1965 – Rock band The Who had their van stolen containing over £5000 worth of equipment outside the Battersea Dogs Home. They were inside the home at the time buying a guard dog. The van was later recovered. In the same year, a Rolling Stone’s gig in Dublin ended in a riot after 30 fans jumped onto the stage. Lead Vocalist Mick Jagger was knocked to the floor as the rest of the band fled the stage.
1969 – The film ‘Easy Rider’ starring Jack Nicholson Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper opened at The Classic in London. The movie’s soundtrack featured The Band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Steppenwolf.
1976 – George Harrison was found guilty of ‘subconscious plagiarism’ of the Ronnie Mack song ‘He’s So Fine’ when writing ‘My Sweet Lord’. Earnings from the song were awarded to Ronnie Mack’s estate; The Chiffons then recorded their own version of ‘My Sweet Lord’.
1977 – The month after his death, Elvis Presley had 27 albums and 9 singles in the Top 100 charts in the UK. ‘Moody Blue’ was the No.1 album while ‘Way Down’ was No.1 on the singles chart. At the same time three people were arrested in Memphis after trying to steal Elvis’ body. As a result, his remains would be later moved to Graceland.
1982 – Survivor were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with the theme from the film Rocky III ‘Eye Of The Tiger’, their only chart topper. Survivor won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance for the song.
1999 – Lou Bega went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Mambo No 5’, originally recorded and composed by Perez Prado in 1949.
2005 – 77 year old Fats Domino was rescued from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. He had earlier told his agent that he planned to remain in his home despite the order to evacuate.
2006 – . The Times newspaper ran a story on the demands of rock stars when on tour. According to the paper Ozzy Osbourne insists on an eye, ear, nose and throat doctor at each venue, The Beach Boys require a licensed masseur, Paul McCartney must have a large arrangement of white Casablanca lilies in his dressing room, Mick Jagger must have an onstage autocue with the lyrics to all the songs, it would also tell him the name of the city in which they were performing. David Bowie used to request that the dressing room temperature is between 14c and 18c and Meat Loaf used to ask for a mask and one small tank of oxygen in his room.
2009 – Friends and family of Michael Jackson paid their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Glendale’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Berry Gordy and Lisa Marie Presley were among the 200 invited guests. The singer’s family arrived in a motorcade of 31 vehicles, Michael’s brothers – Randy, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon – acted as pallbearers carrying his gold-plated coffin.
2016 – A Blue Plaque marking the first home Freddie Mercury lived in when he arrived in England was unveiled. The Queen front man moved to the semi-detached home in Feltham, west London, after his family left Zanzibar in 1964 when he was 17.
