1947 : Dizzy Gillespie makes his Carnegie Hall debut.

1954 : The original musical version of A Star Is Born, featuring Judy Garland, opens in Hollywood.

1956 : Bill Haley had five songs in the UK Top 30; ‘Rockin Through The Rye’, ‘Saints Rock n’ Roll’, ‘Rock Around The Clock’, ‘Razzle Dazzle’, and ‘See You Later Alligator’.

1958 : Tommy Edwards’ It’s All In The Game hits #1

1959 : Barry Gordy’s first release on the newly established Motown Records, ‘Bad Girl’ by The Miracles, entered the Billboard Pop chart.

1960 : Ricky Valance was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Tell Laura I Love Her’, making him the first Welsh singer to top the charts, and a One-hit Wonder.

1961 : Robert Shelton, wrote a glowing review of Dylan’s support slot at Gerde’s Folk City in the New York Times, calling him ‘One of the most distinctive stylists to play Manhattan in months’. On the same day Dylan played harmonica at a recording session produced by John Hammond.

1962 : After a wildly successful six-and-a-half-year run, the musical My Fair Lady closes on Broadway.

1963 : The Rolling Stones begin their first British tour at the New Victoria Theatre in London. They are the support act on a bill with the Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley.

1966 : Jimi Hendrix meets the final member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, bassist Noel Redding, when Redding unsuccessfully auditions for Eric Burdon’s new Animals lineup at the Birdland club in London.

1967 : The Rolling Stones formally split from longtime manager Andrew Loog Oldham.

1967 : Mickey Hart joins Grateful Dead as its new drummer.

1967 : Working at Abbey Road in London, The Beatles mixed the new John Lennon song ‘I Am the Walrus’ which included the sound of a radio being tuned through numerous stations, coming to rest on a BBC production of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear”. Lennon composed the song by combining three songs he had been working on. When he learned that a teacher at his old primary school was having his students analyze Beatles’ lyrics, he added a verse of nonsense words.

1969 : The Doors appeared at Lincoln Center’s 7th New York Film Festival, New York City.

1969 : Merle Haggard’s single “Okie From Muskogee”, a song that protests Vietnam war protesters. The single goes on to reach #1 on the Hot Country Singles Charts, and #43 on the Billboard hit 100.

1971 : On the last night of their first ever Japanese tour Led Zeppelin appeared at Osaka Festival Hall. Near the end of the set the group played a medley of songs during an extended version of ‘Whole Lotta Love’, including ‘Let That Boy Boogie’, ‘I Gotta Know’, ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Fortune Teller’, ‘Good Times Bad Times’ and ‘You Shook Me’.

1973 : Grand Funk Railroad went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘We’re An American Band’, the group’s first of two US chart toppers.

1976 : At his 41st birthday party, a drunk Jerry Lee Lewis attempts to shoot a soda bottle with his .357 Magnum and instead hits his bass player, Norman Owens, twice in the chest. Owens makes a full recovery but sued his boss.

1977 : In the middle of a tour, James Brown’s backup band, the JBs, walk out before a gig in Hallendale, Florida, complaining of being underpaid. Most of the band would return to complete the tour.

1977 : David Bowie sets up a trust fund for Rolan Bolan, the son of the recently deceased Marc Bolan, Bowie’s close friend and frontman of glam rock band, T. Rex.

1977 : #1 on the Hot 100 is Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band by Meco. It’s a 15-minute song made up of Star Wars music set to a disco beat. There’s even an R2-D2 bleeping solo.

1979 : The Police had their first UK No.1 single with ‘Message In A Bottle’ the group’s third Top 20 hit.

1984 : Prince and the Revolution started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, his second US No.1, a No.7 hit in the UK.

1987 : Pink Floyd’s thirteenth studio album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was on the UK chart. The shoot for the album cover involved dragging 800 hospital beds onto Saunton Sands in Devon, but rain interrupted the session and they had to repeat the exercise two weeks later. A hang glider can be seen in the sky, a possible reference to the track Learning to Fly. Photographer Robert Dowling won a gold award at the Association of Photographers’ Awards for the image, which took about two weeks to create.

1989 : While travelling on his motorbike from Los Angeles, Bruce Springsteen called in at Matt’s Saloon in Prescott, Arizona and jammed with the house band. Bruce played a bunch of rock and roll classics, including Elvis Presley’s ‘Don’t Be Cruel,’ and Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ and ‘Route 66.’ Bruce also donated $100,000 to a barmaid’s hospital bill.

1990 : Maria McKee was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Show Me Heaven’ the song featured in the Tom Cruise film ‘Days Of Thunder’.

1991 : Metallica kicked off their 138 date Wherever We May Roam world tour at the Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois.

1992 : American singer, songwriter Paul Jabara died from lymphoma related to AIDS at the age of 44. He wrote Donna Summer’s Oscar and Grammy Award-winning hit ‘Last Dance’ and Barbra Streisand’s ‘The Main Event/Fight’ and co-wrote the Weather Girls hit, ‘It’s Raining Men’ with Paul Shaffer.

1994 : The Pointer Sisters receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star on Hollywood Boulevard was originally set to be unveiled in January, but an earthquake struck Los Angeles three days before the scheduled ceremony. The Pointers are the first African-American female music group to receive the honor.

1997 : The Clinton White House awards Don Henley a National Medal of the Humanities for his work on the Walden Woods Project, which was set up to preserve the area in Massachusetts where Henry David Thoreau did his writing.

1997 : Blues Traveler bassist Bobby Sheehan is arrested for cocaine possession in Winnipeg. He is later released on $5,000 bond.

1998 : The family of Frank Sinatra files suit against Newark, Calif.-based discount clothing company Ross Stores Inc. for copyright infringement. The suit alleges that an album of 75 songs, The Sinatra Collection which the chain sells at its 500 Ross Dress For Less stores nationwide, is unauthorized.

1999 : Receivers were called in to concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith’s empire after suffering losses on a series of shows. Goldsmith was awarded the MBE after his work on Live Aid.

1999 : The Manic Street Preachers were given a bill for £28.000 after smashing up equipment during their show at Scotland’s T In The Park festival.

2001, Jennifer Lopez married dancer Cris Judd in Calabasa California. The couple separated nine months later.

2004 : Keith Moon’s five-piece drum kit, custom-made for The Who drummer in 1968, sold for $215,772 in London to an American collector, setting a world auction record for a set of drums.

2004 : The Sun reported that Michael Jackson had a secret fourth child who was now 19. The story claimed that Norwegian Omar Bhatti was born after a one night stand and had stayed with Jackson at his Neverland home in California.

2009 : After playing a gig at Club Academy in Manchester, England tens of thousands of pounds worth of Noah and the Whale’s equipment is stolen from a locked trailer in a car park near the venue. In December, police recover most of the gear, including items of great sentimental value to the band, nearly 100 miles away in a barn where the perpetrators had been storing it.

2012 : The UK press reported that there really was a girl who works down the chip shop and swears she’s Elvis’ daughter, after Lisa Marie Presley was spotted serving up deep-fried treats on a mobile motor called Mr Chippy. The 44-year-old, offspring of Elvis and actress Priscilla, donned an apron and cooked battered cod for the locals. Kim Scales, who owned the business, said: “Lisa Marie likes to see how we live and experience British life. We were laughing because the customers didn’t know who she was. She really enjoyed it.” The singer, had moved to the quaint village of Rotherfield, East Sussex, two years ago from Los Angeles.