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Rock and Metal History , a day like today July 23

1964: The Beatles were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Hard Day's Night', the group's fifth UK No.1.

1967: The Who began its first full-scale U.S. tour in Seattle as the opening act for Herman’s Hermits.

1969: The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women,' the group's 8th and last UK No.1.

1977: Judas Priest began their first American tour in Oakland California, opening for Led Zeppelin

1979: Keyboard player with The Grateful Dead , Keith Richard Godchaux died after being involved in a car accident aged 32. He co-wrote songs with Lowell George (of Little Feat) and was a member of The New Riders of the Purple Sage.

1980: Black Sabbath released the single "Neon Knights"

1986: Bon Jovi released the single "You Give Love A Bad Name"

2005: Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best rock concert ever by over 7,000 UK Sony Ericsson music fans. Radiohead were voted the best festival act for their 1997 Glastonbury performance and Bob Dylan's 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall gig won the best ever solo gig.

2007: Aerosmith’s “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” topped the UK’s “magic TV” list of “the nation’s favorite wedding songs.”

2011: Amy Winehouse was found dead at her north London home, she was 27. A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that a 27-year-old woman had died in Camden and that the cause of death was as yet unexplained. London Ambulance Service said it had been called to the flat at 1554 BST and sent two vehicles but the woman died. The troubled singer had a long battle with drink and drugs which overshadowed her recent musical career.

Born on this day

1947: David Essex, UK singer, actor, (1974 UK No.1 single 'Gonna Make You A Star', plus 18 other UK Top 40 singles, 1974 US No.5 single, 'Rock On').

1961: Martin Gore, keyboards, Depeche Mode, (1984 UK No.4 single 'People Are People', plus over 25 other UK Top 40 singles, 1990 US No.8 single, 'Enjoy The Silence').

1964: Nick Menza, drums, Megadeth, (1990 UK No.13 single 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 1992 US No.2 album 'Countdown To Extinction'). Menza died on 21st May 2016 after suffering a "massive heart attack" on stage, while performing with his band, OHM, in Los Angeles.

1965: Slash, (Saul Hudson), guitarist with Guns N' Roses who had the 1988 US No1 and 1989 UK No.6 single Sweet Child O' Mine and the 1991 US and UK No.1 album Use Your Illusion II. The guitarist went on to form the side project Slash's Snakepit and then Velvet Revolver, who had the 2004 US No.1 and UK No.11 album Contraband.