What Happened on the June 22nd in Music History

2022
The world-famous Glastonbury Festival took place in Pilton, Somerset, England. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but returned this year. This year’s festival featured its youngest-ever solo headline in Billie Eilish and Sir Paul McCartney as the oldest. McCartney was joined by Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen when he headlined the Pyramid Stage. Other acts appearing included: Diana Ross, Sam Fender, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Lorde, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Haim, Elbow and St. Vincent.

2020
Twenty One Pilots release a never-ending video for their song “Level of Concern” that continuously updates using footage uploaded by fans. It does end, but not until December 16 – 178 days later.

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03:53

2019
Sir Elton John was awarded France’s highest civilian award, the Legion d’Honneur. The British musician was presented with the award by President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony at the Élysée Palace. President Macron’s office praised Sir Elton as a “melodic genius” and as one of the first gay artists to give a voice to the LGBT community.

2019
American drummer and record producer Jerry Carrigan died age 75. He first achieved widespread recognition by being part of the first wave of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and later as a first-call session musician in Nashville for over three decades. He recorded with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Stevens and Dolly Parton.

2016
Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant told a court hearing the ‘Stairway To Heaven’ copyright dispute that he had a dim memory of the time the song was written. Plant also said he could not remember meeting the band Spirit, who claimed the band stole their guitar riff for Stairway to Heaven in the 1970s. “I don’t have a recollection of almost anyone I’ve hung out with,” Plant said, causing roars of laughter in the court. The case was brought on behalf of Spirit’s late guitarist, Randy Wolfe. His estate claimed the opening riff of the 1968 song Taurus is fundamentally the same as the iconic opening bars of Stairway to Heaven.

2015
P Diddy was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in Los Angeles. The alleged incident occurred on the University of California campus where his son was on the football team. The weapon in question was a kettlebell, which is used for weight training. Diddy – whose real name is Sean Combs – was released on $160,000 (£101,000) bail.

2013
‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke started a 13 week run at No.1 on the US singles chart. Featuring American rapper T.I. and American singer and producer Pharrell Williams, the video was made in two versions; the first video features models Emily Ratajkowski, Jessi M’Bengue, and Elle Evans being topless, the second features them covered. The topless version of the video was removed from YouTube for violating the site’s terms of service regarding nudity, though it was later restored, but flagged as inappropriate. ‘Blurred Lines” peaked at No.1 in 14 countries.

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04:32

2012
MP Andrew Turner called for a review of procedures after thousands of rock fans were delayed for hours heading to the Isle of Wight Festival. After heavy rain cars were unable to park on waterlogged fields – leading to gridlock as about 55,000 people headed to the site. Some fans were stuck in traffic for up to 16 hours on the way to the festival. Elbow, Lana Del Rey, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam all appeared at this year’s festival.

2011
It was reported in the Irish press that Bono’s wandering peahen was causing havoc for some south Dublin residents. The peahen the less spectacular-coloured female partner to a male peacock had arrived in the Ard Mhuire housing estate in Killiney near to where the singer lived. One newspaper ran the headline: “Bono’s cock drives me nuts”. Local woman Susan McKeon said she first noticed the bird at night. “It had a tiny head and a huge body. It was actually quite ugly but I don’t think it’s fully grown.”

2008
Coldplay went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Viva La Vida’, their first UK No.1. History was made by this single, as it had no physical CD-single release in the UK, being available by internet download only. The song won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2009.

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04:03

2004
Lynyrd Skynyrd release Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour, their fifth live album. Featuring music from a July 11, 2003 performance at Antioch, Tennessee’s Amsouth Amphitheater, it celebrates the band’s thirty year anniversary.

2003
Clay Aiken, runner-up in the 2003 US American Idol went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘This Is The Night.’ Luther Vandross was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Dance With My Father’.

2002
U2 guitarist ‘The Edge’ married his girlfriend of ten years Morleigh Steinberg in Eze in the south of France. The couple first met when she was a belly dancer on the bands Zoo TV tour. Guest’s included Bono, Eurythmics Dave Stewart and Lenny Kravitz.

1996
The brother of singer Diana Ross, Arthur Ross and his wife were murdered by suffocation in the basement of their rented Detroit home. The badly decomposed bodies were discovered after neighbors complained of a foul odor coming from the house. Two men were later charged with murder and robbery. Arthur Ross had written songs for Marvin Gaye, The Miracles and Madonna.

1992
Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was rushed to hospital after a gig in Belfast, Northern Ireland suffering from acute stomach pains brought on by ulcers.

1992
Three members of M.C. Hammer’s tour crew were wounded in a drive in shooting incident, three days later Joseph Mack, a dancer in Hammer’s entourage was shot on stage during a concert in Nevada.

1990
Ry Cooder and David Lindley, The Cure, Happy Mondays, Sinead O’Connor, Deacon Blue, De La Soul, Adamski, Blue Aeroplanes, Julian Cope, Del Amitri, Jesus Jones, James and The Pale Saints all appeared on the first day of this years Glastonbury Festival. A three day ticket cost £38.

1988
American session guitarist Jesse Ed Davis died of a heroin overdose after collapsing in a laundry room in Venice, California, aged 43. Worked with Conway Twitty, The Monkees, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, Keith Moon, Jackson Browne, Steve Miller, Harry Nilsson and Taj Mahal.

1987
Fred Astaire dies of pneumonia at age 88. Shortly before his death, Astaire abdicated his throne as the king of song and dance and welcomed a new royal: Michael Jackson. He said: “I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was, thank you Michael.”

1985
Bryan Adams started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Heaven’, his first No.1 single, it made No.35 in the UK. The song had been featured in the film ‘Night In Heaven’.

1984
The Dolly Parton movie Rhinestone is released, featuring Parton as a country singer trying to mentor a New York cabbie played by Sylvester Stallone.

1981
Mark Chapman pleaded guilty to the charge of murdering John Lennon in 1980. He was later sentenced to 20 years to life.

1980
Don McLean had his second UK No.1 single with the Roy Orbison song ‘Crying’. The song had been a No.2 US hit for Orbison in July 1961. In 1987, Orbison re-recorded the song as a duet with k.d. lang as part of the soundtrack for the motion picture, Hiding Out. Their collaboration won the Grammy Award.

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03:41

1973
David Bowie released the single ‘Life On Mars’, which peaked at No.3 on the UK chart. The track which was first released in 1971 on the album Hunky Dory, features guest piano work by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The line “Look at those cavemen go” is a reference to the song “Alley Oop,” a one-off hit in 1960 for American doo-wop band The Hollywood Argyles.

1971
The second Glastonbury Festival in England took place. Held over 5 days to coincide with the summer solstice, (the weather was, for a British ‘summer’ very good). Acts who appeared included: Melanie, Quintessence, David Bowie, The Edgar Broughton Band, Pink Fairies, Terry Reid – with David Lyndley and Linda Lewis, Gong, Hawkwind, Arthur Brown, Brinsley Schwarz, Fairport Convention, Family and Traffic. Over 7,000 fans attended the event.

1971
Joni Mitchell released her fourth studio album Blue. The album is now generally regarded by music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time. In July 2017, Blue was chosen by NPR as the greatest album of all time made by a woman.

1970
Led Zeppelin appeared at Laugardalsholl Hall, Reykjavik, Iceland on the group’s one and only visit to Iceland. It is suggested that Robert Plant was inspired to write the lyrics to ‘Immigrant Song’ during this trip.”

1969
American singer, actress, Judy Garland, died of a barbiturate overdose aged 47, she was found on the floor of her rented Chelsea home, in London, UK. Made more than two dozen films, played Dorothy in the 1939 film ‘Wizard Of Oz’, sang ‘Over The Rainbow’ in the film, (voted the ‘Song Of The Century’ in a 2001 poll published in America). 1961 US No.1 comeback album ‘Judy At Carnegie Hall’.

1968
Herb Alpert started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘This Guys In Love With You’. His first No.1 plus first No.1 for the A&M label and the writer’s Bacharach and David’s first chart topper. A No.3 hit in the UK.

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04:27

1968
The Jeff Beck group featuring Rod Stewart made their US debut at the Fillmore East, New York.

1968
The Otis Redding album Dock Of The Bay went to No.1 in the UK. The posthumously released album, and his sixth studio album contained a number of singles and B-sides dating back to 1965 and one of his best known songs, the posthumous hit (Sittin’ On The Dock) Of The Bay.

1964
One day after graduating from high school, Dolly Parton moves to Nashville.

1964
The Beatles played their first ever show in New Zealand at Wellington Town Hall. The local Chief Constable refused a police escort for The Beatles leaving just two policemen to control over 5,000 fans.

1963
13-year old Stevie Wonder first entered the US singles chart as Little Stevie Wonder with ‘Fingertips Parts One and Two.’ ‘Fingertips’ which featured a young Marvin Gaye on drums was the first live, non-studio recording to reach No.1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States since Johnny Standley’s 1952 comic monologue ‘It’s in the Book’.

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07:39

1956
Elvis Presley started a three-day run playing 10 shows at the Paramount Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. The stage manager was told; “Pull all white lights. Presley works all in color, Presley act has no encore. When he leaves the stage, immediately close curtains.”

1955
Walt Disney’s Lady and the Tramp premieres in theaters. The canine cartoon features music from Peggy Lee, including “He’s a Tramp,” “La La Lu,” and “The Siamese Cat Song.” Lee also voices Darling (Lady’s owner), Peg the dog, and the ornery Siamese cats.

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