16 JUNE
In Music History
1989 Cliff Richard plays Wembley Stadium in London for the first time in a show that marks his 30th year in the business. Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers also appear.
1987 Diana DeGarmo, runner-up on Season 3 of American Idol, is born in Birmingham, Alabama.
1983 Ringo Starr releases his ninth solo album, Old Wave.
1982 James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitarist for The Pretenders) dies of heart failure due to cocaine intolerance at age 25.
1979 Donna Summer's album Bad Girls hits #1 in the US.
1976 The first episode of the variety show The Jacksons, starring eight of the nine musical Jackson siblings (Jermaine has other commitments) airs on CBS. It runs for 12 episodes.
1975 John Lennon sues US Attorneys General John Mitchell and Richard Kleindienst for alleged harassment during his recent deportation investigation.
1975 Singer Adam Wade becomes the first African-American game show host when Musical Chairs debuts on CBS. The short-lived series is created by noted record producer Don Kirshner, and features a slew of musical guests, including The Tokens, The Spinners, and Sister Sledge.
1975 R&B record executive Don Robey dies of a heart attack at age 71. As founder of Peacock Records and eventual owner of Duke Records, Robey was instrumental in the careers of several R&B artists throughout the '50s and '60s, including Big Mama Thornton, Johnny Ace, Johnny Otis, and Junior Parker.
1972 Roxy Music release their self-titled debut album. With obtuse lyrics from Bryan Ferry and futuristic synth soundscapes by Brian Eno, it's a tough nut to crack for many listeners but is later hailed as a triumph.
1971 Elvis Presley releases Love Letters From Elvis.
1971 Tupac Shakur is born Lesane Parish Crooks in New York City.
1970 The organizers of the Woodstock music festival report that they have lost over $1.2 million on the event (money which they will later make up through movie and soundtrack rights).
1970 Blues guitar pioneer Lonnie Johnson dies of a stroke at 76.
1969 MC Ren (of N.W.A) is born Lorenzo Jerald Patterson in Compton, California.
David Bowie Gets Ziggy With It
1972David Bowie unveils his landmark album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. His breakthrough LP, it sells over 7 million copies and is hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Read more16 JUNE
Featured Events
2010 Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax play on the same bill, marking the first time the "Big Four" of thrash metal do a show together.More
2002 A remixed version of Elvis Presley's 1968 single "A Little Less Conversation" hits #1 in the UK, released as part of a successful plan by his estate to claim the UK record for most #1 hits on the tally from The Beatles.
1997 In the UK, The Verve release "Bitter Sweet Symphony," which lives up to it's title: the song is a huge hit, but Mick Jagger and Keith Richards end up getting credits and royalties.More
1980 The movie The Blues Brothers, adapted from John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's classic SNL skit, premieres in Chicago. A love letter of sorts to '60s R&B and soul, it will help re-establish the careers of its musical co-stars, including James Brown, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin.
1978 The movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, opens in US theaters, becoming the smash hit of the year.More
1969 Experimental avant-garde/free-jazz artist Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, releases Trout Mask Replica, a polyrhythmic, polytonal collection of noise that is either an unlistenable mess or a work of genius.More
1967 The first Monterey International Pop festival begins at the County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. It's the first of many big Rock festivals, with The Who, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and The Animals among those performing. Many consider it the beginning of the "Summer of Love."More
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