ON THIS DAY IN MUSIC

October 7th

1966 - Johnny Kidd

Johnny Kidd was killed in a car crash while on UK tour in Radcliffe, Manchester, aged 27. Pirates' bassist Nick Simper, who later became an original member of Deep Purple, was also in the car with Kidd but he suffered only some cuts and a broken arm. Kidd scored the 1960 UK No.1 single 'Shakin' All Over' as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.

1966 - Smiley Lewis

Smiley Lewis, New Orleans R&B singer, died of stomach cancer. He wrote 'One Night' covered by Elvis Presley although abridged and sanitised as the original was entitled 'One Night of Sin' and radically alters the point of the song and 'I Hear You Knocking' 1955 US No.2 for Gale Storm plus UK No.1 & US No.2 for Dave Edmunds'.

1967 - The Beatles

The Beatles rejected an offer of $1 million from promoter Sid Bernstein to make a second appearance at New York's Shea Stadium. Bernstein had originally brought the group to Shea in August 1965. Sid Bernstein had actually successfully contracted the Beatles to play at Shea Stadium in both 1965 and 1966.

1967 - Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot from The Mamas & the Papas spent the night in a London jail after being accused of stealing from a hotel. A TV and concert appearance had to be cancelled.

Mama Cass covers a Lovin' Spoonful song . . . . 

1968 - Jose Feliciano

Jose Feliciano performed a controversial version of The Star Spangled Banner before the fifth game of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. As a result of his slow, Bluesy delivery, many radio stations refused to play his songs, and his career suffered.


1976 - John Lennon

John Lennon was awarded his ‘Green Card’ - permanent residency status, at a hearing in New York which overturned previous efforts by the US Government to deport him. The three judge panel of the US Court of Appeals ruled that his 1968 arrest in Britain for possession of marijuana was "contrary to US ideas of due process and was invalid as a means of banishing the former Beatle from America."

1978 - Marvin Gaye

US Music magazine Billboard reported that Marvin Gaye had twice filed bankruptcy papers earlier in the year, with debts of $7 million.

1978 - Bee Gees

The film soundtrack to 'Grease' featuring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John started a 13 week run at No.1 on the UK chart.

1979 - Joy Division

Factory Records released 'Transmission' the debut single by English post-punk band Joy Division. In May 2007, NME magazine placed 'Transmission' at No.20 in its list of the 50 "Greatest Indie Anthems Ever", one place below their third single 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. Still have the single bought when it came out . . . . . 

1982 - Jimmy Page

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page was given a 12-month conditional discharge after being found guilty of possessing cocaine.

1995 - Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette went to No.1 on the US album chart with her third album Jagged Little Pill. The record produced six successful singles, including 'You Oughta Know', 'Ironic', 'You Learn', 'Hand in My Pocket', and 'Head over Feet' and went on to become the biggest selling album ever by a female artist with sales over 30m.


1999 - Lauryn Hill

It was reported that four musicians who claimed they worked on her 'Miseducation' album were suing Lauryn Hill. The musicians were seeking unpaid royalties for co writers and producers.

She blasted off a 3,000 word often angry response denying their claims

“I am the architect of my creative expression. No decisions are made without me. I hire master builders and masterful artisans and technicians who play beautifully, lend their technical expertise, and who translate the language that I provide into beautifully realized music.
“These are my songs, musicians are brought in because of the masterful way that they play their instruments. I’m definitely looking for something specific in musicians, and I absolutely do hire the best musicians I can find. Not every band had that particular ‘something’ I was looking for. That doesn’t make them bad musicians, just different than what I needed in that particular moment.”

2002 - Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger donated £100,000 to his old Grammar school in Dartford to help pay for a music director and buy musical instruments. The new centre was also named after Mick Jagger.

2005 - Boy George

Boy George was arrested in New York after Police found traces of drugs in his apartment. George had called the police after he thought somebody was breaking into his apartment. When police arrived and made a search they found traces of cocaine on a computer table.

2006 - Babyshambles

Babyshambles postponed their UK tour to give singer Pete Doherty more time to recover from drug treatment. The band postponed their five remaining dates to allow him to continue his "excellent" rehab efforts.

2009 - The Monkees

The Monkees vocalist Davy Jones ruled out ever reuniting with his former band mates after launching a scathing attack on each of his old pals in The National Enquirer. "It's not a case of dollars and cents. It's a case of satisfying yourself. I don't have anything to prove. The Monkees proved it for me."

The singer slammed Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz, accusing guitarist Nesmith of having his head "firmly up his ass". 

Jones told the National Enquirer: "[Nesmith's] not an entertainer in the sense that Micky, Peter and I are. He has his back to the audience half the time. [He's] a brilliant businessman [but] as a person, I haven't got time for him. He's very aloof and separate." 

The musician also criticised Tork for being too disagreeable to work with and said of Dolenz: "I couldn't imagine sharing a stage anymore with Micky Dolenz, who doesn't want to play the drums and wants to play the guitar at the front of the stage."

Of course it's the National Enquirer but it is worth noting none of the other band members attended Jones' funeral. 

2013 - Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox described the sexualised imagery of modern pop videos as "dark" and "pornographic". "I'm all for freedom of expression," she told BBC Radio 5 live, "but this is clearly one step beyond, and it's clearly into the realm of porn." The singer called for pop videos to be rated in the same way as films.
Annie Lennox on pornographic videos today - GUARDIAN

2016 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones played the first night of the Desert Trip festival, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The event also featured Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters and The Who. The six-day (split over two weekends) event rakes in $160 million, making it the highest-earning music festival ever.

BIRTHDAYS

1978 - Alesha Dixon

Alesha Anjanette Dixon, Mis- Teeq, British singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, model, and television personality. (2001 UK No.2 single 'All I Want'). Gorgeous and fine singer possessed of perhaps the filthiest laugh in show business!

1968 - Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke, vocals, guitar, keyboards, Radiohead. Their 1993 debut single 'Creep' was initially unsuccessful, but it became a worldwide hit several months after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey. Their 1997 album OK Computer appeared in many 1997 critics' lists and listener polls for best album of the year. In 2006, Yorke released his debut solo album, The Eraser, and in 2009 formed Atoms for Peace.

1967 - Toni Braxton

Toni Michelle Braxton (born October 7, 1967) (1996 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Un Break My Heart') is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality and philanthropist. Braxton has sold over 67 million records worldwide, including 41 million albums. She is one of the highest-selling female R&B artists in history.

1945 - Kevin Godley

Kevin Godley, drums, vocals, 10cc, (1975 UK No.1 & US No.2 single 'I'm Not In Love', plus 10 other UK Top 30 hits including 2 No.1's). Godley And Creme (1981 UK No.3 single 'Under Your Thumb'). Video producer.