More About Music History On This Day
29 Mar 1967
Working at Abbey Road studios The Beatles finished recording ‘Good Morning Good Morning’. They then started work on a new song ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, (originally titled ‘Bad Finger Boogie’), recording 10 takes of the rhythm track, then Ringo overdub a double-tracked lead vocal.
29 Mar 1969
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Black Sabbath, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Curved Air, J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, Shy Limbs, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Sunflower Brass Band and Toe Fat all appeared at the London Free Easter Festival in Bethnal Green, London, England.
29 Mar 1973
Dr Hook And The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine after their hit, 'The Cover of Rolling Stone' reached No. 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said.
29 Mar 1975
Labelle went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady Marmalade', the group's only No.1. British act All Saints had an UK No.1 with the song in 1998.
29 Mar 1975
Led Zeppelin saw all six of their albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week, alongside their latest album Physical Graffiti at No.1. Physical Graffiti has now been certified 16 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 16 million copies.
29 Mar 1978
David Bowie kicked off his Low / Heroes 77-date World Tour at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.
29 Mar 1979
After attending a Dire Straits show during their residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, Bob Dylan asked Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on the sessions for his next album. Slow Train Coming was the album, recorded in Muscle Shoals in May of 1979, with Jerry Wexler producing. Dylan had first heard Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler when his assistant Arthur Rosato played him the single 'Sultans of Swing'.
29 Mar 1980
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon album spent its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King's 1971 No.1 album Tapestry. The album remained in the US Billboard charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in chart history. After moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album notched up a further 759 weeks, and had reached a total of over 1,500 weeks on the combined charts by May 2006.
29 Mar 1980
Mantovani, (Annunzio Paolo Mantovan), Orchestra leader died aged 74. Born in Italy his family moved to England in 1912, where he studied at Trinity College of Music in London. He recorded over 50 albums for Decca records, including Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, both reached No. 1 in the UK. In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957.
29 Mar 1981
Shakin' Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Rosemary Clooney hit 'This Ole House', the Welsh singers first of four UK No.1's.
29 Mar 1985
Jeanine Deckers, The Singing Nun, died aged 52 after taking an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a friend. Her 1963 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Dominique' sold over 1.5 million copies, winning a Grammy Award for the year's best Gospel song. Deckers wrote about her financial difficulties in a suicide note, and in a great irony, the very day of her suicide and unknown to her, the Belgian association that collects royalties for songwriters awarded her $300,000.
29 Mar 1986
Austrian singer Falco started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rock Me Amadeus', also a No.1 in the UK. Falco became the first German speaking artist to achieve a No.1 on the US charts.
29 Mar 1996
Two former members of the 1950s group, The Teddy Bears filed suit in Los Angeles, California, against producer Phil Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received royalties from re-issues of their 1958 No.1 hit 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.
29 Mar 1999
The David Bowie Internet Radio Network broadcast its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show was Bowie's favourite songs with Bowie introducing each track.
29 Mar 2000
Phil Collins took out a high court action against two former members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins claimed his company had overpaid the musicians by $85,000 in royalties on tracks including 'Sussudio' and 'Easy Lover'.
29 Mar 2001
Brian Wilson was honored in a three-hour tribute at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Guest performances included Billy Joel, Paul Simon, The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boy songs were Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann. Brian Wilson himself joined the fun when he took the stage for the final three songs, 'Barbara Ann', 'Surfin' U.S.A.' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun'.
29 Mar 2004
A court in Lithuania sentenced French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir to eight years in prison for killing his actress girlfriend during a fight. Cantat was convicted of fatally beating Marie Trintignant in a Vilnius hotel room in 2003. Cantat had admitted killing Ms Trintignant but said it was an accident.
29 Mar 2005
Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York. Doctors expected the 59-year-old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurred after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.
29 Mar 2007
‘Umbrella’, by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z was released in the US. The track went on to reach No.1 in various countries, including the US. A No.1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks making it the longest running No.1 single since Wet Wet Wet's ‘Love Is All Around’ in 1994, and the longest running No.1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's ‘I Will Always Love You.’
29 Mar 2007
U2 singer Bono accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin. Fellow band members The Edge and Adam Clayton joined the frontman's wife and four children at the British ambassador David Reddaway's official residence. The rock star and campaigner, 46, was not entitled to be called "Sir" because he is not a British citizen. The U2 singer's new title is Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).
29 Mar 2011
A website that illegally sold Beatles songs online for 25 cents each agreed to pay record companies almost $1m to settle a legal case. BlueBeat.com, based in the US, streamed and sold music by The Beatles, Coldplay and others until it was sued in 2009. In the few days before it was forced to shut down, it had distributed more than 67,000 Beatles tracks.
29 Mar 2015
72-year-old Norman Greenbaum, who wrote and sang the 1969 hit 'Spirit in the Sky', was critically injured when the car he was riding in turned left, crossing into the path of an on-coming motorcycle. The 20-year-old motorcyclist was killed, and his passenger was severely injured. After a lengthy recovery, Greenbaum returned to the stage in Santa Rosa, California on November 15, 2015.
29 Mar 2016
Andy Newman from Thunderclap Newman died aged 73. Thunderclap Newman, whose 1969 No.1 hit 'Something in the Air' became one of the indestructible staples of British 1960s pop. Primarily a keyboard player his schoolfriends nicknamed him Thunderclap in honor of his playing technique. The band that would become Thunderclap Newman was formed in late 1968 at the instigation of the Who’s Pete Townshend.
29 Mar 2017
George Michael's funeral took place, three months after his sudden death at the age of 53. His family said a 'small, private ceremony' was attended by family and close friends. The coroner's verdict on Michael's death only came three weeks before his funeral. Tests were ordered because an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive.
29 Mar 2020
Grammy-winning country music star Joe Diffie died age 61 from complications of COVID-19. Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at No.1. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.
29 Mar 2020
American vocalist, guitarist, songwriter Alan Merrill died age 69 after contracting coronavirus. He was the co-writer of, and lead singer on, the first released version of the song 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll', which was recorded by the Arrows in 1975. The song became a breakthrough hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has since been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic.
Working at Abbey Road studios The Beatles finished recording ‘Good Morning Good Morning’. They then started work on a new song ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, (originally titled ‘Bad Finger Boogie’), recording 10 takes of the rhythm track, then Ringo overdub a double-tracked lead vocal.
29 Mar 1969
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Black Sabbath, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Curved Air, J.J. Jackson's Dilemma, Shy Limbs, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Sunflower Brass Band and Toe Fat all appeared at the London Free Easter Festival in Bethnal Green, London, England.
29 Mar 1973
Dr Hook And The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine after their hit, 'The Cover of Rolling Stone' reached No. 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said.
29 Mar 1975
Labelle went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady Marmalade', the group's only No.1. British act All Saints had an UK No.1 with the song in 1998.
29 Mar 1975
Led Zeppelin saw all six of their albums in the US Top 100 chart in the same week, alongside their latest album Physical Graffiti at No.1. Physical Graffiti has now been certified 16 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 16 million copies.
29 Mar 1978
David Bowie kicked off his Low / Heroes 77-date World Tour at San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California.
29 Mar 1979
After attending a Dire Straits show during their residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, Bob Dylan asked Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on the sessions for his next album. Slow Train Coming was the album, recorded in Muscle Shoals in May of 1979, with Jerry Wexler producing. Dylan had first heard Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler when his assistant Arthur Rosato played him the single 'Sultans of Swing'.
29 Mar 1980
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon album spent its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King's 1971 No.1 album Tapestry. The album remained in the US Billboard charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in chart history. After moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album notched up a further 759 weeks, and had reached a total of over 1,500 weeks on the combined charts by May 2006.
29 Mar 1980
Mantovani, (Annunzio Paolo Mantovan), Orchestra leader died aged 74. Born in Italy his family moved to England in 1912, where he studied at Trinity College of Music in London. He recorded over 50 albums for Decca records, including Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, both reached No. 1 in the UK. In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957.
29 Mar 1981
Shakin' Stevens was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his version of the Rosemary Clooney hit 'This Ole House', the Welsh singers first of four UK No.1's.
29 Mar 1985
Jeanine Deckers, The Singing Nun, died aged 52 after taking an overdose of sleeping pills in a suicide pact with a friend. Her 1963 US No.1 & UK No.7 single 'Dominique' sold over 1.5 million copies, winning a Grammy Award for the year's best Gospel song. Deckers wrote about her financial difficulties in a suicide note, and in a great irony, the very day of her suicide and unknown to her, the Belgian association that collects royalties for songwriters awarded her $300,000.
29 Mar 1986
Austrian singer Falco started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rock Me Amadeus', also a No.1 in the UK. Falco became the first German speaking artist to achieve a No.1 on the US charts.
29 Mar 1996
Two former members of the 1950s group, The Teddy Bears filed suit in Los Angeles, California, against producer Phil Spector and several labels. Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb alleged they had not received royalties from re-issues of their 1958 No.1 hit 'To Know Him Is To Love Him'.
29 Mar 1999
The David Bowie Internet Radio Network broadcast its first show for Rolling Stone Radio. The show was Bowie's favourite songs with Bowie introducing each track.
29 Mar 2000
Phil Collins took out a high court action against two former members of Earth, Wind & Fire. Collins claimed his company had overpaid the musicians by $85,000 in royalties on tracks including 'Sussudio' and 'Easy Lover'.
29 Mar 2001
Brian Wilson was honored in a three-hour tribute at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Guest performances included Billy Joel, Paul Simon, The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boy songs were Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann. Brian Wilson himself joined the fun when he took the stage for the final three songs, 'Barbara Ann', 'Surfin' U.S.A.' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun'.
29 Mar 2004
A court in Lithuania sentenced French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer with Noir Desir to eight years in prison for killing his actress girlfriend during a fight. Cantat was convicted of fatally beating Marie Trintignant in a Vilnius hotel room in 2003. Cantat had admitted killing Ms Trintignant but said it was an accident.
29 Mar 2005
Neil Young was treated for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York. Doctors expected the 59-year-old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurred after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.
29 Mar 2007
‘Umbrella’, by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z was released in the US. The track went on to reach No.1 in various countries, including the US. A No.1 in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks making it the longest running No.1 single since Wet Wet Wet's ‘Love Is All Around’ in 1994, and the longest running No.1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's ‘I Will Always Love You.’
29 Mar 2007
U2 singer Bono accepted an honorary knighthood at a ceremony in Dublin. Fellow band members The Edge and Adam Clayton joined the frontman's wife and four children at the British ambassador David Reddaway's official residence. The rock star and campaigner, 46, was not entitled to be called "Sir" because he is not a British citizen. The U2 singer's new title is Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).
29 Mar 2011
A website that illegally sold Beatles songs online for 25 cents each agreed to pay record companies almost $1m to settle a legal case. BlueBeat.com, based in the US, streamed and sold music by The Beatles, Coldplay and others until it was sued in 2009. In the few days before it was forced to shut down, it had distributed more than 67,000 Beatles tracks.
29 Mar 2015
72-year-old Norman Greenbaum, who wrote and sang the 1969 hit 'Spirit in the Sky', was critically injured when the car he was riding in turned left, crossing into the path of an on-coming motorcycle. The 20-year-old motorcyclist was killed, and his passenger was severely injured. After a lengthy recovery, Greenbaum returned to the stage in Santa Rosa, California on November 15, 2015.
29 Mar 2016
Andy Newman from Thunderclap Newman died aged 73. Thunderclap Newman, whose 1969 No.1 hit 'Something in the Air' became one of the indestructible staples of British 1960s pop. Primarily a keyboard player his schoolfriends nicknamed him Thunderclap in honor of his playing technique. The band that would become Thunderclap Newman was formed in late 1968 at the instigation of the Who’s Pete Townshend.
29 Mar 2017
George Michael's funeral took place, three months after his sudden death at the age of 53. His family said a 'small, private ceremony' was attended by family and close friends. The coroner's verdict on Michael's death only came three weeks before his funeral. Tests were ordered because an initial post-mortem examination was inconclusive.
29 Mar 2020
Grammy-winning country music star Joe Diffie died age 61 from complications of COVID-19. Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at No.1. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.
29 Mar 2020
American vocalist, guitarist, songwriter Alan Merrill died age 69 after contracting coronavirus. He was the co-writer of, and lead singer on, the first released version of the song 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll', which was recorded by the Arrows in 1975. The song became a breakthrough hit for Joan Jett in 1982 and has since been covered by artists ranging from Britney Spears to Weird Al Yankovic.
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