1970 – While performing at the White House at the invitation of President Richard Nixon, Johnny Cash was asked to perform ‘Okie From Muskogee’. He declined because it was not his song, but had been a hit for Merle Haggard. Instead, he sang his No.1 hit, ‘A Boy Named Sue’.
1972 – David Bowie released ‘Starman’ which became his first hit since 1969’s ‘Space Oddity’ three years before. The song was a late addition to the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust. The lyrics describe Ziggy Stardust bringing a message of hope to Earth’s youth through the radio, salvation by an alien ‘Starman’.
1978 – Art Garfunkel started a six week run at No.1 with the theme from the film ‘Watership Down’, ‘Bright Eyes’ which went on to become the biggest selling single of the year.
1998 – Linda McCartney died after a long battle against cancer. She married Paul McCartney in 1969 when she was working as a photographer. As well as a being a member of Wings, she became an animal rights campaigner and launched her own brand of vegetarian food.
2001 – Robbie Williams raised 165,000 pounds at a charity auction with the money going to his old school in Stoke to build a performing arts block. The items sold were Robbie’s personal possessions, including a toilet from a stage show, a Union Jack bikini, Tiger’s head briefs, a Millennium jet pack and the hand written lyrics to ‘Angels’ which sold for 27,000.
2002 – Thieves broke in to a house in Bexhill, Sussex and stole a hi-fi system and several CD’s. They left albums by Madonna, Robbie Williams and Oasis but took the owners entire Showaddywaddy collection.
2009 – Former Beatle George Harrison was honoured with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Sir Paul McCartney attended the unveiling outside the landmark Capitol Records building, joining George’s widow Olivia and son Dhani. Eric Idle, Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and musician Tom Petty also attended the ceremony.
2010 – The Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Ramano published a story praising The Beatles and saying that it forgave John Lennon for his 1966 comment that the group was ‘bigger than Jesus.’ John Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 – at the height of Beatlemania – that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll.
2013 – Justin Bieber caused outrage after writing a message in a guestbook at the Anne Frank Museum, which stated he hoped the Holocaust victim would have been a fan. The 19-year-old wrote: ‘Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.’ It provoked fierce online criticism of the Canadian singer, who was in Amsterdam as part of a tour.
