On This Day In Music: October 20th

1955, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and his Comets both appeared at Brooklyn High School auditorium, Cleveland.

1960, Roy Orbison had his first UK No.1 single with 'Only The Lonely' and his first of 33 hits. The song was turned down by The Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, so Orbison decided to record the song himself.

1961, The Beatles played a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool and tonight they appeared at The Village Hall in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.

1962, Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt Kickers started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monster Mash', it became a No.3 in the UK eleven years later in 1973. The song had been banned by The BBC in the UK, deemed offensive

1967, Davy Jones of The Monkees opened his own 'Zilch', boutique in Greenwich Village, New York City. 

1969, The Who played the first of six nights at New York's Filmore East performing a two-hour show featuring the songs from 'Tommy.' 

1973, The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Angie', the group's 7th US chart topper. A No.5 hit in the UK.

1976, Led Zeppelin's film 'The Song Remains The Same', premiered in New York City. The charity night  raised $25,000 for the save the children fund.

  


1977, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines from Lynyrd Skynyrd were all killed along with manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a densely wooded thicket in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Missouri. The crash seriously injured the rest of the band and crew who were due to play at Louisiana University that evening. Read The Great Gig In The Sky

1977, Siouxsie Sioux and Kenny Morris from The Banshees were arrested and held overnight at Holloway police station, London for causing an obstruction after a London gig, they were both fined £20

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1978, The Police made their US debut at C.B.G.B.S, New York. The trio had flown on low cost tickets with Laker Airtrain from the UK, carrying their instruments as hand luggage.

1979, Herb Alpert started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rise', giving the co founder of A&M records his second US No.1. It made No.13 in the UK.

1979, The Eagles started a nine week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Long Run', the bands fourth US No.1.

1983, American country and western singer, songwriter, Merle Travis died of a heart attack aged 65. Acknowledged as one of the most influential American guitarist's of the twentieth century. Wrote 'Sixteen Tons' 1955 US No.1 for Ernie Ford. He appeared in the 1953 movie From Here to Eternity singing ‘Reenlistment Blues’.

1984, Wham! started a three week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Freedom', the duo's second No.1. The song was used in a Japanese commercial for Maxell audio cassettes, with altered lyrics. 

1994, Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker presented this week's edition of the UK music show 'Top Of The Pops', introducing Michelle Gayle, Let Loose and INXS. 

1996, UK singer Mark Morrison was arrested accused of conspiracy to rob a West London shop, he was later released on bail

2003, A jury found Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy guilty of assaulting a nightclub worker. The singer was sentenced to complete 120 hours of unpaid community service and was ordered to pay her victim £500 compensation, plus £3,000 of prosecution costs. The singer had denied attacking toilet attendant Sophie Amogbokpa, saying she only punched her in self-defence. The charges stemmed from an incident at the Drink nightclub in Guildford, Surrey, on 11 January. 

2005, Michael Jackson received a jury summons at his Neverland ranch in California four months after he was acquitted on child molestation charges. A spokesperson said it was likely he would be excused from serving due to the fact that he has lived in Bahrain since the trial.

2005, US rapper Sticky Fingaz was arrested after allegedly leaving an unlicensed gun in a hotel room. Police said a handgun was found in Manhattan hotel Flatotel, in a room in which the rapper had been staying. Sticky Fingaz, real name Kirk Jones, was not licensed to carry a weapon.

2006, George Michael openly smoked a cannabis joint during an interview on a TV show. The singer was filmed backstage in Madrid, Spain where the drug is legal. Michael said ‘It’s the only drug I’ve ever thought worth taking, this stuff keeps me sane and happy. But it’s not very healthy.’

2007, Paul Raven, bassist with post-punk band Killing Joke, died of a suspected heart attack aged 46 in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was recording. He left the band in 1987 before forming Murder Inc and joining Ministry, Prong and Mob Research.

2011, US photographer Barry Feinstein, best known for taking enduring pictures of musicians such as Bob Dylan and George Harrison, died aged 80. Feinstein was responsible for capturing more than 500 record sleeves, including Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' album and the cover photograph for Dylan's album 'The Times They Are A-Changin'. Feinstein's picture of Dylan at a damp ferry port on the banks of the River Severn was also used in No Direction Home, Scorsese's 2005 film about the musician. The Rolling Stones sleeve for 'Beggars Banquet', shot in a graffiti-covered toilet, was also Feinstein's work.