1951 : Nat “King” Cole’s “Too Young” hits #1.

1957 : Lonnie Donegan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Gamblin’ Man / Putting On The Style’, the singers second UK No.1. It was the last UK No.1 to be released as a 78rpm as well as a 7′ vinyl record.

1959 : Recorded on this day, Eddie Cochran – “Somethin’ Else”

1960 : Eddie Cochran was at No.1 in the UK with the single ‘Three Steps To Heaven’. The American singer had been killed 3 months earlier in a car crash while touring the UK.

1960 : 20-year-old Paul Anka opens at New York’s Copacabana nightclub, the youngest act ever to do so at the time.

1962 : Ray Charles started a 14-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music’.

1962 : The film soundtrack to ‘West Side Story’ went to No.1 on the UK charts for the first time. It spent a total of 13 weeks at No.1 on seven different occasions.

1963 : Del Shannon’s cover of The Beatles’ From Me to You hits the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the first Lennon-McCartney composition to ever make the US charts.

1965 : The Yardbirds appeared at The City Hall, Salisbury, England, admission $1.40.

1965 : Released on this day, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – “The Tracks Of My Tears”

1966 : The Beatles had their tenth consecutive UK No.1 single with ‘Paperback Writer’ / ‘Rain’. The track is marked by the boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon demanding to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles records. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to a new piece of equipment used in the mastering process. Read the full story

1967 : Recorded on this day, The Beatles – “All You Need Is Love”

1967 : John Entwistle of The Who marries his first wife, childhood sweetheart Alison Wise.

1967 : Arthur Conley’s Sweet Soul Music is certified gold.

1970 : Released on this day, Elvis Presley – “On Stage: February 1970” LP

1970 : Chubby Checker and three passengers are arrested in Niagara Falls after police discover marijuana and other, unidentified capsules in the rocker’s car. The charges are later dropped, however.

1972 : Smokey Robinson appears onstage for the last time with his group The Miracles in Washington, DC.

1973 : 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Rubber Bullets’, the first of three UK No.1’s for the band, (who also had a No.1 as Hotlegs).

1973 : George Harrison started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Living In The Material World’, his second US No.1. His third studio solo album was the follow-up to 1970’s acclaimed All Things Must Pass and his massive charity project, The Concert for Bangladesh.

1975 : During his ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ tour in Vancouver, Canada, Alice Cooper fell from the stage and broke six ribs.

1975 : Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of 14 shows over 7 nights at Paul’s Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of their Natty Dread Tour.

1976 : Paul McCartney and Wings played the last date on their Wings Over America tour at the Forum in Los Angeles.

1979 : Supertramp’s LP “Breakfast In America” hits #1.

1984 : Duran Duran started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Reflex’, the group’s first US No.1, was taken from their third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

1989 : George Michael received the Silver Clef Award for outstanding achievements to British Music.

1990 : 13-year-old Keith Sorrentino filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Madonna, claiming he suffered nightmares and bed-wetting problems after an incident outside Madonna’s home when she allegedly flung him to the ground.

1990 : Elton John had his first UK solo No.1 single with ‘Sacrifice / Healing Hands’ after achieving over 50 previous UK hits and 6 chart toppers in the US.

1990 : Actor Gary Busey, best-known for his lead role in the controversial 1978 biopic The Buddy Holly Story, purchases one of Buddy’s guitars, complete with tooled leather case made by Holly himself, in auction at Sotheby’s for approximately $240,000.

1995 : Drummer Alan White made his live debut with Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Also former Take That member Robbie Williams appeared on stage with the band during the show.

1994 : The stage musical Copacabana (based on Barry Manilow’s song) opens in London.

1996 : Bryan Adams went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ’18-Till I Die’. Metallica went to No.1 on the US album chart with their sixth studio album ‘Load’. The album has now sold over five million copies in America alone.

2000 : Michael Jackson is sued by a German promoter for $21 million after the singer cancels two once-in-a-lifetime millennial New Year’s concerts.

2002 : The top pop earners from US sales during 2001 were listed by Rolling Stone magazine as: Madonna at No.5 with $49.5 million; Dave Matthews Band at No.4 with $52.7 million; The Beatles at No.3 with $58 million; Dr. Dre at No.2 with $63 million and, top of the list, U2 with $75 million.

2003 : Diana Ross appeared in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated into taking a breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). The singer said, “If I didn’t take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail”. After the hearing, Ross asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was “a little late” for that now.

2004 : UK DJ Tony Blackburn was suspended by radio station Classic Gold Digital for playing songs by Cliff Richard which was against station policy.

2004 : Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary degree by the University of St. Andrews Scotland’s oldest University and made a “Doctor of Music.”

2008 : Coldplay appeared at Madison Square Garden in New York City on the first night of the North American leg, Viva la Vida, 161-date world Tour.

2010 : 62-year-old Gregg Allman underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman had begun a series of treatments for Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman said “I changed my ways years ago, but we can’t turn back time. Every day is a gift.”