Musician Birthdays: Adam Clayton (bassist of U2. Born in 1960)

– In 1956: RCA Records issued the first album and extended play releases by Elvis Presley.

– In 1958: The Recording Industry Association of America introduced its awards for record sales, (RIAA). The Beatles hold the record for being awarded the most with 76 platinum certifications.

– In 1964: Billboard reported that sales of Beatles singles currently accounted for 60 percent of the US singles market and The Beatles album Meet the Beatles had reached a record 3.5 million copies sold.

– In 1965: Eric Clapton quit The Yardbirds due to musical differences with the other band members. Clapton wanted to continue in a blues type vein, while the rest of the band preferred the more commercial style of their first hit, ‘For Your Love’.

– In 1965: The Beatles started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Eight Days A Week’, the group’s 7th US No.1.

– In 1966: Rod Stewart left Steampacket to work as a solo artist.

– In 1966: Pink Floyd appeared for the first time at The Marquee in Wardour Street, London, England. The Marquee became the most important venue for the emerging British scene and witnessed the rise of some of the most important artists in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Manfred Mann, The Who, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, King Crimson and Genesis.

– In 1967: Working at Abbey Road studios in London, six members of Sounds, Inc. recorded the horn parts for The Beatles song ‘Good Morning Good Morning’ (three saxophones, two trombones, and one french horn).

– In 1976: The Four Seasons started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘December 1963, (Oh What A Night)’, the group’s 5th US No.1, also their only UK No.1.

– In 1977: Iggy Pop and David Bowie kicked off a North American tour at Le Plateau Theatre, Montreal, Canada with Blondie as the opening act.

– In 1987: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

– In 1993: Canadian rapper Snow, (Darrin O’Brien), started a 7-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Informer’, a No.2 hit in the UK.

– In 1993: Eric Clapton started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Unplugged.’

– In 1993: Lenny Kravitz started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way.’

– In 1999: Cher started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Believe’, making Cher the oldest woman to top the Hot 100 at the age of 53.

– In 2006: The Sex Pistols refused to attend their own induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. . Blondie, Herb Alpert and Black Sabbath were all inducted but the Pistols posted a handwritten note on their website, calling the institution “urine in wine”, adding “We’re not your monkeys, we’re not coming. You’re not paying attention”.

– In 2006: The Kinks came out the top earners for music used in TV adverts in the US, earning them £6m a year. The sixties group were enjoying a resurgence with their music being used to sell washing powder, computers and medicines. Led Zeppelin came in second place with £4m and The Rolling Stones third with £2.3m.

– In 2007: Coffee house Starbucks announced the launch of its own music label, saying it would sign both established and new artists. The chain, which had 13,000 stores worldwide, had already released albums under its Hear Music brand, licensing songs from other companies. Starbucks bosses said the label would now become more independent and that music fitted with the firm’s identity.

– In 2008: Michael Jackson refinanced his Neverland ranch to save it from being auctioned off, after being told that if he failed to pay $25m (£12.5m) he owed on the California property, it would be auctioned within a week. Jackson bought Neverland in 1987 intending to create a fantasy land for children naming it after an island in the story Peter Pan, where children never grow up.