ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

August 13th

1952 - Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton

The original version of 'Hound Dog' was recorded by Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton. It would become the first hit for the song-writing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and went on to top the Billboard R&B chart for seven weeks, selling nearly two million copies.

1964 - Manfred Mann

Manfred Mann were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy', the bands first of three UK No.1's. The song which was written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich was originally recorded in 1963 by the American vocal group The Exciters.

1964 - The Supremes

The Supremes recorded 'Baby Love', written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song went on to be the group's first UK No.1 and second US chart topper. It was also the second of five Supremes songs in a row to go to No.1 in the United States.

1965 - Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane made their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club. The photograph of the members of Jefferson Airplane that was featured on the front cover of their best-known album, Surrealistic Pillow (1967), was taken inside the Matrix.

1965 - The Beatles

The Beatles arrived at Kennedy International Airport for a tour of North America. The set list for the tour was ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘She's a Woman’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzie’, ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby’, ‘Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘Baby's in Black’, ‘Act Naturally’, ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Help!’, ‘I'm Down’ and ‘I Wanna Be Your Man.’ The tour was not a happy one for The Beatles, John Lennon took to screaming off-microphone obscenities at the audiences.

1966 - The Lovin Spoonful

The Lovin Spoonful started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Summer In The City', it made No.8 in the UK. They appeared on UK tv and I was smitten immediately  The song, tho' not a favourite by far, (Daydream, Nashville Cats, Voodoo in My Basement, Darlin' Companion, Best Friends and most of 'Hums') features a series of car horns during the instrumental bridge, starting with a Volkswagen Beetle horn, and ends up with a jackhammer sound, in order to give the impression of the sounds of the summer in the city.

1966 - The Beatles

Revolver The Beatles seventh album release in three years started a seven-week run at No.1 on the UK charts. It spent a total of 34 week's on the UK chart and was also a US No.1. The title " Revolver ", like Rubber Soul before it, is a pun, referring both to a kind of handgun as well as the "revolving" motion of the record as it is played on a turntable.

1967 - National Jazz & Blues Festival Windsor

Fleetwood Mac made their live debut when they appeared at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor often referred to as Reading Festival to the uninitiated. Also on the bill Jeff Beck, Cream, Small Faces, The Move, Pink Floyd, Donovan and Chicken Shack.

1971 - King Curtis

Saxophonist King Curtis Ousley was stabbed to death by a vagrant on the front steps of his New York home. Ousley had worked with John Lennon and also played on The Coasters 'Yakety Yak'. Later he had recorded three songs featuring Jimi Hendrix but the original masters were lost in a fire

fans of 'Withnail and I' will recognise the opening track . . . . . . . 

1971 - John Lennon

John Lennon flew from Heathrow Airport to New York, he never set foot on British soil again.

1980 - Todd Rundgren

Four masked robbers broke in to Todd Rundgren's New York house and proceeded to steal Hi-Fi equipment and paintings after tying the musician up. It was reported that one of the intruders had been humming his hit 'I Saw The Light'.

During a 2013 interview with the Guardian, Rundgren claimed the criminals "threatened to cut all my fingers off if I didn't tell them where I hid all my cocaine, on the weird presumption that anybody in the music business had a lot of cocaine" — and even though he escaped the ordeal with all of his digits intact, he scoffed at the idea that he'd have a bunch of blow lying around the house.
"It's the drug that has the least return for your investment," noted Rundgren. "I'd be more interested in having another psychedelic experience. Because I would get something from it. But you could pile all the cocaine in the world in front of me and I wouldn't care."

1982 - Joe Tex

American soul singer Joe Tex died at his home in Navasota, Texas, following a heart attack, just five days after his 49th birthday. Had nine US Top 40 hits including the 1972 US No.2 single 'I Gotcha'.

1983 - KC and the Sunshine Band

KC and the Sunshine Band were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Give It Up'. The American disco group's only UK chart topper spent three weeks at No.1

1994 - Oasis

Members from Oasis and The Verve were arrested after smashing up a hotel bar and breaking into a church to steal communion wine. Both bands had been appearing at Hulsfred Festival in Sweden.

'Ave it!'

1994 - WOODSTOCK 1994

Woodstock '94 was held in Saugerties, New York, attended by over 350,000 fans, the festival featured Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Tickets cost $135.00, (£90.00).

Nine Inch Nails - Woodstock '94

1999 - Slash

Ex Guns N' Roses member Slash was arrested accused of assaulting his girlfriend at his Sunset Boulevard recording studio by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. He was released on bail.

1999 - Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger's marriage to model Jerry Hall was been declared null and void at the High Court in London. Neither Jagger nor Hall were present for the 30-minute hearing before Mr Justice Connell. After hearing evidence on behalf of Hall the judge ruled their "marriage" in Bali in 1990 was not valid either in Indonesia or under English law, and a decree of nullity was granted to Hall. The annulment avoided what had been expected to be a long and costly court battle, in which Ms Hall, 43, was reportedly seeking a £30m share of Jagger's wealth.

2002 - Adam Ant

Adam Ant pleaded guilty to threatening drinkers at The Prince Of Wales Pub in London in January of this year. The former 1980s pop star had returned to the bar with a starting pistol after being refused entry. He had also thrown a car alternator through the window of the pub. Adam suffered from many issues around his mental health and has seemingly progressed through them with help after similar psychotic episodes but has managed to adjust to later life with style and dignity

2004 - Robbie Williams

'Angels' by Robbie Williams was voted the best single which should have been a No.1 but never was, in a poll for VH1. The ballad, which reached No.4 in December 1997, beat Savage Garden's ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ and Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing.' Other songs said to have deserved a No.1 included Madonna with ‘Ray of Light’, ‘Beautiful Stranger’, ‘Crazy For You’ and ‘Material Girl’, Bon Jovi with ‘Always’ and Oasis with ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Live Forever’. Sir Cliff Richard's hit 'Millennium Prayer' was voted the worst No.1 single of all time.

2007 - Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse pulled out of two Rolling Stones gigs in Hamburg Germany citing exhaustion, British group Starsailor replaced Winehouse for the shows.

2009 - Les Paul

Guitarist Les Paul died in hospital in White Plains, New York at the age of 94 suffering from severe pneumonia. Paul is credited with developing one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on sale in 1952 and contributed to the birth of rock. He also developed other influential recording innovations such as multi-track recording and overdubbing. In the early 50s, Paul and his wife Mary Ford had a string of hits including 'Mockin' Bird Hill', 'How High the Moon', and 'Vaya Con Dios'.

2017 - David Bowie

David Bowie made a posthumous appearance in the TV series Twin Peaks: The Return. The late singer, who made a cameo appearance as a deranged FBI agent in the cult classic's 1991 prequel, Fire Walk With Me, was supposed to return for the show's revival but died before filming. Director David Lynch used archive footage from the movie to bring Bowie to life in the episode.

BIRTHDAYS

1958 - Feargal Sharkey

Feargal Sharkey, singer, The Undertones, (1980 UK No.9 single 'My Perfect Cousin'). Solo, (1985 UK No.1 single 'A Good Heart', a song written by Maria Mckee - McKee was the sister of Love's Bryan MacLean)

1984 - James Morrison

James Morrison, UK singer, songwriter, and guitarist, (2006 UK No.1 album 'Undiscovered').