On this day

1962 | Cliff Richard was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘The Young Ones’.

1964 | Ring Of Fire The Best of Johnny Cash became the first No.1 album when Billboard debuted their Country Album Chart.

1967 | The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded ‘Purple Haze’ at De Lane Lea studios in London. Hendrix later stated ‘The Purple Haze,’ was about a dream he had and that he was walking under the sea.”

1985 | A Brazilian rock Festival held in Rio, claimed to be the biggest ever staged. The festival featured; Queen, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Yes and Iron Maiden.

1986 | The Pet Shop Boys scored their first UK No.1 single with ‘West End Girls.’

1992 | Nirvana appeared on NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live performing two songs, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ‘Territorial Pissings’. Also on this day the group’s Nevermind went to No.1 on the US album chart.

1998 | Rolling Stone magazine readers poll picked ‘Be Here Now’ by Oasis as album of the year.

2016 | David Bowie topped the UK album chart with his latest release Blackstar less than 24 hours after his death.

Born on this day

1956 | Big Bank Hank (Henry Lee Jackson), rapper from The Sugarhill Gang who were the first hip hop act to have a hit with the cross-over single ‘Rapper’s Delight’ in the pop charts in 1979.

1968 | Tom Dumont, No Doubt, (1997 UK No.1 single ‘Don’t Speak’).

1971 | Mary Jane Blige, American R&B soul singer, songwriter, actress.

1971 | Tom Rowlands, from English electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers.

1981 | Thomas Meighan, lead singer of Kasabian.