What Happened Today In Music

September 1st

2016 - Freddie Mercury

A Blue Plaque marking the first home Freddie Mercury lived in when he arrived in England was unveiled. The Queen frontman moved to the semi-detached home in Feltham, west London, after his family left Zanzibar in 1964 when Mercury was 17.

2013 - The Beatles

Classic Beatles albums finally went platinum after the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) changed its sales award rules. Gold or platinum status has become synonymous with record success but the system has only been in place since 1973. This made Sgt. Pepper's a triple-platinum album, having sold more than 900,000 copies since 1994. In total, the album is estimated to have sold 5.1 million units in the UK since its 1967 release. The albums Revolver, Help!, Rubber Soul, and The White Album also now had platinum status.

2012 - Hal David

US songwriter Hal David, who wrote dozens of hits with collaborator Burt Bacharach, died in Los Angeles at the age of 91 from complications from a stroke. With Bacharach he wrote a string of hits for Dionne Warwick, including 'Walk On By' and 'I Say a Little Prayer', as well as other artists including Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield.

2011 - Billy Joe Armstrong

Billy Joe Armstrong was thrown off a Southwest flight because the singer was wearing his pants too low. A flight attendant had approached Armstrong and told him, "Pull your pants up or you get off the plane." Later, Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins released a statement saying that the airline and the Green Daypop star had settled their differences over the incident.

2009 - Echo and the Bunnymen

Jake Brockman, former keyboard player with Echo and the Bunnymen was killed when his motorbike was in collision with a converted ambulance on the Isle of Man. In 1989 the band's first drummer Pete De Freitas died in a similar crash.

2007 - Supergrass

Supergrass were forced to put all plans on hold after band member Mick Quinn broke his back. The bass player and vocalist sleepwalked out of a first floor window of a villa where he was staying in the South of France; he was rushed to a specialist spinal unit in Toulouse where surgeons operated to repair two broken vertebrae as well as a smashed heel.

2005 - The Cowsills

Barry Cowsill, bass guitarist for The Cowsills, died from injuries caused by Hurricane Katrina. His body was not recovered until December 28th, 2005, from the Chartres Street Wharf, New Orleans. He was 51.

2004 - Pete Doherty

Former Libertines frontman Pete Doherty was given a suspended four month jail sentence after admitting possession of a flick knife. The singer was found with the weapon by police as he drove to his home in London on 18 June.

2002 - Coldplay

Coldplay scored their second UK No.1 album with A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The album won the band the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album for the second time in a row, successive to their previous win in the same category, and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year for the song 'Clocks'.

2000 - Spice Girls

The Spice Girls had five places in a list of the UK Top 20 earning celebrity directors. Monsta Productions (Emma), Moody Productions, (Posh), Red Girl Productions, (Mel C), Moneyspider Productions, (Mel B) and Geri Productions with £6m each.

1984 - Tina Turner

After a 25-year career, Tina Turner had her first solo No.1 single in the US with 'What's Love Got To Do With It'. This song was originally written for Cliff Richard, however the song was rejected. It was then offered to Donna Summer, who has stated she sat with it for a couple of years but never recorded it.

1983 - Mick Jones

Mick Jones, lead guitarist with The Clash was fired by the other three members who claimed he'd 'drifted apart' from the original idea of the group.

1980 - Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac ended a nine-month world tour with a performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lindsay Buckingham announced on stage, "This is our last show for a long time."

1979 - U2

U2 released their very first record, an EP titled 'U2-3.' With an initial run of 1,000 individually numbered copies the tracks were produced by the band with Chas de Whalley and was available only in Ireland.

1977 - Blondie

Blondie featuring former Playboy Bunny Debra Harry, signed their first major record company contract with Chrysalis Records.

1976 - Pink Floyd

Wish You Were Here was close to spending one year on the UK chart. Pink Floyd’s ninth studio had been premiered at Knebworth in July 1975, and was released in September that year. It was an instant success, with record company EMI unable to press enough copies to satisfy demand. The artwork for the album package was once again created by the Hipgnosis team, who created a series of tableaux based on ‘absence’, including the empty gesture of a handshake between two US business men (one of whom is on fire), a diver that causes no ripples, and a piece of gauze floating in the wind, photographed somewhere in Norfolk, UK.

1974 - Osmonds

The Osmonds were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the Johnny Bristol song 'Love Me For A Reason', the group's only UK No.1. Also a UK No.2 hit for Boyzone in 1994.

1967 - The Beatles

The four Beatles held a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon their next course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decide to postpone their planned trip to India and to begin the already-delayed production of the Magical Mystery Tour movie. They have two songs already recorded for the movie, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and ‘Your Mother Should Know’.

1966 - The Who

The Who single ‘I’m A Boy’ entered the UK chart peaking at No.2 giving the band their second No.2 hit. The song was originally intended to be a part of a rock opera called 'Quads' which was to be set in the future where parents can choose the sex of their children.

1966 - The Byrds

The Byrds played the first of an 11-night run at the Whisky-a-go-go, Hollywood, California. The Whisky a Go-Go opened in 1964 with a live band led by Johnny Rivers and a short-skirted female DJ spinning records between sets from a suspended cage. When the girl began to dance during River's sets the audience thought it was part of the act – and the concept of Go-Go dancers in cages was born.

1962 - Tommy Roe

Tommy Roe went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Sheila', a No.3 hit in the UK. The record was a re-recorded version of a song that was first released in 1960 when Roe was part of a group called The Satins.

1957 - Buddy Holly

The Biggest Show Of Stars package tour kicked off at Brooklyn Paramount featuring: Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers and Frankie Lymon. On some dates artists were unable to play because of segregation laws.

Born Today In Music

September 1st

1997 - Jungkook 

Jungkook (Jeon Jung-kook), South Korean singer, songwriter, with the boy band BTS. They became the first Korean act to top the US Billboard chart with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018). BTS also became the fastest group since The Beatles to earn four US No.1 albums, doing so in less than two years. They became the first Asian act to chart a No.1 song in the US since Kyu Sakamoto with ‘Sukiyaki’ (1963).

1993 - Tion Wayne

British rapper and DJ Dennis Junior Odunwo known as Tion Wayne. He appeared on three top-10 singles on UK Singles Chart as a guest and had his his first UK No.1 in 2021 with 'Body' alongside Russ Millions.

1984 - Joseph Mark Trohman

Joseph Mark Trohman, guitarist, with American rock band Fall Out Boy, who had the 2007 US No.1 album Infinity on High. The group's sixth studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) peaked at No.1, making it the band's third No.1 album and the group's fifth consecutive top 10 album.

1976 - Peter Brown

Peter Brown, drummer, from American rock band Wheatus who had the 2001 UK No 2 single 'Teenage Dirtbag' which appeared in the movie Loser.

1976 - Babydaddy

Babydaddy, (Scot Hofman), bass, Scissor Sisters, (2004 UK No.1 self-titled album, 2004 UK No. 12 single ‘Laura’).

1975 - Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Australian singer, actress, and television personality with Rogue Traders. Their most successful single, 'Voodoo Child', peaked at No.3 on the UK Singles Chart.

1973 - J.D. Fortune

J.D. Fortune, (Jason Bennison) Canadian singer, INXS, winner of the 2005 CBS reality television series Rock Star: INXS.

1965 - Craig McLachlan

Craig McLachlan, singer, actor, (1990 UK No.2 single 'Mona').

1960 - Cass Lewis

Cass Lewis, bassist 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.

1957 - Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan, singer, (1984 UK No.6 single 'Dr Beat', plus over 20 other UK top 40 hits, 1988 US No.1 single 'Anything For You').

1955 - Bruce Foxton

Bruce Foxton, bass, vocals, The Jam (1980 UK No.1 single 'Going Underground' plus 14 other UK Top 40 singles).

1950 - Peter Hewson

Peter Hewson, Chicory Tip, 1972 UK No.1 single 'Son Of My Father'. Claimed to be the first UK No.1 single to feature a synthesiser.

1949 - Russ Field

Russ Field, from English revival group Showaddywaddy who had the 1976 UK No.1 single with their version of 'Under The Moon Of Love'. Showaddywaddy spent 209 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, and had 10 Top Ten singles.

1946 - Barry Gibb

Barry Gibb, singer, songwriter, producer, The Bee Gees, (1967 UK No.1 single 'Massachusetts', 1978 UK & US No.1 single 'Night Fever', plus over 30 other UK Top 40 singles & 9 US No.1's over 4 decades). In 1994, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with his brothers. In 1997, as a member of the Bee Gees, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

1946 - Greg Errico

American musician and record producer Greg Errico. He was the drummer in Sly and The Family Stone who had the 1971 US No.1 & 1972 UK No.15 single 'Family Affair'. He has also worked with the Jerry Garcia Band, Bill Wyman, David Soul and others.

1944 - Archie Bell

Archie Bell, The Drells, (1968 US No.1 single with the Drells, 'Tighten Up', 1972 UK No.11 single, 'Here I Go Again').

1933 - Marshall Lytle

American rock and roll bassist Marshall Lytle, best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets and The Jodimars in the 1950s. He played upright slap bass on the iconic 1950s rock and roll records 'Crazy Man, Crazy', 'Shake, Rattle and Roll', and 'Rock Around the Clock'. Lytle died on 25th May 2013.

1933 - Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins). Twitty held the record for the most No.1 singles of any act with 55 No.1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006. Twitty who scored his first No.1 in 1958 with 'It's Only Make Believe' died on June 5, 1993.

1927 - Tommy Evans

Tommy Evans from American doo-wop and R&B vocal group The Drifters who had the 1960 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Save The Last Dance For Me' and over 12 other chart hits.