IN THIS DAY IN MUSIC

January 26th

1963 - The Beatles

The Beatles played two gigs, the first was at the El Rio Club/Dance Hall in Macclesfield, Cheshire, supported by Wayne Fontana and the Jets. Then The Beatles drove 20 miles to their next gig at King's Hall, Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. 

1965 - Keith Richards

During a Rolling Stones tour of Australia and New Zealand, guitarist Keith Richards had his shirt torn off after 50 fans invaded the stage during the gig at The Town Hall in Brisbane.

1965 - Petula Clark

'Downtown' by Petula Clark was at No. 1 on the US singles chart. A young Jimmy Page had played as a session guitarist on the track, giving him his first US No.1 hit, (and a No. 2 hit in the UK).




1968 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd played their first gig without Syd Barrett at Southampton University. They were supported by Tyrannosaurus Rex, (later to be renamed T Rex) featuring Marc Bolan and percussionist Steve Peregrine Took.

1973 - Sweet

Sweet were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Blockbuster' written by pop legends Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. The glam rockers only UK No.1 of 15 Top 40 hits. I couldn't stand Sweet and most of the glam rock scene (Glitter et al) although began to at least watch if not quite appreciate Bowie and loved T Rex who I saw twice . . . . . . . Lead singer Brian Connolly suffered the addiction of alcoholism and lasted until '78 which is a sad sad story and the rest tried bravely to carry on.

1974 - Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr went to No.1 on the US singles chart with his version of the Johnny Burnette 1960 hit 'Your Sixteen', a No.3 hit in the UK.

1975 - David Bowie

The BBC 'Omnibus' documentary 'Cracked Actor' a film about David Bowie was shown on UK TV. Filmed in 1974 when Bowie was was a cocaine addict, the documentary has become notorious for showing Bowie's fragile mental state during this period.

1977 - Peter Green

Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green was committed to a mental hospital following an incident when he threatened his accountant Clifford Adams with an air rifle when he was trying to deliver a £30,000 ($51,000) royalty cheque to him. Green is now fully recovered and plays with Splinter and has released several albums. The rest of the band (except the execrable Children of God follower (still!) and alleged paedophile Jeremy Spencer* guitarist) the rest went on to MOR super stardom
*https://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Jeremy_Spencer

people do recover from schizophrenia 

1980 - Prince

Prince made his TV debut on the US show American Bandstand. When interviewed after his performance the singer froze and struggled to reply to the questions he was being asked.


1986 - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed his car, paralysing him from the waist down and killing his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts. Collins had survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members.


1989 - Donnie Elbert
American soul singer Donnie Elbert died of a stroke aged 52. In 1955 he formed a doo-wop group, the Vibraharps making his recording debut on their single ‘Walk Beside Me’ but it wasn’t until the Seventies when he had major success with the solo hit 1972 US No. 22 & UK No.11 single 'I Can't Help Myself', Sugar Pie Honey Bunch', as well as the hits 'Where Did Our Love Go?' and 'A Little Piece of Leather'. See if you recognise the more famous covers of these . . . . . . 

1991 - Queen

Queen had their second UK No.1 with 'Innuendo'. At 6 minutes 30 seconds, it exceeded their epic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by 35 seconds and became the third longest UK No.1 song of all time, behind The Beatles 'Hey Jude' and Simple Minds' 'Belfast Child' (subsequently the 9 minutes 38 seconds 'All Around The World' by Oasis took over the top slot and demoted Innuendo to fourth place). For 'Innuendo's' flamenco guitar solo, Brian May was joined by Yes guitarist Steve Howe.

2003 - Billy Joel

Billy Joel was airlifted to hospital after his car smashed into a tree. The singer lost control of his Mercedes S500 and skidded for 100 yards before crashing. The accident happened in The Hamptons, New York. His third crash in two years . . . .

2004 - John Lydon

John Lydon was one of ten contestants to take part in the latest I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here UK TV show set in the Australian outback. The former Sex Pistols singer was seen by 11 million viewers on the first night covered in bird seed being pecked by giant ostriches. Lydon who was paid £25,000 ($42,500) to appear in the show, but walked off the jungle set after four days.

2007 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones topped the US music rich list for the second year running after making $150.6m (£76.2m) in 2006. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were second in the poll with a combined fortune of $132m (£67.2m) and American country band Rascal Flatts appeared third, having earnt $110.5m (£56.2m) in the past year.

2008 - Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys was at No.1 on the US album chart with her third album 'As I Am'. The album sold over 742,000 copies in its first week the largest ever first week sales for any female R&B artist.

1963 - Jazzie B

Jazzie B, British DJ, music producer, and entrepreneur and founding member of British group Soul II Soul who had the 1989 UK No.1 single 'Back To Life'.

1963 - Andrew Ridgeley

Andrew Ridgeley, singer and one half of Wham! with George Michael, who had the 1984 UK & US No.1 single 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go' plus 10 other UK Top 20 hit singles. Ridgeley became a prominent environmentalist in the cause of British surfing beaches and riverways, working with the UK charity, Surfers Against Sewage. He lives with his long term girlfriend Keren Woodward of the pop group Bananarama.

1953 - Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams, rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter who wrote 'Passionate Kisses' the Grammy winning song made famous by the 1993 single version by Mary Chapin Carpenter.

1948 - Corky Laing

Corky Laing, drummer with heavy rock group Mountain who had the 1971 album 'Nantucket Sleighride'. Also worked with Jack Bruce.

1945 - Ashley Hutchings

Ashley Hutchings, bassist with UK folk group Fairport Convention who had the 1969 UK No.21 single 'Si Tu Dois Partir'.

1934 - Huey Smith

Huey 'Piano' Smith, US R&B pianist who had the 1958 US No.9 single 'Don't You Just Know It'. Smith also played played on Frankie Ford's hit 'Sea Cruise'. I first came across any work by Huey on the good Dr John's album 'Gumbo (1972)
when it came out and it featured "Huey Smith Medley" (Smith -Vincent) "High Blood Pressure", "Don't You Just Know It","Well I'll Be John Brown" but previously I had bought Georgie Fame's single 'Hi Heeled Sneakers' as a teenager which featured a b-side of him doing Smith's 'Rockin' Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu' which I loved and had been written by him and his writing partner John Vincent





with eternal thanks to On This Day In Music