1934 : Adolf Hitler begins Operation Hummingbird, the Röhm Putsch, or the Night of the Long Knives which culminates in the murder of Ernst Röhm on July 2. Al Stewart later writes a song about it called “The Last Day Of June 1934.”

1962 : Mike Sarne and Wendy Richards were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Come Outside.’ Richards went on to become a famous tv actress.

1966 : The Beatles played the first of three concerts at the Nippon Budokan Hall, Japan. The concert was filmed with The Beatles wearing black suits. The following day’s first performance was also filmed; with The Beatles wearing white suits. There was a strict police presence with 3,000 police observing each concert played in front of 10,000 fans.

1969 : Fleetwood Mac, Pentangle and Duster Bennett all appeared at London’s Royal Albert Hall ‘Pop Proms.’

1973 : George Harrison’s Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) dislodges Paul McCartney and Wings’ My Love from the #1 spot on the U.S. singles charts.

1973 : Slade were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Skweeze Me Pleeze Me’, the group’s fifth UK No.1 and second single to enter the chart at No.1.

1975, Cher married Greg Allman four days after her divorcing Sonny Bono, the couple split after ten days, followed by a three year on and off marriage. Their union produces a son (Elijah Blue Allman) and an album, but ends for good in 1979..

1975 : The Jackson Five announced that they were leaving Motown Records for Epic Records. The brothers were forced to change their name to The Jackson’s since Motown owned the other name.

1976 : Police raid Neil Diamond’s house and find less than an ounce of marijuana. The arrest is struck from his record when he agrees to attend a drug aversion program.

1976 : Stuart Goddard, (Adam Ant), placed the following ad in the classified section of the Melody Maker, ‘Beat on a bass, with the B-Sides.’ Andy Warren answered the ad and the pair went on to form Adam and The Ants.

1977 : Marvel Comics launched a comic book based on the rock group Kiss.

1978 : United Artists released The Buzzcocks single ‘Love You More’, at 1 minute 29 seconds it was the second shortest single ever released. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 1960 hit ‘Stay’ was the shortest hit at one minute 28 seconds.

1979 : Tubeway Army started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric’. The song by Gary Numan was the first electronic/synthesizer-based record to become a hit in the post-punk era.

1979 : One hit wonder Anita Ward started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Ring My Bell’, also a UK No.1.

1984 : Huey Lewis and the News went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Sports’.

1985 : No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: Phil Collins’ “Sussudio”

1989 : Police were called in to control over 4,000 Bobby Brown fans trying to see him at the HMV Record store in London’s Oxford Street, six fans were hospitalised and one had to be given the kiss of life.

1989 : The Stone Roses played at Leeds Polytechnic in England. The gig almost didn’t take place after a security man wouldn’t let singer Ian Brown into the gig.

1990 : Police raided Chuck Berry’s estate and seized homemade porn videos, drugs and guns.

1995 : American soul singer Phyllis Hyman committed suicide by overdosing on pentobarbital and secobarbital in her New York City apartment aged 45. She was found hours before she was scheduled to perform at the Apollo Theatre, in New York.

1995 : Garth Brooks was given a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame. The Country singer buried the master tapes of his ‘Hits’ album under the star.

2000 : During a Pearl Jam concert at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival, nine people are crushed to death as the crowd rushed the stage. Investigations have concluded that the events were an accident. Several people fell and couldn’t get up, and in addition, crowdsurfers were falling into the open area. Pearl Jam stopped the show and asked people to back up, but it was too late. As a result, many European venues have banned crowdsurfing. The Pearl Jam song “Love Boat Captain” refers to the events with the line “Lost nine friends we’ll never know… two years ago today.”

2001 : American guitarist and producer Chet Atkins died in Nashville aged 77. Recorded over 100 albums during his career, produced records for Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves and Waylon Jennings. Was a major influence on George Harrison and Mark Knopfler.

2001 : Beach Boys member Al Jardine went to court in a bid to sue his former band mates, claiming he had been frozen out of the Beach Boys. The $4 million suit was filed against Mike Love, Brian Wilson, the Carl Wilson Trust and Brother Records Incorporated in a New York Superior Court. In 1998 a US judge temporarily barred Jardine from performing under the name Beach Boys Family And Friends after representations from Mike Love and Brother Records. Jardine lost the case in 2003.

2001 : The Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, TN opens.

2004 : Kinks founder member Dave Davies was left paralysed on the right-hand side of his body after suffering a stroke. The 57-year-old guitarist and brother of fellow Kinks star Ray Davies had been promoting his solo material when he collapsed.

2004 : Pete Doherty was sacked from The Libertines due to his well known addiction problems specifically with crack cocaine and heroin.

2005 : Nick Carter from The Backstreet Boys was fined $1,200 after admitting to drink-driving in California. The 25-year-old singer was also put on probation for three years, ordered to attend an alcohol education course and banned from driving for 90 days.

2007 : R.E.M. played a five-night series of shows at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre. Dubbed ‘working rehearsals’ by the band, many songs from their forthcoming album ‘Accelerate’ were debuted, with many of them still as works in progress.

2010 : Song Of The Day – “It was a hot afternoon, the last day of June”, according to the Bobby Goldsboro song, “Summer (The First Time)”