1980 UB40 release their seminal debut, Signing Off. It climbs to #2 in the UK, becoming the first reggae album to reach those heights. In 2010, to mark the group's 30th anniversary and Signing Off's far-reaching influence, the band performs the record in its entirety during a series of intimate concerts across the UK.
1980 David Desrosiers (bassist for Simple Plan) is born in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada.
1976 At a concert in Santa Monica, California, Neil Young joins Firefall on stage, who are opening for Spirit. When the headliners take the stage, Spirit's bass player asks Young to join them, but when he does, Spirit's frontman Randy California pushes him off the stage to the horror of his bandmates, who stop playing and leave.
1976 Bluesman Jimmy Reed dies of respiratory failure in Oakland, California, at age 50. Known for hits like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" (1956) and "Bright Lights, Big City" (1961).
1975 Kyle Cook (lead guitarist for Matchbox Twenty) is born in Frankfort, Indiana.
1970 The Isle of Wight Festival hits its stride on Day 4 (of 5), with performances by Miles Davis, The Doors and The Who. Joni Mitchell's set is interrupted by a hippie named Yogi Joe who has to be removed by security. It also features Emerson, Lake And Palmer in only their second live performance, which is later released as the album Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.More
1970 Edwin Starr's "War" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.
1970 R&B singer Carl Martin (of Shai) is born in Lafayette, Louisiana. Known for the 1992 hit "If I Ever Fall in Love."
1969 Bob Seger divorces his first wife after only ten months of marriage.
1969 Singer/bassist Me'Shell NdegéOcello is born Michelle Lynn Johnson in Berlin, Germany. She is raised in Washington, DC.
1966 The variety show Hullabaloo airs its final episode, with Lesley Gore, Paul Anka and Peter and Gordon making appearances.
1964 In a clear case of rock and roll being saved by the British Invasion, Billboard magazine notes that guitar sales are the highest they've been since the advent of Elvis Presley.
1964 Roy Orbison releases "(Oh) Pretty Woman."
1962 Elvis' 10th movie, Kid Galahad, opens in US theaters, featuring the King as an amateur boxer. Charles Bronson also stars.
1958 The first of Alan Freed's Big Beat revues is held at Brooklyn, New York's Fox Theatre, featuring Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and his Comets, Frankie Avalon, The Elegants, Bobby Freeman, and Jimmy Clanton.
The British music magazine Sounds publishes letters responding to Eric Clapton's racist rant at his Birmingham concert earlier in the month. "Own up, half your music is black," one of them states. "You are rock music's biggest colonist." This particular missive includes a call to action with an address to join Rock Against Racism, "A rank and file movement against the racist poison in rock music." Rock Against Racism soon becomes a viable movement, holding a series of concerts and festivals in support of tolerance.
Read more2005 Hurricane Katrina pounds New Orleans. One of the victims is Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills, who dies by drowning at age 50. Fats Domino, 77, survives after he is rescued from his home in the Ninth Ward.
2004 "Hey Ya!" wins Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, one of four wins for Outkast on the night. The show also marks the first red carpet appearance for Jay-Z and Beyoncé as a couple.
1994 Oasis release their debut album, Definitely Maybe. The record goes on to sell over a million copies in the US, spearheading a second British Invasion, but for now the band remain unknown outside of the UK.More
1986 Madonna stars in the movie Shanghai Surprise, which bombs at the box office and is pilloried by critics. The film is produced by George Harrison's production company, HandMade Films. He says of the star, "She doesn't have a sense of humor, which is unfortunate, because it was a comedy."
1966 The Beatles play their last paid concert, wrapping up their tour at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Jaded by poor sound systems and the rigors of the road, they turn their attention to studio work.More
1958 Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana.
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