DANCING EASY – DANNY WILLIAMS
DANNY WILLIAMS WAS A SOUTH AFRICAN POP SINGER.[ WILLIAMS EARNED THE NICKNAME, “BRITAIN’S JOHNNY MATHIS”, FOR HIS SMOOTH AND STYLISH WAY WITH A BALLAD.
HE IS BEST KNOWN FOR SINGING HIS UK NUMBER 1 VERSION OF “MOON RIVER” IN 1961 AND HIS US TOP TEN HIT, “WHITE ON WHITE”.
WILLIAMS HAD NO MORE MAJOR BRITISH HITS, EVEN THOUGH “WHITE ON WHITE” BECAME POPULAR ABROAD AND WAS HIS ONLY US TOP TEN HIT, CHARTING IN 1964
HE CONTINUED TO RECORD FOR HMV UNTIL 1967 WHILE WORKING THE NIGHTCLUB CIRCUIT.
IN 1968 HE HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN AND WAS DECLARED BANKRUPT
TWO YEARS LATER. HOWEVER, HE RESUMED HIS SINGING CAREER IN THE EARLY 1970S, ACHIEVING A TOP 30 SUCCESS WITH “DANCIN’ EASY” IN 1977.
HE DIED IN DECEMBER 2005 OF LUNG CANCER, AT THE AGE OF 63
1968, AMERICAN RADIO DJ DEWEY PHILLIPS DIED OF HEART FAILURE AGED 42. HE WAS ONE OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL’S PIONEERING DISK JOCKEYS. IN JULY 1954, HE WAS THE FIRST DJ TO PLAY THE YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY’S DEBUT RECORD, ‘THAT’S ALL RIGHT/BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY.’
1968, THE BEATLES STARTED A NINE WEEK RUN AT NO.1 ON THE US SINGLES CHART WITH ‘HEY JUDE’. THE PAUL MCCARTNEY SONG WRITTEN ABOUT LENNON’S SON JULIAN GAVE THE GROUP THEIR 16TH US NO.1 AND THE BIGGEST SELLING SINGLE OF 1968. IN 1996, JULIAN PAID £25,000 FOR THE RECORDING NOTES TO THE SONG AT AN AUCTION.
1985, KATE BUSH SCORED HER SECOND UK NO.1 ALBUM WITH ‘HOUNDS OF LOVE’. THE SINGERS SECOND NO.1 ALBUM FEATURED THE TRACKS ‘RUNNING UP THAT HILL’, ‘CLOUDBUSTING’, ‘HOUNDS OF LOVE’ AND ‘THE BIG SKY
1991, AMERICAN JAZZ TRUMPETER, BANDLEADER, AND COMPOSER MILES DAVIS DIED OF A STROKE AND PNEUMONIA. HIS 1959 ALBUM ‘KIND OF BLUE’, IS A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON JAZZ MUSIC. DAVIS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS OF THE 20TH CENTURY
1991, BRYAN ADAMS WAS AWARDED THE ORDER OF CANADA AND THE ORDER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. OTHER CANADIAN MUSICIANS WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE AWARD INCLUDE BRYAN ADAMS, LEONARD COHEN AND THE MEMBERS OF RUSH
2002, MADONNA WAS VOTED THE GREATEST FEMALE SINGER OF ALL-TIME BY 75,0000 MUSIC FANS IN A VH1 POLL. BUT CRITICS AND MUSIC FANS WERE UNHAPPY WITH THE POSITION OF KYLIE MINOGUE WHO WAS VOTED INTO SECOND PLACE BEATING DIANA ROSS, (12TH) AND ANNIE LENNOX, (14TH)
2004, PRODUCER PHIL SPECTOR WAS CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF ACTRESS LANA CLARKSON IN AN UNSEALED INDICTMENT. SPECTOR WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT A LOS ANGELES COURT AS THE INDICTMENT ABOUT THE SLAYING OF 40-YEAR-OLD CLARKSON WAS READ. HE REMAINED FREE ON $1 MILLION BAIL
2010, SOUVENIR HUNTERS WERE BEING CONDEMNED FOR “WANTON VANDALISM” AFTER SECTIONS OF MASONRY WERE HACKED OFF THE HOUSE OF RINGO STARR’S BIRTHPLACE. FANS WHO ARE CAMPAIGNING TO HALT TOWN HALL PLANS TO DEMOLISH 9 MADRYN STREET FOUND THAT CHUNKS OF BRICKWORK HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE HOUSE.
BORN TODAY
1902, ED SULLIVAN, TV HOST, THE ED SULLIVAN SINGERS AND ORCHESTRA. INTRODUCED THE BEATLES AND OTHER UK ACTS TO AMERICA VIA HIS ED SULLIVAN TV SHOW. THE BEATLES APPEARANCE ON FEBRUARY 9TH 1964 IS CONSIDERED A MILESTONE IN AMERICAN POP CULTURE; THE BROADCAST DREW AN ESTIMATED 73 MILLION VIEWERS. SULLIVAN DIED ON 13TH OCTOBER 1974.
1938, BEN E KING, BENJMIN EARL NELSON
1943 – NICK NICHOLAS, STEPPENWOLF
1946 – HELEN SHAPIRO, UK SINGER
1950 – PAUL BURGESS, DRUMS, 10CC
1953, JIM DIAMOND, SINGER, SONGWRITER
1960, JENNIFER RUSH, SINGER
1984 – MELODY THORNTON, SINGER, THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS
1987 – HILARY DUFF, US SINGER, ACTRESS,
