On This Day In Music : January 18th

1960, Johnny Preston started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Running Bear'. Written by J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), the tune originally entered the chart in October 1959, then quickly vanished, but re-entered in November and slowly climbed to the top. It was also a UK No.1.

1964, The Beatles made their US chart debut when 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' entered the chart at No.45 just ten days after its release, making it the fastest-breaking and the fastest selling single in Capitol Records history. It went on to spend seven weeks at the No.1 position. 


1965, The Rolling Stones recorded 'The Last Time' and 'Play With Fire' at the RCA studio in Hollywood, California. Phil Spector played acoustic guitar on 'Play With Fire.' 


1967, Jimi Hendrix recorded an appearance on UK TV show Top Of The Pops and also played a show at the Seven and a Half Club in Mayfair, London. 


1974, Former members from Free, (Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople, (Mick Ralphs), and King Crimson, (Boz Burrell), formed Bad Company. The band went on to score a US No.1 album with their debut release. 


1975, Barry Manilow scored his first US No.1 single when 'Mandy', (originally titled 'Brandy' when it was recorded in 1972 by Scott English), went to the top of the charts.

1975, Status Quo were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Down Down', the group's only UK No.1 from 52 hits between 1968 and 1996.

1981, Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics was arrested on stage at Milwaukee and was charged with the offence of simulating sex with a sledgehammer. Williams later filed a multimillion dollar civil suit against the Milwaukee Police, claming they sexually assaulted and beat her during the arrest, but a jury rejected her claims.

1984, Van Halen kicked off their 103-date '1984' North American tour at Jacksonville Coliseum in Jacksonville, Florida.

1986, 'That's What Friends Are For' by Dionne Warwick began a four-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart, all company and artists profits were given to aids charities.

1989, At just 38 years old, Stevie Wonder became the youngest living person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, other inductees include The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, Otis Redding and Dion DiMucci.

1991, During an AC/DC North American tour three fans were killed during a crush in a crowd at a gig in Salt Lake City. 


1991, The first of three nights at Wembley Arena for The Brits 91, which featured the Happy Mondays, James, 808 state, The Cure, Jesus Jones, The Quire Boys, Thunder and The Little Angels. Tickets £12.50 ($21.25) for each day.

1993, Elton John resigned his directorship of Watford Football Club.

1996, Lisa Marie Presley divorced Michael Jackson after less then two years of being married.

1997, Songwriter and producer Keith Diamond died of a heart attack. He wrote, 'Caribbean Queen' and 'Suddenly' for Billy Ocean, and also wrote hits for Donna Summer, James Ingram, Mick Jagger, Sheena Easton and Michael Bolton.

1997, Tori Amos was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Professional Widow' (It's Got To Be)'. The song had been remixed by Armand Van Helden and was rumoured to be about Courtney Love the former wife of Kurt Cobain. 


2000, Spencer Goodman was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas. Goodman was convicted of kidnapping and murdering the wife of ZZ Top manager Bill Ham in 1991. Ham was present for the execution.

2001, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher was granted a quickie divorce from Meg Matthews at the High Court in London. The couple had split last September, eight months after Meg had given birth to their daughter, Anais. 


2004, Jennifer Lopez's divorce from her second husband Cris Judd became final. Lopez and Judd married in 2001, after meeting when filming the video to 'Love Don't Cost A Thing' but split the next year. He was expected to get a $15 million (£8.8 million) settlement from the divorce. 


2004, Winner of the 2003 Pop Idol TV show Michelle McManus started a two week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'All This Time.'

2005, Motown producer Norman Whitfield pleaded guilty for failing to report royalty income he earned from 1995 to 1999 to the Internal Revenue Service. Facing charges of tax evasion on over $2 million worth of income, he was sentenced to six months of house arrest and a $25,000 fine. The producer was not imprisoned because of health problems.

2006, Animals in Michael Jackson's private zoo were declared to be in good health after officials paid a surprise visit to the singer's Neverland ranch. A medical officer from the US department of agriculture inspected the property following concerns voiced by the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Jackson had earlier moved out of Neverland and had taken up residence in Bahrain in the Middle East.

2008, Four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after they chased Britney Spears' car on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The four were among a group of paparazzi seen driving at high speed, each of the men were ordered to post $5,000 (£2,539) bail. The cars were following Ms Spears' car too closely and travelling at an unsafe speed and made several unsafe lane changes, according to police.

2010, Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle died of cancer at home in Montreal at the age of 63. Once married to folk singer Loudon Wainwright lll, Kate was the mother of singers Rufus and Martha Wainwright. She rose to prominence with sister Anna when they recorded together in the 1970s. Other artists who covered the pair's songs included Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl and Judy Collins.

2011, The largest collection of Beatles memorabilia went on display in a new museum in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Rodolfo Vazquez, a 53-year-old accountant, turned his mammoth Beatles collection into a museum with more than 8,500 objects - setting the new world record for the largest collection of Beatles memorabilia. Some of the items included a box of condoms bearing the names of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a brick from the Cavern Club, a chunk of the stage from the Star Club in Hamburg, and certified copies of the band members' birth certificates. Among his favorite items were 64 boxes of chewing gum in the form of Beatles records.