ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

September 25th

1968 - Mary Hopkin

Welsh singer Mary Hopkin was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Those Were The Days'. Hopkins had signed to The Beatles Apple label after appearing on UK TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. I loved this and Mary too. We thought anything the boys touched (ahem) and put out on Apple label wasdestined to be great, hip and cool! After the shop collapsed and the boys fell out we understood otherwise . . . . .

1969 - John Lennon

John Lennon recorded the track 'Cold Turkey', with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman and Yoko. Lennon presented the song to Paul McCartney as a potential single by  The Beatles, but was refused and released it as a Plastic Ono Band single with sole writing credits to him.

1975 - Jackie Wilson

Jackie Wilson had a heart attack while performing live on stage at the Latin Casino, New Jersey. Wilson collapsed into a coma suffering severe brain damage. Ironically, he was in the middle of singing one of his biggest hits, 'Lonely Teardrops' and was two words into the line, "....my heart is crying" when he collapsed to the stage, striking his head heavily. He remained semi-comatose for the nine years until his death in 1984, at the age of 49. Van Morrison wrote the song 'Jackie Wilson Said', from the album Saint Dominic's Preview.

1976 - Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney and Wings played a charity concert in St Marks Square, Venice to raise funds for the historic city. The night was a success but the weight of the equipment used by the group caused more damage to the square.

1980 - John Bonham

John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, died aged 32 after a heavy drinking session. ‘Bonzo’ was found dead at guitarists Jimmy Page's house of what was described as asphyxiation, after inhaling his own vomit after excessive vodka consumption, (40 shots in 4 hours). During live sets his drum solo, ‘Moby Dick,’ would often last for half an hour and regularly featured his use of his bare hands. In 2007, Ludwig issued a limited edition drum kit in Bonham's memory.

1982 - Queen

Queen made a guest appearance on US TV's Saturday Night Live, where they performed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Under Pressure'.

1990 - Nirvana

Drummer Dave Grohl auditioned for Nirvana and was instantly given the job. Grohl's last band Scream had recently split-up.

1993 - Jazzy Jeff

Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince started a two week run at No.1 in the UK with the single 'Boom! Shake The Room'. Featuring Will Smith who was a rapper and actor starring in TV show The Fresh Prince of Belle Air in 1993.

1995 - Courtney Love

Courtney Love was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, fined $1000 and ordered to attend an anger management course after being found guilty of assaulting Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna.

1999 - Liam Gallagher

Oasis singer, Liam Gallagher was stopped by customs officials at Heathrow airport and made to pay £1300 after not declaring a fur coat he had bought in America.

1999 - Bill Wyman

Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman became the first major artist to release an album on his own personalised digital MP3 player. The matchbox-sized device with no moving parts was one of the smallest of its kind in the world and featured encryption software designed in the UK to prevent piracy.

2000 - Black Sabbath

Ozzy Osbourne formally requested that Black Sabbath be removed from the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Calling the inclusion "meaningless", Osbourne went on to say "Let's face it. Black Sabbath have never been media darlings. We're a people's band and that suits us just fine."

2011 - Sly Stone

The New York Post reported that Sly Stone was living in a van, parked in the notoriously rough Los Angeles neighborhood of Crenshaw. The 68-year-old was quoted as saying "I like my small camper. I just do not want to return to a fixed home. I cannot stand being in one place. I must keep moving."

2013 - Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain's childhood home in Aberdeen, Washington went on the market. Cobain's mother Wendy O'Connor and sister Kim Cobain put up for sale the East 1st St. house, where he was raised, for $500,000, in hopes of connecting with someone who would turn it into a museum.

2015 - David Gilmour

David Gilmour's fourth studio album Rattle That Lock went to No.1 on the UK album chart. Gilmour had been writing the material for Rattle That Lock over the past five years, though he pointed out that one piano piece was recorded 18 years ago in his living room. 

BIRTHDAYS

1968 - Will Smith

Will Smith, actor, singer, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, (1993 UK No.1 single 'Boom! Shake The Room'). Solo (1997 UK No.1 single 'Men In Black').

1955 - Steve Severin

Steve Severin, bass, Siouxsie and the Banshees, (1983 UK No.3 single 'Dear Prudence').

1946 - Bryan MacLean

Bryan MacLean, guitar, vocals, Love, 1966 US No.33 single '7 And 7 Is', 1968 UK No.24 album Forever Changes. Jac Holzman's Elektra Records signed Love, and they had a minor hit with their version of the Bacharach/David tune "My Little Red Book" and released their debut album Love to which Bryan contributed the melodic "Softly to Me," as well as co-writing two other songs. He also contributed The Byrds' arrangement of "Hey Joe," which he performed live, and sang the lead vocal on the record. In 1966, Love hit #33 on the US national chart with their proto-punk single "7 and 7 Is," followed by their second album, in November 1966 Da Capo, featuring MacLean’s critically acclaimed "Orange Skies."He played an unsuccessful reunion with Arthur Lee in 1978 on two dates but wasn't paid, so he turned down an offer for a UK tour which was to have been billed as the "original" Love. The Bryan MacLean Band got a gig supporting Arthur Lee's Love at the Whisky in 1982. Bryan also worked with his half sister Maria McKee and wrote the song "Don't Toss Us Away" for the debut album of her band Lone Justice. He died of a heart attack on Christmas Day 25th December 1998.

1943 - John Locke

John Locke, from American group Spirit who had the 1969 US No.25 single 'I Got A Line On You'.

 oh you know it . . . . . .when it came out

 I first heard this on the psychedelic compilation Rock Machine Turns You On and it held me ever since . . . . . great band who even ended up playing at the local pub the Pennyfarthing in Oxford (sic!)

For Brian MacClean 

                                              (and Arthur of course)