1956 : Elvis Presley appeared on NBC- TV’s ‘The Steve Allen Show’ and performed ‘Hound Dog’, to a live Hound Dog. The family-friendly show didn’t want him shaking his legendary pelvis. US TV critic John Crosby panned Elvis’ performance, calling him an ‘unspeakable, untalented and vulgar young entertainer.’

1962 : Gene Vincent plus up and coming local group The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool.

1963 : The Beatles recorded their next single ‘She Loves You’ / ‘I’ll Get You’, at EMI Studios, London, completing the two songs in less than four hours. Released in August this year, ‘She Loves You’ went on to become The Beatles’ first million-selling single.

1967 : Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit enters the Billboard singles chart.

1967 : The Association scored their second and last US No.1 single with ‘Windy’. Not a hit in the UK.

1967 : The Beatles started a 15 week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, the group’s 10th US No.1 album. Recorded over a 129-day period beginning in December 1966, the album widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, includs songs such as ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and ‘A Day in the Life’.

1968 : The Band released their debut album Music From Big Pink. The album, which features their first hit single The Weight, was recorded in studios in New York and Los Angeles in 1968, and followed the group’s backing of Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour (as The Hawks).

1969 : John Lennon receives 17 facial stitches, Yoko Ono gets 14 of her own and family were involved in a car accident in Golspie, Scotland. Both John and Yoko needed hospital treatment. Lennon later had the car crushed into a cube and exhibited it on his lawn at Tittenhurst Park.

1969 : Sam Phillips sells the legendary Sun Records studio in Memphis.

1971 : Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” is certified gold.

1972 : Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Song Sung Blue’, his second US No.1. A No.14 hit in the UK.

1972 : Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’, the group’s second No.1. The song was produced by the bands manager Chas Chandler.

1973 : Slade and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band appeared at Earl’s Court London, tickets cost £1.00-£2.00. Special ‘Slade’ trains were running form Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester to take fans to the show.

1973 : Jesus Christ Superstar closes after its 720th Broadway performance.

1975 : 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘I’m Not In Love’. The instrumental break featured the repeated spoken phrase: “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry…”, which was spoken by Kathy Warren, the receptionist at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, Cheshire where the band recorded the track.

1976 : Connie Francis receives a $2.5 million judgement against the motel in which she was sexually assaulted two years earlier.

1978 : The Texxas Jam takes place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, with Aerosmith, Van Halen, Journey and Ted Nugent performing. 80,000 fans brave the 100 degree heat, cooled down by fire hoses brought in by the organizers. For Aerosmith, it marks a low point in their career as drug use and infighting were about to break up the band, and their performance suffered.

1981 : Rushton Moreve, bass player with Steppenwolf was killed in motorcycle accident Santa Barbara, California, aged 32. Had the 1968 US No.2 single ‘Born To Be Wild’ and he co-wrote their hit ‘Magic Carpet Ride.’

1983 : A New Jersey based quintet calling themselves Bon Jovi signed to Phonogram’s Mercury records. The group have since sold over 130 million records worldwide, and performed more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans.

1989 : Lou Reed, Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Robert Cray Band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tanita Tikaram, Pixies, R.E.M. and Texas all appeared at the Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium.

1995 : DJ Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack. Was the master of ceremonies for the rock ‘n’ roll generation of the ’60’s on radio, and later on television during the ’70’s.

1995 : R.E.M. The Cure, Therapy, Offspring, PJ Harvey, dEUS, Senser, Bodycount, Channel Zero, Jeff Buckley, Spearhead, Belly, Morphine and The Cranberries all appeared at this years Rock Torhout Festival, Torhout, Belgium.

1999 : American singer Guy Mitchell, (born Albert George Cernik) died aged 72 at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas. He had the 1957 UK & US No.1 single ‘Singing The Blues’ plus over 10 other UK Top 40 singles. Mitchell also appeared as George Romack in the 1961 NBC western detective series Whispering Smith.

1999 : Jamaican reggae singer Dennis Brown died aged 42, the official cause of his death was a collapsed lung. During his career, he recorded more than 75 albums and had the 1979 UK No.14 single ‘Money In My Pocket.’ Bob Marley cited Brown as his favourite singer, naming him ‘The Crown Prince of Reggae.”

2001 : Rolling Stone Ron Wood was commissioned to paint a group portrait of diners who are regulars at the West End London restaurant The Ivy. Elton John and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant were two pop stars to be included in the portrait.

2002 : Six postage stamps designed by Sir Paul McCartney went on sale in The Isle Of Man. With proceeds from their sale going to the Adopt-A- Minefield charity.

2004 : Glen Campbell began serving 10 nights in jail along with two years of probation for a November 2003 drink-driving, hit-and-run collision. The 68 year old entertainer was also sentenced to 75 hours of community service and fined $900.

2005 : Four Tops singer Renaldo “Obie” Benson died aged 69 in a Detroit hospital from lung cancer. He was diagnosed after having a leg amputated due to circulation problems. The Four Tops sold over 50 million records and had hits including ‘Reach Out (I’ll be There)’ and ‘I Can’t Help Myself.’ Benson also co-wrote ‘What’s Going On’ which became a No.2 hit for Marvin Gaye.

2005 : American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer Luther Vandross died at the age of 54 at the JFK Medical Centre in New Jersey, two years after suffering a major stroke. His ‘Never Too Much’, was a No.1 R&B hit, worked with Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and David Bowie. Vandross had won four Grammys for his final album ‘Dance With My Father.’

2006 : Roger Waters, Texas, Starsailor, The Who, Razorlight and Primal Scream all appeared at the two day Hyde Park Calling festival in London.

2008 : Whitesnake guitarist Mel Galley, died at the age of 60 from cancer of the oesophagus. Galley also played with Trapeze, Glenn Hughes, Cozy Powell and the Blue Jays.

2008 : Crüe Fest kicks off in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tour features Mötley Crüe, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt. The tour will go on to earn $40 million.

2008 : Live Nation continue their pursuit of music industry domination by preparing to roll out their own ticketing venture.

2009 : Sir Cliff Richard was ordered to demolish a £30,000 conservatory at his home in Surrey after the local council ruled that the conservatory should never have been built. The planning committee said the building contravened policy on green belt areas because it added more than 30% extra floor space.

2009 : The week after Michael Jackson’s death, The King Of Pop dominated the Top Ten of Billboard’s album chart. Leading the pack was Number Ones, followed by The Essential Michael Jackson at No.2, Thriller was No.3 and Off The Wall was No.4. The Jackson 5’s Ultimate Collection held the No.5 spot, Bad was No.6, Dangerous was No.7, Greatest Hits – HIStory – Vol. 1 came in at No.8 and Michael’s Ultimate Collection occupied the No.9 position. Collectively, Jackson’s solo albums sold 415,000 copies for the week, 58% of which were digital downloads. The week before his death, his titles sold a combined 10,000 units.

2009 : Further to Michael Jackson’s death the previous week, he becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.