Magical Music Tours

On this day in history 12 Jan 1977 On this day in rock history Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards  was fined £750 (around $1,275)  after cocaine was found in his car  following a road traffic accident. The incident added yet another chapter to Richards’ growing reputation as rock music’s ultimate outlaw a man who lived as hard as he played. By this point, the Rolling Stones were already notorious for their brushes with the law, excess, and controversy. Richards’ collisi

On This Day in Music 10 January 2016 On this day in history, the world woke to heartbreaking news when David Bowie , one of the most beloved and influential artists of the modern era, died at his New York City home following a private battle with liver cancer. His passing came as a profound shock to fans everywhere, made even more poignant by the timing: just two days earlier , on his 69th birthday, Bowie had released his 25th studio album, Blackstar . In true Bowie fashion,

🎸 On This Day 4th January 1986 🎸 On This Day in Rock History , songwriter and bassist Phil Lynott , the charismatic frontman of Thin Lizzy , tragically died aged just 36 from heart failure and pneumonia after spending eight days in a coma following a drug overdose. His death marked the loss of one of rock music’s most distinctive voices and personalities a poet, storyteller and trailblazer whose influence still echoes today. Born in Birmingham and raised in Dublin, Lynott b

🎶 On This Day in Music History 1 January 1964 🎶 On this day in history New Year’s Day 1964, the BBC launched what would become the world’s longest-running music television programme "Top of the Pops". First broadcast from a small Manchester studio, few could have imagined that this weekly chart show would go on to shape British pop culture for nearly four decades. Created to showcase the UK Singles Chart, Top of the Pops quickly became essential viewing for music fans acro

On this day 31st December 1979 On this day in history New Year’s Eve 1979 , David Bowie  closed out the decade with a pair of memorable television appearances on opposite sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, he performed a stripped-back, acoustic version of “Space Oddity”  on T he Kenny Everett New Year’s Show , offering a reflective take on the song that had first launched him into the public consciousness a decade earlier. The performance was striking for its intimacy. Gone we

On this day 29 December 1966 On this day in history 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience  made their debut on BBC’s Top Of The Pops , performing their breakthrough single “Hey Joe.”  The appearance introduced millions of UK viewers to Hendrix’s revolutionary guitar style, flamboyant stage presence, and unmistakable sound. At the time, “Hey Joe” was climbing the UK charts and would soon reach No.6 , helping establish Hendrix—an American newcomer in London—as one of the most excit

On this day 27 December 1970 On this day in music history, George Harrison  topped the US singles chart  with “My Sweet Lord.”  The song also reached No.1 in the UK, making it a truly historic moment it was the first chart-topping single by a former Beatle  following the band’s break-up earlier that year. Released as part of Harrison’s monumental triple album All Things Must Pass , “My Sweet Lord” marked his emergence from the long shadow of Lennon & McCartney and revealed a

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas  and a happy, peaceful festive season! 🎄✨ A massive thank you  for supporting my music tours this past year, every story shared, every laugh on the streets of Soho, and every step along London’s rock ’n’ roll history has meant the world. I’m taking some time to travel in the early part of the year, but I’ll be back from late March 2026 , ready to crank up the volume and reveal even more of Soho’s hidden rock secrets . Here’s to a rockin

On This Day: 25th December 1982 On this Christmas Day in history, David Bowie  scored a No.3 hit  on the UK Singles Chart with one of the most unexpected and memorable duets in pop history: “Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy” , recorded with American crooner Bing Crosby . The single became one of Bowie’s best-selling releases , with estimated UK sales topping 400,000 copies , and has since become a seasonal classic despite the fact that Bowie initially had little interest i

✨ On this day, 23 December 1989 On this day in music history, Phil Collins  began a four-week run at No.1  on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Another Day in Paradise,”  marking his seventh US solo chart-topper . The single was lifted from his global No.1 album, … But Seriously , a record that saw Collins turn toward more socially conscious themes at the end of the 1980s. “Another Day in Paradise” is far from a typical chart anthem. Collins wrote the song to spotlight the growi

22 December 1957 On this day in history, The Crickets released the single “Oh, Boy!” , backed with “Not Fade Away,”  in the UK a record that would go on to become their third UK Top 10 hit  and help cement Buddy Holly and his band as one of the most influential forces in early rock ’n’ roll. “Oh, Boy!”  was a burst of youthful energy: fast, joyful and driven by Holly’s distinctive hiccupping vocal and jangling guitar. Although the song had originally been recorded by Sonny W

On this day, 21 December 1991 On this day in music history, Queen began a five-week run at No.1  on the UK Singles Chart with the double A-side “Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are the Days of Our Lives.” The chart-topping return of their 1975 masterpiece came just weeks after the death of Freddie Mercury , who passed away on 24 November 1991 from complications related to AIDS. The re-release served both as a tribute and a reflection of the nation’s deep grief, with fans rushing to

On This Day 18th December 1971 On this day in 1971, T. Rex  reached a major milestone when their sixth studio album, Electric Warrior , climbed to No.1 on the UK Albums Chart . It became the biggest-selling album of the entire year , cementing Marc Bolan’s status as the glitter drenched leader of Britain’s fast rising glam rock movement. Released in September 1971, Electric Warrior  signalled a dramatic shift for T. Rex. Gone were the purely acoustic, mystical folk stylings o

🎄 On this day 17 December 1973 On this day in music history, Slade  blasted their way to No.1 on the UK singles chart  with the iconic “Merry Xmas Everybody.”  It became the band’s sixth UK chart-topper , cementing their place as glam-rock royalty and giving Britain a festive anthem that refuses to fade. Released at the height of Slade mania, “Merry Xmas Everybody” became an instant sensation. It sold over one million copies in its first week one of the fastest-selling sing

✨ On This Day 17 December 1971 On this day in history, David Bowie released Hunky Dory , his fourth studio album and a record now hailed as one of the defining turning points in his extraordinary career. It was the first Bowie album to feature the full line-up of the band who would, just a year later, transform into Ziggy Stardust’s legendary Spiders From Mars: guitarist Mick Ronson , bassist Trevor Bolder , and drummer Mick “Woody” Woodmansey . Their chemistry, already elec

On This Day 16th December 1966 On this day in history, The Jimi Hendrix Experience  released their debut single “Hey Joe”  in the UK through Polydor Records a track that would introduce British audiences to a guitarist who would soon redefine rock music forever. Surprisingly, the song was rejected by Decca Records , one of the major labels of the day. Their loss became one of the greatest “missed opportunities” in music history. Polydor quickly picked it up, and “Hey Joe” cl

On This Day 14th December 2003 On This Day in history Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne Hit No.1 with “Changes” Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne achieved an unexpected and touching milestone when their duet “Changes”  reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart . The song is a reimagined version of “Changes,”  originally sung by Ozzy on Black Sabbath’s 1972 album Volume I a reflective ballad about loss, regret, and personal transformation. The 2003 remake came at a time when the Osbourne family were hou

On This Day 12th December 1967 On this day in history, Brian Jones , founding member of The Rolling Stones , appeared at Marlborough Street Magistrates’ Court  in London to be sentenced for drug-related offences. The case had attracted enormous media attention, coming at a time when the Stones were already under intense scrutiny from both the press and the authorities. Jones received three years’ probation  and was fined £1,000 a significant sum at the time. The sentence ref

On this day 10th December 1965 On this day in history an 18 year old David Bowie stepped into London’s Marble Arch Studios to record "Can’t Help Thinking About Me" a punchy, soul-tinged pop single that would quietly mark a major turning point in his career. It was the very first release under the name David Bowie a conscious rebranding after years of confusion with another rising star of the era, Davy Jones of The Monkees. Before this moment, Bowie had already issued a handfu

On This Day 9th December 1978 On this day in history, Sid Vicious , former bassist of the Sex Pistols , was charged with assault following a violent altercation at the New York dance club Hurrah . The incident unfolded during a performance by the new-wave act Skafish , when Sid already spiralling in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols’ breakup and the death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen became involved in a confrontation with Todd Smith , brother of punk poet Patti Smith . Acc