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1961, Del Shannon was at #1 on the U.K. singles chart with “Runaway.” It was his only U.K. #1 and the first of 14 U.K. Top 40 hits.
1969, American soul singer Shorty Long drowned at age 29 after his boat capsized on the Detroit River in Michigan. Had the 1968 U.S. #8 single “Here Comes the Judge.” He acted as an MC for many of the Motown Revue shows and tours.
1973, Ian Gillan, Deep Purple’s vocalist, quit the band at the end of a tour in Japan.
1978, Peter Frampton broke his arm and cracked several ribs when he was involved in a car crash in the Bahamas.
1979, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Lowell George died of a heart attack. The Little Feat front man was found dead at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
1984, Bruce Springsteen kicked off the first leg of his Born in the USA Tour with a three-night run at the Civic Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Springsteen would play a total of 156 shows on the tour, ending on October 2, 1985 in Los Angeles.
1985, David Bowie and Mick Jagger recorded a version of the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1964 hit “Dancing in the Street” for the forthcoming Live Aid fundraising event. The single went on to become a #1 U.K. hit.
1985, John Lennon’s 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine, with psychedelic paintwork, sold for a record sum of $3,006,385, (£1,768,462) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.
1988, Nirvana, Mudhoney and Tad all appeared at the Moore Theatre, Seattle.
1996, Record producer George Martin received a Knighthood. Plus, music promoter Harvey Goldsmith became an MBE and Van Morrison an OBE. For more on this story, see This Day in Music Spotlight.
1999, Michael Jackson suffered severe bruising after falling over 50 feet when a bridge collapsed during a concert at Munich’s Olympic stadium. Jackson was singing “Earth Song” at the time of the accident.
Born on this day:
1943, Little Eva, singer
1948, Ian Paice, drums, Deep Purple
1953, Don Dokken, vocals, Dokken
1953, Colin Hay, vocals, guitar, Men at Work
1961, Greg Hetson, guitar, Bad Religion, Circle Jerks
1972, DJ Shadow, DJ, producer
1976, Bret McKenzie, vocals, guitar, Flight of the Conchords
1978, Nicole Scherzinger, vocals, The Pussycat Dolls
1979, Tim McCord, bass, Evanescence