Charlie Watts was born on this day in 1941, making him 80 years old today. Best-known as the drummer for The Rolling Stones, he often appears near the top of "best drummer" lists and throughout his years as a Rolling Stone he also doubled as their designer - creating many of their record sleeves, graphic art and tour stages, and he even used to work at the advertising firm of Charles, Hobson and Grey. Compared to his bandmates, Watts has lived a relatively quiet and drama-free life, being married to the same person since 1964 and being a relatively calm and consistent presence in the band. To Rolling Stone he once said, "I've never filled the stereotype of the rock star. Back in the '70s, Bill Wyman and I decided to grow beards, and the effort left us exhausted." (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
2002 - The wedding ring that Paul McCartney had given his fiancée Heather Mills ends up thrown out of the window of the hotel where the couple is staying in Miami. Hotel staff use metal detectors to find the $25,000 ring the next day. Despite the quarrel, Paul and Heather go ahead with the wedding. Ain't love grand...
2006 - Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is added to the National Historic Register.
In recognition of its place in music history, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios building in Sheffield, Alabama, is named to the National Historic Register. The small stone building at 3614 Jackson Highway attracted an array of legendary musicians after the studio's founding in 1969, including The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Black Keys, and The Rolling Stones.
The bluesy, swampy fusion of rock and roll and R&B indigenous to the area is very distinct. Bono, lead singer of U2, says that the Muscle Shoals brand of music sounds as if it "comes out of the mud."
2008 - Bo Diddley, (Ellas Otha Bates) died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida aged 79. The legendary singer and performer, was known for his homemade square guitar and his 'shave and a haircut, two bits' rhythm, which influenced artists from Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen The Rolling Stones and U2.
Birthdays:
Singer Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet is 61.
Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill) is 51.
Fabrizio Moretti, drummer for The Strokes, is 41.
On this Day In Music History are gathered from This Day in Music, Song Facts and Wikipedia.