2021 – Gil Bridges
Gil Bridges, the last surviving member of the original line-up from American band Rare Earth died aged 80, of complications arising from COVID-19. Rare Earth was the first big hit-making act signed by Motown that consisted only of white members.
2021 – Robbie Shakespeare
American bass guitarist and record producer Robbie Shakespeare died age 68. He is best known as one half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as one of the most influential reggae bassists, Shakespeare’s work extended beyond the reggae genre, covering various pop and rock artists such as Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Yoko Ono, Serge Gainsbourg, and Grace Jones.
2021 – Ralph Tavares
Ralph Tavares died two days before his 80th birthday. He was a member of American R&B, funk and soul music group Tavares best known for their 1976 hit ‘Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel’.
2019 – Juice Wrld
In 2019, superstar MC and emo-rap pioneer, Juice WRLD, died tragically at just 21-years-old. The Chicago-born artist was a vital part of the wildly influential SoundCloud movement, parlaying his internet celebrity into a record deal with Grade A Productions and Interscope Records in 2017. In 2020, his third studio album, Legends Never Die, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, becoming one of the most successful posthumous albums of all time.
2016 – Mick Jagger
Sir Mick Jagger became a father again at the age of 73, after his 29-year-old girlfriend, American ballerina Melanie Hamrick, gave birth to a boy in New York City. The singer already had seven children, whose ages range from 17 to 45 and he became a great-grandfather in 2014.
2013 – Metallica
Metallica played a gig inside a dome at the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini, thus becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents. During the concert audio was transmitted to an audience made up of competition winning fans from Latin America through headphones. Staged in conjunction with Coca Cola Zero, it was only the second ever gig to take place on the continent, following a performance in 2007 from a group of musical scientists, called Nunatak, at British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station as part of the Live Earth climate change awareness concerts.
2004 – Darrell Abbott
Former Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell was one of five people killed after a man stormed the stage during a Damageplan show at the Alrosa Villa Club in Columbus. Nathan Gale, aged 25, began firing at the band and crowd, was then shot and killed by a police officer who arrived shortly after the first shots were fired.
2003 – Darkness
BPI figures showed that the UK sales of seven-inch singles had increased by 84% on the previous year. The report claimed that bands such as The Darkness, The Strokes and The White Stripes had boosted sales by releasing special limited edition seven-inch records.
2000 – John Lennon
A plaque to commemorate the 20th anniversary of John Lennon’s death was unveiled outside his childhood home in Liverpool.
1999 – Heinz
1960s singer Heinz was given a formal caution by magistrates in Southampton for playing music to loud in his flat. The singer who scored 4 Top 40 singles in the 60s is now wheelchair bound.
1995 – Courtney Love
Courtney Love appeared on the ABC TV show ’10 Most Fascinating People’, telling the presenter that she wished she had done ‘eight thousand million things differently’ to have prevented the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.
1984 – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Frankie Goes To Hollywood were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Power Of Love’. The group’s third No.1 of the year and final UK No.1. This made them the first group since Gerry And The Pacemakers to have a UK No.1 with their first three singles.
1984 – Vince Neil
Vince Neil from Motley Crue was involved in a car accident in Redondo Beach, California, which killed Nick Dingley from Hanoi Rocks and injured two other passengers. Neil was later sentenced to 30 days in jail, five years probation, and had to pay $2.6 million in restitution to the victims of the crash. Neil got out of jail after 15 days for good behavior.
1982 – Marty Robbins
American country singer, songwriter Marty Robbins died aged 57 of complications following cardiac surgery. Had the first No.1 of the 60s in the US with ‘El Paso’, (winning him a Grammy Award). Robbins later portrayed a musician in the 1982 Clint Eastwood film Honkytonk Man.
1980 – John Lennon
John Lennon was shot five times by 25 year old Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in New York City where John and Yoko lived. Chapman had been waiting for Lennon outside the Dakota apartments since mid-morning and had asked for an autograph earlier in the day. Lennon was pronounced dead from a massive loss of blood at 11.30pm. Chapman has since said he shot the former Beatle because he wanted to “steal” his fame — stating that now he was a bigger nobody than he was before. He also revealed he planned the killing for three months and considered murdering other celebrities who he thought were “phonies.”
1979 – Styx
Styx went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Babe’, the group’s only US No.1, a No.6 hit in the UK.
1977 – Blondie
Four people were arrested after a riot broke out when Blondie didn’t arrive for a gig in Brisbane. Over 1,000 Australian fans had waited over an hour for the group to appear on stage, but the gig was cancelled due to singer Debbie Harry being unwell.
1976 – The Eagles
The Eagles released their fifth studio album Hotel California, their first album with guitarist Joe Walsh, who had replaced founding member Bernie Leadon. The album topped the US chart for eight weeks (non-consecutively) and at the 20th Grammy Awards, the Eagles won a Grammy Award for ‘Hotel California’, which won Record of the Year. Worldwide sales now stand at over 32 million.
1973 – Roxy Music
Roxy Music had their first UK No.1 album when ‘Stranded’ went to the top for one week. The sleeve featured Playboy’s Playmate of The Year, model Marilyn Cole, (who was the magazines’s first full-frontal nude centerfold).
1969 – Jimi Hendrix
On trial in Canada on drug possession charges, Jimi Hendrix told a Toronto court that he had only smoked pot four times in his life, snorted cocaine twice and took LSD no more than five times. Telling the jury that he had now ‘outgrown’ drugs. They found the guitarist not guilty.
1968 – Graham Nash
Singer and guitarist Graham Nash left The Hollies and started work with David Crosby and Stephen Stills who went on to form Crosby Stills & Nash.
1966 – The Beatles
Working at Abbey Road in London, Paul McCartney overdubbed his lead vocal for ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’. Then The Beatles set about remaking a new John Lennon song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’
1963 – Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra Jr was kidnapped at gunpoint from a hotel in Lake Tahoe. He was released two days later after his father paid out the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers, who were later captured, and sentenced to long prison terms. In order to communicate with the kidnappers via a payphone the senior Sinatra carried a roll of dimes with him throughout this ordeal, which became a lifetime habit, he is said to have been buried with a roll of dimes.
1961 – The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys first single ‘Surfin’ was released on Candix Records, a small label based in Los Angeles. On the strength of the song’s performance in the Southern California market, Capitol Records signed the group. Other surfing songs would follow: ‘Surfin’ Safari,’ ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.,’and ‘Surfer Girl.’
