1957 : Winners at this years Annual NME readers poll included Pat Boone who was voted the world’s No.1 singer, with Elvis Presley voted second. The top two UK group’s were The King Brothers and The Stargazers.

1961 : Bob Dylan played a showcase at New York’s Carnegie Hall to 53 people.

1961 : Alvin and The Chipmunks, who already have #1 hits with The Chipmunk Song and Witch Doctor, get their own TV show on CBS called The Alvin Show.

1962 : The Tornadoes were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the instrumental, ‘Telstar’, (named after a communication satellite). The track went on to be the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart also reaching No.1.

1963 : A 17-year-old Eric Clapton makes his first appearance with The Yardbirds at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England. He replaces their original guitarist Anthony “Top” Topham.

1963 : Dusty Springfield interviews The Beatles when they make their first appearance on the UK ITV pop show ‘Ready Steady Go!’

1968 : Cream begins their announced farewell tour with a performance at Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CA.

1969 : Creedence Clearwater Revival started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Green River’, the group’s first US chart topper.

1969 : The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’ album went to No.1 on the UK chart. The final studio recordings from the group supposedly contained clues adding to the ‘Paul Is Dead’ phenomenon: Paul is barefoot and the car number plate ‘LMW 281F’ supposedly referred to the fact that McCartney would be 28 years old if he was still alive. ‘LMW’ was said to stand for ‘Linda McCartney Weeps.’ And the four Beatles, represent; the priest (John, dressed in white), the Undertaker (Ringo in a black suit), the Corpse (Paul, in a suit but barefoot), and the Gravedigger (George, in jeans and a denim work shirt).

1970 : US singer Janis Joplin was found dead at the Landmark Hotel Hollywood after an accidental heroin overdose. Joplin had the posthumous 1971 US No.1 single ‘Me And Bobby McGee’, and the 1971 US No.1 album ‘Pearl’.

1974 : Thin Lizzy debut their new twin-guitar attack with new additions Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson at tonight’s concert in Wales.

1975 : Pink Floyd went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Wish You Were Here’. The album featured a tribute to ex band member Syd Barrett, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’. Also No.1 in the US.

1978 : Tammy Wynette claims that on this day, she was kidnapped from a Nashville shopping mall and then beaten and dumped by the side of the road. Wynette struggled with an addiction to prescription pain killers, which contributed to her death in 1998. Her daughter claimed that she made up the story about the kidnapping, possibly to explain bruises inflicted by her husband.

1980 : Four members of Fleetwood Mac join the University of Southern California Country marching band at halftime of a football game to give them a platinum album for playing on their song “Tusk”.

1980 : Queen started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Another One Bites The Dust.’

1980 : Winners in the Melody Makers readers poll included, Kate Bush who won Best female singer, Peter Gabriel won Best male singer, Best guitarist went to Ritchie Blackmore, Phil Collins won Best drummer, Genesis won Band of the year, Best single went to Pink Floyd for ‘Another Brick in The Wall’, and Saxon won brightest hope.

1982 : The Smiths made their live debut at the Ritz in Manchester England, supporting Blue Rondo A La Turk.

1988 : Determined to finally clean his system of the alcohol and drugs he’s been abusing for years, Ringo Starr, along with wife Barbara Bach, flies to Tucson, AZ to enter the Sierra Tucson Rehabilitation Clinic. He will stay six weeks.

1994 : Singer Glenn Frey’s stomach surgery causes the Eagles to postpone their much-anticipated reunion tour, puckishly titled Hell Freezes Over.

1996 : Roger Miller is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

1996 : That Thing You Do!, a musical film starring Tom Hanks, who plays the manager of fictional ’60s band, The Wonders, is released to US cinemas. The title-track to the film was written by Adam Schlesinger, bass player for Fountains of Wayne.

1997 : Farm Aid returns to Illinois for the first time since it started in 1985, selling out the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park. Performers include The Dave Matthews Band and Beck.

1999 : It was reported that the sister of Jimi Hendrix was planning to exhume her brothers body and move it to a pay-to view mausoleum. Other plans for the new site included a chance for fans to buy one of burial plots around the guitarist’s new resting-place.

2004 : Canadian bassist Bruce Palmer died of a heart attack. Member of The Mynah Birds and The Buffalo Springfield. Also worked with Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and Neil Young.

2005 : Mike Gibbins, drummer with Badfinger died in his sleep at the age of 56. Badfinger had the 1970 UK No.4 & US No.7 single ‘Come And Get It’.

2006 : Barbra Streisand’s tour-opening performance at Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center is the highest single event gross in the 10-year history of the arena. Streisand grosses $5,265,600 from 16,510 attendants.

2007 : Producer Phil Spector was set to be retried for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson following the collapse of the first trial in Sept of this year. The first trial ended with the jury deadlocked 10-2 favoring conviction. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler set another hearing for the case on 23 October.

2007 : The Rolling Stones set a new record for the top grossing tour of all time with their A Bigger Bang tour. The tour which ran from late 2005 to August 2007, earned the band $437M with The Stones playing to over 3.5 million people at 113 shows. The previous high was set by U2’s Vertigo tour, which took place in 2005 and 2006, earning $389M.