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Born on this day:
1941, Bob Dylan
1947, Albert Bouchard, Blue Oyster Cult
1962, Gene Anthony Ray, ‘Leroy’ in TV’s ‘Fame
1969, Rich Robinson, guitar, The Black Crowes
1963, Elmore James U.S. blues guitarist, singer, died of a heart attack aged 45. He wrote “Shake Your Money Maker’, covered by Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Known as “The King of the Slide Guitar,” James influenced Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keith Richards.
1969, Bob Dylan scored his fourth #1 U.K. album with Nashville Skyline.
1974, American composer, pianist, and bandleader Duke Ellington, died of lung cancer and pneumonia aged 75. He worked with Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday. Awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. In 2009 the United States Mint launched a new coin featuring Duke Ellington on the reverse side of the coin.
1991, Founder member of The Byrds Gene Clark died of a heart attack aged 49. He wrote The Byrds’ hits “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” and “Eight Miles High.”
1997, Hanson started a three-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “MMMBop,” the brothers’ first U.S. #1, also a #1 in the UK.
1997, The Spice Girls went to #1 on the U.S. album chart with Spice, making them only the third all girl group to do so after The Supremes and The Go-Go’s and the first ever U.K. girl group to do so.
1999, Freddie Mercury was featured on a new set of millennium stamps issued by the Royal Mail. The Queen frontman, who died in 1991, was featured on the 19p stamp. The singer was a keen stamp collector, and his collection was bought by the Post Office in 1993. The stamp marked his contribution to the Live Aid charity concert in 1985.
2000, Andrea and Sharon Corr from The Corrs both collapsed in the mid-day sun whilst shooting their new video in the Mojave Desert in California. The pair were treated in hospital for heat exhaustion and were back on the set within 24 hours.
2003, Paul McCartney made his first ever live performance in Russia when he appeared in front of 20,000 fans in Red Square.
2007, Amy Winehouse, Madonna and Arctic Monkeys were among the winners at the Ivor Novello Awards. Winehouse won best contemporary song for her hit “Rehab,” while Madonna collected the international hit of the year for “Sorry.” Sheffield-based band Arctic Monkeys collected the best album award for “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not.”