12 May 1928
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music
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birth Burt Bacharach, US songwriter, pianist and arranger. With Hal David wrote many classic songs including, 'Close To You', '24 Hours From Tulsa', 'Make It Easy On Yourself', 'Magic Moments', 'I Say A Little Prayer'. Won two Oscars for film score 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid', for 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head'.
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12 May 1940
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music
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birth Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown. Collaborated with Barrett Strong on such hits as, I Heard It through the Grapevine, Ain't Too Proud to Beg, (I Know) I'm Losing You, Cloud Nine, War, Papa Was a Rolling Stone and Car Wash. He died on September 16, 2008.
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12 May 1942
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music
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birth Ian Dury, singer, songwriter, poet, actor, (1977 UK No.5 album 'New Boots And Panties!!' spent 90 weeks on the UK chart, 1979 UK No.1 single 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick'). Dury died on 27th March 2000 aged 57.
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12 May 1943
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music
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birth David Walkes, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, (1965 US No.1 single 'This Diamond Ring' plus 11 other US Top 40 hits).
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12 May 1944
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music
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birth Billy Swan, US singer, (1974 US No.1 & 1975 UK No.6 single 'I Can Help').
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12 May 1944
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music
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birth James Purify, (& Bobby), 1966 US No.6 and 1976 UK No.12 single 'I'm Your Puppet'.
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12 May 1945
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music
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birth Jayotis Washington, singer, The Persuasions, a- cappella group, worked with Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Don McLean.
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12 May 1946
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music
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birth Ian McLagan, keyboards, Small Faces, (1967 UK No.3 & US No.17 single 'Itchycoo Park', & 1968 UK No.1 album 'Ogden's Nut Gone Flake'). The Faces, (1971 UK No.6 & US No.17 single 'Stay With Me'). Also worked with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Billy Bragg and Bruce Springsteen. He died on 3rd Dec 2014 died aged 69, due to complications from a stroke.
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12 May 1948
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music
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birth Steve Winwood, vocals, keyboards, Spencer Davis Group, (1966 UK No.1 single 'Keep On Running'), Traffic, (1967 UK No.2 single 'Hole In My Shoe'), Blind Faith, (1969 UK & US No.1 album), Solo (1986 US No.1 & UK No.1 single 'Higher Love').
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12 May 1950
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music
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birth Billy Squier, US guitarist, singer, (1982 hit 'The Stroke', 1984 US No.15 single 'Rock Me Tonight').
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12 May 1954
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music
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birth Barry Borden, Molly Hatchet, (1980 album 'Beatin' The Odds).
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12 May 1958
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music
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The Everly Brothers started a four-week run at No.1 in the US with 'All I Have To Do Is Dream'. Written by the husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the track was recorded in just two takes.
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12 May 1958
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music
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birth Eric Singer, drummer, Kiss. He debuted with the band on the album Revenge.
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12 May 1959
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music
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birth Billy Duffy, guitarist, songwriter, Theatre Of Hate, (1982 UK No.40 single 'Do You Believe In The Westworld'). The Cult, (1987 UK No.11 single 'Lil' Devil').
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12 May 1961
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music
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The Beatles, in Hamburg, West Germany, signed a recording contract with producer Bert Kaempfert. That evening they played at The Top Ten Club, Reeperbahn, Hamburg.
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12 May 1962
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music
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Billboard Magazine reported that last year's most-played jukebox record was 'Big Bad John' by Jimmy Dean. The second most-played was Chubby Checker's 'The Twist'.
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12 May 1963
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music
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Bob Dylan walked out of rehearsals for the US TV Ed Sullivan show after being told he couldn't perform his song Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues due to it mocking the US military and segregation. CBS officials asked Dylan to substitute it for another song, but the singer reportedly said: 'No, this is what I want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show'.
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12 May 1964
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music
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The Beach Boys started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Beach Boys Concert', the group's first US No.1.
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12 May 1965
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music
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The Rolling Stones recorded '(I Can't Get No), Satisfaction' at RCA Hollywood studios. Keith Richards had come up with the guitar riff in the middle of the night a week earlier. It gave the band their first number 1 single in the US.
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12 May 1967
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music
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Pink Floyd appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, giving a special concert Games For May - Space Age Relaxation For The Climate Of Spring. This was reportedly the first show to include loudspeakers placed at the back of the hall to give a 'sound in the round', ie quadraphonic, effect. The sound system, developed by EMI technicians, was stolen after the show and not recovered for some years.
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12 May 1967
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music
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'Are You Experienced', the debut album by Jimi Hendrix was released in the UK. Hendrix also played a gig at the Bluesville Club, Manor House in London on this day.
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12 May 1968
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music
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Jimi Hendrix was arrested by police on his way to Toronto for possession of hashish and heroin. Hendrix claimed the drugs had been planted on him.
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12 May 1968
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music
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Brian Jones made his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appeared at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, England. Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, on 3rd July 1969 aged 27.
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12 May 1971
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music
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Rolling Stone Mick Jagger married Bianca Macias at St Tropez Town Hall. The guest list included the other members of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. The couple separated in 1977.
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12 May 1972
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music
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birth Mark Morrison, UK singer, who was born in Hanover, Germany, (1996 UK No.1 single 'Return Of The Mack').
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12 May 1973
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music
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Led Zeppelin started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with their fifth album Houses Of The Holy. The group's third US No.1 album went on to spend 39 weeks on the US chart. Houses Of The Holy has now been certified 11 times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for US sales in excess of 11 million copies.
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12 May 1975
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music
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Jefferson Starship gave a free concert in New York's Central Park in front of 60,000 fans. The band and concert sponsor, WNEW-FM, were forced to pay $14,000 for cleaning up and damage done to the park after the event.
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12 May 1977
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music
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After being dropped by both EMI and A&M records in less than 6 months, Virgin records announced they had signed The Sex Pistols.
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12 May 1977
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music
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Led Zeppelin received the outstanding contribution to British music at the second Ivor Novello Awards held at the Grosvenor Hotel, London.
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12 May 1981
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music
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Meat Loaf filed for bankruptcy with debts of over $1 million.
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12 May 1981
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music
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Van Halen kicked off their 82 date North American Fair Warning Tour at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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12 May 1984
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music
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Lionel Richie started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Hello' his second US solo No.1, also a No.1 in the UK.
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12 May 1985
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music
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Phil Collins kicked off the North American leg on his 'No Jacket Required' World Tour at the Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts.
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12 May 1986
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music
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Joe Strummer of The Clash was banned from driving after being convicted of drink driving.
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12 May 1990
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music
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Adamski started a four-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Killer'. The single featured Seal who remade the song under his own name, reaching the Top 10, the following year.
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12 May 1996
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music
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17-year-old Bernadette O'Brien died the day after being injured 'body surfing' at a Smashing Pumpkins gig at The Point, Dublin.
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12 May 2000
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music
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Thieves stole the gates to Strawberry Fields the Merseyside landmark immortalised by The Beatles song. The 10' high iron gates were later found at local scrap metal dealers in Liverpool.
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12 May 2001
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music
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American singer and TV presenter Perry Como died aged 88. He scored fourteen US No.1 singles, from 150 US chart hits and over 25 UK chart hits, including the single 'Magic Moments' and 'Catch A Falling Star.' Como was once the highest-paid performer in the history of television.
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12 May 2001
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music
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Travis played a gig at singer's Fran Healy's local primary school at Weston Park, Crouch End, London. The 150 crowd paid a £1 entry fee to the summer fete.
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12 May 2002
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music
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Ronan Keating scored his third UK No.1 single with a song written by American country artist Garth Brooks 'If Tomorrow Never Comes'.
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12 May 2004
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music
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Barry and Robin Gibb were both presented with honorary degrees from Manchester University. They also picked up a posthumous award for their brother Barry. The brothers had once lived in Manchester, England.
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12 May 2008
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music
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Singer-songwriter Neil Young had a spider named after him. US university biologist Jason Bond discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name it after his favourite musician. Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi was found in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 2007.
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12 May 2013
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music
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Thieves stole more than one million rand (£70,000) in takings after a Justin Bieber concert at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium. The gang, armed with ropes, hammers and chisels, broke into a strongroom where the takings from the Justin Bieber concert and a gig the previous evening by Bon Jovi.
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