This Day in Music History: Paul McGuinness becomes U2’s manager, Coldplay releases their first EP

1961 – The Temperance Seven are at #1 on the UK singles chart with “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” giving producer George Martin his first chart topper.

1962 – The Isley Brothers release “Twist and Shout.”

1969 – The Hollies record “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.”

1978 – Keith Moon performs with The Who for the last time at the Shepperton Film Studio in England for the movie The Kids Are Alright. He passes away a few weeks later.

1978 – After seeing The Hype (soon to become U2) at the Project Arts Centre in Dublin, Paul McGuinness becomes their manager.

1985 – Dire Straits score their second #1 album with Brothers In Arms. It is one of the first albums to be directed at the CD market, and is a full digital recording (DDD) at a time when most popular music is recorded on analog equipment. The album goes on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, and wins twice at the 28th annual Grammy Awards as well as earning Best British Album at the 1987 Brit Awards.

1997 – Bob Dylan is diagnosed with histoplasmosis pericarditis (a fungal infection of the lung) and is admitted to hospital, where he stays until June 2nd. Having just turned 56 the day prior, Dylan later admits, “I really thought I’d be seeing Elvis soon.” He’s back on the road only 10 weeks later for 22 American and Canadian shows.

1998 – Coldplay release their first ever record, an EP called Safety, which features 3 tracks: “Bigger Stronger,” “No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground,” and “Such a Rush.” Originally intended as a demo for record companies, the EP is now such a fan-prized rarity that it is known to fetch in excess of $2500 on eBay.

2012 – At a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson interrupts a performance of “Stupid Girl” to challenge a member of the crowd who is punching a woman.

Birthdays

1936 : Tom T. Hall

1942 : Blinky Davison (The Nice)

1948 : Klaus Meine (Scorpions)

1950 : Robby Steinhardt (Kansas)

1958 : Paul Weller (Jam/Style Council)

1980 : Joe King (The Fray)

Information for this post was gathered from This Day in Music, The Music History Calendar, On This Day, and Wikipedia.