This day in music history

1956, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded 'Be Bop A Lula.' The track was written three days before the session. The song became a 1956 US No.7 & UK No.16 hit single spending 20 weeks on the US chart. In April 1957, the record company announced that over 2 million copies had been sold to date.

1963, Andy Williams started a 16-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Days Of Wine And Roses'.

1967, The Young Rascals started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Groovin.'

1968, Mary Hopkin won her heat on the ITV talent show 'Opportunity Knocks'. She later signed with The Beatles owned Apple Records, Paul McCartney produced her UK No.1 single 'Those Were The Days', which also made No. 2 in the US. Hopkin later married record producer Tony Visconti.

1970, Four students at Kent University were killed and eleven wounded by National Guard troops at a campus demonstration protesting the escalation of the Vietnam War. The incident inspired Neil Young to compose 'Ohio' which became a hit for Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

1974, Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Waterloo', the group's first of nine UK No.1 singles was the 1974 Eurovision song contest winner for Sweden. The song was first called 'Honey Pie'.

1974, The film soundtrack to 'The Sting' by Marvin Hamlisch started a five-week run at No.1 on the US album chart.

1978, 'Night Fever' by The Bee Gees was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The
group's third No.1 and the theme from the film 'Saturday Night Fever.' The song was a US No.1 for over two months.

1987, American blues vocalist, harmonica player Paul Butterfield, who fronted The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, died at his home in North Hollywood, California, of drug-related heart failure, he was 44. Gained international recognition as one of the early acts performing during the Summer of Love, at The Monterey festival and Woodstock festival.

1989, Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on 27th Aug 1999 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.

1991, Cher scored her first solo UK No.1 single with 'The Shoop Shoop Song' from the film 'Mermaids'. The song had been a hit for Betty Everett on 1964, and gave Cher her first No.1 in the UK since 1965's 'I Got You Babe'.

1996, George Michael scored his seventh UK No.1 single as a solo artist when 'Fastlove' started a three-week run at the top of the chart. The second of six singles to be taken from George's comeback album Older.

2003, Madonna was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘American Life’, the singers fifth US No.1.

2008, Madonna's latest album Hard Candy went straight to No.1 in the UK, giving the singer a chart double, with her song 4 Minutes, featuring Justin Timberlake, on top of the singles chart for a third week. Hard Candy was Madonna's 10th number one album.

1942, Born on this day, Ronnie Bond, drummer, The Troggs, (1966 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Wild Thing'). Bond died on 13th November 1992.

1945, Born on this day, George Wadenius, Blood Sweat & Tears, (1969 US No.12 & UK No.35 single 'You've Made Me So Very Happy').

1951, Born on this day, Bruce Day, Santana, (1970 US No.4 single 'Black Magic Woman', 1977 UK No.11 single 'She's Not There'), Pablo Cruise.

1972, Born on this day, Mike Dirnt, bass, Green Day, (1995 US No.2 album 'Dookie', 1995 UK No.7 single 'Basket Case').