1928 : The famous Winterland Ballroom opens in San Francisco, California. It’s an ice-skating rink that can be converted into a general entertainment venue for opera, boxing, and other events, costing a whopping (for 1928) $1 million to build. It will go on to become a concert location for many famous acts, including The Sex Pistols, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd, to name just a few.

1957 : Recorded on this day, Buddy Holly – “Peggy Sue”

1957 : The government of Iran officially bans rock and roll after declaring rock dancing “as harmful to health.” The ban would stay in place until the 1990’s.

1959 : Dick Clark announces his first series of four “Caravan of Stars” concerts over the course of the next year, with his first being headlined by The Skyliners of Since I Don’t Have You fame.

1961 : Del Shannon was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Runaway.’ His only UK No.1 and the first of 14 UK Top 40 hits.

1964 : Touring Australia The Beatles played two shows at the Festival Hall, Brisbane. Over 8,000 fans had waited until after midnight to greet the group as they landed at Brisbane Airport.

1966 : Neil Diamond makes his first television appearance on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand, performing his hit “Cherry, Cherry”.

1967 : Rolling Stone Keith Richard was found guilty of allowing his house to be used for the illegal smoking of cannabis. He was sentenced to one year in jail and a $850 fine, (prison number 5855). Mick Jagger was also fined $170 and given three months in jail on drug charges. Jagger and Richards were both released and granted bail of £7,000 the following day.

1967 : While on tour with The Hollies, Graham Nash writes a song called Marrakesh Express which will later find a home (and a hit) with his new band, Crosby Stills and Nash.

1968 : Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” enters the charts.

1968 : A free concert was held in London’s Hyde Park with Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Roy Harper. This afternoon concert was the first free festival to be held in Hyde Park. The concert was held to coincide with the release of Pink Floyd’s second album, A Saucerful of Secrets.

1968 : Released on this day, Pink Floyd – “A Saucerful Of Secrets” LP

1968 : The Small Faces started a six week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake.’ A concept album with a round cover designed to look like a tobacco tin. The album featured the hit ‘Lazy Sunday.’

1969 : American soul singer Shorty Long drowned aged 29 after his boat capsized on the Detroit River in Michigan. Had the 1968 US No.8 single ‘Here Comes The Judge.’ He acted as an MC for many of the Motown Revue shows and tours.

1969 : Jimi Hendrix’s Experience plays its last United States concert at the Denver Pop Festival and then breaks up. Noel Redding announces he has quit the band.

1969 : Led Zeppelin, The Liverpool Scene and Mick Abraham’s Blodwyn Pig all played two shows (5.30 and 8.30pm) on this Sunday night at The Royal Albert Hall, London, England. Tickets from 5 to 15 shillings.

1970 : NBC-TV presents the Liza Minnelli special Liza, also starring songwriters Anthony Newley, Jimmy Webb, and Randy Newman.

1973 : Deep Purple “Mark II,” the most famous incarnation of the band, comes to an end after a show in Osaka, Japan, with lead singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover abruptly quitting the group.

1974 : Neil Peart replaces John Rutsey as the drummer for Rush.

1974 : Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” hits #1.

1974 : Charles Aznavour was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘She’, the French singers only UK No.1. At the time it made Aznavour the oldest living male chart-topper in the UK charts (at fifty years old).

1975 : Elton John appears onstage with The Doobie Brothers in Oakland, CA, for an impromptu duet on the Doobies hit “Listen To The Music”.

1975 : American singer songwriter Tim Buckley died of an overdose of heroin and morphine aged 28. Released nine albums including the 1972 release ‘Greetings from L.A.’ Buckley is the father of singer songwriter Jeff Buckley.

1976 : The Memphis City Council votes to change Elvis’ home street, Highway 51 South, to “Elvis Presley Boulevard.”

1978 : Peter Frampton gets in a bad car accident in the Bahamas, breaking his arm and suffering internal injuries. On the bright side, he got to miss the premiere of the film he starred in, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which was derided by critics and anyone unfortunate enough to see it.

1978 : David Bowie played the first of three nights on his Low / Heroes world tour at Earl’s Court in London, England.

1979 : American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Lowell George died of a heart attack. The Little Feat front man was found dead at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

1984 : Bruce Springsteen kicked off the first leg of his Born in the USA Tour with a three night run at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Springsteen would play a total of 156 shows ending on October 2, 1985 in Los Angeles.

1985 : David Bowie and Mick Jagger recorded a version of the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1964 hit ‘Dancing In The Street.” for the forthcoming ‘Live Aid’ fundraising event. The single went on to become a No.1 UK hit.

1985 : John Lennon’s 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine, with psychedelic paintwork, sold for a record sum of $3,006,385 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.

1988 : The Guardian newspaper reported that many music CD’s would fade and distort over the next few years due to manufacturing faults, sending shock-waves through the music industry.

1988 : Brenda Richie, the wife of Lionel Richie was arrested in Beverly Hills, California after allegedly hitting the singer and a young woman after she found them in bed together. She was released on $5,000 bail and charges against her were eventually dropped.

1991 : Jason Donovan had his third UK No.1 single with ‘Any Dream Will Do’ a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1968 musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Donovan was playing the lead role in a new London production of the musical.

1994 : Barbra Streisand sets a new record after grossing $16 million for a series of Madison Square Garden comeback shows.

1994 : Oasis made their debut on BBC TV’s ‘Top Of The Pops’ performing their new single ‘Shakermaker’.

1995 : Ringo Starr’s first-ever TV commercial, for Pizza Hut, debuts in the US, as does a similar spot by the newly-reformed Monkees.

1996 : It was reported that US record company bosses were considering random drug tests for pop stars similar to those carried out on athletes to try and reduce the drug death toll in the industry.

1996 : Record producer George Martin received a Knighthood, also music promoter Harvey Goldsmith became an MBE and Van Morrison an OBE.

1998 : George Harrison announces that he is undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer, with assurances that, “I’m not going to die on you folks just yet.” He succumbed to the disease three years later.

1999 : Former teen heartthrob Leif Garrett is arrested in Los Angeles for possession of cocaine.

1999 : Michael Jackson suffered severe bruising after falling over 50 feet when a bridge collapsed during a concert at Munich’s Olympic stadium. Jacko was singing ‘Earth Song’ at the time of the accident.

2000 : The casket holding Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt is stolen from its mausoleum in Jacksonville, FL, but left after vandals were unable to open it; member Steve Gaines’ ashes are spilled from his urn, which is also stolen. Sure are some sick people in the world!!

2000 : Eight men were trampled to death during Pearl Jam’s performance at The Roskilde festival, near Copenhagen. Police said the victims had all slipped or fallen in the mud in front of the stage.

2000 : Eminem’s mother went to court claiming defamation of character in a $10 million civil suit, after taking exception to the line “My mother smokes more dope than I do” from her son’s single ‘My Name Is’.

2001 : Dream A Little Dream: The Almost-True Story of the Mamas & the Papas, a stage musical penned by former Papas member Denny Doherty, premieres in Toronto.

2002 : American singer and actress Rosemary Clooney died of lung cancer. Had the 1954 UK No.1 single ‘This Ole House’ appeared in the 1954 movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Her nephew, George Clooney was a pallbearer at her funeral.

2004 : Courtney Love was reprimanded by Los Angeles Judge Melissa Jackson for turning up five hours late to a hearing. Love pleaded guilty to a single charge of disorderly conduct and was given a discharge, on condition she paid the victim’s medical bills, joins a drug programme and stayed out of trouble.

2007 : Lily Allen was questioned by police over an alleged assault on a photographer outside a nightclub in London. She was freed on police bail after she was quizzed about an alleged assault on a male photographer in his 40s near the Wardour club in London’s Soho in March.

2012 : Photographers were planning to boycott the forthcoming Stone Roses reunion concerts in Manchester in a dispute over the use of their images. They claimed a contract issued by the band was unfair as it expected them to surrender all rights to their pictures. The National Union of Journalists was also supporting the boycott.