, Arrival, Cactus, Family, Taste, Mungo Jerry, ELP, The Doors, The Who, Spirit, The Moody Blues, Chicago, Procol Harum, Sly and the Family Stone and Free all appeared over three days at the third  Isle Of Wight Festival. Weekend tickets, £3.

1970 - Eric Clapton

Recording with Eric Clapton for what would become the double album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, producer Tom Dowd took Clapton and his band to an Allman Brothers concert where Clapton, already a fan of the guitarist, first heard Duane Allmanplay in person. After Clapton invited the whole band back to the studio that night, he and Allman formed an instant bond that provided the catalyst for the Layla album. Over ten days Allman contributed to most of the tracks on the album.

1973 - 10CC

10cc made their live debut at the Palace Lido Isle of Man at the start of an UK tour. Comprising of Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who had written and recorded together for some three years before assuming the 10cc name.

1975 - Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell was at No.1 on the US Country singles chart with 'Rhinestone Cowboy'. The song was one of six songs released in 1975 that topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. The other songs were 'Before the Next Teardrop Falls' by Freddy Fender; '(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song' by B.J. Thomas, 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' and 'I'm Sorry'/'Calypso,' both by John Denver; and 'Convoy' by C.W. McCall. 

1977 - Alex Harvey

Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Golden Earing, Aerosmith, Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind, Racing Cars, John Miles, Graham Parker, The Enid, No Dice and Frankie Miller's Full House all appeared at the 17th three day Reading Festival, England. A three day ticket cost £7.95.

1978 - Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Barry Gibb song 'Grease'. It went on to sell over 2 million in the States (a No. 3 hit in the UK).

1981 - Paul Anka

Ottawa City Council named 'Paul Anka Day' to celebrate his 25th anniversary in show-business. The council also named a street in Ottawa 'Paul Anka Drive' in his honour. The Canadian singer songwriter had written over 900 songs including the classic 'My Way'.

1987 - Sonny Bono

Sonny Bono, who once said that he never voted until he was 53, announced that he was running for mayor of Palm Springs, California. He won the election in 1988 and went on to win a seat in Congress in 1996.

1993 - The Beatles

A double sided acetate of The Beatles performing live at The Cavern Club in Liverpool sold for £16,500 at Christies, London, a world record price for a recording.

1994 - Frankie Miller

Scottish singer Frankie Miller suffered a massive brain haemorrhage in New York, while writing material for a new band he and Joe Walsh from the Eagles had formed. Miller spent five months in a coma. He then entered rehabilitation, re-learning how to walk and talk.

1995 - Blur

Blur scored their first UK No.1 single with 'Country House' and won a media battle with Oasis for the No.1 position. Both acts released their new singles on the same day, 'Country House' topped the chart, selling 270,000 copies, compared to 'Roll with It' which sold 220,000, seeing Oasis entering the chart at No.2.

1995 - Seal

Seal went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Kiss From A Rose', taken from the film 'Batman Forever' a No.4 hit in the UK.

1997 - Chad Smith

Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was admitted to hospital after crashing on his motorbike while driving down Sunset Boulevard.

2000 - Allen Woody

Allen Woody former bass player with The Allman Brothers Bandand co-founder of Gov't Mule was found dead in New York aged 44.

2003 - Jimi Hendrix

Rolling Stone Magazine named Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist in Rock history. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ry Cooder also made the top 10 list.

2004 - David Myers

US Cinematographer David Myers died after suffering a stroke. He worked of various music films including Woodstock, Elvis On Tour, The Last Waltz, the Grateful Dead Movie, Mad Dogs & Englishmen and Cracked Actor: A Film About David Bowie.

2004 - Laura Branigan

Singer Laura Branigan died of a brain aneurysm. She had had a 1982 US No.2 & UK No.6 single with ‘Gloria’ and a 1984 US No.4 & UK No.5 with ‘Self Control’. She had also played Janis Joplin in the US musical Love, Janis.

2005 - Quarry Men

A plaque was unveiled by fellow Quarrymen John Duff Lowe and Colin Hantonat at the site where the band which was to become The Beatles made their first recordings. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison recorded a version of Buddy Holly's 'That'll Be The Day' and a Lennon-Harrison song, 'In Spite Of All The Danger' as The Quarrymen at the Percy Philips studio in Liverpool in 1958.

2005 - Ray Charles

A post office near the Los Angeles studio where Ray Charles recorded much of his music was renamed after the R&B legend. A federal bill was signed by US President George Bush to rename the post office. Charles, died in June 2004 at the age of 74, suffering from acute liver disease.

2005 - Green Day

Green Day were named best band on the planet at the 12th annual Kerrang! rock awards, they also won best live act. Welsh metal group Funeral For a Friend won best British band, while New Jersey's My Chemical Romance picked up best album and best video. Iron Maiden were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame and Marilyn Manson took the Icon Award. Best single went to Foo Fighters 'Best of You' while Trivium were named best international newcomers. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor was named classic songwriter while Killing Joke were given a lifetime achievement accolade.

2007 - DMX

Police who raided the home of US rap star DMX, found 12 neglected pit bull terrier dogs and a number of guns.The bodies of three more dogs had been buried. No arrests were made and DMX told police he had not been at the property in Arizona for at least two months. The rapper who had launched his own range of dog clothing, including caps, scarves and raincoats for canines also featured on the cover of his latest album, Year of the Dog... Again, with a pit bull straining at the leash.

2007 - The Rolling Stones

After two years, The Rolling Stones played the final show on their A Bigger Bang World Tour at the O2 Arena in London, England. The longest and biggest tour of their career, it became the highest grossing in rock history ($560 million).

2014 - Kate Bush

Kate Bush made her stage comeback at London's Hammersmith Apollo to an ecstatic response from fans at her first live concert for 35 years. Bush received a standing ovation as she closed the show with 'Cloudbusting', from her 1985 hit album The Hounds of Love. The 22 shows had completely sold out in less than fifteen minutes, after tickets were released in March of this year.

Born Today In Music

August 26th

1938 - Jet Black

English drummer Jet Black (Brian John Duffy), one of the founding members of The Stranglers, and who is now one of the oldest working rock drummers. They had major mainstream success with their 1982 single 'Golden Brown'. Before forming The Stranglers, Black was a successful businessman up until the mid-1970s, owning a fleet of ice cream vans.

1940 - Nik Turner

English musician Nik Turner, saxophones and flute with Hawkwind, who had the 1972 UK No.3 single 'Silver Machine'. The band had a run of twenty-two of their albums charting in the UK from 1971 to 1993. 

1941 - Chris Curtis

Chris Curtis, drums, The Searchers, (1964 UK No.1 single 'Needles And Pins'1964 US No.3 single 'Love Potion Number Nine'). Died on 28th Feb 2005 at the age of 63 after a long illness.

1948 - Valerie Simpson

Valerie Simpson, from husband-and-wife songwriting-production team Ashford and Simpson, who had the 1985 UK No. 3 single 'Solid'. They wrote hits such as: 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', 'You're All I Need To Get By', 'Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing', and 'Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)'.

1949 - Leon Redbone

Singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor Leon Redbone. He rose to fame in the '70s folk scene and was known for Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley music. He later performed in several TV commercials, including Budweiser beer, in which he lay on a surfboard singing "This Bud's for You.” Redbone died on 30 May 2019 age 69. 

1950 - Bill and Dick Cowsill

Bill and Dick Cowsill, from American singing group The Cowsills, who had the 1967 US No.2 single 'The Rain, The Park & Other Things', and the 1969 US No.2 single the theme from 'Hair'. TV's Partridge Family was based on The Cowsills family.

1952 - Billy Rush

Billy Rush, from the Jersey Shore group Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes who had the 1978 album Hearts Of Stone and have released over ten other albums.

1954 - Michael Chetwood

Michael Chetwood, Keyboards, T'Pau, who had the 1987 UK No.1 single 'China In Your Hand' and the 1987 US & UK No.4 single 'Heart And Soul', (which was initially a flop in the UK). T'Pau took their name from a Vulcan elder of the same name in the sci-fi series Star Trek.

1954 - Steve Wright

Steve Wright, BBC radio DJ and TV presenter, (1982 UK No.40 single 'I'm Alright').

1957 - John O'Neill

John O'Neill, The Undertones (1980 UK No.9 single 'My Perfect Cousin').

1965 - Annie Holland

Annie Holland, Elastica, (1995 UK No.13 single 'Waking Up').

1966 - Dan Vickrey

Dan Vickrey, guitarist, from American rock band Counting Crows, who had the 1994 UK hit single 'Mr Jones', and the 1996 US No.1 album Recovering The Satellites. They received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for their song 'Accidentally in Love', which was included in the film Shrek 2.

1966 - Shirley Manson

Shirley Manson, vocals, Garbage, (1996 UK No. 4 single 'Stupid Girl').

1969 - Adrian Young

Adrian Young, drummer, No Doubt, (1997 UK No.1 single 'Don't Speak', 1997 No.1 US album 'Tragic Kingdom').

1969 - Drew Hester

Drummer, percussionist, and record producer Drew Hester. He has played drums and percussion with Joe Walsh, Stevie Nicks, Beck, Jewel, Daniel Powter, Foo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.

1986 - Saint Jhn 

Saint Jhn (Carlos St. John Phillips), American-Guyanese rapper, songwriter, and record producer best known for his single 'Roses', initially released in 2016. A 2019 remix of ‘Roses’ by Kazakh DJ Imanbek helped the song become a worldwide hit. 

1990 - Lil' Chris

Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence in 2006 after appearing on the Channel 4 series Rock School, which saw Kiss vocalist and bassist Gene Simmons make a rock band at Lil' Chris' school. Lil' Chris took his own life on 23rd March 2015 at his home in Lowestoft after a period of depression.