This Date In Music History - June 23

Birthdays:

Rosetta Hightower - Orlons (1944)

Randall Darius Jackson, American musician and record producer, best known for being a judge on American Idol (1956)

Steve Shelley - Sonic Youth (1962)

Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs - Oasis (1965) Quit the band in Aug 1999.

James MacPherson - Breeders (1966)

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (1975)

Aimee Anne Duffy (Duffy) (1984)


They Are Missed:

Born on this day in 1940, Stuart Sutcliffe, original bassist of The Beatles for eighteen months (January 1960 - June 1961). Sutcliffe was living in Hamburg, Germany at the time of his death, he died of a brain hemorrhage in an ambulance on the way to hospital on April 10, 1962 (age 22).

Born today in 1929, June Carter Cash, country singer, wife of Johnny Cash. Died 15th May 15, 2003 (age 73). 'If I Were A Carpenter'.

Born on this day in 1937, Niki Sullivan, guitarist, singer, one of the three original members of Buddy Holly's backing group, The Crickets. He co-wrote a number of his hit songs and sang back-up vocals on 27 of the 32 songs Buddy recorded over his brief career. Sullivan died suddenly of a heart attack on April 6, 2004, at his home in Independence, Missouri (age 66).


History:

Adolphe (Antoine Joseph) Sax was born in 1814. He was the inventor of the saxophone.

In 1957, Lonnie Donegan was at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Gamblin' Man / Putting On The Style," the singers second UK #1. It was the last UK #1 to be released as a 78rpm as well as a 7' vinyl record.

Eddie Cochran recorded "Somethin' Else" in 1959.



In 1960, Paul Anka (at 20) became the youngest performer ever (at that time) to perform at the Copacabana nightclub in New York.

Ray Charles started a 14-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1962 with 'Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music.'

Del Shannon charted with "From Me To You" in 1963, which was the first Lennon & McCartney composition to make the Billboard Hot 100.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles released "Tracks Of My Tears" in 1965.



Aretha Franklin records "Chain Of Fools" in 1967.

In 1970, Chubby Checker and 3 others were arrested in Niagra Falls after marijuana and unidentified drug capsules were found in Checker's car.

Smokey Robinson appeared in concert with the Miracles for the last time, in Washington, DC, 1972.

George Harrison started a five-week run at #1 on the US album chart in 1973 with 'Living In The Material World', his second US #1.

B.W. Stevenson recorded "My Maria" in 1973.

During his 'Welcome To My Nightmare' tour in Vancouver, Canada in 1975, Alice Cooper fell from the stage and broke six ribs.

Jefferson Starship released their “Red Octopus” LP in 1975.

Also in 1975, Bob Marley and The Wailers played the first of 14 shows over 7 nights at Paul's Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of their Natty Dread Tour.

Duran Duran started a two week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 1984 with "The Reflex," the group's first US #1, also a UK #1.

Madonna was on the cover of "Cosmopolitan" magazine in 1987.

In 1990, 13-year-old Keith Sorrentino filed a $500,000 lawsuit against Madonna, claiming he suffered nightmares and bed-wetting problems after an incident outside Madonna’s home when she allegedly flung him to the ground. Ummm, OK...

Buddy Holly’s Gibson acoustic guitar sold for $237,419 in a Sotheby's auction in 1990. The guitar was in a tooled leather case made by Holly himself.

In 1995, CBS anchorman Dan Rather shows up at a R.E.M. soundcheck at Madison Square Garden to perform “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” A couple years earlier Rather was mugged. While his attackers were pummeling him they demanded “What’s the frequency Kenneth?” Right, it makes no sense. R.E.M. then writes a song referencing the incident.



In 2002, the top pop earners from US sales during 2001 were listed by Rolling Stone magazine as: Madonna at #5 with $49.5 million; Dave Matthews Band at #4 with $52.7 million; The Beatles at #3 with $58 million; Dr. Dre at #2 with $63 million and, top of the list, U2 with $75 million.

Nelly started a seven week run at #1 on the US singles chart in 2002 with "Hot In Here."

In 2003 - In London, Eminem gave a $450,000 necklace to a fan in the front row of a concert. He had announced while from the stage that "I'm going to give this to the sexiest woman I see."

Also in 2003, Diana Ross appeared in court and testified that she was coerced and felt intimidated into taking a breath test that showed her blood alcohol level was 0.2 (well over the 0.08 limit). The singer said, "If I didn’t take the breath tests, I was either going to go to the hospital or to jail." After the hearing, Ross asked the judge if it would be possible to have court paperwork processed using her married name of Diana Naess. The City Magistrate said he thought it was "a little late" for that now.

In 2004, Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary degree by the University of St. Andrews Scotland’s oldest University and made a "Doctor of Music."

The documentary “Festival Express” chronicling a 1970 cross-country Canadian tour (via train) was released in San Francisco in 2004. Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, The Band and Buddy Guy are on board. The film was stored in the Canadian National Archives for almost 25 years. The Dead’s Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh provide commentary.

In 2007, 1,800 guitarists in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, set a world record for a mass guitar performance of Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water." This effort breaks the mark set just three weeks earlier in Kansas City, KS, when over 1,600 played the riff.



In 2009, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to one count of assault on his former girlfriend, Rihanna. The 19 year-old R&B singer was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to do six months community service. Brown had faced charges of assaulting Rihanna, 21, during a row in February. The last-minute plea deal came before a hearing at a Los Angeles court at which Rihanna was due to give evidence. The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge also ordered Brown and Rihanna to stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at entertainment industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards.

Def Leppard, Cheap Trick and Poison hit the road for a summer tour in 2009. The first stop on the 40-city romp is Camden, NJ. It’s also the day Cheap Trick’s “The Latest” is available on the band’s web site and Amazon.com. "We wanted to make a record that sounded like 2009 . . . like us this year," says drummer Bun E. Carlos.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their sophomore effort “Reckoning,” R.E.M. reissues a remastered and enhanced version of album in 2009. The set includes an ‘84 show recorded in Chicago.