Today in Music History

Composer and arranger Billy Goldenberg died at the age of 54.

They released their fifth album, “Dr. Feelgood,” which became their best-selling album and reached No. 1 on the chart. The group drew on their experiences in making the album; the title track deals with their drug dealers, while “Kickstart My Heart” tells the story of Nikki Sixx's near-fatal overdose.

Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio organized a Miami project to help victims of Hurricane Andrew.

Singer Jimmy Ferguson of The Irish Rovers died at the age of 57.

He was born in Edmonton, London. He is a British rapper and DJ known as Tion Wayne.

Louis Armstrong was honored with the issuance of a U.S. postage stamp.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Cleveland, Ohio, to mark the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum officially opened the following day.

He was born in Busan. He is a South Korean singer and songwriter and the youngest member of BTS.

David Bowie launched his own internet service, Bowienet. The service offered basic internet services as well as exclusive news and releases related to Bowie.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple was charged with assault and causing bodily harm after allegedly hitting a security guard on the head with a microphone during a concert in August.

Van Morrison became the first inductee into the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame in Dublin.

The Spice Girls held five places on a list of the twenty highest-earning British celebrities serving as company directors. The companies Monsta Productions, Moody Productions, Red Girl Productions, Moneyspider Productions and Geri Productions each earned £6 million.

The group's last surviving original member, Herb Reed, obtained an injunction against a group using the name The Platters that had none of the original members.

With “A Rush Of Blood To The Head,” they achieved their second No. 1 on the British albums chart. The album was released in the U.S. and won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album in 2003 and the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2004 for “Clocks.”

The iTunes Music Store reached 125 million songs sold.

The Official Charts Company published the first British download chart, created in response to the growing importance of music sales through downloads. Westlife topped the chart with a live version of their 1999 song “Flying Without Wings.”

Producer Phil Spector, 65, who was awaiting trial for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, married his fourth wife, 26-year-old Rachelle Marie Short. The small ceremony took place in the entrance hall of his mansion in Alhambra, California, exactly where Clarkson had been fatally shot three years earlier. The couple remained together for just over two and a half years before Spector was convicted of murder and sentenced to 19 years to life. In 2016, he filed for divorce from prison, and the marriage was officially dissolved in 2018. Spector died on January 16, 2021, at the age of 81.

Ronald Isley, frontman of The Isley Brothers, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion against the federal government. The 65-year-old singer was found guilty on five counts of tax evasion and one count of willfully failing to file a tax return concerning income worth millions of dollars.

The soundtrack to the film “High School Musical 2” began a four-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It also reached No. 1 in Canada and on the compilation charts in Italy and the United Kingdom.

Singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor Jerry Reed died at the age of 71 from complications associated with emphysema. He became known for songs including “Guitar Man,” “Amos Moses,” “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,” “A Thing Called Love” and “Alabama Wild Man.” His song “East Bound and Down” became closely associated with his role in the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit. He appeared in a total of 23 films and reached the Billboard Country chart 52 times.

Former Echo and the Bunnymen keyboardist died at the age of 53 after his motorcycle collided with a converted ambulance on the Isle of Man. In 1989, the band's original drummer Pete De Freitas died in a similar accident.

Apple launched the social network Ping, which was integrated into iTunes. The service was discontinued two years later.

Curt Smith of Tears for Fears made the first of three appearances on the television series Psych, whose main character Shawn Spencer is a major fan of the group.

With his debut studio album “Based on a T.R.U. Story,” he reached No. 1 on the U.S. albums chart.

Geoff Tate, former frontman of Queensryche, announced plans to form a “new Queensryche.” Rudy Sarzo, Bobby Blotzer, Glen Drover, Kelly Gray and Randy Gane pledged their support. At the same time, it remained uncertain whether the group would be able to use the Queensryche name, as Tate was involved in legal disputes with the other three members over his dismissal from the group and the use of its name.

American lyricist Hal David, longtime collaborator of Burt Bacharach, died in Los Angeles at the age of 91 from complications following a stroke. Together they wrote dozens of hits for Dionne Warwick and other artists, including “Walk On By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “The Look of Love,” “Alfie” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head,” for which David won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Just months before his death, they jointly received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Taylor Swift's first-ever career number-one single on the chart. It also achieved widespread international peak positions.

Singer, bassist and guitarist Joe Kelley of The Shadows of Knight died in Winfield, Illinois, at the age of 67 from lung cancer. The group became known for their cover of “Gloria” by Them, which reached No. 10 on the Billboard chart in 1966. After leaving the group in 1967, he later performed with blues figures including Willie Dixon, Buddy Miles and Freddie King.

The Beatles' classic albums were awarded platinum status after the British Phonographic Industry changed the rules for sales awards. Sgt. Pepper's became triple platinum, while Revolver, Help!, Rubber Soul and The White Album also received platinum status.

Jimi Jamison, lead singer of Survivor, died at the age of 63 from a heart attack. He joined the group in 1984 and sang on "The Moment of Truth", "High on You", "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", "Burning Heart" and "Is This Love". Together with other writers, he also wrote and sang the theme song "I'm Always Here" for the television series "Baywatch".

At the MTV Video Music Awards, she won Video of the Year for “Bad Blood.”

A blue plaque was unveiled marking the first house where Freddie Mercury lived after arriving in England. The Queen frontman moved into the semi-detached house in Feltham, West London, after his family left Zanzibar in 1964, when he was 17.

The REDD.37 mixing console used at EMI Abbey Road Studios to record the first Beatles tracks was offered for sale by Vintage King Audio. No price was given. In January 1964, the console had been replaced by the newer REDD.51 model.

British folk singer and songwriter Mick Softley died at the age of 77.