On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

1956
New Zealand's first test cricket victory
New Zealand was already 3–0 down in the series going into the fourth and final test at Eden Park in Auckland. Their West Indies opponents included household names such as Gary Sobers and Everton Weekes, who had broken batting records for a New Zealand season.



In Music History

2024-At his concert in Los Angeles, Justin Timberlake brings out his group 'N Sync, who perform together for the first time since the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Along with a medley of their hits, they debut a new song, "Paradise."

2019- Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for their contributions to music.

2015-Daevid Allen, Australian jazz-rock guitarist (of Gong, Soft Machine), dies of cancer at age 77.

2014-During her performance of "Swine" at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Lady Gaga has a performance artist vomit green liquid on her repeatedly. It's a statement on processing rage and rejecting the norms of pop music, but fans are more repelled than intrigued.

2013- Jimi Hendrix’s posthumous album People, Hell & Angels debuted at No.2 on the Billboard 200, his highest chart entry since 1969.

2013-Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys takes out a skinhead fan after seeing him raise a Nazi salute. A crowd had gathered onstage for the encore and, seeing the fan across the stage, Casey hits him to the floor and lays into him. Calmly returning to his bass, Casey proclaims: "Nazis are not welcome at a Dropkick Murphys show."

2008-South By Southwest features a rare performance from R.E.M. and scorching set from My Morning Jacket.

2007-Amy Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, is released in the US. It enters the Billboard chart the following week at #7, and surges to its chart peak of #2 after Winehouse wins five Grammy awards for the album the following year, including Record of the year and Song of the Year for "Rehab."

Black Sabbath, Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd And The Sex Pistols Enter The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
2006-Black Sabbath, Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Miles Davis and The Sex Pistols are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Sex Pistols refuse to attend the ceremony and turn down the induction.

2006-Isaac Hayes quits the TV series South Park after an episode airs mocking his religion, Scientology.

2004-Luciano Pavarotti makes his 379th and last performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, playing the painter Mario Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca. He receives a 12-minute standing ovation.

2002-Danny Bonaduce of The Partridge Family wins his bout against Barry Williams (Greg from The Brady Bunch) on the Fox TV special Celebrity Boxing. In another bout, Todd Bridges from Diff'rent Strokes whoops up on Vanilla Ice.

1999- Cher’s single Believe reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the oldest woman at the time to top the chart and popularizing the “Cher effect” Auto-Tune technique.

1998-Reggae and ska musician Judge Dread (real name: Alexander Minto Hughes) dies of a heart attack at age 52 shortly after giving a performance in Canterbury, England.

1998-Jack Harlow is born in Louisville, Kentucky, which he proudly reps after hitting it big with his debut single, "Whats Poppin," in 2020.

1993- Eric Clapton’s live album Unplugged began a three-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200, becoming one of the most successful live albums ever.

1993-"Informer," a reggae-rap song with inscrutable verses by the Canadian artist Snow (named for his whiteness), hits #1 in America and stays on top for seven weeks. Snow enjoys it all from a prison cell in Toronto, where he's serving an eight-month sentence for assault.

1992-Bad Religion release their sixth full-length studio album, Generator. This is the band's debut album with drummer Bobby Schayer, who remains in the band until 2000's The New America.

1987-Bob Seger receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's from Michigan, but did some recording in Los Angeles, which inspired his song "Hollywood Nights."

1984- MTV premiered its weekly Top 20 Video Countdown show, influencing music video culture.

1980- Pink Floyd’s The Wall received a Platinum Disc from the RIAA for selling over 1 million units.

1977-David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Blondie begin a North American tour.

1976- The Four Seasons’ December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) began a three-week No.1 run in the US and topped charts in Canada, South Africa, and the UK.

1976- The Jackson 5 moved from Motown to Epic Records and briefly changed their name to The Jacksons.

1976-The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) goes to #1 in America, where it spends a total of five weeks. In the 1980s it once again becomes a huge seller, with new fans buying it instead of collecting all their studio albums. In 2018 it's certified at the best-selling album in US history.

1973-Ed Sloan (frontman for Crossfade) is born in South Carolina.

1972-Rapper Common is born Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. in Chicago, Illinois.

1968-The Byrds' Greatest Hits is certified gold.

1965-Eric Clapton, concerned that the band is becoming too commercial, leaves The Yardbirds. His replacement is Jeff Beck.

1965-The Beatles land their seventh #1 hit in America with "Eight Days A Week."

1964-Billboard reported that The Beatles accounted for 60% of the US singles market, highlighting their dominance in popular music.

1962-James Darren guests on ABC-TV's Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea in the episode "The Mechanical Man."

1961-Ricky Nelson records "Travelin' Man."

1961-The Temptations successfully auditioned for Motown Records, beginning a career that would yield 15 No.1 singles and 14 chart-topping albums.

1960-U2 bass player Adam Clayton is born in Oxfordshire, England.

1959-An emergency plane landing in a South Bend, Indiana, field nearly kills The Kingston Trio's band members.

1949-Donald York (original vocalist for Sha Na Na) is born in Boise, Idaho.

1948-Peggy Lee goes to #1 in America with "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)."

1947- The musical Brigadoon by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe opened at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City, running for 581 performances.

1940-Daniel Bennie (of the Detroit doo-wop group The Reflections) is born in Johnstone, Scotland.

1939-Neil Sedaka is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1933-Songwriter Mike Stoller is born in Long Island, New York. Along with his partner Jerry Leiber, he writes a slew of hits, including "Jailhouse Rock," "Yakety Yak" and "Stand By Me."

1905- Mata Hari performed her first dance act at the Guimet Museum in Paris, marking the beginning of her public career.

[Bikkie]

Split Enz publicity shot
1980
Split Enz hit no. 1
The Kiwi group’s first New Zealand no. 1 hit, from their album True colours, also topped the charts in Australia and Canada. It reached no. 12 in Britain and no. 53 in the United States.



In Music History

2021-At the Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift wins Album Of The Year for Folklore and Beyoncé takes four awards, making her the most-awarded woman in Grammy history, her 28 trophies surpassing Alison Krauss' 27.

2019-George Michael's art collection is auctioned at Christie's in London, raising about $12 million to continue his charity work.

2016-Sony pays $750 million to Michael Jackson's estate for the King of Pop's half of Sony/ATV Music, a publishing company that owns the rights to some 4,000 pop songs, including 250 Lennon-McCartney tunes from the Beatles catalog. Jackson bought ATV Music in 1985 for $47.5 million and merged with Sony a decade later. Jackson's estate retains the rights to songs written by Jackson.

2014-Gary Burger of The Monks dies of pancreatic cancer at age 71.

2011-Atlanta Rhythm Section lead singer Ronnie Hammond dies of heart failure at age 60.

2011-Electric blues musician Big Jack Johnson dies at age 70.

2011-Long-neglected Neil Diamond is finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Leon Russell.

2009-French singer-songwriter Alain Bashung dies of lung cancer at age 61.

2008-In London, Ex-Foundations member Peter MacBeth is sentenced to six years on pedophilia and sexual assault charges.

2008-Stone Temple Pilots announce they are reuniting for one final tour.

2005-In New York City, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts Percy Sledge, The O'Jays, U2, Buddy Guy, and The Pretenders.

2004-Liz Phair plays '60s pop singer Jackie DeShannon on American Dreams in the episode "Can't Hold On."

2003 – Israel "Cachao" Lopez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998-The Backstreet Boys appear on Saturday Night Live for the first time, performing "As Long As You Love Me" and "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)."

1998 – Madonna scored her fourth UK No.1 album with Ray of Light; Jo Dee Messina debuted at the Grand Ole Opry.

Johnny Cash Flips Off Country Radio
1998-Weeks after Johnny Cash's Unchained wins the Grammy for Best Country Album, his producer Rick Rubin takes out a full-page ad in Billboard with a photo of the singer giving the middle finger along with the text, "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support."

Goo Goo Dolls Break Through With A Boy Named Goo
1995-The Goo Goo Dolls release their breakthrough fifth studio album, A Boy Named Goo, featuring their first major hit, "Name."More

1995 – Tupac Shakur released Me Against the World, becoming the first male solo artist to top the US Billboard 200 while incarcerated.

1995-Grunge supergroup Mad Season release their only album, Above. The group includes Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees.

1992-Garth Brooks makes his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, singing "Rodeo" and "The River" from his album Ropin' The Wind.

1992 – Madness began a three-week run at UK No.1 with Divine Madness.

1991-Rock and roll lyricist Doc Pomus dies of lung cancer at age 65.

De La Soul Debut With 3 Feet High and Rising
1989-De La Soul release their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. The sample-heavy, paisley-powered LP becomes a hip-hop landmark, establishing a mellow, groovy new style.

1988-Six months after the breakup of his group The Smiths, Morrissey issues his first solo album, Viva Hate. It goes to #1 in the UK and has two hit singles: "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday." It's the start of a very successful solo career for Morrissey, who rejects all offers of a Smiths reunion.

1987-At Fender's Ballroom in Long Beach, California, No Doubt play their first concert, a benefit for a local scooter shop that burned down. In the audience is Tony Kanal, who like No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, is still in high school. He joins the band later that year and starts dating Stefani; their breakup inspires the song "Don't Speak."

1987-"Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis & the News climbs to #1 in the US. The song was written by Bruce Hornsby and his brother, John Hornsby.

1987 – Boy George topped the UK Singles chart with Everything I Own; Hot Chocolate scored their first UK No.1 album with The Very Best of Hot Chocolate; Huey Lewis and the News reached US No.1 with Jacob’s Ladder.

1983-Taylor Hanson (of Hanson) is born Jordan Taylor Hanson in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1982-At Radio City in Anaheim, California, Metallica play their first-ever show. Their first song is "Hit The Lights."

1982 – Metallica performed their first live show in Anaheim, California, playing Hit The Lights.

1981-After toughing out a concert in Madison, Wisconsin, in severe pain, Eric Clapton is flown to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he's treated for severe ulcers that nearly kill him. The rest of the tour is cancelled, and Clapton spends almost six weeks in the hospital recovering. In January 1982, he returns to Minnesota and enters rehab to treat the alcohol addition that caused his ulcers.

1981-The California punk rockers Black Flag play the Peppermint Lounge in New York City. In the audience are all three future members of Beastie Boys and Thurston Moore, who goes on to form Sonic Youth. Also in the crowd: Henry Rollins, who takes over as Black Flag lead singer later that year.

1981 – Adam and the Ants hit No.1 in the UK with Kings of the Wild Frontier; Roxy Music topped the UK chart with Jealous Guy.

1980-On his 47th birthday, Quincy Jones is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.

1979-Jacques Brautbar (guitarist for Phantom Planet) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1977 – Heart released the album Little Queen, featuring the hit song Barracuda.

1975-The movie Rancho Deluxe, starring Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston as Montana cattle ranchers, debuts in US theaters. It features a soundtrack by Jimmy Buffett, who appears in the film singing the tune "Livingston Saturday Night."

1972-Carole King's Tapestry takes Album of The Year at the Grammy Awards. Carly Simon wins for Best New Artist.

1972-California Governor Ronald Reagan grants a pardon to Merle Haggard, absolving him of his 1957 burglary that sent him to prison for three years.

1971 – Barbra Streisand appeared on The Burt Bacharach Special on CBS.

1970-Kristian Bush of Sugarland is born in Knoxville, Tennessee.

1969-Michael Bland (drummer for Prince, Soul Asylum) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1968-The BBC-TV program Top Of The Pops broadcasts The Beatles new promotional video for "Lady Madonna," which, oddly enough, is made up entirely of clips from the band's recording of "Hey Bulldog."

1965-Petula Clark makes her American TV debut singing "Downtown" and "I Know a Place" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1964-Billboard magazine reports that Beatles records make up 60% of all singles sold.

1963-Mike Muir (lead vocalist for Suicidal Tendencies) is born in Venice, California, and raised in Santa Monica.

1963-Gerry Marsden of The Pacemakers sneaks a custom-made guitar purchased in Germany through British customs and is fined sixty pounds.

1963-Gerry & the Pacemakers release the single "How Do You Do It" in the UK.

1963 – Cliff Richard & The Shadows topped the UK singles chart with Summer Holiday, marking the first time all Top Ten UK singles were by British acts.

1960-Sam Cooke begins an unprecedented tour of the West Indies with a concert in Jamaica's Montego Bay.

1958-The RIAA issues their first Gold Single for sales of a million copies, which goes to Perry Como's "Catch A Falling Star." Record labels have been awarding their own artists Gold records for years, starting with Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo Choo" in 1942, but this is the first RIAA official certification.

1958 – Perry Como's Catch A Falling Star became the first single certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over one million copies.

1956 – Rock Around the Clock premiered in Washington, DC, featuring Bill Haley.

1955-Popular country star Jimmy Dean interviews Elvis Presley on Dean's Washington, DC television show Town and Country Time. A nervous Elvis answers every question with "yep" and "nope."

1951-Spanish entertainer Charo is born with a much longer moniker: María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza.

1950-Rick Dees is born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1945-Country singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey is born in Dallas, Texas.

1945-Walter Parazaider (of Chicago) is born in Maywood, Illinois.

1943-Jim Pons (bassist for The Turtles, Mothers Of Invention) is born in Santa Monica, California.

1934-Jazz organist Shirley Scott is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1933-Quincy Jones is born in Chicago, Illinois. After studying music composition in France, he becomes an acclaimed arranger and conductor before moving into production, most famously for Michael Jackson, whose Jones-produced Thriller remains the best-selling album of all-time.

1925 – Al Jolson starred in the musical Big Boy, which closed after 56 performances in NYC.

1926-Phil Phillips is born Philip Baptiste in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

1912-Les Brown, known for his Band of Renown during the big-band era, is born in Reinerton, Pennsylvania.

1885 – Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado premiered in London.

1875 – Bedřich Smetana's symphonic poem Vysehrad premiered in Prague, later part of Má vlast.

1864 – Gioachino Rossini's sacred work Petite Messe Solennelle premiered in Paris.

1847 – Premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Macbeth in Florence.

1804 – Birth of composer Johann I. Strauss, known for his waltzes.

1681 – Composer Georg Philipp Telemann was born, later becoming a prolific Baroque composer.

[Bikkie]

1919
New Zealand troops riot in England
Four months after the end of the First World War, hundreds of New Zealand soldiers rioted at Sling Camp on Salisbury Plain in southern England. It was the most serious breakdown of discipline in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the European theatre.

'Wounded at Cassino', by Peter McIntyre
1944
New Zealand forces capture Castle Hill at Cassino
6 New Zealand Brigade attacked the Italian town of Cassino as part of the Allies‘ advance on Rome. By the time 2 New Zealand Division was withdrawn in early April, 343 New Zealanders had lost their lives.

The Al Noor Mosque in August 2019
2019
51 killed in mosque shootings
New Zealand’s Muslim community suffered an horrific attack when a self-proclaimed ‘white nationalist’ opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch. Fifty people were killed and 41 wounded, one of whom died six weeks later.



In Music History

2025-Shinedown's "Dance, Kid, Dance" goes to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, making them the first act with 20 chart toppers on that tally. Their run started with "Save Me" in 2005.

2019-The New York Public Library opens the Lou Reed Archive, with photos, recordings and other media documenting his career.More

2019-Sam Smith says he is nonbinary, telling Jameela Jamil, "I am not male or female. I think I float somewhere in between."

Trump Calls Out Snoop With Angry Tweet
2017-President Donald Trump tweets about Snoop Dogg's "Lavender" video, where the rapper points a toy gun at "Ronald Klump," the ruler of a world run by clowns.

2015-Kendrick Lamar releases his third studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly, which debuts at #1.

2014-Scott Asheton (drummer for The Stooges) dies of a heart attack at age 64.

2011-Celine Dion returns to Caesars Palace on the Ides Of March to start her second Las Vegas residency, this one titled Celine. Like her first run from 2003-2007, it's a huge hit, ending in 2019 after 427 shows.

2010-The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2010 - ABBA, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, The Hollies, The Stooges - are inducted at the 25th Annual Rock And Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

2008-The musical I Am Who I Am, based on the life of singer Teddy Pendergrass, opens in Chicago.

Fats Domino's Pianos Salvaged From Hurricane Katrina
2006-Remnants of Fats Domino's two pianos are discovered and saved by the Louisiana State Museum after attempting to salvage his Ninth Ward home after Hurricane Katrina.

2005-The third offering from Daft Punk, Human After All, is released in the US a day after its launch in the rest of the world. Recorded in just six weeks, it is a critical and commercial disappointment, leading the French duo to retreat into the studio to reconsider their direction and to call up some big-name collaborators for their next effort, Random Access Memories.

2004-The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducts Bob Seger, George Harrison, The Dells, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, Prince, and Traffic at their annual ceremony in New York City.

2003-Brad Paisley marries actress Kimberly Williams at Pepperdine University's Stauffer Chapel. They first met when the singer cast her as his female lead in his music video for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)."

2003-The Offspring announce that their new album will be called Chinese Democracy, mocking the long-delayed Guns N' Roses release. Offspring lead singer Dexter Holland says, "Axl ripped-off my braids, so I ripped-off his album title."

2002-Marshall Leib (of The Teddy Bears) dies of a heart attack at age 63.

1999-Curtis Mayfield, Del Shannon, Dusty Springfield, Paul McCartney, The Staple Singers, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Springsteen reunites with the E Street Band to perform at the ceremony.

1999- Bruce Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bono, reciprocating the honor for U2 six years later.

1994- The 8th Soul Train Music Awards recognized Toni Braxton and Whitney Houston.

1990-9-year-old Christina Aguilera appears on the show Star Search singing the Etta James song "A Sunday Kind Of Love." She loses, but so did Britney Spears and Alanis Morissette when they appeared on the show. When she becomes a judge on the singing competition show The Voice, Aguilera often consoles losing contestants by telling them about how she lost on Star Search.

1988-Talking Heads release their eighth album, Naked, which ends up being their last, as David Bryne breaks up the group three years later. It's produced by Steve Lillywhite, whose wife, Kirsty MacColl, sings on the track "(Nothing But) Flowers."

1987- Revival of “Sweet Charity” starring Debbie Allen and Bebe Neuwirth closed after 368 performances, winning four Tony Awards.

1986-Starship's "Sara" hits #1 on the Hot 100. It's the second chart-topper (following "We Built This City") for the third iteration of the group, which was previously Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.

1983-Cathy Smith is arrested for second-degree murder for providing the drugs that killed John Belushi.

1982- Bob Dylan and Paul Simon were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

1979-At a party following a Stephen Stills concert, Elvis Costello gets in an argument with Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie, and reportedly refers to Ray Charles as a "blind, ignorant ni--er." Costello pleads inebriation, and says he was just trying to outrage her.

1977-Joseph Hahn is born in Dallas, Texas. As Linkin Park's DJ and director of many of their music videos, he adds an innovative electronic edge to the band's nu-metal sound and visual aesthetic.

1976-Deep Purple, fronted by David Coverdale, wrap up their UK tour with a show at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, then break up. When they return in 1984, it's with the "Mark II" lineup of the band, which includes lead singer Ian Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

1976-KISS release their album Destroyer, featuring "Detroit Rock City" and "Beth."

1975-will.i.am (of Black Eyed Peas) is born William Adams in Los Angeles.

1975-"Black Water," the Doobie Brothers ode to the Mississippi River, hits #1 in America. The Brothers didn't think it had hit potential, so it wasn't released as a single until waves of radio stations started playing it.

1975- Olivia Newton-John’s album “Have You Never Been Mellow” topped the US Billboard 200, while the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” became their first No.1 single.

1975-Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” reached No.1 on the UK Albums chart and also topped charts in Canada and the US.

1975-Mick Jagger settles his paternity suit with singer Marsha Hunt out of court.

1973-The Emerson, Lake & Palmer film Pictures At An Exhibition, taken from a 1970 performance at the Lyceum in London, opens in theaters. The album of the same name is taken from a later performance.

1972-Mark Hoppus (bassist, co-lead vocalist of blink-182) is born in Ridgecrest, California.

1972-As a publicity stunt, the Los Angeles radio station KHJ plays Donny Osmond's "Puppy Love" for 90 minutes straight. Concerned listeners call the police, who show up at the station to find no laws - except good taste - are being broken.

1969-John Lennon and Yoko Ono get caught "standing in the dock at Southampton, trying to get to Holland or France" as passport problems stall their wedding. They get married five days later in Gibraltar, and use their adventure in the lyrics to "The Ballad Of John And Yoko."

1969-Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" hits #1 in the US, where it stays for four weeks. It's a rare pop hit of the era with a string section.

1969- Cream disbanded shortly after their album “Goodbye” topped the UK charts.

1968- The Beatles released the single “Lady Madonna”, which became a chart-topper in eight countries.

1968- LIFE magazine called Jimi Hendrix the “most spectacular guitarist in the world”.

1968-Jon Schaffer (guitarist for Iced Earth) is born in Franklin, Indiana.

1968-Mark McGrath (frontman for Sugar Ray) is born in Hartford, Connecticut.

1966-Sandy Posey records "Born A Woman."

1966- The Beatles’ single “Lady Madonna” became a global hit.

1966-Big winners at the Grammy Awards are Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, who take Record of the Year for "A Taste of Honey." Frank Sinatra wins Album of the Year for September Of My Years, and Tom Jones wins Best New Artist.

1966- Grammy Awards honored “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass as Record of the Year, Frank Sinatra’s “September of My Years” as Album of the Year, and “The Shadow of Your Smile” as Song of the Year.

1965-Freddie & the Dreamers release "I'm Telling You Now."

1964-R&B singer Rockwell is born Kennedy William Gordy in Detroit, Michigan.

1963-Bret Michaels (lead singer of Poison) is born Bret Michael Sychak in Butler, Pennsylvania.

1962-Terence Trent D'Arby is born in Manhattan, New York. He lands a bit hit with "Wishing Well" in 1987, and in 2001 he changes his name to Sananda Maitreya.

1962- Richard Rodgers’ musical “No Strings” opened in New York, running for 580 performances and winning three Tony Awards.

1958-Elvis Presley performs his last concert before leaving for the Army, a show at Memphis' Russwood Park. Aside from two benefit shows in 1961, it is the last Presley concert until 1969.

1956-Colonel Tom Parker officially becomes Elvis Presley's manager.

1956: The musical “My Fair Lady” opened at the Mark Hellinger Theater in NYC, running for 2,715 performances and winning six Tony Awards.

1955-Fats Domino recorded “Ain’t It A Shame”, which later reached No.1 on the Billboard R&B chart, while Pat Boone’s cover topped the Pop chart.

1955- Elvis Presley signed a management contract with Colonel Tom Parker, beginning a pivotal partnership in rock and roll history.

1955- Ray Charles topped the US R&B charts with “I’ve Got a Woman”, blending gospel and rhythm & blues, marking a foundational moment for soul music.

1955-Dee Snider (lead singer of Twisted Sister) is born in Astoria, Queens, New York.

1954-The Chords record "Sh-Boom."

1952-Kay Starr's "Wheel Of Fortune" hits #1.

1947-Rock musician/producer Ry Cooder is born in Los Angeles, California.

1947-The Ted Weems Orchestra with Elmo Tanner go to #1 in the US with "Heartaches."

1947-Frank Lugo (bassist for ? & the Mysterians) is born.

1946-Howard Scott (guitarist for War) is born in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, but grows up in Compton.

1943-Sly Stone, leader of Sly & the Family Stone, is born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas. The band bring smiles and break ground with hits like "Dance To The Music" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," but by the late '70s Stone becomes erratic and unreliable, plagued by drug addiction and mental health issues. He's offered various showcases to launch a comeback, including a Grammy tribute in 2006, but is never lucid enough to return to music.

1941-Mike Love of The Beach Boys is born in Los Angeles.

1940-Grateful Dead bass player Phil Lesh is born in Berkeley, California. A founding member of the band, he's with them for their entire run, which ends in 1995 when Jerry Garcia dies. He keeps the music going with offshoots Phil Lesh And Friends, The Other Ones and The Dead.

1936-Songwriter Howard Greenfield ("Breaking Up Is Hard To Do," "Oh! Carol") is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1932-Record producer Arif Mardin is born in Istanbul, Turkey. He works at Atlantic Records for 30 years before becoming general manager of Manhattan Records (then under the umbrella of EMI).

1931-D.J. Fontana (drummer for Elvis Presley) is born Dominic Joseph Fontana in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1929-Alabama blues pianist Pinetop Smith is shot and killed at age 24.

1921-Doo-wop musician Les Cooper, known for the 1962 instrumental hit "Wiggle Wobble," is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1919-Record producer George Avakian is born in Russia. Produced albums for Jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.

1912-Country blues singer/songwriter Lightnin' Hopkins is born in Centerville, Texas.

1908- Maurice Ravel’s orchestral rhapsody "Rapsodie Espagnole" had its first performance in Paris.

1770- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at age 14, completed his String Quartet No. 1 (K. 80) while touring in Lodi, Lombardy, Duchy of Milan.

[F5 Dave]

Jezuz krist man. Do you really think anyone on earth would read that wall of text you just posted?

Forget all that plagiarised shite and post something about how you ride a motorbike, if you actually own one.

Maybe you went as far as the cafe on such a nice day. At least it is of some interest on a motorcycle site.

[Bikkie]

1940
Jockey Y-fronts hit New Zealand shops
‘If old-fashioned underwear makes you squirm, switch to Jockey.’ That was the pitch from clothing manufacturer Lane Walker Rudkin when it began marketing the Jockey Y-front to New Zealand men on 16 March 1940.


1999
NZ History website launched
NZ History was launched by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Jack Elder, at a function at National Archives (now Archives New Zealand) in Wellington on 16 March 1999.



In Music History

2020-Chris Martin takes to Instagram to perform a virtual concert in support of the World Health Organization as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold. It's the first of a series of "Together At Home" concerts done by a variety of artists.

2019- Surf-rock pioneer guitarist Dick Dale passed away at age 81.

2019-"Old Town Road" by the rapper Lil Nas X makes the Country chart, but is removed the following week when Billboard declares it ineligible for the tally. The attention leads to a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus that goes to #1 on the genre-agnostic Hot 100.

2017-Ed Sheeran launches his ÷ (Divide) tour in Turin, Italy. The trek lasts two-and-a-half years and breaks U2's record for highest-grossing tour, raking in $775.6 million on 255 dates. U2's 360 tour (2009-2011) took in $735.3 million.

2017-Ray Davies, frontman of The Kinks, is knighted for services to the arts by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.

2016-Frank Sinatra Jr., the only son of Frank Sinatra, dies of a heart attack at age 72 while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida.

2016-First Lady Michelle Obama delivers the keynote address at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, promoting her "Let Girls Learn" initiative and launching the star-studded Diane Warren-penned anthem "This Is For My Girls."More

2015- Andy Fraser, bassist of Free, died of a heart attack at age 62.

2013-Bobbie Smith of The Spinners dies of pneumonia and influenza at age 76.

2011-Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine collapses backstage at a concert in Russia. He was in extreme pain from kidney stones but insisted on performing six songs for the crowd before going to the hospital 30 minutes later.

2011- The U.S. Postal Service issued “Latin Music Legends” stamps, including Carlos Gardel.

2009-Songwriter Jack Lawrence dies at age 96 after he falls at his home in Redding, Connecticut. He co-wrote Frank Sinatra's first solo hit, "All or Nothing at All."

2008-Session drummer Ola Brunkert, who played on many ABBA recordings, dies at age 61.

2008-Daniel MacMaster (lead singer of Bonham) dies of a staph infection at age 39.

2007-Tupper Saussy of The Neon Philharmonic dies of a heart attack at age 70.

2005-Singer-songwriter Elizabeth Janie Coffey loses an action in England's High Court for copyright infringement in her claim that Madonna's song "Nothing Really Matters" infringed on a song Coffey had written earlier.

2002-Liza Minnelli takes her fourth trip down the aisle when she marries promoter David Gest in New York. Michael Jackson serves as best man and Elizabeth Taylor is matron of honor.

2000-Jay-Z and Beyoncé meet for the first time at MTV's Spring Break festival in Cancun, where both are performing (Bey with her group, Destiny's Child). They go on their first date two years later.

1999-Stone Temple Pilots play in impromptu gig at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. It's the first time the band has performed in two years.

1999-Pearl Jam's debut album Ten is certified Diamond for sales of over 10 million copies in America.

1996-For the 16th (and final) consecutive week, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's "One Sweet Day" is #1 in the US.

1995-Eazy-E releases a statement announcing that he has AIDS, and also that he has fathered seven children with six different women. He dies 10 days later.

1993-Johnny Cymbal ("Mr. Bass Man") dies of a heart attack at age 48.

1991- The Farm’s debut album Spartacus reached No.1 in the UK.

1991- A tragic plane crash killed seven members of Reba McEntire’s band and her road manager.

1991-Eddie Van Halen and his wife Valerie Bertinelli welcome a son, Wolfgang Van Halen, a musical prodigy who becomes the bass player in Van Halen when he's just 16. In 2021 he plays all the instruments and handles all the vocals on his first solo album, Mammoth WVH.

1985-"Nightshift" by The Commodores, a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, knocks Diana Ross' "Missing You," a tribute to Gaye written by ex-Commodore Lionel Richie, from the #1 spot on the R&B chart.

1979-CBS airs the Wings Over the World documentary, chronicling the adventures of Paul McCartney's band Wings on their 1975-1976 tour.

1979- Twisted Sister became the first band to sell out New York City’s Palladium without a record deal.

1979-Supertramp release their breakout album, Breakfast In America. The title track mirrors their story, telling the tale of young British kids who come to America and make it big.

1975-T-Bone Walker, born Aaron Thibeaux Walker, dies of bronchial pneumonia after a series of strokes at age 64.

1974- Barbra Streisand’s album The Way We Were topped the US Billboard 200.

1974- Paper Lace’s Billy, Don’t Be a Hero began a three-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart.

1972-The Dripping Springs Reunion festival kicks off in a field near Austin, Texas. Envisioned as the Woodstock of country music, the 3-day event features performances by Willie Nelson, Earl Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens and Dottie West.
The festival is poorly promoted and a huge flop, with attendance estimated at about 20,000 (combined) when at least 180,000 were expected. Two years later, Willie Nelson uses the same site for the first of his Fourth of July Picnic concerts, which becomes a popular annual event and helps establish Austin as a music destination.

1970-Motown singer Tammi Terrell, known for a string of hit duets with Marvin Gaye, dies of a brain tumor at age 24.

1970-Mary Ann Ganser (of The Shangri-Las) dies of a barbiturates overdose at age 22.

1970- Tammi Terrell died from a brain tumor at age 24.

Otis Redding Becomes First Artist With Posthumous #1 Hit
1968
Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" hits #1, becoming the first-ever posthumous #1 hit. Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967.

1967-Tracy Bonham is born in Boston. After studying classical violin, she enters the world of pop music, using the instrument on her hit song "Mother Mother."

1965-"The Last Time" becomes The Rolling Stones' third #1 single in the UK.

1965- The Rolling Stones topped the UK singles chart with The Last Time, their first British No.1 written by Jagger and Richards.

1964-The Beatles set a US record when advance sales of the "Can't Buy Me Love" single top two million.

1963- Peter, Paul and Mary released Puff The Magic Dragon.

1959-Flavor Flav is born William Jonathan Drayton, Jr. He becomes a rapper with Public Enemy and also a reality TV star.

1955- The Dream Weavers’ It’s Almost Tomorrow reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart.

1954-Nancy Wilson of Heart is born in San Francisco, California, to a family that includes older sister (and future bandmate) Ann.

1948-Michael Bruce of the Alice Cooper band is born in Arizona.

1945-The #1 song in America is "Rum and Coca-Cola" by The Andrews Sisters. It's a sanitized cover of a calypso song about American servicemen in Trinidad who get drunk and solicit prostitutes.

1942- Fats Waller recorded The Jitterbug Waltz in New York.

1942-Country singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, who writes the oft-recorded "Mr. Bojangles" in 1968, is born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York.

1941- Dmitri Shostakovich received the Stalin Prize for his compositions.

1938- Noël Coward's musical Operette debuted in London.

1929-Singer Betty Johnson is born in North Carolina. Her biggest hit is "I Dreamed," which hits #9 US in 1957.

1896- Gustav Mahler conducted the premiere of his Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Berlin Philharmonic.

1894- Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs premiered in Paris, featuring the famous “Méditation” for violin and orchestra.

1823-Hymn composer William Henry Monk is born in London.

[Bikkie]

1860
First Taranaki War erupts at Waitara
The opening shots of the first Taranaki War were fired when British troops attacked a pā built by Te Āti Awa at Te Kohia, Waitara.



1905
Only surviving Maungatautari Bank cheque issued
The Maungatautari Bank was one of several set up by Māori in the decades after the New Zealand Wars to handle the money they were receiving from land sales.



In Music History

2023-Taylor Swift launches her Eras Tour in Glendale, Arizona. The three-hour show is divided into 10 acts dedicated to the music and looks of each of her previous albums. It's her first trek since her Reputation Tour five years and four albums earlier.

2020-A federal judge rules in favor of Katy Perry, overturning a verdict that her song "Dark Horse" infringed on the song "Joyful Noise" by Flame. The jury had ordered $2.78 million in damages.

2020-With St. Patrick's Day festivities shut down due to the coronavirus, Dropkick Murphys livestream a free concert from an empty venue in Boston. Over the next few weeks, many other artists follow suit, using livestreaming as a way to perform for fans during lockdown.More

2018-At their St. Patrick's Day concert in Brussels, The Script buy everyone in the audience of 8,000 a drink, setting a Guinness World Record for "world's biggest round."

2017-Popular World War II-era singer Vera Lynn releases Vera Lynn 100 to celebrate her 100th birthday. The album debuts at #3 on the UK chart, making her the oldest living artist to have an album on the tally.

2016-Prince's ex-wife Mayte Garcia puts a collection of his memorabilia up for auction.More

2012-After gaining exposure on the show Glee and in a Super Bowl commercial, "We Are Young" by Fun hits #1 in America, where it stays for six weeks. The song was inspired by what frontman Nate Ruess remembers from a drunken night that didn't end well.

2012-After getting pelted with cans and other trash at their SXSW performance, Rocky and the rest of A$AP Mob launch into the crowd, punching fans and igniting a brawl.

2011-Ferlin Husky dies of congestive heart failure at age 85.

2010-Big Star lead singer Alex Chilton dies of a heart attack at age 59. Three days later, the group's scheduled performance at SXSW is turned into a tribute to Chilton.

2009-Instead of getting boozed up on the streets like most people on St. Patrick's Day, Amy Winehouse gets sloppy at her court hearing in London to face charges that she attacked a fan at a charity event in 2008.

2009-Belinda Carlisle is the first person eliminated on Season 8 of Dancing With The Stars.

2009-Chicago blues harmonicist Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport dies of prostate cancer at age 77.

2008-Heather Mills is awarded 23.7 million pounds (about $47 million) in her divorce from Paul McCartney, substantially more than the $32 million Paul offered. Throughout the ordeal, Mills is vilified in the British press as being opportunistic.

2006-Professor X (founder of the hip-hop group X Clan) dies of complications from spinal meningitis at age 49.

2025- "Too Sweet" by Hozier won the Alternative Song of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

2005-Robert Plant is presented with his lifetime achievement Grammy award at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

2003-Cliff – The Musical opens at The Prince of Wales Theatre in London. The show, which is based on the life of Cliff Richard, closes three months later.

2003-On the very first episode of MTV's practical joke show Punk'd, host Ashton Kutcher stages a prank involving the IRS that makes Justin Timberlake cry.

Seven Pearl Jam Bootlegs Make Chart
2001-Seven Pearl Jam bootleg albums from their North American tour debut in the Billboard 200 albums chart, breaking the record for most appearances on the chart in a single week that the band established the previous year, when five bootlegs from their European tour landed on the chart.More

1999-Sinead O'Connor records the first ever single via the Internet in a BBC studio as part of the Tomorrow's World program. The song is a cover of Bob Marley's "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" recorded for the War Child charity.

1998-Mick Fleetwood joins The Corrs on stage for a St. Patrick's Day performance at Royal Albert Hall in London. Their performance of the Fleetwood Mac song "Dreams" is released as a single and becomes the first hit for The Corrs, going to #6 in the UK.

1998-Van Halen release Van Halen III, their only album with their third lead singer, Gary Cherone. Pushing against the legacies of their lineups led by David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, it sells poorly and disappoints fans. The band goes on hiatus a year later and returns with Roth in 2007.

1996-Country singer Terry Stafford ("Amarillo By Morning") dies of liver failure at age 54.

Spinal Tap Release Break Like The Wind
1992-After reuniting at their ex-manager's funeral, Spinal Tap issue their 17th album, Break Like The Wind.

1991-Seven members of Reba McEntire's band, as well as her road manager and two pilots, are killed when their plane crashes near the Mexican border after a performance in San Diego. McEntire, along with two members of her band and some of her road crew, were on a different plane that took off before the one that crashed.

1990-Indie rocker Hozier is born Andrew Hozier-Byrne in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland.

1990-Ric Grech, bass player in Traffic and Blind Faith, dies of a brain hemorrhage at age 43.

1990- Whitney Houston headlined an AIDS benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

1989-New Orleans R&B singer Bobby Mitchell dies at age 54.

1988-Grimes is born Claire Elise Boucher in Vancouver.

1987-Reacting to a Beastie Boys concert three weeks earlier where the group used a giant inflatable penis as a stage prop and encouraged girls in the crowd to bare their breasts, the city of Columbus, Georgia passes an anti-lewdness law prohibiting nudity, simulated sex, and objectionable language at any show attended by minors.

1985-Richard Ramirez kills a man and attacks a woman at a house in Rosemead, California, leaving an AC/DC hat behind at the crime scene. Ramirez continues his killing spree and becomes known as the "Night Stalker." When it becomes clear that AC/DC is his favorite band, the group is accused of encouraging crime and devil worship in their music.

1984-Van Halen's 1984 rises to #2 on the US albums chart, held off by Michael Jackson's Thriller, which has already topped the tally for 31 weeks. 1984 stays one spot behind Thriller for two more weeks before dropping down. Perhaps it would have hit #1 if Eddie Van Halen hadn't done the guitar solo on "Beat It."

1982-Samuel George, Jr. (of The Capitols) is stabbed and killed during a domestic dispute.

1979-Talking Heads make their first major TV appearance, performing "Take Me to the River" on American Bandstand. The lip-synced performance goes well, but the interview is a little awkward.

1979-Zenon DeFleur (rhythm guitarist for The Count Bishops) dies of a heart attack at age 27 after sustaining severe injuries in a car crash.

1978-Jimmy Buffett releases his eighth studio album, Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, which features his popular tune "Cheeseburger In Paradise."

1978-The Alan Freed biopic American Hot Wax, widely considered one of the best Rock and Roll movies of all time, premieres in New York City, featuring appearances and performances by Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

1978-The Irish high school band U2, which just recently changed their name from The Hype, win the Limerick Civic Week Pop '78 talent competition, earning about $1,000 and a chance to record a demo for CBS Records.

1976-Stephen Gately (of Boyzone) is born in Dublin, Ireland.

1975-Cher appears on the cover of Time magazine.

1975-Justin Hawkins, lead singer/guitarist for the glam-pop band The Darkness, is born in Chertsey, Surrey, England. His musical philosophy: "If something's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."

1973-The sci-fi musical Lost Horizon, scored by Burt Bacharach, bombs at the box office. The failure precipitates Bacharach's split from longtime songwriting partner Hal David and Dionne Warwick, who had performed their songs for more than a decade.More

1973-Yes's The Yes Album and Yessongs are both certified Gold.

1973-Caroline Corr (singer, drummer for The Corrs) is born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.

1972-Bass player Melissa Auf der Maur is born in Montreal, Quebec. She's in Courtney Love's group Hole from 1994-1999, and does a stint in Smashing Pumpkins from 1999-2000.

1968-The Bee Gees appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, marking their first appearance on American TV.

1967-Billy Corgan is born in Elk Grove Village, a suburb of Chicago. He forms Smashing Pumpkins in 1988, taking the reins as their lead singer, guitarist and songwriter. They carve out a sound in the '90s distinguished by waves of sound and Corgan's emotional intensity. Popular tracks include "1979" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."

1968-Mick Jagger joins a demonstration at Grosvenor Square in London to protest the Vietnam War. When the group, estimated at 25,000, marches to the American embassy, they are met with police resistance and rioting ensues. Jagger leaves the protest before it reaches the embassy, but uses the events as inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "Street Fighting Man."

1967- The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their second single "Purple Haze" in the UK, which became a hit.

1966-Keith Moon of The Who marries his pregnant girlfriend, Kim Kerrigan, in secrecy.

1962-Deke Leonard makes his debut in a talent contest at the Car Bay Club in Wales with Lucifer And The Corncrackers. According to his book Maybe I Should've Stayed In Bed... the band is introduced as Ivor And The Prawn Crackers.

1959-Mike Lindup (keyboardist, singer for Level 42) is born in London, England.

First Ever Greatest Hits Album Released Courtesy of Johnny Mathis
1958-The first "Greatest Hits" compilation is released, and it's by Johnny Mathis. It's a huge hit, and the format catches on quickly. The Mathis album stays in the Billboard 200 album chart for over nine years, a record not broken until Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.

1958-The Coasters record "Yakety Yak."

"Tequila" Goes To #1
1958-"Tequila" by The Champs hits #1 in America, becoming one of the most popular saxophone instrumentals of all time.

1956-Carl Perkins makes his first TV appearance, on the Ozark Jamboree.

1955-Sarah Vaughan records "Whatever Lola Wants."

1951-Scott Gorham (of Thin Lizzy, Supertramp) is born in Glendale, California.

1948-Fran Byrne (drummer for Ace) is born in Dublin, Ireland.

1946-Harold Ray Brown (percussionist, vocalist for War) is born in Long Beach, California.

1944-Pattie Boyd is born in Taunton, Somerset, England. She would later marry George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and also inspire the song "Layla."

1944-John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful is born in New York City.

1941-Paul Kantner, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, is born in San Francisco.

1938-Zola Taylor (of The Platters) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1935-Pop singer/drummer Adam Wade is born Patrick Henry Wade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for "Take Good Care Of Her" (1961), among other hits.

1919-Nat King Cole is born Nathaniel Adams Cole in Montgomery, Alabama, but would be raised in Chicago, Illinois.

[Bikkie]

1983
Waitangi Tribunal rules on Motunui claim
In a landmark ruling, the Waitangi Tribunal found that the Crown’s obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi included a duty to protect Māori fishing grounds.



In Music History

2023-Every track - all 36 of them - from Morgan Wallen's album One Thing at a Time lands in the Hot 100, breaking Drake's record of 27 set in 2017. Wallen's song "Last Night" claims the top spot.

2023- Morgan Wallen broke the record for most simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 entries with 36 songs from his album One Thing at a Time.

2020-Gal Gadot posts a video of herself and a host of celebrities singing "Imagine" line-by-line from their places of quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic. It doesn't get the reaction she's after.

2017-Katy Perry accepts the National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign for her work supporting LGBTQ causes. In her speech, she admits that she did more than just kiss a girl.

2017- Rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry passed away at age 90, leaving a lasting influence on guitarists and the development of rock music.

2016-Gwen Stefani, recently split from Gavin Rossdale and dating Blake Shelton, releases This Is What the Truth Feels Like, her first solo album since 2006. The album deals with her divorce and subsequent renaissance - or you could say, "Gwenaissance."

2014-Joe Lala (drummer for The Blues Image) dies of lung cancer at age 66.

2013–2019: Artists like Ed Sheeran and Nicki Minaj performed notable concerts on March 18, highlighting the day’s ongoing relevance in live music.

2011-Rock bassist Jet Harris (of The Shadows) dies of cancer at age 71.

2009-New Orleans singer/pianist Eddie Bo dies of a heart attack at age 78.

2008-Among other artists, Lou Reed, Damien Rice, and Moby take part in the Speak Up! concert (which benefits Iraq war veterans) held at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York.

2002-Members of The Doobie Brothers attend the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest, who did PR for the band decades earlier. Also attending are Dionne Warwick and Petula Clark.

2002- The 17th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted artists including Isaac Hayes, Brenda Lee, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Ramones, Talking Heads, Chet Atkins, and Jim Stewart.

2002-Talking Heads play live for the first time since 1984 when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Ramones, Brenda Lee, Gene Pitney and Isaac Hayes.More

The Sex Pistols tour again in 2002 and 2007.

2001-Four teenage girls are crushed to death in a shopping mall in Indonesia, when hundreds of fans panic while trying to catch a glimpse of British boy band a1. The four band members cancel the rest of their tour in Asia.

2001- John Phillips of The Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure, at age 65, known for hits like California Dreamin’ and San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair).

2001-Thanks to airplay on British radio, Eva Cassidy's album Songbird goes to #1 in the UK, five years after the singer's death.

1997-The second full-length album from Ben Folds Five is released, Whatever and Ever Amen. The album obtains platinum certification in the US, and spawns the group's biggest hit tune, "Brick."

1996- Apple Records released The Beatles Anthology 2, featuring rare recordings and the new collaboration Real Love.

1996-The Sex Pistols announce that they are reuniting for a 20th anniversary tour, which they call the Filthy Lucre Tour. Lead singer Johnny Rotten, who once vowed never to reunite the group, says, "We have found a common cause to bring us back together again, and it's your money."

1994-Kenner, Louisiana names a street "Lloyd Price Avenue" in honor of their native son.

1994-Courtney Love calls the police fearing that her husband, Kurt Cobain, is suicidal. Police confiscate four guns and 25 boxes of ammo from his home.

1994-Bassist Darryl Jones replaces Bill Wyman in The Rolling Stones.

1992-Donna Summer gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1982-Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes is partially paralyzed following a car accident in Philadelphia, where his Rolls Royce skids off a road and crashes.

1979-Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine is born in Los Angeles. He becomes a standalone celebrity in 2011 when he's a judge on the first panel of The Voice, a position he holds until 2019.

1978- The Bee Gees’ Night Fever hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, while Andy Gibb and Samantha Sang also charted in the top three simultaneously.

1978-Cal Jam II takes place at Ontario Motor Speedway outside of Los Angeles. The largest festival of the late '70s, performers include Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Santana and Heart. An estimated 350,000 fans attend; the Los Angeles Times reports that 700 of them were treated for overdoses of Angel Dust.

1977- Punk band The Clash released their debut single White Riot, peaking at No.38 in the UK.

1977-Devin Lima of LFO is born Harold Lima in Boston, Massachusetts.

1976-The Man Who Fell To Earth, starring David Bowie, premieres in London. The film is based on Walter Tevis' novel of the same name, about an alien who visits Earth in search of water for his planet, which is suffering from a drought. It's Bowie's first major film role.

1974- Canadian rock band Rush released their self-titled debut album.

1974-Stuart Zender (original bass guitarist for Jamiroquai) is born in London, England.

Neil Young Goes To #1 With "Heart Of Gold"
1972-Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold," with backing vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, goes to #1 in the US.

1970-Queen Latifah is born Dana Elaine Owens in Newark, New Jersey.

1967-The Beatles "Penny Lane" reaches #1 on the US Hot 100. There is a real Penny Lane in Liverpool, but the song is written about the bus station.

1967-Steve Winwood announces plans to form Traffic.

1966-Alice In Chains songwriter-guitarist Jerry Cantrell is born in Tacoma, Washington. He keeps the band going after Layne Staley's 2002 death with new singer William DuVall. Cantrell also puts out a series of solo albums where he handles the vocals himself.

1965-On Moosic Street in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a tractor-trailer carrying 15 tons of bananas loses control and crashes into cars, telephone poles, and houses on its way down the hill, injuring many people and killing the driver. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin tells the story of the tragic event in his song "30,000 Pounds Of Bananas."

1965-The Supremes debut "Stop In The Name Of Love" on the BBC special The Sound of Motown, performing the traffic cop choreography that becomes forever associated with the song.

1965-The Standells appear on the "Far Out Munsters" episode of The Munsters.

1965- The Rolling Stones reached number one on the UK Singles chart with The Last Time.

1963-Vanessa Williams is born in Tarrytown, New York. She becomes the first Black woman to win Miss America, but gives up the crown when nude pictures of her are published. It takes several years, but Williams is able to move past the controversy and establish herself as a successful singer and actress.

1963-Jeff LaBar (guitarist for Cinderella) is born in Darby, Pennsylvania.

1962-Irene Cara is born Irene Cara Escalera in The Bronx, New York.

1960-In Nashville, The Everly Brothers record "Cathy's Clown," which is released as the first single under their new 10-year deal with Warner Bros. Records.

1960-The film Rio Bravo, starring Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan and John Wayne, premieres in New York City.

1958-Jerry Lee Lewis becomes the first artist to sing three songs on an episode of American Bandstand (and he sings, not lip-synchs them).

1950-John Hartman (original drummer for The Doobie Brothers) is born in Falls Church, Virginia.

1943-Country singer-songwriter Dennis Linde is born in Abilene, Texas. He pens the 1972 Elvis Presley hit "Burning Love."

1941-Wilson Pickett is born in Prattville, Alabama.

1934-Charley Pride is born on a cotton farm in the tiny town of Sledge, Mississippi. After his baseball career stalls, he becomes a country music star, one of the first African Americans to break through in the format.

1929-Dmitri Shostakovich composed the score for the Russian silent film The New Babylon, which premiered in Leningrad.

1911-"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is published by Ted Snyder of New York; it becomes a massive hit.

Edward Elgar’s orchestral work In the South (Alassio) had its first performance in 1904.

Italian tenor Enrico Caruso became the first widely recognized performer to make a recording in 1902, revolutionizing the music industry.

1902 -marked the premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht in Vienna, a key work in early 20th-century classical music.

1844-Composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is born in Russia.

1791- Robert Burns’ poem Tam o’ Shanter was published in the Edinburgh Herald, influencing later musical adaptations.

[Bikkie]

1839
Honey bees brought to New Zealand
Mary Bumby, the sister of a Methodist missionary, was probably the person who introduced honey bees to New Zealand.


1946
Main body of Jayforce lands in Japan
About 4500 New Zealand servicemen arrived as part of a 36,000-strong British Commonwealth Occupation Force that was to work alongside the US military forces that had occupied most of Japan.



In Music History

2024-Dr. Dre gets a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent join him at the ceremony.

2016-I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It by The 1975 goes to #1 in the US, becoming the album with the longest title to hit the top spot.

2013-Floyd "Buddy" McRae, the last surviving original member of The Chords, dies at age 85.

2011-Archie "Aashid" Himons, formerly known as Little Archie, dies of complications from diabetes and vascular disease at age 68.

2010-Justin Bieber, who turned 16 three weeks earlier, releases his debut album, My World 2.0, with the hit "Baby." The album debuts at #1, setting the stage for a massive tour and 3D concert film, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.

The Runaways Movie Hits Theaters
2010-The Runaways, about the pioneering all-girl rock band, hits theaters. The film, which focuses on group member Joan Jett (played by Kristen Stewart), is a huge flop.

2007-Soul singer-songwriter Luther Ingram dies of heart failure at age 69.

2005-At the 46664 festival in George, South Africa honoring Nelson Mandella, Queen perform with Paul Rodgers on vocals. Billed as "Queen + Paul Rodgers," they begin a tour nine days later, marking a return to action for the band, which has played sporadically with various guest vocalists since the death of Freddie Mercury in 1991, but has not toured.

2005-rapper 50 Cent wrote himself into the history books by becoming the first solo artist to have three singles in the US Top 5 at the same time.

2002-Soul jazz organist Big John Patton dies of complications from diabetes at age 66.

2001-Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Queen, Ritchie Valens, Solomon Burke, Steely Dan and The Flamingos are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

2000-The New York Mets release Garth Brooks, who is participating in spring training with the team. The country star gets the boot after going 0-17 at the plate.

1997-Gabrielle's ex-boyfriend (and the mother of her child), Tony Antoniou, is sentenced to life in prison for murdering his stepfather. Gabrielle was called as a witness at the trial.

1996-Barenaked Ladies release their third studio album, Born On A Pirate Ship.

1993-Jeff Ward (drummer for several bands, including Low Pop Suicide and Nine Inch Nails) commits suicide via carbon monoxide poisoning at age 30.

Andrew Wood's Death Leads To Pearl Jam
1990-Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, dies of a heroin overdose at age 24. Members of the band go on to form Pearl Jam.

1988-At the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington, Nirvana uses the name Nirvana for the very first time. They'd previously gone by Skid Row, Ted Ed Fred, Pen Cap Chew, and Bliss.

1988-Michael Jackson begins construction on his 2,800-acre ranch and private amusement park in Santa Barbara, California, which he names "Neverland" after a fantasy location in his favorite book, Peter Pan, a place where children never grow up.

1984-Backstage after the Duran Duran show at Madison Square Garden, producer Nile Rodgers introduces the band to a young artist he's working with: Madonna.

1982-Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Randy Rhoads, just 25, dies when he takes a plane ride with a pilot who tries to buzz Ozzy's tour bus. When the wing hits the bus, the plane crashes into a nearby house, killing Rhoads, the pilot, and the tour costume designer/hairdresser.

1980-In proceedings against the doctor who supplied the prescription drugs that killed Elvis Presley, Elvis' autopsy is entered as evidence. Dr. George Nichopoulos, who was known as "Dr. Nick" is eventually found guilty of overprescribing the drugs.

1978-Billy Joel makes his UK concert debut at London's Theatre Royal.

1976-Paul Kossoff (guitarist for Free), age 25, dies of a pulmonary embolism during a flight from Los Angeles to New York.

1976-The Doobie Brothers release Takin' It To The Streets, their first album with Michael McDonald. He was brought into the group to play keyboards, but claimed the role of lead singer when he belted out the title track, which he wrote, in the studio for producer Ted Templeman.

Tommy The Movie Premieres In America
1975-The movie version of The Who's rock opera Tommy premieres in America.

1975-Kiss release their third studio album, Dressed to Kill.

1974-Jefferson Airplane re-form with most of their original members and kick off their tour at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago as Jefferson Starship. They drop the "Jefferson" in 1984 and become simply "Starship."

1971-Bobby Sherman plays a songwriter on the "A Knight In Shining Armor" episode of The Partridge Family. He soon gets his own TV series, Getting Together.

1971-Elvis Presley records "Miracle Of The Rosary," "Seeing Is Believing," "It's Still Here," "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen," and "I Will Be True."

1970-David Bowie marries his first wife, Angela, who contrary to rumor, was not the subject of The Rolling Stones' song "Angie."

1968-Donovan travels to India to study transcendental meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

1968-Dean Martin's LP Houston is certified gold.

1966-Gary Leeds of The Walker Brothers is "abducted" by British students raising money for charity.

1965Britain's Tailor and Cutter magazine runs an article by tie makers asking The Rolling Stones to start wearing ties with their suits, a fashion which had recently gone out of style among the youth. "The trouble with a tie is that it could dangle in the soup," Mick Jagger responds.

1964-The British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, the "Mr. Wilson" in the Beatles song "Taxman," presents the group with the Show Business Personalities of 1963 award at the Variety Club of Great Britain Annual Show Business Awards.

1962-Bob Dylan releases his self-titled debut album. It doesn't chart in America, but sets the stage for his breakthrough a year later: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

1958-As Tom and Jerry, Simon & Garfunkel release their third single, a ditty named "Our Song" (BIG 616).

1953-Guitarist Ricky Wilson is born in Athens, Georgia, where he and his sister Cindy form The B-52s. Ricky's off-kilter tunings and unusual jangle help for the musical identity of the band, but his life is cut short in 1985 when he becomes one of the first victims of AIDS.

1951-Derek Longmuir (drummer for Bay City Rollers) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1946-Paul Atkinson (guitarist for The Zombies) is born in Cuffley, Hertfordshire, England.

1946-Ruth Pointer (of The Pointer Sisters) is born in Oakland, California. She is the eldest member of the singing sisters.

1941-Jimmy Dorsey records "Green Eyes," with vocals from Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly.

1937-R&B singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry, known for the 1961 hit "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do," is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1930-Jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman is born in Fort Worth, Texas. Date of birth sometimes listed as March 9.

1926-Jazz singer Bill Henderson is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1921-Tommy Cooper is born in Caerphilly, Wales.

New Orleans Plays Jazz To Appease Serial Killer
1919
Jazz music plays throughout New Orleans after a serial killer threatens to murder anyone not listening to it.

1914-Actress/singer Patricia Morison is born in New York City.

[Bikkie]

New Zealand's first recognised flag chosen
A New Zealand flag was first suggested in 1830 after Sydney customs officials seized a Hokianga-built ship.




In Music History

2020-The Weeknd releases After Hours, an album filled with the kind of anxiety and paranoia many are feeling in the early weeks of coronavirus lockdown. It goes to #1 in the United States and many other territories, and the single "Blinding Lights" becomes one of the most-streamed songs of the spring and summer.

2020-Kenny Rogers dies at 81.

2017-Rihanna begins her stint as Marion Crane on Bates Motel, a role originated by Janet Leigh as the infamous shower-stabbing victim in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Psycho.

2016-Trisha Yearwood stars as Mary in the Palm Sunday broadcast of the Fox live musical The Passion, the story of Jesus Christ's last hours on Earth.

2015-Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero dies of an apparent heart attack in New York at age 55.

Glee Ends Six-Season Run
2015-The series finale of Glee, titled "Dreams Come True," airs on FOX. During its six-year run, the influential musical drama made old music new again with a stream of hit covers... and broke records from Elvis Presley and The Beatles along the way.

2010-Three days after their lead singer Alex Chilton died of a heart attack, Big Star play the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, with a number of guests joining to pay tribute to Chilton.

2009-Blues guitarist/singer Mel Brown dies of complications from emphysema at age 69.

2009-The quirky garden store Fountains Of Wayne, which provided the moniker for the band of that name, closes shop after more than 40 years in business. The Wayne, New Jersey, landmark was a Christmas hotspot, as giant santas and holiday displays appeared every season. It was also the backdrop for some scenes from the HBO series The Sopranos.

2008-At the O2 Arena in London, the Eagles launch their world tour in support of their album Long Road Out of Eden.

2008-Rolling Stone magazine endorses Barack Obama by putting him on the first of three 2008 covers.

2006-The song "Thank You For Being A Friend" is played at Leeds Crown Court when John Humble pleads guilty to perpetrating the Wearside Jack hoax (he pretended to be the Yorkshire Ripper serial killer).

2004-Quincy Jones receives an honorary doctorate in Music from The University of Washington.

2003-On the day the Iraq war begins, Bruce Springsteen opens his Melbourne, Australia, show with a quiet, acoustic version of his hit "Born In The U.S.A." and follows it, pointedly, with a cover of Edwin Starr's "War."

2000-Gene "Eugene" Andrusco (of Adam Again, Lost Dogs, The Swirling Eddies) dies of a brain aneurysm at age 30.

2000-American composer Vivian Fine dies at age 86.

1997-Yanni becomes the first Western artist to play a concert at the Taj Mahal when he performs the first of three shows at the monument. Before a financial settlement is reached, farmers displaced by the spectacle threaten to immolate themselves in protest.

1994-Madonna snags her third Razzie for Worst Actress at the 14th Golden Raspberry Awards. Her first came in 1987 for Shanghai Surprise, and the second followed in 1988 for Who's That Girl. This time around, it's her role as Rebecca Carlson in Body Of Evidence that underwhelms the judges.

1993-Two children are killed in an Irish Republican Army bombing in Warrington, England, inspiring the Cranberries song "Zombie."

1993-Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," peaks at #2 on the Hot 100, where it stays for one week.

1993-Reggae rules as "Oh Carolina" by Shaggy hits #1 in the UK while Snow's "Informer" holds the top spot in America. It's the first #1 for both artists - Snow is Canadian; Shaggy is Jamaican-American.

1991-Michael Jackson signs the largest contract renewal in history to the time, inking a $65 million deal with Sony.

1991-Eric Clapton's 4-year-old son, Conor, dies after falling out of a window at his mother's apartment. Clapton later writes "Tears In Heaven" about Conor.

1990-Eric Clapton plays three songs on Saturday Night Live: "Pretending," "No Alibis" and "Wonderful Tonight."

1990-Sinead O'Connor releases her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. The single "Nothing Compares 2 U," written by Prince, propels her to stardom.

Gloria Estefan Injured in Bus Accident
1990-Near Scranton and heading for a show in Syracuse, Miami Sound Machine's tour bus is hit by a tractor trailer on a snowy highway. Gloria Estefan suffers a serious spinal injury requiring four hours of surgery.

1989-After 37 years on the air, Dick Clark announces he will discontinue hosting his creation, ABC-TV's highly influential American Bandstand. The show continues with another host, but folds for good soon after.

1988-Canadian jazz pianist Gil Evans, who often worked with Miles Davis, dies of peritonitis at age 75.

1987-Poison frontman Bret Michaels collapses after their set at Madison Square Garden, where they're opening for Ratt. After waking up in the hospital, Michaels reveals that he's diabetic and the collapse was caused by insulin shock.

1986-Country singer Kathy Mattea releases her third album, Walk The Way The Wind Blows, featuring her breakthrough single - a cover of Nanci Griffith's "Love At The Five And Dime." It peaks at #3 on the country chart.

1984-Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats marries actress Britt Ekland.

1982-The duo Buckner & Garcia appear on American Bandstand to perform their hit single "Pac-Man Fever," the first successful song about a video game.

1982-Nick Wheeler (lead guitarist for The All-American Rejects) is born in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

1980-At Asylum Records in New York, 28-year-old Joseph Riviera holds employees at gunpoint, demanding to talk to either Jackson Browne or one of the Eagles. When informed that they lived in California, Riviera pockets his pistol and leaves the building, later surrendering to police.

1976-Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington is born in Phoenix, Arizona. Known for writing songs about inner turmoil and singing them with blistering ferocity, he helps the band build a huge and fiercely loyal fanbase. Bennington, though, struggles with depression and substance abuse and dies by suicide in 2017 at 41.

1976-Alice Cooper gets married for the first (and only) time. His bride is Sheryl Goddard, a 19-year-old dance instructor who performed on his Welcome To My Nightmare tour.

1975-Patti Smith and Television begin a 7-week residency at CBGB in New York City. During these shows, Smith refines the songs that later appear on her debut album Horses.

1972-Ringo Starr records "Back Off Boogaloo."

1971-Nearly six months after her death, Janis Joplin's "Me And Bobby McGee" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks. It is her only Top 10 hit.

1971-Elvis Presley records "I'm Leavin'," "We Can Make The Morning," "I Shall Be Released," "It's Only Love," and "I Will Be True."

1970-Elton John's "Border Song" is released, but fails to chart in the UK (it reaches #92 in the US). Nearly a year later, "Your Song" becomes his first hit.

1969-John Lennon marries Yoko Ono at the Rock of Gibraltar in Spain, which is still owned by Britain. The Beatles song "The Ballad of John and Yoko" describes their ordeal finding a location for the nuptials.

1968-Eric Clapton jams with Buffalo Springfield members Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Jim Messina and Richie Furay at the Topanga Canyon home of Stills' girlfriend. Neighbors call the cops, and all but Stills (who escapes through a window) are charged with suspicion of marijuana use. Clapton beats the rap; Young, Messina and Furay are found guilty and fined.

1965-The first Motown package tour begins in the UK with a show in North London. On the bill are The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Martha & the Vandellas.

1964-The Beatles appear for the first time on the British TV show "Ready Steady Go!," where they lip-synch "Can't Buy Me Love," "It Won't Be Long" and "You Can't Do That." The show gets its highest-ever ratings for this episode.

1961-Elvis Presley begins filming his ninth movie, Blue Hawaii, on location.

1961-Elvis Presley's "Surrender" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1959-Bobby Rydell makes his first TV appearance when he shows up on American Bandstand. He soon becomes a teen idol.

1951-Blues rocker Jimmie Vaughan (of Fabulous Thunderbirds) is born in Dallas, Texas. His younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan, is born in 1954.

ELP Drummer Carl Palmer Born
1950-Drummer Carl Palmer is born in Birmingham, England. At age 20, he gets the gig with Greg Lake and Keith Emerson, who choose him over Mitch Mitchell for their band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.More

1944-Jance Garfat (bassist for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show) is born Robert Jance Garfat in California.

1942-Rockabilly singer Robin Luke is born in Los Angeles, California.

1941-Vito Picone (lead singer of The Elegants) is born in South Beach, Staten Island, New York.

1940-"If I Had A Girl" singer Rod Lauren is born in Fresno, California.

1937-Country performer Jerry Reed is born Jerry Reed Hubbard in Atlanta, Georgia.

1937-R&B singer Joe Rivers (of Johnnie & Joe) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

1936-Lee "Scratch" Perry, a reggae musician, label boss (Upsetter) and producer, is born in Jamaica. Known for his work with Bob Marley, Perry also records with Keith Richards, Beastie Boys and George Clinton.

1922-Jazz bandleader Larry Elgart is born in New London, Connecticut. Along with his older brother, Les, he records the American Bandstand theme, "Bandstand Boogie."

1918-Jazz pianist Marian McPartland is born Margaret Marian Turner in Slough, Berkshire, England. In 1978, she becomes the host of NPR's long-running radio show Piano Jazz.

1917-Vera Lynn is born Vera Welch in East Ham, Essex, England. She becomes one of England's top entertainers during World War II, a time when she becomes an emblem of wartime spirit and national pride thanks in part to her rendition of "We'll Meet Again."

1906-Ozzie Nelson is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He starts his career as a bandleader before starring with his family, including son Rick Nelson, in the long-running radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

[Bikkie]

1678
Reward offered for identity of pamphlet author

The London Gazette offers a reward to anyone revealing the author of a pamphlet called An Account of the Growth of Popery. The pamphlet, it was later revealed, had been published anonymously by Andrew Marvell in 1677. Although today Marvell is best remembered as the gifted metaphysical poet who composed witty works. l

1871
Journalist begins search for Dr. Livingstone

Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his famous search through Africa for the missing British explorer Dr. David Livingstone. In the late 19th century, Europeans and Americans were fascinated by the continent of Africa. Few did more to increase Africa’s fame than Livingstone, one of the United Kingdom’s most famous explorers.




1804
Napoleonic Code approved in France

After four years of debate and planning, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte enacts a new legal framework for France, known as the “Napoleonic Code.” The civil code gave post-revolutionary France its first coherent set of laws concerning property, colonial affairs, the family and individual rights.




In Music History
2015-Jackie Trent dies at age 74. She was married to Tony Hatch, with whom she wrote the theme song to the Australian TV show Neighbours and the Petula Clark hit "Don't Sleep In The Subway."

2014-Shakira releases her 10th studio album, Shakira, featuring guest vocalist Rihanna on the lead single, "Can't Remember To Forget You."

2013-John Mayer becomes the first big-name celebrity to host a hangout on Google+, Google's social network competitor to Facebook. Google+ never catches on and is discontinued in 2019.

2012-The Wanted become the first UK boy band to land a Top 5 hit in the US when "Glad You Came" peaks at #3. The single got a boost after it was covered on Glee in February.

2011-Blues musician Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins dies at age 97.

2011-Singer Loleatta Holloway, whose track "Love Sensation" was sampled on Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's "Good Vibrations" and several other songs, dies of heart failure at age 64.

2009-The movie Northern Lights, starring LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian, debuts on Lifetime as rumors of the stars' extramarital affair are swirling in the press. They end up divorcing their spouses and marrying each other.

2008-Klaus Dinger of Kraftwerk and Neu! dies of heart failure at age 61.

2008-Beach Boys founding members Mike Love and Al Jardine settle a lawsuit Love filed in 2003, claiming Jardine was touring under variations of the group name, to which Love owns the rights. The settlement leads to a reunion of the group in 2012 for their 50th anniversary.

2006-Six years after filing suit, the family of African musician Solomon Linda, who wrote and recorded the original version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," reach an agreement with the song's publisher, giving them some royalties. Linda, who died in 1962, signed away rights to the song in 1952.

2005-The final episode of The Osbournes airs on MTV, capping a four-season run.

2004-Motown producer Johnny Bristol dies at age 65.

2003-Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry divorces his first wife, model Lucy Helmore, after 21 years, on grounds of adultery.

2000-"Newgrass" trio Nickel Creek release their breakthrough self-titled album, produced by bluegrass star Alison Krauss. The group earns two Grammy nominations: Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental for "Ode to a Butterfly."

2000-Soul Coughing disbands after eight years and three albums.

'N Sync Surpasses Backstreet Boys
2000-With the release of their third album, No Strings Attached, 'N Sync smashes the Backstreet Boys' record for first-week sales with 2.4 million copies sold - almost double the amount BSB garnered with their 1999 album, Millennium. 'N Sync's record holds for 15 years until Adele pushes more than 3 million units of 25.

1999- Blur's sixth LP, "13," topped the UK chart, marking the band's fourth consecutive No.1 album.

1997-The movie Selena debuts in theaters, chronicling the life of the late Tejano singer, who was murdered two years earlier by the former president of her fan club. Jennifer Lopez is lauded for her breakout performance in the title role, which inspires her to pursue a singing career of her own.

1994-Bruce Springsteen wins an Oscar for the song "Streets of Philadelphia" from the Tom Hanks movie Philadelphia.

1991-Leo Fender, founder of Fender Musical Instruments, dies at age 81 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

1990-The sitcom Sydney premieres on CBS, starring Valerie Bertinelli and a pre-Friends Matthew Perry. Bertinelli's husband Eddie Van Halen provides the theme song: "Finish What Ya Started."

1990-Tony Orlando is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6385 Hollywood Boulevard.

1988-Lynyrd Skynyrd release Southern by the Grace of God, their second live album. It features music recorded in 1987 in what was supposed to be a one-time touring tribute to band members who died in a 1977 plane wreck that seemingly ended the band. Four years later, an updated Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup records new material and begins touring again regularly.

1987- U2's album "The Joshua Tree" became the UK's fastest-selling album ever, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide.

1987-Club Nouveau's poppy cover of the Bill Withers song "Lean On Me" hits #1 on the Hot 100. The original hit the top spot in 1972.

1987-Dean Martin's son Dean Paul Martin (of Dino, Desi & Billy) dies in a plane crash in California's San Bernardino Mountains at the age of 35 while serving in the Air National Guard.

Man In Motion Tour Inspires A #1 Hit
1985-In Vancouver, the Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen begins his "Man In Motion" tour to raise money for spinal cord research. Inspired by his quest, fellow Canadian David Foster works with John Parr to write a tribute song to Hansen for the film St. Elmo's Fire.

1983- Pink Floyd released in the UK, their twelfth studio album "The Final Cut," which peaked at No.1 in seven countries.

1982-Little Johnny Jones, with Donny Osmond in the lead role, opens on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre and closes after just one heavily panned performance. Osmond's career withers, but is revived in 1989 with the hit "Soldier Of Love" and in 1992 with a six-year run starring in the touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

1981- REO Speedwagon scored their first US Billboard Hot 100 number one single with "Keep on Loving You."

1980-Deryck Whibley (frontman for Sum 41) is born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.

1978-Carole King's third husband, Rick Evers, dies of a drug overdose after working on Carole's album Welcome Home, which was released two months later. Evers had co-writing credits on three songs from the album and appears on the cover with King.

1977-Iggy Pop plays The Agora in Cleveland with David Bowie guesting on keyboards. Members of the Ohio band Devo leave a demo tape for Pop, who loves it and passes it along to Bowie, leading to a record deal for the band, who make their first album the following year with Brian Eno producing.

1976-The French actress Claudine Longet, ex-wife of Andy Williams, shoots her live-in lover, the famed skier Spider Sabich, at his home in Aspen, Colorado. The shooting is ruled an accident, and Longet is sentenced to 30 days in jail for criminal negligence. Her case inspires the Rolling Stones song "Claudine."

1976-After playing a show in Rochester, New York, David Bowie is arrested on charges of marijuana possession when police raid his hotel room. Iggy Pop and two others are also arrested. His hearing takes place on April 20 (4/20!), and the charges are dropped.

1970-Faces release First Step.

1968-Andrew Copeland (rhythm guitarist for Sister Hazel) is born in Gainesville, Florida.

1967-Keith "Maxim" Palmer (of The Prodigy) is born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England.

1967-Jonas Berggren (of Ace Of Base) is born in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1967-John Lennon takes his first major LSD trip and freaks out while recording backing vocals on the track "Getting Better." Producer George Martin, not realizing the effects of the drug, takes Lennon to the roof of Abbey Road Studios to get some fresh air. Paul McCartney and George Harrison, upon learning where John is, rush up to get him down. The group works on a piano track for "Lovely Rita" instead.

1966-The Beach Boys release "Sloop John B," a traditional tune from the West Indies.

1964-With Beatlemania rising, The Beatles land their second #1 hit in America with "She Loves You" supplanting their first chart-topper, "I Want To Hold Your Hand."

1964-Judy Collins is catapulted into stardom after a momentous appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall.

1964-Dean Martin leaves his handprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

1963-Barbra Streisand marries her first husband, actor Elliott Gould, whom she'd met while both were performing in the Broadway hit I Can Get It for You Wholesale.

1961-Slim Jim Phantom (drummer for Stray Cats) is born James McDonnell in Brooklyn, New York.

1961-Elvis Presley records "Hawaiian Sunset," "Ku-u-i-po," "No More," and "Slicin' Sand."

1960-Elvis Presley records "Stuck On You," "Fame And Fortune," "A Mess Of Blues," and "It Feels So Right."

1957-Sean Dickson (lead singer for The Soup Dragons) is born in Scotland.

1956-The movie Rock Around The Clock, about a concert promoter (played by DJ Alan Freed) who brings Rock and Roll to the masses, opens in theaters. The film stars Bill Haley and His Comets and is named after their hit song. It is one of the first movies based on rock music and aimed at teenagers.

1953-Robert Johnson (drummer for KC & The Sunshine Band) is born.

1953-Patti Page's "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" hits #1 in America. A version by Lita Roza later tops the chart in the UK.

The First Rock Concert
1952-Cleveland stakes a claim on rock history when the Moondog Coronation Ball is held at the Cleveland Arena. Organized by the WJW DJ Alan Freed ("Moondog" on the air), it is widely considered the first rock concert. It may also be one of the shortest, as it is shut down after one song.

1951-Conrad Lozano (bass player for Los Lobos) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1951-Soul singer Russell Thompkins, Jr. (of The Stylistics) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1950-Roger Hodgson of Supertramp is born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. He writes and sings many of their hits, including "The Logical Song" and "Dreamer," but in 1983 he leaves the group after a falling out with Rick Davies and never returns.

1949-Eddie Money is born Joseph Mahoney in Brooklyn, New York.

1946-Ray Dorset (frontman for Mungo Jerry) is born in Ashford, Middlesex, England.

1945-Rose Stone (singer, keyboardist for Sly & the Family Stone) is born Rosemary Stewart in Dallas, Texas.

1943-Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band is born in Oxford, England.

1941-Record producer/songwriter John Boylan is born in New York City. He manages Linda Ronstadt and co-produces Boston's first album.

1940-Solomon Burke is born James Solomon McDonald in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1939-Kate Smith records "God Bless America."

1930-Chicago blues pianist Otis Spann is born in Mississippi.

1923-Composer Mort Lindsey, longtime bandleader for The Merv Griffin Show, is born Morton Lippman in Newark, New Jersey.

1919-Music executive Lew Bedell, also known by the pseudonym Billy Joe Hunter, is born in El Paso, Texas. He establishes Doré Records, later known as Era Records, in 1958. The label's first hit is the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him."

1918-Jazz pianist Charles Thompson is born in Springfield, Ohio.

1902-Son House is born Eddie James House Jr. in Lyon, Mississippi.

1839-Composer Modest Mussorgsky is born in Russia.

[Bikkie]

1902
George von Zedlitz arrives in Wellington
Victoria College’s first professor of modern languages joined the fledgling institution’s four foundation professors.



In Music History

Drake and Kendrick Lamar Beef Escalates Into Epic Feud
2024-Kendrick Lamar disses Drake in the song "Like That," igniting a high-profile feud that gets ugly. Lamar wins the popular vote in this rap battle when his diss track "Not Like Us" goes to #1.More

2019-Scott Walker dies at 76. In the UK, he became a pop star in the '60s, but turned to more experimental music in ensuing years.

2017-Original Boston drummer Sib Hashian, who played on their first two albums, dies at age 67 after collapsing during the Legends of Rock Cruise.

2016-After years of health problems and a battle with diabetes, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest dies at age 45.

2013-My Chemical Romance announce their breakup after 12 years as a band. They return to action in 2019.

2013-Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy releases his debut EP, God Loves You When You're Dancing.

2009-Folk music historian Archie Green dies at age 91.

2006-Aerosmith cancels the rest of their Rockin' The Joint tour so lead singer Steven Tyler can have throat surgery to treat strained vocal chords.

2006-Cuban singer Pío Leyva (of Buena Vista Social Club) dies of a heart attack at age 88.

2005-Rod Price (guitarist for Foghat) dies after suffering a heart attack and falling down a flight of stairs at his home.

2003-Britney Spears' girl-power flick Crossroads earns eight nominations at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards, and two wins: Worst Original Song for "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" and Worst Actress for Spears, an honor she shares with Razzie darling Madonna for Swept Away (named Worst Picture). The Material Girl, who has been a regular contender - and five-time Worst Actress winner - since her 1986 win for Shanghai Surprise, earns two more awards. She shares Worst Screen Couple with Adriano Giannini for Swept Away and garners Worst Supporting Actress as Verity in Die Another Day.

2001-Earl Beal of The Silhouettes dies at age 71.

1997- Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton's musical 'Sunset Boulevard' closed at Minskoff, NYC, after 977 performances and 7 Tony Awards.

1997-"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" by Puff Daddy goes to #1, the first of four chart-toppers in 1997 from his Bad Boy label. The others are "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G., and "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff, his tribute to B.I.G., who died on March 9, 1997.

1996-Don Murray (drummer for The Turtles) dies of complications from ulcer surgery at age 50.

1994-Pantera release Far Beyond Driven, one of the few heavy metal albums to reach #1 in America.

1994-Dan Hartman dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at age 43.

1994-Dan Hartman dies of an AIDS-related brain tumor at age 43.

1991-Dave Guard of The Kingston Trio dies of lymphoma at age 56.

Anthrax Release Among The Living
1987-Anthrax release their third album, Among the Living. The cover shows an image of Henry Kane, a character in the film Poltergeist II: The Other Side, which the band finds terrifying.

1986-Heart's "These Dreams" hits #1 in the US. The lyric is written by Elton John's songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin.

1986-Amy Studt is born in Hammersmith, London, England.

1986-Mark Dinning, known for the 1960 hit "Teen Angel," dies of a heart attack at age 52.

1985-Alcatrazz's only studio album with Steve Vai, Disturbing the Peace, is released. Produced by Eddie Kramer, the album's lead-off track, "God Blessed Video," attracts a whole new audience years later when it's included on the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

1982-Iron Maiden release The Number Of The Beast, their third album and first with lead singer Bruce Dickinson. It goes to #1 in their native UK and also makes an impact in America, where it sells over a million copies.

1981-After a U2 show at the Foghorn Tavern in Portland, Oregon, Bono leaves a briefcase behind with notes, lyrics and concepts for their second album, October. He's forced to come up with new ideas and lyrics on the fly, and the album suffers. The contents of the briefcase are finally returned to him in 2004 after they're recovered from a garage in Tacoma, Washington.

Pink Floyd Has A Hit Single
1980-Pink Floyd tops the Hot 100 with "Another Brick In The Wall (part II)," which stays a total of four weeks. It's a rare hit single for the band, whose only other Top 40 appearance is "Money," which hit #13 in 1973.

1979-Chaka Khan gives birth to her son, Damien Milton Patrick Holland.

The Rutles Parody The Beatles In Mockumentary
1978-A Beatles parody special called The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, airs on ABC. The special stars various members of the Monty Python troupe.

1977-The John Denver TV special Thank God, I'm A Country Boy airs on ABC.

1976-While campaigning for US President, Jimmy Carter tells NARM (The National Association of Record Merchandisers) that he listened to Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, and Led Zeppelin while Governor of Georgia.

1975-Barry Manilow appears on American Bandstand, performing "Mandy" and "It's A Miracle." It would be his first appearance on US TV.

1975-Frankie Valli's unrequited love ballad "My Eyes Adored You" hits #1 in the US.

1975-Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti album hits #1, where it will stay for six weeks.

1974-Catch My Soul, an updated version of Shakespeare's Othello for the hippie generation, premieres in New York City with Richie Havens in the lead role. Tony Joe White and Delaney & Bonnie also star.

1974-Ten Years After play their final gig, seven years after their first one.

1974-The Eagles release On The Border.

1971-John Lennon releases "Power to the People" in the US.

1969-Two days after their wedding in Gibraltar, John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their "Bed-in," inviting members of the media into their Amsterdam hotel room where they are promoting peace with songs, signs and dialogue. These events are outlined in the song "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

1967-Elvis Presley releases Easy Come, Easy Go.

1967-The Who make their US stage debut, performing at the Paramount Theater in New York City.

1965-Bob Dylan releases his fifth album, Bringing It All Back Home.

1963-In the UK, The Beatles release their debut studio album, Please Please Me. It goes to #1 a few months later; in early 1964, they conquer America.

1962-Nineteen-year-old Barbra Streisand makes her Broadway debut, starring in the play I Can Get It For You Wholesale.

1962- The Shadows started an eight-week stint at No.1 in the UK with their instrumental 'Wonderful Land'.

1961-Elvis Presley records "Blue Hawaii," "Ito Eats," "Hawaiian Wedding Song," "Island Of Love," "Steppin' Out Of Line," and "Almost Always True."

1957-R&B singer Stephanie Mills is born in New York City. Her first hit is "Home," from the Broadway musical The Wiz. Mills plays Dorothy in the show's original run from 1975-1977.

1956-Mr. Wonderful opens on Broadway. Its star Sammy Davis, Jr. will soon become a top entertainer and member of the Rat Pack.

1956-Carl Perkins is injured in a car accident near Dover, Delaware, on his way to perform on NBC-TV's Perry Como Show. This stymies promotion for his single "Blue Suede Shoes," but the song still reaches #2 in May.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Is Born
1948-Andrew Lloyd Webber is born in Kensington, London, England.

1948-Randy Jo Hobbs (bassist for The McCoys) is born in Winchester, Indiana.

1947-Patrick Olive (percussionist, bassist for Hot Chocolate) is born in Grenada.

1946-Harry Vanda (lead guitarist for The Easybeats) is born Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg in Voorburg, Netherlands.

1944-Tony McPhee (guitarist for The Groundhogs) is born in Humberston, Lincolnshire, England.

1943-Keith Relf (lead vocalist for The Yardbirds) is born in Richmond, Surrey, England.

1943-George Benson is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known as a jazz guitarist, he's also a singer, and in the '80s he has a string of yacht rock hits that includes "Give Me The Night" and "Turn Your Love Around."

1941-Jeremy Clyde of Chad & Jeremy is born in Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England.

1939- Bing Crosby recorded his version of Irving Berlin's patriotic song 'God Bless America' during World War I.

1937-Country/pop singer Johnny Ferguson is born in Nashville, Tennessee.

1936-Roger Whittaker is born in Nairobi, British Kenya.

1932-Blues musician Juke Boy Bonner is born Weldon H. Philip Bonner in Bellville, Texas.

1930-Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim is born in New York City. He wins an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Madonna's "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)," written for the 1990 film Dick Tracy.

1916-Bernard Weissman, the future George Wyle, is born in New York City. Among his compositions: the Gilligan's Island theme song.

[Bikkie]

1848
Scottish settlers arrive in Otago
Otago celebrates the arrival of the immigrant ship John Wickliffe as the founding day of the province.





In Music History

2023 – Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel’s musical Bad Cinderella opened at the Imperial Theatre in New York City.

2008-The Jonas Brothers sing the national anthem at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.

2004-Usher releases his fourth album, Confessions, which goes on to sell over 10 million copies in America. The lead single, "Yeah!," is already three weeks into a 12-week run at #1.

2002-In Houston, Texas, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top marries Charleen McCrory. He looks sharp, but we can't tell if there's a black tie under that beard.

2002-At the 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards, Mariah Carey takes home her first Razzie as Worst Actress for her starring role in Glitter. The film earns a total of six nominations, including one for Mariah's cleavage as Worst Couple.

2002-At the 75th Academy Awards, Eminem becomes the first rapper to take home an Oscar when "Lose Yourself," from his semi-biographical film 8 Mile, wins Best Original Song. Eminem doesn't bother to attend the ceremony, thinking he has no chance of winning, so his friend and producer Luis Resto accepts the honor in his absence.



Bluegrass Craze Takes Hold As 'O Brother' Soundtrack Hits #1
2002-The O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, featuring a popular revival of the mountain ballad "Man of Constant Sorrow," takes bluegrass to #1 in America.

2000-60-year-old Tina Turner launches her Twenty Four Seven tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis. It takes in $80 million, making it the top-grossing tour of 2000.

1993-Depeche Mode release Songs of Faith and Devotion in America, where it goes to #1 despite charting no singles higher than "I Feel You," which tops out at #37.

1992-Billy Ray Cyrus releases "Achy Breaky Heart." It becomes his signature song and starts a line-dancing craze throughout the US.

retty Woman Hits Theaters
1990-The romantic comedy Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, debuts in US theaters. Named for Roy Orbison's classic tune, it also boasts an impressive soundtrack, including the #1 hit "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette.

1988-Mick Jagger performs his first solo gig in Japan, 15 years after having been barred from entering the country due to prior drug convictions.

1987-Whitesnake releases "Is This Love" in the UK.

1985 – John Fogerty topped the US Billboard 200 with Centerfield, and Philip Bailey and Phil Collins’ "Easy Lover" reached No.1 in the UK and charted internationally.

1985-Billy Joel marries the "Uptown Girl" Christie Brinkley. They remain married for nine years.

1983-ZZ Top release their album Eliminator, which features Billy Gibbons' custom hot rod on the cover. Thanks to videos for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" featuring the car and various babes, they become unlikely MTV stars, earning a new generation of fans.More

1980-Reggae musician Jacob Miller (of Inner Circle) dies in a car accident in Jamaica at age 27.

1980-U2 sign a worldwide deal with Island Records. They get about $100,000 for their first album.

1979-Van Halen release their second album, Van Halen II, setting a furious pace that finds them issuing an album a year from 1978-1982. The album includes the concert favorites "Dance the Night Away" and "Somebody Get Me a Doctor."

1978-A&M Records sign a new, young band called The Police.

1974-Hall & Oates' "She's Gone" peaks at #60 on the Hot 100. Later that year, a version by Tavares hits #50, and in 1976, the original goes to #7 when it is re-released. The duo were each dealing with girl problems when they wrote the song together.

1974 – Cher scored her third solo US No.1 single with "Dark Lady".

1972-The film version of George Harrison's Concert For Bangladesh is released in America, helping raise additional money for aid that goes to UNICEF.

1972 – The documentary The Concert for Bangladesh premiered, showcasing benefit concerts organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to aid war refugees, featuring Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr.

1969-Countering the counter-culture, about 30,000 people attend the "Rally For Decency" in Miami after Jim Morrison was charged with indecent exposure in the city. Celebrities at the event included Kate Smith, Jackie Gleason, The Lettermen and Anita Bryant.

1968-Blur frontman Damon Albarn is born in London. The group helps define Britpop in the '90s with songs like "Parklife" and "Song 2," but in the '00s he becomes better known as the main voice and musical architect of Gorillaz, the most popular virtual band ever assembled.

1965-Marti Pellow (lead singer of Wet Wet Wet) is born Mark McLachlan in Clydebank, Scotland.

1964-John Lennon's book In His Own Write is published.

1963-Dion DiMucci marries Sue Butterfield two years after releasing his hit "Runaround Sue." His bride has nothing to do with the song, but often tells people she is so they will remember her. Their marriage lasts a lifetime.

1963 – Ruby & the Romantics reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with "Our Day Will Come".

1961 – Elvis Presley began a six-week run at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with "Wooden Heart" and recorded "Can’t Help Falling In Love," which later became a UK chart-topper.

1960-Elvis Presley releases "Stuck On You" b/w "Fame And Fortune."

1959-Ray Peterson records "The Wonder Of You."

1959-Kevin Godfrey is born in Surrey, England. Taking the name "Epic Soundtracks," he forms the group Swell Maps and plays drums in Crime & the City Solution and These Immortal Souls.

1959-Bobby Darin's first full-length album, That's All, is released. Among the tracks is "Mack The Knife," a song about a cold-blooded murderer popularized in the play The Threepenny Opera. Considered just an album cut at first, in August the song is released as a single, and it transforms Darin's career, going to #1 for nine weeks and making him one of the most popular entertainers in America.

1956-Eleven teens are arrested at the "Rock & Roll Stage Show," featuring Frankie Lymon in Hartford, Connecticut.

1956-Fats Domino headlines the first day of a 3-day concert organized by the DJ Alan Freed in Hartford, Connecticut. Over the course of the shows, 11 fans are arrested by over-zealous police. It's a litmus test for rock concerts and their effect on young people, as psychiatrist Francis Braceland testifies afterwards that rock music is "a communicable disease with music appealing to adolescent insecurity and driving teenagers to do outlandish things. It is cannibalistic and tribalistic."

1956 – Elvis Presley released his self-titled debut album on RCA Victor, featuring the hit "Blue Suede Shoes." This album became the first rock and roll record to reach No.1 on the US album charts and sold over a million copies, later issued in the UK as Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1959, peaking at No.4.

1953-Chaka Khan (of Rufus) is born Yvette Marie Stevens in Chicago, Illinois.

1951-Contemporary Christian musician Phil Keaggy is born in Youngstown, Ohio.

1950-Phil Lanzon (keyboardist for Uriah Heep) is born in England.

1944-Ric Ocasek of The Cars is born in Baltimore, Maryland. His date of birth is often reported at March 23, 1949 because that's what he often claimed, but records show he was actually born five years earlier.

1743-George Frideric Handel's "Messiah" has its London premiere at the Covent Garden Theatre. It is not well received as the press feels that the work's subject matter is too exalted to be performed in a theatre, particularly by secular singer-actresses such as Susanna Cibber and Kitty Clive.

[Bikkie]

1770
Kidnapped Ngāti Kahu chief Ranginui dies on French ship
Ranginui was a Ngāti Kahu chief from Doubtless Bay who was kidnapped by the French explorer Jean François Marie de Surville.

American balloonist Leila Adair
1894
'Aerial Queen' crash-lands in Hamilton East
‘One of the most courageous feats ever performed in Waikato’ almost ended in tragedy when Leila Adair’s hot-air balloon burst several hundred feet above Hamilton East.



1989
RainbowYOUTH formed
RainbowYOUTH was conceived at a Gay and Lesbian Conference held in Auckland on 24 March 1989



In Music History

2020-Producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland face off in the first Verzuz battle, where songwriters, producers and artists take turns performing their hits and are judged by an online audience. The series quickly becomes very popular, regularly drawing virtual audiences in the six figures. Popular battles include Gladys Knight vs Patti LaBelle, Teddy Riley vs Babyface, and Erykah Badu vs Jill Scott.

2010-Rock photographer Jim Marshall dies at age 74.

2009-Prince launches Lotusflow3r.com, which for $77 subscriptions, offers access to his videos and music. It shuts down after a year.

2009-Motown drummer Uriel Jones dies at age 74.

2008-Britney Spears makes the first of two appearances on How I Met Your Mother, playing a receptionist smitten with Josh Radnor's character, Ted.

2007-Country singer Henson Cargill, known for the 1968 hit "Skip A Rope," dies during surgery at age 66.

Hannah Montana Debuts on Disney
2006-Hannah Montana, starring Miley Cyrus as a middle school student who is secretly a pop star, debuts on Disney Channel. Cyrus, 13 years old and best known as the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, becomes a pop star in real life when the show becomes a huge hit and spawns a #1 soundtrack.More

2005-After Carrie Underwood performs "Alone" on American Idol, Simon Cowell, by far the harshest critic on the panel, predicts she will win the competition and sell more records than any previous Idol winner. He's right: She becomes the first country singer to win and ends up surpassing Kelly Clarkson as the best-selling alum of the show.

2001-After being dubbed Worst Actress of the Century a year earlier, Madonna lands her fifth Razzie for Worst Actress, for her role as Abbie Reynolds in The Next Best Thing, at the 21st Golden Raspberry Awards.

2001-John Connolly of Sevendust marries Lori Kirkley.

2001-"Duane Allman Boulevard" is dedicated in Macon, Georgia, near where he died in a motorcycle crash.

2000-MTV debuts the reality series Making the Band, with the first season spawning the boy band O-Town. Lou Pearlman, the creator of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, manages the group.

2000-Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes get divorced three months before releasing their second album, De Stijl. Despite the split, their musical partnership continues until 2011.

1997-Philadelphia soul singer Harold Melvin (of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes) dies at age 57, months after suffering a debilitating stroke.

1992-A Tribe Called Quest release "Scenario," with a guest verse by little-known 19-year-old rapper Busta Rhymes.

1992-Arrested Development release their debut album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of... It sells four million copies thanks to the hits "Tennessee," "People Everyday" and "Mr. Wendal."

1990- Sinead O'Connor's only No.1 UK album, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," was released.

1986- Van Halen scored their first No.1 album on the Billboard 200 with "5150".

1986-At the 58th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Lionel Richie wins the Oscar for Best Original Song for his track "Say You, Say Me" from the film White Nights. The song topped three different Billboard charts but didn't appear on the soundtrack album for the movie. It was finally released on Lionel's 1986 album, Dancing on the Ceiling.

1986-"No One Is To Blame" by Howard Jones is released in the US. It goes on to become Jones' biggest-selling single in the US, peaking at #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart and #4 on the Hot 100.

1986-The Rolling Stones release their album Dirty Work. The first single is a cover of the soul classic "Harlem Shuffle."

1984-Toby Keith marries Tricia Lucus. The country star first laid eyes on his future wife at an Oklahoma nightclub in 1981.

1979-Disco is still going strong as the Bee Gees' "Tragedy" hits #1 in the US.

1975-Paul McCartney throws a party on the Queen Mary to celebrate the release of the Wings album Venus And Mars. Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell are among the guests; their conversation about painting leads to Dylan's song "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)" and Mitchell's "Paprika Plains."

1975-Rush are named Most Promising Group at the Juno Awards. They fulfill that promise, winning Group Of The Year in 1978 and 1979.

1975-Lynyrd Skynyrd follow up Second Helping with their third album, Nuthin' Fancy.

1974-Chad Butler (drummer for Switchfoot) is born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1973- The Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman was electrocuted on stage during a show in Odense, Denmark.

1973-A fan shouting "Leather!" jumps on stage and bites Lou Reed in the butt during a concert in Buffalo. The fan is ejected and Reed is left with a sore posterior.

1973-With Soul Train gaining in popularity, Dick Clark Productions airs a competing show called Soul Unlimited, which lasts just one episode as it caves to pressure from black leaders. Gladys Knight and Rufus Thomas are the guests.

The Godfather Leads To New Honorific
1972-The Godfather opens in theaters. Musically significant because the character Johnny Fontane is supposedly based on Frank Sinatra, and because "Godfather of..." becomes a common musical honorific.

1970-Sharon Corr (of The Corrs) is born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.

1970-P.A. Pasemaster Mase (of De La Soul) is born Vincent Lamont Mason Jr. in Brooklyn, New York.

1966- Simon and Garfunkel debuted on the UK singles chart with "Homeward Bound".

1965-Bobby Darin, Harry Belafonte, and Peter, Paul & Mary take part in a protest against voter discrimination in Montgomery, Alabama.

1965-Freddie & the Dreamers release "Do The Freddie."

1964-Steve "Zetro" Souza (of Exodus) is born in the US.

1962-Mick Jagger and Keith Richards perform their first paid gig when they appear as Little Boy Blue & the Blue Boys at a club in Ealing, England.

1960-Nena is born in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany.

1958-Perry Como appears on the cover of Newsweek magazine in a story about his variety show, The Perry Como Show.

Elvis Presley Enters The Army
1958-Elvis Presley goes to the Memphis Draft Board and enters the United States Army.

1956-Billboard makes their periodic albums chart a weekly feature, with Belafonte by Harry Belafonte. at #1 The chart lists anywhere from 15-30 spots, but is gradually expanded, and in 1967 it grows to 200. The chart goes through several name changes before settling on The Billboard 200 in 1992.

1951-Dougie Thomson (bassist for Supertramp) is born in Glasgow, Scotland.

1949-Nick Lowe is born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England.

1948-Lee Oskar (harmonica player for War) is born in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1947-Mike Kellie (drummer for Spooky Tooth) is born in Birmingham, England.

1946-Colin Petersen (drummer for The Bee Gees) is born in Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia.

1945-Billboard publishes its first albums chart, with just 10 positions. The first #1 is Nat King Cole's A Collection Of Favorites. The chart is published irregularly until 1956, when it becomes a weekly feature.

1945- Nat King Cole topped the Billboard albums chart with "The King Cole Trio".

1937-Soul musician Billy Stewart is born in Washington, D.C.

1922-Dave Appell (leader of The Applejacks) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1916-After a German U-boat torpedoes the SS Sussex, a passenger ferry crossing the English Channel, Spanish composer Enrique Granados drowns while attempting to rescue his wife.

1912-Novelty singer Nervous Norvus (Jim Drake) is born in Memphis. He has a hit with "Transfusion" in 1956.

1786-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491. Beethoven hears the work in rehearsal and remarks in admiration to a colleague that "[we] shall never be able to do anything like that."

1721-Johann Sebastian Bach dedicates his Brandenburg Concertos to Christian Ludwig, the margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Bach wrote the pieces for the margrave to gain extra support for his work.

[Bikkie]

1847
Wakefield and Featherston duel
Isaac Featherston, editor of the Wellington Independent, had in effect accused William Wakefield, the New Zealand Company's principal agent, of being a thief. Neither man was hurt in the duel.

John A. Lee lost his left forearm in the First World War
1940
John A. Lee expelled from Labour Party
A charismatic ex-soldier, orator and writer, John A. Lee had been active in the New Zealand Labour Party since shortly after the First World War.


2020
New Zealand enters nationwide lockdown in fight against COVID-19
At 11.59 p.m. on Wednesday 25 March 2020, New Zealand entered a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus around the country.


In Music History

2022-Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, 50, dies in Bogotá, Colombia, while on tour with the band.

2020-It's the 15,561st day since Elvis Presley died, the exact number of days he lived, making him now dead longer than he was alive.

2018-Founding member Steven Page, who left the Barenaked Ladies nine years earlier, performs with the band at the Juno Awards, where they are honored for their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip, who died the previous year, earns Artist of the Year.

2016-Two weeks after Major Lazer made history as the first US act to perform in Cuba since democratic relations eased between the two countries, The Rolling Stones play their first-ever Cuba gig, performing a free show for 1.2 million fans at Havana's Cuidad Deportiva. The Stones spend around $7 million to finance the trip, which follows President Obama's historic visit to the island.

2015-One Direction fans freak out when Zayn Malik announces he is leaving the group.More

2015-Mariah Carey joins James Corden for the first installment of Carpool Karaoke.

2009-Dan Seals (of England Dan & John Ford Coley) dies of cancer at age 61.

2008-The Raconteurs release Consolers of the Lonely.

2007-Elton John sets the record for the most performances at New York's Madison Square Garden when he performs there for the 60th time – on his 60th birthday.

2006-Country musician Buck Owens dies of a heart attack at age 76, hours after giving his final performance at the Crystal Palace music hall in Bakersfield, California.

2004-"Suspicion," the final episode of The Chris Isaak Show - an adult comedy starring Chris Isaak - airs on Showtime.

2003-Linkin Park release Meteora, the follow-up to their smash debut, Hybrid Theory. The nu-metal album features the hit singles "Numb" and "Breaking The Habit."

2003-Celine Dion begins her Las Vegas residency with the show A New Day... at Caesars Palace. With elaborate sets and a full dance troupe, it ushers in a new era of highly theatrical Vegas shows headlined by huge stars. Shania Twain, Elton John and Britney Spears all follow this path.

2001-Bob Dylan wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Things Have Changed" from the movie Wonder Boys.

2001-At the Academy Awards, where she is nominated for Best Song from her movie Dancer In The Dark, Bjork wears a swan dress complete with a purse that looks like an egg, which she "lays" on the red carpet. Such bold fashion would not be seen again until Lady Gaga's emergence.

2000-The Razzies aren't done with Madonna yet. After saddling her with three prizes for Worst Actress (Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl, Body of Evidence) and one for Worst Supporting Actress (Four Rooms) throughout her film career, the Golden Raspberry Awards names her Worst Actress of the Century. Will Smith is also a star of the evening at the 20th annual ceremony, where he wins Worst Original Song for "Wild Wild West." The movie of the same name (which he also starred in) is named Worst Picture.

1997-Kenny Moore, a songwriter who was Tina Turner's musical director, dies of apoplexy at age 45.

Notorious B.I.G. Album Released 16 Days After His Death
1997-Sixteen days after he was shot and killed, The Notorious B.I.G.'s second album, Life After Death, is released.

1991-Michael Jackson escorts Madonna to the Academy Awards. "Sooner Or Later (I Always Get My Man)," which she sang for the movie Dick Tracy, wins for Best Original Song.

1988-DJ/producer Ryan Lewis (of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) is born in Spokane, Washington.

1986-Guns N' Roses sign with Geffen Records, which in addition to making sure the band records an album, has to keep them alive and out of jail, which is no easy task. It pays off when Appetite For Destruction goes on to sell over 18 million copies just in America.

1985-Stevie Wonder accepts the Oscar for Best Original Song "in the name of Nelson Mandela."

1985-Prince wins an Oscar for Best Original Score for the film Purple Rain.

1983-The Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special is recorded at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium; it is broadcast on NBC in May. Highlights of the show include Michael Jackson's Moonwalk and a The Supremes reunion. A lowlight is no mention of the label's house band, The Funk Brothers. Bass player James Jamerson, who played on many of the hits performed this evening, has to buy his own ticket. He dies a few months later.

1983-INXS play America for the first time, performing at The Spirit Club in San Diego to a crowd of 24 people. In May, they play to a more substantial crowd when they're on the bill at the US Festival.

1981-Rick Springfield makes his first appearance as Dr. Noah Drake on the soap opera General Hospital. As his music career takes off, he continues to appear on the show, playing the character until 1983.

1978-It's peak P-Funk, with the Parliament song "Flash Light" replaced at #1 on the R&B chart with "Bootzilla" by Bootsy's Rubber Band, one of the many offshoots from the group.

1978- Willie Nelson released his version of "Georgia On My Mind."

1977-Bob Seger's Night Moves album goes Platinum.

1976-Jackson Browne's first wife, Phyllis, dies by suicide less than a year after they were married. She suffered from depression that got particularly acute after giving birth to their son in 1973.

1975-Rapper Juvenile (of The Hot Boys) is born Terius Gray in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1975-Melanie Blatt (of All Saints) is born in Camden, London, England.

1972- The Who played their first concert in the US on this day.

1972-America's first single, "A Horse With No Name," rides to #1 on the Hot 100, and the group's self-titled debut album also takes the top spot on the Albums chart. The group becomes one of the most successful acts of the decade, with subsequent hits "Sister Golden Hair," "Ventura Highway" and "Tin Man."

Deep Purple Release Machine Head, With "Smoke On The Water"
1972-Deep Purple's album Machine Head is released in America. Most of it was recorded in their hotel after the Montreux Casino, where they planned to record it, burned down, a story told in the song "Smoke On The Water."More

1969- John Lennon and Yoko Ono started their week-long bed-in for peace at the Amsterdam Hilton hotel.

1969-In Copenhagen, Denmark, Judy Garland plays her last concert; she dies three months later.

1969-Singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis, composer of the Britney Spears hit "Toxic," is born in Norwich, Norfolk, England.

1969-Roy Orbison marries his second wife, Barbara, in Nashville.

1968-The last episode of The Monkees airs on NBC, concluding the show's two-season run. Titled "The Frodis Caper," it's a very sci-fi episode directed by Micky Dolenz. It opens with the band waking up to "Good Morning Good Morning" by The Beatles, one of the first uses of a Beatles song in a non-Beatles production.

1967-The Who play their first live gig in the US at RKO 58th Street Theater in New York City.

1967-How is the weather? Bright and sunny for The Turtles, who hit #1 in the US with "Happy Together."

1966-The Beatles show up for a photo shoot with photographer Robert Whitaker, who has butcher smocks, doll parts and raw meat waiting for them. The shoot results in their "butcher cover" photo used on the Yesterday And Today album before it is recalled.

1966-Blues rocker Jeff Healey is born in Toronto. Blinded by eye cancer when he's a year old, he plays guitar with the instrument flat on his lap, fretting it from above. With his Jeff Healey Band, he has a hit in 1988 with "Angel Eyes."

1963-In Nashville, Johnny Cash records "Ring Of Fire," a song co-written by his friend and collaborator June Carter that was first recorded by her sister Anita. The song becomes one of his biggest hits, and June marries Johnny five years later.

1961-Elvis Presley plays a benefit for the USA Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which turns out to be his last concert for eight years as he shifts his focus to movies.

1960-Steve Norman, multi-instrumentalist in Spandau Ballet, is born in Stepney, London, England.

1960-In Nashville, Roy Orbison records "Only The Lonely." His first big hit, it sets the stage for more heart-rending songs from Orbison like "Crying" and "In Dreams."

1957-Elvis Presley buys the Graceland Mansion in Memphis for $102,500.

1955-The movie Blackboard Jungle is released, giving new exposure to the song "Rock Around The Clock," which is featured in the film. A few months later, the song becomes the first ever #1 rock song.

1948-Rocker Michael Stanley is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1947-Brinsley Schwarz is born in Suffolk, England. His self-titled band would include Nick Lowe.

1947-Elton John is born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, England. His stage name, taken at age 20, comes from two members of the band Bluesology: Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

Aretha Franklin Is Born
1942-Aretha Franklin is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1938-Singer-songwriter Hoyt Axton is born in Duncan, Oklahoma. As a solo artist, he's known for songs like "Boney Fingers" and "A Rusty Old Halo"; as a songwriter he's best known for "Joy To The World," a huge hit for Three Dog Night in 1970.

1934-Johnny Burnette (of Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio) in Memphis, Tennessee.

1931-Nine young black males are arrested in Paint Rock, Alabama, and accused of raping two white women. The ensuing years' long legal case inspires a song by Leadbelly and a musical, The Scottsboro Boys.

1923-Bonnie Guitar, known for the 1957 country-pop hit "Dark Moon," is born Bonnie Buckingham in Seattle, Washington.

1918-French composer Claude Debussy dies from rectal cancer at his Paris home.

[Bikkie]

1820 - Mormon church leader Joseph Smith has his “First Vision”, in a wooded area of New York, according to Mormon scholars.

1896 - Sixty-five miners die after an explosion in a coalmine on the West Coast in New Zealand's deadliest industrial accident.




In Music History

2025-Bruce Springsteen, Michael Stipe, Susanna Hoffs, Karen O., Sharon Van Etten and Ben Harper are among the performers at "People Have the Power: A Celebration of Patti Smith," a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall. Smith takes the stage for the final number, "People Have the Power," her 1988 protest song that gained traction after the 2024 US election.

2024-Donald Trump partners with Lee Greenwood, endorsing the God Bless The USA Bible, which includes the chorus lyrics to Greenwood's song. "I'm proud to be partnering with my very good friend Lee Greenwood," Trump says. "Who doesn't love his song 'God Bless the USA'?"

2022- British rock band Genesis performed the final concert of their farewell tour at London’s O2 Arena.

2019-Ranking Roger (Roger Charlery), the toaster for General Public and The English Beat, dies at 56 after a battle with cancer.

2018-Kesha, an ordained minister, presides over a same-sex wedding between two of her fans in Las Vegas. Footage is used in her video for "I Need A Woman To Love," a reworking of the Janis Joplin song "I Need a Man to Love."

2013- Ariana Grande released her first single, “The Way,” launching her pop music career.

2012-Madonna releases her dance-heavy 12th album, MDNA, the title a play on her name and also the club drug ecstacy. It goes to #1 in America, giving Madonna her eighth chart-topper.

2009-Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy hosts the MTV Australia Awards. His band wins Best Rock Video for "I Don't Care," while Pink's "So What" takes Best Video.

2008-The B-52's lose their apostrophe and become the B-52s with the release of their album Funplex. The apostrophe, which is grammatically incorrect because apostrophes show possession, was simply an error made by the friend that designed their logo.

2008-Guitarist Clint Lowery returns to Sevendust to replace Sonny Mayo.

2006-Nikki Sudden (co-founder of Swell Maps) dies of a heart attack at age 49.

2005-Paul Hester (drummer for Crowded House) commits suicide at age 46.

2005- Stereophonics reached the top of the UK Albums chart with Language.Sex.Violence.Other?.

2004-Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean) dies at age 62.

2002-Drummer Randy Castillo, who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue, dies of cancer at age 51.

2002-Celine Dion releases the album A New Day Has Come, her first as a mom (son René-Charles was born a year earlier). I goes to #1 in many territories, including the US, UK, and Canada.

2001-Gorillaz release their debut self-titled album, which becomes a surprise chart success in the US. Although the band's vocalist, Damon Albarn, is well known in Europe through his band Blur, he is virtually unknown in the States, leading to low expectations for the release. The album eventually sells over a million copies in America and peaks at #14.

1999-Bengali musician Ananda Shankar dies of heart failure at age 56.

1996- Shania Twain achieved her first US No.1 with The Woman In Me on the Billboard country chart, marking a breakthrough in her career.

1995- Eazy-E, influential rapper and N.W.A. member dies.

1995-Eazy-E (Eric Wright) dies of AIDS-related complications at age 31.

1994-Modern rock rules as Soundgarden's Superunknown is the #1 album in America, with Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral at #2. Those looking for something less intense can find it at #3, with the Ace of Base album The Sign.

1994- Morrissey topped the UK Albums chart with Vauxhall and I.

1991-Bob Dylan's The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 is released.

1988-"Man In The Mirror" becomes the fourth of a record five #1 hits from Michael Jackson's Bad album.

1987-Nike begins airing a commercial using the Beatles song "Revolution," marking the first time an original version of a Beatles song is used in an ad.

1987-Elton John admits that his marriage to Renate Blauel is in trouble, releasing a statement (through his publicist) that reads: "In order to put an end to further speculation, Elton and Renate jointly wish it to be known that they have for many months lived apart whilst each of them has been considering the future of their marriage." The couple married on Valentine's Day, 1984; their divorce is finalized on November 17, 1988.

1983- Duran Duran hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart with “Is There Something I Should Know?”.

Video Makes Radio Stars Out Of Duran Duran
1983-Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, Duran Duran have their first American hit when "Hungry Like The Wolf" hits #3 on the Hot 100.

1982- Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder released the single “Ebony & Ivory” in the UK, a major hit promoting racial harmony.

1980-John Poulos (drummer for The Buckinghams) dies of drug-related heart failure less than a week before this 33rd birthday.

1977-The Clash release their first single, making an immediate political statement with "White Riot." It is released only in the UK and not available in America until two years later.

1977- Hall & Oates scored their first US No.1 with “Rich Girl” from the album Bigger Than The Both Of Us.

1976-Blues singer Duster Bennett dies in a car accident at age 29 after falling asleep at the wheel.

1976-David Keuning (lead guitarist for The Killers) is born in Pella, Iowa.

1975-The movie version of Tommy premieres in London.

1973- Noel Coward, English playwright, composer, and actor dies at age 73.

Iconic Stones Logo Appears For First Time
1971-The Rolling Stones' lips and tongue logo appears for the first time when it is used on VIP passes for their show at the Marquee Club in London.

1971-Emerson, Lake & Palmer play their adaptation of Mussorgsky's classical piece "Pictures At An Exhibition" at Newcastle City Hall in England. The performance is released as a live album later that year.

1970-Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is arrested in Washington, DC for taking "immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl (he pleads guilty and spends three months in jail).

1970-The Woodstock movie premieres in Hollywood.

1969-Pat Boone guest stars on the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies.

1969- Marvin Gaye reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”.

1968-Kenny Chesney is born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is raised in nearby Luttrell.

1968-Guitarist James Iha is born in Chicago. In 1988 he forms Smashing Pumpkins with Billy Corgan. The band breaks up in 2000 and reforms in 2006, but Iha doesn't rejoin until 2018.

1966-After 14 years on TV (and ten years on radio before that), the last episode of The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, which made Rick Nelson a household name, airs on ABC.

1966-The Strangeurs, featuring future Aerosmith frontman Steven Tallarico (later Steven Tyler), open for The Byrds at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The Strangeurs arrange for girls to sit in the front row and scream for them, but it's hardly necessary as the crowd goes nuts during their set, where they play six songs instead of their allotted two.

1995- Rapper Eazy-E, co-founder of N.W.A., died at age 31 from AIDS-related complications, leaving a lasting impact on hip-hop.

1964-Former Beatles drummer Pete Best appears on the game show I've Got A Secret.

1964- The musical Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand, opened at New York’s Winter Garden Theater, running for 1,348 performances.

1964- Chuck Berry recorded “No Particular Place To Go,” which became a Top 10 hit internationally.

1958-Dee Clark records "Hey Little Girl."

1955- Bill Hayes’ version of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” topped the US Singles chart for five weeks.

1953-Billy Lyall (keyboardist for Bay City Rollers, Pilot) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1950-Teddy Pendergrass (lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) is born in Kingstree, South Carolina.

1949-Actress/singer Vicki Lawrence is born in Inglewood, California.

1948-Richard Tandy (keyboardist for Electric Light Orchestra) is born in Birmingham, England.

1948-Steven Tyler is born Steven Tallarico in Yonkers, New York. Originally a drummer, he switches to frontman when he forms Aerosmith in 1970. Over the course of an adventurous 50+ year career with the band, he overcomes a crippling drug addiction and does time as a judge on American Idol.

1946-Johnny Crawford is born in Los Angeles, California. As a child star, he is one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club and plays in the popular Western TV show The Rifleman before releasing a string of singles in the '60s.

1946-Fran Sheehan (bassist for Boston) is born in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

1944-Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Michigan. She finds fame as lead singer of The Supremes.

1938- NBC broadcasted a performance of Howard Hanson’s 3rd Symphony, showcasing early American orchestral music.

1936-Fred Parris, a founder of The Five Satins and composer of their hit "In The Still Of The Nite," is born in Connecticut.

1934-Actor/singer Alan Arkin (of The Tarriers) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1917-Funky soul singer Rufus Thomas, known for his recordings at Stax Records, is born in Mississippi.

1827- Legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away at age 56, marking a pivotal moment in classical music history.

[Bikkie]

1883
The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand
Two English Salvation Army officers landed at Port Chalmers to set up a New Zealand branch of the Christian evangelical movement.


1984
Trades' Hall bombing
Caretaker and unionist Ernie Abbott was killed on 27 March 1984 when a bomb exploded inside Trades’ Hall on Wellington’s Vivian St.



In Music History

2022-Summer Of Soul, directed by Questlove of The Roots, wins the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film features never-before-seen footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, including performances by Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson and Sly & the Family Stone.

2021-Morgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album, which debuted at #1 in America, logs its 10th week at the top, the most weeks for a debut chart-topper since Whitney Houston's self-titled album in 1987. In its fourth week at #1, Wallen was caught on camera using the N-word (addressed to his white friend) after a night of drinking, but instead of tanking the album when his music was pulled from radio stations, the controversy helped extend its run as fans bought and streamed it in support.

2020- Bob Andy, the Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter, passed away at the age of 75.

2020-Two weeks into the pandemic, Dua Lipa releases her disco-fied second album, Future Nostalgia, with the hits "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating." It earns her lots of new fans, including Elton John, who teams with her on "Cold Heart" the following year.

2013-Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires dies at age 88.

2013-Crawdaddy magazine founder Paul Williams dies at age 64. Not to be confused with the singer/songwriter/actor Paul Williams, the subject of the 2011 documentary, Paul Williams Still Alive.

2011-Dionne Warwick is the fourth contestant fired by Donald Trump on season 11 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Trace Adkins is one of the finalists on Season 7 of The Celebrity Apprentice. He loses the battle to tabloid editor Piers Morgan.

2008-The Los Angeles Times publishes — and later retracts — a story that Diddy had a hand in the shooting that killed Tupac Shakur. In the end, it is all fiction conjured by an imprisoned con man.

2008-A jury convicts rapper Remy Ma of assault charges stemming from a shooting outside a Manhattan night club.

2008- Leona Lewis' second single "Bleeding Love" reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first British woman to reach No.1 on the American charts since Kim Wilde in 1987.

2007-Faustino Oramas of Buena Vista Social Club dies at age 95.

2006-Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

2006-Pete Wells, guitarist in Rose Tattoo, dies of prostate cancer at age 59.

2005-The medical drama Grey's Anatomy debuts on ABC with a new approach to music, using little-known songs, complete with lyrics, to soundtrack many scenes. Songs popularized by the series include "How To Save A Life" by The Fray, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol and "The Story" by Brandi Carlile.

2005-Mexican singer Rigo Tovar dies at age 58.

2004-Prince kicks off his Musicology tour with a show in Reno, Nevada. The average ticket costs $61, which includes a copy of the Musicology album. These are counted as sales according to Billboard, so the album rises to #3 (his previous three albums failed to chart). The tour takes in $87.4 million, making it the highest-grossing of 2004.

2003-John Lennon's boyhood home in Liverpool is opened to the public.

2001-Bruce Springsteen releases Live In New York City, the accompanying album to an HBO concert film that follows the Boss and his E Street Band on a ten-show tour, ending at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

2000-British singer Ian Dury, who with his band Ian Dury & the Blockheads had a #1 UK hit with "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick," dies of cancer at age 57.

1995-The British boy band Take That release their most successful single, "Back For Good," which lands at #1 on several charts around the world and secures the #7 spot in America.

1993-Saxophone player Clifford Jordan dies from lung cancer at age 61.

1993-Kyuss begins a run of Australian tour dates opening for Metallica, during the latter group's tour in support of The Black Album, at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

Digital Underground Release Sex Packets
1990-Digital Underground, a rap collective that later includes Tupac Shakur, release their debut album, Sex Packets. It's a concept album about a drug that simulates the experience of having sex.More

U2 Surprise Los Angeles Onlookers With A Rooftop Performance
1987-U2 play a rooftop concert in Los Angeles to film their video for "Where The Streets Have No Name." Thousands of onlookers gather and police order the band to stop playing.

1986-In Valley Center, Kansas, Metallica join Ozzy Osbourne's Ultimate Sin tour as the opening act.

1986-Sammy Hagar makes his first appearance as Van Halen's lead singer when the group begin their tour in Louisiana.

1984-Run-DMC release their self-titled debut album, which becomes the first rap album certified Gold by the RIAA.

"Pac-Man Fever" Takes Hold
1982-"Pac-Man Fever," a song about the arcade game that has America enthralled, cracks the Top 10, becoming the only song about a video game ever to do so.

Eric Clapton Marries George Harrison's Ex-Wife
1979-Eric Clapton marries George Harrison's ex-wife Pattie, the subject of the song "Layla." Harrison attends the wedding and remains friends with Clapton.

1976-Gary Wright's big hit "Dream Weaver" reaches its US chart peak of #2. The song is inspired by the writing of Paramahansa Yogananda.

1975-Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) of Black Eyed Peas is born in Hacienda Heights, California.

1973-Liza Minnelli wins an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Cabaret, beating out Diana Ross, who starred in Lady Sings The Blues.

1973-Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is stopped for speeding, then busted when various drugs are found in his car.

1972-Grand Funk fire their manager/producer, Terry Knight, accusing him of taking more than his share of royalties. Knight sues, and in December confiscates the band's equipment via a court order.

1970-Mariah Carey is born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She becomes the best-selling female singer of the '90s and the self-proclaimed "Queen of Christmas," thanks to her perennial favorite "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

1970-Brendan Hill, drummer for Blues Traveler, is born in London, England.

1967-The Young Rascals record "Groovin'."

1965-Johnny April (bassist for Staind) is born in Enfield, Connecticut.

1965- The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, leading to its induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1965-Jeff Beck joins The Yardbirds as a replacement for Eric Clapton.

1964-Derrick McKenzie (drummer for Jamiroquai) is born in London, England.

1959-Keyboard player Andrew Farriss, who forms INXS along with his brothers, Tim and Jon, is born in Perth, Western Australia. He and lead singer Michael Hutchence team up to write most of the group's songs.

1959- Russ Conway started a four-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with "Side Saddle."

1958-Stereo albums are introduced.

1957-"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera)" from the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

1953-Rock guitarist Wally Stocker (of The Babys, Air Supply and Humble Pie) is born in London, England.

1950-Tony Banks (keyboardist for Genesis) is born in East Hoathly, East Sussex, England.

1948-The film musical April Showers is released, starring Jack Carson and Ann Sothern; it includes the 1921 song of the same name.

1946-Andy Bown (keyboardist, rhythm guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Beckenham, London, England.

1941-R&B singer/songwriter Bunny Sigler is born in Philadelphia. His real name is Walter, but his family calls him Bunny because he was born two days before Easter.

1940-Ska musician Derrick Morgan is born in Jamaica.

1932-Bluesman Junior Parker is born Herman Parker Jr. in either Clarksdale, Mississippi, or West Memphis, Arkansas.

1924-Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan is born in Newark, New Jersey.

[Bikkie]

845 - Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.

1797 - American Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patents a washing machine.

1910 - The first seaplane takes off from Martigues near Marseilles, France, designed by Frenchman Henri Fabre.



In Music History

2020-The 12-hour "Twitch Aid" concert raises nearly $3 million to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Over 70 quarantined performers take part from their homes, including John Legend, Rita Ora, Cole Swindell, Garth Brooks and Diplo.

2017-Bruno Mars kicks off his 24K Magic World Tour in Antwerp, Belgium. His opening act is Anderson .Paak, whom he meets for the first time. They become fast friends and decide to form a duo that becomes Silk Sonic, an homage to '70s soul that has one of the biggest hits of 2022 with "Leave The Door Open."

2014-Folk singer-turned-reverend Joe Frazier (of the Chad Mitchell Trio) dies in his sleep at age 77.

2014-Nas headlines the One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide festival at the Kennedy Center in New York City with a performance of his album Illmatic with the National Symphony Orchestra.

2013-Session rock guitarist Hugh McCracken (Billy Joel, Steely Dan) dies at age 70 of leukemia.

2012-Blues harmonica player Jerry "Boogie" McCain, known for the self-penned tunes "Ain't No Use for Drug Abuse" and "Burn the Crackhouse Down," dies at age 81.

2011-Rapper Rick Ross is arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana, after being caught with one gram of marijuana. Ross was smoking the drug at the Hilton Hotel when guests reported smelling a foul odor coming from his room. Ross is booked and released the same night.

2010-Laura Marling's second album, I Speak Because I Can, debuts at #4 on the UK albums chart.

2005-On Rev. Jesse Jackson's internet radio show, Michael Jackson claims that his recent child-molestation charges are a racist conspiracy.

2003-'50s country/pop singer Rusty Draper dies at age 80 from pneumonia.

2000-Jimmy Page wins a libel suit against the UK magazine Ministry, which printed that he tried to revive his dying bandmate John Bonham by using Satanic spells.

1999-Rapper Freaky Tah (of Lost Boyz) is fatally shot by Kelvin Jones, a member of the fledgling New York-based rap group The Hellraisers. Freaky Tah, real name Raymond Rogers, is just 27 years old.

1996-Phil Collins leaves Genesis on good terms, stating he will concentrate on "Movies, some Jazz projects, and of course my solo career."

1995-Wilco release their debut album, A.M. It is the first and last album to feature Brian Henneman on lead guitar.

1995-Lyle Lovett and actress Julia Roberts announce they are separating after 21 months of marriage.

1995-Lyle Lovett and actress Julia Roberts announce they are separating after 21 months of marriage.

1992-INXS, Crowded House and other Australian acts play the "Concert For Life" benefit at Centennial Park in Sydney to help continue the work of Victor Chang, a leader in heart research who was murdered in 1991. The crowd is estimated at 100,000; no alcohol is allowed (a rarity at an Australian concert) because the park must be protected.

1991-The funeral is held for Eric Clapton's son Conor, who was 4 years old when he fell to his death out an open window. Clapton's song "Tears In Heaven" is about Conor.

1990-The Go-Go's reunite for a show at the The Whisky a Go Go to benefit the California Environmental Protection Initiative. It goes so well, they launch a tour later in the year.

1986-Stefani Germanotta enters the world in New York City. She is born this way, but rises to fame under the name Lady Gaga.

1985-Four-year-old Alicia Cook makes her acting debut on the "Slumber Party" episode of The Cosby Show. She'll become famous as Alicia Keys.

1984-Mick Fleetwood, whose band Fleetwood Mac had the biggest-selling album of all time just seven years earlier, files for bankruptcy.

1982-On his way to a "no-nukes" rally, David Crosby crashes his car into a divider on the San Diego Freeway. Police find quaaludes, cocaine paraphernalia, and a concealed pistol in the vehicle, but charges against him are plea bargained down to reckless driving and he is sentenced to probation and a $751 fine. A few weeks later he is arrested again, this time for freebasing cocaine.

1981- Blondie's "Rapture" became their fourth No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, featuring a rap section and a nod to hip-hop trailblazers.

1979-The day after they are married, Eric Clapton sings "Wonderful Tonight" to his new wife Pattie at his concert in Tucson, Arizona. He wrote the song about her while waiting for her to get ready to go out.

1975-At an Elvis Presley concert at the Hilton in Las Vegas, Barbra Streisand goes backstage and offers Elvis the lead role in her upcoming film A Star Is Born. Elvis is interested, but on the advice of his manager Colonel Parker, he demands too much money and top billing, so Kris Kristofferson is chosen for the role instead.

1974-Blue Swede's "Hooked On A Feeling" is certified Gold.

1974-Delta blues musician Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup dies of complications of heart disease and diabetes at age 68.

1973-Neil Young performs "Don't Be Denied" at the Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. A few months later a recording of the performance appears on Time Fades Away.

1973- Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy" album topped the UK charts and sold over 12 million copies worldwide.

1972-Elvis Presley records "Burning Love" and "Fool."

1970-John Lennon's "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" hits its peak position of #3.

1970- Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" hit number one on the UK Singles chart for three consecutive weeks.

1969-Joe Cocker plays his first live gig in the US.

1969-EMF frontman James Atkins is born in Birmingham, England.

1967-Van Morrison records "Brown Eyed Girl."

1964-Radio Caroline, the UK's first all-day English-language "pirate" radio station, begins broadcasting from the Fredericia, a former Danish ferry, in the North Sea.

1964-Heavyweight boxing champ Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) hits #102 in the US with his cover of "Stand By Me."

1964-The Beatles become the first Rock Stars displayed in Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London. They later use their wax versions on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

1958-Blues musician W.C. Handy dies of bronchial pneumonia at age 84.

1958-Eddie Cochran records "Summertime Blues."

1957-Ral Donner, later to hit with the Elvis-soundalike "The Girl Of My Friend," sees Elvis for the first time, performing at the International Amphitheater in Chicago.

1955-Reba McEntire is born in McAlester, Oklahoma. After a slow start in the '70s, she becomes one of the top country singers of the next three decades. "I was always afraid if I didn't use my gift, God would take it away from me and give it to somebody else," she says.

1952-Jazz and blues singer Billie Holiday marries mafia strongman Louis McKay.

1948-Milan Williams (keyboardist for The Commodores) is born in Okolona, Mississippi.

1948-John Evan (keyboardist for Jethro Tull) is born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

1945-Sally Carr (of Middle of the Road) is born in Muirhead, Scotland.

1945-Chuck Portz (bassist for The Turtles) is born in Santa Monica, California.

1943-Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff dies of melanoma at age 69.

1941-Charlie McCoy (of Area Code 615) is born in Oak Hill, West Virginia. As a session musician, he works with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn, among others.

1939-Hal Kemp records "Three Little Fishies."

1923-Jazz trumpeter Thad Jones is born in Pontiac, Michigan.

1915-Composer Jay Livingston is born in McDonald, Pennsylvania. He teams with lyricist Ray Evans to write a number of popular songs for films, including the Academy Award-winning "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" for The Man Who Knew Too Much.

1890-Bandleader Paul Whiteman is born in Denver, Colorado.

[Bikkie]

1901
Skippers Bridge opened
At 96 m long and 91 m high, the suspension bridge over the Shotover River near Queenstown in Central Otago is one of the most spectacular bridges in New Zealand.


1942
Nazi sabotage hoax
During the Second World War, convicted conman Sydney Gordon Ross duped New Zealand’s intelligence service into believing that Nazi agents were planning to carry out sabotage in New Zealand.



1959
Evangelist Billy Graham arrives for 11-day crusade
In the first half of 1959 Billy Graham and his associate evangelists Leighton Ford, Grady Wilson and Joseph Blinco held crusades in New Zealand and Australia which attracted large audiences.



In Music History

Beyoncé Cowboys Up With Groundbreaking Country Album
2024-Beyoncé drops Cowboy Carter, a sassy country album (mostly) with 27 tracks and appearances by Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and an unheralded Black country singer named Linda Martell, whose only album was released in 1970. When Cowboy Carter tops the Country chart, it makes Beyoncé the first Black woman to do so.More

2022-Eric Church cancels an upcoming concert in San Antonio so he can watch his beloved North Carolina Tar Heels take on Duke in the Final Four.

2022- Tom Parker of The Wanted passed away at age 33 from brain cancer.

2020-Alan Merrill of The Arrows, who co-wrote "I Love Rock And Roll," dies at 69, one of the first high-profile musicians to succumb to coronavirus.

2020- Country music star Joe Diffie died at age 61 from COVID-19 complications.

2020-With most of the world homebound as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, Elton John hosts the "Living Room Concert For America" from his home, featuring virtual performances by Mariah Carey, H.E.R., Backstreet Boys, and Tim McGraw. The concert raises money to help local food banks and support first responders during the crisis.More

2019- Seventeen-year-old Billie Eilish released her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which received critical acclaim and won multiple Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.

2010-Ricky Martin comes out as gay, posting on his website, "Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man."

2009-Nickelback rule the Juno Awards, winning Album of the Year, Group of the Year and the Fan Choice Award.

2007-U2 singer Bono received an honorary knighthood in Dublin, though he could not use the title "Sir" as he is not a British citizen.

2007- Rihanna released "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z, which became a global hit, topping charts in the US, UK, and worldwide, and earning multiple awards including Grammys and MTV VMAs.

2006-Tom Jones is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

2005-Neil Young has brain surgery to remove an aneurysm. His vision became blurry at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies, and a subsequent checkup discovered the aneurysm.

2005-Weezer release "Beverly Hills," the lead single from their Make Believe album. The video is shot at the Playboy mansion, where they perform the song to a strange mix of Playboy bunnies and Weezer fans.

2001-John Lewis of The Modern Jazz Quartet dies of prostate cancer at age 80.

2001- Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys was honored in a three-hour tribute at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, featuring performances by Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and others.

1999-Jazz singer Joe Williams dies at age 80.

1996-Phil Spector's former bandmates in The Teddy Bears, Carol Connors and Marshall Lieb, sue the producer to collect royalties they claim are still owed from the group's 1958 smash "To Know Him Is To Love Him."

1994-K-pop singer and actress Sulli is born at Seongnam, South Korea.

1994- The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released, featuring The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, and Stone Temple Pilots, reaching chart-topping positions in the US and Australia.

1993-"A Whole New World" from the Disney animated film Aladdin wins the Academy Award for Best Song.

1992-For his role as Johnny Van Owen in Cool As Ice, Vanilla Ice is dubbed Worst New Star at the 12th Golden Raspberry Awards. Other honorees include MC Hammer, who lands Worst Original Song for "Addams Groove," written for The Addams Family.

1989-Michelle Zauner, who uses the name Japanese Breakfast for her musical projects, is born in Seoul, South Korea, but moves to Oregon with her family as a baby. Her asymmetrical sound earns her an indie-pop audience, but her 2021 song "Be Sweet" brings her out in the open, leading to a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

1987-Prince is named Worst Actor and Worst Director for Under the Cherry Moon at the 7th Golden Raspberry Awards. The film also earns Razzies for Worst Picture (tied with Howard the Duck), Worst Supporting Actor (Jerome Benton), and Worst Original Song ("Love or Money").

1986-The Beatles' records are officially licensed for sale in the Soviet Union.

1986-Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus," a tribute to the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with lyrics in German, hits #1 in America.

1985-Madonna stars in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan alongside Rosanna Arquette.

1985-Jeanne Deckers - known as "The Singing Nun" - and her companion Annie Pécher die in a double suicide at their home. As a Belgian nun, Deckers had a US #1 hit in 1963 with "Dominique," but she left the convent in 1966 and went through a series of setbacks, including devastating financial problems. Deckers is 51, Pécher is 40.

1982-Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney release "Ebony And Ivory."

1982-"Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)," sung by Christopher Cross, wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Cross wrote the song with Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager (along with Peter Allen, who came up with the line "When you get caught between the moon and New York City") for the film Arthur, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli.

1980-The Italian conductor Mantovani dies at age 74.

1980-Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of The Moon spends its 303rd week on the US album chart beating the record by Carole King's 1971 long player Tapestry.

Brian Johnson Replaces Bon Scott In AC/DC
1980
Brian Johnson of the band Geordie gets a new, slightly more high-profile gig: replacing the deceased Bon Scott in AC/DC. Johnson's first album with the band is Back In Black, which becomes the second-best selling album worldwide behind Thriller.

1979-With their "Roxanne" money, The Police hit up Manny's Music in New York City, where they buy up much of the inventory. At their soundcheck that night at My Father's Place in Long Island, they start experimenting with the effects units and bass pedals that help define their sound moving forward.

1978-After a tumultuous ordeal that lasted nearly two years, Tina Turner is officially divorced from husband Ike. She gets nothing in the settlement except her name; born Anna Mae Bullock, it was Ike who named her "Tina Turner" when they started performing together.

1975-Led Zeppelin becomes the first band in history to have six entries on the Billboard Albums chart at once. Their latest release, Physical Graffiti, is at #1, with their previous five albums also on the chart: Led Zeppelin IV (#83), House of the Holy (#92), Led Zeppelin II (#104), Led Zeppelin (#116) and Led Zeppelin III (#124). They rarely release singles, which boosts their album sales.

1975-Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" hits #1 in America as listeners track down French speakers to translate the line, "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir." ("Do you want to sleep with me tonight?")

1975- Jeff Beck released his second solo album Blow by Blow, which peaked at No.4 in the US and went platinum, earning a Grammy for Best Instrumental Album.

1974-The first Kiss TV appearance is broadcast, as they appear on the musical variety show In Concert. Their performance was recorded February 21.

Dr. Hook Really Do Make The Cover Of Rolling Stone
1973-Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, who have a hit with "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'," appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

1972-Elvis Presley records "Always On My Mind" and "It's A Matter Of Time."

1970-The Ed Sullivan Show broadcasts live from hospitals treating soldiers wounded in Vietnam. Guests include Bobbie Gentry and Gladys Knight & the Pips.

1969-Blood, Sweat & Tears' LP Blood Sweat & Tears hits #1.

1967- The Beatles recorded "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Abbey Road Studios, contributing to their landmark album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1967-Blues Traveler frontman John Popper is born in Chardon, Ohio.

1959-Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell is born Peretz Bernstein in Queens, New York City. His stage name is a play on the word "peripheral," in the sense that he's "on the edge." Farrell fronts the bands Jane's Addiction and Porno For Pyros, but is most famous for launching the Lollapalooza music festival.

1958-Elvis Presley begins boot camp in Ft. Hood, Texas, where he insists on doing KP and guard duty just like the other soldiers.

1951- Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King and I" opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre, starring Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence, running for 1,246 performances.

1949-Jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker (of The Brecker Brothers) is born in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.

1947-Bobby Kimball (frontman for Toto) is born in Orange, Texas.

1945-John "Speedy" Keen (of Thunderclap Newman) is born in Ealing, London, England.

1944-Terry Jacks ("Seasons In The Sun") is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1943-The composer Vangelis (Evangelos Papathanassiou) is born in Greece. In 1982, his theme to the movie Chariots of Fire goes to #1 in America. He is also known for his collaborations with Jon Anderson of Yes - they record as Jon & Vangelis.

1943-Chad Allan (original lead singer of The Guess Who) is born Allan Peter Stanley Kowbel in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1940-Pop singer Eden Kane is born Richard Graham Sarstedt in New Delhi, India.

1918-Actress/singer Pearl Bailey is born in Virginia.

1902-Composer William Walton is born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

1871- The Royal Albert Hall in London was officially opened by Queen Victoria, becoming a premier venue for classical and popular music performances.

1795-Beethoven makes his Vienna public debut at the city's Burgtheater when he is the soloist at the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 2. Prior to that, the German composer had performed only in the private salons of the Viennese nobility.




Significant Births
1940: Brazilian samba singer Astrud Gilberto, known for The Girl From Ipanema.

1943- Greek composer Vangelis, famed for Chariots of Fire.

1943- Canadian musician Chad Allan, founding member of The Guess Who.

1949- Jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker.

1959- Perry Farrell, frontman of Jane’s Addiction.

1981- PJ Morton, singer-songwriter and member of Maroon 5.
1
1994- Sulli, South Korean K-pop singer and actress (f(x)),.
1
1996- Billie Eilish’s mother, Maggie Baird, is also a musician, highlighting the family’s musical legacy.

[Bikkie]

1940
Funeral procession for Prime Minister Savage
New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister, Michael Joseph Savage, died in office on 27 March 1940. His body lay in state at Parliament for two days before his funeral cortège, which was more than 1.6 km long, set off for the railway station at 9 a.m. on 30 March.


Michael King, c. 1990s
2004
Historian Michael King dies
Historian Michael King (aged 58) and his wife Maria Jungowska died in a car accident in south Waikato. King’s Penguin history of New Zealand became the most popular book of the year, and was the Readers’ Choice at the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

1940
Funeral procession for Prime Minister Savage
New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister, Michael Joseph Savage, died in office on 27 March 1940. His body lay in state at Parliament for two days before his funeral cortège, which was more than 1.6 km long, set off for the railway station at 9 a.m. on 30 March.




In Music History

2020- Soul singer Bill Withers, known for hits like "Lean On Me," passes away at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy of timeless music.

2019-Tame Impala debut the song "Borderline" on Saturday Night Live even though the lyrics aren't written yet. Frontman Kevin Parker improvises some words and mumbles his way through it, but nobody seems to notice. He calls it "singing in tongues."

2017-Rosie Hamlin of Rosie & the Originals ("Angel Baby") dies at age 71.

2015-21-year-old Justin Bieber gets roasted on Comedy Central, where he's taken to task for his headline-grabbing petulant behavior. Martha Stewart steals show, saying she's there to "give Justin some tips to use when he inevitably ends up in prison."

2013-Producer Phil Ramone dies of complications after surgery for an aortic aneurysm at age 79. Ramone produced most of Billy Joel's material. "If I hadn't met Phil when I did, I probably wouldn't have had a career," Joel says.

2011-Buffalo Springfield, which split in 1968, announce a reunion tour with original members Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The tour lasts seven shows, ending with a performance at Bonnaroo. Another 30 dates are planned, but Young calls it off.

2010-Barenaked Ladies release their ninth studio album, All In Good Time. It's their first album since the departure of co-lead singer Steven Page, who officially left the band in 2009.

2008-Sean Levert (of LeVert) dies at age 39.

2007-Jay-Z sells his clothing company, Rocawear, to Iconix for $204 million.

2006-Britney Spears plays a ditzy TV host on the "Buy, Buy Baby" episode of Will & Grace.

2005-Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica ends its three-season run on MTV as its subjects, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, are on the brink of divorce. The marriage is officially over the following June.

2004-Singer Timi Yuro dies at age 63.

2003-Duncan Sheik portrays Bobby Darin and sings "Beyond The Sea" on the "Where The Boys Are" episode of NBC's American Dreams.

Ashanti (Ja) Rules The Chart
2002
Ashanti dominates the American Top 10, with her Ja Rule collaboration "Always On Time" at #4, her Fat Joe duet "What's Luv?" at #5, and her solo track "Foolish" at #9. The #1 song, "Ain't It Funny" by Jennifer Lopez, contains some lyrics written by Ashanti.

2001-The Detroit Free Press breaks the news that Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes are not siblings as they claim, but former husband and wife. Court records show they were married in 1996 and divorced in 2000. Rolling Stone and the New York Times are among the publications previously reporting them as brother and sister, a believable claim because they look alike.

1996- The Prodigy achieves their first UK No. 1 hit with "Firestarter," a track that becomes iconic in the rave music scene.

ODB Picks Up Food Stamps On MTV
1995-Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard takes an MTV news crew along for a ride in a stretch limo, where he stops to pick up food stamps, proving that the ID card on the cover of his solo album is real.

1994-In Miami, Pink Floyd begin their last world tour, the Division Bell tour.

1993-Anitta is born Larissa de Macedo Machado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the sounds of baile funk, a controversial hip-hop subgenre inspired by Miami bass, originated in low-income neighborhoods like her own. By combining the edgy style with elements of reggaeton and pop on tunes like "Envolver," she is crowned the Queen of Brazilian Pop.

1992-PJ Harvey, a British alt rock trio consisting of vocalist Polly Jean Harvey, drummer Rob Ellis, and bassist Steve Vaughan, releases its debut album, Dry, a jagged collection of blues-infused punk-rock songs, including the sexually charged "Sheela-Na-Gig."

1989-To help promote Bon Jovi's album New Jersey, MTV gives away Jon Bon Jovi's childhood home (which they bought from his parents) to contest winners Jay and Judy Frappier. "This is the place where I learned about the finer things in life," Jon said in promos for the contest. "Like rock and roll and women."

1988-The movie Beetlejuice hits theaters, introducing a new generation to the 1956 Harry Belafonte Calypso favorite "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," which plays in a wild scene where dinner guests are possessed by Beetlejuice the ghost and made to perform a routine to the song.

1987-Prince releases his ninth album, Sign O' the Times. The title track is a sober look at problems like poverty and drug abuse, but it's balanced with "U Got the Look," a lusty duet with Sheena Easton.

1986-Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold is born in Seattle, Washington.

1985-Phil Collins scores his second #1 hit as a solo artist: "One More Night."

1979-Norah Jones is born Geetali Norah Shankar in New York City. Her father is the Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, but Norah never lives with him. Raised by her mom, the concert promoter Sue Jones, she grows up in Texas before venturing back to New York to pursue music in 1999.

1974-John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulders" hits #1 in the US. The song first appeared on his 1971 album Poems, Prayers & Promises; it came to prominence after featuring in the made-for-TV movie Sunshine in 1973.

1970- Miles Davis releases the influential double album "Bitches Brew," which becomes a landmark in jazz music and earns him his first gold record.

1968-Celine Dion is born in Charlemagne, Quebec, the youngest of 14. She releases music in her native French throughout the '80s, building a huge following in Canada and France. In 1990, she sets her sights on America with her first English album, Unison, and she quickly becomes a star there as well.

1967-The Beatles shoot the cover of their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album at Chelsea Manor Studios in London.

1964-Tracy Chapman is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1963-Lesley Gore records "It's My Party" at Bell Studios in New York. That night, her producer Quincy Jones finds out that Phil Spector has recorded the song with his group The Crystals, so Jones rush-releases it to get Gore's version to radio stations first.

1962-MC Hammer is born in Oakland, California. His birth name is Stanley Burrell, but he is dubbed "Hammer" when he becomes a batboy for the Oakland A's, since he looks like hall-of-famer "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron.

1955-Singer/songwriter Randy VanWarmer ("Just When I Needed You Most") is born in Indian Hills, Colorado.

1948-Black Oak Arkansas lead singer Jim "Dandy" Mangrum is born in Michigan.

1946- The musical "St. Louis Woman," featuring music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, opens at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City, starring Pearl Bailey.

1945-Eric Clapton is born in Ripley, England. He forms the bands Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & the Dominos. His birth name is often erroneously reported as "Eric Clapp," as Clapp is the surname of his grandparents who raised him.

1944-Ronnie Rice of The New Colony Six is born in Illinois.

1943-Love bass player Ken Forssi is born in Cleveland.

1941-Graeme Edge of The Moody Blues is born in Staffordshire, England.

1930-Rolf Harris ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") is born in Perth, Australia.

1914-Blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson is born John Lee Williamson in Jackson, Tennessee. An influential musician known for playing the harmonica as the lead instrument, he becomes an early victim of identity theft when another bluesman impersonates him and assumes his name. That musician, often referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II, becomes more famous, known for writing blues standards like "Help Me" and "One Way Out."

1913-Frankie Laine is born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio in Chicago.

1866- Bedřich Smetana's comic opera "The Bartered Bride" premieres at the Prague Provisional Theatre in Prague, marking a significant moment in Czech opera history.

[Bikkie]

1864
Rewi's last stand?
The last battle of the Waikato War began when the spearhead of a strong British force charged an apparently weak Māori position at Ōrākau, south-east of Te Awamutu. After two frontal assaults failed, the British besieged the pā.


Thomas Morland Hocken in his library, 1893
1910
Hocken Library opens at Otago Museum
Thomas Hocken’s priceless legacy of historical material is the most important collection outside Crown ownership in New Zealand.


Fred Ladd
1967
Fred Ladd flies under Auckland Harbour Bridge
Well-known Auckland aviator Fred Ladd illegally flew his Widgeon amphibian aircraft under the Auckland Harbour Bridge.



In Music History

2021- Paul Simon sold his entire songwriting catalog of over 400 songs to Sony Music Publishing.

2019- Elton John joined George Clooney in calling for a boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei over anti-gay laws.

2017-The coming-of-age drama 13 Reasons Why drops on Netflix with a song called "The Night We Met" captivating viewers in the fifth episode. The song, released two years earlier by a little-known band called Lord Huron, goes viral and reappears in season 2 as a remix with Phoebe Bridgers.

Bowie Honored At Carnegie Hall
2016-Michael Stipe, Cyndi Lauper, Ann Wilson and Perry Farrell are among the performers at a Carnegie Hall concert honoring David Bowie.

2015-British jazz pianist Ralph Sharon, who brought "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" to Tony Bennett, dies in Boulder, Colorado, at age 91.

2009-Lynyrd Skynyrd release Live at the Cardiff Capitol Theatre. It features music recorded at Cardiff, Wales' Capitol Theatre on November 4, 1975. It's released alongside the album Authorized Bootleg: Live In Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 3/07/76.

2007-Police issue arrest warrants for Country singer Billy Joe Shaver after he shoots and wounds a man outside a Lorena, Texas, bar. Shaver later turns himself in.

2003-The Roots release Phrenology three years after their highly successful fourth album, Things Fall Apart. An ambitious work that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop, Phrenology also contains a hit: the Cody ChesnuTT collaboration "The Seed (2.0)."

2001-Acker Bilk receives an MBE (Member of the British Empire) medal from Queen Elizabeth for services to the music industry.

Bruce Springsteen Makes First Film Appearance
2000-The movie High Fidelity, starring John Cusack and Jack Black as record store clerks, and featuring a cameo by Bruce Springsteen, opens in theaters.

1999-The Matrix opens in theaters with a soundtrack featuring Marilyn Manson, Ministry, The Prodigy and Rob Zombie. It establishes industrial music as the sound of simulation theory.

1996-After battling a number of health issues, Gun Club guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce dies at age 37.

1995-23-year-old Lance Cunningham injures four people at a Jimmy Page/Robert Plant concert in Auburn Hills, Michigan, when he tries to rush the stage with a pocketknife. Cunningham claims he was trying to attack Page, accusing him of being "Satanic."

1995-23-year-old Tejano singer Selena dies after being shot by her former personal assistant and former fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Jennifer Lopez stars in a movie about her life that is released in 1997.

1993-Mitchell Parish, who wrote lyrics for the songs "Deep Purple" and "Stardust," dies at 92.

Wynonna Judd Launches Solo Career
1992-After the sudden split of The Judds - a hit country duo she formed with her mom, Naomi - Wynonna Judd kicks off her solo career with a self-titled album that helps country crossover to the mainstream thanks to the hit single "No One Else On Earth."More

Springsteen Releases Two Albums at Once, Minus the E Street Band
1992-Bruce Springsteen releases two albums on the same day, Human Touch and Lucky Town. They're his first since Tunnel Of Love in 1987, and first since Nebraska (1982) without the E Street Band.

1990- The avant-garde opera The Black Rider, by Robert Wilson, Tom Waits, and William S. Burroughs, premiered at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany.

1987-Georg Listing (bassist for Tokio Hotel) is born in Halle, Germany.

1986-O'Kelly Isley (of The Isley Brothers) dies of a heart attack at age 48 in Alpine, New Jersey.

1985-The first WrestleMania goes down at Madison Square Garden, with Liberace as timekeeper and Cyndi Lauper managing the wrestler Wendi Richter, who wins the Women's Championship with Lauper's help.

1984-Jack Antonoff is born in Bergenfield, New Jersey. He's the guitarist in the band Fun ("We Are Young") before going solo as Bleachers. His biggest impact is as a songwriter-producer for the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana Del Rey.

1984-Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" hits #1 in America. It's the title song to the soon-to-be-famous film where Kevin Bacon brings dancing to a small town in the South.

1982-The Doobie Brothers announce their breakup. After a summer goodbye tour, lead singer Michael McDonald launches a successful solo career. The band regroups in 1987.

1981-At the first ever Golden Raspberry Awards (aka The Razzies), Neil Diamond takes home the prize for Worst Actor for his performance as Yussel Rabinovitch in The Jazz Singer. Laurence Olivier, who played Cantor Rabinovitch in the film, also scores a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor, an honor he shares with John Adames for Gloria.

1976- Led Zeppelin released their album Presence, adding to their influential rock catalog.

1974-Tom Petty marries his first wife, Jane Benyo. The couple met when they were both 17, which provides the title for the Stevie Nicks song "Edge Of Seventeen." They have two daughters before their divorce in 1996.

1973-Elton John appears on the front page of Melody Maker, which proclaims, "Now Elton's A Teen Idol!"

1973- The Grateful Dead played at War Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York.

1972- America’s self-titled debut album, featuring A Horse With No Name, was the number one album in the U.S.

1972-Badfinger, King Crimson, and Ashton, Gardner & Dyke performed at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans.

1971-Karl Lawrence King, who composed the Barnum and Bailey's circus music, dies at age 80.

1971-The final episode of The Johnny Cash Show airs on ABC. Cash closes the show with thanks to the cast and fans before moving into a rendition of "I Walk the Line."

1969-A short John Lennon film entitled Rape appears on Australian TV.

1969-Led Zeppelin's first album is released in the UK. The self-titled LP contains many hard rock classics, including "Dazed And Confused," "Good Times, Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown."

1969- Led Zeppelin performed at the Cooks Ferry Inn in north London.

1969-George Harrison and his wife Pattie appear in court in Surrey, England, to answer recent charges of marijuana resin possession. Both are fined 250 pounds.

1969-John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold a press conference in Vienna where they announce their "Bagism" project, giving the entire press conference from inside a white bag.

1968- The Who performed at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C..

1967- Jimi Hendrix famously set his guitar on fire for the first time during a performance at the Astoria Theatre in London, a stunt that became legendary in rock history.

1967-At the Astoria Theatre in London, Jimi Hendrix sets fire to his guitar for the first time, and goes to the hospital after the show with minor burns. During the rest of the tour, Hendrix makes a habit of playing his guitar with his teeth, and he ignites his axe a few more times.

1966-Elvis Presley's Frankie & Johnnie movie premieres in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1962-The Shirelles release "Soldier Boy."

1962-In these pre-Beatles years, Connie Francis is one of the biggest stars in America. She scores her third #1 with "Don't Break The Heart That Loves You."

1960- Lonnie Donegan’s My Old Man’s a Dustman debuted at No. 1 on the UK singles chart.

1959-Robert Holmes (guitarist for 'Til Tuesday) is born in England.

1958-Pat McGlynn (rhythm guitarist for Bay City Rollers) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1958- Chuck Berry released Johnny B. Goode, one of the earliest rock’n’roll hits about stardom, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart.

1957-Sun Records stars Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins begin a tour of the South in Little Rock, Arkansas, with Jerry Lee Lewis as a support act.

1957- Rodgers & Hammerstein's live television musical Cinderella, starring Julie Andrews, premiered on CBS-TV, bringing Broadway-style musicals into American homes.

1956-Brenda Lee makes her US television debut, singing an unrehearsed version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" on ABC's Ozark Jubilee.

1954-Tony Brock (drummer for The Tubes, The Babys) is born in Poole, Dorset, England.

1953-Sean Hopper (keyboardist for Huey Lewis & the News) is born in San Francisco, California.

1949-RCA introduces the 45 rpm record, which eventually becomes the format of choice for "singles," becoming more popular than the 78 rpm format by 1958.

1949- William Grant Still's opera Troubled Island, with a libretto by Langston Hughes and Verna Arvey, premiered at the New York City Opera, becoming the first grand opera by an African American produced by a major company.

1949- RCA Victor unveiled the 45 RPM single, revolutionizing the music industry by providing a durable, stackable format that dominated the singles market until the 1980s.

1948-Thijs Van Leer (vocalist, organist for Focus) is born in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1946-Al Nichol (guitarist for The Turtles) is born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

1945-"My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" by the Les Brown Orchestra with vocals by Doris Day, goes to #1 in America.

1944-Guitarist Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company is born in Herefordshire, England.

1944-Rod Allen (original lead vocalist for The Fortunes) is born Rodney Bainbridge in Leicester, England.

1943- Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical Oklahoma! opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City, eventually running for 2,212 performances and earning a "Special Citation" Pulitzer Prize.

1943-Al Goodman (of Ray, Goodman & Brown) is born in Jackson, Mississippi.

1841- Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major was performed for the first time, marking a significant moment in Romantic classical music history.

1935-Trumpet player Herb Alpert is born in Los Angeles, California. After defining the "Tijuana sound" on his 1962 song "The Lonely Bull," he becomes one of the top-selling album artists of the '60s, behind only Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Frank Sinatra. He's also a label boss, with A&M Records (his partnership with Jerry Moss) home to Cat Stevens, Styx, the Carpenters and many other top acts.
-
1934-An article in Melody Maker declares: "Expel All Jewish Musicians: A Little Hitler Invades Archer Street. Fascists Launch Fierce New Campaign." This refers to an Imperial Fascist League member Jackson Phillips as the "Little Hitler" of Archer Street. The article contains the memorable quote: "...he saw the light of Fascism, and this apparently so dazzled him that he has been unable to see anything else very clearly since."

1934-Richard Chamberlain is born in Beverly Hills, California. He finds fame as the star of TV's Dr. Kildare and also has string of '60s hits in the UK.

1934-John D. Loudermilk is born in Durham, North Carolina. He records as "Johnny Dee," but has his biggest success as a songwriter, composing "Tobacco Road" and "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)," a #1 hit for the Raiders in 1971.

1934-Actress/singer Shirley Jones is born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. After staring in various musicals, she plays Shirley, the matriarch of The Partridge Family on their TV show from 1970-1974. She and David Cassidy, who plays Keith Partridge, are the only cast members to actually sing on their songs.

1933-Anita Carter (of The Carter Sisters) is born in Maces Spring, Virginia, to Ezra and Maybelle Carter.

1928-Lefty Frizzell ("Long Black Veil") is born in Corsicana, Texas.

1921-Blues guitarist Lowell Fulson is born in Atoka, Oklahoma.

1909- Gustav Mahler conducted the New York Philharmonic for the first time, introducing his orchestral vision to American audiences.
1908-Jazz vibraphonist Red Norvo is born Kenneth Norville in Beardstown, Illinois.

1732-Joseph Haydn is born in Rohrau, Austria.

1685-Johann Sebastian Bach is born in Germany.


Notable Births on March 31
Francesco Durante (1684), Italian composer.

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732), Austrian composer and key figure in the development of the Classical style.

Shirley Jones (1934), singer and actress from The Partridge Family.

Herb Alpert (1937), trumpeter and co-founder of A&M Records.

1955-Angus Young is born in Glasgow, Scotland. He later moves to Australia and forms AC/DC with his brother Malcolm.

Jack Antonoff (1984), guitarist and producer for Fun and Bleachers.

[Bikkie]

1773
First beer brewed in New Zealand
In an attempt to concoct a preventative against scurvy, Captain James Cook brewed a batch of beer on Resolution Island in Dusky Sound, using rimu branches and leaves.



1965
TEAL becomes Air New Zealand
New Zealand’s international airline, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), was renamed Air New Zealand Limited.



1974
ACC comes into operation
In 1972 legislation established the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC) to provide insurance for all personal injury.


1978
Thermal insulation required in NZ homes
Early European-style timber frame construction was not as effective as traditional Māori methods at keeping the heat in buildings. Specified levels of thermal insulation were not required by law until 1978.


1981
New Zealand Film Archive launched
The New Zealand Film Archive has grown considerably since it shared Wellington premises with the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies.


1987
State-owned enterprises are born
The State-owned Enterprises Act heralded a major overhaul of the public sector and was a key part of the strategy of economic liberalisation known as 'Rogernomics'.


1992
New Zealand Cartoon Archive launched
The New Zealand Cartoon Archive (now the New Zealand Cartoon and Comics Archive) was launched at a function at the National Library in Wellington by Prime Minister Jim Bolger.



In Music History

2020-Dolly Parton makes a $1 million donation to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund research for a coronavirus vaccine.

2020-Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne dies at 52 after contracting coronavirus. He's one of the first popular entertainers to die from the virus, which a week later claims the life of John Prine.

2017 – Bob Dylan received his Nobel Prize for Literature at a private ceremony in Stockholm, recognizing his songwriting as a literary achievement.

2016-Guns N' Roses announce that original members Slash and Duff McKagan are returning to the group to join Axl Rose on the Not In This Lifetime stadium tour of North America. VIP packages (the "Welcome to the Jungle Pit Experience") go for $2,500, which gets you a backstage tour and access to the Paradise City Lounge, but no interaction with the band.

2016-Actor-turned-singer Kiefer Sutherland releases his debut single, "Not Enough Whiskey."

2015-Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon's first wife, dies of cancer at age 75 in Mallorca, Spain.

2012 – 47th Academy of Country Music Awards honored artists including Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, and Miranda Lambert.

YouTube Rickrolls Users
2008
On April Fools' Day, YouTube tricks users with the popular bait-and-switch prank called Rickrolling by featuring video links that actually lead to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video. Several other websites have the same idea, creating an unintentional, internet-wide April Fools' joke.

2008-Scott Weiland officially departs Velvet Revolver, effectively ending the band.

2008-The Rolling Stones release Shine A Light, the soundtrack to their concert film of the same name, directed by Martin Scorsese.

2007-The Hammersmith Palais in London, subject of The Clash song "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais," hosts its last concert - a gig by The Fall.

2007-Proving she understands irony just fine, Alanis Morissette transforms the Black Eyed Peas' booty anthem "My Humps" into a mournful piano ballad for April Fools' Day. The accompanying music video debuts on YouTube and becomes a viral sensation, garnering millions of views.More

2006-Spin magazine publishes a review of the Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy, which Axl Rose and his gang have been working on since 1994. It's an April Fool: the album isn't released until 2008.

2005-Jack Keller dies of leukemia at age 68 in Nashville, Tennessee. The songwriter is known for his pop collaborations with Howard Greenfield, including "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and "Run To Him." He was also a writer and producer for The Monkees TV series.

2004-Guitarist Paul Atkinson (of The Zombies) dies at age 58 from liver and kidney disease, while also suffering from cancer.

2002 – Luther Vandross released the compilation album Stop to Love, highlighting his contributions to R&B.

1999-"Shake, Rattle And Roll" composer Jesse Stone, aka Charles Calhoun, dies at age 97 in Alamonte Springs, Florida.

1996-After blowing through more than $30 million, MC Hammer files for bankruptcy protection.

1995-Tupac Shakur is in jail (serving time for sexual abuse), but his third album, Me Against the World, hits #1, where it stays for four weeks.

1992-Nigel Preston, drummer and founding member of The Cult, dies of a heroin overdose at age 28.

1992-MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit tour begins in Hampton, Virginia. By the end of the tour, two of his support acts have become more popular than he is: Boyz II Men and TLC.

1992-Jimmy Buffett and his wife Jane welcome their second daughter, Sarah Delaney.

1992-Billy Idol pleads no contest to charges of misdemeanor assault and battery and is fined $2,000. The incident happened in October 1991, when Idol ended up in a car with two women and allegedly punched one of them. Alcohol was involved.

1991-At his Wembley Arena concert in London, Rod Stewart calls for his wife Rachel Hunter to join him on stage for "You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)," but she instead sends out his buddy Elton John, dressed in women's clothes and makeup, to prank her husband. Stewart gamely plays along and sings to Elton.

1991-At his Wembley Arena concert in London, Rod Stewart calls for his wife Rachel Hunter to join him on stage for "You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)," but she instead sends out his buddy Elton John, dressed in women's clothes and makeup, to prank her husband. Stewart gamely plays along and sings to Elton.

1989-Living Colour make a splash as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, performing "Cult of Personality" and "Open Letter (To a Landlord)."

Bangles Hit #1 With "Eternal Flame," Break Up Six Months Later
1989-Bangles hit #1 in America with "Eternal Flame," but break up less than six months later.More

1989-N.W.A.'s "Gangsta Gangsta" becomes the group's first song to enter the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it debuts at #91.

1986-Hillary Scott of Lady A is born in Nashville. Her mother is the singer Linda Davis.

1986-Bruce Hornsby and the Range release The Way It Is, an album that produces four hits (including the title track) and is certified multi-platinum.

1985 – David Lee Roth left Van Halen to pursue a solo career, a major shift in the rock landscape.

1985-It's no joke: David Lee Roth officially leaves Van Halen to start a solo career.

1984-Marvin Gaye is fatally shot by his own father and dies at age 44. An investigation reveals that Marvin had beaten his father, who ends up serving five years' probation for voluntary manslaughter.

1984 – Marvin Gaye, the legendary soul singer, was tragically shot and killed by his father one day before his 45th birthday. Gaye was celebrated for hits like “Sexual Healing” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”.

1983-The second Men at Work album, Cargo, is released in America. The group's debut was released there less than a year earlier and is still getting airplay, leading to Men at Work saturation. Sudden success takes its toll on the group, which breaks up a few years later.

1983-Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett gets a phone call from manager Mark Whitaker, asking him to audition for Metallica. Hammett accepts, and several days later, is on a plane to New York for his tryout.

1978-The Philadelphia Fury soccer team (owned by Paul Simon, Peter Frampton, James Taylor and others) makes its debut (it lasts three seasons).

1976-Rush disregard their record label's wishes and release 2112. Mercury wanted the band to produce an album with more radio-friendly singles than Caress of Steel, but 2112 is just as ambitious and "progressive" as its predecessor. This time, however, advances in the band's skills and changes in the market make 2112 successful, though it will take 1977's A Farewell to Kings to help nudge 2112 to Gold status.

1975-Journey release their self-titled debut album, a mix of progressive rock and jazz with little emphasis on the vocals. It finds just a niche audience, as do their next two albums, but after adding lead singer Steve Perry to the band in 1977 they switch to a pop sound and become consistent hitmakers.

1974-Tom Petty and his band Mudcrutch leave Gainesville for Los Angeles, and never look back. They soon become Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

1971 – Jimi Hendrix’s posthumous album The Cry of Love was certified Gold, six months after his death, by the RIAA, cementing his enduring influence on rock music.

1970-The Joni Mitchell album Ladies Of The Canyon, with the songs "Big Yellow Taxi" and "The Circle Game," is released.

1969-After playing on hits for the likes of Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, four session musicians start Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, where they record The Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones.

Traffic Find Strange (And Possibly Supernatural) Inspiration For Their Debut Album
1967-A former champion horse jockey named Sir William Pigott-Brown rents one of his properties - a 19th century farm in the countryside outside London - to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who has his recently signed band Traffic record their debut album there.

1966 – The Troggs recorded “Wild Thing” at Olympic Sound Studio in London, which later became a global hit, topping charts in the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand.

1966 – David Bowie released his first solo single, “Do Anything You Say”, marking his debut under the stage name David Bowie, though the single failed to chart.

1961-Rock and roll singer Troy Shondell releases his sole hit, "This Time."

1961-The Beatles begin a grueling gig at Hamburg's Top Ten Club - seven hours a day on weekdays (eight hours on weekends) for three months.

1961-Mark White, guitarist and keyboardist for the English new wave group ABC, is born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

1959-Freddy Cannon releases "Tallahassee Lassie," which becomes his first hit. The song is later covered by The Rolling Stones.

1956-Elvis Presley gets his film career going with a screen test at Paramount Studios, where he performs a scene from The Rainmaker. He lands a contract and ends up starring in 31 movies.

1954-Rock drummer Jeff Porcaro (of Toto) is born in South Windsor, Connecticut.

1948-Reggae musician Jimmy Cliff ("The Harder They Come," "Hakuna Matata") is born James Chambers in Somerton District, St. James, Jamaica.

1946-Bass guitarist Ronnie Lane (Small Faces and Faces) is born in Plaistow, London, England.

1945-Rock drummer John Barbata (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship) is born in Passaic, New Jersey.

1944-Pop singer Frank Gari ("Utopia," "Lullaby of Love") is born Frank Daniel Garofalo in New York City.

1942-Phil Margo is born in Brooklyn, New York. He and brother Mitch will form The Tokens and release the #1 hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

1942-Pop guitarist Alan Blakley (The Tremeloes) is born in Bromley, Kent, England.

1939-Rudolph Isley (of The Isley Brothers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1934-Country singer-songwriter Jim Ed Brown (The Browns) is born in Sparkman, Arkansas. Aside from forming The Browns with his two sisters, he'll find fame as a solo artist and frequent duet partner of Helen Cornelius ("I Don't Want To Have To Marry You").

1932-Singin' in the Rain star Debbie Reynolds is born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas.

1917-Ragtime composer Scott Joplin dies of syphilitic dementia at age 49 in New York City.

[Bikkie]

1950
Opening ceremony at British Empire Games in Auckland
Forty thousand spectators packed Eden Park for the opening ceremony of the fourth British Empire Games – the first staged since the Second World War.


1975
First woman swims Cook Strait
American Lynne Cox swam from the North Island to the South in 12 hours 7 minutes. The fourth person to do so, she battled heavy seas and strong winds.


1985
USS Buchanan refused entry to New Zealand
New Zealand's Labour government refused the USS Buchanan entry because the United States would neither confirm nor deny that the warship had nuclear capability.



In Music History

2024-Forbes declares Taylor Swift a billionaire, making her the first musician to hit that mark just with her music and performances, not through investments or other ventures. Rihanna, for instance, is a billionaire largely because of her Fenty beauty line.

2015-Lip Sync Battle debuts on the Spike network. Hosted by LL Cool J, it pits celebrities against each other in miming songs. The performances get more elaborate over the show's five seasons, with the most popular being Tom Holland's re-creation of Rihanna's "Umbrella" video. We also get to see Dwayne Johnson do "Shake It Off," Channing Tatum do "Run the World (Girls)" and Anne Hathaway take on "Wrecking Ball."

2013-Just hours before a show in Calgary, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora leaves the group, citing personal reasons. Surprisingly, he doesn't re-join the band, although he does perform with them at their 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Sambora joined the band in 1983 and co-wrote most of their hits.

2011-LCD Soundsystem play their final ever gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show lasts four hours and features Arcade Fire and Reggie Watts.

2009-Texas-born guitarist Freddie Everett dies at age 49 after a long battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).

2006 – Gnarls Barkley saw their debut single Crazy top the UK singles chart for nine weeks, becoming the first single to reach No.1 solely from download sales.

2003-Soul singer Edwin Starr dies at age 61 of a heart attack while taking a bath at his home near Nottingham, England. Known for his 1970 #1 hit "War," Starr moved from America to England in 1983 and remained a popular performer there until his death.

2001 – Mariah Carey signed a record-breaking $100 million deal with Virgin Records for three albums.

1998-Robert Pilatus of Milli Vanilli dies at age 32 after overdosing on a combination of drugs and alcohol.

1997-After 32 years, Joni Mitchell is reunited with her first daughter, Kilauren Gibb. Joni gave the child up for adoption at the start of her career.

1996-Rosanne Cash released her ninth studio album, 10 Song Demo.

1996-Blues musician Guitar Gabriel dies at age 70.

1996-Zach Bryan is born Okinawa, Japan, where his mother and father are deployed with the US Navy, but he's raised in Oologah, Oklahoma. Zach serves in the Navy for eight years, releasing two albums independently. When he's discharged in 2021, he signs with Warner Records; the following year he has his first hit with "Something In The Orange."

1993-Roberta Flack guest stars as herself on an episode of ABC-TV's Loving.

1991-Lenny Kravitz releases his sophomore album, Mama Said, with the hit "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," a plea for reconciliation to his soon-to-be ex-wife, actress Lisa Bonet.
More

1991-The Rolling Stones release Flashpoint, a live album recorded throughout their Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour.

1990-After releasing eight studio albums in her native French, Celine Dion issues her first English-language album, Unison. The lead single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," goes to #4, setting the stage for her American breakthrough.

1987-Jazz drummer Buddy Rich dies at age 69 of heart failure after surgery for a malignant brain tumor.

1983 – Pink Floyd reached No.1 in the UK with The Final Cut, their twelfth studio album.

1977 – Fleetwood Mac reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200 with Rumours, their most successful album, which spent over 20 non-consecutive years on the chart and sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

1977 – ABBA topped the UK Singles chart with Knowing Me, Knowing You for five weeks.

1973-The Beatles release two compilation albums: The Beatles 1962-1966 and The Beatles 1967-1970. Both will land in the Top 10 on the US and UK albums charts, with 1967-1970 hitting #1 in the US.

1970-Janis Joplin get tattoos on her wrist and heart, the one on her chest reading "One For The Boys."

1967-Steve Winwood leaves The Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason.

1967-Guitarist and songwriter Greg Camp (of Smash Mouth) is born in West Covina, California.

1967-An overzealous audience member throws a smoke bomb onto the stage at The Rolling Stones concert at the Town Hall in Vienna, Austria, leading to a riot and the arrest of 154 fans.

1966-The Singing Nun, starring Debbie Reynolds, opens in theaters. The film is based on Sister Luc-Gabrielle, a Belgian nun who had a #1 US hit with the French language song "Dominique," re-written in English for the film. Luc-Gabrielle declares it "absolutely idiotic."

1966-Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass become the first act with four albums in the US Top 10 simultaneously:

#2 Going Places
#3 Whipped Cream and Other Delights
#9 South Of The Border
#10 The Lonely Bull

It's a record that stands until December 9, 2023, when Taylor Swift charts five albums simultaneously, including "Taylor's Version" reissues of 1989 and Speak Now.

1965-Freddie & the Dreamers record "Do The Freddie." Inspired by a short-lived dance craze, it will become a #18 hit.

1964 – The Beatles released their sixth single, Can’t Buy Me Love, which began a three-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart and topped charts in seven other countries.

1964-Elvis Presley releases the soundtrack album Kissin' Cousins for his movie of the same name. The album will peak at #6 on the Billboard albums chart.

1964-It's a big day for The Beach Boys, who record their first #1 hit, "I Get Around," and also fire their manager, Murry Wilson, who happens to be the father of three of the band members, including leader Brian Wilson, who feels his dad is hindering their progress with unwelcome critiques at their recording sessions.

1962-Bass player and songwriter Tony Franklin is born Anthony James Franklin.

1961-Keren Jane Woodward (of Bananarama) is born in Bristol, England.

1957-Elvis Presley appears for the first time outside the United States, performing at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. This and a show the next day in Ottawa would be the only Elvis concerts ever given outside the US.

1956-Johnny Cash records "I Walk The Line" at Sun Studio in Memphis. His label boss, Sam Phillips, has him speed up the tempo, which is a good call: The song becomes Cash's first #1 Country hit.

1952-Dave Bronze (bass guitarist for Procol Harum) is born in Billericay, Essex, England.

1952-Leon Wilkeson (bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd) is born in Newport, Rhode Island.

1949-David Robinson (drummer for The Cars) is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

1947-Emmylou Harris is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

1946-Kurt Winter (guitarist for The Guess Who) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1943-Jazz guitarist Larry Coryell is born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III in Galveston, Texas.

1942-Leon Russell is born Claude Russell Bridges in Lawton, Oklahoma.

1941-Kent Morrill, keyboardist and vocalist for the Fabulous Wailers, is born.

1939-Marvin Gaye is born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. in Washington, DC.

1938-Country singer Warner Mack, known for a string of chart-toppers including "Is It Wrong (For Loving You)," is born Warner Hensley McPherson Jr. in Nashville, Tennessee.

1928-Singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg is born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris, France.

1917-Italian American singer Lou Monte is born in Manhattan, New York.

1912-Jazz singer Herbert Mills (of The Mills Brothers) is born in Piqua, Ohio.

1805-Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odense, Denmark. The author is later the subject of a song by Danny Kaye.

1800-Opus 21: Symphony No. 1 in C major by Ludwig van Beethoven is first performed in Vienna for Baron Gottfried Van Swieten.

[Bikkie]

1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned king of England.

1882 - After more than 15 years of robbing banks and trains, US outlaw Jesse James is shot in the back at St Joseph, Missouri, by a member of his own gang.

1922 - Lenin appoints Stalin general secretary of the Russian Communist Party.


1943
Battle of Manners Street
Soldiers and civilians slugged it out on the streets of Wellington during the ‘Battle of Manners Street’, the best-known clash between New Zealanders and American servicemen during the Second World War.



In Music History


2022-Jon Batiste and Silk Sonic are the big winners at the Grammy Awards, where Batiste takes Album Of The Year for We Are, and Silk Sonic win Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year for "Leave The Door Open."

2014-Arthur Smith, one of postwar country music's finest guitar pickers, dies at age 93 of natural causes. His 1949 instrumental "Guitar Boogie" was one of the first to showcase the electric guitar and as such had a major influence on the development of rockabilly and rock in general.

2011- Adele’s album 21 spent ten consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the UK charts, breaking Madonna’s previous record for the longest chart-topping run by a female artist.

2008- Mariah Carey surpassed Elvis Presley’s record of 17 US No. 1 hits with Touch My Body, moving closer to The Beatles’ record of 20.

2008-Jay-Z joins Madonna and U2 in signing a huge contract with Live Nation; he scores a 360 deal that includes his own label.

American Idol Songwriting Competition Announced
2007-During a Season 6 episode of American Idol, Ryan Seacrest announces the American Idol Songwriter Competition. The entry fee is $10, and the winning song gets to be the winner's first single. After judges cull the 25,000 entries to 20 finalists, it's put to an online vote and the winner is "This is My Now."More

1999-British composer Lionel Bart, known for the Broadway smash Oliver!, dies at age 68 of cancer.

1998-With the big "alternative" acts now squarely in the mainstream, the Lollapalooza festival is officially cancelled, with Green Day, Radiohead and Foo Fighters among the bands turning down offers to headline. The festival launcheded in 1991 with Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails and Siouxsie and the Banshees at the top of the bill.

1995-The RealAudio Player is introduced, allowing users to stream audio over the internet for the first time. Over the next few years, many artists use it to post songs (or samples of them) on their websites.

1994-About 300 radio stations accept Pearl Jam's offer to broadcast their concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for free. It goes over so well, the band does a series of similar broadcasts over the next few years, bringing a steady stream of live music to their fans.

1990-Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan dies at age 66 of lung cancer.

1989-In Pittsburgh, it's a shakedown outside a Grateful Dead concert as police make about two dozen arrests after some fans try to get in without tickets. "I don't want those deadenders ever back again," Mayor Sophie Masloff says.

1985-Leona Lewis is born in Islington, London, England. After winning The X Factor UK in 2006, she lands a global hit with "Bleeding Love" in 2008.

1983-Danny Rapp (of Danny & the Juniors) dies at age 41 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He's discovered in a hotel room in Quartzsite, Arizona.

1982-Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager marry. Five days earlier, the songwriters took home Oscars for Best Original Song for their work on "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" from the movie Arthur.

1981-The Elvis Presley documentary movie This Is Elvis (with Ral Donner narrating) premieres in Memphis.

1980-In Memphis on their first US tour, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders gets in an altercation at a bar and is arrested. She kicks out the window of the police cruiser sent to take her away and spends the night in jail. Her group performs the next night at Poet's Music Hall.

1979- Kate Bush began her 28-date Tour of Life at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre, her first major concert tour.

1976- Johnnie Taylor’s Disco Lady began a four-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first single certified Platinum by the RIAA.

1974-Drew Shirley (guitarist for Switchfoot) is born in Key West, Florida.

1971-The Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1968-Skid Row lead singer Sebastian Bach is born Sebastian Philip Bierk is born in Freeport, Bahamas, raised in Canada.

1965- Bob Dylan made his UK singles chart debut with The Times They Are A-Changin’, reaching No. 9.

1965-Peaking at #93, The Who make the US singles chart for the first time, with "I Can't Explain."

1963-Elvis Presley's It Happened At The World's Fair movie opens in Los Angeles (it opens nationally a week later).

1961- The Marcels’ Blue Moon hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, also topping charts in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK.

1961-Eddie Murphy is born in New York City. In 1985, he has a hit with "Party All The Time," written and produced by Rick James. Murphy also makes the charts with the novelty song "Put Your Mouth On Me" and the Michael Jackson collaboration "Whatzupwitu."

1960-Working at RCA's Studio B in Nashville, Elvis Presley pulls an all-nighter, recording nine songs, finishing with "Are You Lonesome Tonight" in the wee hours of the morning. The mournful song becomes one of his biggest hits, going to #1 in America for six weeks.

1960-Elvis Presley records "It's Now or Never" in Nashville at RCA Studio B. With a melody lifted from the 1907 song "O Sole Mio," it veers away from rock and roll but is a huge hit and the song Elvis later says is his favorite of all his recordings.

1959-Because of its references to bad behavior in school (writing on the wall, throwing spitballs), The British Broadcasting Corporation bans The Coasters song "Charlie Brown." The ban is lifted two weeks later.

1956-Elvis Presley performs "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Blue Suede Shoes" onboard the aircraft carrier USS Hancock in San Diego. It's broadcast live on The Milton Berle Show.

1949-Guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson (of Fairport Convention) is born in Notting Hill Gate, London, England.

1944-Tony Orlando is born Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. He becomes a teen singing sensation with the 1961 hit "Bless You," but by 1970 is working in music publishing. That year, he is asked to record vocals for a song called "Candida," as the original singer didn't work out. When it becomes a hit, Orlando resumes his singing career as Tony Orlando & Dawn.

1943-Richard Manuel (lead singer of The Band) is born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

1942-"Down In The Boondocks" singer Billy Joe Royal is born in Valdosta, Georgia.

1942-Wayne Newton is born Carson Wayne Newton in Norfolk, Virginia.

1941-Surf rocker Jan Berry (of Jan & Dean) is born William Jan Berry in Los Angeles, California.

1938-Songwriter Jeff Barry is born Joel Adelberg in Brooklyn, New York. In 1964, 17 songs he co-wrote make the Hot 100, including three chart-toppers: "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," "Chapel Of Love" and "Leader of the Pack."

1928-Country singer-songwriter Don Gibson ("Sweet Dreams," "I Can't Stop Loving You") is born in Shelby, North Carolina.

1924-The married Beulah Annan murders her lover Harry Kalstedt then sits drinking cocktails and playing "Hula Lou" over and over again while he dies.

1902-The first series of Alessandro Moreschi's solo recordings is made; he is the only castrato to be recorded solo.

1897-German composer and pianist Johannes Brahms dies at his Vienna apartment.

1869-Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor is premiered at Copenhagen's Casino Theater.




Birthdays of Influential Musicians

Doris Day (1922–2019), American singer and actress.

Richard Manuel (1949–1986), Canadian composer and member of The Band.

Jimmy McGriff (1936–2008), American organist.

Harold Vick (1936–1987), American tenor saxophonist.

Scott LaFaro (1936–1961), American jazz bassist.

Bill Potts (1928–2005), American arranger and pianist.

Bill Finegan (1917–2008), American arranger, composer, and pianist.

Ken Kersey (1916–1983), Canadian pianist.

Billy Taylor, Sr. (1906–1986), American pianist and tuba player.

James “Bubber” Miley (1903–1932), American trumpeter.



Deaths

1990- Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, known as “The Divine One,” passed away from lung cancer at age 66.

Other notable deaths include Bob Burns, original drummer of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died in a car crash.

[Bikkie]

2001-Silvia Cartwright becomes governor-general
The swearing-in of Dame Silvia Cartwright as New Zealand’s 18th governor-general completed a female clean sweep of the country’s most powerful political and legal positions.

1921-First school dental nurses begin training
In a world first, 30 women began training as dental nurses for the state-funded School Dental Service.

1905 - An earthquake in Lahore province, then part of India, kills 19,000 people.

1902 - The Rhodes Scholarship fund is created with a bequest of US$10 million in Cecil Rhodes' will.

1841 - US President William Harrison dies of pneumonia, just 31 days after assuming office.




In Music History

2024- Dream pop guitarist Graeme Naysmith passed away, known for his work with the band Pale Saints.

2023-The first truly believable AI-generated song appears online, posted to TikTok by an anonymous user. It's called "Heart On My Sleeve," and mimics the voices of Drake and The Weeknd. It quickly spreads to streaming services and is continually taken down and reposted, raising the issue of copyright with AI music.

2022-Jack Harlow previews his song "First Class" on TikTok with an eight-second snippet four days before its official release. It quickly spreads on the platform and helps the song debut at #1, setting up a new paradigm for launching music.

2017-Pepsi posts a commercial featuring the Skip Marley protest song "Lions" that is pulled the next day amid controversy that it makes light of actual protests.

Kendrick Lamar's Butterfly Flies To #1
2015-Kendrick Lamar's landmark album To Pimp A Butterfly flies to #1 in America.

2015-Marilyn Manson is sucker punched by a fellow patron at a Denny's in Alberta, Canada. The rocker, who stopped by the restaurant for a late-night meal after a show promoting his Pale Emperor album, denies claims that he insulted the assailant's girlfriend and spurred the incident.

2014-Richard Marx and Cynthia Rhodes announce the end of their 25-year marriage that included the birth of three sons. The pair met in 1983 when both were working on the film Staying Alive (Marx on the soundtrack, Rhodes as a dancer).

2012-The single "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber debuts at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's the third-highest first-week sale at 600,000 copies sold. Lots of teenage girls want to be Bieber's girlfriend.

2009-At the Public Hall in Cleveland, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Metallica, Run-DMC and Bobby Womack are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2008-The Martin Scorsese-directed Rolling Stones concert documentary Shine A Light hits theaters. The next week, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Jack White appear on the cover of Rolling Stone with the headline, "Blues Brothers."

2008-After years of quiet courtship, Jay-Z and Beyoncé get married in a secret ceremony, becoming the most powerful couple in entertainment.

2008-Procol Harum's Gary Brooker wins an appeal in London to an earlier ruling, which stated that Harum organist Matthew Fisher was entitled to 40 percent of the royalties from the band's 1967 smash "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." Though the new ruling notes that Fisher wrote the organ line and should be co-credited, it also overturns the royalty award by noting that Fisher waited 38 years to sue.

2008-New Kids on the Block announce their upcoming reunion tour during NBC's Today show in New York City.

2007-An article is published in New Musical Express quoting Keith Richards as saying, "I snorted my father." Richards later claims it was an April Fools' joke.

2005-A man who won an out-of-court settlement in 1994 against the singer for a similar charge testifies in Michael Jackson's current molestation trial.

2003-The Rolling Stones make their stage debut in India, performing at Bangalore Palace in the middle of a monsoon!

1996-More trouble for Wilson Pickett, who after serving a one-year jail sentence in 1994 is arrested at his New Jersey home and charged with possession of two grams of cocaine. Still on probation, he enters a rehab center in August.

1996-Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered in the Ganges river in India by Dead guitarist Bob Weir and Garcia's widow, Deborah.

1992-Beastie Boys make their first concert appearance playing instruments at a show at The Palladium in Los Angeles.

1987- U2's album "The Joshua Tree" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, eventually reaching No. 1 and achieving diamond status in the US.

1987-Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond and used in the movie Mannequin, hits #1 in the US.

1981-Styx hit #1 in the US with Paradise Theatre, a concept album based on the rise and fall of a theatre in Chicago.

1978-Loretta Lynn sings "One's On The Way" on episode #308 of The Muppet Show. Because the Muppet Theatre is supposedly being fumigated, the entire show takes place at a railroad station.

1974-R&B singer Andre Dalyrimple is born in Georgia. Along with his three brothers, he'll form the group Soul For Real, known for their 1994 hit "Candy Rain."

1973-R&B singer Kelly Price is born in Queens, New York.

1973-The Elvis Presley Aloha From Hawaii concert, recorded three months earlier, is broadcast in America for the first time when it runs on NBC. The ratings are huge, with a third of households with TV sets tuning in to watch.

1972-Magnus Sveningsson (bass guitarist for The Cardigans) is born in Falkoping, Sweden.

1972-R&B singer Jill Scott is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1970- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's debut album "Déjà Vu" topped the US albums chart, featuring hits like "Teach Your Children" and "Our House".

1969-CBS cancels the highly rated but controversial Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Artists to appear on the show include The Who, The Doors and Jefferson Airplane.

Martin Luther King Jr. Is Killed
1968-US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. is killed after being shot on a Memphis motel balcony. King's life inspires a number of songs, including U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)."

1967-Jimi Hendrix guests on the first broadcast of the BBC show Dee Time, hosted by Simon Dee. Cat Stevens is also on the show.

1967-The Beatles finish recording "Within You Without You," a George Harrison song where he plays sitar and is accompanied by various Indian musicians. He has the engineers add some laughter to the end of the track from a sound effects reel.

1966-Mike Starr (bass guitarist for Alice in Chains) is born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1964-A court orders The Trashmen of "Surfin' Bird" fame to pay royalties to Beechwood Music, holder of the copyright for The Rivingtons' 1962 hit "Papa Oom Mow Mow," which The Trashmen hit borrows heavily from.

1964-The Beatles hold the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the following singles:

5) "Please Please Me"
4) "I Want To Hold Your Hand"
3) "She Loves You"
2) "Twist And Shout"
1) "Can't Buy Me Love"


1962-Craig Adams (bass guitarist for The Cult) is born in Otley, West Yorkshire, England.

1961-Former teen idol Fabian graduates from Philadelphia's South Side High.

1960-RCA Victor decides to release all future singles -- starting with its next, Elvis Presley's "Stuck On You" -- in both mono and stereo versions.

1960- Elvis Presley recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" at RCA Victor studios in Nashville, which later became a chart-topping hit.

1960-Frank Sinatra's version of "High Hopes" from the movie A Hole In The Head wins the Oscar for Best Original Song.

1958-Earl Grant records "(At) The End (Of A Rainbow)."

1952-Dave Hill (guitarist for Slade) is born in Holbeton, Devon, England.

1952-Blues guitarist Gary Moore (of Thin Lizzy) is born Robert William Gary Moore in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1951-Country musician Steve Gatlin (of The Gatlin Brothers) is born in Olney, Texas.

1950-Rock drummer Phillip "Pip" Pyle (of Gong, Hatfield and the North, and National Health) is born in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England.

1948-Berry Oakley (bass guitarist for The Allman Brothers Band) is born Raymond Berry Oakley III in Chicago, Illinois.

1948-Pick Withers (drummer for Dire Straits) is born David Withers in Leicester, England.

1942-Kris Jensen, known for the 1962 hit "Torture," is born Peter Jensen in New Haven, Connecticut.

1941-R&B singer Major Lance, known for hits like "The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um," is born in Winterville, Mississippi.

1940-Songwriter Sharon Sheeley, who writes hits for Glen Campbell, Brenda Lee and Eddie Cochran, is born in California. She also pens Ricky Nelson's first #1 hit, "Poor Little Fool."

1939-Jazz musician Hugh Masekela is born in Witbank, South Africa.

1938-Country singer-songwriter Norris "Norro" Wilson is born in Scottsville, Kentucky.

1938-Actor and singer Michael Parks is born Harry Samuel Parks in Corona, California.

1936-Margo Sylvia, lead singer of The Tune Weavers (known for the 1957 hit "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby"), is born Margo Lopez.

1932-Music mogul Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records, is born in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to working with artists like Kelly Clarkson, TLC, Alicia Keys, and Aretha Franklin, he will help launch the careers of Whitney Houston and Barry Manilow.

1929- Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II's operetta "The New Moon" opened at the Drury Lane Theatre in London's West End.

1914-Singer and actress Frances Langford is born Julia Frances Langford in Hernando, Florida.

1913-Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters is born McKinley Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.





Notable Birthdays
Muddy Waters (1915-1983): Influential American blues musician, would have turned 110 this year.
Gary Moore (1952-2011): Northern Irish musician, would have turned 73 this year.

[Bikkie]

1871
NZ's first overseas diplomatic post created
New Zealand’s first overseas diplomatic post was created when Isaac Featherston was appointed as agent-general in London.

Phar Lap at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, c. 1930
1932
Death of Phar Lap
The champion racehorse Phar Lap was New Zealand-born and bred, but never raced in this country. He won 37 of his 51 races and 32 of his last 35, including the 1930 Melbourne Cup. In the gloom of the great Depression, Phar Lap’s exploits thrilled two countries.



In Music History

Amazing Grace Hits Theaters, 47 Years After It Was Filmed
2019-The Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace is finally released in theaters, 47 years after it was recorded in 1972.More

Bob Dylan And St. Vincent Do Classic Songs From Same-Sex Perspective
2018-The EP Universal Love – Wedding Songs Reimagined is released, with six classic songs sung from the perspective of same-sex couples. Bob Dylan does "She's Funny That Way" as "He's Funny That Way," and St. Vincent turns "Then He Kissed Me" into "Then She Kissed Me."More

2017-At age 73, Barry Manilow comes out as gay.

2017-Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O'Neill is found dead in a Tampa, Florida, hotel room. The band announces the 61-year-old rocker died from a chronic illness.

2015-Two days after Furious 7 is released in theaters, the "See You Again" video, featuring footage from the film, debuts on Facebook and Twitter. The next day, it is posted on YouTube, where it eventually breaks the record for most views, previously held by "Gangnam Style."

2016- Drake released One Dance, which topped charts in multiple countries and became the most-streamed track of the year on Spotify.

2012-The Philip Lynott Exhibition opens at the 02 in London, celebrating the legacy of the Thin Lizzy frontman.

2011-Folk musician Gil Robbins (of the folk band The Highwaymen) dies of prostate cancer two days after his 80th birthday in Baja California, Mexico.

2009-Donald Trump fires TLC member Tionne Watkins, better known by her stage name T-Boz, in the sixth week of The Celebrity Apprentice, Season 8.

2008-Leona Lewis hits #1 in the US with "Bleeding Love." It's the first American hit for Lewis, who won the UK version of The X Factor in 2006. The song was written by Ryan Tedder and Jesse McCartney, and intended for McCartney.

2008-Toto breaks up after performing its final concert in Seoul.

2006-Rock and roll singer-songwriter Gene Pitney dies of a heart attack at age 66 while touring the UK.

2005-Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas releases his debut solo album, …Something To Be, featuring the Top 10 hit "Lonely No More."More

Aberdeen Beckons: Come As You Are
2005-On the eleventh anniversary of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's suicide, his hometown of Aberdeen, Washington adds the phrase "Come As You Are" to its welcome sign.

2002-Alice In Chains frontman Layne Staley dies after overdosing on heroin and cocaine. The 34-year-old singer had fallen into addiction and lost most contact with the outside world. His body isn't discovered until two weeks later, when police enter his apartment on April 19 after friends and associates report him missing.

2002-In Philadelphia, 12-year-old Taylor Swift sings the national anthem before the 76ers game against the Detroit Pistons. She's from the borough of Wyomissing, about 60 miles away.

1998-Prolific rock drummer Cozy Powell, who did time in Rainbow and Black Sabbath, dies at 50 when he crashes his car on the M4 near Bristol, England. He was racing to his girlfriend's house, who had called him distraught.

1997- Aerosmith’s Nine Lives reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200, and The Chemical Brothers topped the UK Singles chart with Block Rockin’ Beats.

1994-Kurt Cobain of Nirvana kills himself with a shotgun at age 27. His body isn't discovered until three days later when an electrician enters to install an alarm.

1988-Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album is released.

1987-Jazz drummer Buddy Rich's funeral takes place in Los Angeles, with Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw, and Johnny Carson in attendance.

1985-Thousands of radio stations play "We Are The World" simultaneously at 10:50 a.m. EST. In the next few weeks, the song goes to #1 in America and the UK.

1985- Thrash metal band Exodus released their debut album Bonded by Blood, a classic in the genre.

1984-Marvin Gaye's funeral takes place in Los Angeles, with Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy attending. Gaye died 4 days earlier when he was shot by his father during an argument.

1982-The record industry trade magazine Record World folds after 36 years.

1981-Blues-rock musician Bob "The Bear" Hite (lead singer of Canned Heat) dies at age 38 after snorting a vial of heroin - thinking it was cocaine - given to him by a fan.

1980- R.E.M. performed their first show at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia, and Genesis topped the UK Albums chart with Duke.

1978-Duran Duran play their first live gig, in Birmingham, England. Singer Stephen Duffy leaves the band two years later and is replaced by Simon Le Bon - shortly before the band are signed to EMI records.

1977-David Bowie and Iggy Pop perform together on Dinah Shore's daytime show on NBC.

1975-Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You," with the most famous high note of the '70s, is the #1 hit in America.

1974-The Guess Who host a celebrity tennis tournament in Toronto to benefit Ballet of Canada.

Pharrell Williams Is Born
1973-Singer/superproducer Pharrell Williams is born in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As half of the hip-hop production duo The Neptunes, he's a prime architect of the popular music landscape of the 2000s.More

1971-Chicago is the first American rock band to perform at Carnegie Hall.

1969-The Guess Who's "These Eyes" enters the Billboard singles chart.

1968- Simon & Garfunkel released Mrs. Robinson, which became a US chart-topper and won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

James Brown Quells Riots In Boston
1968-With tensions high the night after Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated, James Brown goes ahead with his concert at the Boston Garden, agreeing to televise the show to help keep calm in the city.

1968-Singer-songwriter Paula Cole, known for the 1997 hit "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?," is born in Rockport, Massachusetts.

1967-Elvis Presley's 24th movie, Double Trouble, premieres in Hollywood.

1967-Monkees fans march in London in protest of band member Davy Jones' announced induction into the Army. The teen heartthrob is eventually exempted from duty for being his family's main provider.

1966-Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is born in Pensacola, Florida. One of his most notable songwriting contributions to the band is "Given To Fly" from 1998, a song that represents a period of renewal.

1965-"Chim Chim Cher-ee," composed by The Sherman Brothers for the Disney musical Mary Poppins, wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

1965- At the 37th Academy Awards, the Sherman Brothers won Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee from Mary Poppins.

1964-Rapper Christopher "Kid" Reid (Kid 'N Play) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

1964-The Beatles film the famous opening scene from their first movie, A Hard Day's Night, running away from several rabid female fans at London's Marylebone train station.

1964-The Searchers make their US television debut, singing "Needles And Pins" and "Ain't That Just Like Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1961-On The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet episode "A Question of Suits and Ties," Ricky Nelson sings "Travelin' Man" in what could be considered the first music video

1951-Everett Morton (drummer for The English Beat) is born in the West Indies.

1950-Agnetha Faltskog (of ABBA) is born in Jönköping, Småland, Sweden.

1944-R&B singer Nicholas Caldwell (of The Whispers) is born in San Francisco, California.

1942-Allan Clarke (original lead singer of The Hollies) is born Harold Allan Clarke in Salford, Lancashire, England.

1941-Folk musician Dave Swarbick (of Fairport Convention) is born in New Malden, England.

1939-R&B singer Ronnie White (of The Miracles) is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1939-Pop singer-songwriter Crispian St. Peters is born Robin Peter Smith in Swanley, Kent, England.

1934-Jazz tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1932-R&B singer Billy Bland, known for the '60s hits "Let the Little Girl Dance" and "Harmony," is born in Wilmington, North Carolina.

1929-English record producer Joe Meek, famous for writing and producing the Tornados' instrumental hit "Telstar," is born Robert George Meek in Newent, Gloucestershire, England.

1928-R&B singer Tony Williams (of The Platters) is born in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

1926-Jazz drummer Stan Levey is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band Makes First African-American Jazz Recordings
1923-Joe Oliver and King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, featuring a young Louis Armstrong, make the first jazz recordings by an African American band at Gennett Records in rural Richmond, Indiana.

1922-Actress and singer Gale Storm, star of the '50s TV shows My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show, is born Josephine Owaissa Cottle in Bloomington, Texas.

1902- Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane pour une infante défunte” premiered in Paris, performed by pianist Ricardo Viñes.

1803- Ludwig van Beethoven conducted the first performance of his 2nd Symphony in D in Vienna, marking an early milestone in classical music history.





Notable Live Performances
The Fleetwoods performed Come Softly to Me on The Ed Sullivan Show, an early example of televised music promotion.

Jerry Lee Lewis recorded Live at the Star Club in Germany, later acclaimed as a legendary live rock album.

Duran Duran played their first live show in Birmingham, England, in 1979.

The Allman Brothers Band, Yes, and Genesis all performed significant concerts on April 5 in the 1970s, contributing to rock history.




Famous Birthdays

Tony Williams (1928), jazz drummer, The Platters

Peter Grant (1935), manager of Led Zeppelin

Agnetha Fältskog (1950), ABBA singer-songwriter

Mike McCready (1966), guitarist, Pearl Jam

Paula Cole (1968), singer-songwriter and pianist

Pharrell Williams (1973), singer, producer, and songwriter

[Bikkie]

1864
Pai Mārire ambush in Taranaki
A British patrol was ambushed by Pai Mārire fighters near Ōakura. The heads of the seven men killed were taken around the North Island by Pai Mārire disciples to encourage enlistment in the movement.


1919
Maori (Pioneer) Battalion returns from war
The Maori (Pioneer) Battalion was one of only three New Zealand Expeditionary Force formations – and the only battalion – to return from the First World War as a complete unit.


In Music History

2023-The series Beef airs on Netflix with a soundtrack that revives several songs from the '90s and '00s, including "Drive" by Incubus, "Self Esteem" by The Offspring, and "Lonely Day" by System of a Down.

2018-Cardi B releases her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy. It goes to #1 and clears a path for female rappers like Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla.

2016-Hello Billboard, my old friend. Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 chart-topper "The Sound of Silence" peaks at #6 on the Hot Rock Songs chart thanks to its appearance in a meme involving Ben Affleck and his botched blockbuster Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

2016-On his 79th birthday, Merle Haggard dies at his ranch in Northern California. Haggard placed 71 songs in the Top 10 of the Country chart during his lifetime.

2004-Wilco's frontman, Jeff Tweedy, checks into a rehabilitation center after developing an addiction to painkillers. A statement released by the band reads: "The treatment follows a well-documented history of Tweedy's battle with migraine headache."

2004-Rock and roll guitarist Niki Sullivan (of Buddy Holly's backing band The Crickets) dies at age 66 of a heart attack in Sugar Creek, Missouri.

2002-Sarah McLachlan gives birth to her first child, daughter India Ann Sushil Sood.

1999-Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead appear at an Al Gore presidential fundraiser, with Gore's wife, notorious anti-rock crusader Tipper, playing congas.

1998-Wendy O. Williams (lead singer of Plasmatics) dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 48 in Storrs, Connecticut.

1998-On the TV show Murphy Brown, Candice Bergen's lead character turns 50, and her coworkers celebrate by recreating an episode of American Bandstand. Dick Clark, Chubby Checker, Fabian and Lesley Gore all make appearances.

1998-Tammy Wynette dies at age 55 after suffering numerous health problems.

1997-The Michael Jackson short film/theme ride Captain EO is shown for the last time at Disneyland.

1993-Tool disrupt the grunge genre's victory parade with Undertow, their visionary debut album. Aided by the distinctive and unsettling music videos for "Sober" and "Prison Sex" (directed by Adam Jones), the album sells two million copies and earns the band an ardent fan base.

1993-Bruce Hornsby releases his first solo album, Harbor Lights. Jerry Garcia, Pat Metheny, Bonnie Raitt, Branford Marsalis, and Phil Collins all make appearances on this jazzy recording.

Annie Lennox Issues First Solo Album
1992-Annie Lennox releases her first solo album, Diva, with the hits "Why" and "Walking On Broken Glass."

1992-George Harrison performs his first full live solo concert since 1969, appearing in London in a benefit for the Natural Law political party.

1988-Barbara "Sandi" Robison falls ill during a performance in Butte, Montana. She's rushed to a hospital but never fully recovers. She dies from toxic shock a couple of weeks later.

1986-Composer John Longmire dies at his Guernsey home at age 85.

1985-Gilbert O'Sullivan wins a two-million-dollar judgment against his manager, Gordon Mills, for royalties owed him on his 1972 smash "Alone Again (Naturally)."

1984-Rock and roll musician Ral Donner, known for the 1961 hit "You Don't Know What You've Got (Until You Lose It)," dies at age 41 of lung cancer.

1984-Steve "Little Steven" Van Zandt announces he's leaving the E-Street Band, and goes on to helm the Sun City project. He will return in the '90s when the band reforms.

1983-Ronald Reagan's secretary of the Interior, James Watt, cancels an appearance by The Beach Boys at Washington DC's Independence Day festivities, infamously stating that the band would attract "an undesirable element."

1980-Andrew Wood forms the group Malfunkshun in Seattle, Washington, marking what some consider the beginning of grunge. The music of Malfunkshun makes an impact on Wood's roommate Chris Cornell, who forms Soundgarden. Wood moves on to Mother Love Bone, and after he dies of a heart attack in 1990, that group adds Eddie Vedder and becomes Pearl Jam

1979-In Beverly Hills, Rod Stewart marries George Hamilton's ex-wife, Alana. The couple divorces in 1984.

1978-Peter Frampton guest-stars on NBC-TV's Black Sheep Squadron.

1974-Blue Swede's "Hooked On A Feeling" hits #1.

1974-Al Green performs his hit "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" on Soul Train. Green, who had broken an arm and is wearing a sling, performs the song live, which is rare on the show because live performances are expensive and complicated to produce.

1974-The Eagles, Earth, Wind & Fire, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake and Palmer play to a crowd of 200,000 at the California Jam in Ontario, California.

1974-Billy Joel scores his first Top 40 hit with "Piano Man," which comes in at #33 (it peaks at #25 two weeks later).

ABBA Wins Eurovision With "Waterloo"
1974-ABBA become European stars overnight when their composition "Waterloo" wins the annual Eurovision Song Contest.

1972-The Monkees' Micky Dolenz guest stars as himself on the "Barbara Lost" episode of ABC-TV's My Three Sons.

1971-Russian composer Igor Stravinsky dies of heart failure at age 88 in New York.

1971-Carly Simon plays her first show as a solo artist when she opens for Cat Stevens at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles. Anxiety makes it very hard for her to play live, but she can't resist a chance to play some shows with Stevens, her favorite singer.

1970-Diana Ross, having left The Supremes four months earlier, issues her debut single as a solo artist, "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)."

1969-Original bassist Pete Quaife leaves The Kinks. Nobby Dalton takes his place.

1969-Joanie Sommers guests on the syndicated Frankie Avalon Easter (TV) Special.

The Graduate Soundtrack Goes To #1
1968-The Graduate soundtrack hits #1 in America thanks to Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," which tops the Hot 100 less than two months later.

1965-Elvis Presley releases "Crying In The Chapel."

1963-With his contract with Imperial Records expiring, Fats Domino signs with ABC-Paramount and begins recording in Nashville.

1963-Bobby Darin records "Eighteen Yellow Roses."

1958-Selwyn Brown (keyboardist for Steel Pulse) is born in London, England.

1957-Perry Como's "Round And Round" hits #1.

1956-The Capitol Tower, new home of Capitol Records, opens on the corner of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. The 13-story building, which resembles a stack of records, houses three new recording studios where Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Linda Ronstadt, and many other stars will lay down tracks. The building becomes an LA landmark, with the red light at the top flashing "HOLLYWOOD" in Morse Code.

1956-Having impressed Paramount Studios with his screen test five days earlier, Elvis Presley is signed to a seven-year, three-picture deal worth nearly half a million dollars.

1953-Christopher Franke (of the electronic group Tangerine Dream) is born in Berlin, Germany.

1952-Original Accept singer (and later frontman of UDO), Udo Dirkschneider, is born in Wuppertal, Germany.

1947-Drummer Tony Connor (of Hot Chocolate) is born in Romford, England.

1944-Bass guitarist John Stax (of The Pretty Things) is born in Crayford, Kent, England.

1944-Alan Lee Brackett of the Peanut Butter Conspiracy is born in Los Angeles, California.

1942-Anita Pallenberg is born in Rome. A model, she has a short relationship with Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones and a long one with Keith Richards, with whom she has three children.

1937-Country musician Merle Haggard is born in Oildale, California. For the first years of his life, he lives in an abandoned boxcar that his father converted into a home.

1929-Composer and pianist Andre Previn - known for Academy Award-winning scores to Gigi, Porgy & Bess, Irma la Douce, and My Fair Lady - is born Andreas Ludwig Priwin in Berlin, Germany.

1927-Jazz musician Gerry Mulligan is born in Queens, New York City.

1925-Eddie Cantor records "If You Knew Susie."

1922-Jazz pianist Dorothy Donegan is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1917-Blues harmonica player Walter Horton is born in Horn Lake, Mississippi.

[Bikkie]

1954- WALB TV channel 10 in Albany, GA (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1956- France officially relinquished its protectorate in Morocco, Spain follows suit for regions of her protectorate in northern Morocco

1957- Last of NY's electric trolleys completes its final run

1958- Dodgers erect 42-foot screen in left field at LA Coliseum to cut down on home runs, since it is only 250 feet down the line

1959- Oklahoma ends prohibition, after 51 years

1959- Radar first bounces off the Sun in Stanford, California

1962- Indian cricketer Polly Umrigar slams 172 not out vs West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 248 minutes



In Music History
2020-John Prine, acclaimed singer-songwriter of Angel From Montgomery, passed away aged 73, due to COVID-19 complications, leaving a legacy of 23 albums and five Grammy Awards.

2017-Pearl Jam, Nile Rodgers, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Joan Baez, Tupac Shakur and Yes are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2016-After 15 years of memorable performances, cringeworthy auditions, and shocking eliminations, the American Idol stage finally goes dark, but not before one more winner is crowned: Trent Harmon.

2015-Don McLean's original manuscript to his lyric for "American Pie" sells at auction for $1.2 million. Says McLean: "I thought it would be interesting as I reach age 70 to release this work product on the song 'American Pie' so that anyone who might be interested will learn that this song was not a parlor game."

2014-25-year-old Peaches Geldof, daughter of the Live Aid mastermind Bob Geldof, is found dead in Kent, England, after overdosing on heroin. Her mother, Paula Yates, died in 2000 when Peaches was 11.

2013-Andy Johns (engineer for Led Zeppelin, Television, and The Rolling Stones) dies at age 62 of complications from a stomach ulcer.

Rock Of Ages Revives '80s Rock On Broadway
2009-The jukebox musical Rock of Ages, a celebration of glam metal and classic rock of the '80s, opens at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.More

2008-Bob Dylan gets an honorary Pulitzer Prize for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture." He's the first rock musician to win the award.

2008-The newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots announce a 65-date reunion tour and play for the first time since 2002.

2007-Beyoncé's "Beautiful Liar," featuring Latin-pop star Shakira, breaks the record for the highest leap on the Billboard Hot 100 when it jumps 91 places to #3. The record was previously held by Akon, whose "Smack That," featuring Eminem, rose from #95 to #7 (ultimately peaking at #2) in 2006.

2000-At The Roxy in Los Angeles, Brian Wilson covers the Barenaked Ladies' tribute song "Brian Wilson" for the first time ("If you want to find me, I'll be out in the sandbox..."). The concert is later released as Live at the Roxy Theatre, his first live album.

1999-Shania Twain's third album Come On Over is certified Diamond (10 million in sales) by the RIAA, making her the first female artist with back-to-back Diamond albums; her second album, The Woman in Me, was certified in 1997.

1998-George Michael is arrested for disorderly conduct at a park restroom in Beverly Hills, California, after an undercover officer observes him performing a "lewd act." He comes out as gay soon after.

1998-Drummer Carlos Vega (James Taylor's band) dies at age 41 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the day before he is scheduled to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show alongside James Taylor.

1998-Mary Bono, who was married to Sonny Bono when he died in a skiing accident four months earlier, wins a special election to claim her husband's seat in California's 44th Congressional District. Mary, who has no previous political experience, holds office until 2013.

1998- Singer-songwriter Berit Dybing, known as Ber, was born, later gaining recognition for viral hits like Meant To Be.

1990- Farm Aid IV concert in Indianapolis featured artists including Bonnie Raitt, Elton John, Willie Nelson, and Iggy Pop.

1990-Guns N' Roses play their last show with drummer Steven Adler, whose drug addiction is taking a toll on his playing. He is booted from the band before their next performance.

1990- Elton John arrives after holding vigil for Ryan White, an 18-year-old who is one of the first high-profile AIDS victims (he contracted the disease from a blood transfusion). Elton dedicates his performance of "Candle In The Wind" to White, who dies the next day.

Bonnie Raitt Lands Her First #1 Album
1990-Bonnie Raitt emerges from a career slump with her first #1 album, Nick Of Time, unseating Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl.

1988-When the piano wire that keeps him safely suspended during his gallows stunt snaps, Alice Cooper nearly hangs himself for real on stage at Wembley Arena in London. He's able to slip his chin over the rope to keep his neck from snapping until a roadie can rescue him.

1987-Whitesnake slides into hair metal with their seventh, self-titled album. It's by far their most successful, with the MTV hits "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love?"

1987-Jazz singer Maxine Sullivan, known for her 1937 swing version of "Loch Lomond," dies after suffering a seizure at age 75 in New York City.

Sade Makes the Cover of Time Magazine
1986-Sade makes the cover of Time magazine under the headline Pop's Smooth Operator. The article lauds her as "a new princess of pop" with a "sophisticated sound, elegant look."

1985-Wham! become the first Western pop group to play in China when they perform at the Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing. Footage from their trip appears in the video for their song "Freedom."

1984-New British Invasion: 40 of the artists on the US Top 100 singles chart are Brits - a new record.

1981-Rick James releases his most successful album, Street Songs, with "Fire And Desire" and "Super Freak."

1979-Minute By Minute by The Doobie Brothers claims the top spot on the US albums chart, thanks in part to "What A Fool Believes," written by Kenny Loggins and Doobies frontman Michael McDonald.

1979-Rickie Lee Jones is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She performs her hit "Chuck E.'s In Love" and does a full-beatnik rendition of "Coolsville," complete with cigarette and beret.

1978-The Police release "Roxanne" in the UK. BBC Radio 1 refuses to play it, which tanks the song, but when the band tours America a year later it catches on in that country, becoming their first hit.

1978- Prince released his debut album For You, showcasing his multi-instrumental talents and producing hits like Soft and Wet.

1979- The Doobie Brothers’ album Minute by Minute began a two-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200.

1977- The Damned became the first British punk band to perform live in the United States at CBGB in New York.

1975-After a show in Paris, Ritchie Blackmore leaves Deep Purple to form Rainbow. He is eventually replaced by Tommy Bolin.

1975-John Cooper, frontman for the Christian rock band Skillet, is born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1973- Diana Ross’ soundtrack album Lady Sings the Blues topped the US Billboard 200 chart, and Vicki Lawrence’s The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

1971-The Rolling Stones announce their own record label, Rolling Stones Records, which they vow to make a "small operation we can handle" so as not to suffer the pitfalls of The Beatles' Apple Records.

1971- Don McLean’s iconic song American Pie became a cultural touchstone; its original manuscript was later auctioned for $1.2 million in 2015.

1970-Popular songwriting team Hal David and Burt Bacharach win the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" from the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Performed by B.J. Thomas, it hit #1 on the US charts. Bacharach also takes the prize for Best Original Score for his work on the film.

1969- Leonard Cohen released his second studio album, Songs from a Room.

1968-At the Generation Club in New York, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Richie Havens and Buddy Guy take the stage for a jam session in tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., who was killed three days earlier.

1968-Three days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Nina Simone performs "Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)" at the Westbury Music Fair in Long Island, New York, in his honor. The song was written by her bassist, Gene Taylor, less than 24 hours earlier.

1962- Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Brian Jones at the Ealing Jazz Club in London, a meeting that led to the formation of the Rolling Stones.

1962-Bobby Rydell wins the role of Hugo in the movie version of Bye Bye Birdie.

1962- Shelley Fabares’ debut single Johnny Angel began a two-week run at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, also topping charts in Canada and New Zealand.

1959-Marty Robbins records "El Paso."

1959-As the snow melts in Mason City, Iowa, Buddy Holly's glasses are found from the plane crash that killed him two months earlier. They are turned in to police, where they stay until 1980, when a sheriff finds them and returns them to Holly's widow.

1958-Nat King Cole portrays famed blues musician W.C. Handy in the biographical film St. Louis Blues. The star-studded cast includes music greats Mahalia Jackson, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway, and 10-year-old Billy Preston as a young Will Handy.

1956-Network TV premiere: Rock & Roll Dance Party with Alan Freed, on CBS.

1956-Capitol Records Tower: Opened as the first circular office building in Los Angeles, housing recording studios and offices, with Frank Sinatra’s Tone Poems of Color as the first album recorded there.

1956-The Platters make their national television debut on Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show on CBS.

1956- Alan Freed’s Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party premiered on CBS Radio, the first regularly scheduled national rock and roll broadcast.

1951-Janis Ian is born Janis Eddy Fink in New York City (but will be raised in New Jersey). She writes her first song at age 12 and completes her first hit, "Society's Child," at 14.

1951-Bruce Gary (drummer for The Knack) is born in Burbank, California.

1949- The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened at the Majestic Theater in New York City, eventually running for 1,928 performances and winning 10 Tony Awards.

1948-Dallas Taylor, a drummer known for his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, is born in Denver, Colorado.

1948-John Oates (of Hall & Oates) is born in New York City.

1948-Carol Douglas, known for the pioneering disco track "Doctor's Orders," is born in Brooklyn, New York, to a musical family. Her mom is jazz performer Minnie Newsome, the supposed inspiration for Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher," and her cousin is soul singer Sam Cooke.

1947-Pat Bennett (of The Chiffons) is born in The Bronx, New York.

1943-Rock guitarist Mick Abrahams (of Jethro Tull) is born in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.

1938-Rock drummer Spencer Dryden (of Jefferson Airplane, New Riders of the Purple Sage) is born in New York City.

1937-R&B vocalist Charlie Thomas (of The Drifters) is born in Lynchburg, Virginia.

1935-Country singer-songwriter Bobby Bare is born in Ironton, Ohio.

1920-Ravi Shankar, Hindustani classical musician and composer (and dad to Norah Jones), is born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury in Benares, India.

1915-Billie Holiday is born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1917-Jazz percussionist Mongo Santamaria, known for composing the jazz standard "Afro Blue," is born Ramon Santamaria Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba.

1912-Songwriter Jack Lawrence is born Jacob Louis Schwartz in Brooklyn, New York. Co-wrote Frank Sinatra's first solo hit, "All or Nothing at All."

1908-Composer and arranger Percy Faith is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1805-Beethoven's 3rd Symphony (Eroica) is premiered in Vienna's Theater-an-der-Wien. Innovative in length and size of orchestra, many criticize the first movement for its dissonant chords.

1724 Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion premiered at St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, Germany, marking a significant moment in Baroque sacred music history.

[Bikkie]

1923
Rail tunnel pierces the Southern Alps
The opening of the 8.5-km Ōtira tunnel completed the long-planned transalpine railway between Christchurch and Greymouth. At the time, it was the longest tunnel outside the Alps and the seventh-longest in the world.



1965
Cook Islands achieves self-government
First included within the boundaries of New Zealand in 1901, the islands were governed by a Resident Commissioner until 1946. When they achieved self-government, Cook Islanders remained New Zealand citizens.



In Music History

2024-Decades after listeners synched it to The Wizard Of Oz, many skywatchers use Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side Of The Moon to soundtrack the total solar eclipse, with the last track, "Eclipse," playing as the moon blocks out the sun.

2023-Jimin of BTS becomes the first South Korean solo artist to hit #1 in America when his song "Like Crazy" debuts at the top spot. PSY came close in 2012 when "Gangnam Style" went to #2.

2016-Steve Miller, notoriously averse to awards ceremonies, goes on a backstage rant when he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He says the Hall is like "a private boys club," and lets loose on the organizers. "It's a bunch of jackasses and jerks and f--king gangsters and crooks."

2016-Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani are officially divorced after 14 years of marriage. They share three sons: Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo.

2016-The Baltimore Orioles play the Woody Guthrie song "This Land Is Your Land" during the seventh inning stretch in their game against the Rays, starting a tradition of playing the song at every Friday home game. It's part of their "Community Heroes" program to honor local citizens and an effort to diversify their musical selections to reflect progressive ideals. On Saturday nights they play "America The Beautiful," and on Sundays it's "God Bless America."

2016-The Guns N' Roses reunion tour gets underway in Las Vegas. Axl Rose, who fractured his foot at a warm-up show, performs from the throne Dave Grohl used to play Foo Fighters shows when he was hobbled.

2016-Bruce Springsteen cancels an upcoming show in Greensboro, North Carolina, in protest of a state law limiting the rights of transgender people. "Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry - which is happening as I write - is one of them," he writes.

Pearl Jam follows suit, bowing out of a show in Raleigh.

2013-Cher fans fear the singer is dead when the hashtag #nowthatchersdead trends on Twitter. It turns out the tag is for Margaret Thatcher.

2013-Annette Funicello dies at age 70 of multiple sclerosis. The actress became famous as a Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club before becoming a pop singer and was known for a string of popular '60s "Beach Party" films with co-star Frankie Avalon.

2010- Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols and influential in punk rock, passed away.

2008-Lady Gaga releases her first single, "Just Dance," co-written with Akon, who sings on the track. It catches on in clubs and gradually climbs the pop chart, landing at #1 in January 2009.

2006-The Rolling Stones play their first-ever concert in mainland China with a gig in Shanghai.

2003-Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, releases her first solo album, To Whom It May Concern. It debuts at #5 in America.

2001-Country singer-songwriter Van Stephenson (of BlackHawk) dies at age 47, two years after being diagnosed with melanoma.

2001-Cuban violinist Pedro Depestre Gonzales (of Buena Vista Social Club) dies at age 55 after collapsing on stage during a concert performance in Basel, Switzerland.

2000- Westlife scored their fifth consecutive UK number one single with Fool Again.

2000- Santana featuring The Product G&B reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Maria Maria.

2000-NSYNC's album No Strings Attached hit No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 for eight consecutive weeks.

2000-In a Saturday Night Live skit where Blue Öyster Cult is recording "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," Christopher Walken demands more cowbell from Will Ferrell, who complies. A catch phrase is born.

1997-Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro ("Stoned Soul Picnic," "Wedding Bell Blues," "And When I Die") dies at age 49 of ovarian cancer.

1996-Delta blues musician Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes dies at age 59 of lung cancer.

1994-Kurt Cobain's body is found in his Seattle home by an electrician sent to install a burglar alarm. He is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound three days earlier. The Nirvana song "Come As You Are" takes on new meaning with the line, "I swear that I don't have a gun."

1994-The Offspring release their breakthrough album Smash on the indie label Epitaph Records. Thanks to the success of the singles "Come Out and Play" and "Self Esteem," it sells over 10 million copies worldwide to become the best selling independently released and distributed album of all time.

1992- Clarke Peters’ musical Five Guys Named Moe opened in NYC, running for 445 performances.

1989-The 1975 lead singer Matt Healy is born in London.

1989-"The Look" by Roxette hits #1 on the Hot 100, the first of four chart-toppers for the Swedish duo.

1985-The musical Leader Of The Pack: The Songs Of Ellie Greenwich opens on Broadway (running for 120 performances).

1984-Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig is born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

1980-The TV movie Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, based on the song "The Gambler," airs on CBS. It becomes the highest-rated TV movie of the year and leads to four sequels, all starring Rogers.

1977- The Clash released their self-titled debut album in the UK, achieving cult status in punk rock.

1975- Aerosmith released Toys in the Attic, which became their most commercially successful album in the US.

1975-Dutch singer-songwriter Anouk is born Anouk Teeuwe in The Hague, Netherlands.

1974-Dr. John releases the album Desitively Bonnaroo. The title, a creole saying for "good stuff," provides the appellation for the Bonnaroo music festival.

1974- Paul McCartney & Wings released the single Band on the Run in the US.

1972-Bass player Paul Gray, a founding member of Slipknot, is born in Los Angeles but is raised in Des Moines, Iowa, where he forms the band. Gray is just 38 when he dies from a drug overdose in 2010.

1971- Chicago became the first rock group to sell out a week of shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

1970- The UK premiere of the Woodstock documentary film took place in London.

1968-The TV special Petula airs on NBC. At one point in the show, host Petula Clark grabs hold of Harry Belafonte's arm while they are singing a duet. This marks the first time a white woman and black man have physical contact on TV in such context.

1967-The Doors' first single, "Break On Through (To The Other Side)," hits a wall, stalling at #126 in the US. Their next release, "Light My Fire," does much better, going to #1.

1967- Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK with Puppet On A String

1964-The Supremes record "Where Did Our Love Go," which becomes their breakout hit.

1964-Rapper Biz Markie is born Marcel Theo Hall in New Jersey.

1963-Julian Lennon is born John Charles Julian Lennon, the first child of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia. Imbued with many of his father's talents for music, he releases his debut album, Valotte, in 1984 with the hit "Too Late for Goodbyes"

1963-Frank Sinatra hosts the 35th Academy Awards, held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Lawrence of Arabia wins Best Picture, with composer Maurice Jarre taking home Best Original Score. Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer land Best Original Song for "Days Of Wine And Roses" from the film of the same name.

1963-Patty Duke wins the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for The Miracle Worker.

1962-Guitarist Izzy Stradlin, a founding member of Guns N' Roses, is born Jeffrey Dean Isbell in Lafayette, Indiana.

1956-The Johnny Burnette Trio (with brother Dorsey) make the first of three appearances on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour on ABC-TV.

1954- The musical By the Beautiful Sea, starring Shirley Booth, opened in NYC.

1951-Rock bassist Mel Schacher (of Grand Funk Railroad, ? & the Mysterians) is born in Owosso, Michigan.

1947-Pioneering Christian rock performer Larry Norman is born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1947-Yes guitarist Steve Howe is born in London.

1944-Drummer Keef Hartley (of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Keef Hartley Band) is born in Preston, Lancashire, England.

1942-Rock singer Roger "Chappo" Chapman (of Family) is born in Leicester, England.

1942- Arnold Schoenberg and Tudor's ballet Pillar of Fire premiered in New York City.

1941-Soul singer J.J. Jackson, known for the 1966 crossover hit "But It's Alright," is born Jerome Louis Jackson in Gillett, Arkansas.

1938- Walter Piston's 1st Symphony in E premiered in Boston, conducted by the composer.

1935- Béla Bartók's 5th String Quartet debuted in Washington, D.C..

1931- Dmitri Shostakovich's ballet The Arrow premiered.

1929-Singer-songwriter Jacques Brel is born in Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium.

1922-Jazz singer Carmen McRae is born in Harlem, New York City.

1896-Edgar Yipsel Harburg, known as "Yip," is born in New York City. He co-writes many popular songs, including "Over The Rainbow" and "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime."

1781- Mozart premiered his Violin Sonata No. 27 in G major (K. 379),.

[Bikkie]

1850
Sisters of Mercy arrive in New Zealand
Nine Sisters of Mercy arrived in Auckland on the Oceanie with Bishop Pompallier and a number of priests.



1932
Unemployed disturbances in Dunedin
During the 'angry autumn' of 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, unemployed workers in Dunedin reacted angrily when the Hospital Board refused to assist them.



In Music History

2021-Hardcore rapper DMX dies at age 50 a week after suffering a massive heart attack. His first five albums all went to #1 in America.

2018-The chain is broken: Fleetwood Mac announce that Lindsey Buckingham has been fired from the band and will be replaced with Mike Campbell and Neil Finn on their upcoming tour.

2012-Alabama Shakes release their debut album, Boys & Girls, featuring "Hold On." Led by powerhouse singer Brittany Howard, they bring a rootsy, organic sound to the landscape that helps earn them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

2009-Following a contentious interview where he insults Canadian audiences, Billy Bob Thornton's music career hits a roadblock when he and his band the Boxmasters are booed at their show in Toronto opening for Willie Nelson. The Boxmasters cancel their remaining Canadian dates the next day.More

2009-Philadelphia soul singer Randy Cain (of The Delfonics) dies at age 63.

2008-Elton John plays a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, bringing in about $2.5 million. In 2013, Clinton is honored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation for her support of gay rights.

2004-Weird Al Yankovic's parents, Nick and Mary Yankovic, are found dead of accidental carbon-monoxide poisoning in their Fallbrook, California. The tragedy was caused by using their fireplace with the flue closed.

2000- Craig David became the youngest UK male solo artist to write and perform a #1 hit with "Fill Me In".

1999-Bruce Springsteen begins his first tour with the E Street Band since 1988 with a concert in Barcelona. The European leg ends in June, with the first American show in their home turf of New Jersey on July 15. The tour lasts until July 2000, a total of 132 shows.

1999-Faith Hill begins her first headlining tour ("This Kiss") in Minneapolis.

1997-Nashville songwriter Mae Axton, co-writer of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel," dies at age 82 when she has a heart attack and drowns in her hot tub.

1997-Amidst personal tensions between its band members, Soundgarden announce their breakup, which lasts for 13 years.

Gillian Welch Releases Revival
1996-Bluegrass duo Gillian Welch and David Rawlings release their debut album, Revival.

1996- Semisonic released their debut album Great Divide, featuring the song "F.N.T. (Fascinating New Thing)".

1996-The New York Yankees grounds crew dances to "Y.M.C.A." as they drag the field in the fifth inning of their home opener, eliciting roars of approval from the crowd. The routine, with improved choreography, becomes a regular feature at Yankee Stadium.

1994-Heavy metal makes a mark as Pantera's album Far Beyond Driven debuts at #1 in America.

1994-Wayne Newton marries his second wife, Kathleen.

1994- The Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall featured Sting, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Luciano Pavarotti, and others.

1994-Pearl Jam visit the White House, where they meet with President Bill Clinton. The band push for reforms to rein in Ticketmaster, while Clinton looks for help crafting an official statement on Kurt Cobain, who was found dead the previous day.

1992-"Deep Cover" by Dr. Dre, written for the movie of the same name, is released. It marks the first appearance of Snoop Doggy Dogg, recently signed to Dre's Death Row Records, on a major release.

1988-Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car," from the movie License To Drive, hits #1 in the US. Written by Ocean with superproducer Mutt Lange, it's the last of his three US #1 hits, following "Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)" and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)."

1988-R&B singer Brook Benton dies of pneumonia at age 56, two years after contracting spinal meningitis.

1988- Billy Ocean reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car," and Pet Shop Boys hit #1 in the UK with "Heart".

1988-Soul singer Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave) dies at age 50 in a single-car accident in Sycamore, Georgia.

1987-Jesse McCartney is born in Ardsley, New York. At 17, while starring in the TV series Summerland, he releases his first single, "Beautiful Soul," a hit with his fanbase of teenage girls.

1986-The musical Time premieres at the Dominion Theatre in London. Produced by Dave Clark, the show stars Cliff Richard in the lead role.

1985-Frankie Goes to Hollywood open a European tour in Copenhagen, then spend the rest of the year in tax exile from the United Kingdom.

1984-Cher, for her performance in Silkwood, loses the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award to Linda Hunt (in The Year Of Living Dangerously). Cher would win for Best Actress three years later for her role in Moonstruck.

1983- David Bowie’s "Let's Dance" topped both the U.S. and UK charts, produced by Nile Rodgers and featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan.

1977-Europop Rules In America With "Dancing Queen"
ABBA goes to #1 on the US singles chart with "Dancing Queen," the group's seventh US Top 40 hit and first #1. The song is also a #1 in the UK and 12 other countries.

1977-Alt rock singer-songwriter Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) is born in Summit, New Jersey.

1976-Folk singer-songwriter Phil Ochs commits suicide at age 35 in Far Rockaway, New York City, after a long battle with bipolar disorder and alcoholism.

1973- Paul McCartney released "My Love," which became his biggest U.S. solo hit, staying at #1 for four weeks.

1973-Queen play the Marquee Theater in London, their first concert since signing with EMI Records.

1971- Ringo Starr released the single "It Don't Come Easy," produced by George Harrison.

1969- Bob Dylan released his ninth studio album, Nashville Skyline, marking a stylistic shift to country music and featuring the hit "Lay Lady Lay" with liner notes by Johnny Cash.

1969-King Crimson make their debut performance with a show at the Speakeasy in London.

1969-Kevin Martin (lead vocalist of Candlebox) is born in Elgin, Illinois.

1966-Jeff Beck collapses on stage at a Yardbirds concert in France. Said their drummer Jim McCarty: "You never really quite knew what was going to happen with him."

1966- The Righteous Brothers reached #1 in the U.S. with "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," while Percy Sledge released "When a Man Loves a Woman" and Jr. Walker & The All Stars released "(I'm A) Road Runner".

1965-Bruce Johnston joins The Beach Boys as the permanent replacement for Brian Wilson.

1962-Henry Mancini wins the Best Original Song Academy Award for "Moon River" from Breakfast At Tiffany's.

1957- Howard Hanson's "Song of Democracy" premiered in Washington, D.C..

1953-Hal Ketchum, whose country hits include "Small Town Saturday Night" and "Past The Point Of Rescue," is born in Greenwich, New York.

1950-Keyboardist Peter Wood (Roger Waters' backing group, The Bleeding Heart Band) is born in Middlesex, England.

1948-Rock 'n roll singer Dave "Chico" Ryan (of The Happenings, Sha Na Na, Bill Haley & His Comets) is born in Arlington, Massachusetts.

1945-Rock 'n roll singer Emil Stucchio (of The Classics) is born in New York.

1943-Music producer Terry Knight (Grand Funk Railroad, Bloodrock) is born Richard Terrance Knapp in Lapeer, Michigan.

1942- Alexander Gretchaninov's 4th Symphony premiered at Carnegie Hall, conducted by John Barbirolli.

1941-Country singer Kay Adams, known for the 1966 hit "Little Pink Mack," is born Princetta Kay Adams in Knox City, Texas.

1939- Marian Anderson performed before 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after being denied permission to sing at Constitution Hall due to racial segregation.

1932-Rockabilly singer Carl Perkins is born in Ridgely, Tennessee.

1894- Anton Bruckner's 5th Symphony in B premiered in Graz, Austria-Hungary, in an abridged and re-orchestrated version by Franz Schauk without the composer's approval.

1887-Classical composer Florence Beatrice Price is born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1860-An anonymous vocalist sings "Au Clair De La Lune" to Parisian inventor Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville, who makes the first known and oldest surviving recording of the human voice.

[Bikkie]

1919
New Zealand votes for prohibition – until soldiers’ votes are counted
A special liquor referendum initially gave prohibition a majority of 13,000 over continuance (the status quo), raising the hopes of those who had for decades campaigned against the manufacture and sale of alcohol.



In Music History

2022- The revival of Cabaret starring Eddie Redmayne won Best Musical at the UK’s Olivier Awards, while Life of Pi won Best Play.

2014- The 29th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, KISS, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, The E Street Band, Brian Epstein, and Andrew Loog Oldham.

2012-Robin Gibb's orchestral production Titanic Requiem (released to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic) premieres in London.

2009-Blues musician Rocky Hill dies at age 62 of undisclosed medical complications.

2007-Fantasia Barrino becomes the first American Idol winner to star in a Broadway musical when she takes on the role of Celie in The Color Purple. In 2023, she plays the same role in the film adaptation.

2007-The Hendersonville, Tennessee house once owned by Johnny Cash burns to the ground. It had been purchased after Cash's death by Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees, who planned to renovate it.

2007-Jazz singer Dakota Staton, known for the 1957 hit "The Late, Late Show," dies at age 76.

2004-Two months after her "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl, Janet Jackson hosts Saturday Night Live and is also the musical guest.

2003-Pop singer Little Eva dies at age 59, 18 months after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.

2003-Country singer Noel Fox (of The Oak Ridge Boys) dies at age 63, days after suffering a massive stroke.

2002-South Carolina Governor James Hodges declares James Brown the state's "Godfather Of Soul."

1999-The all-star tribute concert Here There and Everywhere: A Concert For Linda is held at London's Royal Albert Hall, where Paul McCartney, George Michael, Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), Elvis Costello and Sinead O'Connor raise money for animal charities while remembering Paul's wife Linda, who has recently succumbed to breast cancer.

1998-Three days after being arrested in a Los Angeles park for lewd conduct, George Michael comes out as gay in an interview with CNN. "I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now," he says.

1998-Cleveland radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay, a pioneer of R&B radio who inspired The O'Jays' moniker and became their manager, dies at age 73.

1998-The romantic drama City of Angels premieres in theaters, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who gives up eternal life to be with a mortal woman (Meg Ryan). The soundtrack features Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." Both songs were written specifically for the film.

1995-Lee Greenwood and wife, Kim, welcome a baby boy, Dalton Lee, in Nashville.

Depeche Mode Knocks Whitney From #1
1993-Depeche Mode's eighth album, Songs of Faith and Devotion, reaches #1 in America, knocking Whitney Houston's soundtrack from The Bodyguard off the top spot, and holding off challengers Eric Clapton, Kenny G and Sting. Inspired by the grunge scene, the band adds distorted guitars and live drums to their signature synth sound.

1992-Brash stand-up comedian Sam Kinison, who also appeared in several music videos ("Bad Medicine," "Kickstart My Heart," "Wild Thing"), dies at age 38 when his car is hit by a teenage drunk driver.

1991-Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits guest stars as a rock star on the "Glitter Rock - April 12, 1974" episode of Quantum Leap.

1990-Public Enemy release their highly anticipated third album, Fear Of A Black Planet, with the incendiary lead single "Fight The Power." The album becomes the first in hip-hop history to sell a million copies its first week of release.

1990-Maren Morris is born in Arlington, Texas. She moves to Nashville and launches a successful career in country music, but her biggest hit comes when she lends vocals to the "The Middle," a techno-dance track by the producer Zedd.

1990- Hip hop groups A Tribe Called Quest (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhytm) and Public Enemy (Fear of a Black Planet) released influential albums that shaped the genre.

1990-A Tribe Called Quest release their debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, drawing comparisons to the mellow grooves of De La Soul. It doesn't do much damage on the charts but ages well, with the songs "Can I Kick It?" and "Bonita Applebum" earning a place as hip-hop classics.

1989-The Cult release their fourth album, Sonic Temple, which peaks at #10 on the US chart. The album features some of The Cult's biggest hits, including "Fire Woman," "Sun King," "Edie (Ciao Baby)" and "Sweet Soul Sister."

1989- The 24th Academy of Country Music Awards honored Hank Williams Jr., George Strait, and K.T. Oslin.

1988-George Michael and Madonna are "honored" at the 8th Golden Raspberry Awards, where the former Wham! singer takes Worst Original Song for "I Want Your Sex," the #2 hit featured in Beverly Hills Cop II, and Madonna is named Worst Actress for her role as Nikki Finn in Who's That Girl. It's Madge's second consecutive win in the category, having landed the prize the year before for her role in Shanghai Surprise.

1985-Madonna begins her first tour, the Virgin Tour, in Seattle. Her opening act is a petulant, little-known white rap trio called the Beastie Boys, which gets booed throughout their set.

1986-Linda Creed, the "Lyric Queen of Philadelphia" who wrote hits for The Spinners, The Stylistics, and Whitney Houston, dies of cancer at 37. In 1992, she's inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

1984-Singer and actress Mandy Moore is born Amanda Leigh Moore in Nashua, New Hampshire.

1980-Bass guitarist Bryce Soderberg (of Lifehouse) is born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

1976- Peter Frampton’s live album Frampton Comes Alive! topped the US Billboard 200, selling over six million copies and becoming one of the best-selling live albums of all time.

1979-Italian composer Nino Rota, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II, dies at age 67 of heart failure.

1979-Pop singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor is born in Hounslow, London, England.

1976-Peter Frampton's album Frampton Comes Alive! hits #1 in the US, where it stays for 10 non-consecutive weeks, more than any other album in 1976.

1976-Stevie Wonder is featured in an ad in Down Beat magazine, endorsing the Mu-Tron III effects pedal, which uses synthesizer envelopes to create a wah effect for guitar. Wonder had used the pedal on his 1973 smash "Higher Ground."

1975-Alt rock singer-songwriter Chris "Ender" Carrabba (of Dashboard Confessional) is born in West Hartford, Connecticut.

1973-Led Zeppelin's album Houses Of The Holy is certified Gold.

1970-Heavy metal guitarist Mike Mushok (of Staind) is born in Manhasset, New York.

1970-Elton John releases Elton John, his first album in America and second in the UK. It includes "Your Song" and "Take Me To The Pilot."

1970- Paul McCartney officially announced the breakup of The Beatles in a press release, marking a pivotal moment in rock history.

1970-Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest is born Jonathan Davis in New York City. Also known as "The Abstract," he works to elevate hip-hop by incorporating more eclectic samples (many from jazz records) and writing lyrics that carry a socially conscious message that never comes off preachy.

1970-R&B singer Kenny Lattimore ("Never Too Busy," "For You") is born in Washington, DC.

1970-At one of the band's last concerts, in Boston, Doors frontman Jim Morrison asks the audience if they'd like to see something of his "that rhymes with 'sock,'" and then, more bluntly, screams "Would you like to see my genitals?" The power in the stadium is switched off, and keyboardist Ray Manzarek pulls the singer, already facing similar charges from a Miami gig, off the stage.

Banned Gainsbourg/Birkin Duet Hits #1 In UK
1969-Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's steamy duet "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus" hits #1 in the UK, where it's banned by the BBC.

1968- The Broadway musical George M!, based on the life of George M. Cohan, opened at the Palace Theater in NYC for 435 performances.

1968-Bill Kreutzmann invites Mickey Hart to join Grateful Dead as its second drummer.

1968- Cliff Richard’s Congratulations topped the UK Singles chart as the British Eurovision entry.

1967- Aretha Franklin released her iconic version of Respect, which peaked at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammy Awards.

1967-Paul McCartney attends a Beach Boys recording session in Hollywood.

1967- Nancy and Frank Sinatra’s Somethin’ Stupid became the first father-daughter song to hit No.1 on the Billboard pop chart.

1965-Freddie & the Dreamers' "I'm Telling You Now" goes to #1 in the US.

1962-Stu Sutcliffe, original bass guitarist for The Beatles, dies at age 21 of a brain aneurysm.

1960-Hip hop DJ Afrika Bambaataa (of Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force) is born Kevin Donovan in The Bronx, New York.

1960-Katrina Leskanich of Katrina & the Waves is born in Topeka, Kansas.

1959-R&B singer-songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1959-Brian Setzer (of Stray Cats, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) is born in Massapequa, New York.

1958-Rock 'n roll singer Chuck Willis dies at age 30 of peritonitis.

1958-Bobby Darin records "Splish Splash" and "Queen Of The Hop" at Atlantic Studios in New York.

1957-Ricky Nelson, 16, performs his first single, a cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walking," on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the TV series he stars in alongside his real-life family. The song quickly climbs the charts and launches his music career.

1957–1961: Early TV performances by Ricky Nelson (I’m Walking) and Del Shannon (Runaway) marked the rise of rock and pop on television.

1957-Bass guitarist Steve Gustafson (of 10,000 Maniacs) is born in Seville, Spain.

1956-Performing to an all-white audience at a segregated show in Birmingham, Alabama, Nat King Cole is attacked by four members of the Ku Klux Klan who rush the stage to assault him. Cole suffers a back injury and is treated at the hospital, but returns that night to play his second show, this time to an all-black audience. The attackers receive the maximum sentence of 180 days in jail.

1956-Leo Fender patents the successor to his popular "Telecaster" model of electric guitar, this time called the "Stratocaster."

1955–1979: Composer Nino Rota, known for The Godfather scores, died at 67.

1954- Perry Como’s rendition of Wanted topped the US Billboard Singles chart for eight consecutive weeks.

1953- The Stargazers reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart with Broken Wings.

1950-Guitarist Eddie Hazel (of Funkadelic) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1948-Bass guitarist Fred Smith (of Blondie, Television) is born in New York.

1947-Reggae musician Bunny Livingston (of Bob Marley & The Wailers) is born Neville O'Riley Livingston in Kingston, Jamaica.

1937- Cole Porter’s musical Red, Hot and Blue, starring Ethel Merman, Jimmy Durante, and Bob Hope, closed at the Alvin Theatre in New York City after 183 performances.

1936-R&B singer Bobbie Smith (of The Spinners) is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1930- The first full performance of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) took place at the Metropolitan Opera House in Philadelphia, featuring Martha Graham and the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Leopold Stokowski.

1921-Actor and novelty singer Sheb Wooley is born in Erick, Oklahoma.

1911-Pianist Martin Denny is born in New York City.

1868-Johannes Brahms' German Requiem is premiered in Bremen Cathedral as part of the Good Friday remembrance.

Births- Composer Werner Fabricius (1633) and Eugene Francis Charles D’Albert (1864) were born on this day.

[Bikkie]

1869
New Zealand's first royal visit
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, arrived in Wellington as captain of the frigate HMS Galatea. The first member of the British royal family to visit New Zealand, he was greeted with haka, speeches and bunting.


1916
New Zealand Division arrives in France
The Minnewaska, a troopship carrying the headquarters of the recently formed New Zealand Division, arrived in Marseilles, France




In Music History

2022-At the CMT Awards, The Judds reunite for their first TV appearance in 20 years, performing their 1990 song "Love Can Build A Bridge." Earlier that day, the mother-daughter duo also announced a 10-date arena run across the US dubbed "The Final Tour," with Martina McBride as a supporting act.

2020-Bob Dylan, 78, lands his first #1 on a Billboard chart when "Murder Most Foul" tops the Rock Digital Song Sales tally.

2017-Toby Smith, original keyboardist for Jamiroquai, dies at age 46.

2017-J. Geils, guitarist and founding member of J. Geils Band, dies at age 71.

2015-Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel welcome their first child, a son named Silas Randall.

2014-Jesse Winchester dies at age 69 of bladder cancer. He was one of the major singer-songwriters of the "country rock" movement in the early '70s, blessed with an amazing voice but still better known for his songwriting, which resulted in several hits for other "outlaw" country artists.

2011-Chicago blues musician Lacy Gibson dies at age 74 of a heart attack.

2006-Eminem's good friend and D12 bandmate DeShaun "Proof" Holton is shot and killed at age 32 in an altercation at a sketchy nightclub in Detroit.

2006-For the 25-year anniversary reissue of David Byrne and Brian Eno's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts album, the multi-tracks for two songs - "A Secret Life" and "Help Me Somebody" - are made available for download, for fans to remix and upload to the website.

2006-Paul Anka guest stars on "The Real Paul Anka" episode of Gilmore Girls.

2006-June Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies at age 52 after being hospitalized for a stroke and diagnosed with cancer.

2005- The 4th CMT Video Music Awards took place, with Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and Kenny Chesney winning.

2002-Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock are engaged after he proposes to her in the desert outside Las Vegas.

2002-Aretha Franklin and seven other Motown stars are honored with street names in Detroit's new low-income housing project.

2001-Folk musician Sandy Bull dies at age 60 of lung cancer.

1997-After a 20-year absence, Grand Funk re-forms for a tour that benefits the Bosnian-American Relief Fund, which aids victims of the genocide in Bosnia.

1997-Reprising the Beatles famous rooftop concert, Paul McCartney plays two songs from his upcoming album Flaming Pie from the top of a building he owns in London.

1992-Country singer Lee Greenwood marries Kimberly Payne, who was Miss Tennessee in 1989.

1992-Pearl Jam are the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, where they perform two songs and gape at host Sharon Stone.More

1991-Ringo Starr appears on the Season 2 episode of The Simpsons "Brush With Greatness."

1990-Elton John plays at the funeral for Ryan White, an 18-year-old who contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion. Michael Jackson also attends the funeral and later dedicates the song "Gone Too Soon" to White.

1988-Cher wins Best Actress for the romantic comedy Moonstruck at the Academy Awards in New York.

1988-In the midst of a decade characterized by materialism and excess, Neil Young releases This Note's for You, his 16th studio album. The title song mocks the marketing industry and the corporate music scene.

1987-Soul singer-songwriter Joss Stone is born Joscelyn Eve Stoker in Dover, Kent, England.

1983-Dave Mustaine is kicked out of Metallica because of his drug and alcohol addictions. Soon after, he forms Megadeth, which becomes one of the most successful metal bands of the era.

1981-Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen marries actress Valerie Bertinelli. They separate in 2001 and divorce in 2007. Their son, Wolfgang, goes on to become the bass player in his dad's group.

1979-Rock drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger (of Death from Above 1979) is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

1978-Liberace gives a concert for birds on The Muppet Show, playing classical pieces and the 1925 song "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue." Sam the Eagle disapproves.

1978-Aretha Franklin marries her second husband, actor Glynn Turman, in New York City. The Four Tops sing Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" at the ceremony.

1970-The Beatles' "Let It Be" hits #1 US for the first of two weeks.

1970- Paul McCartney announced a temporary break with the Beatles due to personal differences.

1970-Fleetwood Mac founding member Peter Green announces he is leaving the group to devote himself to "what God would have me do." After a few member changes, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join the band for their most successful lineup in 1974.

1970-Alt rock bassist Dylan Keefe (of Marcy Playground) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1969-Alt rock singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews (of Catatonia) is born in Swansea, Wales, UK.

1967-Flying back to England after participating in The Beach Boys' aborted Smile sessions, Paul McCartney comes up with the idea for The Beatles' film and album Magical Mystery Tour.

1966-Frank Sinatra records "Strangers In The Night," improvising the famous "dooby, dooby doo" at the end.

1966-Lisa Stansfield is born in Manchester, England. She becomes the first white woman with more than one #1 hit on the US R&B chart when "All Around The World" and "You Can't Deny It" both hit the top spot in 1989.

1965-Alt rock guitarist Nigel Pulsford (of Bush) is born in Newport, Monmouthshire, England.

1965-How's this for a lineup: At the annual New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert in London, performers include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals, The Moody Blues, Tom Jones, Them, Donovan, The Seekers and Cilla Black.

1965-Bob Dylan's second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, goes to #1 in the UK. It's the first time an artist other than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones has topped the chart since the Summer Holiday soundtrack on April 28, 1963.

1964-The Beatles set a new record when 14 of the Top 100 songs on the chart are theirs. "Can't Buy Me Love" is #1 and "Love Me Do" is their lowest at #81.

1963-Nat King Cole records "Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer."

1962-Elvis Presley's Follow That Dream movie premieres in Ocala, Florida, near where it was filmed (it opens nationally six weeks later).

1961-Doug Hopkins (lead guitarist, songwriter for the Gin Blossoms) is born in Seattle, Washington, but will be raised in Tempe, Arizona.

1961-Bob Dylan plays for the first time at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village, opening for John Lee Hooker and performing a new song entitled "Blowin' In The Wind."

1959-Paul Anka guests on host Frankie Avalon's first network radio program, on ABC.

1959-Music producer and composer David Lowe, known for his compositions for BBC News themes, is born in Birmingham, England.

1958-Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson is born in Manchester, England.

1957-Jim Lauderdale is born in Trautman, North Carolina. The Americana icon earns a reputation as a songwriter's songwriter in Nashville, where he writes popular songs for George Strait ("The King Of Broken Hearts"), Patty Loveless ("Halfway Down"), Vince Gill ("Sparkle"), and The Chicks ("Hole In My Head"), in addition to recording his own material. His longtime partnership with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter results in over 100 songs, including "Memory," a ballad completed mere months before Hunter's death.

1956-Elvis Presley's tour plane develops engine trouble while flying the singer from Amarillo, Texas, to Nashville, forcing an emergency landing in Arkansas. When he calls his mother, Gladys, to tell her, she begs him to never fly again, instilling a fear of flying in Elvis which will take him years to get over.

1956-Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps record "Be-Bop-a-Lula."

1952-Rock drummer Terry Ollis (of Hawkwind) is born in Hammersmith, London, England.

Singin' In The Rain Debuts
1952-Singin' In The Rain, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and newcomer Debbie Reynolds, is released in the US, but barely makes a splash.

1946-Bob Harris, radio presenter and host of BBC2's music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, is born in Northampton, England.

1943-R&B singer Tony Victor (of The Classics) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1935-Doo-wop singer Richard Berry, composer and original performer of "Louie Louie," is born in Extension, Louisiana.

1918-Jazz bassist Jimmy Lewis is born in Nashville, Tennessee. Known for working with the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, and King Curtis, among others.

1889-Jazz musician Nick LaRocca, composer of the jazz classic "Tiger Rag," is born Dominic James LaRocca in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1727-Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion is performed for the first time in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church.

[Bikkie]

1902
Railway accident in South Africa kills 16 New Zealand soldiers
Sixteen members of the Eighth New Zealand Contingent were killed when their train collided with a goods train at Machavie (Machavierug), near Potchefstroom in Transvaal.



1913
HMS New Zealand begins tour of nation’s ports
The Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS New Zealand arrived in Wellington to begin a 10-week tour during which half a million New Zealanders inspected the vessel.



In Music History

2024- Coachella music festival kicked off, headlined by Lana Del Rey, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat, and No Doubt.

2023-"Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee becomes the first reggaeton song entered into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. Other songs added include "Margaritaville" and "Stairway To Heaven."

2016- A US court ruled that Led Zeppelin founders Robert Plant and Jimmy Page must face trial over the song Stairway to Heaven regarding alleged similarities to Spirit’s song Taurus.

2015-Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine breaks her foot leaping off the stage at Coachella. For the next several weeks, she sits during performances, per doctor's orders.

2013-Five years after the release of Folie à Deux, Fall Out Boy issue their pop-leaning comeback album, Save Rock and Roll, featuring the hit "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)."

2011-Ed Sheeran is due to play a free show at The Barfly in Camden, London. Over 1000 fans turn up, prompting Sheeran to play four separate sets, including one on the street outside the venue once it had closed.

2011-Karmin post a cover of "Look at Me Now" to YouTube with their singer Amy Heidemann speed rapping the Busta Rhymes section. It goes viral and lands the duo a deal with Epic Records.

2009-Brian McKnight is the seventh contestant eliminated on Season 8 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Lou Reed marries his third wife, the conceptual artist Laurie Anderson. The couple, who have been together since the early '90s, decided to get married the previous day, so they meet at a friend's house in Boulder, Colorado, and hold the ceremony in the backyard.

2007-Akon, who has a tendency to bring girls on stage and dance with them very suggestively, does so with a 15-year-old girl at a concert in Trinidad and Tobago. When video surfaces, outrage ensues and Verizon drops their sponsorship of the Sweet Escape tour, which Akon is supporting for Gwen Stefani.

2007-In Omaha, Nebraska, Kenny Chesney launches his Flip Flop Summer tour. 17-year-old Taylor Swift was going to be an opening act on the tour but had to bow out when Cruzan Rum came on as a sponsor. Chesney makes it up to her with a note of encouragement and a big check that helps line up her own tour in 2009.

2005-Shakira releases "La Tortura," a Spanish-language duet with Alejandro Sanz. Thanks to a saucy video that runs on MTV, it crosses over to an English-speaking audience and becomes the first Top 40 hit (#23) sung entirely in Spanish since "Macarena" in 1996.

2001-Gladys Knight marries her fourth husband, longtime friend William McDowell.

2000- Metallica filed a lawsuit against Napster and several universities for copyright infringement.

1999-Backstreet Boys release "I Want It That Way."

1999-Country singer Boxcar Willie dies of leukemia at age 67 in Branson, Missouri.

1999-Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II becomes just the fourth album certified by the RIAA as Double Diamond for sales of over 20 million in the US, following Thriller, Eagles - Their Greatest Hits 1971 - 1975 and The Wall.

1996-The Hollywood Rock Walk inducts Jan & Dean, The Ventures, The Chantays, and The Surfaris.

1995-Dave Grohl's new band Foo Fighters starts a club tour in Tempe, Arizona, opening for Mike Watt. Grohl is also Watt's drummer for the tour, and an incognito Eddie Vedder is his guitarist.

1994-Hole release their major-label debut album, Live Through This, exactly one week after the suicide of Kurt Cobain, husband of the band's frontwoman, Courtney Love.

1993-Actress Lisa Bonet files for divorce from Lenny Kravitz, officially ending their six-year marriage (they separated in 1991). Their daughter, Zoe Kravitz, later becomes a very popular actress.

1992-The Eagles' Don Henley leads 6,000 fans through Walden Woods in Massachusetts as part of a benefit walk to save the literally significant woods popularized by Henry Thoreau's work.

1990-Sinead O'Connor refuses to appear as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in protest of the guest host, comedian Andrew Dice Clay.

1990-The Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center in Arizona announces that four newly discovered asteroids, 4147-4150, will be named Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

1990-James Brown is put on work release after spending months in jail on charges of drug possession and resisting arrest. He makes $3.80/hour counseling youths about drug abuse.

1989-David Cassidy's comeback begins when Los Angeles KLOS, to which the former Partridge Family singer is listening, wonders what happened to him. Before long, he's at the studio, performing three songs that land him a new record deal.

1989-Garth Brooks releases his debut album, Garth Brooks, featuring the #1 Country hits "If Tomorrow Never Comes" and "The Dance."

1988-Sonny Bono (of Sonny & Cher) is elected mayor in his hometown of Palm Springs, California. He holds the position until 1992; in 1994 he is elected to Congress.

1986-Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's marries actor Morgan Mason.

1984-"Louie Louie Day" is held in Olympia, Washington, as an unsuccessful attempt is made to make it the official state song.

1984-Rush release Grace Under Pressure, their 10th studio album and, according to guitarist Alex Lifeson, their most satisfying. With standout tracks "Distant Early Warning" and "Red Sector A," it's well received by fans.

1983-R.E.M. release their debut album, Murmur.

1982- Composer Roger Sessions received the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his Concerto for Orchestra.

1981-Rush are guests at Kennedy Space Center to witness the first space shuttle launch, which inspires their song "Countdown."

1979-Mickey Thomas, lead singer on Elvin Bishop's 1975 hit "Fooled Around And Fell In Love," becomes the new lead vocalist for Jefferson Starship.

1978- Guy Berryman, future bassist of Coldplay, was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

1977-At The Rathskeller in Boston, The Damned get a tepid reception for their first set, so when they return to the stage, they sit down and eat pizza while they play, telling the crowd, "We can sit on our asses just like you."

Bob Seger Finally Breaks Through With Live Bullet
1976-Bob Seger, beloved in Michigan but an obscurity elsewhere, releases Live Bullet, which captures the intensity of his live performances and makes him a national act.More

1975-Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom," named after the professional tennis team his friend Billie Jean King coaches, hits #1 on the Hot 100

1975-Josephine Baker dies at 68 of a cerebral hemorrhage in Paris, France. Baker, who was born and raised in America, became one of the most popular entertainers in France after moving there in the 1920s.

1975- David Bowie announced a temporary retirement in a Playboy interview, following the release of Young Americans.

1974- Bad Company released “Can’t Get Enough”, a classic rock staple.

1973-In one of the show's most memorable moments, Stevie Wonder plays a funky, 7-minute live version of "Superstition" on Sesame Street.

1970-Alt rock singer-songwriter Nicholas Lofton Hexum (of 311) is born in Madison, Wisconsin.

1969- The 5th Dimension began a six-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the medley “Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In”, from the musical Hair.

1968-The outspoken Frank Zappa performs at a dinner for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who are the people who give us the Grammys. Zappa says the event is "a load of pompous hokum" and tells the audience, "All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you're gonna have to listen to it!"

1967-Greyhound begins offering tours of the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, billing it as "Hippyland."

1966-In an eerie recreation of the duo's single from the year before, Jan Berry of Jan & Dean crashes his Corvette into a parked truck on Beverly Hills' Whittier Drive, near a stretch of road in Los Angeles known as Dead Man's Curve. Berry suffers paralysis and extensive brain damage, and will require four years of rehabilitation to be able to talk and a full decade in order to perform live again.

1966-Tom Jones enters a hospital to have his tonsils removed, though some who claim to have seen his tonsils since claim his real visit was for a nose job.

1965-The Byrds release their cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." It's their first single and a huge hit, going to #1 in June.

1964-Folk singer-songwriter Amy Ray (of Indigo Girls) is born in Decatur, Georgia.

1964-Chubby Checker marries Miss World 1962, Catharina Johanna Lodders, of the Netherlands.

1963- Bob Dylan performed his first major solo concert at Town Hall in New York City, featuring songs like Blowin’ In The Wind and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.

1962-Alt rocker Art Alexakis (frontman of Everclear) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1961-Ray Charles is the big winner at the third annual Grammy Awards, winning four trophies, including the award for Best Male Vocal for "Georgia On My Mind."

1958-Rock guitarist Will Sergeant (of Echo & the Bunnymen) is born in Liverpool, England.

1954-At his first session for Decca Records, Bill Haley records "Rock Around The Clock" and "Thirteen Women" (a post-nuclear song that was originally the A-side of the single).

1954- Bill Haley & His Comets recorded “Rock Around the Clock” at the Pythian Temple studios in New York City, a song that became the first rock and roll single to top both the US and UK charts and helped bring rock into mainstream culture.

1954- Big Joe Turner released “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, another influential early rock and roll hit.

1950-David Cassidy is born in New York City to actor Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward. He becomes a teen idol and pop star thanks to his role as Keith Partridge on the musical sitcom The Partridge Family.

1947-Alexander Briley (The sailor from The Village People) is born in Harlem, New York City.

1944-Rocker John Kay (frontman of Steppenwolf) is born Joachim Fritz Krauledat in former Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany.

1940-Jazz musician Herbie Hancock is born in Chicago, Illinois. After playing in Miles Davis' band, he makes very eclectic and experimental jazz music. In 1983 he has a hit with "Rockit," which incorporates synthesizers and turntable scratching.

1939-Woody Herman records "Woodchopper's Ball."

1932-Singer Tiny Tim is born Herbert B. Khaury is born in Manhattan, New York City.

1925-Country singer Ned Miller, known for the 1962 crossover hit "From A Jack To A King," is born in Rains, Utah.

1925-R&B singer Prentiss Barnes (of The Moonglows) is born in Magnolia, Mississippi.

1921-Chicago blues musician Shakey Jake Harris is born James D. Harris in Earle, Arkansas, but would be raised in Chicago, Illinois. A professional gambler, he borrows his nickname from the dice players' expression "shake 'em."

1919-Orchestra leader and singer Billy Vaughn is born in Glasgow, Kentucky.

1917-Helen Forrest (girl singer of the Swing Era for Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Harry James), is born Helen Fogel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1916-Composer and arranger Russ Garcia (The Benny Goodman Story (1956), The Complete Porgy and Bess (1956)) is born in Oakland, California.

1826-German composer Carl Maria von Weber travels to London to conduct the opening of his opera, Oberon.

[Bikkie]

1896
National Council of Women formed
Three years after New Zealand became the first self-governing country in which all women could vote, representatives of 11 women’s groups met in Christchurch’s Provincial Council Buildings to form the National Council of Women.


1982
First kōhanga reo opens
Pukeatua Kōhanga Reo, in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, accepted its first intake of tamariki on Easter Tuesday in 1982


In Music History

2024-At Coachella, two of the biggest ska bands of the '90s reunite: Sublime and No Doubt. Sublime is fronted by Jakob Nowell, whose father Brad was the group's lead singer until his death in 1996. For No Doubt, it's their first show since 2015.

2019-UFO keyboard player Paul Raymond dies of a heart attack at 73.

2019-Billie Eilish hits #1 in America with her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, making the 17-year-old singer the first artist born in the '00s to top the chart.

2017-At his concert in Chicago, Eric Church brings the unknown singer Ashley McBryde on stage, where she wins over the crowd with her song "Bible And A .44." The video goes viral and launches her career.

2015-"See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa breaks the Spotify record for most-streamed track in a single day in America when it is streamed 4.2 million times.

2013-After years of medical troubles stemming from a 2008 car accident, Deftones bassist Chi Cheng dies at age 42.

2011-New American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez is named People magazine's Most Beautiful Person of 2011.

2010-Ron Isley of The Isley Brothers is released from jail after serving 3 years for tax evasion. He came up with song ideas in prison and releases the album Mr. I on November 30.

2009-A jury finds the now 69-year-old Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder in the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.

2008-Cult '60s Detroit Soul hero Nathaniel Mayer collapses from the brain hemorrhage that will, within the year, take his life.

2007-Bring Me the Horizon vocalist Oli Sykes appears in Magistrate's Court, after being accused of urinating on a female fan at one of the band's gigs six days earlier. Due to lack of evidence, charges are later dropped.

2005-Blues pianist Johnnie Johnson, known for his work with Chuck Berry, dies in St. Louis, Missouri, at age 80.

2004-Crossfade release their self-titled debut album. The profanities on the album are censored, but the band are unable to release an explicit version due to lack of funds.

2004-Pixies return to the stage after 12 years with a 27-song set at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis.

2004-Songwriter Ritchie Cordell, who wrote the '60s-turned-'80s hits "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mony Mony," dies at age 61 of pancreatic cancer.

2001-Kiss wrap up their "Farewell Tour" with a show in Queensland, Australia. Just two years later, they head out on the World Domination Tour.

2000- Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert was held at Carnegie Hall, featuring artists like Sting, Elton John, and Billy Joel.

1999-Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers release their album Echo.

1999- VH1 debuted its Internet radio station called VH1 at Work.

1996-Seconds before their first Saturday Night Live performance, Rage Against the Machine's roadies place upside-down American flags on their amplifiers in a band-sanctioned protest of the American political system - billionaire candidate Steve Forbes is hosting the show. The SNL crew quickly tears them down, and the band is booted from building without a second song.

1994-After nine years of a very public marriage, Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley announce they have separated. They divorce later in the year.

1993-Bruce Springsteen releases his second live album, In Concert / MTV Unplugged.

1989-Love Boat crooner Jack Jones is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6104 Hollywood Blvd.

Fleetwood Mac Return With Tango In The Night
1987-Fleetwood Mac release Tango In The Night, their first album since Mirage five years earlier. Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who produced the album and had a hand in writing seven of the 12 songs, leaves before they tour.More

1985-The all-star charity single "We Are The World" hits #1 in America, where it stays for four weeks. The song was conceived in December 1984, recorded in January 1985 and released in March. Its rise to the top of the charts is one of the fastest in history.

David Crosby Caught Freebasing Cocaine
1982-David Crosby is busted for freebasing cocaine, leading to a downward spiral that winds through the Dallas County Jail.

1980-The musical Grease closes on Broadway after a record 3,883 performances.

1979-David Lee Roth collapses on stage from exhaustion during a Van Halen tour stop in Spokane, Washington.

1979-Thin Lizzy release their ninth album, Black Rose: A Rock Legend, with standout tracks "Waiting For An Alibi" and "Got To Give It Up."

1975-Latin-pop singer Lou Bega is born David Lubega to a Ugandan father and a Sicilian mother in Munich, Germany.

1975-It's the last date of Hawkwind's A Dead Singer Tour in the UK at Queensway Hall in Dunstable.

1974-Paul McCartney & Wings' LP Band On The Run hits #1.

1974-"Bennie And The Jets," Elton John's song about a glam-rock goddess who wears electric boots and a mohair suit, hits #1 in America.

1973-The Wailers Spark Up Interest In Reggae With Catch a Fire.
The Wailers, led by Bob Marley, release their fifth studio album, Catch a Fire. The first album on their new label, Island Records, it makes Marley and the Wailers international recording stars and brings reggae music to the forefront.

1973-The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey, releases his first solo album, Daltrey.

1972-Staind frontman Aaron Lewis is born in Rutland City, Vermont, raised in Massachusetts.

1970-Loretta Lynn becomes the first female country artist with a gold album when Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind), featuring the chart-topping title song, is certified by the RIAA.

1970-It's the first sellout of the Montreal Forum, thanks to Led Zeppelin.

1969-Diana Ross makes her first television appearance as a solo act, performing on Dinah Shore's NBC special Like Hep.

1968-Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" hits #1 in the US, where it stays for five weeks. A love-it-or-hate-it song, it tells the story of a man whose wife dies and is reminded of her every time he looks at the tree she planted.

1967-The Rolling Stones play a show in Warsaw, Poland, their first concert behind the Iron Curtain of Soviet countries.

1966-Blues-rock guitarist Marc Ford (of The Black Crowes) is born in Long Beach, California.

1965-The Beatles win their first Grammy Awards, taking Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group for "A Hard Day's Night." Record of the Year goes to "The Girl From Ipanema" by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto.

1963-At the 36th Academy Awards, Bobby Darin is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a traumatized war hero in the drama Captain Newman, M.D. He loses to Melvyn Douglas in the Western Hud.

1962-The Beatles begin their legendary stint at the new Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany. Performing three to four hours a night for 48 days (with only one day off), the group logs a total of 172 hours of performance. When they return to England, they're already stars with a recording contract.

1962-Hillel Slovak (original guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers) is born in Haifa, Israel, to parents who are Holocaust survivors.

1961-Hiro Yamamoto (original bass player for Soundgarden) is born in Park Forest, Illinois.

1961-At the third annual Grammy Awards, the comedy album The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart wins Album Of The Year, beating out albums by Frank Sinatra, Harry Belafonte and Nat King Cole. The Grammys, which have yet to introduce a rock category, choose another comedy album for the award two years later: The First Family by Vaughn Meader.

1959-The Fleetwoods' "Come Softly To Me" hits #1.

1958-Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on The Ed Sullivan Show along with the song's writer, Jack Norworth.

1957-Elvis Presley lands his seventh #1 hit in America with "All Shook Up." It spends nine weeks at the top of the chart, more than any other song in 1957.

1957-R&B keyboardist Wayne Lewis (of Atlantic Starr) is born in White Plains, New York.

1955-Louis Johnson (bass guitarist for The Brothers Johnson) is born in Los Angeles. Also a session musician, he plays on Michael Jackson's Thriller and Off The Wall albums.

1954-Jimmy Destri (keyboardist for Blondie) is born James Mollica in Brooklyn, New York.

1951-Drummer Max Weinberg (of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) is born in Newark, New Jersey.

1951-R&B singer Peabo Bryson is born Robert Peapo Bryson in South Carolina.

1946-Soul singer Al Green is born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He is born "Al Greene," but drops the trailing "e" in 1968.

1946-Rock guitarist Roy Loney (of Flamin' Groovies) is born in San Francisco, California.

1945-Lowell George of Little Feat is born in Hollywood, California.

1944-Brian Pendleton (rhythm guitarist for The Pretty Things) is born in Heath Town, Wolverhampton, England.

1944-French composer and pianist Cécile Chaminade dies in Monte Carlo at age 86.

1944-Bass guitarist Jack Casady (of Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Hot Tuna) is born John William Casady in Washington, DC.

1942-Academy Award-winning film composer Bill Conti (Rocky, The Right Stuff) is born in Providence, Rhode Island.

1940-Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers is born in Mississippi.

1934-R&B vocalist Horace Key (of The Tams) is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1913-Western Swing fiddler "Pappy" Wade Ray is born in Evansville, Indiana.

1906-Jazz saxophonist Bud Freeman, who collaborates with Benny Goodman, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1742-George Frederic Handel's Messiah is premiered at Fishamble Street, Dublin. It is part of a charity series of concerts that the composer had been invited to give by the Lord Lieutenant.

[Bikkie]

1932
Unemployed riot rocks Queen Street
Auckland’s Queen Street riot was by far the most destructive of the disturbances that rocked the four main centres in the ‘angry autumn’ of 1932.


New Zealander Kelsey Smith competes with Australian Jodie Kenny
2018
Black Sticks Women win Commonwealth gold
In the 2010s New Zealand’s women’s hockey team was consistently among the best in the world, but until 2018 it had not won a major tournament


In Music History

Katy Perry Goes to Space
2025-Katy Perry does some space tourism, joining five other women (including journalist Gayle King) on a 10-minute suborbital flight aboard a Blue Origin rocket. "Space is going to finally be glam," she says before liftoff. "We are going to put the 'ass' in astronaut."

2019-Logic (Bobby Hall) becomes the first rapper with a New York Times best seller when his novel Supermarket tops the Paperback Trade Fiction list.

2018-Dire Straits is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but with frontman Mark Knopfler skipping the ceremony, nobody inducts them and they do not perform.More

2018-Beyoncé, who had to cancel the previous year because of her pregnancy, headlines Coachella in lavish fashion, with over 70 performers and a reunion of Destiny's Child. She becomes the first black woman to headline the festival.

2016-At the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Prince plays his last concert, as he dies a week later. His last song is "Purple Rain."

2016-In an interview with the Mormon Stories podcast, Neon Trees lead singer Tyler Glenn reveals that he is leaving the Mormon church in response to its ruling that gay marriage is apostasy. Glenn came out as gay in 2014.

2015-Percy Sledge, who had a #1 hit with "When A Man Loves A Woman" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, dies at age 74.

2014-Sam Smith releases "Stay With Me," his breakthrough hit in America. It's a song about yearning and loneliness that Smith later reveals is about guy.

2012-Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Guns N' Roses and Faces are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2010-Blues musician Mississippi Slim, real name Walter Horn Jr., dies at age 66 after suffering a heart attack.

2010-Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele dies of heart failure at 48.

2009-Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Olivia Harrison and Dhani Harrison hit the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles to take part in the ceremony honoring George Harrison with his very own star in Hollywood.

2007-Hawaii-born pop singer Don Ho, known for the 1966 hit "Tiny Bubbles," dies at age 75 of heart failure, two years after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

2005-John Fred Gourrier, who with John Fred and His Playboy Band had a #1 hit with "Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)," dies at age 63.

2003-R&B singer Angie Stone makes her Broadway debut when she joins the cast of Chicago.

2000-At a show at The Garage in London, the all-girl punk rockers L7 raffle off a chance to "meet intimately" with their drummer, Dee Plakas, claiming they "want their fans to get more bang for their buck." Whether or not they go through with the stunt is unclear, but it drums up plenty of publicity for the show.

1999-Anthony Newley - British actor and singer-songwriter - dies at age 67 of renal cancer. In addition to his numerous Top 40 hits on the UK chart in the early-'60s, Newley, along with his songwriting partner Leslie Bricusse, earned an Academy Award nomination for the film score to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971).

1998-Clutch's third full-length album, The Elephant Riders, is issued, spawning such classics as the title track, "The Soapmakers," "The Yeti," and "The Dragonfly."

1997-Depeche Mode release their ninth album, Ultra, in the UK. Work on the album had to be stopped in 1996 when lead singer Dave Gahan nearly died of a drug overdose; he spent a lot of time making court appointments and trying to get sober when operations resumed. The band is in no condition to tour to support the album, but it still makes #1 in the UK and sells over 500,000 copies in America.

1997-Creed release their debut album, My Own Prison, on their own label, Blue Collar Records. When a local radio station in Tallahassee puts the title track in rotation, they earn a deal with Wind-Up Records, which re-issues the album in August.

1995-Singer and actor Burl Ives dies at age 85 of oral cancer.

1990-Rock and roll singer Thurston Harris, known for his hit 1957 cover of Bobby Day's "Little Bitty Pretty One," dies at age 58 of a heart attack.

1990-Tommy Page's "I'll Be Your Everything" hits #1 in America.

Say Anything Revives "In Your Eyes"
1989-Cameron Crowe's teen drama Say Anything…, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye, opens in theaters. The movie is famous for an iconic scene featuring Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."More

1988-Public Enemy's sophomore album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, is released. Often cited as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time, the album spawns such PE classics as "Don't Believe the Hype," "Night of the Living Baseheads," and "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," as well as the original version of "Bring the Noise."

1986-LL Cool J becomes the first solo rapper with a Gold album when his debut, Radio, is certified for sales of 500,000 in America. He becomes the first Platinum solo rapper a year later when his second album, Bigger And Deffer, sells a million.

1983-Rock bassist Pete Farndon (of The Pretenders) overdoses on heroin and drowns in his bathtub at age 30.

1981- Bobby Helms signed with Decca Records and released "Fraulein" (#36), "My Special Angel" (#1), and "Jingle Bell Rock" (#13).

1980-A New Jersey State assemblyman introduces a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the official state song of New Jersey.

1980-Win Butler (lead vocalist, songwriter for Arcade Fire) is born Edwin Farnham Butler III in Truckee, California.

1980- Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" reached #10 on the Billboard Top 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.

1980-Judas Priest release British Steel, a metal landmark containing the tracks "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law."

1980-Iron Maiden release their self-titled debut album, with a twin-guitar attack and lyrics that pull from the worlds of mythology and horror. The song "Iron Maiden," which refers to the medieval torture device that band is named after, becomes a live stalwart, played before the encore at most of their concerts throughout their career.

1979-The Doobie Brothers land their second #1 US hit with "What A Fool Believes." The song goes on to win Grammys for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year, while the album, Minute By Minute, wins Album Of The Year.

1978- Art Garfunkel hit No.1 in the UK with 'Bright Eyes', the theme song from the animated film 'Watership Down'.

1975-Former Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood is announced as the replacement for Rolling Stones' Mick Taylor on their upcoming tour. By the end of the year, Wood is their permanent guitarist.

1974-On Easter Sunday, the concert documentary Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, premieres at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. It's the first of its kind with quadraphonic sound, requiring a special system. It's a grand event, but Mick Jagger declares the film "boring."

1974-Rapper Shawntae "Da Brat" Harris is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1974- Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 in the UK with their fifth studio album 'Houses of the Holy'.

1970-Stephen Stills breaks his wrist when he drives into a parked car. He heads to Hawaii to heal, furthering divisions within his band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

1969-Dutch bassist Martyn LeNoble (of Porno For Pyros) is born in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. In 2013, he marries the actress Christina Applegate.

1969-Barbra Streisand (in Funny Girl) ties Katherine Hepburn (in The Lion In Winter) for the Best Actress Academy Award.

1968-The very first VH1 Divas special debuts on the music channel as a benefit concert for VH1's Save The Music Foundation. Headliners are Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain, with a guest appearance by Carole King.

1968-Producer Phil Spector marries Ronnie Bennett of The Ronettes. They divorce in 1974, with Ronnie later alleging abuse.

1967-The final Where The Action Is airs on ABC-TV.

1966- The Beatles finished recording 'Paperback Writer' at Abbey Road Studios, which was released on May 30 and became a chart-topper in nine countries worldwide.

1965-The Elvis Presley/Shelley Fabares movie Girl Happy opens in theaters.

1964-UFO guitarist Vinnie Moore is born in New Castle, Delaware.

1963-The Beatles, who are filming an appearance on the show Thank Your Lucky Stars at a nearby studio, stop by the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, England, where the upstart The Rolling Stones are performing. The bands meet for the first time backstage and hang out that evening.

1960-The musical Bye Bye Birdie, inspired by the drafting of Elvis Presley into the Army, opens on Broadway.

1956-Bobby Helms auditions for, and signs with, Decca Records.

1950-The character Dan Dare appears on the front cover of the British comic Eagle, later inspiring a song by Elton John.

1945-Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (of Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore's Night) is born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England.

1935-Loretta Lynn, a coal miner's daughter, is born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She overcomes poverty to become one of the most beloved and influential women in country music. "She blazed so many trails for all of us girls in country music," Miranda Lambert says.

[Bikkie]

Tāreha Te Moananui was the first MP for Eastern Māori
1868
First Māori MPs elected to Parliament
The Maori Representation Act 1867 established four Māori seats in the House of Representatives, initially for a period of five years. The act gave the vote to all Māori males aged 21 and over.


1885
First sod turned for North Island main trunk line
Politicians and Māori leaders ceremonially turned the ‘first sod’ of the central section of the main trunk line – a project that would take 23 years to complete.



In Music History

2018-Carrie Underwood debuts her song "Cry Pretty" at the Academy of Country Music Awards. It's her first appearance since a fall six months earlier that required over 40 stitches in her face.

2017-Jethro Tull hit #1 on the Classical Albums chart with Jethro Tull: The String Quartets.

2017-Allan Holdsworth, an innovative guitarist who influenced John McLaughlin, Eddie Van Halen and Carlos Santana, dies at age 70.

2017-Sylvia Moy, who co-wrote the Stevie Wonder hits "My Cherie Amour" and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," dies at age 78. She was just the second black woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (following Valerie Simpson).

2016-J. Cole, Alicia Keys, Chance the Rapper, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj and Wale attend a White House sit down with President Obama to discuss criminal justice reform and the My Brother's Keeper Initiative.

2014-Years of alcohol abuse take their toll on Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, who collapses in his kitchen and is placed in an induced coma. He makes a slow and painful recovery in which he has to relearn guitar.

2012-A virtual Tupac Shakur performs at the Coachella festival, rapping "Hail Mary" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" before disappearing in a flash. Often reported as a hologram, the technology used to bring Tupac to life is later revealed to be a system of mirrors, glass and computer animation.

2012- A hologram of Tupac Shakur performed alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre at the Coachella music festival, creating a landmark moment in live music technology.

2011-Kent Morrill, keyboardist and vocalist for the Fabulous Wailers, dies.

2008-Tom Morello kicks off the Tom Morello Justice Tour 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

2006-"Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige remains at #1 on the R&B chart for its 15th week, breaking the record of 14 weeks set the previous year by Mariah Carey with "We Belong Together."

2006-Elton John cleans out his closet and raises over $700,000 for his AIDS Foundation when he sells over 10,000 articles of clothing in his Elton's Closet sale in New York.

2003- Kelly Clarkson released her debut album Thankful.

Punk Icon Joey Ramone Dies
2001
Joey Ramone of the Ramones dies of lymphoma at age 49.

1997-INXS release Elegantly Wasted, their last album with lead singer Michael Hutchence, who dies six months later.

1996-The remainder of Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered near the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco; a week earlier, a portion had been scattered into India's Ganges river.

1995-Dave Matthews Band appear on Saturday Night Live for the first time, performing "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching."

1994- Tony Bennett recorded an MTV Unplugged session featuring Elvis Costello and k.d. lang, which later won two Grammy Awards.

1991-MC Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em becomes the first rap album to go Diamond, for sales of 10 million copies in America.

1989-Roy Orbison's posthumous single "You Got It" climbs to #9 in America four months after his death. It's his first Top 10 hit in that country since "(Oh) Pretty Woman" in 1964.

1989-Tone-Loc's debut album, Loc-ed After Dark, hits #1 on the Billboard 200, thanks to the success of his platinum hit "Wild Thing."

1989- She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals topped charts in the US, Australia, and several other countries.

1989- The Bangles’ Eternal Flame reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart.

1986-Nine cops raid Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra's apartment and arrest him for distributing "harmful matter" to minors: a poster of genitalia art included in the band's album Frankenchrist. His case becomes a test of the First Amendment and validates his position that the US government systematically oppresses the poor and outspoken (the band is on their own label and has no corporate backing). It drags on for 16 months before ending in a mistrial when the jury can't come to a verdict.

1984-British comedian Tommy Cooper suffers a heart attack and dies on stage during a live performance on the show Live From Her Majesty's.

1983-The Bad Brains' second full-length album, Rock for Light, is released. Produced by The Cars' Ric Ocasek, the album features both new compositions (such as the title track and "How Low Can a Punk Get?"), as well as re-recordings of tunes that originally appeared on the group's debut ("Sailin' On," "Banned in D.C."). Years later, Kurt Cobain would list Rock for Light as one of his all-time favorite records.

1982-Anvil release their sophomore album, Metal on Metal. Produced by Chris Tsangarides, the album spawns the anthemic title track, which instantly becomes an Anvil concert standard.

1982-Billy Joel breaks his left wrist when a car slams into his motorcycle in Long Island. He has surgery on his hand and stays in the hospital for over a month.

1978-Chris Stapleton is born in Lexington, Kentucky. He studies engineering at Vanderbilt University before turning his attention to music, writing songs for other artists and fronting two bands before launching his solo career with his 2015 album Traveller.

1977-The Stranglers' debut full-length album, Rattus Norvegicus, is released. Produced by Martin Rushent, the album spawns one of punk's all-time classics, "Peaches."

1977-Lynyrd Skynyrd are celebrated before the Atlanta Braves home opener in a ceremony to honor the band for their live album One More For The Road, which was recorded at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

1974-Lynyrd Skynyrd release their second album, Second Helping, which opens with "Sweet Home Alabama."

1973-Alice Cooper makes the cover of Forbes magazine under the headline, "A New Breed Of Tycoon." The story, which plays into Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies album, is about how rock music has become big business.

1972-Billy Joel plays a concert at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia which is broadcast by the local radio station WMMR. After the show, the station puts his performance of "Captain Jack" in rotation, and Joel builds a following. This leads to a contract with Columbia Records, which releases Joel's breakthrough album, Piano Man, in 1973.

1972-Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" hits #1 in America, where it stays for six weeks. The song was written by Ewan MacColl in 1957.

1971-The Beatles win their only Oscar, taking Best Original Song Score for their movie Let It Be.

1971-Rolling Stone reports that the Illinois Crime Commission has issued a list of "drug-oriented rock records," which includes Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale," and "Puff The Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary.

1970-Michael Wadleigh's Woodstock, a film chronicle of the famed 1969 counterculture festival, wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

1969-Archie Bell of The Drells completes his tour of duty in Vietnam and is discharged from the US Army.

1968-Eleven days after the assassination of her friend Martin Luther King Jr., Aretha Franklin records "Think."

1968-Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien is born in Oxford, England.

1967-Nancy and Frank Sinatra's "Somethin' Stupid" goes to #1 in America for the first of four weeks. It's the only father-daughter duet ever to top the Hot 100.

1966-The Rolling Stones release the album Aftermath, which includes "Mother's Little Helper" and "Under My Thumb."

1966-Buffalo Springfield play their first concert when they open for The Byrds in San Bernardino, California.

1966-Samantha Fox, known for her ti... we mean, hits, "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" and "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)," is born in London.

1965-Songwriter Linda Perry, whose compositions include "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera and "Superwoman" by Alicia Keys, is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1965- Cliff Richard’s The Minute You’re Gone reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart.

1964-After a long day of filming their first movie, Ringo Starr tells the other Beatles it's been "a hard day's night." John Lennon turns the phrase into a song, and the movie title is changed from Beatlemania! to A Hard Day's Night.

1948-UFO frontman Phil Mogg is born in Wood Green, London.

1947-Mike Chapman is born in Queensland, Australia. After moving to England and teaming up with Nicky Chinn, he becomes a top songwriter and producer, responsible for the hits "Devil Gate Drive," "Ballroom Blitz" and "A Touch Too Much." After moving to America in 1975, his hits continue with "Kiss You All Over" and "Love Is A Battlefield."

1944-Dave Edmunds is born in Cardiff, Wales. He forms the band Rockpile with Nick Lowe and has a number of hits as a solo artist, including a #1 UK cover of "I Hear You Knocking."

1940-Saxophonist Clarence Satchell (of The Ohio Players) is born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1939-Pop singer-songwriter Marty Wilde is born Reginald Leonard Smith in Blackheath, South London, England.

1937-Country singer-songwriter Bob Luman ("Let's Think About Living") is born in Blackjack, Texas.

1934-Pop-folk vocalist Tim Feild (of The Springfields) is born in Hascombe, Surrey, England.

1933-Country musician and Hee Haw host Roy Clark is born in Meherrin, Virginia.

1927-15 inches of rain falls on New Orleans in 18 hours, later inspiring the Randy Newman song "Louisiana 1927."

1894-Blues singer Bessie Smith is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

1861-Poet William Bliss Carman ("Soft Was The Wind") is born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

1738- George Frideric Handel's Italian opera Serse debuted at the King's Theatre in London.

1729- Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion premiered at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany, marking a major milestone in Baroque sacred music.




Notable Album Releases

1974- Second Helping by Lynyrd Skynyrd, featuring the iconic track Sweet Home Alabama.

1982- Metal on Metal by Canadian heavy metal band Anvil.

[Bikkie]

1892
NZ Rugby Football Union founded
As rugby grew in popularity in New Zealand, it became necessary to standardise the administration of the game in the colony. Despite some opposition, a New Zealand Rugby Football Union was founded.


1912
News of Titanic sinking reaches New Zealand
Although no New Zealanders were aboard the world’s largest passenger ship when it sank in the chilly North Atlantic with appalling loss of life, the country followed the news closely.

1973
Arthur Allan Thomas convicted of Crewe murders – again
Waikato farmer Arthur Allan Thomas was found guilty – for the second time – of the 1970 murder of his Pukekawa neighbours Harvey and Jeanette Crewe.


In Music History

2023 – Broadway milestone: Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running Broadway show, closed at the Majestic Theater after 13,981 performances and seven Tony Awards.

2018-Kendrick Lamar's album DAMN. wins the Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first rapper to win the award, which traditionally goes to classical composers or jazz musicians.

2015-The actress Suzanne Somers inadvertently outs Barry Manilow when she appears on Watch What Happens Live and talks about serving as best man at his wedding the previous year when Barry married his longtime manager, Garry Kief. Manilow comes out publicly two years later.

2010-Shakira appears on Wizards of Waverly Place in the episode "Dude Looks Like Shakira."

2010-At the Showbox in Seattle, Washington, Soundgarden play their first show in 13 years.

2008-Barbra Streisand donates $5 million to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a women's heart education and research program.

2007-Ornette Coleman wins the Pulitzer Prize for music for his 2006 album, Sound Grammar, the first jazz work to receive the honor.

2003-Luther Vandross suffers a stroke that leaves him confined to a wheelchair. The singer, whose album Dance With My Father is released in June and goes to #1 in America, dies two years later.

2003-Jerry Lee Lewis files for divorce from his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver, who was once the president of his fan club.

1999 – Tom Waits released his album Mule Variations, which became his biggest-selling album and won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

1999-Skip Spence of Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape dies of lung cancer two days before his 53rd birthday.

1996-Judy Collins marries her second husband, designer Louis Nelson.

1996-Kiss perform at the Grammys in full makeup and glorious costumes. It's just the second time since 1980 (following their 1995 MTV Unplugged taping) that all four original members have been on stage together.

1995-Bob Seger has his second child: a daughter named Samantha Char.

1995-Gabrielle gives birth to her son Jordan. Eight months later, Jordan's father murders his stepfather and is sentenced to life in prison.

1994-Harry Connick, Jr. marries Victoria's Secret model Jill Goodacre in New Orleans.

1994-Pearl Jam pay tribute to Kurt Cobain, who was found dead a week earlier, on Saturday Night Live with a performance of "Daughter" that ends with lead singer Eddie Vedder opening up his jacket to reveal a "K" on his T-shirt.

1994 – Prince reached the top of the UK singles chart with “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World”, his first UK number one after changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

1993-Billy Burnette leaves Fleetwood Mac to pursue a country music career.

1993-Chance the Rapper is born Chancelor Bennett in Chicago. He upsets the industry apple cart by making a huge impact while remaining independent, earning most of his revenue early on through live shows and sponsorships.

1992-Nirvana appear on the cover of Rolling Stone with Kurt Cobain wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Corporate Magazines Still Suck."

1992-David Milgaard is released from jail in Canada after serving 23 years for a crime he didn't commit. The Tragically Hip, who have helped in his fight for justice, write the song "Wheat Kings" about the ordeal.

emple Of The Dog Album Released
1991-The Temple of the Dog album is released. The one-off project is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the Mother Love Bone lead singer who died in 1990. Temple of the Dog is comprised of Soundgarden members Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron, along with Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.

1990-Tribute Concert Celebrates Nelson Mandela's Release.
The Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa concert is held in Wembley Stadium, London, to celebrate the release of Mandela, who had been imprisoned since 1962. Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Tracy Chapman, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt all perform.

1983 – Bonnie Tyler reached No.1 in the UK with her album Faster Than the Speed of Night, featuring “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

1980-Academy Award-winning composer Morris Stoloff - who worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dinah Shore during his long tenure as music director at Columbia Pictures - dies at age 81.

1977 – ABBA returned to number one on the UK Albums Chart with Arrival, continuing their global pop dominance.

1977 – David Soul topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Don’t Give Up On Us”, which also reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Canada.

1977-Stevie Wonder becomes a father for the second time when his son Kieta is born.

1976-Boz Scaggs goes to visit friend Bobby "Blue" Bland backstage at the famed Antone's in Austin, Texas, and is beaten unconscious by two bouncers.

1974-Queen make their US live debut at Regis College in Denver, Colorado, supporting Mott the Hoople. Their trek ends early when Brian May develops hepatitis a month later.

1973-Paul McCartney's first television special, James Paul McCartney, airs on ABC, featuring a few Beatles songs, new Wings tracks, sketches, and a final performance of a song called "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance," originally written for Twiggy.

1972 – Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) performed their live debut at The Fox and Greyhound pub in London, showcasing their classical-influenced rock style before becoming one of the biggest acts of the 1970s.

1971-Ringo Starr releases his second solo single in the US, "It Don't Come Easy," which will peak at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1971-Tejano singer Selena is born Selena Quintanilla in Lake Jackson, Texas.

1971-The Rolling Stones issue "Brown Sugar," the first release on their own label, Rolling Stones Records.

Electra Kicks Out The MC5
1969-Elektra Records drop the MC5 from their roster after the group takes out an ad in an underground newspaper castigating the department store chain Hudson's for not stocking their debut album, Kick Out The Jams. Hudson's didn't want it on their shelves because of a line in the title track: "Kick out the jams, motherf--ker!"More

1969 – Desmond Dekker and The Aces became the first Jamaican act to top the UK Singles Chart with “The Israelites”, marking a milestone for reggae music internationally and also charting in the US.

1965-The Hollies make their US stage debut at New York's Paramount Theatre.

1964-The Rolling Stones release their self-titled debut album in the UK.

1964-David Pirner (frontman of Soul Asylum) is born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

1964-Needing one more song for his album, Dean Martin records "Everybody Loves Somebody," which his friend Frank Sinatra recorded in 1948 and several other singers tried in the '50s. Martin's version is the first to hit, and it hits big, knocking The Beatles off the top spot in August.

1963-Jimmy Osmond (of The Osmonds) is born in Canoga Park, California.

1962-Punk rocker Ian MacKaye (of Minor Threat, Fugazi) is born in Washington, DC.

1956 – Buddy Holly released his debut single “Love Me” with the B-side “Blue Days – Black Nights”.

1955-Kool Herc is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Born Clive Campbell, his stage name is based on "Hercules," a nickname he earns for his strength. When he is 12, his family moves to the Bronx, where Herc becomes a DJ, throwing dance parties where MCs talk over extended breakbeats he creates with two turntables, one of the most important developments in hip-hop.

1954 – Doris Day reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart with “Secret Love”.

1953-Peter Garrett, frontman of the Aussie rock band Midnight Oil, is born in Wahroonga, Sydney. He pursues a law career before joining the band.

1947-Rock drummer Lee Kerslake (of Uriah Heep, Blizzard of Ozz) is born in Winton, Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

1947-Rock singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty (of Stealers Wheel) is born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Woody Guthrie Begins The Asch Recordings
1944-On shore leave from the Merchant Marines, Woody Guthrie arrives at Folkway Records' studios in New York City, where he starts recording with the label's founder, Moses Asch, in what becomes known as the "Asch recordings." Among the songs recorded during these sessions is "This Land Is Your Land," which becomes an iconic populist protest anthem, covered by countless artists including Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen.

1943-Blues rocker Dave Peverett (of Foghat, Savoy Brown) is born in Dulwich, London, England.

1939-Dusty Springfield is born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien in West Hampstead, North London, England.

1936-Country entertainer Judy Lynn is born Judy Lynn Voiten in Boise, Idaho.

1935-Bobby Vinton is born Stanley Robert Vintula in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

1930-Jazz flautist Herbie Mann is born Herbert Jay Solomon in Brooklyn, New York.

1929-Singer-songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," is born in Fayetteville, Tennessee.

1929-R&B singer Roy Hamilton ("Unchained Melody," "You'll Never Walk Alone") is born in Leesburg, Georgia.

1924-Rudy Pompilli (tenor saxophonist for Bill Haley & His Comets) is born in Chester, Pennsylvania.

1924-Film composer Henry Mancini ("Moon River") is born Enrico Nicola Mancini in Cleveland, Ohio.




Notable Deaths on April 16

Mike Mitchell, guitarist of The Kingsmen, passed away on his 77th birthday; the band is best known for their 1963 hit “Louie Louie”.

Lew Lewis, English harmonica player and vocalist, died; he was known for his work with Eddie and the Hot Rods and collaborations with The Clash and The Stranglers.

Barry Mason, a leading 1960s songwriter, passed away at age 85; he co-wrote hits like “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” and “I Pretend”.

[Bikkie]

1820
General Gates sent to Sydney under guard
The American sealer General Gates – named for a War of Independence general and commanded by Captain Abimileck Riggs – had sailed from Boston in October 1818.


1880
First inter-city brass band contest
About 2500 people attended the first inter-city brass band competition in the Christchurch Drill Hall. The inaugural winners were the Invercargill Garrison Band.


In Music History

2020-Fiona Apple releases her fifth album, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, her first since 2012. The title is a reference to a line Gillian Anderson says in the TV series The Fall and is a metaphor for setting yourself free.

2018-Tina Turner's life story, already depicted in the 1993 film What's Love Got To Do With It, is adapted for the stage as Tina: The Musical, opens in London's West End. It opens on Broadway the following year.

2010-When Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros frontman Alex Ebert takes the stage at Coachella, he clumsily knocks a microphone stand into the crowd. A guy in the audience catches it with his forehead, and blood spills all over the place. Ebert, horrified, gives the guy his sportcoat and his shirt to staunch the bleeding, and performs the set topless. It proves a breakout performance for the band, whose song "Home" starts showing up everywhere.

2009-Brad Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams, welcome their second child, Jasper. His song "Today" is about this event.

2009-Davy Jones of The Monkees visits Bikini Bottom when he plays himself on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One."

2008-Danny Federici (organist, accordionist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) dies at age 58 after three years of suffering with melanoma.

2008-With Spirit, Leona Lewis becomes the first British woman to go straight to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart with a debut album.

2007-Arcturus officially announces they are splitting up.

2006-A big-budget Coke commercial with a new song by Jack White called "Love Is The Truth" hits YouTube, then quickly goes away.

2003-Blues musician Earl King, composer of the standards "I Hear You Knocking" and "One Night," dies at age 69 of diabetes-related complications.

2000-"I Will Survive" singer Gloria Gaynor makes an appearance on Ally McBeal.

1998-Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney's wife and Wings bandmate, dies at age 56 after a three-year battle with breast cancer.

1997-Country singer Toby Keith and his wife Tricia welcome new arrival Stelen Keith Covel to the family.

1993-Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles marries screenwriter Jay Roach in Los Angeles.

1991-Jack Yellen, lyricist and screenwriter who wrote "Happy Days Are Here Again" (1929), dies in Concord, New York, at age 98.

1989-Neil Young releases an EP titled Eldorado. Released exclusively in Japan and Australia and recorded with a one-time backing band called The Restless, it contains three songs ("Don't Cry," "Eldorado" and "On Broadway") that will appear on Freedom six months later.

1983-Joe Strummer of The Clash runs the London Marathon, finishing with a time of 4 hours 13 minutes. He claims that his training included 10 pints of beer the night before.

1983-Felix Pappalardi (bassist, vocalist for Mountain), age 43, is shot and killed by his wife, Gail, in their East Side Manhattan apartment. Gail claims it was an accident and the charge of second-degree murder is lessened to criminally negligent homicide, which lands her a brief stint in prison.

1982-Denison University freshman Laura Carter is killed when a bullet from a gunfight a block away strikes her in the chest while she is riding in a car with her parents. Christopher Cross, who is dating her best friend, writes "Think Of Laura" in her honor.

1982-"The seventh Commodore," long-time manager and dear friend Benny Ashburn, dies from a heart attack. Only a short time later Lionel Richie officially announces his departure from the group to pursue his solo career.

1982-Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force release "Planet Rock," the first hip-hop hit with electronic elements and a rhythm powered by a Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's just the third rap song to reach the Hot 100, following "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang and "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow.

1982- The Greek composer Vangelis scores his first and only No.1 on the US album chart with "Chariots Of Fire."

1980-Bob Marley performs at the Independence Day celebration in Salisbury, Zimbabwe.

1974-Vinnie Taylor (lead guitarist for Sha Na Na) dies of an accidental heroin overdose at age 24.

1974-Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham (of Spice Girls) is born Victoria Adams in Harlow, Essex, England.

1971-Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World" reaches #1, where it stays for six weeks.

1971-Each of the four ex-Beatles has a solo single on the UK chart:

John Lennon - "Power to the People"
Paul McCartney - "Another Day"
Ringo Starr - "It Don't Come Easy"
George Harrison - "My Sweet Lord"

1970-Rapper Redman is born Reginald Noble in Newark, New Jersey.

1970-Paul McCartney releases his first solo album, McCartney. Unlike the grand Beatles' productions, this one is stripped-down, with Paul playing all the instruments himself.

1970-Johnny Cash plays for President Richard Nixon at the White House, performing his song "What Is Truth." Nixon requested a song called "Welfare Cadillac," which Cash politely declines to play. Near the end of the show, Cash says, "We pray, Mr. President, that you can end this war in Vietnam sooner than you hope or think it can be done."

1969-The first solo concert by The Band is held in San Francisco, California.

1967-Liz Phair is born in New Haven, Connecticut; she is raised by her adoptive parents in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Winnetka, Illinois. She becomes a '90s indie-rock icon with her debut album, Exile In Guyville, a feminist treatment of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St.

1965- Bob Dylan's second studio album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," becomes a chart-topping hit in the UK.

1964-Them (with Van Morrison) make their first concert appearance, at Belfast's Maritime Hotel.

1964-Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan is born James Herbert Keenan in Ravenna, Ohio.

1961-The Cleftones release their R&B version of "Heart and Soul."

1960-Gene Vincent is seriously injured in a Wiltshire, England, car crash in which Eddie Cochran dies aged 21.

1955-Singer/guitarist Pete Shelley is born Peter McNeish in Leigh, Lancashire, England. In 1976 he forms the Buzzcocks, a pioneering band that melds pop and punk, influencing bands like The Smiths, Green Day, and even The Go-Go's.

1954-Songwriter and musician Michael Sembello is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1953-Harry Belafonte makes his film debut in Bright Road, also starring Dorothy Dandridge. He soon becomes a star of stage and screen.

1948-"Miami Vice" composer Jan Hammer is born in Prague.

1943-Teen idol Bobby Curtola (1962's "Fortune Teller") is born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada.

1943-Bass guitarist Roy Estrada (Captain Beefheart, Mothers of Invention, Little Feat) is born in Santa Ana, California.

1940-Singer-songwriter Billy Fury is born Ronald William Wycherley in Liverpool, England. A fixture on the UK chart throughout the '60s, his hit singles include "Halfway to Paradise" and "Jealousy," among others.

1936-"Robbin' the Cradle" (1959) singer Tony Bellus is born Anthony J. Bellusci in Chicago, Illinois.

1934-Record producer and songwriter Don Kirshner (The Monkees, The Archies, Kansas) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

1882-Classical pianist Artur Schnabel is born in Lipnik, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of Bielsko-Biala, Poland).

[Bikkie]

1840
Samuel Revans prints first newspaper
The first newspapers published in New Zealand were printed by Samuel Revans a month after he arrived in Port Nicholson (Wellington).


1847
Gilfillan killings near Whanganui
A Māori raid on the Gilfillan farm at Matarawa, just east of Whanganui, left four members of the family dead. The artist John Gilfillan and one of his daughters were severely wounded.


In Music History

2025-Sinners opens in theaters, with 88-year-old Buddy Guy playing a character he inspired: a musician who somewhat literally goes through hell to become a blues legend and open his own club in Chicago. The film picks up a bunch of awards, including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

2024-Longtime Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80 after years of health problems. Betts wrote many of their most popular songs, including "Blue Sky," written about his girlfriend, Sandy "Bluesky" Wabegijig.

2021-The Simpsons parodies Morrissey with the character Quillougby, a British misanthrope who sings "Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (And Possibly You)" with Lisa. "I'm quite used to it," the real Morrissey replies. "I've had enough horror thrown at me that would kill off a herd of bison."

2020-Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and several other stars perform from their homes on the One World: Together At Home concert to support frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

2014-Deon Jackson dies at age 68 from unknown causes. He was most famous for his 1966 sweet soul hit "Love Makes The World Go Round," but his output also made him a hero on both the South Carolina beach music and UK Northern Soul scenes.

2013-Cordell "Boogie" Mosson (bassist for Parliament-Funkadelic) dies at age 60 of liver failure.

2013-Public Enemy become the fourth hip-hop act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the others that preceded PE into the Hall were Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Run-DMC, and the Beastie Boys). Other 2013 inductees are Rush, Heart (which reunites their original lineup), Albert King, Donna Summer, and Randy Newman.

2013-Storm Thorgerson, a visionary designer who did classic artwork for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, dies of cancer at age 69.

2012-Pop music impresario and American Bandstand host Dick Clark dies of a heart attack at age 82. Many artists got a huge boost after appearing on Bandstand, which he hosted from 1956 to 1989.

2009-Keith Urban lands his first #1 album on the Billboard 200 with Defying Gravity, which includes the hits "Kiss A Girl" and "Sweet Thing."

2009-Sable Starr dies of brain cancer in Reno, Nevada, at the age of 51. In the 1970s she was a famous groupie, following rock stars around the venues of LA from the age of 14. At the time of her death she has retired from the rock and roll lifestyle and is working in a casino.

2009- The Black Eyed Peas began a 26-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.

2008-Foxy Brown is released from Riker's Island jail after serving an eight month sentence for battery.

2006- Elton John raised over $700,000 for AIDS charity through a five-day clothing sale at Rockefeller Center, NYC.

2003-Etta James gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997-Rock guitarist Jay Hening (of Demolition 23) dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

1996-Bernard Edwards (bass guitarist for Chic) dies of pneumonia at age 43 after a Chic concert at the Budokan Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Gavin Rossdale Shirtless On Rolling Stone
1996-Gavin Rossdale of Bush is shirtless on the cover of Rolling Stone, but the article inside trashes the band, calling them "Nirvanawannabes."

1992- Annie Lennox’s debut solo album Diva reached No.1 in the UK, later winning British Album of the Year at the 1993 BRIT Awards.

1988-The accused murderer of reggae legend Peter Tosh, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban, goes on trial in Jamaica.

1988-Legendary Motown songwriters Holland/Dozier/Holland are inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

1987-MTV finally acknowledges the existence of heavy metal with the debut of Headbangers Ball, a weekly show dedicated to the genre.
The Queen Of Soul Adds Another Jewel To Her Crown
1987
Aretha Franklin and George Michael's duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" hits #1 in the US, returning Franklin to the top spot for the first time since "Respect" in 1967. The feat breaks the record for the longest span between #1 hits.

1985-Liberace breaks his own record at Radio City Music Hall, pulling in two million dollars for his latest engagement.

1985- Wham! became the first Western act to release a pop album (Make It Big) in China.

1981-Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes begin rehearsals with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. It doesn't lead anywhere, and Yes gets back together to release their 1983 album 90125.

1977- Musical revue Side by Side by Sondheim opened at Music Box, NYC, running for 390 performances.

1975- John Lennon gave his final public performance at a gala in NYC, performing “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” “Stand By Me,” and “Imagine”.

1974-Guitarist Mark Tremonti is born in Detroit, Michigan. As a student at Florida State University, he forms Creed with lead singer Scott Stapp. When Creed splits in 2004, Tremonti and the other original musicians in the band form Alter Bridge with frontman Myles Kennedy.

1974- James Brown received a Gold Plaque for his single The Payback, marking his second and final RIAA-certified Gold single.

1973-The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young documentary Journey Through The Past, directed by Neil Young, debuts at the Dallas Film Festival.

1971-The Diana Ross television musical special Diana, featuring guest stars The Jackson 5, Bill Cosby, and Danny Thomas, airs on ABC.

1971- The Jackson 5 appeared on Diana Ross’ solo TV special, performing alongside Danny Thomas and Bill Cosby.

1970-Greg Eklund (drummer for Everclear) is born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1970- Irish singer Dana topped the UK Singles chart with All Kinds of Everything, her Eurovision-winning song.

1966-Ana Voog (lead singer of The Blue Up) is born Rachel Olson in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1965- Marian Anderson concluded her 30-year singing career with a concert at Carnegie Hall, NYC.

1964-Bez of Happy Mondays is born Mark Berry in Lancashire, England. A founding member and mainstay in the group, his role is dancing on stage and shaking maracas to create a vibe.

1963-Bobby Bare records "Detroit City."

1963-After a Beatles performance at Royal Albert Hall in London for the radio show Swingin' Sound '63, Paul McCartney meets the actress Jane Asher. They become one of the most popular couples in England and get engaged, but they never marry and split up in 1968. This relationship inspires several Beatles songs, including "All My Loving" and "I'm Looking Through You."

1960-Bobby Rydell appears as "The Singing Delinquent" on an episode of the TV series Make Room For Daddy.

1958-Les Pattinson (bass guitarist for Echo & the Bunnymen) is born in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England.

1957-Second Lt. Buddy Knox is called up for six months active duty by the US Army Reserves.

1953- Revival of Pal Joey starring Harold Lang and Vivienne Segal closed at Broadhurst Theater, NYC, winning 3 Tony Awards.

1946-Skip Spence (of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, Jefferson Airplane) is born Alexander Lee Spence in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

1946-Actress and singer Hayley Mills is born in London, England, to English actors John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell. She joins older sister Juliet Mills.

1946-Lennie Baker (saxophonist for Sha Na Na) is born in Whitman, Massachusetts.

1944- Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins’ ballet Fancy Free premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House, NYC.

1943-Drummer Clyde Stubblefield, who plays on many of James Brown's recordings, is born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. When hip-hop emerges in the '80s and '90s, many of the tracks sample his drums, such as "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Cold Sweat."

1940-Mike Vickers (of Manfred Mann) is born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

1939-Pianist Glen Hardin is born in Wellington, Texas. In addition to playing with Buddy Holly's band The Crickets, Hardin will record with artists such as Elvis Presley, John Denver, Emmylou Harris, and Rick Nelson.

1938-Jazz pianist Hal Galper - known for his work with Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Anita O'Day, and Joe Williams - is born in Salem, Massachusetts.

1936- Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s musical Jumbo closed at the Hippodrome Theatre, NYC, after 233 performances.

1935-Record producer Paul Rothchild (The Doors, Janis Joplin) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1924-Blues musician Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown is born in Vinton, Louisiana.

1918-Guitarist Tony Mottola, known for working with Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, is born in Kearny, New Jersey.

1796- The Archers by Benjamin Carr, the first opera by an American composer, was performed in New York City.



Notable Births and Deaths
1819- Composer Franz von Suppé was born.

1863- Composer Felix Blumenfeld was born.

1907- Composer Miklos Rozsa was born.

1996- Bernard Edwards, co-founder of Chic, died at age 43 while on tour in Japan.

2012- Richard “Dick” Clark, influential radio and television personality, died at age 82.

[Bikkie]

1919, the New Zealand Rugby Football team faced the French Army in a historic match at Twickenham. Despite conceding the opening try, the New Zealanders took control in the second half, winning the match decisively with a score of 20-3. The match was attended by 15,000 spectators, and the King congratulated the New Zealanders on their victory. This match is a significant event in New Zealand rugby history, showcasing the team's skill and determination.



In Music History

2024-Taylor Swift releases The Tortured Poets Department, an album filled with confessional songs written in the aftermath of breakups with Joe Alwyn and The 1975 singer Matt Healy. At 2 a.m. she surprise releases an additional 15 tracks in a second volume of the album called The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

2021-Jim Steinman, who wrote Meat Loaf's operatic hits like "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad" and "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)," dies of kidney failure at 73.

2019-The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Flyers pull Kate Smith's version of "God Bless America" when it is revealed that she sang racist songs in the 1930s, including "That's Why Darkies Were Born" and "Pickaninny Heaven."

Kid Rock And Ted Nugent Go To The White House
2017-Kid Rock and Ted Nugent join Sarah Palin at the White House, where they get a personal tour from President Trump.More

2012-Levon Helm (drummer, lead vocalist of The Band) dies of cancer at age 71. Also an actor, he was known for his role as Loretta Lynn's father in Coal Miner's Daughter.

2012-Greg Ham, multi-instrumentalist with the band Men At Work, best known for playing the saxophone on "Overkill" and "Who Can It Be Now," and the flute on "Down Under," dies of a heart attack at his home in Melbourne, Australia at age 58.

2009-The Flaming Lips celebrate Earth Day with a performance on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

2008-Donna Summer scores a #1 Dance hit with "I'm A Fire," making her the first artist to top that chart in every decade since its 1974 debut.

2004-A stage musical version of the Elvis Presley film Jailhouse Rock opens in London.

2003-Motown choreographer Cholly Atkins dies of pancreatic cancer at age 89 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2003-Good Charlotte's "The Anthem" peaks at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2002-"Jeepster" by T. Rex becomes the first song successfully identified by Shazam in a pre-launch version of the service that requires the user to call a number and receive a text message with the name of the song.

2002-Alice In Chains lead singer Layne Staley is discovered dead in his Seattle apartment after police break down his door to investigate reports that he is missing. Staley, whose addictions led him to cut off contact with friends and family, had died on April 5 of a drug overdose. He was 34.

Baha Men And Britney Rule The Kids' Choice Awards
2001-In a battle of the bark, Baha Men beat out Lil' Bow Wow at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, taking Fave Song with "Who Let The Dogs Out."

1999-James Darren begins a five-episode stint on the primetime soap opera Melrose Place as an unscrupulous millionaire named Tony Marlin.

1998- Robbie Williams topped the UK album chart with his debut solo album Life Thru A Lens, which spent 218 weeks on the chart.

1997-Eldon "El Duce" Hoke (drummer, lead singer of The Mentors) dies at age 39 after being struck by a train in Riverside, California. The coroner's report calls the cause of death a "misadventure."

1994- Rapper Nas released his debut studio album Illmatic, widely regarded as a hip-hop classic for its storytelling and production, establishing him as a master lyricist early in his career.

1994-Nas releases his landmark debut album Illmatic at the age of 20, helping revive the flagging New York City rap scene and birth the era of lyricism. It goes on to be widely accepted as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

1993-Los Angeles session musician Steve Douglas (Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan) dies at age 54 of heart failure.

1990-The TV movie Summer Dreams: The Story Of The Beach Boys airs on ABC.

1988-Sonny Bono (Sonny & Cher) is inaugurated as mayor of Palm Springs, California.

Prince Holds Top Spots With "Kiss" And "Manic Monday"
1986
You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude: Prince hits #1 in the US with "Kiss." The #2 song is "Manic Monday" by the Bangles, which he wrote.

1982-Simon & Garfunkel reunite for a world tour, but split up again in the midst of it.

1980-Blondie's "Call Me," a song about a prostitute written for the film American Gigolo, hits #1 in America.

1980-The Specials become the first ska band to guest on Saturday Night Live, where they play "Gangsters" and "Too Much Too Young." Their energetic performance wows the crowd but fails to break ska music in America.

1980- R.E.M. performed their first gig as a band in Athens, Georgia.

1978- Patti Smith released the single Because the Night, co-written with Bruce Springsteen, which became her only charting single, reaching No. 13.

1975-The Raspberries split up.

1973- David Bowie released his sixth studio album Aladdin Sane, which topped the UK charts and featured his iconic lightning bolt cover.

1969-"Good Times, Bad Times," the first Led Zeppelin single, reaches its chart peak of #80 in America.

1968-George Harrison and John Lennon, fearing that their instructor, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is a fraud and has been preying on women at his meditation camp in India, leave the retreat two weeks early and distance themselves from the Maharishi. Harrison though, remains dedicated to the concept of Transcendental Meditation.

1967-Nancy and Frank Sinatra's "Somethin' Stupid" goes to #1 in the UK.

1964-Drummer Dawn Richardson of 4 Non Blondes, is born.

1963- Johnny Cash released Ring of Fire, written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore, which became one of his signature songs.

1962-Jackie Wilson makes his stage debut with a show at the Copacabana in New York City.

1956- Chuck Berry recorded Roll Over Beethoven, a rock ‘n’ roll classic that blended rhythm and blues with early rock influences.

1953-Rock drummer Rod Morgenstein (of Winger) is born in New York.

1947-Mark Volman (of The Turtles, Flo and Eddie, Mothers of Invention) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1945- The musical Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York.

1943-Eve Graham of The New Seekers is born Evelyn May Beatson in Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

1942-Rock guitarist Larry Ramos (of The Association) is born Hilario Ramos in Waimea, Hawaii.

1940-Singer-songwriter Bobby Russell ("The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia") is born in Nashville, Tennessee.

1937-Life magazine publishes a three-page article headlined: "Lead Belly - Bad Ni--er Makes Good Minstrel."

1934-Comedic songwriter Dickie Goodman is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for spoofs like 1962's "Batman & His Grandmother" and a string of hits ribbing the popular TV series The Untouchables: "The Touchables," "The Touchables In Brooklyn," and "Santa And The Touchables."

1892-French composer Germaine Tailleferre, the sole female member of the composers group Les Six, is born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne, France.





Notable Births

1928- Alexis Korner, British blues musician and radio broadcaster, considered the founding father of British blues.

1942-Alan Price (original keyboardist for The Animals) for hits like House of the Rising Sun, is born in Fatfield, England.

1944- Bernie Worrell, keyboardist and founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic, influential in funk and rock music.

1947- Mark Volman, singer for The Turtles and part of the comedy rock duo Flo & Eddie.

1957- Tony Martin, singer-songwriter and frontman of Black Sabbath during the late 1980s and 1990s.




Notable Deaths

2012- Levon Helm, drummer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist of The Band, passed away from throat cancer at age 71. He was known for classics like The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down and The Weight.

2012- Greg Ham, multi-instrumentalist of Men At Work, died of a heart attack at age 58, remembered for hits like Down Under and Overkill.

2021- Jim Steinman, songwriter and producer behind Meat LoafÂ’s Bat Out of Hell, passed away at 73.

[Bikkie]

1958
Mormon temple opens in Hamilton
This was the first temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the southern hemisphere.


1981
Allison Roe wins Boston Marathon
Allison Roe became the first New Zealand woman to win the prestigious Boston Marathon, burning off American star Patti Catalano and breaking the course record by nearly eight minutes.



In Music History

2024- The jukebox musical Hell's Kitchen, featuring music and lyrics by Alicia Keys, debuted on Broadway starring Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, and Kecia Lewis Hallelujah.

2020-Homebound during the coronavirus pandemic, Willie Nelson stages the "Come And Toke It" live stream to support efforts to legalize marijuana and free those incarcerated for it. Guests include Ziggy Marley, who does "One Love," and Kacey Musgraves, who performs "Slow Burn."

2019-Michelle Branch marries Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.

2018- Swedish DJ and producer Avicii (Tim Bergling) passed away at age 28, leaving a legacy of hits including Wake Me Up and collaborations with artists like Robbie Williams, Rita Ora, and members of ABBA.

2017-The Main Ingredient lead singer Cuba Gooding Sr. dies at age 72. His son is the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

2013-Five days after three people were killed in bombings at the Boston Marathon, Neil Diamond makes a surprise appearance at Fenway Park, where he performs "Sweet Caroline" at the Red Sox game against the Kansas City Royals.

2011-Indie rocker Gerard Smith (of TV on the Radio) dies at age 36 of lung cancer.

2010-The stage adaptation of Green Day's American Idiot rock opera officially opens on Broadway, a year after its debut at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

2006-Smashing Pumpkins, who split in 2000, announce their reunion. A year later they release a new album, Zeitgeist.

2003-Jazz tenor saxophonist Teddy Edwards dies at age 78.

Ashanti Has #1 Song And Album
2002-Ashanti snags the top spot on the Hot 100 with her single "Foolish," and also goes to #1 with her self-titled debut album. The #2 song is "Always On Time," her collaboration with Ja Rule.More

2002-Pop singer Alan Dale ("(The Gang that Sang) Heart of My Heart") dies at age 76. Also known for playing a rock 'n roll singer in the 1956 film Don't Knock the Rock, featuring Alan Freed, Little Richard, The Treniers, and Bill Haley & His Comets.

2001-Italian composer Giuseppe Sinopoli dies of a heart attack at age 54 while conducting the Verdi opera Aida at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Germany.

1999-Rapper Mase, 21, announces that he is retiring from music in order to "follow God." He returns with his third album, Welcome Back, in 2004.

1999-At his concert at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Billy Joel announces his retirement from touring and recording pop music, as he wants to focus on classical music. His retirement doesn't last long; he returns to the stage in December. After sitting out most of 2000, he embarks on the Face to Face tour with Elton John in 2001.

1996- Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mack reached No.1 in the UK, becoming his signature hit.

1994-Barbra Streisand begins her first tour since 1966, performing in London.

1993-At 31, Toby Keith releases his self-titled debut album. The first single, "Should've Been A Cowboy," goes to #1 on the Country chart, the first of 20 chart-toppers for Keith on that tally.

1993-Shania Twain's self-titled debut album is released. It's an impressive debut, establishing her in the world of country music. Her next three releases, produced by her husband Mutt Lange, make her a pop superstar.

1993-Looking to mimic the success of New Kids on the Block, entrepreneur Lou Pearlman sets out to create his own boy band. After auditioning hundreds of performers, he chooses five unknowns to be his Backstreet Boys.

1992-The remaining members of Queen hold the "Concert For Life" at Wembley Stadium in London, raising money for AIDS awareness in honor of their fallen frontman Freddie Mercury. David Bowie, Elton John, Guns N' Roses and George Michael all perform.

1992-Blues singer and guitarist Johnny Shines dies at age 76 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

1992- The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium, London, celebrated the life of Queen’s frontman, featuring performances by Elton John, David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, George Michael, and many others. The event raised funds for AIDS research and launched the Mercury Phoenix Trust, with tickets selling out in three hours and a broadcast reaching approximately one billion viewers worldwide.

1991-John Fogerty marries his second wife, Julie Lebiedzinksi, in Elkhart, Indiana. The couple met at a party following one of his concerts in 1986. "Suddenly the crowd parted, and there was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life," Fogerty said.

1991-Steve Marriott (guitarist, vocalist for The Small Faces, Humble Pie) dies in a house fire, possibly caused by a cigarette, at age 44.

1985-The Commodores land their first (and only) post-Lionel Richie hit with "Nightshift," which reaches #3 in the US. The song is a tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye.

1981-John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas is sentenced to five years for helping a Los Angeles-area pharmacist sell fake prescriptions, as well as drug possession. His sentence will be reduced to one month, however, after he agrees to perform 250 hours of community service in the form of anti-drug lectures.

1976-George Harrison, who is good friends with Eric Idle, joins Monty Python on stage at the comedy troupe's show at New York's City Center. Dressed as a Canadian Mountie, Harrison joins the chorus for "The Lumberjack Song." No mention is made of Harrison's appearance, and few in the audience recognize him. The next night, Nilsson shows up to perform the same feat, but with disastrous results, as he falls into the audience and breaks his arm.

1974-The Soul Train theme song ("TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB featuring The Three Degrees) hits #1 in America. MFSB, which stands for Mother Father Sister Brother, is a studio group established by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Philadelphia International Records.

1971-Bass player Mikey Welsh is born in Syracuse, New York. In 1998, he replaces Matt Sharp in Weezer, and is replaced by Scott Shriner in 2001.

4/20 Becomes A Day Of Reefer Madness
1971
Five friends at San Rafael High School in California coin the term "4:20" as a euphemism for smoking pot. April 20th becomes a popular day to spark one up, as does 4:20 pm. Note that the Boston song "Smokin'" clocks in at 4 minutes, 20 seconds, and if you multiply the title numbers in Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women #12 And #35," you get 420. Dude!

1970-Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest is born Malik Taylor in Queens, New York. His insistent delivery provides the counterweight to Q-Tip's smooth flows in the group. Stricken with diabetes, he dies in 2016 at 45.

Submarine Churches Surface, Inspired By Beatles Song
1970-The New York Times reports on "submarine churches" inspired by the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." Their logos are variations of a submarine with the periscope forming a peace sign.More

1970- Elvis Presley released his rendition of The Wonder of You, reaching No.1 in the UK and No.9 in the US.

1969-Benny Benjamin aka "Papa Zita" (drummer for The Funk Brothers) dies of a stroke at age 43.

1968- The Rolling Stones recorded Jumpin’ Jack Flash at Olympic Studios in London, which became a major international hit.

1968-Deep Purple make their stage debut at the Vestpoppen, in Kastrup, Denmark.

1968-Apple Music, the Beatles' new label, runs their famous "This Man Has Talent" ads in Britain's New Musical Express, seeking demo tapes from unknown artists. Most are never heard but pile up in Apple's offices, and the majority of the label's signings are acquired through acquaintances.

1967-Drummer Mike Portnoy is born in Long Beach, New York. A founding member of Dream Theater, he also writes many of the band's lyrics.

1963-Rick Nelson marries his first wife, Kris Harmon, daughter of college football legend Tom Harmon and sister of actor Mark Harmon, in Los Angeles. A pregnant Kris gives birth to daughter Tracy only six months later. The couple divorce in 1982.

1959-Thirteen-year-old Dolly Parton releases her first single, the rockabilly-style love tune "Puppy Love."

1951-R&B singer Luther Vandross is born in New York City.

1949-Phil Spector's father commits suicide when Phil is just 9 years old. The title of the song "To Know Him Is To Love Him," which Phil Spector wrote for the Teddy Bears, comes from the inscription on his father's headstone.

1948-Craig Frost (keyboardist for Grand Funk Railroad) is born in Flint, Michigan.

1945-Keyboardist Jimmy Winston (The Moments, The Small Faces) is born in Stratford, London, England.

1944-Judy Garland records "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

1939-Singer-songwriter Johnny Tillotson is born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1931-Louis Armstrong records "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" from the play Under A Virginia Moon. He adds the song to his live repertoire, and it becomes a jazz standard, later recorded by Billie Holiday, Louis Prima, Harry Connick, Jr. and many others.

1923-Tito Puente, mambo musician and Latin jazz composer, is born Ernesto Antonio Puente in New York City.

1908-Jazz musician Lionel Hampton is born in Louisville, Kentucky.

1896- John Philip Sousa's operetta El Capitan premiered on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre in New York City.

1759- Composer George Frideric Handel was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, honoring his contributions to classical music.

[Bikkie]

1509- King Henry VIII of England ascended to the throne when his father, King Henry VII died.

1802-a band of Wahhabis from Najd in central Saudi Arabia attacked the central Iraqi city of Karbala, with the purpose of punishing those Iraqi Muslims for failing to follow the ultra-conservative religious teachings of Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328), a Sunni Muslim scholar who had taught a “renewal” of the Islamic faith apparently at odds with the brand of Islam practiced in Karbala, which was of the Shia variety.

1894- Norway accepted the product of their own gun designers, Ole Krag and Erik Jorgensen, as their standard battle rifle.



1934- The Daily Mail publishes a grainy black and white photograph which it claims is proof of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. The image is named the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’, due to the photographer’s wish to remain anonymous. Interest in the mysterious creature reaches fever pitch, and the picture will become one of the most famous photographs of the 20th Century.



In Music History

2025-The video for Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" becomes her first to tally a billion views on YouTube, far outpacing "Hung Up," in second place with 531 million. The song is huge with Gen Z thanks to a series of TikTok trends.

2016-Prince dies at age 57 after overdosing on fentanyl, a highly addictive opioid.

2014-Big Sean becomes the first rapper to perform at the White House when he duets with Ariana Grande on "Right There" at the annual Easter Egg Roll

2013-Christina Amphlett (frontwoman of The Divinyls) dies after a long battle with breast cancer at age 53.

2012-Marcus Mumford of the British folk-rock band Mumford & Sons marries actress Carey Mulligan, his former childhood penpal, at a farm in Somerset, England. Mumford was previously romantically linked to folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling.

2012-Keith Urban becomes the first Australian inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and also the first born outside of North America.

2012-Nicki Minaj goes to #1 in America with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, becoming the first female rapper with a #1 album since Eve in 1999.

2008-Soul singer Al Wilson dies at age 68 of kidney failure.

2007-Rock guitarist Lobby Loyde (of Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs, The Coloured Balls) dies at age 65 of lung cancer.

2006-Faith Hill and Tim McGraw kick off their Soul2Soul II tour in Columbus, Ohio, which becomes the highest-grossing country tour of all time. On some dates, their opening act is a young singer named Taylor Swift.

2004-Future Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson gets voted off season three of American Idol, where she finishes in seventh place.

2004-Michael Jackson is officially charged with child molestation after a California grand jury determines there is enough evidence to proceed with allegations made against him for time spent at his Neverland Ranch.

2003-EMI and Universal Music sue the file-sharing service Napster for copyright violations.

2003-British pop group S Club 7 announces it is splitting up after five years.

2003-Nina Simone dies at age 70 after a long battle with breast cancer.

2001-Peter Buck of R.E.M. gets unruly on a British Airways flight and is arrested. He is accused of drinking 15 glasses of wine, overturning a service cart and engaging in other bad behavior, but charges are eventually dropped. Buck claimed that ingesting both a sleeping pill and wine caused him to lose it.

2000-Neal Matthews Jr. (of Elvis Presley's backing group, The Jordanaires) dies of a heart attack at age 70.

1998-Faith Hill releases her third album, Faith, which delivers her first pop hit, "This Kiss."

1993-Bill Wyman, formerly of The Rolling Stones, marries his third wife, 33-year-old fashion designer Suzanne Accosta, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.

1992-The Cure release their ninth studio album, Wish, which features their hit single "Friday I'm In Love." Their highest-charting album, it debuts at #1 in the UK and #2 in the US.

1990-The International Ska Festival & Earth Day Celebration goes down at the Greek Theatre in San Francisco, with performances by The International Beat, The Uptones, and Bad Manners. With 10,000 attending, it's an early indicator that ska is finding an audience in America.

1990-Sinead O'Connor's cover of the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U" goes to #1 in America, where it stays for four weeks. It thrusts O'Connor into the spotlight, which she quickly rejects, finding the rituals of fame vapid and materialistic. Two years later, she makes news for tearing up a picture of the Pope on live TV.

1990-Paul McCartney sets a new world record for attendance at a concert by a single artist when his tour-ending show at the Maracana Stadium in Rio draws 184,000 people.

1984-"Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" goes to #1 on the Hot 100, giving Phil Collins his first solo chart-topper on the tally. He will have six more.

1981-Weird Al Yankovic (along with his drummer, Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz) makes his TV debut, playing the Queen parody "Another One Rides The Bus" on Tom Snyder's The Tomorrow Show.

1979-Amii Stewart's "Knock On Wood" hits #1 in America. The song was originally recorded by Eddie Floyd in 1966.

1978-31-year-old Fairport Convention lead singer Sandy Denny dies of a cerebral hemorrhage after four days in a coma.

1977-Elvis Presley begins his last concert tour in Greensboro, North Carolina.

1977-Having spent a full decade as a draft exile in Canada, singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester returns to the US.

1977-ABC airs Frank Sinatra's TV special Frank Sinatra And Friends, featuring guest stars Natalie Cole and John Denver.

1976-A night after George Harrison joins Monty Python during their performance of "The Lumberjack Song" at a New York show, Harry Nilsson tries it. While Harrison blended in as a member of the chorus (dressed as a Mountie), Nilsson wears dark glasses and makes a spectacle. When he goes to the front of the stage to shake hands with audience members, he falls into the crowd and breaks his arm.

1973-Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree" hits #1 in the US. The song is based on a fictional newspaper story about a man returning from jail who asks his wife to tie a yellow handkerchief on the landmark oak tree in town if she still loves him.

1973-Powered by a gnarly stage show and the tracks "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Elected," Alice Cooper's album Billion Dollar Babies hits #1 in America (it hits the top spot in the UK three days later).

1970-Elton John makes his stage debut as a solo act when he opens for T. Rex, Spooky Tooth, and Jackie Lomax at the Roundhouse in London.

1970-Chicago blues guitarist Earl Hooker dies of tuberculosis at age 41.

1969-Mick Jagger sends a letter to Andy Warhol, who has agreed to design the artwork for the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers. Jagger writes: "In my short sweet experience, the more complicated the format of the album... the more f--ked up the reproduction and agonising delays." Warhol eventually delivers a design with a working zipper, which becomes one of the most memorable album covers ever made, but is very difficult to mass produce.

1962-Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm" hits #1.

1960-For about 20 years, it was common practice for record companies to pay DJs to play songs, but now the US government is cracking down on what they call "Payola." Dick Clark testifies before congress and admits that he took money and gifts to play records - estimating 27% of his playlist to be paid. Clark emerges more powerful than ever, selling off conflicting interests and expanding his music empire. On the other hand, another prominent DJ and TV host, Alan Freed, refuses to admit that he took payola, insisting that he was a consultant to the industry. His career never recovers despite his massive influence and succes

1959-Johnny Mathis records "Misty."

1959-Robert Smith of The Cure is born in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK.

1959-Alt rocker Michael Timmins (guitarist for Cowboy Junkies) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1958-The Platters' "Twilight Time" hits #1.

1958-Mike Barson (keyboardist for Madness) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1957-At his first session with Atco Records, an offshoot of Atlantic Records, Bobby Darin records "Don't Call My Name," "Pretty Betty," and "So Mean."

1956-Elvis Presley's breakout hit "Heartbreak Hotel" goes to #1 in America.

1951-Les Paul and Mary Ford's "How High The Moon" hits #1.

1951-Nickey Barclay (keyboardist for Fanny) is born.

1948-Singer-songwriter Paul Davis is born in Meridian, Mississippi.

1947-Iggy Pop is born James Newell Osterberg Jr. in Muskegon, Michigan. As a solo artist and with his band The Stooges, he literally bleeds on stage, often rolling shirtless in broken glass. His most POP-ular songs are "The Passenger" and "Lust For Life," both released in 1977.

1947-Rock musician John Weider (guitarist for The Animals, bassist for Family) is born in Shepherd's Bush, London, England.

1947-Alan Warner (lead guitarist for The Foundations) is born in Paddington, West London, England.

1945-One of the world's first great R&B labels, Modern Records, is formed by Saul and Jules Bihari in Los Angeles. It would prove to be the launching pad for everyone from John Lee Hooker to Etta James.

1931-Country singer-songwriter Carl Belew, known for '50s hits like "Am I That Easy To Forget" and "Lonely Street" (made popular by Andy Williams), is born in Salina, Oklahoma.

1924-Gospel singer Clara Ward (leader of The Famous Ward Singers) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1919-'50s pop singer Don Cornell ("It Isn't Fair," "Hold My Hand") is born Luigi Varlaro in The Bronx, New York City.

[Bikkie]

1936
Rātana and Labour seal alliance
The alliance between the Rātana Church and the Labour Party was cemented at an historic meeting between Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana and Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage.


In Music History

2021-Digital Underground leader Shock G dies of a fentanyl overdose at 57. The group is best known for their 1990 hit "The Humpty Dance" where he plays the character Humpty Hump, a fun-loving, smooth-talking rapper with a huge nose.

2020-At the Jersey 4 Jersey virtual benefit concert, surviving members of Fountains of Wayne reunite (from their homes) with Sharon Van Etten to pay tribute to Adam Schlesinger, who died of coronavirus three weeks earlier. Bruce Springsteen also performs, and Bon Jovi debut a new song called "Do What You Can." The event raises nearly $6 million for coronavirus relief.

2013-Singer-songwriter Richie Havens, who became famous as the first performer at Woodstock in 1969, dies of a heart attack age 72.

2011-LeAnn Rimes marries actor Eddie Cibrian at their engagement party that's actually a surprise wedding. The couple's controversial affair sparked while filming the 2009 TV movie Northern Lights.

2011-At age 51, Bryan Adams becomes a father for the first time when his baby girl Mirabella Bunny is born.

2011-Bluegrass singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens, known for her pro-union anthems and feminist songs, dies at age 75 from complications of pneumonia.

2010-Poison lead singer Bret Michaels suffers a brain hemorrhage that nearly kills him. After almost two weeks in intensive care, he makes a full recovery. Throughout the ordeal, he leaves his headband on, explaining, "If I'm going out, I want to go out rocking."

2009-Jeff Beck is joined onstage by Rod Stewart for the first time in over 25 years at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

2009-Liz Phair wins her first ASCAP award as Top Television Composer for her work on the teen drama 90210.

2008-Singer-songwriter Paul Davis, known for his soft rock hits of the '70s, dies of a heart attack just one day after his 60th birthday.

2003-The White Stripes begin a week-long stint as musical guests on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They're Conan's favorite group; when the show ends in 2009, they play the final episode.

2003-Songwriter Felice Bryant dies of cancer at age 77 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Known for a string of hits with co-writer husband Boudleaux Bryant, including The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love."

2000-N.W.A.'s reunion single "Chin Check" debuts at #71 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This is the group's only single without its core members DJ Yella and the late Eazy-E and their first one with Ice Cube since his departure in 1989.

1999-Sinead O'Connor is ordained in Lourdes, France, as the first female priest in the Latin Tridentine Church, a dissident Roman Catholic group.

1998-Faith No More announce that they are no more.

1993-The Broadway play Tommy, based on The Who's album, opens at St. James Theater.

1990-Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) is born Colson Baker in Houston, Texas. After a rough childhood, he becomes a rapper, but in the late 2010s he takes a melodic turn and mostly sings. He also takes on acting roles, including the 2019 Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt, playing Tommy Lee.

1989-Kid 'N Play's biggest hit, "Rollin' With Kid 'N Play," hits #11 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, as their debut album 2 Hype (which was released six months earlier) debuts at #9 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

1989-Despite (or thanks to) a generous heaping of controversy over its video where she dances in front of burning crosses, Madonna's "Like A Prayer" hits #1 in the US as the album also lands at the top spot, where it stays for six weeks. It's her third consecutive #1 album.

1989-Public Enemy make the video for "Fight The Power," directed by Spike Lee, in Brooklyn. The shoot doubles as a rally, with locals joining in to serve as extras. The song later debuts on the soundtrack to Lee's film Do The Right Thing.

1988-Barbara "Sandi" Robison passes away from toxic shock poisoning after initially falling ill her during an April 6, 1988 performance in Butte, Montana.

1985-Prince releases his seventh album, Around The World In A Day, the follow-up to Purple Rain. It's his first issued on his Paisley Park imprint and primarily recorded at his Paisley Park studios.

1983-Jazz pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines dies at age 79.

1980-The Cure release their second studio album, Seventeen Seconds, which features their first Top 40 hit on the UK Singles chart: "A Forest."

1979-Keith Richards serves his punishment for a Toronto arrest on heroin charges when The Rolling Stones play the first of two concerts in Ontario to raise money for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which is his court-ordered community service.

1979-Alt-rocker Daniel Johns (frontman for Silverchair) is born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Belushi And Aykroyd Become The Blues Brothers
1978
1978-The Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) make their debut on Saturday Night Live, later becoming the first characters from the show to get their own movie.

1978-Bob Marley headlines the historic One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica, the singer's first appearance in his home country since an assassination attempt two years before. At the concert, Marley manages to unite Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley with rival Edward Seaga, who had both been using local warlords to battle for power.

1978-Steve Martin performs "King Tut" on Saturday Night Live, popularizing goofy Egyptian dancing. The song, which portrays the pharaoh as his "favorite honky," goes on to sell over 500,000 copies.

1978-Performing at the Ottawa Civic Centre on the Bat Out Of Hell tour, Meat Loaf falls off the stage and mangles his knee, requiring surgery. He does the next few shows from a wheelchair but completes the tour.

1978-Gerry Rafferty releases "Baker Street."

1975-Elvis Presley releases "T-R-O-U-B-L-E."

1974-The Who begin filming the movie version of Tommy, with Tina Turner's turn as the Acid Queen filmed first. The task of producing the complex soundtrack drives Pete Townshend to another nervous breakdown.

1972-A crowd of 25,000 attend "Roberta Flack Human Kindness Day" at the Washington Mall in honor of the singer. Human Kindness Day becomes an annual event until 1975, when it turns violent.

Deep Purple - "Machine Head" (1972): Deep Purple's sixth studio album, "Machine Head," reached No.1 in the UK. This album is considered a pioneer of the heavy metal genre and remains one of the band's most successful works.

1969-The Carpenters sign with A&M Records.

1969-On the roof of Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row, London, John Lennon has his name legally changed from John Winston Lennon to John Winston Ono Lennon.

1968-"This Guy's in Love With You" becomes a huge hit after Herb Alpert sings it to his wife on the TV special The Beat of the Brass. The song, written by Burt Bacharach, is released as a single two days later thanks to viewer demand.

1967-Elvis Presley's 23rd film, Easy Come, Easy Go, premieres in Hollywood.

The Troggs - "Wild Thing" (1966): The Troggs released their hit single "Wild Thing" in the US, which would go on to become a garage rock anthem and reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1966-Kimberley Dahme (rhythm guitarist, bassist for Boston) is born.

1966-The Beatles continue work on their Revolver album, with Ringo adding cowbell to "Taxman" and George Harrison putting sitar on "Tomorrow Never Knows."

The Beatles - "Ticket to Ride" (1965): The Beatles scored their seventh consecutive No.1 single in the UK with "Ticket to Ride." This song also topped charts internationally, marking a significant milestone in their career.

1964-The President of England's National Federation of Hairdressers makes headlines when he offers a free haircut to the next rock group to reach Number One.

1962-Jerry Lee Lewis loses his first son, Steve Allen (named after the TV host and good friend), in a tragic drowning accident at the age of three.

1959-The Alan Freed "Rock and Roll movie" Go, Johnny, Go premieres in New York, featuring Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran, The Cadillacs, and The Flamingos.

1951-Pop-rock singer-songwriter Paul Carrack (Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics) is born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

1950-Peter Frampton is born in Beckenham, Kent, England. After forming Humble Pie, he finds success as a solo artist; his 1976 album Frampton Come Alive! is one of the most successful live albums of all time.

1948-Larry Groce, singer of the hit 1976 novelty tune "Junk Food Junkie" and host of the NPR-distributed radio program Mountain Stage, is born in Dallas, Texas.

1944-Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians hit #1 in America with "It's Love-Love-Love."

1939-Pop/soul singer Mel Carter, known for the 1965 hit "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1937-Jack Nitzsche, musician, songwriter, and film composer who worked alongside Phil Spector throughout the '50s and later co-wrote the Academy Award-Winning "Up Where We Belong" for An Officer and a Gentleman, is born Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche in Chicago, Illinois.

Glen Campbell Is Born
1936-Glen Campbell is born in Billstown, Arkansas. Raised in abject poverty as the seventh of 12 children, he makes his way to Los Angeles in 1960 and becomes a sought-after session musician.

1931-Conga drummer Joe Cuba - dubbed the "Father of Latin Boogaloo" - is born Gilberto Miguel Calderón in New York City.

1927-Caribbean singer Laurel Aitken, aka "The Godfather of Ska," is born Lorenzo Aitken in Cuba, but will settle in Jamaica.

1922-Jazz double bassist Charles Mingus is born in Nogales, Arizona.

1921-Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist Candido Camero is born in Cuba.



Additional Context

Gioachino Rossini's Early Performance (1804): At just 12 years old, Rossini showcased his talent as a singer in Italy, foreshadowing his future success as a composer of iconic operas.

Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" Completion (1876): This day marks the completion of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet, which has become a staple in classical music and ballet repertoires.

[Bikkie]

1979
Blair Peach killed in London
New Zealander Blair Peach died after a clash between police and protesters at an anti-fascism rally in Southall, London.



1983
Prince William meets 'buzzy bee'
Among the highlights of the April 1983 royal tour were photographs of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ infant son, Prince William, playing with New Zealand’s iconic ‘buzzy bee’ toy.


In Music History

2018-After a screening of her documentary Horses: Patti Smith And Her Band at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, Bruce Springsteen joins Smith to perform "Because The Night." Springsteen wrote the music and chorus lyrics to that song in 1976, and Smith filled in the verses a year later. When it appeared on her Easter album in 1978, it became her biggest hit.

2017-Kerry Turman, bassist for The Temptations, dies at age 59 following a performance in Missouri.

Bananarama Reunite
2017-Bananarama announce their intention to reunite with a UK tour. Aside from a brief regroup for a Eurovision special years earlier, the original trio hasn't performed together since Siobhan Fahey's departure in 1988.More

2016-Bruce Springsteen salutes the recently deceased Prince by opening his show in Brooklyn with a rendition of "Purple Rain" (Nils Lofgren takes the guitar solo). The E Street Band wears purple for the show, deviating from their usual black.

2015-System Of A Down play the Armenian capitol of Yerevan in their first concert in that country. The band, which is of Armenian descent, is raising awareness of the Armenian genocide, which began 100 years earlier.

2012-Neil Diamond, 71, marries his longtime manager, Katie McNeil, 42.

2011-Tom King (founder of the rock band The Outsiders) dies at age 68 of congestive heart failure.

2007-Bevan Davies replaces Will Hunt as drummer for Static-X.

2005-YouTube launches. It works so well that Google can't beat it (they try with something called Google Video), so in 2006 they buy it. It eventually becomes the most popular place to hear music for free.

Shirtless, Shoeless Kenny Chesney Releases First #1 Album
2002-Kenny Chesney releases his sixth studio album, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems. Featuring five Top 10 country singles, including the hit title track, it's his first album to top both the Country and Billboard 200 charts.

2002-Nine months after the album was rejected by Reprise Records, Wilco release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on Nonesuch Records. It earns nearly universal acclaim from critics and goes Gold, earning the group a legion of new fans.

2001-Metallica start recording their album St. Anger, which turns into some kind of monster: Frontman James Hetfield ends up in rehab during the sessions, and the band only complete it with the help of a psychologist who talks them through their issues in group therapy.

1996-Hootie & the Blowfish release their second album, Fairweather Johnson. It doesn't approach the 21 million in sales of their debut (Cracked Rear View), but still sells an impressive 3 million.

1995-The Sunday Times of London breaks the story that a welder in Liverpool named Peter Hodgson found a reel of Beatles material in his attic. The recordings turn out to be legit, as Hodgson's father had loaned the recorder to Paul McCartney. After hearing the recordings, McCartney buys the reel and uses some of it on the Anthology collection. Songs include the Lennon/McCartney original "Hello Little Girl" and the Ray Charles cover "Hallelujah, I Love Her So."

1994-Pink Floyd's album The Division Bell goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for four weeks.

1991- Johnny Thunders, a guitarist known for his work with the New York Dolls, passed away under mysterious circumstances in New Orleans., he was 38.

1988-Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" hits #1 on the Hot 100 for the first of two weeks. It's her seventh #1 on that tally.

1988-Enjoying a comeback as interest in his music surges, Roy Orbison celebrates his 52nd birthday at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Los Angeles, where Bruce brings him onstage so the crowd can sing him "Happy Birthday." Orbison dies that December of a heart attack.

1987-Carole King sues her former label head and mentor, Lou Adler, for $400,000 in royalties and the publishing rights to some of her older recordings from the late-'60s.

1986-Songwriter Harold Arlen ("Over The Rainbow," "Stormy Weather") dies at age 81.

1985-Liberace appears on the soap opera Another World.

1983-"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners goes to #1 in the US. It's the only American hit for the English group, but they are far more successful in the UK, where among their hits is the #1 "Geno."

1981-Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, who are in Germany appearing at different festivals, join Johnny Cash on stage in Stuttgart for a performance that is recorded and released as the album The Survivors. The trio toured together back in 1957.

1977-Thelma Houston's disco plea "Don't Leave Me This Way," originally recorded by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes in 1975, hits #1 in America.

Ramones Debut Album Creates The Punk Sound
1976
The Ramones release their self-titled debut album, a punk rock landmark filled with frantic 2-minute songs like "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Beat On The Brat."

1976-The Rolling Stones release their album Black And Blue, which contains "Fool To Cry" and "Hot Stuff."

1971-The Rolling Stones release Sticky Fingers, which includes "Brown Sugar," "Wild Horses" and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" It's the first album released on their own label, Rolling Stones Records.

1970- Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" was awarded a Gold Disc for selling 1 million copies.

1969-Los Angeles' famed folk and rock club The Ash Grove, launching pad for everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Canned Heat, catches fire and nearly burns to the ground.

1968-Stan Frazier (drummer for Sugar Ray) is born Charles Stanton Frazier in Orange County, California.

1965-Life magazine runs a 22-page cover story on Frank Sinatra, the longest feature on an entertainer in the publication's history.

1964-The Beatles shoot the "Can't Buy Me Love" scene for their movie A Hard Day's Night on a south London athletic field augmented with a helipad.

1964- The pop duo Peter & Gordon reached number one in the UK with "A World Without Love."

1963-Bob Dylan records "Girl Of The North Country," "Masters Of War," "Talking World War III Blues," and "Bob Dylan's Dream."

1960-Paul McCartney and John Lennon perform as "the Nerk Twins" at the Fox and Hounds pub in Reading, England. The pub is owned by McCartney's cousin and her husband. The duo play another set the next day.

1960-Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark is born Stephen Maynard Clark in Sheffield, England.

1956-Elvis Presley plays Vegas for the first time with a two-week residency at the New Frontier hotel. He returns to the city in 1969 to launch his comeback.

1952-Narada Michael Walden, a producer who helped stage Aretha Franklin's comeback in the '80s, is born in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

1949-British rocker John Miles is born in Jarrow, County Durham, England.

1947-Rock bassist Glenn Cornick (of Jethro Tull) is born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England.

1940-Doo-wop singer Dale Houston (of Dale & Grace) is born Robert Dale Houston in Seminary, Mississippi.

1939-'60s pop singer Ray Peterson is born in Denton, Texas.

1936-Roy Orbison is born in Vernon, Texas. He has a run of hits in the early '60s that include "Crying," "In Dreams" and "(Oh) Pretty Woman," and in the '80s he makes a remarkable comeback when he's championed by the likes of George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty.

1564-William Shakespeare, whose works inspire centuries of song lyrics, is born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. (The date is a best estimate; it's known that he was baptized on April 26.)

1616-William Shakespeare dies at 52. His play Romeo and Juliet becomes an archetype for songs about love that ends in tragedy.

[Bikkie]

1920
Prince of Wales arrives for New Zealand tour
King George V’s son, Edward, Prince of Wales (who later reigned briefly as Edward VIII), visited New Zealand to thank the Dominion for its contribution to the Empire’s war effort.


1922
New Zealand's first poppy day
A total of 245,059 small poppies and 15,157 larger versions were sold, earning £13,166. Of that amount, £3695 was sent to help war-ravaged areas of northern France; the remainder went to unemployed returned soldiers and their families.


1941
Sinking of the Hellas
Disaster struck during the hurried evacuation of Allied forces from Greece when hundreds of civilians and Commonwealth troops, including New Zealanders, were killed while they were boarding the Greek yacht Hellas at the port of Piraeus, near Athens.

1951
First New Zealander killed in battle in Korean War
Kayforce suffered its first fatal battle casualty with the death of Second Lieutenant Dennis Fielden.



In Music History

2024-Keyboard player Mike Pinder, the last living member from the original lineup of The Moody Blues, dies at 82.

2017-Ed Sheeran's "Shape Of You" tops Australia's singles chart (ARIA) for the 14th week, breaking the record set by Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" in 1995.

2016-Philadelphia soul singer Billy Paul dies of cancer at age 81. His biggest hit, "Me And Mrs. Jones," was written by the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The pair release a statement upon Paul's death saying, "Billy's voice combined both jazz, R&B and soul vocals, making him one the great artists to come out of Philly and to be celebrated worldwide."

Waitress Premieres On Broadway
2016-Waitress, a musical about a pregnant woman trying to escape an abusive marriage by winning a pie-baking contest, opens on Broadway. The most popular number is "She Used To Be Mine," which inspires covers from several fans.More

2012-The Beach Boys begin their 50th anniversary tour, which reunites Brian Wilson with fellow founders Mike Love and Al Jardine, along with longtime members Bruce Johnston and David Marks.

2011-American Idiot: The Musical, based on Green Day's 2004 album, closes after 422 performances.

2009-Robin Thicke performs his smash hit "Lost Without U" after The Oprah Show on the "Oprah Fridays Live" segment. So many viewers complain about missing the performance that Oprah brings Robin back for an unprecedented repeat performance only one month later.

2008-Jane's Addiction reunite to rock the NME Awards.

2007-US President George W. Bush is denied a luxury suite at the Imperial Hotel in Vienna when Mick Jagger, in town with The Rolling Stones on a tour, books it first.

2006-Country singer-songwriter Bonnie Owens, former wife of Buck Owens and, later, Merle Haggard, dies at age 76.

2006-Billy Joel becomes the first non-athlete to earn a banner at Madison Square Garden when he sells out the venue for the 12th time on his tour. His #12 hangs alongside retired greats who played in the Garden like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Mark Messier.More

2005-After 94 performances, the Broadway musical and Beach Boys tribute Good Vibrations closes.

2003-The Fox TV network airs the 2-hour special The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See. The show contains footage of Michael Jackson's home movies, and is the superstar's rebuttal to the documentary Living with Michael Jackson, which aired in February on ABC. In that one, Jackson talks about sharing his bed with children.

2002-Pop singer Jewel breaks a collarbone and a rib when she is thrown from a horse at the Texas ranch of her boyfriend, rodeo star Ty Murray.

2001-R&B singer Al Hibbler ("Unchained Melody") dies at age 85 in Chicago, Illinois.

2000- Limp Bizkit announced their 24-date Back to Basics tour, including performances with Cypress Hill.

1996-After being forced to cancel shows, Stone Temple Pilots issue a statement saying that lead singer Scott Weiland has "become unable to rehearse or appear for these shows due to his dependency on drugs. He is currently under a doctor's care in a medical facility." Weiland sees this as a betrayal, and his relationship with his bandmates turns rocky.

1995- Oasis scored their first UK No.1 with “Some Might Say”, from their album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, marking the last recording with original drummer Tony Carroll.

1993- Farm Aid VI took place in Ames, Iowa, featuring performances by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and others.

1992-The Cleveland Orchestra sues Michael Jackson for $7 million after it discovers the singer used part of their recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on his hit album Dangerous.

1992-Problems for Wilson Pickett, who hits 86-year-old Pepe Ruiz with his car, which has open beer and vodka bottles in it.

1992-David Bowie marries his second wife, the Somalian-born supermodel and entrepreneur Iman, in a private ceremony in Switzerland. The couple relocate to New York City soon after, and in 2000, Iman gives birth to Alexandria Jones - Bowie's second child (his son, the film director Duncan Jones, was born to his first wife, Angela Barnett, in 1971).

Initially Rejected By MCA, Tom Petty Issues Full Moon Fever
1989-Initially rejected by his label, the Tom Petty album Full Moon Fever is finally released, the first credited to him as a solo artist.More

1988-Mick Fleetwood marries the singer Sara Recor (who partly inspired the song "Sara") at their Malibu home. His Fleetwood Mac bandmate John McVie is best man; attendees include Bob Dylan, Dick Clark, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Mac members Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham. The couple divorce a few years later.

1984-Jerry Lee Lewis gets married again, this time to the 22-year-old president of his fan club, Kerrie McCarver. The marriage lasts 21 years.

1984-Tyson Ritter (frontman of The All-American Rejects) is born in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

1983-With Los Angeles punk rock running afoul of authorities, the Minutemen play a guerilla concert in the Mojave desert, where fans are bussed in. It's the first of a series of "Desolation Center" concerts that are the precursor to Burning Man and other desert music festivals.

1982- Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney’s duet “Ebony and Ivory” topped the UK Singles chart and became a worldwide hit.

1982-Kelly Clarkson is born in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2002 she becomes the first winner of American Idol, and she lives up to the hype, becoming one of the top pop stars of the next two decades.

1979-Ray Charles sings "Georgia On My Mind" at a ceremony where it is named the official state song of Georgia.

1977-At the Volkshaus in Zurich, Talking Heads begin their first European tour, supporting their Sire labelmates The Ramones.

1976- Paul McCartney & Wings’ album Wings at the Speed of Sound reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200, while Led Zeppelin’s Presence topped the UK Albums chart.

1976-With rumors of a Beatles reunion swirling, Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels goes on camera to offer the guys $3,000 (union scale) to reunite on the show. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are watching at Lennon's New York City apartment and consider showing up on a lark, but pass up the opportunity.

1975-Pete Ham of Badfinger hangs himself in his London home. 27-year-old Ham, who was the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, was despondent over the business dealings that saw the band's album Wish You Were Here pulled from stores and his income cut off. He leaves behind a pregnant girlfriend who gives birth to a daughter the following month.

1974-David Bowie releases Diamond Dogs. The cover is a painting of Bowie as a half-dog, half-man creature created by the Dutch artist Guy Peellaert.

1972-John Lennon releases the controversial song "Woman Is The Ni--er Of The World." It was his wife, Yoko Ono, who came up with the title. The song is about how women aren't valued like the should be.

1971-The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live album 4 Way Street, recorded at various stops on their 1970 tour, hits #1 in America.

1970-Chicago blues pianist Otis Spann dies at age 40 of liver cancer. His grave will go unmarked for nearly 30 years until blues enthusiasts unite to raise money for a headstone. Unveiled in 1999, it reads: "Otis played the deepest blues we ever heard – He'll play forever in our hearts."

1970-Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane, invited to a White House tea party by Tricia Nixon because they both attended Finch College, shows up with Abbie Hoffman and a plan to slip LSD into Richard Nixon's tea. They never get past security.

1970- Elton John released “Border Song” in North America, marking his first chart appearance in Canada at No.34.

1970-Ringo Starr's debut solo album, a collection of standards called Sentimental Journey, is released in the US.

1969-The Cowsills' "Hair" is certified Gold.

1969-Bob Dylan records "Living The Blues" and "Spanish Is The Loving Tongue."

1968-"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong goes to #1 in the UK, where it becomes the top-selling single of 1968. In America, it stalls at #116; it's revived there in 1988 when it appears in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.

1968-The newly formed Apple Records - a label founded by The Beatles - takes a pass on signing the relatively unknown David Bowie, sending his manager a stock rejection letter ("we don't feel he's what we're looking for at the moment").

1968- Louis Armstrong, at 66, became the oldest artist to top the UK Singles chart with “What a Wonderful World” / “Cabaret”.

1968-Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1967-Patty Schemel (drummer for Hole) is born in Seattle, Washington.

1965-Written by Clint Ballard, "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders hits #1.

1963-18-year-old Brenda Lee marries 19-year-old Ronnie Shacklett in Nashville, where they raise two daughters together: Jolie and Julie.

1963-Billy Gould (bassist for Faith No More) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1961- Del Shannon’s “Runaway” began a four-week run at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, also topping charts in five other countries.

1961-Bob Dylan makes his professional recording debut when he plays harmonica on the Harry Belafonte recording of "Midnight Special." Dylan makes $50 for the session.

1959-The Drifters release "There Goes My Baby."

1959- Buddy Holly reached No.1 in the UK with “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”, a Paul Anka composition.

1959-After running on Saturday nights on radio for 24 years and TV for the last nine, the final installment of the musical countdown show Your Hit Parade airs on NBC. The final Top Five: Elvis Presley, "I Need Your Love Tonight" (#5), Brook Benton, "It's Just A Matter Of Time" (#4), Ricky Nelson, "Never Be Anyone Else But You" (#3), Dodie Stevens, "Pink Shoe Laces" (#2), and the Fleetwoods at #1 with "Come Softly To Me."

1958-Dion & The Belmonts release "I Wonder Why."

1957-Boris Williams (drummer for The Cure) is born in Versailles, France.

1957-Bass player David John Haskins, who goes by David J, is born in Northampton, England. He forms the band Bauhaus, which later becomes Love and Rockets, minus vocalist Peter Murphy.

1955- Frankie Laine topped the UK Singles chart with “I Believe”, holding the number one spot for nine consecutive weeks, becoming the ninth artist to achieve this feat in the UK.

1954-Keeping an eye on the new trends, Billboard publishes an article titled, "Teenagers Demand Music With A Beat - Spur Rhythm And Blues."

1948-Bass player Steve York, who plays in Manfred Mann and Graham Bond Organization, is born in London.

1947-Hubert Ann Kelly (of the pop-soul trio Hues Corporation) is born in Fairchild, Alabama.

1945-Doug Clifford (drummer for Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born in Palo Alto, California.

1945-Robert Knight ("Everlasting Love") is born in Franklin, Tennessee.

1944-Welsh composer Ivor Novello is convicted at Bow Street, London, of conspiracy to misuse petrol coupons; he is given an eight week jail sentence.

1943-Vocalist Glen Dale (of The Fortunes) is born Richard Garforth in Deal, Kent, England.

1943-Country singer Richard Sterban (of The Oak Ridge Boys) is born in Camden, New Jersey.

1934-Country singer Red Foley and his second wife, Eva Alaine Overstake, welcome baby daughter Shirley Lee Foley. Shirley will marry pop singer Pat Boone in 1953.

1933-'60s soul singer-songwriter Freddie Scott is born in Providence, Rhode Island.

1928-Jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1942-Barbra Streisand is born in Brooklyn, New York City.




Notable Births and Milestones

David Bowie married supermodel Iman in 1992 on April 24.

Paul McCartney publicly denied the “Paul is dead” rumors in 1969.

Mike Pinder, founding member of The Moody Blues, passed away at 82, recognized for his work with the Mellotron.

[Bikkie]

Anzac Day
/ Te Rā o Ngā Hōia

Anzac Day is held annually on 25 April to remember all New Zealanders killed in war and honour our returned service personnel.



In Music History

2023-Harry Belafonte dies from heart failure at 96. He brought calypso music to the fore in the 1950s, most famously with "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)."

Kanye Tweets For Trump
2018-Kanye West tweets his love for Donald Trump, earning him plaudits from the President but criticism from fans.More

2007-"Monster Mash" singer Bobby "Boris" Pickett at age 69 of complications from leukemia.

2006-Bruce Springsteen releases We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, a collection of songs popularized by Pete Seeger. The album brings Seeger into the spotlight, drawing attention to his work as a musicologist and scion of folk music. "I've managed to survive all these years by keeping a low profile," Seeger says. "Now my cover's blown."

2004-Billy Joel, who is much better behind a piano than at the wheel of a car, gets in another car accident - his third in two years.

2003-Liv Tyler, whose stepfather is Todd Rundgren and biological is Steven Tyler, marries Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon at a ceremony in New York attended by celebrity guests that include David Bowie and Kate Hudson. The couple split in 2008.

2003-The parents of the late Doors frontman, Jim Morrison, sue the remaining members for touring with a new singer as "The Doors 21st Century" using the band's image and logo.

2002-30-year-old Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes (of TLC) dies in a car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras, after swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle and losing control. The only passenger fatally injured, she's thrown from the car and dies instantly.

2000-Papa Roach releases the album Infest, a nu-metal milestone with the hits "Last Resort" and "Broken Home."

2000-Eric Clapton is reunited with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock for their first performance together in 29 years. The setting is the London-based BBC TV series Later With Jools Holland.

1999-Funk percussionist Larry Troutman (of Zapp), age 54, fatally shoots his brother and bandmate Roger Troutman, age 47, outside a recording studio in Dayton, Ohio, before turning the gun on himself. With no known witnesses, the motive for the murder-suicide is unclear, but family members suggest conflict over finances.

1999-It's Joe DiMaggio Day at Yankee Stadium, where Paul Simon performs "Mrs. Robinson," which contains the classic line, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"

1995-Ginger Rogers, Academy Award-winning actress and longtime dance partner of Fred Astaire, dies at age 83 of a heart attack.

Michael Bolton Found Guilty Of Ripping Off The Isley Brothers
1994-A jury rules that Michael Bolton's 1991 hit "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" plagiarizes The Isley Brothers 1966 song of the same name and awards $5.4 million in damages, the largest ever in a music plagiarism case.

1994-Maggie Rogers is born in Easton, Maryland.

1994-Eagles play the first of two identical shows at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California for their appearance on MTV Unplugged, which will promote their upcoming reunion tour and album Hell Freezes Over.

1993-RuPaul performs "Supermodel (You Better Work)" at the LGBT March on Washington.More

1993-Legendary album artist Stanley "Mouse" Miller, designer of Grateful Dead's "skull and roses" logo, has his upcoming liver transplant financed by the band.

1992-"Jump" by Kris Kross hits #1 in the US, where it stays for eight weeks. Kris Kross is the rap duo of Chris Kelly and Chris Smith, who are both 13. The track is produced by Jermaine Dupri, who goes on to supply beats for another youngster: Lil Bow Wow.

1990-A London auction house sells the Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played the US national anthem at Woodstock for $295,000.

1987-U2's fifth album, The Joshua Tree, hits #1 in America, giving the band their rock star bona fides in that country (they've been huge in their native Ireland for years). It holds the top spot for an impressive nine weeks, finally dethroned by Whitney Houston's Whitney.

1985-Exodus release their first studio album, Bonded By Blood.

1985-The musical Big River, based on Mark Twain's work and featuring a score by Roger Miller, opens on Broadway. Miller would go on to win a Tony Award for the music.

1981-Denny Laine leaves Wings, essentially leaving Paul McCartney a solo act once more.

1977-Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West is born in Downers Grove, Illinois.

1977-Elvis Presley makes his last-ever recordings at a session after a show in Saginaw, Michigan.

1975-A forebear to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, the Alice Cooper horror/music special Alice Cooper: The Nightmare (featuring Vincent Price) airs on ABC.

1975-Israeli singer Mike Brant, 28, commits suicide by leaping from an apartment window in Paris.

1975-The original New York Dolls break up after Jerry Nolan and Johnny Thunders leave the band in the middle of a tour in Florida. They carry on with replacements into 1976, but disband that year, returning again in 2004.

1974-Pamela Courson, who was Jim Morrison's girlfriend and the one who found him dead in a bathtub, dies of a heroin overdose at age 27.

1974-The streaking fad hits its peak as Rolling Stone reports that Yes and Gregg Allman concerts have been interrupted by naked people running around the venues.

1973-Sweet's "Little Willy" is certified Gold.

1970-After a show in Nashville, James Brown takes his band directly to a nearby studio and records "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine." It's the first recording with his new band, which he hired in March when his previous group complained about how they were treated. The bass player is 18-year-old Bootsy Collins, who later joins the P-Funk family.

1970-The Jackson 5 bump The Beatles ("Let It Be") off the top spot in America with "ABC."

1965-Jane's Addiction bass player Eric Avery is born in Los Angeles.

1964-Synthpop singer Andy Bell (of Erasure) is born in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England.

1961-Performing at Bloch Arena in Hawaii, Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years.

1960-Eddie Cochran is laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California, six days after his untimely death in a car accident.

1960-Thrash metal singer Paul Baloff (of Exodus) is born in San Francisco, California.

1960-Elvis Presley scores his first #1 of the '60s (and 13th of his career) when "Stuck on You" hits the top spot in America.

1955-The UN's commission on narcotics releases a report stating "definite connection between increased marijuana smoking and that form of entertainment known as bebop and rebop."

1955-David Sikes (bass player for Boston, Giuffria) is born near Cambridge, England, but will be raised in California.

1950-Steve Ferrone (drummer for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Average White Band) is born in Brighton, England.

1949-Baroque pop keyboardist Michael Brown (of The Left Banke) is born Michael David Lookofsky in New York to jazz violinist Harry Lookofsky.

1946-Ronnie Gilbert (bass guitarist for Blues Magoos) is born.

1945-Stu Cook (bass guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born in Oakland, California.

1945-Bjorn Ulvaeus (of ABBA) is born in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1944-Michael Kogel (lead singer of Los Bravos) is born in Berlin, Germany.

1932-Jazz tenor saxophonist Willis "Gator" Jackson is born in Miami, Florida.

1923-Lyricist Jerry Leiber, who will go on to pen several Elvis Presley hits with composing partner Mike Stoller, is born in Baltimore, Maryland.

1923-Blues guitarist Albert King is born on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi.





Key Events

In 1958, Marvin Rainwater topped the UK Singles chart with “Whole Lotta Woman”.

1960 marked Elvis Presley’s comeback after military service, with “Stuck on You” reaching No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Jackson Five scored their second US No.1 single of 1970 with “ABC”.

Queen’s anthem “We Are the Champions” was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 1978.

Madonna became the first female artist to achieve four UK No.1 hits when “La Isla Bonita” topped the chart in 1987.

U2’s album The Joshua Tree hit No.1 on the US Billboard 200 in 1987, beginning a nine-week run.

Elvis Presley made his final recordings during a concert at the Saginaw, Michigan Civic Center in 1977, with tracks later appearing on Moody Blue.

TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes tragically died in a car accident in 2002 at age 30.




Notable Births
Stu Cook (CCR bassist) and Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA vocalist) were born on April 25, 1945.

Michael Brown (The Left Banke keyboardist) was born in 1949.
Steve Ferrone (session drummer) in 1950, Derek ‘Fish’ Dick (Marillion) in 1962, and Andy Bell (Erasure) in 1964.

Earlier historical figures include Earl Bostic (1912), Ella Fitzgerald (1917), and Albert King (1923),.



Significant Deaths

Mike Brant, Israeli singer-songwriter, died by suicide in 1975 at age 28.

Brian MacLeod, Canadian guitarist and producer, died in 1992 at age 39.

Jazz musician Dexter Gordon passed away in 1990, and British jazzman Humphrey Lyttleton in 2008.




Milestones and Releases

Puccini’s opera Turandot premiered at La Scala in Milan in 1926, conducted by Toscanini.

The Beatles began recording the Magical Mystery Tour theme at Abbey Road in 1967.

Deram Records released On the Threshold of a Dream by The Moody Blues in 1969.

Ornette Coleman recorded Of Human Feeling in 1979, blending free jazz with funk elements.

Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s “Ebony and Ivory” reached No.1 on the UK singles chart.

[Bikkie]

1943
New Zealand ship torpedoed in Tasman Sea
Like many New Zealand merchant ships, the Union Steam Ship Company freighter Limerick undertook military missions during the Second World War, carrying munitions, food and equipment between New Zealand, Australia, North America and the Middle East.



1945
Death of John Mulgan
At the time of his death by suicide in Cairo, many New Zealanders knew little about the Christchurch-born author of Man alone


2005
Civil unions come into effect
Couples − heterosexual or homosexual − were now able to register their relationship as a civil union. All couples in New Zealand, whether married, in a civil union, or in a de facto partnership now had the same legal rights and obligations.




In Music History

2024-Eric Church polarizes fans with a headlining set at the Stagecoach festival where he does a one-man show of mostly cover songs backed by a gospel choir. "I knew there were going to be 30,000 TikTokers who were there to be seen," he says. "The show wasn't for them."

2023-Pras Michel of Fugees is found guilty of acting as a go-between for a Malaysian businessman trying to gain access to the United States government on behalf of China. Details are Byzantine, but it's clear a lot of money flowed through Pras. In 2025 he's sentenced to 14 years in prison.

2017-Father John Misty releases his video for "Total Entertainment Forever," which stars Macaulay Culkin as a crucified Kurt Cobain.More

2013-Deep Purple release Now What?!, their first album produced by Bob Ezrin.

2013-Country singer George Jones dies at age 81 from hypoxic respiratory failure, just a couple weeks after his final concert in Knoxville, Tennessee.

2013-X marks the spot for the Ohio-born Twenty One Pilots, who pledge their devotion to their hometown fans by getting "X" tattoos midway through a performance at the Lifestyles Community Pavilion in Columbus. Frontman Tyler Joseph tells the crowd: "This X is dedicated to you guys. Columbus, Ohio is where we're from and it will always be where we are from. Whenever someone asks what that X means, I am going to say this is for all of you."

2011-The Voice debuts on NBC with coaches Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton, who each choose teams of contestants who then compete against each other. Levine's pick, Javier Colon, goes on to win. The series is a hit and draws lots of famous names as coaches in subsequent seasons, including Kelly Clarkson, Pharrell Williams and Usher.

2011-Folk singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow dies at age 60 after being in a coma for three months due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

2006-Country singer Kellie Pickler gets voted off Season Five of American Idol.

2005-Bruce Springsteen releases Devils & Dust.

2005-Amerie releases "Touch."

2004-Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy) makes his Broadway debut starring as Walter Lee Younger in the revival of A Raisin In The Sun.

2003-David Cassidy guests on the CBS show The Agency.

2003-The Morgan Creek Bridge in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is renamed the James Taylor Bridge in honor of the singer, who mentioned it in his song "Copperline."

1999-English post-punk rocker Adrian Borland (The Sound, The Outsiders) commits suicide at age 41 by throwing himself under a train at London's Wimbledon Station.

1995-The movie Friday, written, produced and starring Ice Cube, hits theaters. The soundtrack goes to #1 and the film becomes a franchise, with two sequels.

Johnny Cash Revives His Career with American Recordings
1994-Johnny Cash releases American Recordings, the first of a series of albums produced by Rick Rubin that revitalize his career.

1994-Live release their third album, Throwing Copper. It very slowly finds an audience as radio stations and MTV warm to tracks like "Lightning Crashes" and "I Alone." The album goes to #1 in America a year after its release and sells over 8 million copies.

1991-A tribute concert for Tim Buckley, who died in 1975 at 28, is held at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn. It's the first time his son, Jeff Buckley, performs his father's music.

1986-Van Halen prove there is life after David Lee Roth as their album 5150, their first with Sammy Hagar, hits #1 in the US for the first of three weeks.

1984-Count Basie, famed jazz pianist and orchestra leader, dies of pancreatic cancer at age 79.

1982-Rod Stewart is mugged on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard.

The Last Waltz Opens In Theaters
1978-The Last Waltz, director Martin Scorsese's acclaimed documentary of The Band's star-studded last concert, opens in theaters. The film features performances by Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, The Staple Singers and Dr. John.

1977-The most famous club of the disco era, Studio 54, opens for business at 254 West 54th Street in New York City. Over the next three years, celebrity guests include Cher, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields, and Liza Minnelli. Donald Trump and his wife, Ivana, attend on opening night.

1977-Jim Steinman's play Neverland opens at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Five months later, three of the songs he wrote for the production appear on Meat Loaf's seminal album Bat Out Of Hell, which would become one of the 10 best-selling albums of all time.

1978-Ringo Starr's TV special Ringo airs on NBC.

1976-Jose Pasillas (drummer for Incubus) is born in Calabasas, California.

1975-B.J. Thomas' "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" goes to #1 in America.

1975-John Lennon's cover of "Stand By Me" reaches #20 in the US.

1975-Nathan "Joey" Jordison, Slipknot's drummer from 1995-2013, is born in Des Moines, Iowa. He dies in 2021 at 46; the cause of death is not disclosed.

1970-Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (TLC) is born in Des Moines, Iowa.

1969-Walter Carlos's album Switched-On Bach, notable for being the first successful album to remix classical music compositions on the newly-invented Moog synthesizer, reaches #10 on the Billboard Albums chart. The popularity of the album is the commercial breakthrough for Moog synthesizers, which go on to be part of the soundtrack in the films Tron, The Shining, and A Clockwork Orange. This in part brings synthesized music to mainstream popularity, paving the way for disco (especially the 'hi-NRG' style) in the '70s.

1969-"Oh Happy Day" by The Edwin Hawkins Singers enters the Hot 100 at #72, becoming the first pure gospel song to make that chart.

1962-Sam Cooke records "Having A Party" and "Bring It On Home To Me."

1961-Chris Mars (drummer for The Replacements) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1960-Roger Taylor (drummer for Duran Duran) is born in Nechells, Birmingham, England. He remains with the band until their performance at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985 - but rejoins a decade later.

1957-Larry Williams records "Short Fat Fannie."

1946-John "Bucky" Wilkin (Ronny of Ronny & the Daytonas) is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1943-'70s rock singer Gary Wright is born in Cresskill, New Jersey.

1942-'60s teen idol Bobby Rydell is born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-R&B singer Claudine Clark, known for composing and performing the 1952 hit "Party Lights," is born in Macon, Georgia.

1940-Synthpop pioneer Giorgio Moroder is born in Italy. As Donna Summer's producer, he crafts a disco sound on hits like "I Feel Love" and "Bad Girls" that elevates her to queen of the genre. In the '80s he writes and produces the soundtrack hits "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Danger Zone."

1938-Twang guitar pioneer Duane Eddy is born in Corning, New York. His signature staccato riff powers hits like "Rebel Rouser" and "Because They're Young," and influences acts like The Ventures and The Shadows.

1938-Maurice Williams of Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs is born in Lancaster, South Carolina. He writes their #1 hit "Stay" as well as another doo-wop classic: "Little Darlin'" by The Diamonds.

1925-Jazz and pop guitarist Jorgen Ingmann is born in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1915-Blues singer and guitarist Johnny Shines is born in Frayser, Memphis, Tennessee.

1913-13-year-old Mary Phagan is found murdered in the basement of a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. Her death inspires the song "Little Mary Phagan."

188Blues singer Ma Rainey is born Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett in Columbus, Georgia.




In 1835, Frédéric Chopin premiered his Grand Polonaise Brillante in Paris, showcasing his virtuosic piano style and contributing to Romantic-era music history.

1855 saw composer Gioachino Rossini leave Italy for the final time, returning to Paris.

Dmitri Shostakovich completed his 4th Symphony in 1936, a work reflecting his evolving compositional voice.

Charles Ives’ 4th Symphony premiered posthumously at Carnegie Hall in 1965, 11 years after his death.

Broadway highlights include the opening of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company in 1970, which ran for 705 performances and won six Tony Awards. Other notable musicals include Hallelujah, Baby! (1967) and The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1973) in London’s West End.


Rock, Pop, and Chart-Topping Events
1969: Led Zeppelin performed Whole Lotta Love live for the first time at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.

The cast recording of the rock musical Hair began a 13-week run at number one on the US Billboard 200 in 1969.

1975- BJ Thomas topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, earning a Grammy for Best Country Song.

1980- Blondie’s Call Me reached No.1 in the UK, Canada, and the US.

1986- Van Halen’s album 5150, the first with Sammy Hagar, topped the US Billboard 200.

1994- OutKast released their debut album Southerplayalisticadillacmuzik, introducing a Southern perspective to hip-hop with live instrumentation.

1997-Depeche Mode’s album Ultra became a UK chart-topper and achieved international success.




Notable Births
1942- Bobby Rydell, teen idol and singer of hits like Wildwood Days and Volare, was born in Philadelphia.

Chris Mars, drummer of The Replacements, was born on this day, later contributing to alternative rock.




Notable Deaths
2013- Country music legend George Jones, known for He Stopped Loving Her Today, passed away.

1984- Jazz icon Count Basie, founder of the Count Basie Orchestra, died at age 79.

1999- Adrian Borland, frontman of post-punk band The Sound, committed suicide at age 41.




Other Significant Events
1977- Studio 54, New York’s legendary disco club, opened its doors, becoming a cultural hub for music and nightlife.

1978- Ringo Starr’s TV special Ringo, a musical adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper, aired in the US.

Elvis Presley began production on his post-Army film G.I. Blues, which became a major box office success.

Jerry Lee Lewis returned to London for a tour following personal tragedy, performing 32 shows.

Sam Cooke recorded hits Bring It On Home To Me and Having A Party at RCA Studio 1 in Hollywood.







Music History Events April 26 - Songfacts
2013 Deep Purple release Now What?!, their first album produced by Bob Ezrin. 2013 X marks the spot for the Ohio-born Twenty One Pilots, who pledge their devotion to their hometown fans by getting "X" …

Van Halen Succeeds With Sammy 1986 Van Halen prove there is life after David Lee …






This Day In Music

What Happened on April 26th in Music | This Day In Music
On this day in music, April 26, 2013, country music icon George Jones passed away. Born in Saratoga, Texas, Jones, who was noted for his distinctive singing style, …



On This Day: April 26 in Music History - SoundOD
What happened on this day April 26 in music history. Birthdays, events, singles and album releases, No.1s, and much more in one place


Rock 'n' Roll History For April 26 - ClassicBands.com
April 26 Count Basie, the Big Band leader who scored a #28 hit on the Billboard Top 100 in 1956 with "April In Paris", died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 79.


On This Day in Music: 26 April - by Stephen Huppert
Apr 26, 2024 · Dubbed the "Father of Disco," Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had a huge influence on several music genres, …


What Happened April 26th In Pop Music History
It’s April 26th and these are some of the things that happened on this day in pop music history: - In 1960, Roger Andrew Taylor was born in England. He taught …

[Bikkie]

1806
Moehanga becomes first Māori to visit England
Moehanga of Ngāpuhi became the first recorded Māori visitor to England when the whaler Ferret berthed in London. Moehanga (Te Mahanga) had boarded the Ferret when it visited the Bay of Islands late in 1805.


1893
Death of Premier John Ballance
Ballance was the first Liberal premier. He laid the foundation for a government that was widely seen as making New Zealand ‘the social laboratory of the world’.



In Music History

2023-In Amsterdam, Metallica launch their M72 Tour, with each stop a weekend of two shows with different setlists and opening acts.

2021- Australian singer-songwriter Anita Lane passed away at age 61.

2016-Beyoncé kicks off her Formation tour with a show in Miami. Her first solo stadium tour, it features new tracks from her album Lemonade and new takes on many of her old hits.

2015-Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain marries celebrity preacher Paula White and begins recording worship music, releasing the album What God Wants To Hear in 2016. It's the third marriage for both.More

2014-BBC Radio Devon DJ David Lowe (not to be confused with the composer of the same name), plays an early version of "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" on his program, which results in his resignation due to the racial slurs in the lyrics.

2012-Bob Dylan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor awarded to a United States civilian citizen, from US President Barack Obama. Dylan is only the 29th musician to receive the award; previous recipients include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Irving Berlin.

2009-Pearl Jam bass player Jeff Ament is robbed outside the Atlanta studio where the band is recording. Thieves steal cash and equipment in the attack, which is reported by Rolling Stone.

2008- British supergroup The Last Shadow Puppets scored their first UK No.1 album with The Age Of The Understatement.

2008-Prince makes the crowd go crazy by covering Radiohead during an epic headlining set after being a last-minute addition to the Coachella Festival.

2008-A nearly naked photo of 15-year-old Miley Cyrus makes the entertainment news when it appears in Vanity Fair. Shot by Annie Leibovitz, the photo is more tasteful than scandalous, revealing Miley's back but not much else. Cyrus, under contract with Disney, later claims she was coerced into taking the photo.

2007-Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich dies at age 80 of intestinal cancer.

2006-62-year-old Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones falls out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji and goes to the hospital with a concussion, creating a rare news event on the island.

2004-Elton John publicly responds to American Idol's snub of Jennifer Hudson by declaring the call-in voters "incredibly racist."

2003-Iggy Pop reunites with The Stooges for the first time in 30 years to close out the Coachella festival. In 2010, the Stooges enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2002-Hillous Butrum (bass player for Hank Williams' backing band, Drifting Cowboys) dies at age 74.

2002-For the first time since 1963, there are no British acts in the US Hot 100, as Americans reject acts like Blur, Oasis and Robbie Williams.

2000-Vicki Sue Robinson, who had a disco hit with "Turn The Beat Around," dies of cancer at age 45.

1999- The Verve announced their split after the success of Urban Hymns, which included hits like “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and “The Drugs Don’t Work”.

1999-Jazz trumpeter Al Hirt dies at age 76 of liver failure.

1999-R.E.M. appear on a scripted series for the first time when they guest on Party of Five.

1994-Ace of Base's Jenny Berggren is attacked in her parents' home by Manuela Behrendt, a 21-year-old German "fan" wielding a hunting knife. After stabbing Berggren's mother in the hands during a scuffle, Behrendt is arrested and banned from returning to Sweden.

1994-San Francisco's legendary rock venue the Fillmore Auditorium reopens with performances by The Smashing Pumpkins and American Music Club.

1992-French composer Olivier Messiaen dies in Paris, France, at age 83.

1992-Go-Go's singer Belinda Carlisle and husband Morgan Mason have their first child in Los Angeles. They name the boy after his grandfather, actor James Mason.

1991-LeAnn Rimes, a pint-sized country music prodigy from Garland, Texas, competes as a junior vocalist on Star Search, where she wins the round singing the Marty Robbins classic "Don't Worry."More

1988-Lizzo is born Melissa Jefferson in Detroit, Michigan. She moves to Minneapolis in 2011 and appears on the 2014 Prince song "BoyTrouble" before releasing her breakthrough single, "Truth Hurts," in 2017.

1987-U2 make the cover of Time magazine with the headline "Rock's Hottest Ticket."

1985-The Judds' "Girls' Night Out" goes to #1 Country, where it stays for one week. It's the second chart-topper from the duo's debut album, Why Not Me.

1985- The charity album We Are the World by various artists hit No.1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 for the first of three weeks.

1984-Patrick Stump, lead singer of Fall Out Boy, is born Patrick Martin Stumph in Evanston, Illinois. He grows up in nearby Glenview.

1984-Blues singer Arziel "Z.Z." Hill, known for the 1982 Down Home album that was a fixture on the soul album chart for nearly two years, dies at age 48 when a blood clot caused by a car accident months before spurs a heart attack.

1982-John Osborne, the older of the Brothers Osborne, is born in Deale, Maryland.

1981-The Beatle and the Bond Girl: Ringo Starr marries actress Barbara Bach after meeting her on the set of the movie Caveman. They defy Hollywood odds and stay together.

1979- George Harrison released the single “Love Comes to Everyone” from his self-titled album.

1979-Stevie Wonder makes a surprise appearance at a Duke Ellington tribute concert held at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. Wonder performs his Ellington encomium "Sir Duke" along with Ellington's "C-Jam Blues."

1978-Jim James is born James Edward Olliges Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky. He plays around his hometown in a too-loud rock band called Month Of Sundays until his acoustic urges lead him to start up a folksy alt-country band named My Morning Jacket.

1976-After a trip to Moscow, David Bowie is detained in vain on a train at the Poland-Russian border by customs officers who don't appreciate his collection of Nazi books and mementos. Bowie claims he is researching a film on Joseph Goebbels, and is released after a few hours.

1974-Ray Stevens releases "The Streak."

1974- Rock band Chicago topped the U.S. Billboard 200 with their sixth studio album Chicago VII.

1973-The Cream compilation Heavy Cream is released in the US.

1972-24-year-old Phil King, a former booking agent for Blue Oyster Cult, is murdered over a gambling debt, inspiring the band's song "Deadline."

1970-John Lennon's explicit "Bag One" lithographs are returned to the London Arts Gallery exhibition after a High Court judge rules them "unlikely to deprave or corrupt."

1969-Joe Cocker makes his TV debut, singing "Feelin' Alright" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1968-Simon and Garfunkel release "Mrs. Robinson."

1967- Sandie Shaw’s “Puppet On A String” began a three-week stint at No.1 in the UK, following her Eurovision Song Contest win representing the UK

1964-John Lennon's first book of prose and poetry, In His Own Write, is published in the US.

1964- The Beatles released “Love Me Do” and its B-side “P.S. I Love You” in the United States; “Love Me Do” later topped the Billboard Hot 100, while the B-side reached No.10.

1963-With The Beatles yet to enter the picture, some unusual acts rule the pop chart. Little Peggy March is at #1 with "I Will Follow Him."

1963- Little Peggy March became the youngest female singer to top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 with her single “I Will Follow Him”, achieving this at just 15 years old and holding the number one spot for three weeks.

1959-Lloyd Price releases "Personality."

1959-Sheena Easton is born in Glasgow, Scotland, the youngest of six children.

1958-Kate Pierson is born in Weehawken, New Jersey. In the early '70s she moves to Athens, Georgia, where she forms The B-52s. Her voice is one of the most recognizable in rock, heard on the group's hits like "Love Shack" and "Rock Lobster," and also on R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People."

1957-Elvis Presley makes his second and last appearance outside of the US, wearing his classic gold lame suit for the last time as he plays Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.

1956-Capitol Records signs Gene Vincent, intending to market him as the next Elvis.

1956-Bryan Harvey (frontman for House Of Freaks, Energy Crisis) is born in Richmond, Virginia.

1951-Ace Frehley of Kiss is born Paul Frehley in the Bronx, New York. The lead guitarist in the group from 1973-1982 and again from 1996-2002, his persona is the Spaceman.

1950- The musical revue Tickets, Please opened at the Coronet Theater in New York City, later transferring to the Mark Hellinger Theatre.

1949-Soul singer Herbie Murrell (The Stylistics) is born in Lane, South Carolina.

1948-Clive Taylor (bass guitarist for Amen Corner) is born in Cardiff, Wales.

1947-Badfinger frontman Pete Ham is born in Swansea, Wales.

1947-Memphis soul singer-songwriter Ann Peebles is born in St. Louis, Missouri.

1946-Singer and multi-instrumentalist Gordon Haskell (Les Fleur de Lys) is born in Verwood, England.

1944-Cuba Gooding Sr. (lead singer for The Main Ingredient) is born in New York City. Known for the early-'70s hits "Everybody Plays the Fool" and "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely." Of course, he also becomes the father to actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

1940-Hoots Mon! opens in the UK. The movie stars comedian Max Miller, who sings his signature tune "Mary From The Dairy."

1933-Jazz guitarist Calvin Newborn is born in Whiteville, Tennessee.

1932-Country singer Maxine Brown (of The Browns) is born in Campti, Louisiana.

1932-Casey Kasem, a DJ famous for hosting American Top 40 and for being the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, is born Kemal Amen Kasem in Detroit, Michigan.

1904-Syd Nathan, King Records founder who signed James Brown, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1877- Jules Massenet’s opera Le Roi de Lahore premiered at the Palais Garnier in Paris.

1867- Charles Gounod’s opera Roméo et Juliette debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris.

1810-Beethoven composes his "Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor," (better known as "Für Elise".) The piece is dedicated to Therese Malfatti, a friend and student of Beethoven's.


1749-George Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks premiered in Green Park, London, celebrating the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, though the event was marred by a fire.

[Bikkie]

1888-The first British rugby team to tour New Zealand played its first match, against Otago, at Dunedin’s Caledonian Ground in front of 10,000 spectators.


1941-Jack Hinton awarded the Victoria Cross
Southlander Jack Hinton was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on the night of 28 April 1941 at Kalamata during the evacuation from Greece.


1995-14 die at Cave Creek
Fourteen people standing on a viewing platform at Cave Creek in Paparoa National Park on the West Coast died when it suddenly collapsed and fell into the creek-bed below.




In Music History

2017-Brad Paisley releases the first visual album in country music: a special edition of Love and War with videos for each of the 16 tracks.

2017-At the WXTB Rockfest, in Tampa, Florida, Soundgarden launch what will be their final tour with Chris Cornell, who dies on May 17 at a stop in Detroit.

2013-Bass player Lonnie Turner, a founding member of The Steve Miller Band, dies of lung cancer at age 66.

2006-ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus is accused by the Swedish government of $12 million US in delinquency of back taxes.

2005-Eddie Montgomery of country duo Montgomery Gentry seriously injures his left wrist during a show in Asheville, North Carolina, after he falls to the arena floor from a speaker cabinet onstage.

2005-Jazz bassist Percy Heath dies of bone cancer two days before his 82nd birthday.

2003-Apple launches the iTunes store, the first widely successful legal music download app, thanks to the emergence of the iPod, which lets people take their music with them. At first, the service is available only to Mac users, with the music files encoded in Apple's proprietary format (AAC) restricting where they can be played
2001-Dido's song "Thank You" climbs to #3 in America after Eminem samples it for the hook of his song "Stan." The song first appeared on Dido's 1999 debut album, No Angel, which goes on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide.

2000-James Brown Enterprises, which handles tours for The Godfather Of Soul, has its offices destroyed by fire, destroying music and memorabilia. An employee is later charged with arson in connection with the incident.

1999-Members of The Verve release a statement announcing their second breakup (their first was in 1995). The band reunites in 2007, but that only lasts two years.

1994-Warren G releases his debut single, "Regulate," taking G-Funk in a bold new direction by sampling the laid-back groove to Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'" and some dialogue from the movie Young Guns. The song climbs to #2, where it spends three weeks behind "I Swear" by All-4-One.

1991-Bonnie Raitt marries her first husband, actor Michael O'Keefe. Her father, the singer John Raitt, wears a kilt as a nod to their Celtic heritage and sings a song called "My Heart's Darlin'." The couple divorce in 1999.

1989-Jon Bon Jovi marries his high-school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

1988-Country/pop singer B.W. Stevenson, known for the original 1973 version of "My Maria," dies at age 38 while undergoing heart valve surgery.

1987-Ray Charles appears before Congress to urge more funding for hearing research, stating "My eyes are my handicap, but my ears are my opportunity."

1985-Bryan Ferry releases "Slave To Love."

1981-Original T. Rex bass player Steve Currie dies in a car accident at age 33, four years after the group's lead singer Marc Bolan met his demise in a similar fashion.

1980-Tommy Caldwell (original frontman for The Marshall Tucker Band) dies at age 30 when his Jeep overturns during an accident.

Cheap Trick Play Budokan
1978-Cheap Trick play the first of two shows at the Budokan arena in Toyko, Japan, where the band is huge. The shows are recorded and released as the album Cheap Trick At Budokan, breaking the band in their homeland of America, with the live version of "I Want You To Want Me" becoming a huge hit.More

1976-Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band play the Grand Ole Opry at the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville. It's the first time a rock band has played the Opry since The Byrds in 1968.

1976-Bob Dylan performs "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" live for the first time.

1975-Two ex-Beatles are on NBC: Ringo Starr performs "No No Song" on The Smothers Brothers Show; John Lennon guests on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

1975-Rock 'n Roll DJ Tom Donahue, who also formed the San Francisco-based Autumn Records, dies of a heart attack at age 46. In 1996, Donahue becomes just one of three disc jockeys to ever be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1972-Violent J (Joseph Bruce) of Insane Clown Posse is born in Michigan.

Chicago Release First Album
1969-The self-titled, debut album by Chicago Transit Authority is released. For their next album, the group shortens their name to Chicago.More

1968-The Seeds guest star as "The Warts" on the "How Not To Manage A Rock Group" episode of the NBC-TV sitcom The Mothers-In-Law.

1968-Daisy Berkowitz (lead guitarist for Marilyn Manson) is born Scott Mitchell Putesky in Florida.

1967-"Mama" Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas becomes a real mama, giving birth to her only child, a daughter named Owen Vanessa. Elliot doesn't name the father, but Owen later learns that it's a bass player named Chuck Day.

1966-Rapper Too Short, known for hits like "The Ghetto" and "Blow the Whistle," is born Todd Anthony Shaw in Los Angeles, California.

1965-Barbra Streisand's first television special, My Name Is Barbra, airs on CBS.

1964-Elvis Presley releases "Viva Las Vegas," the title song to his movie, which opens six weeks later.
1963Cliff Richard and The Shadows are #1 on the UK albums chart for the 14th week with the soundtrack to the movie Summer Holiday. It's the last time an artist other than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones tops the chart for two years.

1963-19-year-old Andrew Loog Oldham, who did some PR work for The Beatles, checks out The Rollin' Stones at a show in Richmond, England. He becomes their manager a little later and makes them add the "g."

1958-David Seville's "Witch Doctor" hits #1. The song is his first using sped-up vocals to create the squeaky sound that later becomes The Chipmunks.

1956-Rock singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes, who performs with Cold Chisel and INXS, is born James Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland.

1955-Eddie Jobson, violinist and synth player for Curved Air, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes, is born in Billingham, England.

1952-Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is born in Rochester, New York. She is raised in Los Angeles, California.

1945-John Wolters (drummer for Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show) is born in New Jersey.

1943-Soul singer The Fantastic Johnny C, known for the 1967 hit "Boogaloo Down Broadway," is born Johnny Corley in Greenwood, South Carolina.

1941-Ann-Margret is born in Sweden. She has a few hits as a singer but is best known for her movie roles, which include Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas, which she stars in with Elvis Presley.

1940-Glenn Miller records "Pennsylvania 6-5000," the title taken from the phone number of the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City.

1934-Delta blues musician Charley Patton dies of a mitral valve disorder.

1924-Jazz singer Blossom Dearie is born in East Durham, New York.






Featured Events

DMB Release Titanic-sinking #1 Album
1998-The Dave Matthews Band release their fourth album (third on a major label), Before These Crowded Streets. Fans get a glimpse of the band's darker side with the moody lead single, "Don't Drink The Water." It debuts at #1 to sink the Titanic soundtrack.More

1990-Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses marries Erin Everly (daughter of Don Everly of The Everly Brothers) at Cupid's Inn Chapel in Las Vegas. The rocky union lasts just nine months.

1987-The Art Of Excellence by Tony Bennett becomes the first album to be initially released on CD instead of the traditional vinyl format.

1979-Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" hits #1 in America, the first of their four chart-toppers in that country.

1978-The movie FM, about a radio station with a motley collection of DJs, debuts in theaters. Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett and REO Speedwagon all appear in the film, and Steely Dan does the theme song. FM is the basis for the TV series WKRP in Cincinnati, which appears later in the year.

1973-Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon hits #1 on the Billboard Albums chart. It stays at the top for just one week, but goes on to eclipse the record for most weeks on the tally, with over 880 (non-consecutive).



In 1892, Antonín Dvořák’s orchestral work Carnival Overture was performed for the first time, highlighting his mastery in orchestral composition.

1965 marked Luciano Pavarotti’s debut at La Scala in Milan, performing in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of La bohème alongside Mirella Freni, a pivotal moment in operatic history.

Barbra Streisand’s first television special, My Name Is Barbra, premiered on CBS in 1965, earning multiple Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

David Diamond’s 5th Symphony premiered in 1966 with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein, dedicated to the conductor.

The musical Chess by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice opened at the Imperial Theater in NYC in 1988, running for 68 performances.




Chart-Topping Singles and Albums

1958- David Saville reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Witch Doctor.

1964- Elvis Presley released Viva Las Vegas, one of his most recognizable songs.

1966- Dusty Springfield’s English version of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me reached No.1 in the UK.

1973- Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon topped the US Billboard 200, beginning its record-breaking run of over 996 non-consecutive weeks on the chart.

1973- David Bowie released Starman, his first major hit since Space Oddity, peaking at No.10 in the UK.

1979- Blondie’s Heart of Glass reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts internationally.



Significant Television and Media Appearances

In 1975, Ringo Starr performed No No Song on The Smothers Brothers Show, while John Lennon gave his final television interview on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow program, both on NBC.

1965-Barbra Streisand’s TV special not only showcased her singing but also her versatility as a performer, influencing future music television productions.



Other Historical Highlights

1940- Glenn Miller recorded Pennsylvania 6-5000 in New York City, which became one of his signature jazz hits.

1969- The rock band Chicago Transit Authority released their debut album, which set a record for the longest-charting album on the Billboard 200 at the time.

1973 Faces reached number one in the UK with their album Ooh La La, marking a milestone in British rock.

[Bikkie]

1864
Assault on Gate Pā
The British attacked the Ngāi Te Rangi stronghold of Pukehinahina (Gate Pā), defended by just 230 Māori fighters, after a heavy artillery bombardment.


Wreck of the Tararua
1881
131 perish in worst civilian shipwreck in New Zealand waters
The steamer Tararua, en route from Port Chalmers to Melbourne, struck a reef at Waipapa Point, Southland. Of the 151 passengers and crew on board, 131 were lost, including 12 women and 14 children.


1951-1952 ANZUS treaty comes into force
Signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the ANZUS treaty recognised that an armed attack in the Pacific area on one member would endanger the peace and safety of the others.


In Music History

2023-Willie Nelson celebrates his 90th birthday with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Guest performers include Norah Jones, The Chicks, and Snoop Dogg, who joins Nelson on their duet "Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die."

2023-Metallica's album 72 Seasons debuts at #2 behind Morgan Wallen's One Thing At A Time, in its seventh week at the top. It's the first Metallica album since ...And Justice for All in 1988 that doesn't debut at #1.

2022-Dolly Parton appears as an angel in the last episode of the TV series Grace And Frankie, reuniting her with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, her co-stars in the 1980 movie 9 to 5.

2016-Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd do a shot-for-shot remake of the Styx video for "Too Much Time On My Hands."More

2015-Cyndi Lauper testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee, speaking on behalf of homeless LGBTQ youth, whom she says are often kicked out of shelters and denied services. Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund in 2008 to advocate for the cause.

2014-Paul Goddard (bassist for Atlanta Rhythm Section) dies at age 68 of a brief, sudden illness.

2014-Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst publishes Willie's Bar and Grill, a memoir about the Aussie band's North American tour post-9/11.

2007-Rage Against The Machine reunite to close the Coachella Festival, their first show in seven years. They keep performing together until 2011 but don't release any new music. In 2022 they tour again for the last time.

2005-Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary undergoes a bone marrow transplant to battle leukemia.

2003-The movie Only The Strong Survive (with many R&B legends, including Jerry Butler) premieres in New York.

1999-Following his reunion with Pamela Anderson Lee, Tommy Lee quits Mötley Crüe to devote time to his new band, Methods of Mayhem, and his family.

1998-While performing "Mama Kin" at a show in Anchorage, Alaska, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith loses control of his microphone stand, which hits him in the leg. He falls, tearing his ACL. This forces the band to postpone the rest of their tour while Tyler recovers from surgery.

1997-Lynyrd Skynyrd release the album Twenty, which is titled after the fact that it's being released 20 years after the plane crash that claimed the lives of three band members. It's their ninth studio album.

1996-Phil Spector calls off a planned project to produce Celine Dion when they can't agree to terms.

1995-Tupac Shakur marries Keisha Morris inside the Clinton Correctional Facility, while Shakur is serving a four-and-a-half-year jail term for sexual assault.

1993-Mick Ronson, a guitarist best known for his work with David Bowie, dies of cancer at age 46.

1993-Barry White guests on The Simpsons, where he serves as MC of Whacking Day.

1986-Amy Heidemann of Karmin is born in Seward, Nebraska. She becomes Amy Noonan when she marries her Karmin partner, Nick. When Karmin is retired in 2017, she becomes the rapper Qveen Herby.

1985-Freddie Mercury releases his solo album Mr. Bad Guy. Although it sells okay in the UK, in the US it doesn't make even the top 150.

1982-Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni are named Songwriters of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards, while their "Stand And Deliver" is named the best selling single.

1979-Matt Tong (drummer for Bloc Party) is born in Bournemouth, England.

1979-Pop singer-songwriter Jo O'Meara (of S Club 7) is born in Romford, Greater London, England.

1975-Hawkwind begin their North American Warrior On The Edge Of Time tour at the Ambassador Theatre, St. Louis.

1973-Mike Hogan (bassist for The Cranberries) is born in Limerick, Ireland, to a family that already includes brother and future bandmate, Noel.

1972-Roberta Flack's debut album, First Take, released three years earlier in 1969, goes to #1 thanks to the Clint Eastwood movie Play Misty For Me, which uses the song "Feel Like Makin' Love." It's a huge career boost for Flack, who lands another huge hit the next year with "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."

1970-Rapper/entrepreneur Master P is born Percy Robert Miller in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1998 his No Limit Records releases 16 albums that are certified Gold, including Ghetto Fabulous by Mystikal, Charge It 2 Da Game by Silkk The Shocker, and his own MP Da Last Don.

1968-Featuring the hippie anthem "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," the musical Hair opens on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre. The show is made into a movie in 1979.

1968-Carnie Wilson (of Wilson Phillips) is born in Bel Air, California, to The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson and his first wife, Marilyn Rovell.

1961-Folk singer-songwriter Cisco Houston, frequent collaborator of Woody Guthrie, dies of terminal stomach cancer two months after recording his final album, Ain't Got No Home.

1961-The renown tenor Luciano Pavarotti makes his opera début in the role of Rodolfo in La Bohème by Puccini in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia.

1959-Ronnie Hawkins records "Mary Lou."

1957-Great White guitarist Mark Kendall is born in Loma Linda, California. A primary songwriter in the band, he keeps it going in the 2010s and 2020s when it competes with Jack Russell's Great White, the offshoot led by the group's longtime frontman.

1947-Rock and roll singer Tommy James is born Thomas Gregory Jackson in Dayton, Ohio.

1947-Rock drummer Joel Larson (of The Grass Roots) is born in San Francisco, California.

1943-Country singer Duane Allen (of The Oak Ridge Boys) is born in Taylortown, Texas.

1942-Klaus Voorman (bassist for Manfred Mann), who designs The Beatles album cover for Revolver, is born in Hamburg, Germany.

1936-Pop singer April Stevens is born Carol LoTempio in Niagara Falls, New York. She and her brother, Nino Tempo, will perform as a duo and win a Grammy Award for the 1963 single "Deep Purple."

1934-Blues guitarist and singer Otis Rush is born in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

1931-Lonnie Donegan, known as the King of Skiffle, is born Anthony James Donegan in Glasgow, Scotland.

1929-Latin jazz musician Ray Barretto is born in New York City.

1928-Rock and roll singer Carl Gardner (of The Coasters) is born in Tyler, Texas.

1899-Duke Ellington is born in Washington, D.C.

1798-Joseph Haydn's oratorio The Creation is first performed in Vienna in a concert for the city's aristocrats. The oratorio depicts and celebrates the creation of the world as described in the Book of Genesis and Paradise Lost.


"White Christmas" Signals American Evacuation From Vietnam
1975
Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" marks the end of the Vietnam War as the American Radio Service plays the tune during the Fall of Saigon - a signal for American personnel to evacuate. Many songs were written in reaction to the war, which ramped up in the late '60s. A few songs, notably "Still in Saigon" by The Charlie Daniels Band and "Born In The U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen, explore the plight of veterans on their return home.


Featured Events
2011-Prince William marries Catherine Middleton at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. Ellie Goulding performs at the reception, singing a cover of Elton John's "Your Song" for the first dance. "It was all very secretive," Goulding said. "I thought I was a decoy for someone else."

1992-Paula Abdul marries actor Emilio Estevez in what at the time is an A-list union. The marriage lasts two years.

1980-Black Sabbath launch their first tour with Ronnie James Dio as lead vocalist, replacing Ozzy Osbourne.

1976-Bruce Springsteen, fresh from playing a Memphis concert on his Born To Run tour, tries to climb over the fence at Elvis Presley's Graceland estate in an attempt to see Presley. He is escorted off the premises by guards who inform him the King is not at home.More

1933-Willie Nelson is born in Abbott, Texas.

[Bikkie]

1864
Pai Mārire defeated at Sentry Hill, Taranaki
In one of their first armed operations, several hundred Pai Mārire fighters attacked a British redoubt at Te Mōrere (Sentry Hill) in Taranaki. Scores were killed and wounded.

Robert FitzRoy, c. 1860
1865
Former Governor FitzRoy dies by suicide
Robert FitzRoy, the second governor of New Zealand (1843-45), took his own life at his home near London. Opinion on his governorship has always been divided.


1917
William Sanders awarded New Zealand's only naval VC
William Sanders received the Victoria Cross (VC) for bravery during a German U-boat (submarine) attack on his ship. He became the first – and only – New Zealander to win the British Empire’s highest military decoration in a naval action.



In Music History

2024-Duane Eddy, who developed a twangy guitar sound that led the way to surf rock, dies of cancer at 86. He had several instrumental hits from 1958-1963, including "Rebel Rouser" and "Forty Miles Of Bad Road."

2022-Country music star Naomi Judd dies by suicide at 76, one day before she's inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame with The Judds, the duo she formed with her daughter Wynonna.

2020-On his 100th birthday, Captain Tom Moore lands the UK #1 hit with a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone." Moore, a decorated veteran of World War II, raised money for coronavirus relief by walking in his garden. The song was assembled by Michael Ball using Moore's vocals.

2019-Dipak Rao, director of Deep Purple's royalty management firms, is sentenced to six years in jail for stealing £2.2million from the group's accounts, which he put toward money-losing schemes.

2015-Ben E. King, songwriter and singer of "Stand By Me," dies at age 76.

2014-Larry Ramos (guitarist, banjo player for The New Christy Minstrels, The Association) dies at age 72 from malignant melanoma.

2013-Actress and singer Deanna Durbin dies in Neauphle-le-Château, France, at age 91.

2011-Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon welcome twins: daughter Monroe and son Moroccan.

2008-Mariah Carey marries rapper and TV personality Nick Cannon at a secret ceremony in the Bahamas. They separate in 2014 and divorce in 2016.

2007-Zola Taylor (of The Platters) dies after suffering numerous strokes and contracting pneumonia at age 69 in Riverside, California.

2006-Madonna plays a festival for the first time when she appears at Coachella.

2005-Bauhaus reunite to play the Coachella Festival, opening their set with "Bela Lugosi's Dead," which lead singer Peter Murphy performs hanging upside down.

2004-Michael Jackson is arraigned on his child molestation charges, pleading not guilty to ten different criminal counts, also including extortion and false imprisonment.

2003-1960s soul icon Earl King is buried in his hometown of New Orleans with an authentic jazz funeral. Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton send their condolences.

2002-Roger Daltrey of The Who plays a music teacher on the "That '70s Musical" episode of That '70s Show.

1999-Darrell Sweet (drummer for Nazareth) dies of a heart attack at age 51 while on tour promoting the band's Boogaloo album.

1996-With "Satellite" from their 1994 major-label debut album Under The Table and Dreaming still getting airplay, The Dave Matthews Band release Crash, which provides a new set of radio hits, including "Crash Into Me," "So Much To Say" and "Too Much."

1994-Ireland wins the Eurovision Song Contest for the third time in a row. Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan's performance of "Rock 'N' Roll Kids" at the Point Theatre in Dublin wows the international voting panels and gives the country a record sixth win. The show's interval features the first ever performance of Michael Flatley's Riverdance, which goes on to massive global success.

1991-Rapper Travis Scott (real name: Jacques Bermon Webster II) is born in Houston, Texas.

1988-Celine Dion wins the Eurovision Song Contest with her performance of the French song "Ne partez pas sans moi." She's from Canada but represents Switzerland at the contest because they asked her to. Already famous in France and Canada, the win earns her many new fans throughout Europe and sets the stage for her American breakthrough two years later.

1988-After a two-year hiatus, Little River Band reunite, kicking off a tour with a show at the World Expo in Brisbane, Australia. Glenn Frey is their support act for the tour.

1983-Blues musician Muddy Waters dies of heart failure at age 70 in his Westmont, Illinois, home.

1983-The original lineup of Manfred Mann re-forms to play the 25th anniversary celebration of the Marquee Club in London, where they played when they were just starting out.

1982-Renowned music critic Lester Bangs, who wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone, dies at age 33 from an accidental drug overdose.

1981-Justin Vernon of Bon Iver is born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. His minimalist, emotionally fraught debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, earns him a record deal in 2007, and his self-titled 2011 follow-up leads to a Grammy win for Best New Artist.

1978-The Clash are among the acts at a "Rock Against Racism" concert, playing to over 50,000 in London's Victoria Park to combat the National Front, a neo-Nazi group in the UK whose slogan is "Keep Britain White."

1977-Glen Campbell's "Southern Nights," written by Allen Toussaint, hits #1 in the US.

1976-Human rock stereotype Keith Moon of The Who adds to his legend when he pays nine New York City cab drivers $100 each to block both ends of a street so he can throw furniture out of his room at the Hotel Navarro. Details of this story may have been exaggerated or embellished, but it is consistent with his behavior.

1975-The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon. Many returning veterans suffer ill effects, which is the subject of the song "Still in Saigon" by The Charlie Daniels Band.

1973-Pop singer Jeff Timmons (of 98 Degrees) is born in Canton, Ohio.

1973-The second Wings album, Red Rose Speedway, is released in America. There is some braille on the back cover spelling out the message, "We love you baby," aimed at Stevie Wonder.

1971-R&B singer Chris "Choc" Dalyrimple (of Soul For Real) is born in Wheatley Heights, New York.

1971-The Doobie Brothers release their self-titled debut album. Despite a hardy promotional push from their label, Warner Bros., it goes nowhere, but their next effort, Toulouse Street, connects.

1970-Allman Brothers tour manager Twiggs Lyndon is arrested for stabbing a club manager to death over a contract dispute. Incredibly, Lyndon gets off by pleading temporary insanity caused by being the tour manager for The Allman Brothers Band.

1967-Rapper Turbo B (frontman for Snap!) is born Durron Maurice Butler in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

1967-Dishwalla leader J.R. Richards is born in Santa Barbara, California.

1966-The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'," a song originally recorded by The Olympics a year earlier, goes to #1 in America.

1966-Folk singer and novelist Richard Farina dies in a motorcycle accident in Carmel, California, at age 29.

1965-Herman's Hermits make their US stage debut, with The Zombies as opening act.

1965-Bob Dylan begins the tour immortalized in the documentary Don't Look Back, performing at the City Hall in Sheffield, England.

1962-The Orlons record "Wah Watusi."

1960-Fats Domino records "Walking To New Orleans."

1959-Buddy Holly's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" (written by Paul Anka) goes to #1 in the UK nearly three months after his death. It's his only UK #1.

1957-Elvis Presley records "Jailhouse Rock" and "Young And Beautiful."

1955-Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" hits #1 in America, where it stays for 10 weeks.

1953-Merrill Osmond (of The Osmonds) is born in Ogden, Utah.

1948-MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1947-Col. Bruce Hampton, leader of the Hampton Grease Band and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, is born Gustav Valentine Berglund III in Knoxville, Tennessee.

1945-Singer-songwriter Mimi Farina is born Margarita Mimi Baez in Palo Alto, California, to a family that includes older sister Joan Baez. She marries fellow activist and folk singer Richard Farina at age 18.

1944-Folk rock singer Richard Shoff (of The Sandpipers) is born in Seattle, Washington.

1943-Pop singer Bobby Vee is born Robert Thomas Velline in Fargo, North Dakota.

1941-Rock and roller Johnny Farina (of Santo & Johnny) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1931-Folk singer-songwriter Peter La Farge is born in New York City.

1930-Blind Willie Johnson, best known for "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground," records for the very last time.

1925-The musical On With The Dance opens at the London Pavilion.

1925-Country/rockabilly singer Johnny Horton is born in Los Angeles, California.

1923-Jazz bassist Percy Heath is born in Wilmington, North Carolina.


1978-The Clash are among the acts at a "Rock Against Racism" concert, playing to over 50,000 in London's Victoria Park to combat the National Front, a neo-Nazi group in the UK whose slogan is "Keep Britain White."





Featured Events

2018-The #MuteRKelly campaign picks up steam when Ava DuVernay tweets her support. The campaign is designed to marginalize R. Kelly, who has been accused of sexual misconduct.More

2008-At the Coachella festival, Roger Waters' giant inflatable pig escapes, roams the countryside and ultimately deflates.

2005-Cher wraps up her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour with a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Running nearly three years, the tour brings in over $200 million, making it the highest earning tour in history for a female artist, a record that stands until Madonna's 2008-2009 Sticky & Sweet Tour. Retirement doesn't suit Cher: She tours again in 2014 and in 2018.

2004-Ray Charles appears at his Los Angeles recording studio to attend a ceremony marking it as a national historic landmark. It is his last public appearance; he dies on June 10.

1988-After hanging on at #198 the week before, Pink Floyd's album Dark Side Of The Moon drops out of the Billboard Albums chart for the first time in 11 years. The band is still on the chart though, with A Momentary Lapse Of Reason at #62.

"Beat It" Tops The Hot 100 As Thriller Takes Off
1983-Michael Jackson's fight is funky and strong, as "Beat It" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks.More

1977-Led Zeppelin play to 76,229 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, breaking their own record (56,800 at a 1973 show in Tampa) for largest attendance for a single-act concert.

Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), the “Father of Modern Chicago Blues,” died in 1983 at age 68. He influenced British rock bands like The Rolling Stones, who took their name from his 1950 single “Rollin’ Stone”.

Ben E. King, soul singer known for “Stand By Me,” passed away in 2015 at age 76.

Naomi Judd, country star and part of The Judds duo, died in 2022 at age 76.

Richard Farina, American folk singer and novelist, died in a motorcycle accident in 1966 at age 29.




Landmark Album Releases

The Rolling Stones’ “Aftermath” (1966) became their first album of entirely original material, topping the UK charts.

Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Red Rose Speedway” (1973) was released, featuring the hit single “My Love” and achieving chart success in the US, Spain, and Australia.

Various albums have been released on April 30 in later years, including tribute albums like Can Anybody Hear Me? (2021),.



Chart-Topping Singles and Performances

Johnnie Ray topped the UK Singles chart with “Such a Night” in 1954.

The Young Rascals reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Good Lovin’” in 1966.

Spandau Ballet scored their only UK No.1 with “True” in 1983.

Michael Jackson achieved his second US number one of the year with “Beat It” in 1983.

Celine Dion won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland with “Ne partez pas sans moi” in 1988.

Glen Campbell topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Southern Nights” in 1977.




Historic Concerts

Led Zeppelin set a world record for concert attendance in 1977 at the Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan, with 76,229 attendees.

Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert in 1997 at Carnegie Hall featured Sting, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and others.




Classical and Opera Milestones

Anton Rubinstein’s opera “Dmitri Donskoi” premiered in 1852 in St. Petersburg.

Claude Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande”, his only completed opera, premiered in 1902 in Paris.

Darius Milhaud’s 4th Piano Concerto premiered in 1954 in Haifa, Israel.



Other Notable Events

16th Academy of Country Music Awards in 1981 honored Barbara Mandrell and George Jones.

UNESCO celebrated the first International Jazz Day in 2012 with concerts in Paris, New Orleans, and New York City featuring Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, and others.

[Bikkie]

1893
'King Dick' Seddon becomes premier
Richard John Seddon became premier following the death of John Ballance. Immortalised as ‘King Dick’, Seddon was to dominate the New Zealand political landscape for the next 13 years. He remains this country’s longest-serving premier or prime minister.


1955
RNZAF's first combat strike since Second World War
Five Vampire fighter aircraft of No. 14 Squadron carried out the RNZAF’s first combat strike since the Second World War against guerrillas in the Malayan jungle.



In Music History

2023-Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind," "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald") dies at 84.

2019-Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers marries Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner in Las Vegas, where an Elvis impersonator officiates. The marriage lasts until September 2023, when Joe files for divorce.

2017-At the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, John Popper, Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic and many other artists perform at a tribute to Col. Bruce Hampton in celebration of his 70s birthday. Hampton, a mentor to many of these musicians, collapses on stage and dies during the encore. "Bruce was the only person I could think of who has ever played at his own funeral," his friend Scott McKinney says.

2013-Chris Kelly of the rap duo Kris Kross dies at age 34 after overdosing on heroin and cocaine. The duo were teenagers when they had their #1 hit "Jump" in 1992; they also opened for Michael Jackson on his Dangerous tour that year.

2012-Bobby Vee announces that he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

2010-"Nothin' On You" by the rapper B.o.B hits #1 in America. It features vocals from Bruno Mars, who also co-wrote and co-produced the song. He lands his own #1 hit a few months later with his debut single as a lead artist: "Just The Way You Are."

2007-Rush release Snakes & Arrows. Alex Lifeson's guitar work on the album is influenced by David Gilmour's suggestion that he write more acoustic songs.

2006-Rock and roll saxophonist Johnny Paris (leader of Johnny and the Hurricanes) dies at age 65 of hospital-borne infections after an operation.

2006-Rapper Big Hawk (of Screwed Up Click) dies at age 36 when he's shot by an unidentified assailant outside of a friend's house in Houston, Texas.

2003-While being treated for kidney failure, Barry White suffers a stroke, paralyzing the right side of his body. The singer never fully recovers and dies a few months later.

2000-David Gray's album White Ladder, which has been available in Europe for over a year, is finally issued in America as the first release on Dave Matthews' new label, ATO Records. It goes on to sell a million copies there; ATO goes on to sign Crowded House, Brandi Carlile, Alabama Shakes and many other big names.

2000-Former Village Voice scribe Jimmy McDonough sues Neil Young for $1.8 million in civil court for allegedly backing down from his agreement to authorize a biography McDonough spent years writing.

1999-The Lyz Art Forum in Siegen, Germany, presents an exhibition of 70 paintings by Paul McCartney, including "Bowie Spewing," which is indeed a portrait of a young David Bowie.

1998-Brian Eno appears as Father Brian Eno in the "Going to America" episode of British sitcom Father Ted.

1994-New Kids On The Block, which two years earlier was playing stadiums, wrap up a tour of clubs and theaters in support of their Face The Music album. They call it quits soon after, but reunite in 2008.

1992-Sub Pop Records release a compilation album titled The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, which for many listeners is the first time they can hear the band. Hailing from Scotland, the Vaselines had received renewed interest after Nirvana covered their songs "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam."

LL Cool J Delivers a Knockout On MTV Unplugged
1991
For the first time, MTV Unplugged features rap acts, with De La Soul, MC Lyte, A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J performing. LL steals the show with a shirtless rendition of "Mama Said Knock You Out."

1990-Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi dies of cancer at age 64.

1986-Hugo Peretti, who co-wrote Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love," dies at age 69 in Englewood, New Jersey.

1979-Elton John becomes the first Western rock star to play in Israel when he performs a concert in Jerusalem as part of a tour that also takes him to Russia, where he becomes one of the first Western rock stars to tour the Soviet Union.

1977-The Police release their first single, "Fall Out," which is available only in the UK. Guitarist Andy Summers has yet to join the band.

1976-Led Zeppelin's Presence album, with the rockers "Achilles Last Stand" and "Nobody's Fault but Mine," hits #1 in America.

1976-The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" hits #1 in America.

1975-Bachman-Turner Overdrive begin their first UK tour at Glasgow Apollo; they are supported by Thin Lizzy.

1975-The Rolling Stones announce their Tour Of The Americas by rolling down 5th Avenue in New York City playing "Brown Sugar" from the back of a flatbed truck.

1974-At the request of President Nixon, the Carpenters perform at a state dinner honoring West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

1973-Washington, DC, mayor Walter Washington officially declares today Marvin Gaye day in the singer's hometown.

1969-Neil Young releases his second solo album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which features favorites "Cowgirl in the Sand," "Cinnamon Girl," and "Down by the River."

1968-Paul McCartney and John Lennon watch Bill Haley play Royal Albert Hall in London.

1968-D'Arcy Wretsky-Brown (bass guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins) is born in South Haven, Michigan.

1967-Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys is arrested by the FBI for draft-dodging and refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States. Wilson, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, is eventually exonerated by his draft board and rejoins the band, touring in Ireland.

1967-Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in a private ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. They met seven years earlier when Priscilla was 14, but she claims they didn't consummate their relationship until this wedding night.

1966-The Beatles play their last concert (not counting their Apple Records rooftop appearance in 1969) in their native England when they perform at a show put on by the New Musical Express. The last song is "I'm Down."

1966-Rock bassist Johnny Colt (of The Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd) is born Charles Brandt in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

1965-Spike Jones, known for satirical takes on classics and popular songs, dies at age 53 of emphysema.

1963-The Rolling Stones sign a management deal with Andrew Loog Oldham, who removes their apostrophe (they were The Rollin' Stones) and drops piano player Ian Stewart from the official lineup; he continues to play with the band and acts as road manager, but isn't recognized as a member. Stewart, who doesn't look the part, remains an integral part of the Stones operation until his death in 1985.

1957-The Kingston Trio form in Palo Alto, California.

1957-The first issue of 16 Magazine, featuring Elvis Presley on the cover, is published.

1956-Little Willie John records "Fever."

1956-Johnny Cash releases "I Walk The Line," a pledge of fidelity to his first wife. When the song becomes a hit, Cash finds it much harder to be true and strikes up an affair with June Carter, whom he later marries.

1955-A St. Louis guitarist named Chuck Berry is signed to Chess Records in Chicago after bluesman Muddy Waters recommends him to the label.

1954-Guitarist and songwriter Ray Parker, Jr., writer and performer of the Ghostbusters theme, is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1946-Nick Fortuna (bass guitarist for The Buckinghams) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1946-Jerry Weiss (trumpeter and flugelhorn player for Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in New York City.

1945-Singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge is born in Lafayette, Tennessee.

1942-The US government halts production of jukeboxes so their factories can assist with the war effort. The Seeburg company produces electrical components for the armed forces; Wurlitzer makes communications systems for aircraft.

1939-Tommy Dorsey records "Lonesome Road."

1939-Folk singer Judy Collins is born in Seattle, Washington.

1934-Jazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn is born in Washington, DC.

1933-R&B singer-songwriter Titus Turner, known for writing the oft-covered tunes "Leave My Kitten Alone" and "Sticks and Stones," is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1931-Kate Smith makes her radio show debut with the twice-weekly Kate Smith Sings show on NBC.

1930-Blues musician Little Walter, known for the 1952 harmonica standard "Juke," is born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville, Louisiana.

1929-Country singer-songwriter Sonny James, known for the 1957 hit "Young Love," is born James Hugh Loden in Hackleburg, Alabama.

1924-R&B singer Big Maybelle, known for the 1956 hit "Candy," is born Mabel Louise Smith in Jackson, Tennessee.

1907-Kate Smith, known for her rendition of "God Bless America," is born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith in Greenville, Virginia.

1904-Czech composer Antonin Dvorak dies at age 62 of an undetermined illness.




Featured Events

2006-Guinness certifies a new world record for most guitarists playing at the same time when 1,581 axepeople simultaneously perform the Jimi Hendrix version of "Hey Joe" in Wrocław, Poland.

2000-Destiny's Child release their third album, Survivor, which is all about sisterhood and empowerment. It's their first release with the lineup of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Nancy Sinatra Appears In Playboy
1995-Nancy Sinatra, 54, appears on the cover of Playboy magazine. In her centerfold, she wears only her famous boots.More

1993-Charley Pride becomes just the second African American inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and the only active member (DeFord Bailey, the first, passed away in 1982). Pride first performed there in 1967.

1967-Tim McGraw is born Samuel Timothy McGraw in Delhi, Louisiana. His dad is pro baseball player Tug McGraw of the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

1966-James Brown performs on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Unlike most solo acts, he brings his own band, which allows him to provide the full James Brown experience, including the cape bit where he drops to his knees but is soon revived.

1965-British Invasion band Herman's Hermits hit #1 in America with "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," a very English song first heard on a BBC show called The Lads in 1963.

1956- Johnny Cash released his breakthrough single “I Walk the Line”, which became his first No.1 on the Billboard country charts and peaked at No.17 on the US pop charts. The song featured Cash’s signature “boom-chicka-boom” sound, created by placing a dollar bill in the guitar neck, and innovative backward guitar runs inspired its chord progression.
This Day In Music

1966- The Beatles performed in the UK for the final time at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool, playing five songs to 10,000 fans alongside the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Yardbirds, and Dusty Springfield.
This Day In Music

1965- Herman’s Hermits topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”, while Spike Jones, known for his comedic musical arrangements, passed away at age 53.
soundod.com

1971–1976: Several chart milestones occurred, including Dave and Ansell Collins’ reggae hit “Double Barrel” reaching No.1 in the UK (1971), Led Zeppelin’s Presence topping the US Billboard 200 (1976), and the Bellamy Brothers’ debut single “Let Your Love Flow” hitting No.1 in multiple countries.
soundod.com

1979- Elton John became the first pop star to perform in Israel, beginning a mini-tour of five shows in six nights.
On This Day

1980s–1990s: Notable events include Mick Fleetwood filing for bankruptcy (1984), the opening of musicals like My One and Only (1983) and The Will Rogers Follies (1991), and Andrea Bocelli performing for Pope John Paul II in 2000.
On This Day

2005- Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 with his solo album …Something To Be, featuring the hit single “Lonely No More” and becoming the first male rock group artist to debut at No.1 with a solo LP.


Other Notable Milestones

1786- Mozart conducted the premiere of his opera The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna.

1939- Tommy Dorsey Orchestra recorded “Lonesome Road”.

1972- Paul Simon released his self-titled solo debut album, and The Eagles released their first single “Take It Easy”.

1982- KISS released the album Killers.

1998- Garth Brooks announced the sale of the 4 millionth ticket for his world tour.

[Bikkie]

Atlantic salmon
1868
First shipment of salmon and trout ova arrives
The clipper Celestial Queen arrived at Port Chalmers carrying the first shipment of live fish ova from England. These fish were intended to provide sport for the settlers, but none survived in New Zealand.


The second-to-last tram at the railway station stop on its way to Newtown
1964
New Zealand's last electric tram trip
Tram no. 252, displaying the message ‘end of the line’ and driven by Wellington Mayor Frank Kitts, travelled from Thorndon to Newtown zoo. Large crowds lined the streets to witness the end of electric trams in New Zealand.



In Music History

2014-'60s R&B/pop singer Jessica Cleaves (Friends Of Distinction) dies at age 65 of complications from a stroke.

2012-Greg Ham's funeral takes place at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia, with more than 300 mourners attending. The Men at Work flute player died two weeks earlier on April 19, at his home in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. Among the many mourners attending, are his partner, Linda Wostry, from whom he had recently separated, and Men At Work bass player John Rees. At the end of the service, to the strains of jazz music, Greg's 20-year-old son Max stands on the steps of the town hall, holding a framed photo of his father, while his sister, Greg's 17-year-old daughter Camille, releases a single white dove into the sky. The mourners then give the troubled musician a final round of applause as his coffin drives away down the streets of Melbourne.

2010-A flood in Nashville damages the Grand Ole Opry House and Country Music Hall of Fame. John Fogerty, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Keith Urban are among those who lose guitars and other equipment that is held in a storage facility. Also destroyed are the bass used on the Hank Williams song "Your Cheatin' Heart," and a Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix.

2009-The TV series Jonas, starring the Jonas Brothers, debuts on the Disney Channel, where it runs for two seasons. The group already has three albums out, including the #1 A Little Bit Longer from 2008.

2006-Following up on their massively successful Lateralus album, Tool release 10,000 Days. In its first week 564,000 copies copies are sold, and by the end of 2007 the number is at 2.5 million.

Neil Young Releases Overtly Political Album
2006-Neil Young releases Living With War, a very political album taking aim at the policies of US President George W. Bush.More
2005-Cream reunite for the first of four shows in London's Royal Albert Hall, the site of their farewell concert 36 years earlier. The band hasn't played together since their 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

2003-Dixie Chicks appear naked on the front cover of Entertainment Weekly, with slogans such "Traitors," "Hero," "Boycott," "Saddam's Angels" and "Proud Americans" printed across their bodies. The slogans represent the mixed reaction Dixie Chicks received following singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush comments.

2003-Composer George Wyle, who wrote the theme song for the '60s TV series Gilligan's Island, dies at age 87.

2000-Aimee Mann releases her album Bachelor No. 2 Or, The Last Remains Of The Dodo independently after Geffen Records lets her go. It's a sluggish market for singer-songwriters; the "dodo" in the album title is a reference to how Mann thinks they're going extinct.

1998-Heavy metal guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto (of X-Japan) commits suicide at age 33 by hanging himself.

1995-Indie rocker Lucy Dacus, co-founder of the band Boygenius, is born. The "Night Shift" singer is raised by her adoptive parents in Mechanicsville, a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Her upbringing inspires much of her musical output in her solo work, with her adolescence being the foundation of the 2021 album Home Video.

1995-Pink Floyd's album The Wall goes Diamond, with sales of over 10 million in the US. It later eclipses (oh wait, wrong album) that total with sales of well over 20 million.

1995-Jill Sobule releases "I Kissed A Girl," a song about a soon-to-be married woman who shares an intimate kiss with her female friend. It climbs to #67, becoming the first chart hit that's clearly about a romantic relationship among women. In 2008, Katy Perry releases a song with the same title and similar subject matter that becomes her first hit.

1994-Varg Vikernes, leader of the Norwegian black metal band Burzum, begins his trial for the murder of rival black metal musician (and former bandmate) Oystein Aarseth, co-founder of the band Mayhem. The two men had had a confrontation in August of 1993 which ended with the fatal stabbing of Aarseth. Vikernes was convicted at the trial and was sentenced to 21 years in prison; however he was released early in May of 2009 on probation and currently continues to do business as Burzum, with several albums released since then. He still has fans.

1992-Dance Floor, a horse owned by MC Hammer, comes in third in the Kentucky Derby.

The Cure Reach New Heights With Disintegration
1989-The Cure issue a gloomy record that's predicted to be commercial suicide, but ends up being their best seller: Disintegration. It boasts their biggest pop hits, "Lovesong" and "Lullaby."

1989-Michael Jackson, wearing a wig and fake moustache, enteres a Zales jewelry store in Simi Valley, California. Security finds him suspicious and calls the police, who show up to explain that you shouldn't wear a disguise to a jewelry store.

1988-Living Colour's debut album, Vivid, is released. It takes almost a year to catch on, as the band slowly builds a following through tours, radio play and MTV.

1988-Melissa Etheridge releases her self-titled debut album, adding a much-welcome new female voice to rock radio with the singles "Bring Me Some Water" and "Like the Way I Do."

1987-Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

1986-Country singer-songwriter Rose Falcon is born in New York.

1986-Judas Priest kick off their Fuel For Life tour with a show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's the first time lead singer Rob Halford, who went to rehab in January, has ever performed sober with the band.

1985-Singer-songwriter Lily Allen is born in London. After a rambunctious childhood that gets her kicked out of a number of schools, she finds a following on MySpace and releases her first single, "Smile," in 2006. It goes to #1 in the UK, followed two years later by another chart-topper, "The Fear."

1980-At the University of Birmingham, England, Joy Division play what transpires to be their final show, two weeks before singer Ian Curtis commits suicide at the age of 23. The show features the band's only live performance of the song "Ceremony," which is later released as the debut single by New Order - a new act formed from the surviving members.

1979-At the Rainbow Theatre in London, The Who play their first concert following the death of drummer Keith Moon. Their new stickman is Kenney Jones, formerly of Faces.

1977-Eric Clapton records "Wonderful Tonight."

1973-Actress and jazz vocalist June Hutton (of The Stardusters) dies in Encino, Los Angeles, California, at age 52.

1972-Bruce Springsteen auditions for Columbia Records' John Hammond, who is the guy that signed Bob Dylan. The planned 15-minute session runs 2 hours, and the next day, Bruce records a 14-song demo. He signs with the label five weeks later.

1971-It's day two of the Mayday protests, as demonstrators fed up with the war in Vietnam try to shut down the US government by blocking off streets and bridges in Washington, DC. Thousands of arrests are made, many to bystanders who have nothing to do with the protest. At the foot of the Washington Monument, where much of the action is taking place, Jonathan Edwards performs his new song, "Sunshine." As the arrests continue, he plays the song over and over, "because there's no better song for the soundtrack of that movie."

1965-The Rolling Stones make their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing four songs, including "The Last Time" and "Little Red Rooster."

Beatles Second Album Replaces First At #1
1964-The Beatles Second Album, a collection of B-sides and sundry tracks yet to find a home in the States, goes to #1 in America, replacing their first album, Meet the Beatles!More

1960-Ray Peterson records "Tell Laura I Love Her."

1960-Production begins on Elvis Presley's first post-Army movie, G.I. Blues.

1960-Dick Clark testifies before Congress on the matter of payola.More

1960-Ben E. King leaves The Drifters and signs a solo contract with Atco Records.

1954-Prescott Niles (bassist for The Knack) is born in New York City.

1951-Jo Callis (keyboardist, guitarist for The Human League) is born John William Callis in Rotherham, England.

1951-John Glascock (bassist for Jethro Tull) is born in Islington, Greater London, England.

1950-Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm is born Louis Andrew Grammatico in Rochester, New York. He and guitarist Mick Jones, the main songwriters in the group, are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

1948-Country/gospel singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin (of The Gatlin Brothers) is born in Seminole, Texas.

1946-Lesley Gore is born Lesley Sue Goldstein in Brooklyn, New York.

1945-Rock keyboardist Goldy McJohn (of Steppenwolf) is born John Raymond Goadsby in Toronto, Canada.

1944-English drummer Bob Henrit (of The Kinks, Argent) is born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England.

1943-"Roll Out The Barrel" is banned as a marching song for training American airmen, as it is deemed "too lusty."

1936-English pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck is born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, British India (present-day Chennai, India). He'll borrow his stage name from the German composer of the 1893 opera Hansel and Gretel.

1933-Bunk Gardner (played woodwinds and tenor sax for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention) is born John Leon Gardner in Cleveland, Ohio.

1929-Rock and roll guitarist Link Wray is born Fred Lincoln Wray Jr. in Dunn, North Carolina.

1904-Broadcaster, singer and occasional lyricist Wilfrid Coad Thomas is born in Britain. Wrote the English lyrics to "Rose, Rose, I Love You," recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951.

1885-Wilhelm Schimmel starts his piano company.

1997-The James Bond spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery hits theaters. The theme is "Soul Bossa Nova," a song by Quincy Jones from 1962 - the same year the first Bond movie appeared. Yeah baby!





Key Events in Music

1963 – The Beatles scored their first UK No.1 hit with “From Me to You”, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, marking the start of their chart dominance in the UK and their first entry on the US Billboard charts.
This Day In Music

1964 – The Rolling Stones released their self-titled debut album, beginning a 12-week run at the top of the UK album chart. The US version included a slightly different tracklist.
This Day In Music

1980 – Joy Division played their final live show at Birmingham University, just before frontman Ian Curtis tragically passed away, leading the remaining members to form New Order.
This Day In Music

1991 – Nirvana began recording their iconic album Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Southern California, which would become a defining work of the grunge era.

1998 – Hide Matsumoto, Japanese rock star and guitarist of X Japan, was found dead at age 33, with his funeral attended by over 70,000 fans.



Other Notable Historical Highlights

1887 – Composer Gioachino Rossini’s remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

1936 – Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf premiered in Moscow.

1938 – Ella Fitzgerald recorded “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” with Chick Webb and His Orchestra.

1952 – John Cage premiered Water Music, an experimental piece for piano, radio, and unconventional instruments in New York City.

1960 – Ben E. King left The Drifters and signed a solo contract with Atlantic Records.

1977 – Eric Clapton recorded “Wonderful Tonight”, inspired by his wife Pattie Boyd.

1979 – The Who performed their first concert without drummer Keith Moon, with Kenney Jones replacing him.

1980 – Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” was banned in South Africa.




Chart Milestones

1970 – Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” topped the UK Singles chart and achieved international success.

1965 – Billboard chart history saw five singles simultaneously in both the pop and R&B top 10, including Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally”.




Recent Performances and Cultural Moments

2023 – Sabrina Carpenter performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville during her Emails I Can’t Send Tour.

2024 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit performed at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, covering classics like Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman”.

2024 – Selena Gomez launched her cooking show Selena + Restaurant on Food Network, highlighting her cultural influence beyond music.

[Bikkie]

Early plough, c. 1830s-1840s
1820
First European plough used in New Zealand
The missionary John Butler turned New Zealand's first furrow at Kerikeri, writing: ‘I trust that this day will be remembered with gratitude, and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn.’



1897
New Zealand's first woman doctor registered
Margaret Cruickshank, the first female doctor registered in New Zealand, practised in Waimate, South Canterbury, until her death from influenza in 1918.


Charles Mackay, c. 1906-1920
1929
Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots
Charles Ewing Mackay, the disgraced former mayor of Whanganui, was shot dead by Berlin police during May Day riots in the German capital.



In Music History

2025-Lady Gaga plays a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to an estimated 2.1 million people. Enormous free concerts are a thing on this particular beach: Madonna drew 1.6 million in 2024, and 3.5 million came to see Rod Stewart in 1994. Most of the funding for these shows comes from the city, which uses them to draw tourists during low season.

2024-Randy Travis, unable to sing as a result of a stroke he suffered in 2011, releases "Where That Came From," a song with his vocal generated by artificial intelligence. It's the first major release from a legacy artist using AI technology to create a vocal from scratch, offering the possibility of more songs from singers - living or dead - that don't have to actually sing on them.

2014-Drummer Bobby Gregg, who played on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Simon and Garfunkel's hit rock version of "The Sound of Silence," dies at age 78 from reasons unknown.

2013-The reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants host "Metallica Night" at the ballpark, with Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield playing the national anthem on electric guitars and Lars Ulrich throwing out the first pitch.More

2011-Marvin Gaye's organist Odell Brown dies at age 71.

2009-Clint Black is the eleventh contestant booted off Season 8 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Thanks to a Vegas-themed video featuring dice-shaped lollipops, Lil Wayne's single "Lollipop" hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stays for five consecutive weeks.

2008-The A-Sides, a brief side project for British indie-folk rockers Noah and the Whale, play a one-off gig at London's Push Club. They promise new wave interpretations of Noah and the Whale songs, covers and some "punk style" new originals. Prior to the show, the band urges fans via their MySpace page to "read the Motley Crue biography The Dirt, because that's pretty much how it's gonna go down."

2006-Bob Dylan's first hosted radio show airs on XM Satellite Radio, with the legend playing favorite tracks by Prince, Wilco, Blur, LL Cool J, and Billy Bragg, among others.

2005-Fall Out Boy release their breakthrough album, From Under the Cork Tree. Debuting at #9 on the albums chart, the sophomore effort is their first to crack the Top 10.

2002-Doug Firley of Gravity Kills drops a keyboard on his hand, shattering the bones in his right ring finger during a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

2001-Jazz drummer Billy Higgins dies at age 64 of kidney and liver failure.

1997-Katrina & the Waves, whose last big hit was "Walking On Sunshine" in 1985, win the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom with "Love Shine A Light." Lead singer Katrina Leskanich is American, but guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper are British.

1996-Country singer Patsy Montana dies in San Jacinto, California, at age 87. Known for her 1935 signature hit "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," the tune that made her the first female country performer to have a million-selling single.

1993-New Order's sixth album, Republic, is launched. It reaches #11 in America, helped to success in that country by a cover featuring images of California and an American-only limited edition release in bright orange vinyl packaging. Lead track "Regret" reaches #28, the band's biggest-selling single Stateside.

1991-Andy Williams marries his second wife, Debbie Haas, in New York City.

1990-Patti LaBelle makes her debut on the sitcom A Different World, playing Dwayne Wayne's overbearing mother, Adele, in the season 3 finale, "Perhaps Love." She appears in a total of eight episodes.

1987-Michael Kiwanuka is born in the Muswell Hill area of North London, where he's raised by his Ugandan parents. After touring as Adele's opening act, he wins the BBC Sound Of 2012 poll (over Frank Ocean and Azealia Banks) and releases his debut album, Home Again. In 2016 he goes to #1 in the UK with his second album, Love & Hate.

1987-Italian-French singer Dalida overdoses on barbiturates at age 54, leaving behind a note that reads "Life has become unbearable for me... Forgive me."

"Addicted To Love" Video Makes Indelible Mark On MTV
1986
Propelled by a memorable video where lookalike models vamp the song, Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

1982-Huey Lewis & the News play a great gig at the Agora in Cleveland. On the ride out, Lewis looks at the skyline and thinks, "The heart of rock and roll is beating in Cleveland." A song is born.

1981-Josh Tillman is born in Rockville, Maryland. He is the drummer for Fleet Foxes before going solo as Father John Misty.

1978-Bob Dylan records "Ain't No Man Righteous, No Not One," "I Believe In You," and "Slow Train."

1977-Country singer Eric Church is born in Granite Falls, North Carolina. After forming a band called the Mountain Boys as a student at Appalachian State University, he moves to Nashville and releases his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006. His star turn comes in 2011 with his album Chief, which includes two of his most enduring songs, "Drink In My Hand" and "Springsteen."

1977-Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and others perform a benefit for the New York Public Library.

1977-Helmut Koellen (bass player for Triumvirat) dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27 as he listens to studio tracks in his car while the engine is running in his garage.

1975-Tony Orlando and Dawn's "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" hits #1.

1975-Chicago's LP Chicago VIII hits #1.

1974-Led Zeppelin launches its Swan Song label.

1972-Scottish rock guitarist Les Harvey, age 27, dies onstage during a Stone The Crows concert when he's electrocuted by a ungrounded microphone standing in a pool of rainwater.

1971-Led Zeppelin play their song "Four Sticks" for the first and only time in concert during a show in Denmark.

1969-Bob Dylan records "Take A Message To Mary" and "Blue Moon."

1969-Canadian customs officials arrest Jimi Hendrix after finding heroin in his bag (he is acquitted in court).

1968-The Beach Boys begin a United States tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who gives a lecture as the opening act. The tour is a flop, and some of the dates are canceled.

1967-The Hollies record "Carrie Anne."

1967-The Walker Brothers announce their split. Scott Walker goes on to become a highly influential solo artist in the late '60s.

1967-Beach Boy Carl Wilson goes to court on draft evasion charges.

1964-Gerry and the Pacemakers make their US TV debut, performing "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1964-Sterling Campbell is born in New York City. An accomplished drummer, he has stints in several bands including Duran Duran, Soul Asylum and The B-52s.

1960-Cathy Jean Giordano records "Please Love Me Forever."

1959-David Ball is born in Blackpool, England. Best known as half of the duo Soft Cell, he helps shape the sound of British electronic music, sticking with analog synthesizers as digital machines become the norm.

1953-Bruce Hall (bassist for REO Speedwagon) is born in Champaign, Illinois.

1952-Kitty Wells records "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."

1951-'70s soft rocker Christopher Cross is born Christopher Charles Geppert in San Antonio, Texas.

1950-Mary Hopkin is born in Pontardawe, Wales. She signs with The Beatles' Apple Records in 1968 after a winning performance on the UK TV competition show Opportunity Knocks, and releases her first single, "Those Were The Days," later that year.

1948-John Richardson (drummer for the Rubettes) is born in South Ockendon, Essex, England.

1944-Pete Staples (bass guitarist for The Troggs) is born in Andover, Hampshire, England.

1939-The Andrews Sisters record "Beer Barrel Polka."

1934-'60s pop singer Frankie Valli (of The Four Seasons) is born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio in Newark, New Jersey.

1928-Country singer Dave Dudley is born David Darwin Pedruska in Spencer, Wisconsin.

1926-Jazz trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, who would accompany Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, and James Brown, is born in Wartrace, Tennessee.

1921-Traditional pop vocalist Joe Ames (of The Ames Brothers) is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

1919-Pete Seeger is born in Manhattan. Throughout his career, Seeger champions folk music and uses the form to push for civil rights and environmental issues.

1917-Betty Comden is born Basya Cohen in Brooklyn. Along with her partner Adolph Green, she writes the screenplay for Singin' In The Rain along with many other musicals.






Featured Events

2010-"I Gotta Feelin'" by The Black Eyed Peas reaches 5,561,000 downloads, making it the best-selling digital song of all time, surpassing Flo-Rida's "Low." It eventually sells 8 million digital copies and retains the record as streaming replaces downloads.

1986-The Silver Dollar City Tennessee amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is reopened as Dollywood after Dolly Parton takes an ownership stake. The park grows considerably and becomes very successful with Parton involved.

1976-Paul McCartney opens his first US tour with Wings as the massively successful Wings Over America tour begins in Fort Worth, Texas.


Disastrous Concert Takes Rock Out Of Boston
1958-The popular disc jockey Alan Freed hosts a rock concert at the Boston Arena (a hockey rink) that does not go well. The city doesn't host another rock concert until 1964.More

1933-James Brown is born in Barnwell, South Carolina, raised in Augusta, Georgia. His '60s and '70s hits like "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and "Funky Drummer" break new ground with a percussive soul sound that lays the foundation for hip-hop when they're heavily sampled in the '80s and '90s. He's also an electrifying performer whose dazzling stage moves are emulated by the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince.

1903-Bing Crosby is born Harry Lillis Crosby Jr. in Tacoma, Washington.

1917- Ernest Bloch's "Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque" and "Israel Symphony" premiered in Carnegie Hall, NYC, with Artur Bodanzky conducting the former and the composer conducting the latter.

1944- "Going My Way," directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby, premiered in New York, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1945.

1956- Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella" opened at the Imperial Theater, NYC, and ran for 678 performances.

1994- The 29th Academy of Country Music Awards took place, with Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, and Wynonna winning.

2005- Fall Out Boy's breakthrough album "From Under the Cork Tree" was released through Island Records.

2013- The Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn was renamed after Beastie Boys' rapper Adam Yauch.

2015- Chris Isaak was confirmed as a judge on the seventh season of "The X Factor Australia."

2025- Lady Gaga's free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, drew an estimated crowd of 2.5 million attendees, making it the largest concert in history for a female artist.

[Bikkie]

1772
Marion du Fresne arrives in the Bay of Islands
Marion du Fresne’s was the second French expedition to visit New Zealand, following that of Jean François Marie de Surville in 1769. Du Fresne’s acceptance of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s beliefs about ‘noble savages’ was to have unfortunate consequences for him and his crew.


1937
Avalanche kills two workers at the Homer tunnel
The engineer-in-charge and the overseer were killed when the second avalanche to hit the Homer tunnel project in less than 12 months struck without warning.



In Music History

2024-A crowd estimated at 1.6 million watch Madonna cap off her Celebration Tour at a free concert in Rio. The concertgoers fill up a 2.4-mile stretch of Copacabana Beach equipped with giant sound towers with huge video screens, a $12 million production.

2024-After 10 weeks at the top of the Country chart, Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" gives way to "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey, a singer who came to the fore when Beyoncé featured him on her Cowboy Carter album.

2024-The top 14 songs on the Hot 100 are all from Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, with "Fortnight" taking the top spot. All 31 songs from the album are on the chart in addition to an earlier song, "Cruel Summer."

2021-Nick Kamen, known for the 1986 hit "Each Time You Break My Heart," dies of bone marrow cancer at his London home. He was 59.

2020-Grimes has a baby boy she names X Æ A-12. The father is entrepreneur Elon Musk.

2019-A section of Staten Island is renamed "Wu-Tang Clan District" in honor of the group.More

2018-Soul singer Leon Bridges releases his sophomore album, Good Thing. Its single "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand" takes the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

2017-Implying that they will soon be voted out of office, Democrats sing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" to taunt Republicans in the House of Representatives after a Republican-sponsored bill replacing the Affordable Care Act passes.

2016-After Donald Trump's campaign plays "Start Me Up" following his victory speech celebrating his path to the Republican nomination, The Rolling Stones ask him to stop, joining several other artists in decrying his use of their songs.More

2013-James Righton of Klaxons marries the actress Keira Knightley. He proves useful when he gives ger guitar lessons for her role as a musician in the 2014 movie Begin Again.

2012-Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) dies of cancer at age 47 in New York City.

2010-Olivia Newton-John gets "Physical" in a duet with Jane Lynch on the Glee episode "Bad Reputation."

2008-Martha Reeves' (of Martha & the Vandellas) home in Detroit is burglarized and one million dollars' worth of recording equipment is stolen. In just a few hours, the perpetrator is caught while attempting to hock the merchandise for $400.

2000-Letters to Cleo play their last concert in Boston; they disband the following month.

Jennifer Lopez Launches Debut Single
1999-Former In Living Color Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez issues her first single, "If You Had My Love." The song lands at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lopez the first artist to top the chart with a debut single since Britney Spears did the same with "...Baby One More Time" four months earlier.

PJ Harvey Releases Rid Of Me
1993-PJ Harvey, fronted by British alt rocker Polly Jean Harvey, release their second and last album as a trio, Rid Of Me. The album is later hailed as one of the defining albums of the decade, but at the time, critics are split over Steve Albini's aggressive production.More

1992-Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu (percussionist for Johnny Clegg & Juluka) is killed in a hail of gunfire in South Africa at age 33.

1991-Punk rocker Simon Wilde (bassist for D.O.A.) dies of a brain tumor at age 33.

1991-Governor Ann Richards declares "ZZ Top Day" in Texas, honoring the group for "bringing the powerful beat of Texas boogie to enthusiastic audiences across the globe."

1990-David Bowie's ex-wife Angela goes on The Joan Rivers Show and says that she once walked in on Bowie and Mick Jagger naked in bed. Angela signed a gag order when she divorced Bowie that kept her from talking for 10 years, and was taking advantage of the opportunity.

1987-Paul Butterfield (of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band) dies of a heroin overdose at age 44.

1982-Under the leadership of chairman Elton John, who has invested heavily in the team, the Watford Football Club is promoted to the First Division of English football with a win over Wrexham. The team was in the lowly Fourth Division when Elton took over as chairman in 1978 1979-Bob Dylan records "Gotta Serve Somebody," "Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)," "When He Returns," and "Man Gave Names To All The Animals."

1979-Lance Bass of 'N Sync is born James Lance Bass in Laurel, Mississippi.

1978-Jefferson Starship's album Earth is certified Platinum.

The Sting's Ragtime Soundtrack Hits #1
1974-The Sting soundtrack, featuring Marvin Hamlisch's adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime piano tunes, hits #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.

1974-Grand Funk's cover of "The Loco-Motion" hits #1 in America. It's the second time the song has topped the chart: Little Eva's original went to #1 in 1962.

1972-Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt is born Michael Pritchard in Berkeley, California, where he is adopted by a couple from nearby El Sobrante.

1972-Christian singer Chris Tomlin is born in Grand Saline, Texas.

1970-Gregg Alexander of The New Radicals is born Gregory Aiuto in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

1970-Later memorialized in the Neil Young song "Ohio," the Ohio National Guard fires on protesters at Kent State University, killing four students, two of whom weren't even protesting. This shameful event in American history leads to the formation of Devo, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale are both on campus and horrified by the events.

1969-Al Stewart and his girlfriend Mandi attend a party at the Putney home of John Martyn which inspires the song "Night Of The 4th Of May."

1968-Steppenwolf make their US television debut, performing "Born to Be Wild" on American Bandstand.

1968-Twiggy, one of the first English "supermodels," catches an 18-year-old Welsh singer named Mary Hopkin on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. She calls her friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs Hopkin to Apple and has her record "Those Were The Days" as her first single.

1967-The Turtles' "Happy Together" is certified Gold.

1964-Denny Laine, Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder form the M&B Five in Birmingham, England. They later change the name to The Moody Blues.

1964-Gary Holt (guitarist for Exodus) is born in Richmond, California.

1961-The Jarmels record "A Little Bit Of Soap."

1960-Bobby Rydell takes American Bandstand viewers on a tour of his Philadelphia home.

1959-Country singer Randy Travis is born Randy Bruce Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina. It takes while for him to get a record deal, but when he does, he's off to the races, with 15 #1 Country hits from 1986-1994.

1959-The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.

1957-Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue debuts on ABC; the show is an attempt to replicate the success of their own hit American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.

1956-Lonnie Donegan quits the popular Chris Barber Jazz Band to form a skiffle group.

1951-Mick Mars, founder and lead guitarist of Motley Crue, is born Robert Alan Deal in Terre Haute, Indiana. Visually, he blends into the scenery, but his riffs and solos create a sonic boom that helps define their sound.

1951-Jackie Jackson of The Jacksons is born Sigmund Esco Jackson in Gary, Indiana.

1951-Bruce Day (bass player for Santana, Pablo Cruise) is born.

1949-Zal Cleminson (guitarist for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band) is born Alistair Macdonald Cleminson in Glasgow, Scotland.

1949-Country singer-songwriter Stella Parton is born in Sevierville, Tennesee, to a family that includes older sister Dolly Parton.

1946-Perry Como's "Prisoner Of Love" hits #1 in America.

1945-Georg Wadenius (lead guitarist for Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Stockholm, Sweden.

1944-'60s pop singer Peggy Santiglia (of The Angels, Dusk) is born in Belleville, New Jersey.

1941-Motown songwriter Nick Ashford (Ashford & Simpson) is born in Fairfield, South Carolina.

1941-Singer and violinist David LaFlamme (of It's a Beautiful Day) is born Gary Posie in New Britain, Connecticut.

1940-Ronnie Bond (drummer for The Troggs) is born Ronald James Bullis in Andover, Hampshire, England.

1938-Tyrone Davis is born Tyrone Fettson in Greenville, Mississippi, but is raised by his father in Saginaw, Michigan. Known for his #1 R&B hits, "Can I Change My Mind" (1968), "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" (1970), and "Turning Point" (1975).

1937-Surf rocker Dick Burns (of The Hondells) is born in Buffalo, New York.

1937-Surf rock guitarist Dick Dale is born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts.

1928-Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson is born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada.

1923-Ed Cassidy (drummer for Spirit) is born in Harvey, Illinois.

1655-Florentine harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Cristofori is born. He invents the piano in 1709.







Key Historical Events

1728- George Frideric Handel's opera Tolomeo, re di Egitto premiered in London, marking an important moment in Baroque opera history.

1878- Thomas Edison demonstrated his phonograph for the first time at the Grand Opera House in New York City, revolutionizing sound recording.

1929- Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical Show Boat closed at the Ziegfeld Theatre in NYC after 572 performances, cementing its status as a landmark in American musical theater.

1956- Ronnie Hilton’s rendition of No Other Love reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart for six consecutive weeks.

1959- The first Annual Grammy Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, with winners including Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, and Domenico Modugno.

1961- Doo-wop band The Marcels scored their first UK No.1 with Blue Moon, also topping charts in the US, New Zealand, and Canada.

1963- Andy Williams’ album Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests began a 16-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.

1965- The Beatles achieved their first UK No.1 with From Me To You, beginning a seven-week run at the top.

1973- Led Zeppelin launched their 34-date North American tour in Atlanta, grossing over $4 million and breaking attendance records previously held by The Beatles. Progressive rock band Yes released their first live album Yessongs, which became a commercial success internationally.

1974- ABBA’s Waterloo topped the UK Singles chart, marking their first of nine No.1 hits and securing their Eurovision Song Contest victory for Sweden.

1996- Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill began a six-week run at the top of the UK chart.

2012- Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys passed away, leaving a legacy of seven platinum-selling albums and contributions to music video direction and independent film.

2023- Ed Sheeran was found not guilty of copyright infringement regarding Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On for his single Thinking Out Loud.

2024- Madonna concluded her Celebration world tour with a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, attended by 1.6 million people, marking the largest concert of her career.




Notable Releases and Chart Achievements

Gene Vincent recorded Be Bop A Lula, which became a major hit in the US and UK, selling over 2 million copies.

The Beach Boys’ Surfin’ U.S.A. LP debuted on Billboard’s album chart, eventually peaking at No.2 and staying for 78 weeks.

Andy Williams’ single Can’t Get Used to Losing You reached No.2 on the Hot 100 and No.1 on the Easy Listening chart.



Awards and Recognitions

The first Grammy Awards in 1959 recognized artists across genres, including jazz, pop, and classical, establishing a precedent for future music industry accolades.

The Recording Industry Association of America awarded The Turtles a Gold Disc for Happy Together in 1967, highlighting the commercial success of rock and pop singles.

[Bikkie]

1833
James Busby arrives in the Bay of Islands
James Busby’s arrival in the Bay of Islands was the first tentative step along a path that led to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi seven years later.


Māori arrested for taking part in the ‘Dog Tax Rebellion’
1898
Dog Tax War narrowly averted
War threatened sleepy Hokianga as government troops marched towards armed Māori ‘rebels’.



In Music History

2020-Tori Amos releases her second memoir, Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage.

2020-The Guns N' Roses version of "Live And Let Die" blares as President Donald Trump tours a mask factory in Arizona during the coronavirus pandemic without wearing a mask. Intrigued by the irony, many news outlets show the footage. The band later sells T-shirts saying "Live N' Let Die With COVID 45."

2018-The musical Jagged Little Pill, based on Alanis Morissette's 1995 album of the same name, debuts at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.More

2016-Arsenio Hall files a $5 million defamation suit against Sinead O'Connor after the singer posts a message on Facebook suggesting he was the recently deceased Prince's drug dealer. She later apologizes and Hall drops the suit.

2015-After years working in Nashville as a songwriter and as a member of the bands The SteelDrivers and The Jompson Brothers, Chris Stapleton, 37, releases his debut album, Traveller, with a rootsy sound that harkens back to the days of Hank Williams. It wins the Grammy for Best Country Album and both the ACM and CMA awards for Album Of The Year.

2015-The teenage rapper Silento releases "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," igniting a dance craze that spreads on YouTube, quickly going over a billion views. The "Nae Nae" part of the dance is based on Sheneneh's antics from the '90s TV series Martin.

2008-To thank fans for years of support, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) posts the album The Slip for free on his website.

2008-Country/pop singer Jerry Wallace, known for the 1959 hit "Primrose Lane," dies at age 79 of congestive heart failure.

2007-Avril Lavigne lands her only US #1 hit with "Girlfriend," the first single from her third album, The Best Damn Thing.

2004-Jamaican record producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, who signed Bob Marley & the Wailers to his Studio One label, dies of a heart attack at age 72.

2001-Zydeco musician Boozoo Chavis dies in Austin, Texas, at age 70.

2000-The Ridley Scott film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as a Roman general turned slave who seeks revenge for the murder of his family, debuts in US theaters. The movie opens with an idyllic scene in a wheat field against the backdrop of Hans Zimmer's ethereal score. The composer wanted to set the tone for an emotional story rather than a typical blood-and-guts gladiator film.

1998-Bad Religion release their 10th full-length studio album, No Substance.

1998-Tori Amos releases her fourth solo album, From The Choirgirl Hotel. The lead single, "Spark," is inspired by the first of three miscarriages the singer suffers before welcoming daughter Natashya in 2000. The album debuts at #5 in the US.

1992-Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys appear on the Full House episode "Captain Video (Part 1)," where Uncle Jesse records their song "Forever." A version of the song sung by John Stamos, who plays that character, appears on the group's album Summer in Paradise a few months later.

1990-Lou Reed, Al Green, Terence Trent D'Arby, Kylie Minogue and Randy Travis are among the performers at a John Lennon tribute concert in his hometown of Liverpool, England.More

1989-Chris Brown is born in Tappahannock, Virginia. His talent is evident early on, so he makes his way to New York City, where he lands a deal with Jive Records at 15. His first single, "Run It!," released when he's 16, goes to #1.

1988-Singer and TV personality Brooke Hogan is born Brooke Ellen Bollea in Tampa, Florida. Dad is professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.

1986-Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun announces that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be built in Cleveland, Ohio.

Chrissie Hynde And Jim Kerr Get Married
1984
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders marries Jim Kerr of Simple Minds.

1981-Craig David is born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

1979-Peaches and Herb's "Reunited" hits #1 in America.

1972-Paul Simon, Chicago and Carole King all perform at a benefit concert for US presidential candidate George McGovern.

1969-Creedence Clearwater Revival release "Bad Moon Rising."

1968-Buffalo Springfield play their last concert, a show in Long Beach, California. They would get back together in 2010 and tour in 2011.

1963-The Beatles' UK debut album Please Please Me goes to #1 in that territory.

1962-The Shirelles go to #1 in America with "Soldier Boy," where they sing about staying true while their fellas go off to battle.

1962-Kevin Mooney (bass player for Adam & The Ants) is born in Greenwich, London, England.

1962-Chris Montez records "Let's Dance."

1959-Ian McCulloch (frontman for Echo & The Bunnymen) is born in Liverpool, England.

1948-Bill Ward (drummer for Black Sabbath) is born in Aston, Birmingham, England.

1937-Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire is born in Coventry, England.

1934-Johnnie Taylor is born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas.

1934-Saxophonist Ace Cannon, known for the 1962 hit "Tuff," is born in Grenade, Mississippi.

1911-James Bland dies of tuberculosis in Philadelphia.

1898-Blues musician Blind Willie McTell is born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia.





Featured Events

2014-Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles attacks Jay-Z in an elevator they are all riding after attending the Met Gala at The Standard hotel in New York. The footage, which is leaked on TMZ, shows Jay taking his whooping before a security guard restrains Solange. Beyoncé later mentions the incident in her song "Flawless" when she sings, "sometime s--t go down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator."More

2009-Tina Turner, 69, closes out her 50th Anniversary Tour with a show in Sheffield Arena that turns out to be her last concert. "I don't want people to come to a show and think that I used to be great," she says.

1999-At the 34th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Garth Brooks is named Artist of the Decade.

1988-Adele is born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in London. Her albums are named after her age when they're released, starting with 19 in 2008. Her second album, 21, goes stratospheric, with visceral songs about her ex that make a deep connection with fans.

1942-Tammy Wynette is born Virginia Wynette Pugh on a cotton farm in Mississippi. Her signature song comes in 1968 with "Stand By Your Man," which she says she spent 15 minutes writing and a lifetime defending.


Key Historical Events

1891- The Music Hall, later known as Carnegie Hall, opened in New York City with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor of the New York Music Society Orchestra.

1927- Dmitri Shostakovich premiered his 1st Symphony in Berlin, Germany.

1956- Elvis Presley scored his first US No.1 single and album with Heartbreak Hotel and his self-titled debut, marking a milestone in rock’n’roll history.

1960- The Everly Brothers began a seven-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with Cathy’s Clown.

1962- The Shirelles hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Soldier Boy, also topping charts in New Zealand.

1962- The West Side Story soundtrack album went #1 and stayed there for 54 weeks, a record at the time.

1968- Buffalo Springfield performed their final concert in Long Beach, California, before disbanding.

1973- David Bowie topped the UK Albums chart for the first time with Aladdin Sane, featuring hits like The Jean Genie.

1973- Elvis Presley’s live album Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite reached the top of the US Billboard 200.

1979- Peaches & Herb hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Reunited.

1984- Duran Duran scored their second UK number one single with The Reflex, also topping charts in the US and several other countries.

1992- Radiohead released their debut EP Drill.

1996- Rage Against the Machine topped the Billboard 200 with Evil Empire, featuring Grammy-nominated tracks.

2008- Neil Diamond released Home Before Dark, topping charts in the US, UK, and New Zealand.

2010–2023: Pop icons like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter performed major concerts or events on May 5, highlighting the day’s ongoing significance in contemporary music.




Notable Birthdays

1988- Adele, the globally acclaimed singer-songwriter known for hits like Hello and Someone Like You, was born on May 5.

Historical composers born on this date include Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708), Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819), and Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869),.




Other Highlights

1955- The musical Damn Yankees opened in New York City, running for 1,019 performances.

1972- Paul Simon, Chicago, and Carole King performed at a benefit for U.S. Presidential candidate George McGovern.

1986- Cleveland, Ohio, was announced as the site for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

1999- Garth Brooks was named Artist of the Decade at the 34th Academy of Country Music Awards.

[Bikkie]

1869
Colonial troops invade the Urewera
The main purpose of the operation was to punish Tūhoe for supporting Te Kooti Rikirangi, whose ‘rebel’ force they had sheltered after it was defeated at Ngātapa, inland from Poverty Bay, in January.



In Music History

2022-Bad Bunny releases Un Verano Sin Ti, which debuts at #1 in America and spends 10 (non-consecutive) weeks at the top of the US albums chart. It's only the second entirely Spanish-language album to top the chart, following his previous album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, in 2020.

Adele Puts On George Michael Costume
2015-Adele dresses up like George Michael for her 27th birthday. "I was my hero," she Tweets.

2014-Sia releases the video for "Chandelier." Being very fame-averse, she isn't in it. Instead, 11-year-old Maddie Ziegler of the reality series Dance Moms does a dance routine while wearing Sia's signature wig. It becomes one of the most popular videos on YouTube, amassing over 2 billion views and pushing Sia's album 1000 Forms Of Fear to #1.

2014-"The Heart Of Man Is Like A Mine," a lost song from German composer Felix Mendelssohn, is performed for the first time in over a century and a half by alto Amy Williamson and pianist Christopher Glynn on BBC's Today.

2013-Lauryn Hill is sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion. She begins serving the sentence in July.

2009-Donald "Ean" Evans (longtime bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd) dies of lung cancer at age 48 in Columbus, Mississippi.

2008-In Central London, Mark Saunders, a barrister, Oxford-educated, very secure financially, and married to an equally successful woman, takes a shotgun and fires at random from his kitchen window. Police arrive promptly, and after a siege lasting more than five hours, marksmen open fire on him, and he is shot dead. At the inquest in October 2010, it is ruled he was killed lawfully, and one of the firearms officers involved in the siege is accused of inserting song titles into his evidence. The officer concerned is known only as AZ8, and the songs concerned include "Enough Is Enough" by Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, "Line Of Fire" by Journey, and "F--k My Old Boots (Robo Cop And Seacombe)" by The Membranes. AZ8 is cleared in March 2011 of doing this with intent. Obviously he had Faith in the British system of Law And Order, the police having to Shoot Shoot a man who was Ticking until he went off Like A Hurricane.

2008-Cher begins her "Cher at the Colosseum" shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, planning to play 200 concerts over three years. The run ends in February, 2011 with 192 performances, since eight were canceled.

2006-Australian alt-rocker Grant McLennan (of Go-Betweens) dies of a heart attack at age 48.

2004-Guitarist Barney Kessel, who played on many Billie Holiday recordings, dies at 80.

2003-Fall Out Boy release their debut album, the pop-punk effort Take This To Your Grave.

2002-Rock and roll songwriter Otis Blackwell dies at age 71 of a heart attack.

2001-Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and his wife Skylar have their second child, a son named Layne.

1996-Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut album to international markets, aiming to tap into Europe's fascination with boy bands. A US release comes the following year.

1994-Donna Summer appears on an episode of Family Matters, playing Steve Urkel's shy Aunt Oona (from Altoona). Oona comes out of her shell when she belts out "Last Dance" at karaoke.

1993-The IRS confiscates personal property from Jerry Lee Lewis' home in Mississippi and later auctions it off to help pay the $1.6 million he owes in back taxes.

1991-The DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince video for "Summertime" debuts on NBC following the season 1 finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This is part of a new trend; six months earlier, The Simpsons debuted "Do The Bartman" following an episode of their show.

1990-Bassist Jason Everman plays his last show with Soundgarden, at Subterrania in London.

1989-N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, which was released nine months earlier, reaches its chart peak of #37 in the US.

1988-D.J. Tanner ditches school to nab Stacey Q's autograph on the Full House episode "D.J. Tanner's Day Off."

1987-Rapper Meek Mill is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1983-Jazz trombonist Kai Winding dies of a brain tumor at age 60.

1983-The Smiths open for Sisters of Mercy at the University of London Union. In the audience is a producer from the influential radio program The John Peel Show, who gets the band on the show. Peel becomes a huge fan and plays the version of "This Charming Man" they recorded for the show, helping launch their career.

1982-Tom Paton, manager of the Bay City Rollers, is convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys and sentenced to three years in jail.

1982-Diana Ross gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a solo artist.

1979-Bob Dylan records "Trouble In Mind," "When You Gonna Wake Up," and "Slow Train."

1978-The Knack is formed.

Cheryl Tiegs Inspires Bob Seger Song
1978-The model Cheryl Tiegs appears on the cover of Time magazine, inspiring Bob Seger's song "Hollywood Nights."More

1977-The Boomtown Rats sign their first major label recording contract.

1972-Elton John releases "Rocket Man."

1971-Ike and Tina Turner's cover of "Proud Mary" is certified Gold.

1971-Chris Shiflett (lead guitarist for Foo Fighters) is born in Santa Barbara, California.

1969-Jamaican ska trombonist Don Drummond (The Skatalites) dies at age 37 at Bellevue Asylum in Kingston, Jamaica, where he was institutionalized after murdering his girlfriend in 1965. The official cause of death is "natural causes," but plenty of theories arise suggesting he was murdered either by gangsters or a music-hating government.

1967-Mark Bryan (lead guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish) is born in Silver Spring, Maryland.

1965-James Brown records "I Got You (I Feel Good)" during his first session at Criteria Studios in Miami. It becomes one of his signature songs and introduces his new catch phrase: "I feel good!"

1964-Tony Scalzo (frontman for Fastball) is born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1963-The Ronettes sign a five-year "personal services" contract with Phil Spector, giving him complete control of their recordings in exchange for a cash advance of $15,000 and royalties of about 3% of record sales. This works out very well for Spector, who reaps huge profits on the songs. The group claims they are never paid the royalties, and spend decades in legal action trying to recover them.

1960-Elvis Presley records "Tonight's All Right For Love."

1960-Alt rocker John Flansburgh (of They Might Be Giants) is born in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

1957-Chuck Berry records "Rock And Roll Music."

1951-Guitarist Davey Johnstone, a longtime member of Elton John's band, is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1950-Guy Lombardo's "The Third Man Theme" hits #1.

1950-Robbie McIntosh (drummer for The Average White Band) is born in Dundee, Scotland.

1948-Folk singer Mary MacGregor, known for the 1976 hit "Torn Between Two Lovers," is born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1942-Colin Earl (pianist for Foghat, Mungo Jerry) is born Hampton Court, London, England.

1939-Herbie Cox (lead singer of The Cleftones) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1965-At a hotel in Clearwater, Florida, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones can't sleep because there's a guitar riff running through his head. He rolls a tape, falls asleep and wakes up the next morning to find he's recorded the riff to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Featured Events

2007-Amy Lee of Evanescence marries Josh Hartzler, the inspiration for the song "Bring Me To Life."

2005-Audioslave becomes the first US rock act to perform a free outdoor concert in Cuba when the group performs at La Tribuna in Havana.

1997-The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time holds its induction ceremonies in Cleveland, where the Hall is located. (Previous ceremonies were held in New York). Getting in are The Jackson 5, The Bee Gees, The Young Rascals, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Parliament-Funkadelic.

1995-Thanks to a stream of airplay for perplexing tracks like "Lightning Crashes" and "All Over You," Live's Throwing Copper summits the Billboard albums chart just over a year after it was released, bumping off The Lion King soundtrack.

1995-Melissa Etheridge sets a record with back-to-back singles – "Come to My Window" and "I'm The Only One" – on Billboard's Hot 100 for at least 40 weeks.

1994-Pearl Jam cancel their summer tour when they can't find enough venues that won't use Ticketmaster, leading to a battle between the band and the ticketing behemoth.

1973-Paul Simon begins his first tour as a solo artist, performing at Music Hall in Boston at a show that is recorded for his album Live Rhymin'.

1945-Bob Seger is born in Lincoln Park, Michigan. He becomes a fixture on the Detroit music scene in the late '60s and becomes a star with his 1976 album Night Moves. He rocks out on songs like "Old Time Rock And Roll" and "Katmandu" but is best known for songs like "Turn The Page" and "Against The Wind," which stir up a range of emotions.



Key Events

1965- Keith Richards began writing the Rolling Stones' classic "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" in a Clearwater, Florida hotel room, following his purchase of a Gibson fuzz box. The song was recorded shortly after and became the Stones' first US No.1 hit, later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

1965- James Brown recorded "I Got You (I Feel Good)" at Criteria Studios in Miami, which became his highest-charting single, peaking at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1966- The Rolling Stones released "Paint It Black" in the US, featuring Brian Jones on sitar, marking a notable fusion of rock and Eastern instrumentation.

1968- Johnny Cash released his first live album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, recorded earlier that year.

1973-Paul Simon began his first solo tour after parting ways with Art Garfunkel, performing in Boston.

1977-Dolly Parton made her New York singing debut.

1978- The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, primarily featuring the Bee Gees, began an 18-week run at No.1 in the UK and a 24-week run atop the US Billboard 200, becoming one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time with hits like "Stayin’ Alive," "How Deep Is Your Love," and "Night Fever".

1994- Pearl Jam filed a complaint against Ticketmaster in the US Justice Department, challenging its monopoly on concert ticket sales.

1994- Alternative rock band Live topped the US Billboard 200 with their album Throwing Copper.

1997- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted influential artists including the Bee Gees, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Jackson Five, Joni Mitchell, and Parliament-Funkadelic.




Notable Births and Deaths

1858- Composer Georges-Adolphe Hue was born.

2020- Florian Schneider, co-founder of Kraftwerk and electronic music pioneer, passed away at age 73, leaving a lasting influence on electronic and pop music.

Errol Brown, frontman of Hot Chocolate, died of liver cancer; he was known for hits like "You Sexy Thing" and "Brother Louie".



Other Highlights

1978- The Bee Gees announced the launch of UNICEF benefit concerts.

2005- A life-size bronze statue of James Brown was unveiled in Augusta, Georgia, commemorating his musical achievements.

Metallica- In 1996, the band began recording for the video "Until It Sleeps," and in 2003, they were featured as an "mtvICON" in a 90-minute special.

[Bikkie]

A luxury ocean liner is destroyed
On this day in 1915, during World War I, a single torpedo fired by a German submarine struck the Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. Less than 20 minutes later, the ship sank, and some 1,200 people (of the nearly 2,000 on board) died. The Germans considered their attack justified: they had warned the Lusitania would be sunk, and it was carrying tons of Allied munitions. With 128 American citizens now dead and submarine warfare apparently without limits, public outrage in the United States ran high. Though the country would not enter World War I until 1917, the seeds of its involvement had been sown.


In Music History

2025-Gretchen Wilson of "Redneck Woman" fame makes a comeback with a win on The Masked Singer, where she sings as a crustacean called Pearl. Wilson beats out Andy Grammer and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line for the victory.

2022-Mickey Gilley dies at 86. He had 39 Top 10 Country hits and owned a bar in Dallas called Gilley's that was known as "the world's biggest honky-tonk."

2017-Spider-Man actor Tom Holland takes the art of lip synching to a new level with his performance of "Umbrella" on the show Lip Sync Battle, where he dresses like Rihanna and confidently pulls off her choreography, complete with rain machine. It's the most memorable moment from the show, which lasts five seasons.

2016-After completing a tour with Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose takes over as lead singer for AC/DC, filling in for Brian Johnson at a show in Lisbon after Johnson is told that continuing the tour could result in permanent hearing loss. Rose fills in on the remaining dates as a guest vocalist.

2012-Jake Owen marries the 22-year-old model Lacey Buchanan. The pair met when she appeared in Owen's video for "Eight Second Ride."

2011-Lady Gaga's HBO concert special airs. The show is made up of two February concerts from Madison Square Garden on her Monster Ball tour. Those who remember Madonna's Truth or Dare notice a lot of similarities.

2011-'60s pop singer John Walker (of The Walker Brothers) dies of liver disease at age 67.

2008-The Jammys Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to Phish. The ceremony takes place in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

2008-A number of British tabloids, including The Sun and The Daily Mail, blame the "emo suicide cult" for the death of 13-year-old Hannah Bond. My Chemical Romance take the brunt of their ire for allegedly glamorizing death on albums like The Black Parade, which was a #2 hit in both the US and UK. MCR, who insist they never encourage self-harm, respond by leading their fans in chants of "F--k the Daily Mail!"

2007-Sammy Hagar sells an 80% stake in his Cabo Wabo tequila company to Gruppo Campari for $80 million.More

2007-The first and only Hottest Chicks In Metal Tour kicks off in Louisville. All the bands on the tour are fronted by women: Lacuna Coil (Cristina Scabbia), Within Temptation (Sharon den Adel), In This Moment (Maria Brink), The Gathering (Anneke van Giersbergen) and Stolen Babies (Dominique Lenore Persi).

2005-This s--t is bananas: Gwen Stefani hits #1 in America with "Hollaback Girl." The song has a cheerleader theme, and Stefani (looking impressive in the outfit at 35) plays one in the video. She wasn't a cheerleader in high school - she played piccolo in the marching band.

2005-Giacomo, owned by A&M Records founder Jerry Moss, wins the Kentucky Derby at 50-to-1 odds.

2005-System Of A Down perform their raging Iraq War protest song "B.Y.O.B." on Saturday Night Live with the network using a 5-second delay to mute their vocals every time they say "f--k."

2002-Carole King guests on the WB Network's TV show Gilmore Girls (for which she also sings the opening song).

2002-Carole King guests on the WB Network's TV show Gilmore Girls (for which she also sings the opening song).

2002-Tom Waits releases the albums Blood Money and Alice on the same day. Blood Money contains songs used for a Robert Wilson production of the unfinished play Woyzeck by German playwright Georg Büchner, while Alice contains mostly songs written for Wilson's adaptation of a play also named Alice. They're his 13th and 14th studio albums.

1998-Country singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt dies of lung cancer at age 56.

1994-Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra, in the audience for a show by the Fixtures at the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California, is seriously injured when a mosher lands on his leg and then starts a fight with him. According to Biafra, the mosher and his friends kicked him in the head and called him a "sellout rock star."

1991-EMF launch their debut album, Shubert Dip. It features one of the year's biggest hits, "Unbelievable."

1988-Thanks to constant airplay on MTV, Terence Trent D'Arby hits #1 in America with "Wishing Well." It's his second single - his first, "If You Let Me Stay," topped out at #68.

1984-Roger Waters releases his first solo album, The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking. His band, Pink Floyd, fractured the previous year.

1983-Stevie Wonder makes his only appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he's the host and musical guest. He plays a Stevie Wonder impersonator in a skit with Eddie Murphy and stars in a camera commercial spoof with the tagline, "so simple, even Stevie Wonder can use it."

1982-The first Men at Work album, Business as Usual, already a #1 hit in their native Australia, is finally released in America. In November, it rises to the top in the US.

1973-George Harrison releases "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)."

1970-Cold lead singer Scooter Ward is born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1969-The Who release "Pinball Wizard."

1968-Aretha Franklin records a live album in Paris.

1968-Eagle-Eye Cherry (yes, that's his real name) is born in Skane, Sweden. Known for his hit "Save Tonight," he's the son of trumpet player Don Cherry and half-brother of Neneh Cherry.

1967-Jimi Hendrix plays the Saville Theatre in London, with Brian Jones, Ringo Starr and members of The Moody Blues and The Beach Boys in attendance.

1961-Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell is born in Pontypridd, Wales.

1958-Rock guitarist Marty Willson-Piper (of The Church) is born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England.

1956-Anne Dudley (of The Art of Noise) is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.

1955-Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle is born in Manchester, England. Starting with their groundbreaking indie EP Spiral Scratch, he's in every lineup of the pop-punk trailblazers, taking over on vocals after frontman Pete Shelley dies in 2018.

1950-Drummer Prairie Prince (of The Tubes, Journey, New Cars) is born Charles Lempriere Prince in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1946-Bill Kreutzmann, drummer for the Grateful Dead, is born in Palo Alto, California.

1946-Singer-songwriter Bill Danoff (of Starland Vocal Band) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1946Rock guitarist Ray Monette (of Rare Earth, Funkadelic) is born.

1946-Jerry Nolan (drummer for New York Dolls, Heartbreakers) is born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.

1943-Rick West (lead guitarist for The Tremeloes) is born Richard Westwood in Dagenham, Essex, England.

1939-Johnny Maestro (original lead singer for The Crests, Brooklyn Bridge) is born John Mastrangelo in New York City.

1936-Soul singer Jimmy Ruffin is born in Collinsville, Mississippi, to a family that will later include younger brother David Ruffin (of The Temptations).

1931-'50s pop/jazz singer Teresa Brewer is born in Toledo, Ohio.

1927-'50s pop singer-songwriter Jim Lowe is born in Springfield, Missouri.

1840-The composer Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky is born in Votkinsk, Russia.

1833-Composer Johannes Brahms is born in Hamburg, Germany.

1824-Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is premiered in Vienna, Austria. Its final movement incorporates Friedrich Schiller "Ode to Joy" poem sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus. It represents the first time a major composer has used voices in a symphony.






Featured Events

2016-Following his unexpected death, Prince takes the top two spots on the Billboard albums chart with The Very Best of Prince at #1 and Purple Rain at #2. With his music unavailable on most streaming services and download distributors, physical albums are in many cases the best way to get his music.

1998-Steve Perry officially leaves Journey, honoring an agreement made with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain that they would reform the band without him if he was not able to tour. He is replaced with the similar-sounding Steve Augeri.

1992-John Frusciante quits the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the middle of their Japanese tour.More

1978-Goaded by an item in the magazine saying they are "more interested in finding a softball team they can beat," the Eagles take on Rolling Stone in a game the rock band wins 15-8 (Don Henley is the winning pitcher). In the crowd cheering on the Eagles are Joni Mitchell and Chevy Chase.

1968-On a plane ride returning home from his last gig with the band Bluesology, keyboard player Reginald Dwight looks for a stage name he can use for his burgeoning solo career. In the cabin, he comes across the band's horn player Elton Dean and lead singer Long John Baldry, and asks them if he can appropriate their names to concoct a new one for himself. They agree, and Elton John is born.

1966-"Monday Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas goes to #1 on the Hot 100, becoming the first song with a day of the week in the title to top the chart.

1977- The Eagles topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Hotel California," their fourth No.1 hit in the US. The song's guitar solo remains one of the greatest of all time and was awarded the 1977 Grammy for Record of the Year.

1966-The Mamas & the Papas started a three-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Monday, Monday." This song was also the first single by a mixed-gender group to reach No.1 in the US.

1968- Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, devised his stage name by combining the names of his bandmates, Elton Dean, and Long John Baldry.

1973- George Harrison released "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" on this day, which became an international hit and reached No.1 in the US.

[Bikkie]

1926
New Zealand Railways Magazine launched
Originally intended as a journal for the Railways Department’s 18,000 staff and their major customers, the New Zealand Railways Magazine evolved into a hugely popular general-interest periodical.


1970
'Cheryl Moana Marie' hits no. 1
Pop singer John Rowles established himself as an international star in the late 1960s. His hit single ‘Cheryl Moana Marie’ sold a million copies worldwide.



In Music History

2025-Zach Bryan buys the church in Lowell, Massachusetts where his literary hero, Jack Kerouac, was an altar boy. He works with the Kerouac estate to turn it into a museum and events center based on Kerouac's life and work.

2022-Bono and The Edge of U2 play an acoustic set at a subway station in Kyiv that has been converted into a bomb shelter. Their appearance is in support of Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia months earlier.

2012-Fiona Apple releases "Every Single Night," her first new song since 2005. The song is a visceral expression of her internal struggle, as she sings about how every single night is a fight with her brain.

2012-Tom Gabel, lead singer of the Florida punk band Against Me!, comes out as transgender and announces he will undergo gender reassignment surgery, becoming Laura Jane Grace.More

2009-San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declares "Adam Lambert Day" after Lambert's performance of "Black Or White" and "Mad World" on American Idol.

2008-Country singer Eddy Arnold dies in Nashville, Tennessee, a week before his 90th birthday.

2008-Crosby Loggins, son of Kenny Loggins, wins the first and only season of MTV's Rock The Cradle, a singing competition featuring the offspring of celebrity musicians. Runners-up are Jesse Blaze Snider, son of Twisted Sister's Dee Snider and Chloe Lattanzi, daughter of Olivia Newton-John.

2001-Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman Black welcome their daughter Lily Pearl Black.

2001-Sum 41 release their debut studio album, All Killer, No Filler.

2001-The road manager for Insane Clown Posse is arrested at an Omaha show for attacking an Eminem supporter who was tossing M&M candies on stage to taunt ICP about their Detroit rival.

1999-Jazz singer Leon Thomas dies of heart failure at age 62.

1995-Rick Nelson receives a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1993-The newly formed Backstreet Boys give their very first public performance, at SeaWorld Orlando.

1992-Will Smith (AKA the Fresh Prince) marries a songwriter named Sheree Zampino, who is pregnant with their son Trey. The couple divorce in 1995.

1991-Bohemian-born pianist Rudolf Serkin dies of cancer at age 88.

1990-A jury orders Frito-Lay to pay the famously anti-advertising Tom Waits $2.6 million for imitating his voice in a Doritos radio commercial that transforms his song "Step Right Up" into an ad for their SalsaRio flavor chips. In 1992, the verdict is upheld on appeal.

1982-The orchestral instrumental "Chariots Of Fire - Titles," by the Greek composer Vangelis, goes to #1 in America.

1982-In Los Angeles, Dean Martin is arrested when police find a loaded .38 pistol in the trunk of his Rolls Royce. He pleads guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and is sentenced to a year's probation.

1982-Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart dies of cancer and lymphoma at age 39.

1979-The Cure release their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys. It opens with "10:15 Saturday Night," the track that earned them a record deal.

1978-Donny Osmond gets married at the age of 21 to Debra Glenn. The union is bad for his career as his teen fanbase loses interest when he's no longer an eligible bachelor, but it's great for his personal life. The couple enjoys a happy marriage and welcomes five children.

1977-The Grateful Dead play a show at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that becomes legend among Deadheads when the soundboard recording is widely distributed. In 2011 it's entered into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, and in 2017 is officially released as Cornell 5/8/77.

1977-Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa is born in New Hartford, New York, where he'll start playing the guitar at age 4.

1976-Carly Simon becomes the first Saturday Night Live musical guest who doesn't play live when a bout of stage fright keeps her from going on. Instead, NBC runs prerecorded renditions of "You're So Vain" and a new song called "Half A Chance."

1975-Enrique Iglesias is born in Madrid, Spain, to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and journalist Isabel Preysler.

1974-British R&B musician Graham Bond dies in an apparent suicide at age 36 when he's hit by a train at Finsbury Park station in London, England.

1972-Darren Hayes (frontman for Savage Garden) is born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

1972-Billy Preston becomes the first rock star to headline at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

1971-Candice Night, who forms Blackmore's Night with her husband, Ritchie Blackmore, is born Candice Lauren Isralow at Hauppage, New York.

1968-George Dewey Hay, founder of Nashville's Grande Ole Opry radio program, dies at age 72.

1967-LaVerne Sophia Andrews (of The Andrews Sisters) dies of cancer at age 55.

Dylan Makes Original Lyric Video
1965
D.A. Pennebaker films Bob Dylan in one of the earliest music videos ever shot, the famous "flashcard" clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

1965-"Count Me In" makes Gary Lewis and the Playboys the only American act in the US Top 10. Their song is #2 behind "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits.

1964-Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is born in Essex, Rowntree, England.

1963-Major Lance records "Monkey Time."

1963-Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is born in Versailles, France. The imaginative director is also known for his surreal music videos for artists like Bjork, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, and others.

1953-Billy Burnette (guitarist for Fleetwood Mac) is born Dorsey William Burnette III in Memphis, Tennessee.

1953-Drummer Alex Van Halen, who along with his younger brother Eddie forms Van Halen, is born in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

1951-Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz is born in the Army hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

1951-Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey is born in Denver, Colorado. Outside of EW&F, he has a hit with Phil Collins in 1986 with "Easy Lover."

1944-Glam rocker Gary Glitter is born Paul Francis Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England.

1943-Paul Samwell-Smith (bassist for The Yardbirds) is born in Richmond, Surrey, England.

1943-Danny Whitten, guitarist in Neil Young's band Crazy Horse, is born in Columbus, Georgia. The song "The Needle And The Damage Done" is about Whitten, who dies of a drug overdose at 29.

1942-Country musician Jack Blanchard is born in Buffalo, New York, raised in Ohio.

1941-Soul singer John Fred (of John Fred & His Playboy Band) is born John Fred Gourrier in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1940-Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille is born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille in Montgomery, Alabama.

1940-Rick Nelson is born Eric Hilliard Nelson in Teaneck, New Jersey. His parents are Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and he appears with them on the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet before becoming a recording star.

1911-Blues musician Robert Johnson is born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.

1810-Sir Walter Scott publishes the poem "The Lady of the Lake," which later provides the title for the song "Hail to the Chief."








Featured Events

2015-In Tulsa, Rush begin their R40 Live tour, playing their newer songs first and working backward to "Working Man," the song that launched them in America. It ends up being their last tour, as drummer Neil Peart develops brain cancer and dies in 2020.

1993-The comeback is complete as Aerosmith's Get a Grip album debuts at #1, marking their first trip to the top of the albums chart.

1981-Lionel Richie and Diana Ross meet at a Reno, Nevada recording studio at 3:30 a.m., where they record vocals for "Endless Love," needed quickly so it can be inserted into the film of the same name. Richie flew in from Los Angeles; Ross drove up after her concert in Lake Tahoe. The song becomes one of the biggest hits of the decade.

1976-John Sebastian's "Welcome Back," the theme song to the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, hits #1 in America. The series was originally called Kotter, but after Sebastian wrote the song, the title was changed to accommodate (Sebastian tried writing a song called "Kotter," but could only rhyme that word with "otter").

1970-The Beatles release their final studio album, Let It Be, in the UK. Its American release date is May 18.

1965-On their first American tour, The Rolling Stones stop in Jacksonville, Florida. In the audience is 17-year-old Ronnie Van Zant, who decides then and there that he wants to be a singer in a rock band. He later forms Lynyrd Skynyrd.

1963-The Beatles land their first #1 hit when "From Me to You" tops the UK chart. The song goes nowhere in America, where word of The Beatles is still just a whisper.


Key Album Releases and Chart Milestones

1970- The Beatles released their final studio album, Let It Be, which topped charts worldwide despite internal band tensions and mixed critical reception.

1979- The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys (titled Boys Don’t Cry in the US and Australia), marking the start of their influential post-punk career.

1993- Aerosmith’s 11th studio album, Get a Grip, reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200, selling over 20 million copies globally and featuring hits like “Cryin’” and Grammy-winning “Livin’ on the Edge”.

1982- Vangelis’ instrumental theme Chariots of Fire topped the US singles chart, becoming an iconic film soundtrack.




Notable Concerts and Performances

1972- Billy Preston became the first rock performer to headline at Radio City Music Hall, paving the way for future rock acts like David Bowie.

2008- The Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall featured Sting, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Brian Wilson, and others, highlighting music’s role in philanthropy.




Awards and Recognitions

1985 & 2001: The Academy of Country Music Awards recognized artists such as Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, and Toby Keith for their contributions to country music.



Other Significant Events

1952- Revival of the musical Of Thee I Sing opened at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC.

1962- Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum premiered at Alvin Theater, NYC, winning six Tony Awards.

1976- Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue closed after only seven performances.

2023- Disney’s live-action musical The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, premiered in the US.



Births and Deaths

1742 & 1745: Composers Johann Baptiste Krumpholtz and Carl Philipp Stamitz were born.

1967- LaVerne Sophia, eldest of The Andrews Sisters, passed away.

1982- Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, died at age 39.

1991- Pianist Rudolf Serkin, renowned for his Beethoven interpretations, passed away at 88.

[Bikkie]

1907-First School Journal published
New Zealand pupils were for the first time able to read a schoolbook published in their own country.

Anthony Wilding, c. 1910
1915
Kiwi Wimbledon winner killed in battle
New Zealand's most successful tennis player, Anthony Wilding was one of the stars of the sport in the decade before the First World War.


Crowds at VE Day celebrations in Wellington
1945
New Zealand celebrates Victory in Europe
Germany surrendered on 7 May, New Zealand time, but acting Prime Minister Walter Nash insisted that celebrations wait until after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill officially announced peace at 1 a.m. on 9 May, New Zealand time.



In Music History

2022-Patti Labelle plays Cedric The Entertainer's overbearing mother in the episode of The Neighborhood, "Welcome To The Mama Drama." At the end, they all sing her hit "Lady Marmalade."

2020-Rock pioneer Little Richard dies of bone cancer at the age of 87. Over the course of his legendary career he recorded some of America's most recognizable songs, including "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly."

2017-Italian trance DJ Robert Miles dies in Ibiza, Spain, at age 47 after a short illness.

2014-Michael Jackson's second posthumous album, Xscape, is released.

2014-Hunter Hayes breaks the record for most concerts performed in different cities in a single day when he plays 10 shows in 24 hours.

2013-Rocker Sixto "Sugar Man" Rodriguez receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater, Wayne State University, Detroit.

2013-The RIAA starts counting streaming toward its Gold and Platinum awards, with 1,500 album streams equal to one album sale (a "unit"), and 150 song streams counting for one song sale.

2010-Cyndi Lauper is the ninth contestant booted off Season 9 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Sizzle With Stadium Arcadium
2006-The Red Hot Chili Peppers release their ninth album, Stadium Arcadium. Featuring the hit singles "Dani California" and "Snow (Hey Oh)," it's their first album to hit #1 in the US.More

2005-The music video for Stevie Wonder's "So What The Fuss" is issued with a descriptive audio track by Busta Rhymes for the visually-impaired.

2003-The Eagles, trimmed to a four-man lineup (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) after parting ways with Don Felder, start their Farewell I tour in Richmond, Virginia, the title a mocking reference to the many "farewell" tours that aren't really. They play 168 dates on the tour over a span of three years.

2000-Bad Religion release their 11th full-length studio album, The New America. It's the band's final release on Atlantic Records and their final recording with drummer Bobby Schayer, who had been a member of Bad Religion since 1991. On The New America, guitarist Brett Gurewitz (who left Bad Religion in 1994, but eventually rejoined the band in the next year) co-wrote the song "Believe It" with frontman Greg Graffin.

1998-Blues musician Lester Butler dies of a heroin and cocaine overdose at age 38.

1998-Brian Wilson plays his first ever solo concert (no Beach Boys) at a show in St. Charles, Illinois.

1995-Shaboozey is born Collins Chibueze in Woodbridge, Virginia. He releases his first single in 2014 but doesn't get much attention until 2024, when he shows up on two tracks from Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album. Later that year, his song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" topples Bey's "Texas Hold 'Em" at #1.

1989-In an interview with The Washington Times, Public Enemy's "Minister of Information," Professor Griff, blames Jews for "the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe."More

1979-Pierre Bouvier (lead singer, guitarist for Simple Plan) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1979-Rock singer and party starter Andrew W.K. is born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Stanford, California. He defines his style and image with songs like "Party Hard," "It's Time To Party" and "Big Party," which he says encourage an active and thoughtful lifestyle. He expounds on the meaning of party culture in interviews, speaking engagements, and even an advice column in The Village Voice.

1979-Jazz singer Eddie Jefferson dies at age 60 when a dancer he once hired and fired shoots him outside of Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit.

1971-Oasis bass player Paul McGuigan is born in Manchester, England.

1967-"Damita Jo Day" is held in the singer's hometown of Austin, Texas.

1964-Chuck Berry makes his UK stage debut at London's Astoria Theatre, with The Animals, The Nashville Teens, and The Swinging Blue Jeans opening for him.

1963-The Rolling Stones sign their first management contract with Andrew Loog Oldham's management company Impact, agreeing to license their UK output to Decca.

1962-David Gahan (lead singer for Depeche Mode) is born in Epping, Essex, England.

1962-Pop singer Paul Heaton (of The Housemartins) is born in Machynlleth, Powys, Wales.

1953-Jenny Haan (later Janita Haan Morris) is born Janita Haan at Edgware, England.

1953-John "Rhino" Edwards (bass guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Chiswick, London, England.

1950-Tom Petersson (bass guitarist for Cheap Trick) is born in Rockford, Illinois.

1949-Billy Joel is born in The Bronx, New York, raised in Hicksville on Long Island.

1949-Electric blues guitarist Bob Margolin is born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

1946-Las Vegas entertainer Clint Holmes, known for the 1972 hit "Playground In My Mind," is born in Bournemouth, England.

1945-Rock guitarist and producer Steve Katz (Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1944-Don Dannemann (singer, guitarist for The Cyrkle) is born in Brooklyn, New York City. Dannemann will also become a jingle writer, penning the original 7Up "Uncola" song.

1944-Rock guitarist Richie Furay (of Buffalo Springfield, Poco) is born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

1943-Rocker Bruce Milner (pianist for Every Mother's Son) is born.

1942-Mike Millward (of The Fourmost) is born in Bromborough, Cheshire, England.

1942-'60s pop singer-songwriter Tommy Roe is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1941-Doo-wop singer Danny Rapp (of Danny & the Juniors) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-Peter Birrell (bass guitarist for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.

1937-Rock and roll singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis (of Buddy Holly's The Crickets) is born in Meadow, Texas.

1937-R&B singer Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave) in Ocilla, Georgia.

1936-The front page story of Melody Maker: "B.B.C. Appoints Anti-Song Plugging Official."

1935-Nokie Edwards, guitarist for The Ventures, is born Nole Floyd Edwards in Lahoma, Oklahoma.

1914-Country singer Hank Snow is born Clarence Eugene Snow is born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada.

1707-Baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude dies.




Featured Events

2005-Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger get married. Their union lasts just four months, but provides inspiration for Chesney's song "I'm Alive."

1992-Bruce Springsteen performs on US TV for the first time when he finally accepts a longstanding offer to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. He plays three songs from Human Touch and Lucky Town, the albums he released simultaneously five weeks earlier.

1987-The Grateful Dead shoot the video for "Touch Of Grey" after a concert in Monterey, California. After the show, the shoot is set up and the audience brought back in to watch two different performances of the song: one by the band and another by their skeleton likenesses - the "Dead Ringers." It's the first music video by the band, and it goes into rotation on MTV, giving the group their first hit single.

1974-Bruce Springsteen gets a huge career boost when he opens for Bonnie Raitt at her Boston Arena show. Playing his full two-hour set at Raitt's insistence (rare for an opening act), Bruce is so impressive that Rolling Stone's Jon Landau writes in Boston's The Real Paper, "I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." Landau went on to become Springsteen's manager and producer.

1970-The Canadian band The Guess Who hit #1 in America with "American Woman." The song is actually a tribute to the women of Canada.

1964-Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" hits #1 in the US, making him the first artist to displace The Beatles, who held the top spot the previous 14 weeks with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love."

FDA Approves The Pill, So Does Loretta Lynn
1960-The birth control pill is introduced in the US, inspiring Loretta Lynn to sing a song about it.



Key Events and Milestones

1964- Chuck Berry, known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," began his first UK tour at the Astoria Theatre in London, performing for 23 consecutive nights and concluding at the Hammersmith Apollo. The same year, Louis Armstrong, at age 62, became the oldest artist to top the US Billboard Hot 100 with Hello, Dolly!, which later won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male.

1969- George Harrison released his second solo album, Electronic Sound, an experimental work on The Beatles’ Zapple Records label.

1970- Canadian rock band The Guess Who reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with American Woman / No Sugar Tonight, marking their only US chart-topping single.

1978- The musical review Ain’t Misbehavin’, celebrating Fats Waller’s songs and starring Nell Carter and Irene Cara, opened at the Longacre Theater in New York City, eventually winning multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards.

1981- Adam and the Ants hit number one on the UK Singles Chart with Stand and Deliver, beginning a five-week run.

1987- Pop band Curiosity Killed the Cat topped the UK Albums Chart with their debut album Keep Your Distance, while Starship began a four-week run at number one in the UK with Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, also a chart-topper in the US, Canada, Ireland, and Portugal.

1992- British dance act KWS started a five-week stint at number one in the UK with the double A-side single Please Don’t Go / Game Boy.

1998- American blues harmonica player and singer Lester Butler passed away at age 38.

2020- Legendary rock and roll pioneer Little Richard died at age 87, leaving a lasting legacy with hits like Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally, and Good Golly, Miss Molly.



Additional Notable Events

1868- Anton Bruckner’s 1st Symphony in C premiered, conducted by the composer.

2006- Paul Simon released his eleventh solo studio album, Surprise.

2023- George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun became the first Beatles song to reach a billion streams on Spotify, also becoming the oldest song to achieve this milestone.

[Bikkie]

1307 – Scottish king Robert the Bruce heavily defeats an English cavalry force at the battle of Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire.

1774 – Louis XVI becomes king of France after Louis XV dies of smallpox.

1857 – The Indian Mutiny, against rule by the British East India Company, begins.

1897 – Ethel Benjamin becomes the first woman admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.

1925 – NZ prime minister William Ferguson Massey dies in office.

1940 – British prime minister Neville Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill forms new government.

1941 – Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland in an apparent attempt to negotiate a peace; he is arrested and jailed.

1960 – An all-white All Blacks team departs for a tour of South Africa, in the face of widespread opposition.





In Music History

2023In Stockholm, Beyoncé kicks off her Renaissance tour, her first since her Formation tour in 2016. Among her accessories: Tiffany in-ear monitors with 4.5-carat diamonds.

2019-The #FreeBritney movement gains traction as supporters gather outside the Los Angeles courthouse where Britney Spears speaks to a judge about her conservatorship. Spears has been under the conservatorship, a legal maneuver typically used to protect the elderly or mentally incompetent, since 2008, with her father, Jamie Spears, conservator.

2018-Scott Hutchison, the 36-year-old lead singer of the Scotish band Frightened Rabbit, is found dead after going missing a day earlier.

2018-Responding to the #MuteRKelly campaign, Spotify removes R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from playlists as part of a new policy against "hate content" and "hateful conduct." The capricious policy is rescinded two weeks later after an industry backlash.

2016-Justin Timberlake performs his new single "Can't Stop the Feeling" in the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest as the show is broadcast in America for the first time. His appearance in Stockholm, Sweden, leads to speculation that the USA will be invited to enter the song competition, following the successful addition of Australia to the line-up in 2015.

2011-The Cars, disbanded since 1988, release their album Move Like This and kick off a tour with a concert at the Showbox in Seattle. It doesn't go well: tensions soon resurface, and the tour is cut short after less than a month. They don't play together again until their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2018.

2011-Norma Zimmer, The Lawrence Welk Show's longtime "Champagne Lady," dies at age 87.

2010-In tribute to the recently deceased Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, Jose Feliciano performs the US national anthem before the Tigers/Yankees game at Tiger Stadium. In 1968, Harwell had Feliciano sing the anthem before a Tigers World Series game, and the 23-year-old blind Puerto Rican singer responded by playing the first non-traditional rendition of the song at a major sporting event. He and Harwell took a lot of heat, but in later years, it became common for singers to put their own spin on the song.

2009-Songwriter/historian Julie Coryell dies at 61.

2005-British soul and R&B singer Seal marries celebrity model Heidi Klum. The couple had been dating since 2004, when Klum gave birth to her daughter Leni, sired by her previous boyfriend; Seal was present at the birth and Klum announced that Seal would adopt Leni as her father. The couple have three biological children together before their divorce in 2012.

2003-Madonna's album American Life debuts at #1 but far underperforms her previous albums, as fans don't warm up to it (her rap in the title track is a low point). She rebounds with her next one, Confessions On A Dance Floor.

2003-Matthew West marries his long term girlfriend, Emily.

1994-Serial killer John Gacy, the subject of songs by Sufjan Stevens and Jane's Addiction, is executed for the murders of 33 young men and boys.

1994-Philadelphia rhymers G. Love & Special Sauce release their self-titled debut album, featuring "Cold Beverage" and "Baby's Got Sauce."

1992-Jazz singer Sylvia Syms (not to be confused with the actress Sylvia Syms) dies from a heart attack onstage at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

1989-On his 29th birthday, U2 frontman Bono welcomes his first child when wife Ali gives birth to a daughter named Jordan.

1988-Prince releases his 10th album, Lovesexy, which becomes his first chart-topper in the UK.

1986-"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys, a synthy song about clubbing in London, hits #1 on the Hot 100 five months after going to #1 in their native UK. It's the first of many hits for the duo.

1986-Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear. They divorce seven years later.

1985-Pop singer Ashley Poole (of Dream) is born in Blythe, California.

1985-After three albums, The Go-Go's announce their breakup, with frontwoman Belinda Carlisle leaving to start a solo career with help from guitarist Charlotte Caffey. The first of their many reunions takes place in 1990.

1980-R&B singer Jason Dalyrimple (of Soul For Real) is born in Wheatley Heights, New York.

1979-A judge rules in favor of Peter Frampton in the lawsuit brought against him by Penny McCall, his live-in girlfriend from 1973-1978 and the inspiration behind songs like "Show Me The Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way." She wanted half of his earnings from their time together, but they were never married and never had a formal agreement. The case sets a legal precedent for cohabitating couples.

1975-Apple Records officially dissolves.

1974-Eric Clapton records "I Shot The Sheriff," a cover of a Bob Marley song. He's reluctant to do it, but it becomes the only #1 hit of his career on the Hot 100.

1974-The Who sell out Madison Square Garden in a record eight hours.

1974-Led Zeppelin launch their record label, Swan Song, with lavish parties in London and Los Angeles. Bad Company and Dave Edmunds both record for the label, which shuts down in 1983.

1969-The Turtles and The Temptations perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia. Things don't go so well for the Turtles' Mark Volman, who falls off the stage five times.

1967-Rapper Young MC is born Marvin Young in South Wimbledon, London, England.

1964-Dusty Springfield makes her US television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.

1963-The first Rolling Stones recording session is held in London, where they record their first single: a cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On."

1957-Sid Vicious (bassist for The Sex Pistols) is born John Simon Ritchie in Lewisham, London, England.

1955-Danny Kustow, guitarist in the Tom Robinson Band, is born in London.

1952-Reggae drummer Sly Dunbar (of Sly & Robbie) is born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica.

1947-Rocker Jay Ferguson (Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne) is born John Arden Ferguson in Burbank, California. As a composer, he will create the theme to NBC-TV's The Office.

1946-Graham Gouldman (bassist for 10cc) is born in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England.

1946-'60s psychedelic rocker Donovan is born Donovan Philips Leitch in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland.

1946-Guitarist Dave Mason, a founding member of Traffic, is born in Worcester, England. He writes their song "Feelin' Alright," which isn't really about feelin' alright - Mason tells Songfacts it's about "another relationship gone bad."

1940-Singer-songwriter Arthur Alexander is born in Florence, Alabama, raised in nearby Sheffield. His song "You Better Move On" is the first hit to come out of FAME studios in Florence; his song "Anna (Go to Him)" is covered by The Beatles.

1938-Henry Fambrough, a founding member of The Spinners, is born in Detroit. He keeps the group going into the 2020s with various lineups.

1935-Larry Williams, '50s rock and roll singer known for hits like "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1909-Maybelle Carter, matriarch of The Carter Family clan and mother to June Carter Cash, is born Maybelle Addington in Nickelsville, Virginia.

1894-Composer Dimitri Tiomkin is born Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin in the Ukraine.


1960
Paul Hewson is born in Dublin. He shortens his nickname from Bono Vox (Latin for "good voice") to simply Bono and fronts the band U2.

Featured Events

2006-Chris Daughtry gets voted off Season 5 of American Idol in a shocker, as he is favored to win. He finishes fourth, with Taylor Hicks claiming the victory.

1999-Shel Silverstein, the prolific author of beloved children's books who was also a top songwriter, dies of a massive heart attack at age 68. He wrote "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash.More

1994-Weezer release their self-titled debut (aka The Blue Album). It sells 90 copies the first week but picks up steam when "Undone - The Sweater Song" starts getting airplay. "Buddy Holly" becomes a hit on MTV, and the album eventually sells over 3 million copies.

1991-Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys gets a signature look when he loses his right eye after being shot by his girlfriend.

1986-Paul Simon plays three songs from his upcoming Graceland album on Saturday Night Live. He's backed by South African musicians, including the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who perform with him on "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes." With South Africa under a cultural boycott in an attempt to stop Apartheid, its music is sequestered. Simon's appearance with musicians from the country and the subsequent album introduce the sound to a global audience, but also cause problems for Simon when he faces criticism for violating the boycott.

Kraftwerk Predicts High-Tech Society On Computer World
1981-Kraftwerk release their eighth studio album, Computer World, featuring prescient songs about the influence of computers on society.More

1975-Stevie Wonder headlines the fourth annual "Human Kindness Day" festival in Washington, DC. Belying the name of the festival, many in the estimated crowd of 125,000 turn violent, and hundreds of robberies and assaults are reported.

1899-Fred Astaire is born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska. After appearing with his sister Adele on the Broadway stage, he becomes a Hollywood star.


.
Notable Recordings and Releases

1963- The Rolling Stones recorded their debut single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come On,” at Olympic Studios in London, marking the start of their legendary career.

1970- saw David Bowie win the Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song with “Space Oddity,” inspired by the Apollo 11 mission and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

1974- marked the release of Bad Company’s debut single “Can’t Get Enough,” which reached No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1986- Austrian artist Falco topped the UK Singles chart with “Rock Me Amadeus,” becoming the first German-speaking artist to achieve a US Billboard Hot 100 No.1.

1988 -Prince released his 10th studio album Lovesexy in the UK, notable for its controversial nude cover.




Band Milestones and Tour

1985- The Go-Go’s announced their disbandment. They were the first all-female band to have a No.1 album with Beauty and the Beat and were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

1975 -featured Stevie Wonder headlining the final Human Kindness Day festival in Washington, D.C., performing to over 125,000 people alongside The Commodores and Sly and the Family Stone.

2023- saw Beyoncé kick off her Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm, Sweden, while artists like Ava Max, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Timberlake performed major concerts on May 10, highlighting the date’s ongoing significance in live music.




Other Significant Events

1960- The Silver Beetles (later The Beatles) auditioned for promoter Larry Parnes, beginning their journey toward global fame.

1963- Decca Records signed The Rolling Stones on George Harrison’s recommendation.

1982- WABC radio in New York played its last record, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” before switching to an all-talk format.

1994- Barbra Streisand began her first concert tour in 30 years at the Capitol Centre in Maryland.




Chart Achievements

1986- The Pet Shop Boys topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “West End Girls,” also winning Best Single at the 1987 BRIT Awards.

1986- Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” climbed from No.7 to No.3 on the charts, while Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately” held No.5.

[Bikkie]

Charles Upham
1945
Charles Upham presented with first Victoria Cross
New Zealand’s most-decorated soldier, Charles Upham, received the first of his two VCs – for outstanding gallantry and leadership during the Battle of Crete in 1941 – from King George VI at Buckingham Palace.



In Music History

2024-Nemo, representing Switzerland, becomes the first non-binary winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with a performance of "The Code," which is about "the realization that I am neither a man nor a woman." It's Switzerland's first win since Celine Dion took the prize for "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" in 1988.

2022-Lionel Richie accepts the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at a celebration where Gloria Estefan sings "Dancing On The Ceiling," Chris Stapleton does "Say You, Say Me," and his fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan performs "Lady."

2014-Ed Gagliardi (bass guitarist for Foreigner) dies at age 62 after an eight-year battle with cancer.

2012-William Balfour, the former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, is convicted of murdering Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew "as an act of vengeance by a jilted husband," according to the jury. Balfour's trial, at which Hudson herself had to take to the witness stand, began in October of 2008.

2008-John Rutsey, the original drummer for Rush, dies of a diabetes-related heart attack at age 55.

2007-The Mamas & The Papas, Otis Redding and Al Kooper are all inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.

2006-Guitarist Dave Baksh announces he is leaving Sum 41 to pursue a career with his new band, Brown Brigade.

2004-Willie Nelson cancels ten upcoming concerts in order to get some much-needed carpal tunnel surgery.

2004-John Whitehead (of the R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead), age 55, is murdered outside of his Philadelphia home when he's shot while fixing his car. The crime, thought to be a tragic case of mistaken identity, remains unsolved.

2003-Jackson Browne appears on the "Brake My Wife, Please" episode of The Simpsons.

2003-Noel Redding (bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience), age 57, is found dead in his Ireland home from a hemorrhage related to cirrhosis of the liver.

2000-Napster, which lets users download songs posted by other users for free, wins the Webby award for best music site, beating out Launch.com, Wired Planet, sputnik7 and FarmClub.

1999-Sabrina Carpenter is born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. In 2014 when she's 15, she stars in the Disney show Girl Meets World and sings the theme song. When the show ends three years later, she devotes more time to music, and in 2024 lands a big hit with "Espresso."

1999-After releasing four Spanish-language albums, Ricky Martin releases his first in English, Ricky Martin. It includes the mega-hit "Livin' La Vida Loca," his American breakthrough.

1997-Country singer Trace Adkins marries Rhonda Forlaw in Nashville.

1996-The wonderfully titled Fairweather Johnson, the second album by Hootie & the Blowfish, debuts at #1 in America.

1995-Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray play a tribute concert for Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, Texas. They had all played with Stevie Ray at his last concert on August 26, 1990.

1993-Onyx bring slam dancing to hip-hop with "Slam," releasing their high-energy hit co-produced by Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.

1991-"Joyride" by Roxette peaks at #1 on the Hot 100. It's the fourth and final US chart-topper for the Swedish duo.

1990-The late Ritchie Valens is finally awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Blvd.

1989-The late Roy Orbison is posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, with Eric Clapton presenting the award to Orbison's widow. Orbison enjoyed a career resurgence in the '80s, but died on December 6, 1988.

1979-Bob Dylan records "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking," "Precious Angel," "When You Gonna Wake Up," "I Believe In You," "Slow Train," and "Gotta Serve Somebody."

1979-Lester Flatt, the guitarist who founded the Foggy Mountain Boys along with banjo player Earl Scruggs, dies of heart failure at age 64 after a long illness.

1976-Record producer/musician Alexander Perls is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1975-Cher's new boyfriend, Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers, appears on her variety show Cher, where he performs "Midnight Rider."

1973-Stevie Wonder records "Higher Ground."

1970-The Chairmen Of The Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" is certified gold.

1970-Sammy Davis, Jr., who was previously wed to actresses Loray White and May Britt, gets married for the third and final time to another actress: Altovise Gore. Jesse Jackson presides over the ceremony.

1968-A Rolling Stone review of Electric Flag's album A Long Time Comin' incorporates the first documented use of the phrase "heavy metal": "This is the new soul music, the synthesis of white blues and heavy metal rock."

1968-Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park," a mysterious song written by Jimmy Webb about a cake left out in the rain. It climbs to #2 in America, but 10 years later reaches #1 in a version by Donna Summer.

1967-Cream records "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Outside Woman Blues."

1967-The Donna Reed Show's Paul Petersen signs with Motown Records (but never has a US hit with them).

1967-The Bee Gees make their first big splash on UK television, performing their new single "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)" on the BBC's Top Of The Pops.

1965-The Byrds appear on TV for the first time when they play their cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the NBC show Hullabaloo.

1964-In an early sign of their tendency to disrupt authority, The Rolling Stones are refused service for lunch at Bristol, England's Grand Hotel because they're not properly dressed in jackets and ties. The next day, the Daily Express calls them "the ugliest group in Britain" and remarks, "The Rolling Stones gather no lunch."

1962-Ray Stevens releases "Ahab The Arab."

1959-"The Happy Organ" by Dave "Baby" Cortez goes to #1 in America, marking the first time an instrumental song featuring on organ tops the chart.

1957-The Everly Brothers make their stage debut in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry.

1955-Electronic musician Jonathan "J.J." Jeczalik (of The Art of Noise) is born in Banbury, England.

1955-Drummer Mark Herndon (of Alabama) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1947-Butch Trucks (drummer for The Allman Brothers Band) is born Claude Hudson Trucks in Jacksonville, Florida.

1943-Les Chadwick (bassist for Gerry and the Pacemakers) is born in Liverpool, England.

1943-Arnie Silver, aka Arnie Satin (of the '60s vocal group The Dovells), is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-Eric Burdon (lead singer of The Animals) is born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1935-Kit Lambert, manager of The Who and co-founder of Track Records, is born Christopher Sebastian Lambert in Middlesex, England.







Featured Events

2008-Leonard Cohen kicks off his first tour in 15 years with a show in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He continues touring on and off for the next five years in a series of highly acclaimed performances.More

1988-Still going strong, the legendary songwriter Irving Berlin turns 100. A concert celebrating his life and music takes place at Carnegie Hall, with Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney all taking part.

1985-Madonna's "Crazy For You," written for the movie Vision Quest, hits #1 in the US.

1975-"Stand By Your Man," released for the fifth time in the UK, finally catches on, going to #1 for the first of three weeks. First released in the UK in 1969, the song leads a surge of British interest in Tammy Wynette, who begins a tour there when her song is still topping the charts.

1972-John Lennon goes on the Dick Cavett Show and mentions that the FBI is monitoring him. He turns out to be right.

David Cassidy Reveals All To Rolling Stone
1972-In an effort to shed his teenybopper image, David Cassidy appears shirtless (and pantless) on the cover of Rolling Stone.More

1970-The soundtrack for the movie Woodstock is released, featuring recordings from the festival. Those who were there realize it didn't sound nearly as good as they remembered it.


Notable Events and Releases

1957- The Everly Brothers made their stage debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, marking the start of their influential career in rock and country music

1959- Dave “Baby” Cortez reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with his instrumental hit The Happy Organ

. On the same day, the musical Once Upon A Mattress, starring Carol Burnett, opened at the Phoenix Theatre in New York City

1963-The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me hit number one in the UK, beginning a record-breaking 30-week run at the top of the charts

1964- The Beach Boys released their single I Get Around, which became their first US #1 hit and a top 10 hit in the UK

1965- Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut in Flora, the Red Menace, and The Byrds made their television debut performing Mr. Tambourine Man on NBC’s Hullabaloo

1967- The Bee Gees made their UK television debut on Top of the Pops with New York Mining Disaster, 1941

1970- Atlantic Records released the live Woodstock album, capturing performances from the 1969 festival; it later achieved double platinum status

1972- John Lennon appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, revealing that the FBI had tapped his phone, a claim later confirmed, and premiered the controversial song Woman Is The Ni**r of the World*

1974- Steely Dan released Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, which became their biggest US hit, peaking at #4

1975- Natalie Cole released her debut album Inseparable, featuring hits like This Will Be (An Everlasting Love), earning her two Grammy Awards

1981- Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats opened in London’s West End, eventually running for 8,949 performances

On the same day, reggae legend Bob Marley passed away at age 36, leaving a lasting legacy with albums like Legend and Exodus

1983- The musical Dance a Little Closer opened and closed after just one performance at the Minskoff Theater in New York City


Births and Deaths

1791- Composer Jan Vaclav Hugo Vorisek was born

1895- Composer William Grant Still, a pioneering African-American classical composer, was born

1979- Bluegrass musician Lester Flatt, known for his work with Flatt and Scruggs, died at age 64

1981- Bob Marley, the iconic Jamaican singer-songwriter and reggae pioneer, died at age 36



Other Highlights

1966- Wilson Pickett recorded Land of 1000 Dances, which became a major hit on both R&B and pop charts

1966- English band Small Faces released their debut album, peaking at #3 on the UK charts

1973- Stevie Wonder recorded Higher Ground, a funk classic that topped the US R&B chart and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100

[Bikkie]

In Music History

2017-Harry Styles becomes the second One Direction member (following Zayn Malik) to release a solo album. The eponymous album is a departure from his boy band material in 1D, with meaty songs like "Sign of the Times" and "Sweet Creature." It goes to #1 in many countries (including the US and UK) and establishes Styles as a solo artist.

2017-To commemorate the 30th anniversary of their acclaimed 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, U2 embarks upon The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, with an opener in Vancouver, Canada. The band plays through the entire album, including rare treats "Exit" and "Trip Through Your Wires," which haven't been performed since the '80s, and a live first for "Red Hill Mining Town."

Astronaut Plays "Space Oddity" In Space
2013
After the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield records the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" on board the International Space Station, his sublime rendition is posted to YouTube, quickly garnering millions of views.

2011-David Gilmour and Nick Mason join their former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters at the London 02 Arena performance of Waters' The Wall tour, joining in on "Comfortably Numb" and "Outside The Wall." It's the first time they've played together since Live 8 in 2005.

2011-The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, embark on a 45th Anniversary Tour with a date at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It's the group's fourth and final reunion tour, as Davy Jones dies in 2012.

2011-Jamaican drummer Lloyd Knibb (of The Skatalites) dies of liver cancer at age 80.

2007-Brian May of Queen goes under police protection after a schizophrenic leaves a letter at his home blaming him for his mental illness and threatening to kill him. The news is published in the Sunday Mirror the following day, against May's wishes.

2001-Perry Como dies in his sleep less than week before his 89th birthday.

2001-File this under strange but true: After 27 years as a fugitive from a New Jersey prison, convicted child-killer Edward Solly is arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he has been masquerading as long-dead Sha Na Na guitarist Vinnie Taylor, complete with a website and nightclub act.More

1998-Lenny Kravitz releases his fifth studio album, aptly titled 5. The album features his first Grammy Award-winning hit, "Fly Away."

1997-Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson appear on VH1's Storytellers, where they play each other's songs and swap stories. It's released as an album the following year.

1997-Married country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill release their first duet, "It's Your Love."

1994-Garth Brooks guest stars on the "Up All Night" episode of the sitcom Mad About You.

1983-Meat Loaf files for bankruptcy.

1981-Debbie Harry branches off from Blondie, announcing her solo career. She continues working with the band, which proves more successful.

1978-Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, is born in Los Angeles. His mother is the actress Lisa Richards, who had a regular role on the soap opera Dark Shadows and appeared on episodes of Fantasy Island and Chips.

1975-Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, each performing in the Sydney production of Jesus Christ Superstar, meet on the first day of rehearsals. Later in the year, they form Air Supply.

1973-Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy goes to #1 in America.

1971-Mick Jagger marries his first wife, Bianca Perez-Mora, who is four months pregnant with their daughter, Jade, in St. Tropez, France. The couple divorce in 1978.

1969-Martin Lamble, drummer for Fairport Convention, dies at age 19 when the band's van crashes on the way home from a gig in Birmingham, England. Bandmate Richard Thompson's girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, is also killed.

1967-At a concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Pink Floyd introduce an early version of quadraphonic sound, using a device to pan sound around the venue. There are also bubble machines, which get them banned from the hall for damaging the carpets.

1967-Archie Bell is drafted into the US Army.

1967-Procol Harum release "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."

1962-Bad Religion founder Brett Gurewitz is born in Los Angeles, California.

1961-Billy Duffy (guitarist for The Cult) is born in Hulme, Manchester, England.

1960-On Frank Sinatra's TV variety show, it's the Welcome Home Elvis special to honor The King, who was recently discharged from the US Army. The famous singers perform a medley of "Love Me Tender" and "Witchcraft" together.

1959-Eddie Fisher marries actress Elizabeth Taylor. They get divorced in 1964.

1959-Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath, Badlands) is born in New York City, but raised in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

1958-The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1958-The movie Let's Rock, with Paul Anka, Danny & the Juniors and The Royal Teens, opens.

1955-Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn) is born Leon Eric Brooks in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1950-John "Jocko" Marcellino (of Sha Na Na) is born in Quincy, Massachusetts.

1950-Rocker Billy Squier is born in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His breakout year is 1981, when the new network MTV plays his hits "The Stroke" and "In The Dark."

1948-Steve Winwood (of Traffic, Blind Faith and The Spencer Davis Group) is born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England.

1945-Ian McLagan (keyboardist for The Small Faces, The Faces) is born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England.

1944-R&B singer James Purify (of James & Bobby Purify) is born in Pensacola, Florida.

1942-Ian Dury (Kilburn and the High-Roads, Ian Dury & the Blockheads) is born in England.

1942-Country singer Billy Swan is born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

1940-Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield is born in Harlem, New York City.

1884-Czech composer Bedrich Smetana dies at age 60.


Featured Events

2000-Following the launch of Metallica's legal case against the popular online file-sharing service Napster, Chuck D of Public Enemy and Lars Ulrich of Metallica appear on The Charlie Rose Show, where they debate whether MP3 downloading is a vehicle for piracy or a return of power to the people.More

1984-Lionel Richie's "Hello," a song inspired by his younger years when he was too shy to talk to the ladies, goes to #1 in America.

1977-The Sex Pistols sign with Virgin Records for £15,000 after being dropped by both EMI and A&M. This one takes, and Virgin issues their landmark album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. "I've always liked Richard Branson because, pompous rich t--t that he is, he has a great sense of rebelliousness," lead singer Johnny Rotten says.

1972-The Rolling Stones release Exile On Main Street, a landmark double album recorded primarily at a villa in France, where the group is living to avoid British taxes (they are "tax exiles," thus the album name).

1967-The first Jimi Hendrix album, Are You Experienced?, is released. Songs include "Foxy Lady," "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze."

1963-Bob Dylan refuses to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show when they won't let him play "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues."More

1929-Burt Bacharach is born in Kansas City, Missouri.



Key Album Releases

1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album Are You Experienced in the UK, which spent 33 weeks on the British charts and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time

1972 – The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main St. on their own label, featuring hits like “Tumbling Dice” and “Sweet Virginia,” topping charts in multiple countries including the US and UK

1973 – Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy began a two-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 and also topped charts in Australia and the UK

1998 – Lenny Kravitz released his fifth studio album 5, which became a chart-topper in Australia and sold over 6 million copies worldwide

2017 – Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, later winning Best Rap Album at the Grammys and earning a Pulitzer Prize for Music

2017 – Harry Styles released his debut solo album, debuting at No.1 in both the UK and US, marking a major solo milestone after One Direction


Notable Singles and Chart Achievements

1958 – The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream” became the best-selling single in the US and topped the UK Singles chart for seven weeks

1965 – The Rolling Stones completed recording “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which became one of their most iconic songs

1984 – Lionel Richie’s “Hello” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No.1 in multiple countries

1990 – Adamski’s single “Killer” began a four-week run at No.1 in the UK



Significant Events and Milestones

1963 – Bob Dylan walked out of rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show after being told he could not perform “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues” due to censorship concerns

1969 – A tragic car accident killed Fairport Convention drummer Martin Lamble and frontman Richard Thompson’s girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn

1977 – The Sex Pistols signed with Virgin Records, marking a pivotal moment in punk rock history

1960 – Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley appeared on the same TV special, performing each other’s hits, including “Love Me Tender” and “Witchcraft”

2001 – Destiny’s Child topped the UK Albums chart with Survivor, and Janet Jackson’s All for You reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200


Births of Notable Composers

1739 – Jan Krtitel Vanhal
1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister
1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti
1842 – Jules Massenet
1845 – Gabriel Fauré
1855 – Anatoly Lyadov
1903 – Sir Lennox Berkeley



Deaths

2023 – American alto saxophonist David Sanborn passed away at age 78, leaving a legacy of collaborations with Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and many others

[Bikkie]

1787 – Eleven ships, later known as the First Fleet, set sail from Portsmouth, England, carrying criminals to Botany Bay, Australia.

1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.

1846 – US Congress declares war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas.

1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.

1912 – Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the UK.

1917 – Three children near Fatima, Portugal, report seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary at what has since become a sacred site.

1936 – The New Zealand National Party is formed from the remnants of the United-Reform coalition government heavily defeated by Labour the previous year.

1940 – In his first speech as UK prime minister, Winston Churchill tells the House of Commons: ‘’I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’’

1945 – World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei’s photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine.

1947-Death of Frances Hodgkins
One of this country's most celebrated artists, Frances Hodgkins spent most of her life overseas. She earned a place among the British avant-garde of the 1930s and 1940s – the first New Zealand-born artist to achieve such stature.

1995-New Zealand wins the America’s Cup
Few New Zealanders in 1995 could have avoided television commentator Peter Montgomery’s famous line, ‘the America’s Cup is now New Zealand’s cup!’



In Music History

2022-Rihanna and her boyfriend A$AP Rocky have their first child, a boy named RZA, named after the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. Rocky's real name is Rakim Mayers, named after the rapper Rakim of Eric B. & Rakim.

2019-Doris Day dies at 97.

2017-Todd Rundgren gives the commencement speech at Berklee College Of Music, where he says, "I've never been nominated, thankfully, for the Rock Hall of Fame. If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve." When he's inducted in 2021, he makes good on his promise by not showing up.

2017-Portugal wins the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time when Salvador Sobral triumphs with the ballad "Amar Pelos Dois."

2016-Chance the Rapper puts out his third mixtape, Coloring Book. It's released independently and not available for purchase, but still debuts at #8 on the Billboard 200, the first release to make the chart on streams alone. Chance goes on to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.

2016-Tower of Power play a California prison with former lead singer Rick Stevens, who served 36 years for a 1976 drug-related triple homicide.

2016-Blake Shelton releases "Straight Outta Cold Beer," the third promotional single for his If I'm Honest album.

2016-Kristian Bush of Sugarland appears on the TLC reality series Say Yes To The Dress, where he is flummoxed by bridal culture. While shooting the episode, he is asked to write a new theme song for the show, which he does with "Forever Now (Say Yes)."

2012-Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs) dies in his sleep at age 70 while on tour in Tokyo.

2011-Jack Richardson (producer of Guess Who, Bob Seger) dies at age 81.

2008-Frank Sinatra gets his own stamp 10 years after his death. The 42 cent stamp features a young Sinatra in a snappy suit and fedora.

2008-Rapper Remy Ma is sentenced to eight years in prison for assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion in conjunction with the shooting of a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub.

2008-The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, better known as "Flo and Eddie," sue Capitol Records for allowing Ice Cube to sample the group's 1972 song "Buzzsaw" for Cube's 1992 hit "Jackin' For Beats."

2006-Ryan Vandeberghe announces that the Suicide Machines have broken up after 15 years.

2006-Johnnie Wilder Jr. (lead vocalist of Heatwave) dies at age 56 of complications from paralysis (due to a 1979 car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down).

2004-In an Australian radio interview, Gene Simmons of Kiss states of Islam: "This is a vile culture, and if you think for a second that it's willing to just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing coming... they want to come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil." After a flood of angry calls from Muslims, Simmons claims he was speaking only of extremists.

2003-Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong pleads guilty to selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet.

2003-Michael Jackson sues Motown records for alleged nonpayment of Jackson 5 royalties and unauthorized usage of the group's music in TV commercials.

2002-Dionne Warwick is arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana when screeners find 11 marijuana cigarettes inside a lipstick container. Charges are dropped after she does an anti-drug public service announcement.

2002-Eddie Money appears on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens in the aptly titled episode "Eddie Money."

2000-Britney Spears is the musical guest and host on Saturday Night Live, where she performs two songs and appears in four sketches. In her opening monologue, she addresses rumors that she's had implants. "I'm 18 and still growing," she says, as her breasts move around in her shirt.

1997-Oprah Winfrey, who has been following Tina Turner's Wildest Dreams tour for her talk show and doing giveaways along the way, joins Turner on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles to perform "The Best." It's not easy for Oprah; during rehearsals, Turner tells her, "You really don't have any rhythm, do you?"

1994-"Black Hole Sun" is released as the second single off Soundgarden's album Superunknown.

1993-Morgan Wallen is born in Sneedville, Tennessee. After competing on The Voice in 2014, he releases his debut album, If I Know Me, in 2018. Over the next several years he becomes the most popular singer in country music, breaking records for album sales and chart entries with a steady stream of songs about heartbreak, small-town life, and learning from one's mistakes.

1988-Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker dies at age 58 after falling from a second floor window at a hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. An autopsy reveals traces of heroin and cocaine in his body, and the death is ruled an accident.

PMRC Rallies Support For Labelling Offensive Music
1985
The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) holds a meeting in a Washington church where they foment support for their agenda: a ratings system for albums and concerts like those used for movies, and also to keep offensive album covers out of view in record stores. Their efforts lead to warning stickers on albums with offensive lyrics.

1981-Filmmaker James Szalapski releases his Outlaw Country documentary Heartworn Highways. The film follows numerous musicians, including David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Townes Van Zandt.

1981-Pop singer Joan Weber, known for the 1955 hit "Let Me Go, Lover!," dies of heart failure in a New Jersey mental institution at age 45.

1978-Just days after breaking his leg in a softball game, Jimmy Buffett appears on Saturday Night Live for the first and only time, singing "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" with his injured limb propped up on an old boat.

1977-Rapper Pusha T is born Terrence LeVarr Thornton in the Bronx borough of New York City. He grows up in the suburbs of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he and his older brother, Gene (aka No Malice) form the hip-hop duo Clipse and write street songs about their experiences as drug dealers. As a solo artist, he's crowned the King of Coke Rap with singles like "Nosetalgia" and "Neck & Wrist."

1977-Rapper Pusha T is born Terrence Thornton in New York City. He forms the group Clipse before emerging as a solo artist.

1977-Hustler magazine offers Linda Ronstadt (and nine other celebrities) $1 million to pose nude in the magazine. She declines.

1975-Country singer-songwriter Bob Wills, known for the hit "Faded Love" (popularly covered by Patsy Cline in 1963), dies of pneumonia in Fort Worth, Texas, at age 70.

1974-An unlikely riot occurs at tonight's Jackson 5 concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC when impatient fans begin smashing bottles in the parking lot. 50 fans are injured; 43 are brought to jail.

David Essex And Ringo Starr In That'll Be The Day
1973-The movie That'll Be The Day, starring David Essex, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury and John Hawken of The Nashville Teens opens in the UK.More

1971-Motown child prodigy Stevie Wonder turns 21, and is by law released from his recording contract and given $1 million of the $30 million he has earned while at the label. Nevertheless, after gaining complete artistic control, Wonder re-signs to Tamla.

1971-Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane crashes her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which forces the cancellation of some recording sessions.

1969-The Beatles pose for the photo that becomes the cover of their The Beatles 1967-1970 compilation, re-creating the cover of their first album, Please Please Me, now with far more hair on their heads and faces.

1967-The Supremes land their 10th #1 hit with "The Happening."

1967-Pop singer Melanie Thornton (of La Bouche) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

1966-The Rolling Stones release "Paint It Black."

1966-Metal guitarist Lee Altus is born in Odessa, Soviet Ukraine.

1965-Elvis Presley's sixteenth movie, Tickle Me, premieres in Hollywood. It opens nationally two weeks later.

1960-The juvenile delinquent movie Platinum High School, starring Conway Twitty, opens in New York.

1958-Six months after marrying his third wife, 13-year-old second cousin Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis is finally granted a divorce from his second wife, Jane Mitcham.

1955-Johnny Tillotson is the opening act and sees fans rip the shirt off Elvis Presley's back after their Jacksonville, Florida, concert.

1955-Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Florida, is the first Presley show at which a riot ensues. After Elvis tells the audience, "Girls, I'll see you backstage," he has some of his clothes ripped off, but escapes unharmed.

1951-Paul Thompson (drummer for Roxy Music) is born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1950-Blues rocker Danny Kirwan (of Fleetwood Mac) is born in Brixton, London, England.

1947-Pete "Overend" Watts (bass guitarist for Mott the Hoople) is born in Yardley, Birmingham, England.

1945-Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz (harmonica player for The J. Geils Band) is born in New London, Connecticut.

1943-Motown singer Mary Wells is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1941-Rock and roll singer and guitarist Joe Brown is born in Swarby, Lincolnshire, England.

1941-Rock and roll pioneer Ritchie Valens is born Richard Steven Valenzuela in Pacoima, California.

1938-Louis Armstrong records an influential jazz rendition of the Black spiritual "When The Saints Go Marching In," which becomes a jazz and pop standard.

1935-Pop songwriter Teddy Randazzo is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for '60s hits "Pretty Blue Eyes," "Goin' Out Of My Head," and "Hurt So Bad," among others.

1934-Hymn composer William Golden dies in a traffic accident near Eupora, Mississippi.

1914-Country singer-songwriter Johnnie Wright (Johnnie and Jack), known for the 1965 hit "Hello Vietnam," is born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

1912-Jazz musician Gil Evans is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1911-Jazz singer Maxine Sullivan, known for her 1937 swing version of the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond," is born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania.




Featured Events

2010-12-year-old Greyson Chance appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performing his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi." Two weeks later, DeGeneres starts a record label and signs him.

1985-Bruce Springsteen gets married for the first time, tying the knot with the model/actress Julianne Phillips. The couple divorce in 1989.More

"Night Fever" Replaced At #1 By Another Bee Gees Written Song
1978-After eight weeks at #1, "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees is finally bumped off, replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You," another song written by the Bee Gees and also featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.More

1970-The Beatles documentary Let It Be makes its theatrical debut. It is the last Beatles movie.

1966-Darius Rucker (frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

Stevie Wonder Is Born
1950-Stevie Wonder is born Stevland Morris in Saginaw, Michigan.


Key Events and Releases

1966 – The Rolling Stones released their hit single "Paint It Black" in the UK, one of the first rock records to feature a sitar, which topped charts in the UK, US, Canada, and the Netherlands.

1967 – The Supremes scored their tenth US No.1 single with "The Happening", marking the last release under the name The Supremes before becoming Diana Ross & The Supremes.

1970 – The Beatles documentary Let It Be premiered in New York City, chronicling the band’s final album sessions and rooftop performance; it later won an Academy Award for Original Song Score and a Grammy for Best Original Score.

1996 – Oasis became the fastest-selling group in UK history, selling out 330,000 tickets for their Knebworth House concerts in just nine hours, with 2.5 million people applying for tickets.

1969 – Led Zeppelin performed at the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu, becoming one of the first major British rock acts to play in Hawaii.

1978 – Yvonne Elliman topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with "If I Can’t Have You", dethroning the Bee Gees’ Night Fever.

2008 – Jason Mraz released his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things..

2016 – Chance the Rapper released his mixtape Coloring Book, the first album to chart on the Billboard Top 100 based solely on streams, later winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album.




Notable Births and Milestones

1950 – Stevie Wonder was born, later becoming the youngest artist to score a No.1 hit at age 13 and achieving critical acclaim with albums like Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.

1767 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart premiered his first opera Apollo et Hyacinthus at age 11 in Salzburg.




Other Significant Events

1955 – Tony Bennett reached number one on the UK Singles chart with Stranger in Paradise.

1965 – Roger Miller scored his only UK No.1 with King of the Road.

1975 – Robert “Bob” Wills, influential western swing musician, passed away at age 70.

Louis Armstrong recorded When The Saints Go Marching In, later added to the National Recording Registry in 2020.

Broadway milestones include the opening of The Pajama Game, which ran for over 1,000 performances and won a Tony for Best Musical.

[Bikkie]

1866
Wreck of the General Grant
Sailing from Melbourne to London, the General Grant hit cliffs on the west coast of the main island in the subantarctic Auckland Islands. Fifteen of the 83 people on board survived the sinking, but only 10 of them were ultimately rescued 18 months later.

1870
First game of rugby played in NZ?
Around 200 people were on hand at Nelson’s Botanic Reserve to watch a game of football played under Rugby rules.


1907
Plunket Society formed
Dr Frederic Truby King helped form the Society for the Promotion of the Health of Women and Children at a meeting in Dunedin Town Hall.


HMS Puriri, c. 1938-1941
1941
New Zealand minesweeper sunk near Hauraki Gulf
The minesweeper HMS Puriri was the second victim of mines laid off the Northland coast by the German raider Orion. Five of its crew were killed.


In Music History

2020-Keith Urban becomes the first major artist to play a drive-in concert in America during the coronavirus pandemic, performing to an audience of health care workers at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee.More

2017-Johnny Mathis confirms he is gay during an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, saying, "I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco. I've had some girlfriends, some boyfriends, just like most people. But I never got married, for instance. I knew that I was gay." He had been reluctant to discuss the issue ever since a 1982 Us Magazine article addressing his homosexuality resulted in numerous death threats toward the singer.

Every Song From Lemonade Makes The Hot 100
2016
Following the release of Beyoncé's Lemonade, all 12 tracks on the album debut on the Hot 100, breaking Taylor Swift's 2010 record for most songs on the chart at the same time by a female artist.

2014-On American Idol, The Chainsmokers perform their hit "#Selfie" in a bit where they take selfies with the judges. After the performance, EDM notables trash them.More

2014-Cubie Burke (singer and dancer of the Chicago soul group The Five Stairsteps) dies of complications from a brain injury at age 49.

2006-Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls has a daughter, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell. The father is her boyfriend Sacha Gervasi.

2006-Ashton "Family Man" Barrett, former bassist with Bob Marley's Wailers, loses a lawsuit alleging that Island Records and Marley's estate have failed to pay him millions in royalties.

2005-Bluegrass musician Jimmy Martin dies of bladder cancer at age 77 in Nashville, Tennessee.

2005-Bruce Springsteen lands his fifth US #1 album as Devils & Dust claims the top spot.

2004-Chris Martin of Coldplay and his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, have a daughter they name Apple.

2002-Rush release Vapor Trails, their 17th studio album and first since the deaths of Neil Peart's daughter and wife five years prior.

2001-After a six-season run, the last episode of Brandy's TV series Moesha airs. This final episode is a cliffhanger, with Moesha learning she is pregnant and her brother getting kidnapped.

1998-George Michael pleads no contest in Beverly Hills Municipal Court to committing a lewd act in a park restroom.

1993-The US tabloid Weekly World News claims that Elvis Presley has only recently died.

1991-Primus' major label debut (and eventual commercial breakthrough), Sailing the Seas of Cheese, is released. The album spawns the alt-rock classics "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," "Tommy the Cat," and "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers."

1991-Six months after releasing "Unbelievable" in their native UK, EMF release the single in the Unites States, where it goes to #1.

1988-Gloria Estefan scores the first of her three #1 hits when "Anything For You" claims the top spot. It's a heartbreak song, but not inspired by a specific person; Gloria married Emilio Estefan, leader of her group Miami Sound Machine, 10 years earlier.

1987-Frank Sinatra, who had played South Africa in the past, suddenly condemns the apartheid regime publicly, referring to president P.W. Botha as "a bum."

1987-Mötley Crüe hold a listening party for their album Girls, Girls, Girls at a strip club in Hollywood called The Body Shop. They are quite familiar with the venue, which is mentioned in the title track.

1979-Kate Bush wraps up her first tour with a show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. It ends up being her only tour, as she shifts her focus to producing her own songs and designing the visuals.

1977-Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" hits #1 in the US.

1976-Hunter Burgan (bass guitarist for AFI) is born in Grass Valley, California.

1976-Keith Relf (lead vocalist for The Yardbirds) dies at age 33 after being electrocuted while playing an improperly grounded guitar in his basement.

1973-Pop singer Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

1973-R&B singer-songwriter Shanice is born Shanice Lorraine Wilson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1971-Honey Cone's "Want Ads" is certified Gold.

1971-Rapper Freaky Tah (of Lost Boyz) is born Raymond Rogers in Queens, New York.

1969-Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1968-John Lennon and Paul McCartney go on The Tonight Show to announce the formation of Apple Records. Unfortunately, Johnny Carson is on vacation and the guest host is the sportscaster Joe Garagiola, who has no idea what to talk about.

1968-The Rascals record "People Got To Be Free."

1966-Fabrice Morvan is born in Paris, France. Along with Rob Pilatus, he is the face of Milli Vanilli, a duo that is busted for not actually singing on their recordings.

1966-Mike Inez, bass player for Alice In Chains, is born in San Fernando, California.

1966-Raphael Saadiq (of Tony! Toni! Toné!) is born Charles Ray Wiggins in Oakland, California.

1964-Jan & Dean record "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)."

1962-Ian Astbury (lead vocalist for The Cult) is born in Heswall, Cheshire, England.

1962-C.C. DeVille (of Poison) is born Bruce Anthony Johannesson in Brooklyn, New York.

1959-Jazz musician Sidney Bechet dies of lung cancer in Garches, France, on his 62nd birthday.

1956-The Platters release The Platters.

1956-Buddy Holly visits his optometrist's office to correct his horrible 20/800 vision with primitive contact lenses, but Buddy hates them, and decides to keep his signature glasses.

1952-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is born in Dumbarton, Scotland.

1951-Howlin' Wolf records "Moanin' At Midnight."

1950-Arthur Grant (bassist for the Edgar Broughton Band) is born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.

1947-Al Ciner (guitarist for The American Breed) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1945-Gene Cornish (guitarist for The Rascals) is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1943-Derek Leckenby (lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits) is born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

1943-Jack Bruce (bassist, singer for Cream, Manfred Mann, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) is born in Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

1942-Film composer Frank Churchill - who wrote several classic Disney numbers including "Heigh-Ho" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 40.

1939-One-hit-wonder Troy Shondell, known for his 1961 chart-topper "This Time," is born Gary Wayne Schelton in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

1936-Rock and roll singer Charlie Gracie, known for the 1957 hit "Butterfly," is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1932-Record producer Bob Johnston, known for his work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, and Simon & Garfunkel, is born in Hillsboro, Texas.

1925-Big Band trumpeter Al Porcino is born in New York City.

1921-Noël Coward sets sail for New York aboard the S.S. Aquitania.

1917-Norman Luboff, a film and TV composer who also recorded with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Doris Day, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1916-Jazz saxophonist Skip Martin is born in Robinson, Illinois.

1832-German composer Felix Mendelssohn's "The Hebrides Overture" also known as "Fingal's Cave" is premiered in London.




Featured Events

2015-B.B. King dies at age 89. Bonnie Raitt says, "Without a doubt, B.B. King has influenced more rock and blues musicians than anyone else in history."

2011-Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert get married, forming a country music power couple to rival the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill union. They divorce four years later.

1988-Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary celebration takes place at New York's Madison Square Garden, featuring appearances from many famous artists on the label's roster: The Bee Gees, Wilson Pickett, The Rascals, The Coasters, Emerson, Lake And Palmer, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Foreigner, Yes, Genesis, and the event's main attraction, a rare reunion of Led Zeppelin, with John Bonham's son Jason taking over drums for his late father.

1985-Ronald Reagan presents Michael Jackson with a special Presidential Humanitarian Award at the White House for his work against drunk driving. Footage of the ceremony is shown repeatedly when Jackson comes into legal trouble in the following years.

1955-Les Baxter's "Unchained Melody" hits #1 in America, the first of many renditions of the song to chart. The most enduring version is by The Righteous Brothers, which goes to #4 in 1965 and then to #13 in 1990 after featuring in the movie Ghost.

1936-Bobby Darin is born Walden Robert Cassotto in East Harlem, New York City. Teenage Nina Cassotto became pregnant out of wedlock and, to avoid scandal, had her mother raise the baby as her own while Nina passed him off as her younger brother. Bobby finds out years later that the woman he knew as his beloved mother was actually his grandmother.


Key Historical Events

1832- Felix Mendelssohn's concert overture Hebrides premiered in London, England, marking a significant contribution to Romantic orchestral music.

1902- Italian tenor Enrico Caruso made his Covent Garden debut opposite Nellie Melba in Verdi's Rigoletto in London.

1927- Ben Bernie's song "Ain't She Sweet?" reached #1 on the singles chart.

1942- Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait had its world premiere, conducted by Andre Kostelanetz with the Cincinnati Symphony.

1946- Paul Hindemith's requiem For Those We Love premiered.



Notable Deaths

1959- Jazz musician Sidney Bechet, renowned for his work on saxophone and clarinet, passed away at age 62.

1976- Keith Relf, singer and instrumentalist of The Yardbirds, died at 33 due to electrocution while tuning a guitar.

1998- Legendary singer Frank Sinatra, known as "Ol’ Blue Eyes," died at 82 following a heart attack.




Chart-Topping Hits and Releases

1968- The Rascals recorded "People Got to Be Free", which became a major hit in the US and Canada.

1977- Leo Sayer scored his second US No.1 single of the year with "When I Need You".

1983- Spandau Ballet's album True reached No.1 in the UK, featuring multiple Top 10 singles.

1988- Fairground Attraction topped the UK Singles Chart with "Perfect", also achieving international success.

1988- Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine began a two-week stint at number one in the US with "Anything For You".




Significant Performances and Milestones

1962- Helen Shapiro, at age 15, became the youngest musician to headline at the London Palladium.

1988- Led Zeppelin reunited at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary, with Jason Bonham replacing his late father John Bonham on drums.

1956- Buddy Holly received a prescription for contact lenses, though he continued to wear his trademark glasses.

1982- The Clash released Combat Rock, featuring the hit "Rock the Casbah".

1985- Michael Jackson received a humanitarian award from President Ronald Reagan for his charitable contributions and public service.

[Bikkie]

1901
Early motoring offence
Nicholas Oates appeared in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court charged with driving ‘a motor car within the city at a speed greater than four miles an hour’ on Lincoln Road, Christchurch.


1920
Whanganui mayor shoots poet
The victim of the shooting, poet Walter D’Arcy Cresswell, alleged that Mayor Charles Mackay had made homosexual advances towards him in the mayoral office and panicked when faced with the prospect of public exposure.



In Music History

2024-The new professional hockey team in Athens, Georgia, is christened the Rock Lobsters in honor of the B-52s, who formed in the city and released their classic song "Rock Lobster" in 1979. The name was chosen in a fan vote that nearly went to Classic City Panic in honor of another Athens band, WideSpread Panic.

2014-Rapper Evan Plunkett, who performed as Hollywood Will, is shot dead at a Las Vegas casino.

2011-Jazz vocalist Bob Flanigan (of The Four Freshmen) dies at age 84 of congestive heart failure.

2011-Rock star Meat Loaf and rapper Lil Jon are eliminated one week before the Season 11 finale of Donald Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice.

2010-Usher hits #1 in America with his Will.i.am collaboration "OMG," giving him chart-topping hits in the '90s, '00s, and '10s.

2009-Green Day release the album 21st Century Breakdown, their follow-up to American Idiot, released five years earlier. The first two singles are "Know Your Enemy" and "21 Guns."

2008-Shania Twain and producer Robert "Mutt" Lange announce they are separating after 14 years of marriage. Lange's affair with Twain's best friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, triggered the split. Twain later marries Thiébaud's ex-husband, Frédéric.

2007-Ike Turner spends a day in a Los Angeles jail over a mistaken warrant.


Burial Issues First Album
2006-Dubstep artist Burial releases his debut album, Burial, the first full-length album released through Kode9's Hyperdub Records. It's an attempt to capture the feeling of 2000s London late at night, and the album cover features an aerial view of South London. The logo, which later becomes Burial's signature, represents a pirate radio signal.More

2003-t.A.T.u.'s manager Ivan Shapovalov is arrested for disturbing the peace after staging a video shoot in Moscow's Red Square for the duo's song "Show Me Love." Playing up the act's image as teenage lesbian lovers, Shapovalov had arranged for about 200 young girls to dress like t.A.T.u. and kiss each other, which causes a disturbance. By the end of the year, t.A.T.u. will abandon the ruse and admit that they only acted like lovers for the sake of scandalous publicity.

2003-June Carter Cash dies after undergoing heart-valve replacement surgery at age 73.

2001-Weezer release their third album, which like their first, is called Weezer - it becomes known as "The Green Album" and their debut is called "The Blue Album." The Green Album comes five years after their previous album, Pinkerton, and is a lot brighter, getting the band back on the radio with songs like "Hash Pipe" and "Island In The Sun." It's not the last self-titled Weezer album - the Red, White, Teal and Black albums all follow.

2001-God Bless the Go-Go's, the Go-Go's fourth album, is released. It is the band's first studio album in 17 years.

2001-Tool release their third studio album, Lateralus. It sells 2 million copies and sets the stage for the also-successful 10,000 Days album that comes out three years later.

1995-Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland is arrested for heroin and cocaine possession outside a motel in Pasadena. It's the first of his high-profile drug arrests.

1993-"That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson goes to #1 in America, where it stays for eight weeks - longer than any other single by either Janet or her famous brother.

1992-'60s singer Barbara Lee (of The Chiffons) dies of a heart attack the day before her 45th birthday.

1990-Mariah Carey releases her first single, the ballad "Vision Of Love." In August, it climbs to #1 in America, setting Carey on track to become the best-selling female artist of the '90s.

Mötley Crüe Reach Peak Indulgence With Girls, Girls, Girls
1987-Mötley Crüe release the album Girls, Girls, Girls, the pinnacle of their rock star excess.More

1984-Nils Lofgren joins Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

1984-In Tulsa, Lionel Richie launches his Can't Slow Down tour. His opening act is Tina Turner, whose comeback album, Private Dancer, is released two weeks later. During his set, Richie brings Turner on stage to duet on "Three Times A Lady" and a cover of Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs."

1976-The Rolling Stones album Black and Blue goes to #1 in America.

1971-Two short John Lennon films are shown at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

1971-Pink Floyd, Mountain and the Faces perform the "Garden Party" concert at Crystal Palace Park in London. A small pond in front of the stage becomes an aquatic graveyard when hundreds of fish die during Pink Floyd's performance. What killed the fish? Reports vary, but it is either vibrations from the band's estimated 95-decibal sound system or smoke flares set off in the water. The band receives a bill for the dead fish.

1967-Paul McCartney first meets Linda Eastman at a Georgie Fame concert in London. They get married two years later, a union that lasts until her death in 1998.

1965-Burt Bacharach marries his second wife, Angie Dickinson. The composer and the actress stay together for 15 years and share a daughter, Nikki.

1963-At the fifth Annual Grammy Awards, The First Family, an album of comedy bits that pokes fun at President John F. Kennedy and his family, wins Album Of The Year, the only time a comedy or spoken-word album has ever won that award. Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" takes Record of the Year, Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" gets Best R&B Recording, and Bent Fabric's instrumental "Alley Cat" takes Best Rock and Roll Record.

1961-Brenda Lee guests on Make Room For Daddy on CBS-TV.

1957-Elvis Presley inhales the cap from one of his teeth and is taken to a Los Angeles hospital to have it removed from his lung.

1953-Rock composer Mike Oldfield is born in Reading, Berkshire, England.

1951-Rock singer Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen (of Toto) is born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1948-Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" goes to #1 in America. The song was composed by a free-spirited songwriter named Eden Ahbez, who lived in a Los Angeles park.

1948-Gary Thain (bassist for Uriah Heep) is born in Christchurch, New Zealand.

1947-Graeham Goble, guitarist and harmony vocalist of Little River Band, is born in Adelaide, Australia. He writes the band's biggest hit, "Reminiscing."

1942-Country singer-songwriter K.T. Oslin, known for '80s hits like "Hold Me" and "80s Ladies," is born Kay Toinette Oslin in Crossett, Arkansas.

1937-Pop singer and guitarist Trini Lopez, known for the '60s hits "If I Had A Hammer" and "Lemon Tree," is born in Dallas, Texas.

1918-Country singer Eddy Arnold is born on a farm near Hendersonville, Tennessee.


Key Events

1813 & 1567- Births of composers Stephen Heller and Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi, influential figures in classical music history.

1891- Jules Massenet's opera Grisélidis premiered in Paris, adding to the French operatic repertoire.

1959- Elvis Presley achieved his first UK No.1 single with “(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I” / “I Need Your Love Tonight”.

1963- Bob Dylan released The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, featuring classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” solidifying his folk icon status. The 5th Annual Grammy Awards also took place, with winners including Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Peter, Paul & Mary.

1965- Bob Dylan scored his first US Top 40 hit with “Subterranean Homesick Blues”.

1967- Paul McCartney met his future wife, Linda Eastman.

1971- Pink Floyd and Faces performed at Crystal Palace Park in London, causing an environmental impact on local aquatic life; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young topped the US Billboard 200 with 4 Way Street; Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On reached number one on the Billboard 200.

1974- Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones released his first solo album, Monkey Grip.

1976- The Rolling Stones’ album Black and Blue, featuring guitarist Ronnie Wood, topped the US Billboard 200.

1985- Prince released the single “Raspberry Beret,” and Madonna’s “Crazy for You” hit number one.

1994- Blur earned their first UK No.1 album with Parklife, a defining Britpop record.

1998- Sonny and Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2003- June Carter Cash, legendary country singer and Johnny Cash’s wife, passed away at age 73.

2008- Neil Diamond topped the Billboard 200 with Home Before Dark, becoming the oldest artist to achieve a No.1 album at age 67.




Notable Premieres and Releases1960- Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th String Quartet premiered in Leningrad.

1997- Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 4 ("Heroes"), inspired by David Bowie’s album, premiered in North London.

2001- R. Kelly released the single “Fiesta” featuring Jay-Z and Boo & Gotti.



Cultural Milestones

1953- The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland, establishing a long-standing international music tradition.

1968- Joe Massot’s psychedelic film Wonderwall, with music by George Harrison, premiered at Cannes.

1971- John Lennon’s short films were shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

[Bikkie]

1846
Eight killed in attack on Boulcott Farm
Disagreements over the validity of land purchases by the New Zealand Company led to a series of skirmishes between Māori and government troops in the Wellington region in 1846.



1981
All Whites beat Australia on road to Spain
The New Zealand football team's famous 2-0 victory in Sydney was a defining moment in their epic qualifying campaign for the 1982 World Cup finals.



In Music History

2012-Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go," dies at age 75.

2010-Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio succumbs to stomach cancer at age 68.

2009-Bob Dylan's 33rd album, Together Through Life, debuts at #1 in the US and the UK. Eight days shy of his 68th birthday, Dylan again becomes the oldest artist to ever top the US tally. He takes over the record from Neil Diamond, who was 67 years, 4 months old when his album Home Before Dark hit #1 in May 2008.

2007-Parma, Italy, names streets after Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

2003-Hoboken, New Jersey, names its post office after its favorite son, Frank Sinatra.

2002-Cher appears on the TV show Will & Grace for the second time. This episode is titled "A.I.: Artificial Insemination."

2001-Brian Pendleton (rhythm guitarist for Pretty Things) dies of lung cancer at age 57.

2000-With his Warner Bros. contract terminated, Prince starts using that name again. He changed it to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 after a dispute with the label.

1999-Diana Ross and Brandy star as mother and daughter in the made-for-TV movie Double Platinum.

1998-Keith Richards injures his ribs and chest when he falls from a chair at his Connecticut home; The Rolling Stones are forced to reschedule the first four dates of their upcoming tour while he recovers.

1998-The Dave Matthews Band go to #1 on the albums chart for the first time when Before These Crowded Streets debuts at the top spot, ending the Titanic soundtrack's 16-week berth at the top. Remarkably, their next six albums also debut at #1, a testament to their very loyal fans.

1993-R&B singer Marv Johnson, Motown's earliest performer, dies of a stroke at age 54.

1990-Muppets creator Jim Henson dies of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome at 53. Henson made music a key component of The Muppet Show, which featured a gnarly house band (The Electric Mayhem) and welcomed many superstars eager to interact with his creatures. Elton John, Julie Andrews, John Denver and Loretta Lynn all appeared on the show.

1990-Sammy Davis Jr. dies of complications from throat cancer at age 64. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in many movies and TV shows, and landing a #1 hit with "The Candy Man."

1987-David Crosby marries his longtime girlfriend Jan Dance in Los Angeles, with bandmate Stephen Stills giving away the bride and Graham Nash renewing his vows with wife Susan.

1986-Top Gun hits theaters with a soundtrack that includes the Kenny Loggins action theme "Danger Zone" and the Berlin love ballad "Take My Breath Away." Both songs are huge hits, continuing a trend of blockbuster movies debuting popular tunes.

1986-Caitlin O'Riordan of The Pogues marries Elvis Costello in Dublin, Ireland. They divorce in 2002.

1983-Michael Jackson does the Moonwalk for the first time on TV when he breaks out the move on the Motown 25th anniversary TV special.

1981-Kim Carnes' version of "Bette Davis Eyes," written and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1975, hits #1 in America.

1981-Ernie Freeman, a pianist known for R&B and pop arrangements from the '50s through the '70s, dies at a heart attack at age 58. Won Grammy awards for his arrangements of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

1980-Alabama release their first RCA Nashville single, "Tennessee River," which becomes their first #1 hit on the Country chart.

1980-Elvis Presley's doctor, George Nichopoulous, is arrested for abusing his licence to prescribe controlled drugs. Nichopoulous wrote Elvis prescriptions for over 10,000 doses of narcotics in 1977, the year Elvis died). He is acquitted, but in 1992 the Tennessee Medical Board revokes his license.

1980-Paul McCartney releases McCartney II, which, like most of his first solo album issued 10 years earlier, was recorded at his home studio with Paul playing every instrument. Forty years later, he does it again with McCartney III.

1980-The Carpenters' last TV special, Music, Music, Music, airs on ABC. Guest stars include Ella Fitzgerald, John Davidson, and Nelson Riddle.

1978-Guitarist Zoltan Bathory is born in Szentendre, Hungary, where he grows up under communist rule. As an adult he moves to America, teaches himself English, and forms the metal band Five Finger Death Punch. "Growing up in a country that had no resources will make you resourceful," he says.

Joe Walsh Is Underwater On His Solo Album
1978-Joe Walsh releases his fourth album, But Seriously, Folks..., where he indulges in an underwater meal in the artwork.More

1976-Mayor James H. McGee declares today "Ohio Players Day" in the band's hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

1974-Queen cut their first US tour short when guitarist Brian May comes down with hepatitis. They return to action November 30, touring behind their third album, Sheer Heart Attack.

1970-The Who release their acclaimed album Live At Leeds in America. It was recorded three months earlier at the University of Leeds in England.

1970-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young land their first US #1 album when Deja Vu hits the top spot. Tracks include "Teach Your Children," "Our House" and "Woodstock," a song written about the festival by Joni Mitchell.

1970-Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane is arrested on charges of drug possession in his Bloomington, Minnesota, hotel room after police find him smoking pot. His eventual punishment is a $100 fine.

1970-Randy Bachman leaves The Guess Who to produce an album for Winnipeg band Brave Belt, which he eventually joins. At the suggestion of Neil Young, Bachman recruits fellow Winnipeg bassist and vocalist C.F. Turner, and the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive is born.

1969-Jack Casady, bassist for Jefferson Airplane, is arrested in New Orleans for possession of marijuana and given a suspended sentence of two-and-a-half years.

1969-During The Who's set at the Fillmore East in New York, a plainclothes policeman rushes the stage to tell the audience that a fire has broken out, but guitarist Pete Townshend, figuring him for a rabid fan, kicks him off. Literally. The guitarist is arrested onstage and later charged $30.

1968-Ralph Tresvant (lead singer of New Edition) is born in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

1968-Tony Joe White records "Polk Salad Annie."

1966-Frank Sinatra records "Summer Wind."

1965-Krist Novoselic (bass guitarist for Nirvana) is born in Compton, California.

1964-Mary Wells' "My Guy" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1960-Billboard magazine reports that Detroit music mogul Berry Gordy is thinking of starting three new record labels, including one called Motown.

1959-Wayne Newton, 16 years old, makes his Las Vegas debut, performing with his brother, Jerry, at the Freemont Hotel downtown. A few years later, he becomes a Vegas Star and a regular on the Strip.

1955-New wave singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor is born in Coventry, England.

1953-Richard Page (lead singer of Mr. Mister) is born in Keokuk, Iowa.

1953-Jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt dies of a brain hemorrhage at age 43.

1953-Percy Faith's "Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" hits #1.

1951-Jonathan Richman (frontman for The Modern Lovers) is born in Natick, Massachusetts.

1949-Guitarist William "Sputnik" Spooner (of Grateful Dead, The Tubes) is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1947-'60s singer Barbara Lee (of The Chiffons) is born in The Bronx, New York.

1947-Darrell Sweet (drummer for Nazareth) is born in Bournemouth, England.

1946-Robert Fripp (guitarist for King Crimson) is born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England.

1946-Roger Earl (drummer for Foghat, Savoy Brown) is born in Hampton Court Palace, London, England.

1945-Nicky Chinn, who penned hits with songwriting partner Mike Chapman throughout the '60s and '70s, is born in London, England.

1944-Jazz drummer Billy Cobham is born in Panama.

1936-Doo wop singer Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson (of The Dell-Vikings) is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1932-Drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt (Young-Holt Unlimited, The Ramsey Lewis Trio) is born in Rosedale, Mississippi.

1929-Jazz singer Betty Carter is born Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan.

1919-Liberace is born Władziu Valentino Liberace in West Allis, Wisconsin, along with a twin who dies at birth.

1913-Woody Herman, jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1767-A piano is played for the first time in public in the UK. In a playbill for a performance of The Beggar's Opera at Covent Garden Theatre, London, it is announced a Miss Brickler sings "accompanied by Mr. Dibdin on a new instrument called piano-forte."





Featured Events

Britney Spears Releases Second Album
2000-Britney Spears' second album, Oops!… I Did It Again, is released. It sells 1.3 million copies in its first week, setting a new record for best-selling debut by a female artist.More

"Torn" Dominates American Radio And MTV
1998-Five years after it was first released (in Danish), "Torn" goes to #1 on the US Airplay chart with a version by the Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia.More

1987-U2 break big in America with their first #1 hit in that country, "With Or Without You," from the album The Joshua Tree. Their next single, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," follows to #1, cementing their superstar status.

1986-Host Johnny Carson and his bandleader Doc Severinsen wear fake beards in honor of ZZ Top, who perform "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Tush" on The Tonight Show.More

1975-Kiss play the Cobo Arena, Detroit, recording it for some of their live album Alive!, their first Gold album. In September, Bob Seger records two concerts at Cobo for Live Bullet, his first Gold album.

1966-Janet Jackson is born Janet Damita Jo Jackson in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine kids in the Jackson family. She releases her first album in 1982 when she's 16 and breaks through with Control in 1986. Her next album, Rhythm Nation 1814, makes her one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

1966-The Beach Boys release their landmark album Pet Sounds, produced with great ingenuity by their bass player, Brian Wilson. Standout tracks include "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows."

1956-Doris Day introduces her signature song, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much.

1966 – The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, their 11th studio album, produced and arranged primarily by Brian Wilson. The album was revolutionary for its innovative instrumentation, including synthesizers, theremins, and unconventional objects like bike bells and soda cans. Hits like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” made it one of the most influential albums in music history, later added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.

1970 – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young topped the Billboard 200 with their second studio album Déjà Vu, marking their first album with Neil Young and featuring classics like “Woodstock” and “Our House”.

2014 – Coldplay released Ghost Stories, showcasing a more electronic and restrained sound compared to their previous albums.




Notable Singles and Chart Achievements

1964 – Mary Wells’ “My Guy” reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, also charting highly in New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and Canada.

1987 – U2’s “With or Without You” became their first US No.1 single, leading their album The Joshua Tree.

2000 – *NSYNC released “It’s Gonna Be Me”, their only Billboard Hot 100 No.1.

2016 – Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a summer hit.

2016 – Adele released “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” from her album 25, generating significant media attention.




Memorable Performances and Events

1965 – The Rolling Stones appeared with Chuck Berry on Hollywood A-GO-GO, and The Beach Boys performed “Help Me Rhonda” on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1983 – Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk live for the first time during the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

1985 – Madonna performed in Cleveland on her The Virgin Tour, solidifying her status as a pop icon.

1988 – Bruce Springsteen began a five-night stand at Madison Square Garden as part of his Tunnel of Love Express Tour, performing a 33-song set including a rare cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”.




Other Historical Notes

1929 – Paul Whiteman and his orchestra backed Bing Crosby on the recording of “Sposin’”.

1946 – Annie Get Your Gun opened at New York’s Imperial Theatre for 1,147 performances.

1953 – Django Reinhardt, the legendary Romani guitarist, passed away at age 43.

1968 – Tony Joe White recorded “Polk Salad Annie”.

1970 – Randy Bachman left The Guess Who to pursue solo projects and later formed BTO.

[Bikkie]

1833
First British Resident comes ashore
Hundreds of Māori greeted the new British Resident in New Zealand, James Busby, when he landed at the Paihia mission station on 17 May 1833. The ceremony that followed was the first formal meeting between Māori chiefs and the representative of a great power.


1922
Catholic Bishop found not guilty of sedition
James Liston, the assistant bishop of Auckland, was found not guilty of sedition following a high-profile court case.


1962
George Wilder escapes from prison
George Wilder was a burglar who left apology and thank-you notes for his victims. He was at large for 65 days, becoming a folk hero in the process.



In Music History

2024-CNN airs a video from 2016 showing Sean Combs (Puff Daddy) violently assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who has filed a lawsuit against him. Combs has already lost most of his marketing deals and partnerships in a wave of allegations of violence and sexual misconduct.

2022-The Greek composer Vangelis, known for "Chariots Of Fire," dies at 79 from heart failure.

2019-Tyler, The Creator releases his fifth album, Igor, also the name of his blond-haired alter-ego. It becomes his first #1 album and earns Tyler his first Grammy win when it takes the trophy for Best Rap Album.

2016-Moby releases his memoir Porcelain, named because he threw up into a lot of porcelain toilets. It's also the title of a hit single from his landmark album, Play.

2016-Alanis Morissette sues her former business manager, Jonathan Schwartz, claiming he stole $4.7 million from her from 2009-2016. The following year, Schwartz admits to that theft and also to stealing another $2 million from other clients. Morissette is compensated in a settlement.

2016-Ne-Yo begins a two-episode stint as Mindy's new love interest on Hulu's comedy series The Mindy Project.

2015-Twenty One Pilots release their fourth album, Blurryface, their first to land at #1 in the US.

2013-Singer-songwriter Alan O'Day dies of brain cancer at age 72.

2011-Rapper Wiz Khalifa and his girlfriend Amber Rose narrowly escape danger at a London nightclub. Khalifa is performing in the packed club when a bystander breaks a bottle over another patron's head. A fight ensues and Khalifa and Rose dodge bottles as they promptly exit the club with their entourage. Club promoters are upset that Khalifa ended his show early, as they reportedly paid the rapper 14,000 euros to do the show.

2008-Madonna's Hard Candy album hits #1 in America, her seventh to hit the top spot.

2008-The Brothers Four's Bob Flick marries his third wife, actress Loni Anderson.

2005-The reality series Britney and Kevin: Chaotic debuts on the UPN network, chronicling the adventures of the newly married Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. It proves unwatchable, and lasts just five episodes. The couple divorce two years later.

2005-System Of A Down release Mezmerize, with the war protest "B.Y.O.B." It debuts at #1 in America, as does their next album, Hypnotize, released six months later (a tactic cribbed from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies).

2003-June Carter Cash's funeral is held in her hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Among the 2000 mourners are Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sheryl Crow - and her husband, Johnny Cash.

2002-Blues singer Little Johnny Taylor, known for '60s hits like "Part Time Love," dies in Conway, Arkansas, at age 59.

1996-Blues musician Johnny "Guitar" Watson dies of a myocardial infarction at age 61 after collapsing on stage during a tour in Yokohama, Japan.

1995-Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard share the stage for the first time ever at a concert in Sheffield, England.

1993-Barry Manilow guest stars on the "One" episode of Murphy Brown as part of a storyline where the lead character can't stand his music but her infant son finds it soothing.

1992-Bandleader and TV host Lawrence Welk dies of bronchial pneumonia at age 89.

1989-Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman opens the Sticky Fingers restaurant in West London. Guest with big appetites can order the Beggars Banquet.

1989-The Doobie Brothers release their reunion album, Cycles, which gets them back on the radio with the hit single "The Doctor."

1985-Dire Straits release their best selling album, Brothers In Arms. It goes to #1 in many territories, but the subsequent tour wipes out the band, which go on an extended hiatus and don't release another album until 1991.

1980-Weeks after being detained in Tokyo on drug charges, Paul and Linda McCartney appear as musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

1979-Billy Joel sings the national anthem before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lose the game and the series.

1978-The TV special The Carpenters: Space Encounters airs on ABC.

1978-The disco film Thank God It's Friday, starring Donna Summer and Village People, premieres in Los Angeles.

1976-R&B singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss (of Xscape) is born in College Park, Georgia.

1975-Elton John plays "Bennie And The Jets" and "Philadelphia Freedom" on Soul Train, becoming just the third white performer to appear on the show, after Dennis Coffey and Gino Vannelli.

1975-Earth, Wind & Fire's LP That's The Way Of The World hits #1.

1974-The Elton John TV special Say Goodbye To Norma Jean And Other Things airs on ABC.

1974-NBC-TV's The Midnight Special offers another salute to '50s and '60s rock n' roll, with Frankie Avalon as host and performances by Sam & Dave, Lou Christie, Frankie Ford, The Fleetwoods, Shirley & Lee, and Fabian.

1973-Queens Of The Stone Age leader Josh Homme is born in Palm Springs, California. The surrounding area becomes home base for his long-running Desert Sessions project, which brings together a wide range of creative types to make music on the fly.

1971-The Christian musical Godspell opens at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre. It becomes the third-longest-running off-Broadway production of its day.

1970-Jean Knight records "Mr. Big Stuff" and King Floyd lays down "Groove Me" at the same sessions at Malaco Records' studios in Jackson, Mississippi. Both songs become huge hits, reviving the fortunes of the label.

1970-Pop singer Jordan Knight (of New Kids on the Block) is born in Worcester, Massachusetts.

1970-R&B singer Darnell Van Rensalier (of Shai) is born in New Jersey.

1969-At a shipyard in South Bristol, Maine, Pete Seeger launches the Clearwater, a sloop he sails to push for clean water initiatives, specifically in his beloved Hudson River. Don McLean is one of the original crew members.

1968-Dave Abbruzzese, drummer for Pearl Jam on their albums Vs. and Vitalogy, is born in Stamford, Connecticut, raised in Mesquite, Texas.

1967-The acclaimed Bob Dylan documentary Don't Look Back premieres at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco. Directed by D. A. Pennebaker, it follows Dylan on his 1965 European tour.

1965-Trent Reznor is born Michael Trent Reznor in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He develops a passion for playing classical piano as a child, before going on to form the influential industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. He later teams with Atticus Ross to score films like The Social Network and Gone Girl.

1965-Homer O'Dell (guitarist for Mint Condition) is born.

1963-The very first Monterey Folk Festival begins at the Monterey Fairgrounds in California. Over the weekend, Bob Dylan makes his first West Coast performance, Jerry Garcia's band wins an amateur competition, and Janis Joplin draws a crowd on the second stage.

1961-New age singer Enya is born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin in Dore, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. "Eithne" is pronounced "Enya," so she goes with that spelling to avoid confusion.

1959-Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's lead singer on their first two albums, is born in London, England. He's beloved by fans but clashes with group leader Steve Harris, leading to his departure in 1981, when he's replaced by Bruce Dickinson.

1953-During a recording session at Atlantic Records studios in New York, Ray Charles learns that his mother has died. He continues on with the session, recording the song "Sinner's Prayer."

1953-George "Lightnin' Licks" Johnson, guitarist in The Brothers Johnson, is born in Los Angeles.

1952-Georgia Gibbs' "Kiss Of Fire" hits #1.

1952-Roy Adams (drummer for The Climax Blues Band) is born in Birmingham, England.

1949-Pop singer Keith is born James Barry Keefer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1949-Bill Bruford (drummer for Yes, King Crimson) is born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.

1949-Andrew Latimer (frontman for the prog rock band Camel) is born in Guildford, Surrey, England.

1944-Country musician and singer Jesse Winchester is born near Bossier City, Louisiana.

1942-Blues musician Taj Mahal is born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in Harlem, New York.

1941-Malcolm Hale (lead guitarist for Spanky & Our Gang) is born in Butte, Montana.

1938-Pervis Jackson, bass vocalist of The Spinners, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1933-Weak from fighting tuberculosis, Jimmie Rodgers arrives in New York and starts recording his last songs. He dies nine days later.

1925-Bluegrass musician Red Smiley (of Reno and Smiley) is born Arthur Lee Smiley in Asheville, North Carolina.

1921-Bob Merrill, a prolific songwriter whose hits include "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" and "Mambo Italiano," is born in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1866-Composer and pianist Erik Satie is born in Honfleur, France.





Featured Events

Chris Cornell Dies At 52
2017-After performing with Soundgarden in Detroit, Chris Cornell is found dead from an apparent suicide at the age of 52.More

2013-Eight years in the making, Daft Punk's fourth album, Random Access Memories, features guest appearances from a range of artists including Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams. It becomes their first US chart topper, propelled by the massive worldwide hit single (and Nile Rodgers collaboration) "Get Lucky."

2012-Donna Summer dies of lung cancer at her home in Naples, Florida, at age 73.

2008-A pregnant Ashlee Simpson marries Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. The union lasts three years; Simpson gets remarried to Evan Ross (Diana's son) in 2014.

1987-Tom Petty's home in Encino, California, burns to the ground. Petty and his family escape unharmed, but are traumatized by the blaze, which is determined to be arson. The perpetrator is never caught.

1966-Bob Dylan, who has recently "gone electric" and added rock and roll instruments to his folk music, appears at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. Just before he begins a version of his latest hit, "Like A Rolling Stone," a member of the audience, a folk purist angry at the move to rock, shouts out, "Judas!" Dylan responds with, "I don't believe you," adding, "You're a liar!" He then proceeds to tell the band to play the song "f--king loud."

1965-The FBI ends its two-year investigation into the Kingsmen song "Louie Louie," determining that the largely indecipherable lyrics are not obscene.



Notable Events and Milestones

Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco," passed away on May 17, 2012, at age 63. She was a five-time Grammy winner with hits like I Feel Love, Hot Stuff, and Bad Girls, selling over 100 million albums worldwide.

Elton John made RIAA history in 1975 with Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the first album certified Gold before release, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 for seven weeks.

Monterey Folk Festival debuted in 1963, featuring Bob Dylan’s West Coast live debut, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, and a young Jerry Garcia.

Glen Campbell recorded Gentle on My Mind in 1967, a song that earned four Grammys and became a Top 40 hit.

Daft Punk released Random Access Memories in 2013, featuring hits like Get Lucky, topping charts in over 30 countries and winning multiple Grammys.




Chart-Topping Singles and Albums

1957- Guy Mitchell scored his final UK No.1 with Rock-a-Billy.

1962- B. Bumble and the Stingers topped the UK Singles chart with Nut Rocker.

1971- Paul and Linda McCartney released Ram, featuring Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, which topped charts in multiple countries.

1975- Earth, Wind & Fire’s That’s the Way of the World reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, featuring Shining Star.

1980- Blondie’s Call Me hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time a new wave band topped the chart.

1986- Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while her debut album topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks.

2014- John Legend’s All of Me reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2025- Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Luther achieved its 10th consecutive week at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.




Other Significant Occurrences

1713- Antonio Vivaldi’s first opera Ottone in villa premiered in Vicenza, Italy.

1904- Maurice Ravel’s song cycle Shéhérazade premiered in Paris.

1939- The Glenn Miller Orchestra began a three-month engagement at Glen Island Casino, New York.

1971- The rock musical Godspell opened in New York City.

1975- Mick Jagger punched a restaurant window, requiring 20 stitches.

1993- Alan Jackson released Chattahoochee, later winning CMA Single of the Year and Billboard Song of the Year.

[Bikkie]

1893
Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia addresses Kotahitanga Māori parliament
Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, a prominent advocate for Māori women, addressed the Kotahitanga Māori parliament - the first woman known to have done so.


Nurses sent to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Left to right: Nurse Dodds, Sister Shadbolt, Nurse Sharples,
1937
New Zealand nurses detained on way to Spanish Civil War
The only organised New Zealand contingent to serve in the Spanish Civil War comprised New Zealand Spanish Medical Aid Committee (SMAC) nurses René Shadbolt, Isobel Dodds and Millicent Sharples.



1966
Death of Māori King Korokī
Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was the fifth head of the Kīngitanga movement founded in 1858 in response to European colonisation.





In Music History

2024-Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," a scathing diss track directed at Drake, goes to #1 as their feud comes to a head.

2020-Country singer Travis McCready holds the first post-pandemic concert at Temple Live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Fans are spaced out in "pods," required to wear masks, and have their temperatures taken before they are admitted.

2014-Italian-American singer Jerry Vale dies at home in Palm Desert, California, at age 83.

2012-Rihanna makes her big-screen acting debut playing a naval weapons specialist in the action/sci-fi movie Battleship. It earns her a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.

2010-Janelle Monáe releases her debut album, The ArchAndroid, largely inspired by the Ray Kurzweil book The Singularity Is Near.

2007-Amy Winehouse marries Blake Fielder at a secret ceremony in Miami. Their tumultuous relationship inspired many of the songs on her seminal album Back To Black.

2006-Andy Capps (drummer for Built To Spill) is found dead at age 37 in his Idaho home. No cause of death is given.

2004-Jazz drummer Elvin Jones (of The John Coltrane Quartet) dies of heart failure at age 76.

2004-Lenny Kravitz releases his seventh album, Baptism.

2004-Clint Warwick (original bassist for The Moody Blues) dies at age 63 of liver disease.

2002-The Barry Manilow Ultimate Manilow concert special airs on CBS to promote his compilation album of the same name.

2001-The movie Shrek is released, reviving the songs "Hallelujah" (sung on the soundtrack by Rufus Wainwright) and "I'm a Believer" (performed by Smash Mouth in the rave-up at the end of the film).

1999-Jamaican record producer Augustus Pablo, known for his influential 1976 album King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, dies at age 44 of a collapsed lung.

1996-Soundgarden perform for the first (and only) time on Saturday Night Live, playing "Pretty Noose" and "Burden In My Hand." Jim Carrey hosts.

1996-Brad Nowell of Sublime marries Troy Dendekker, the mother of his son, Jakob. He dies of a drug overdose a week later.

1996-Brad Nowell of Sublime marries Troy Dendekker, the mother of his son, Jakob. He dies of a drug overdose a week later.

1992-Sister Souljah, a rapper associated with the group Public Enemy, is quoted in The Washington Post saying, "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" It becomes a big moment in American politics when Bill Clinton denounces the comment, risking support from black voters. Clinton goes on to win the presidential election.

1991-R.E.M. go to #1 in America with their seventh album, Out of Time, which features the tracks "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People."

1991-Bananarama release Pop Life, their first album without bandmate Siobhan Fahey, who left the group in 1988 amid tensions over their pop-oriented image. It's also their last release as a trio. Jacquie O'Sullivan replaces Fahey on the album, but leaves later that year due to the press constantly comparing her with the former 'Nana.

1985-After repeated attempts to break through in America, Simple Minds go to #1 with "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which is used in the movie The Breakfast Club.

1982-Actor/singer Eric West is born Eric Rosa in New York City. Records the single "Can You Help Me?" in 2002, which becomes a huge hit in Latin America.

1980-Drummer Peter Criss leaves Kiss. He is replaced by Eric Carr, but returns to the band (along with Ace Frehley) in 1996.

1978-The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey as Holly, is released in the US.

1976-Warren Zevon releases his self-titled album, produced by Jackson Browne. It doesn't sell very well, but Linda Ronstadt covers three of the tracks: "Hasten Down The Wind," "Carmelita," and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."

1975-The Bay City Rollers appear at BBC Radio "Fun Day" at the Mallory Park racetrack in Leicestershire, England, where they are set to perform on an island in the middle of a lake. When throngs of fans try to swim to the Rollers, mayhem ensues and they never get to perform.

1970-Mark Richardson (drummer for Skunk Anansie) is born in Leeds, England.

1969-Martika, known for her 1989 US #1 hit "Toy Soldiers," is born Marta Marrero to Cuban parents in Whittier, California.

1968-Archie Bell & the Drells hit #1 in America with the funk-tacular "Tighten Up."

1967-Josh Clayton-Felt of School of Fish is born.

1966-The Hollies record "Bus Stop." The song becomes the British Invasion band's first Top 10 single in the US, peaking at #5.

1966-Sixteen-year-old Bruce Springsteen records for the first time when his band, The Castiles, cut two songs ("Baby I" and "That's What You Get") at a studio in the Brick Mall Shopping Centre in New Jersey. Springsteen wrote both songs, which later emerge on bootlegs, with his bandmate, George Theiss.

1964-The Animals record the folk song "House Of The Rising Sun" in a matter of minutes at a London studio. A few months later, it becomes a huge hit, going to #1 in both the UK and US.

1963-Roy Orbison begins a UK tour in Slough, England, with The Beatles, whose song "From Me to You" is #1 in that territory.

1959-Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City," written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, hits #1 in America.

1957-Electronic musician Michael Cretu (of Enigma) is born in Bucharest, Romania.

1950-Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo is born in Akron, Ohio. A prolific composer of TV and film music, his work can be heard in Rugrats, Tiger King, and the Hotel Transylvania franchise.

1949-Keyboard player Rick Wakeman is born in London. After making his name as a session musician, he joins Yes in 1971.

1949-Bill Wallace (bassist for The Guess Who) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1944-Singer-songwriter Albert Hammond is born in London after his family evacuates from Gibraltar during World War II.

1922-Kai Winding, jazz composer and trombonist, is born in Aarhus, Denmark.

1912-Perry Como is born Pierino Ronald Como in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. One of the most popular crooners of the 1940s and 1950s, he also starred in a number of movies and made many TV appearances.

1911-Bluesman Big Joe Turner is born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr in Kansas City, Missouri.

1909-Spanish pianist and composer Isaac Albéniz dies at age 48 of kidney disease.






Featured Events

1999-Backstreet Boys release their third album (second in America), Millennium, with the hits "I Want It That Way" and "Larger than Life." Primarily produced by Max Martin, it sells over 13 million in America and many more worldwide.

1995-Bette Midler stars in the Seinfeld episode "The Understudy."

1981-After nearly 20 years with Motown Records, Diana Ross leaves the label and signs a record $20 million contract with RCA. Her hit duet "Endless Love" is released on Motown in August even though she has left the label.

1980-Battling epilepsy and depression, Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis hangs himself at his home in England.More

1975-Surfer/musician Jack Johnson is born on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. When his mellow, feel-good songs catch on in the '00s, he switches his focus from surfing to music and starts his own label, Brushfire Records.

1974-Giving the streaking craze full exposure, Ray Stevens hits #1 in America with his novelty song "The Streak."

1963"-If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife..."

Jimmy Soul's marriage advice anthem hits #1 in America.

1952-George Strait is born in Poteet, Texas. The "King Of Country," he lands a record 44 #1 hits on the Country chart in a remarkable run from 1982-2008.




Notable Events and Chart Hits

1959- Wilbert Harrison’s rendition of “Kansas City” topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the most successful version of the song, which had been covered by over 300 artists including James Brown and The Beatles. Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” also entered the Billboard Top 40, eventually reaching #1 in the US and the UK.

1963- The Beatles kicked off their first British tour as headliners in Slough, England, with Roy Orbison and Gerry and the Pacemakers on the bill. Jimmy Soul’s “If You Wanna Be Happy” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1964- The Animals recorded “House of the Rising Sun”, which became a major international hit, topping charts in the US, UK, Canada, Finland, and Spain.

1967- The Tremeloes’ “Silence Is Golden” hit #1 on the UK Singles chart, also topping charts in Ireland, South Africa, Norway, and New Zealand.

1974- Ray Stevens’ novelty song “The Streak” reached #1 in the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand, while The Rubettes’ debut single “Sugar Baby Love” topped the UK charts.

1985- Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a new wave classic featured in The Breakfast Club. Murray Head’s “One Night in Bangkok” also hit #3 in the US.

1993- Janet Jackson’s album janet. debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 350,000 copies in its first week and producing six Top 10 hits, solidifying her global superstar status.

2018- K-pop sensation BTS released their album Love Yourself: Tear, selling 135,000 copies in the first week.




Significant Artist Milestones and Deaths

1980- Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis tragically took his own life, just before the band’s first North American tour, leaving a lasting influence on post-punk music.

2017- Chris Cornell, the iconic frontman of Soundgarden and Audioslave, passed away at age 52, leaving a profound legacy in grunge and rock music.

1980- Peter Criss, drummer and founding member of Kiss, officially left the band.




Classical and Musical Theatre Highlights

1889- Jules Massenet’s opera Esclarmonde premiered in Paris.

1897- Paul Dukas’ symphonic scherzo The Sorcerer’s Apprentice premiered, later famously featured in Disney’s Fantasia.

1946- The musical Follow the Girls closed at the Broadhurst Theatre in NYC after 888 performances.

1961- The musical Donnybrook! opened at the 46th Street Theater in NYC.



Country Music Births

George Strait, the “King of Country,” was born on May 18 in Poteet, Texas. He holds the record for the most #1 hit singles in any genre, with 60.

Leon Ashley, known for his #1 hit “Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got)”, was born in Covington, Georgia.

Joe Bonsall, tenor vocalist of The Oak Ridge Boys, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[Bikkie]

1846
Brunner, Kehu and Heaphy reach Māwhera pā
This journey was part of Thomas Brunner's epic 1846-48 exploration of the South Island. He was guided by Kehu of Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and accompanied by Charles Heaphy, a draftsman and artist with the New Zealand Company.


1987
Attempted hijacking in Fiji foiled
An attempted hijacking of an Air New Zealand Boeing 747 at Nadi airport, Fiji, was thwarted when a member of the cabin crew struck the hijacker on the head with a whisky bottle.



In Music History

2025-"Pretty Little Baby," an obscure 1962 B-side by Connie Francis, goes to #1 on TikTok's Viral 50 and Top 50 charts after millions of creators use it in videos, including celebs like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. When told by her publicist that she has a viral hit, the 87-year-old Francis replies, "What's that?"

2022-Ciara lands on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which is starting to feature singers in addition to athletes and models. Megan Thee Stallion made the cover the previous year.

2017-Linkin Park release the album One More Light, which ends up being their last album with lead singer Chester Bennington, who dies by suicide on July 20. The lead single, "Heavy," reflects his troubled state of mind.

2010-David Guetta's "Gettin' Over You" becomes the billionth track to be Shazamed.

2007-At Porter Wagoner's 50th anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry, Dolly Parton sings "I Will Always Love You" to Wagoner, whom she wrote the song about in 1974.

2007-Frank Guida, a Sicilian-American songwriter and music producer whose first hit was Tommy Facenda's "High School U.S.A.," dies in Norfolk, Virginia, at age 84.

2006-Freddie Garrity (frontman of Freddie & the Dreamers) dies at age 69 while on holiday in North Wales.

2004-Blues singer Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore dies in Yazoo City, Mississippi, at age 90.

2003-JoJo Siwa is born Joelle Siwa in Omaha, Nebraska. After starring in reality dance shows, she launches her music career at 13 and becomes a social media star, huge with tweens and teenagers. In 2024 she moves away from G-rated music with saucier songs for her now-older audience.

2000-The Allman Brothers Band announce that founding guitarist Dickey Betts will not be a part of their summer tour. Reason given: "sadly, there are creative differences."

2000-Folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary celebrate their 40th year together with a US tour that kicks off with a three-night stand in Las Vegas.

1999-Moby releases Play, a downtempo collection of electronic tunes built on samples of field recordings and old blues numbers. Thanks to music licensing, the songs reach lots of ears and the album becomes a global hit.More

1998-Jewel releases a book of poetry, A Night Without Armor.

1998-DMX releases his debut album, It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, featuring "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," produced by the up-and-coming Swizz Beatz. It debuts at #1 in America.

1998-After signing with DreamWorks Records thanks to the demo tape his dad, Loudon Wainwright III, passed on to the label, Rufus Wainwright releases his self-titled debut album. A standout track is "Baby," which showcases his opera influence.

1998-Godzilla: The Album, the soundtrack to the blockbuster movie, is released. It contains both "Come With Me" (Puff Daddy's rap reworking of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir") and Rage Against The Machine's "No Shelter," a song about media manipulation that mocks the film with the line, "Godzilla, pure mothaf--n' filler to keep ya eyes off the real killer."

1997-Backstreet Boys release "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," their breakthrough single in the US.

1996-Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Peter Frampton and Cypress Hill appear on the "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons, a spoof on the Lollapalooza tour. Cypress Hill, the first rappers to guest star on the show, are accused of ordering the London Symphony Orchestra while high, and end up teaming with them on "Insane In The Brain."

1992-Pop/soul singer Sam Smith is born in London, England.

1992-DJ/producer Marshmello is born Christopher Comstock in Philadelphia.

1992-Lainey Wilson is born in Baskin, Louisiana (population, about 200). She moves to Nashville in 2011 when she's 19, and in 2018 she finally gets a record deal. Her breakout hit, "Things A Man Oughta Know," comes in 2020.

1991-Odia Coates, known for a string of '70s duets with Paul Anka, including the #1 "(You're) Having My Baby," dies of breast cancer at age 49.

1990-Madonna's "Vogue," a song about a dance popular in gay nightclubs where dancers "strike a pose" like fashion models, goes to #1 in America.

Peter Gabriel Hits Big Time With So
1986-Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel transitions from cult performer to pop star with the release of his fifth solo album, So, which includes the hit single "Sledgehammer."More

1984-The song "Thriller" falls off the Hot 100, ending a run of hits from the Thriller album that started on November 6, 1982, when "The Girl Is Mine" entered the tally. In that stretch, only two weeks went by without a Thriller song on the chart.

1979-Two months after they are married, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd finally get a wedding reception, as Clapton gets a break in touring. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are guests, and jam together for the first time in almost 10 years.

1979-Breakfast In America, the sixth album from the UK group Supertramp, hits #1 in America thanks to the hits "The Logical Song" and "Take The Long Way Home."

1979-Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter become the parents of Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings.

1975-Lynyrd Skynyrd release the single "Saturday Night Special." The B-side is "Made in the Shade." It's the only single released from the Nuthin' Fancy album.

1973-Stevie Wonder hits #1 in America with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," a song inspired by his wife (and sometimes co-writer) Syreeta Wright.

1972-Jenny Berggren (lead singer of Ace of Base) is born Jenny Cecilia Petrén in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972-Elton John releases Honky Chateau, which includes "Rocket Man." It becomes his first #1 album in America, igniting a run of six consecutive chart toppers.

1970-Rapper Prince Be (of P.M. Dawn) is born Attrell Cordes in Jersey City, New Jersey. His stepfather is Kool & the Gang's George Brown.

1964-Lawrence Wright dies in London. His death goes unreported by Melody Maker, the newspaper he founded in 1926.

1962-Mick Jagger is mentioned in print for the first time when the British music magazine Disc prints this item: "A 19-year-old Dartford rhythm-and-blues singer, Mick Jagger, has joined Alexis Korner's group, Blues Inc., and will sing with them regularly on their Saturday night dates at Ealing and Thursday session at the Marquee Jazz Club, London. Jagger, at present completing a course at the London School of Economics, also plays harmonica."

1962-Iain Harvie (guitarist for Del Amitri) is born in Glasgow, Scotland.

1962-Marilyn Monroe Sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
Less than three months before her death, Marilyn Monroe makes one of her last public appearances at President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration, where she famously sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in his honor.

1961-The Everly Brothers form their Calliope Records label (its first release is Don performing "Pomp And Circumstance" as "Adrian Kimberly").

1960-Annette Funicello performs at Radio City Music Hall in New York, missing her high school graduation.

1960-The Drifters record "Save the Last Dance for Me."

1958-Ritchie Valens records "Come On, Let's Go," "Peggy Lee," and "Fever."

1954-Phil Rudd (drummer for AC/DC) is born Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis in Melbourne, Australia.

1954-Modernist composer Charles Ives dies of a stroke.

1952-'70s funk singer Barbara Joyce Lomas (of B.T. Express) is born in Bessemer, Alabama.

1949-Dusty Hill (bassist, keyboardist, co-vocalist of ZZ Top) is born Joseph Michael Hill in Dallas, Texas.

1948-Grace Jones is born in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

1948-Music journalist and Crawdaddy magazine founder Paul Williams is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1947-Steve Currie (bass player for T. Rex) is born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.

1947-Jerry Hyman (former trombonist of Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1940-Mickey Newbury, who penned a record-breaking string of hits across four different charts in 1968, including The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," is born in Houston, Texas.





Featured Events

2009-The first episode of the TV series Glee airs, featuring a Glee Club performance of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" that brings the song back to the charts. The Glee version lands at #4 - five spots higher than Journey's original.

1998-Sonny and Cher get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For Sonny, who died January 5, 1998, it's a posthumous honor.

1993-Depeche Mode begin their Devotional tour in Lille, France. They reach new levels of excess on the trek, culminating with lead singer Dave Gahan having a heart attack during a show.More

Billy Ray Cyrus Debuts With #1 Album
1992-Billy Ray Cyrus releases his debut album, Some Gave All, featuring his signature song "Achy Breaky Heart." The album dominates the Billboard 200 chart for 17 consecutive weeks, and the single's music video spawns a line-dancing trend across the US, where a new breed of country music is already becoming a phenomenon. More

1951-Jeffrey Ross Hyman is born in Queens, New York. He forms the Ramones and takes the stage name Joey Ramone. At first, he's the drummer, but he becomes the lead singer when Dee Dee struggles to sing and play bass at the same time.

1945-Pete Townshend of The Who is born in Chiswick, United Kingdom.

1984- "Legend" by Bob Marley and the Wailers debuted at the top of the UK album chart, marking a 12-week run.

1973- Stevie Wonder topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and Madonna scored her eighth No.1 hit with "Vogue."

1979- ABBA's "Voulez-Vous" topped the UK charts, and Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" reached No.1 in the US.

1962- Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to President John F. Kennedy, a performance that became iconic.

1969- The Beatles' "Get Back" was certified Gold by the RIAA, selling over a million copies and hitting No.1 in the U.S.

[Bikkie]

1773
New Zealand's first sheep released
During his second voisit to New Zealand in 1773, James Cook released a ewe and a ram in Queen Charlotte Sound. They survived only a few days – an inauspicious start to this country’s long association with sheep.


1865
Loss of City of Dunedin with all hands
The paddle steamer City of Dunedin left Wellington at around 5 p.m. on Saturday 20 May. It was never heard from again and no trace was ever found of the four dozen people on board.


1870
Pasifika labourers arrive in Auckland
New Zealand received its first known shipload of labourers from the Pacific Islands when the clipper schooner Lulu docked in Waitematā Harbour


1941
German paratroops land on Crete
The Battle for Crete raged for 12 days before the Allies were driven off the island. Casualties were high on both sides. More than 650 New Zealanders were killed and 2000 taken prisoner.



In Music History

2022-Harry Styles releases his third solo album, Harry's House, which debuts at #1 in the US, UK, and many other countries. Hits from the album include "As It Was" and "Late Night Talking."

2018-Hosting the Billboard Music Awards, Kelly Clarkson rejects the planned moment of silence in favor of a "moment of action" for the victims of a school shooting that took place two days earlier in her native Texas.More

2017-At the Palladium in London, The Cranberries play their last show with lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, whose health issues for cancellation of the remaining dates. She dies on January 15, 2018.

2016-Tom Petty's reunited pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch release their second and final album, 2. It's the last album of original material Petty puts out before his death in 2017.

2016-Barenaked Ladies release the live album BNL Rocks Red Rocks, which was recorded on June 10, 2015, at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, during the band's Last Summer On Earth tour. Guests include former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and Violent Femmes sax player Blaise Garza, who join BNL for a rendition of Hay's 1982 hit "Who Can It Be Now?"

2016-The National release an anthology album of 59 Grateful Dead covers called Day of the Dead, with appearances by Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby, Courtney Barnett and Wayne Coyne. Proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, which helps fight AIDS.

2013-Ray Manzarek (keyboardist for The Doors) dies at age 74 in Rosenheim, Germany, while receiving treatment for a rare form of cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma or bile duct cancer).

2012-Robin Gibb (of Bee Gees) dies from colorectal cancer-related kidney and liver failure at age 62.

2009-Kris Allen wins season 8 of American Idol, defeating Adam Lambert in a surprise victory.

2007-Composer Ben Weisman dies in Los Angeles, age 85. He wrote or co-wrote more songs for Elvis Presley (57!) than anyone else.

2006-Hawthorne, California, dedicates a monument to their famous hometown sons: the three Wilson brothers of The Beach Boys.

2006-Saturday Night Live spoofs Neil Young's latest album, the very political Living With War, reimagining it as I Do Not Agree With Many Of This Administration's Policies.More

2006-The Finnish band Lordi win the Eurovision Song Contest - the first heavy metal band ever to do so.

2003-South Carolina's parole board pardons James Brown of all past offenses committed in the state, even the felonies, spurring James to spontaneously sing "God Bless America" at the conclusion of the hearing.

2003-Lynyrd Skynyrd release Vicious Cycle, their twelfth studio album. It's the last to feature work by bassist Leon Wilkeson, who passed away during recording. Kid Rock appears on the album in a remake of "Gimme Back My Bullets."

1998-Frank Sinatra's funeral takes place in Beverly Hills, which draws 400 invited guests and a slew of onlookers. Tony Bennett, Angie Dickinson, Joey Bishop (the only surviving member of the Rat Pack), Liza Minnelli, Jack Nicholson, Tony Danza and Tom Selleck all show up to pay their respects.

1998-Tommy Lee of Motley Crue is sentenced to six months in jail and three years' probation stemming from an incident three months earlier when he got in a fight with his wife, Pamela Anderson Lee. Goes to jail that evening and serves three months before he is released.

1997-Foo Fighters release their second album, The Colour And The Shape, with the hits "Everlong" and "My Hero." It's their first album with members other than Dave Grohl (Pat Smear on guitar and Nate Mendel on bass).

1995-The Eagles' Don Henley marries his first and only wife, the model Sharon Summerall, in Malibu, with Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Jimmy Buffett, Sheryl Crow, and other celebs attending. At the reception, live music is provided by Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Sting.

1991-The first album from an MTV Unplugged performance is released when Paul McCartney issues Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) in the UK. It is released in America in June.

1985-Jon Pardi is born in Dixon, California. Part of a wave of artists that make good-time country songs with modern production (Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line are others), he breaks through in 2013 with "Up All Night," a song about a truck, a girl and a dirt road.

1981-Rachel Platten is born in New York City. She grows up in Newton, Massachusetts.

1980-The Clash concert in Hamburg, West Germany is plagued by crowd violence. When Joe Strummer smashes one particularly bellicose fan over the head with his guitar, Strummer is arrested, but cleared after a test proves he was not drinking.

1978-Wings' "With A Little Luck" hits #1 in America.

1977-The stage show "Beatlemania" opens at the Winter Garden Theater, New York.

1972-Rapid-fire rapper Busta Rhymes is born Trevor George Smith Jr. in Brooklyn, New York. Chuck D of Public Enemy provides his stage name, which comes from a college football player named George "Buster" Rhymes.

1970-George Harrison meets producer Phil Spector at Abbey Road Studios to play demos of the songs which will appear on his debut album, All Things Must Pass.

1969-Chicago singer Peter Cetera is attacked at a Dodgers-Cubs game at Dodger Stadium. Explaining the incident, Cetera says: "Four marines didn't like a long-haired rock 'n' roller in a baseball park, and of course I was a Cubs fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn't do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days. With my jaw wired together, I actually went on the road, and I was actually singing through my clenched jaw, which, to this day, is still the way I sing."

1968-Pete Townshend of The Who marries Karen Astley (daughter of composer Ted Astley), whom he met at Ealing Art College in London. The couple have three children before separating in the '90s. They divorce in 2009.

1967-The Young Rascals' "Groovin'" hits #1 in America.

1967-George Harrison visits the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.

1967-After his wife dies in a car accident, 23-year-old Manuel Fernandez (electric organist of Los Bravos) commits suicide.

1966-Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band play their first gig, performing at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

1966-When John Entwistle and Keith Moon are late for a Who show at the Rikki Tik club in Newbury, England, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey go on with the opening act as their rhythm section. Entwistle and Moon show up halfway through, and after the show Moon announces that he and Entwistle are leaving to form a duo. All is well a week later when they patch things up.

1966-Gitarist Tom Gorman of Belly is born.

1965-The Rolling Stones debut "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on the American variety show Shindig! They make sure one of their musical heroes, Howlin' Wolf, is also on the show and introduce his performance of "How Many More Years."

1964-The Drifters' lead singer Rudy Lewis is found dead on the morning the group is scheduled to record "Under The Boardwalk." He is replaced by Johnny Moore, who was with a previous incarnation of the group, who sings lead on the song the next day. Lewis' death is widely reported as a drug overdose, although this is never confirmed by a medical authority.

1961-Haircut 100 lead singer Nick Heyward is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.

1959-Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) is born in Canton, Ohio, the youngest member and only daughter of the Cowsill family.

1958-Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitarist of The Go-Go's) is born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

1955-Steve George (keyboardist for Mr. Mister) is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1954-Jimmy Henderson (guitarist for Black Oak Arkansas) is born in Mississippi.

1944-Joe Cocker is born John Robert Cocker in Sheffield, England.

1942-Pop singer Jill Jackson (of Paul & Paula) is born in McCartney, Texas.

1941-Harry James records "You Made Me Love You."

1940-Soul singer Shorty Long, known for the 1968 hit "Here Comes The Judge," is born Frederick Earl Long in Birmingham, Alabama.

1925-Vic Ames, pop singer of the '40s and '50s (The Ames Brothers), is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

1920-Montreal Canada's XWA broadcasts the first scheduled radio program in North America.

1901-Jazz pianist Jimmy Blythe, who composed the seminal boogie-woogie tune "Chicago Stomp," is born in South Keene, Kentucky.

1896-German composer Clara Schumann dies after suffering a stroke at age 76.





Featured Events

2017-Toby Keith performs to an all-male audience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in one of the first concerts in the city since a ban on public performance of music was relaxed after more than 25 years.

2012-Lady Gaga appears on The Simpsons, where she tries to help Lisa improve her social standing in the episode "Lisa Goes Gaga."

1989-Paula Abdul notches her second #1 US hit with "Forever Your Girl," the title track to her debut album. The song is written by Oliver Leiber, son of Jerry Leiber of the Leiber & Stoller songwriting team.

1981-Alice Cooper and his wife Sheryl have their first child, a daughter named Calico. Their next two kids also have creative names: Dash and Sonora.

1967-Because of the line, "I'd love to turn you on," the BBC bans The Beatles song "A Day In The Life," claiming it may promote drug use.

1954-Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" is released for the first time. It stalls on the charts, but becomes a hit a year later when it is used in the movie Blackboard Jungle.

1946-Cher is born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California. She first records as "Bonnie Jo Mason," and then "Cherilyn." Teaming up with Sonny Bono in 1964, they record as "Caesar and Cleo," before changing it to "Sonny and Cher" the next year. When they hit it big with "I Got You Babe," she sticks with Cher.

[Bikkie]

1840
Hobson proclaims British sovereignty over New Zealand
Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over all of New Zealand – the North Island on the basis of cession through the Treaty of Waitangi, and South and Stewart Islands by right of discovery.



In Music History

2021-Olivia Rodrigo releases her debut album, Sour, which includes her debut single, "Drivers License," and also the hits "Deja Vu," "Good 4 U," and "Brutal."

2021-J. Cole suits up to play for the Patriots Basketball Club of the Rwandan African league. He scores three points in his debut.

2018-The Hootie & the Blowfish album Cracked Rear View is certified for selling 21 million copies in America, overtaking Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction as the top-selling debut album of all-time in that country.

2015-Louis Johnson of The Brothers Johnson dies at 60. In addition to his work with the group, he also played bass on many sessions for other artists; that's him on Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Billie Jean."

2010-The Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin falls off a 20-foot cliff while hiking near San Francisco, mangling her knees and forcing the band to cancel their upcoming reunion tour.

2008-David Cook seems shocked to become the Season 7 winner of American Idol, beating 17-year-old David Archuleta. Cook got 56% of the record 97.5 million votes.

2008-Lou Pearlman, manager of Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, is sentenced to 25 years in prison on four federal charges: two counts of conspiracy, money laundering and using false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding.

2005-Nine Inch Nails' fourth album, With Teeth, becomes the industrial rock band's second consecutive studio effort to debut at #1. Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl plays drums on six tracks and percussion on one other. The album also is NIN's first release to feature future member Atticus Ross.

2003-Ruben Studdard wins Season 2 of American Idol, beating out Clay Aiken.

2003-Ike Turner is refused entry into Japan because of a past drug conviction.

2002-Little Big Town release their disastrous self-titled debut through Sony's Monument Records. Although the album produces a couple minor hits on the Country chart, the group is denigrated by critics as a fake country band, devoid of substance. LBT proves them wrong with their acclaimed 2005 album, The Road to Here.

2001-Josh Groban's career takes off after he appears on the Season 4 finale of Ally McBeal as a jilted teenager.More

2000-Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots marries the model Mary Forsberg. It's his second marriage, and this one is low-key, taking place at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Celebrity guests include Weiland's bandmates and Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

1996-Soundgarden's fifth album, Down On The Upside, is released. It debuts at #2 in America, behind Fugees' The Score.

1993-Sliver, starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin, is released in the US. The movie is panned by critics, but its prominent use of UB40's cover of the Elvis Presley original "Can't Help Falling in Love" helps give the band their second #1 hit in the States. The song was originally released as the first single from their 1993 album, Promises and Lies.

1988-"Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" by Kathy Mattea hits #1 on the Country chart. It's the second chart-topper from her fourth album, Untasted Honey, following "Goin' Gone."

198-3"Little Red Corvette" goes to #6 in the US, giving Prince his first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100. The video is one of the first by a black artist to go in hot rotation on MTV.

1983-Michael McDonald marries the singer Amy Holland; they met when he produced her debut album in 1980. The marriage endures and they have two children together: son Dylan and daughter Scarlett.

1983-David Bowie's "Let's Dance" hits #1 on the US chart.

1981-Reggae star Bob Marley is buried with state honors in St. Ann's, Jamaica.

1979-Time magazine runs a story on Rickie Lee Jones titled "The Duchess of Coolsville," a reference to the song "Coolsville" on her debut album. The moniker sticks.

1979-Elton John becomes the first western act to tour the U.S.S.R. when he plays the first of eight concerts at a show in Leningrad.

1977-Stevie Wonder hits #1 in America with "Sir Duke," a tribute to Duke Ellington, who died in 1974.

1976-Blue Öyster Cult release their most popular album, Agents Of Fortune. Thanks to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," it sells over a million copies in America.

1975-After a show in Knoxville, Tennessee, Alice Cooper leaves one of his stage props, a 13-foot boa constrictor, in the hotel bathroom, where it escapes down the toilet. The snake shows up two weeks later in a room occupied by country singer Charley Pride; Cooper learns to put the lid down.

1972-The Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, is born Christopher George Latore Wallace in Brooklyn, New York. He releases just one solo album before he is murdered in 1997, but leaves a legacy as one of the most creative and distinctive rappers of his time.

1970-At the Record Plant in Los Angeles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young record "Ohio," a song Neil Young wrote about the Kent State Shootings from two weeks earlier.

1964-The Drifters record "Under The Boardwalk" the day after their lead singer, Rudy Lewis, is found dead. He is replaced by former member Johnny Moore.

1962-Dee Dee Sharp records "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)."

1957-Paul Anka records "Diana."

1955-Stan Lynch (original drummer for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1955-Chuck Berry records his first single, "Maybellene," at Chess Records in Chicago.

1948-Leo Sayer is born Gerard Hugh Sayer in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England.

1947-Bill Champlin (keyboardist, guitarist for Chicago) is born in Oakland, California.

1944-Marcie Blane, known for the '60s pop hit "Bobby's Girl," is born Marcia Blank in Brooklyn, New York.

1943-Vincent Crane is born in Reading, England. As a member of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, he co-writes "Fire," and later joins Atomic Rooster.

1943-Hilton Valentine (original guitarist for The Animals) is born in North Shields, Northumberland, England.

1941-Ronald Isley (of The Isley Brothers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1904-Fats Waller is born Thomas Waller in New York City.
Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay1965
Ten years into the Rock Era, it looks like it's here to stay. Time magazine reports on the rock revival with the cover story, "Rock 'n' Roll: The Sound of the Sixties."




Featured Events

2016-Following the release of his album Views, Drake places a record 20 songs on the Hot 100, besting Justin Bieber's mark of 17 on December 5, 2015.

Country Hit "I Swear" Tops The Hot 100 In R&B Rendition
1994-R&B vocal group All-4-One hits #1 on the Hot 100 with "I Swear," a cover of a country song by John Michael Montgomery. The group is playing gigs at Disneyland when the song tops the chart; it stays at #1 for 11 weeks.More

1992-Bette Midler is Johnny Carson's last guest on The Tonight Show (his final show, the following night, has no guests). She serenades him with "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)."

1992-MTV airs the first episode of The Real World, which gets huge ratings and begins a shift in programming away from music videos. It also encourages other networks to try this "Reality TV" thing.

1986-Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini kick off the Raising Hell tour with a show in Columbus, Georgia. All three acts are from New York City; the tour, which stops in places like Saginaw, Michigan, and Jacksonville, Florida, affirms that rap is finding a much wider audience.

ZZ Top Rule MTV With Babes And A Classic Car
1983-ZZ Top release their video for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," marking the first appearance of the Eliminator, Billy Gibbons' 1933 Ford Hot Rod. The car appears in three other ZZ Top videos and becomes closely associated with the band. Gibbons has another one built just like it to bring on tour.More

1977-Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album takes over the #1 spot in the US from the Eagles' Hotel California.




Key Album Releases

Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971): Released on May 21, this 11th studio album is celebrated as one of the greatest albums of all time. It marked a turning point in Gaye’s career, blending social commentary on inequality and introspective lyricism. The album produced hits like “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me,” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” and remained on the Billboard 200 for over a year.

Paul McCartney – Ram (1971): Released on the same day, this album showcased McCartney’s post-Beatles experimentation and songwriting.

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977): Returned to No.1 on the US Billboard 200 for an eight-week stint, solidifying its status as a classic rock milestone.




Notable Singles

Chuck Berry – “Maybellene” (1955): Recorded on May 21, this debut single is considered one of the first rock ‘n’ roll songs, topping the Billboard R&B chart and reaching No.5 on the Pop chart.

Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (1977): Began a three-week run at No.1 in the US, paying tribute to Duke Ellington and other musical influences.

Rod Stewart – “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” / “The First Cut Is the Deepest” (1977): Reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart for four consecutive weeks.

Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (2011): Achieved her first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the best-selling digital song by a female artist in the US.




Historic Performances and Milestones

The Castiles (Bruce Springsteen) (1960s): Performed at Freehold Regional High School for the first time, marking the early career of Springsteen.

The Beatles (1960s): Recorded BBC radio programs at the Playhouse Theatre in London, contributing to their early broadcast legacy.

Elton John (1979): Became the first mainstream Western artist to tour the USSR, performing eight concerts in Leningrad.




Other Significant Events

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio” (1970): Recorded in response to the Kent State shootings, the protest anthem highlighted the Vietnam War era tensions.

Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) (1968): Appeared in court for marijuana possession, reflecting the era’s intersection of music and counterculture.

Leontyne Price (1960): Became the first African American to sing the lead at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in Aida, a milestone in classical music history.

[Bikkie]

1884
First New Zealand rugby team in action
The first representative New Zealand rugby team played its first match, defeating a Wellington XV 9-0 before embarking on a tour of New South Wales.


1995
Waikato-Tainui sign Deed of Settlement with the Crown
Waikato–Tainui was the first iwi to reach a Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown for injustices that went back to the 1860s. The Deed of Settlement included cash and land valued at a total of $170 million.



In Music History

2019-ABC airs live remakes of All in the Family and The Jeffersons, two shows with iconic theme songs. Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei (as Archie and Edith Bunker) sing "Those Were The Days," the All in the Family theme; Jennifer Hudson does "Movin' On Up," The Jeffersons theme.More

2016-Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper becomes the first streaming-only entry on Billboard's albums chart when it debuts at #8.

2015-Jana Kramer marries former NFL player Mike Caussin.

2011-Donald Trump names John Rich of Big & Rich winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, Season 11.

2011-Joseph Brooks, who wrote the title hit to the 1977 film You Light Up My Life, commits suicide at age 73 while awaiting a rape trial. He was accused of committing a series of rapes by luring aspiring actresses to his apartment under the guise of conducting movie auditions.

2010-Alanis Morissette marries the rapper Souleye (Mario Treadway). They have their first child seven months later.

2009-Meg White marries guitarist Jackson Smith, son of Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith, in the backyard of her former husband (and White Stripes bandmate), Jack White, in Nashville. The ceremony is a double wedding, with the Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence marrying his photographer girlfriend Jo McCaughey.

2007-Joey Fatone of 'N Sync comes in second to Apolo Anton Ohno on Dancing With The Stars.

2004-After 12 weeks at #1, Usher's "Yeah!" is knocked off by his next single, "Burn," which spends another eight weeks at the top.

2000-Aaron Tippin releases "Kiss This," his third and final #1 hit on the country chart.

1996-Mission: Impossible, starring Tom Cruise as superspy Ethan Hunt, debuts in theaters. A reboot of the classic '60s TV series, it features a hit electronic reimagining of Lalo Schifrin's iconic "Burning Fuse" theme from U2's Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.

1976-"Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings goes to #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.

1972-The Guess Who record their Live At The Paramount album in Seattle, Washington.

1968-Cream's Disraeli Gears is certified gold.

1967-Dan Roberts (bass guitarist for Crash Test Dummies) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1967-Florence Ballard makes her last appearance with The Supremes when the group performs on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

1966-Johnny Gill is born in Washington, DC. He joins New Edition in 1987, replacing Bobby Brown, and has a solo hits in 1990 with "Rub You the Right Way" and "My, My, My."

1966-Bruce Springsteen releases his first recording, "That's What You Get" by his group, The Castiles.

1965-Two months before The Beatles' famous concert at Shea Stadium, The Rolling Stones play a much smaller stadium: Ratcliffe Stadium in Fresno, California, with opening act The Byrds. Attendance is about 4,000, a fraction of the 56,000 who see The Beatles at Shea.

1965-"Ticket To Ride" becomes The Beatles' eighth #1 US single.

1962-Jesse Valenzuela (original vocalist, then guitarist for Gin Blossoms) is born.

1961-Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-in-Law," written by Allen Toussaint, hits #1 in America.

1959-Morrissey is born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England. From 1982-1987 he fronts The Smiths, earning a reputation for gloom with songs like "How Soon Is Now?" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." His solo career continues that theme and is even more successful as he extends his fanbase to America.

1958-Jerry Lee Lewis arrives in London for a tour. When a reporter for the Daily Mail notices a young girl in the entourage, he asks her who she is. "I'm Jerry Lee's wife," she replies, revealing their taboo union. Word spreads that Lewis has married his 13-year-old second cousin, Myra Gale Brown, tanking the tour and sending him back home to America a pariah.

1955-John Grimaldi (guitarist for Argent) is born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.

1955-Police cancel a Fats Domino show at the Ritz ballroom in Bridgeport, Connecticut, fearing his music will lead to a riot.

1955-Jerry Dammers (keyboardist for The Specials) is born in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India.

1954-Robert Zimmerman, later known as Bob Dylan, has his bar mitzvah in Hibbing, Minnesota.

1930-Jazz bandleader/trumpeter Kenny Ball is born in Ilford, Essex, England.

1813-Richard Wagner is born in Leipzig, Germany.






Featured Events

Rocketman Tells Elton John's Life Story
2019-The biographical film Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John, debuts in US theaters.

2017-Minutes after an Ariana Grande concert ends at the Manchester Arena in England, a suicide bomber detonates a device, killing 22 and injuring at least 60 others in an act of terrorism.

Cher Calls Letterman an A-Hole
1986-Cher, making her first appearance on David Letterman's show, tells him why she declined the many invitations to come on before: Because she thought he was an "a--hole."

1967-The Monkees release Headquarters, proving they're more than a group of actors who just play a band on TV. Although it's their third album, it's the first that allows them creative control over songwriting and performing without relying on session musicians. The album goes to #1 on the Billboard 200.

1950-Bernie Taupin is born in Lincolnshire, England. He becomes Elton John's lyricist, and also co-writes #1 hits for two other acts: "These Dreams" for Heart and "We Built This City" for Starship.




Key Events in Music History on May 22

1976 - Paul McCartney and Wings: The band began a five-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Silly Love Songs," marking McCartney's fifth No. 1 as a solo artist. This song became the biggest hit of the year in the US and solidified his record for the most No. 1 singles by a songwriter.

1971 - The Rolling Stones: Their album "Sticky Fingers" hit number one on the US charts. This album is celebrated for its innovative cover art by Andy Warhol and includes classic tracks like "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses".

1993 - Ace of Base: The Swedish pop group scored their first No. 1 hit in the UK with "All That She Wants," which also topped charts in over ten countries.

1966 - Bruce Springsteen: At just 16 years old, he began his songwriting career, co-writing songs for his band, The Castiles, during a trip to a recording studio.

1836 - Felix Mendelssohn: The premiere of his oratorio "St. Paul" took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, marking an important moment in classical music history.

2017 - Billboard Music Awards: Drake set a record by winning 13 awards, surpassing Adele's previous record of 12 wins.

Birthdays: Notable musicians born on May 22 include Bernie Taupin, the primary lyricist for Elton John, who was born in 1950.

[Bikkie]

1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians, who sell her to the English.

1455 – Battle of St Albans is fought in Britain's War of the Roses.

1533 – Marriage of England's King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.

1785 – In a letter to a friend, Benjamin Franklin reveals his invention of spectacles of two thicknesses, the first bifocals.

1797 – During a financial crisis, a cartoon by James Gilray appears depicting the Bank of England as a haggard old woman. This is generally thought to be the origin of the bank's nickname The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.

1868 – Kit Carson, American frontiersman and soldier who contributed greatly to the westward expansion of the US, dies.

1901 – Gaetano Brecci, assassin of King Umberto of Italy, commits suicide.

1926 – Lebanon is proclaimed a republic by France.

1934 – Aviatrix Jean Batten arrives in Darwin in a DH-60M Moth, setting a women's record for England-Australia flights of 14 days 23 hours 25 minutes; US outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed in a police ambush in Louisiana.

1937 – John D Rockefeller, US multimillionaire and founder of the Standard Oil Company, dies.

1945 – Nazi SS Chief Heinrich Himmler commits suicide while imprisoned in Luneburg, Germany.

1951 – China formally annexes Tibet.

1993 – More than 1.5 million Cambodians ignore Khmer Rouge threats and vote in the country's first free elections in more than two decades.

1995 – Israel suspends plans to confiscate Arab land in east Jerusalem, acknowledging that it can no longer act at will to strengthen the Jewish hold on the city.

2002 – A heatwave strikes India and kills 1030 people, mainly in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Temperatures reached a record 51 degrees celsius.

2009 – Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, 62, leaps to his death amid a widening corruption scandal.

2011 – A dense ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano blows towards Scotland, causing airlines to cancel flights, forcing US President Barack Obama to shorten a visit to Ireland, and raising fears of a repeat of last year's huge travel disruptions in Europe that stranded millions of passengers.

2015 – John Forbes Nash Jr, 86, a mathematical genius whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the movie A Beautiful Mind, dies in a car crash in New Jersey.



In Music History

2024-Sean Kingston, known for his 2007 #1 hit "Beautiful Girls," is arrested, charged along with his mother with wire fraud in a scheme where they bought luxury goods like jewelry and a Cadillac Escalade but didn't actually pay for them, using Kingston's celebrity status to gain trust. On March 28, 2025 they're both found guilty of all charges.

2021-Chayce Beckham wins season 19 of American Idol. He's the first winner with a coronation song he wrote himself: "23," which details his battle with alcoholism.

2021-Drake wins Artist of the Decade at the Billboard Music Awards.

2015-Australia makes its inaugural entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is held in Vienna, Austria. The country is represented by singer and songwriter Guy Sebastian. Their invitation to compete follows a successful guest appearance from Jessica Mauboy in 2014. Sebastian finishes fifth, with the win going to Sweden's Måns Zelmerlöw.

2014-Malik Bendjelloul, who directed the Sixto Rodriguez documentary Searching For Sugar Man, commits suicide at age 36.

2012-Billboard reports that the albums of Donna Summer increase in sales by a factor of over 3000% in the week following her death on May 17 after a battle with cancer.

2011-Lady Gaga, a huge and still-rising star thanks to hits like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," releases another hit-packed album: Born This Way. The title track becomes an anthem of inclusivity and one of her signature songs.

2008-Shirley Bassey suffers from abdominal pains in Monaco, necessitating emergency surgery and forcing her to cancel her upcoming appearance at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert.

2008-Veteran rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters receives a full pardon from New York's Governor David Paterson for the attempted murders of two men in 1991, ending a long legal saga.

2006-Clifford Antone, a blues club owner and independent record label founder who mentored the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Clark Jr., dies at age 56 of a possible heart attack.

2006-Jordin Sparks wins Season 6 of American Idol.

2000-Billy Corgan announces that The Smashing Pumpkins will break up at the end of the year, saying they are tired of "fighting the good fight against the Britneys of the world."

2000-Coldplay shoot the video for "Yellow" on a beach in Studland Bay, Dorset, England. The 30 or so extras are sent home because it's too cold and wet to execute the "beach party" vibe envisioned, so lead singer Chris Martin just walks around singing the song in one take. It's basic, but very effective, becoming a classic video.

"Bad Habit" Singer Steve Lacy Is Born
1998-Steve Lacy is born in Compton, California. The neo-soul singer begins his music career as a guitarist in the alternative R&B band the Internet before going solo with his debut EP, Steve Lacy's Demo, in 2017.More

1996-The video for Metallica's "Until It Sleeps" debuts, showing the band with short hair for the first time.

1994-Jimmy Fernandez (bassist for The God Machine) dies suddenly of a brain tumor at age 28.

1992-Totally Krossed Out by the teenage rap duo Kriss Kross hits #1 in the US. Produced by Jermaine Dupri, the title is a reference to how they wear their clothes: backwards in a look they call "krossed out."

1987-The Doobie Brothers reunite with original members, including singer/guitarist Tom Johnston, for a Vietnam Veterans benefit at the Hollywood Bowl. The show leads to a series of reunion concerts over the next month, and a full-on reunion tour in 1989.

1985-It's Aretha Franklin Appreciation Day in Michigan, as Governor James Blanchard declares the singer "One of Michigan's natural resources."

1985-Hall & Oates perform with Temptations Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin at the re-opened Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The concert is later released as Live At The Apollo.

1979-The Third Barry Manilow Special airs on ABC. A mix of music and comedy, it includes an appearance by John Denver, who commiserates with Manilow on how critics can't stand them despite their legions of fans.

1979-The Who's acclaimed documentary The Kids Are Alright debuts in New York City.

1979-Sister Sledge's We Are Family is certified Platinum.

1978-Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band begin their "Darkness Tour" at Shea's Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York.

1977-When San Francisco outlaws "electronic instruments" in public, a free Jefferson Airplane concert in Golden Gate Park is canceled.

1975-Jackie "Moms" Mabley, vaudeville star and standup comedian who appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, dies of heart failure at age 81. At age 75, she became the oldest living person to have a Top 40 hit with her 1969 cover of Dion's "Abraham, Martin and John."

1973-Neo-soul singer Maxwell is born Gerald Maxwell Rivera in Brooklyn, New York.

1973-Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson, debuts in theaters. In addition to scoring and writing songs for the film, Bob Dylan makes his acting debut as a knife-wielding stranger named Alias. His acting is derided, but he lands a hit with "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."

1971-Iron Butterfly breaks up.

1970-Grateful Dead play outside North America for the first time, doing a 4-hour set at the Hollywood Music Festival in England. Mungo Jerry and Steppenwolf are also on the bill.

1970-Paul McCartney's first solo album, the back-to-basics McCartney, hits #1 in America even though it contains no singles.

1967-Phil Selway (drummer for Radiohead) is born in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.

1967-Bobby Darin's film Cop-Out, also known as Stranger In The House, debuts in the UK.

1966-After a few months honing their act at the Los Angeles club The London Fog, The Doors play the Whisky a Go Go for the first time, where they become the house band. Their Whisky run gets them lots of exposure and leads to them signing a contract with Elektra Records.

1964-Ella Fitzgerald's cover of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" enters the UK chart, making her the first outside artist to have a hit with a Beatles song.

1964-Elvis Presley's ninth film, Follow That Dream, opens.

1963-Paul Revere and the Raiders sign their first major label contract with Columbia Records.

1960-The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks. In the UK, it has been at #1 since May 11, making it the first song to top both charts at the same time.

1953-Rick Fenn (guitarist for 10cc) is born in England.

1952-Rock guitarist Jim Mankey (of Concrete Blonde) is born in Washington.

1947-Bill Hunt (keyboardist and horn player for Electric Light Orchestra) is born in Birmingham, England.

1946-Ruth Komanoff, the future Ruth Underwood, is born. The percussionist becomes known for her work with Frank Zappa.

1946-Danny Klein (bassist for The J. Geils Band) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

1945-Country singer Misty Morgan is born in Buffalo, New York.

1944-Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drummer for Parliament, Funkadelic) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-"General" Norman Johnson (frontman for Chairmen of the Board) is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1934-Dr. Robert Moog, engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer, is born in New York City.

1928-Rosemary Clooney is born in Maysville, Kentucky.

1910-Jazz clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw is born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City.





2010-Bret Michaels of Poison wins Season 9 of Donald Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Weezer's video for "Pork and Beans," featuring a number of YouTube stars, makes its debut.More

2007-The US Library of Congress hands out the first Gershwin Award to Paul Simon for being a "performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins."

2006-Dixie Chicks release Taking the Long Way, their seventh studio album. It goes on to win five Grammy Awards.

2000-A Perfect Circle release their debut album, Mer de Noms. In addition to Maynard James Keenan of Tool, the group features guitarist Billy Howerdel and drummer Josh Freese, who had been working on the Chinese Democracy album for Guns N' Roses. Mer de Noms racks up worldwide sales of well over 2 million; Chinese Democracy doesn't appear until 2008.

Country Singers Release Dueling Versions Of "How Do I Live"
1997-Country singers LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood release separate versions of the Diane Warren-penned ballad "How Do I Live" on the same day.More

1979-Responding to a wave of lawsuits after refusing to transfer his contract to MCA Records, Tom Petty files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a bold move that halts the legal proceedings and forces MCA to negotiate.More

1974-Jewel Kilcher is born in Payson, Utah. Raised in Homer, Alaska, she rises to fame using just the name Jewel. Her debut album, Pieces Of You, released in 1995 when she's 20, catches on a year later thanks to the hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me." It sells over 12 million copies and moves Jewel into the upper echelon of singer-songwriters.



Key Album Releases and Chart Milestones

In 2000, Eminem released his third album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which became one of the fastest-selling albums in the U.S., debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and producing hits like “The Real Slim Shady” and “Stan”.

On May 23, 1970, Paul McCartney’s solo debut album, McCartney, began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard 200, featuring the enduring hit “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

Elton John released Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy on May 23, 1975, which achieved immediate commercial success, topping charts in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

In 1981, the Dutch studio group Stars on 45 began a five-week stint at number one in the UK with their Long Play Album, a medley of Beatles songs.

1969-The Who release their album Tommy, a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who plays a mean pinball.



Historic Singles and Chart-Toppers

1960- The Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown” began a five-week run at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles chart for seven weeks.

1964- Ella Fitzgerald became the first artist to chart in the UK with a Beatles cover when her version of “Can’t Buy Me Love” reached number 34.



Notable Concerts and Events

1970- The Grateful Dead made their first international live appearance at the Hollywood Rock Festival in England, sharing the stage with Black Sabbath, Traffic, and Free.

1971- Rock band Iron Butterfly played their final show before breaking up, later reuniting in 1974.

1976- Bob Dylan performed at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado, during his Rolling Thunder Revue tour; the concert was later released as the live album Hard Rain.




Births of Influential Musicians

Luka Bloom (Irish folk singer, 70), Philip Selway (Radiohead drummer, 58), Mindi Abair (session saxophonist, 56), Matt Flynn (Maroon 5 drummer, 55), Jewel (singer-songwriter, 51), Scott Raynor (blink-182 drummer, 44), Gwenno Saunders (Pipettes vocalist, 44), Tristan Prettyman (42), Heidi Range (ex-Sugababes vocalist, 42), and Sarah Jarosz (mandolinist and singer-songwriter, 34) were all born on May 23.

Historical figures include jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton (1921), Foggy Mountain Boys singer Mac Wiseman (1925), and electronic music pioneer Robert Moog (1934),.




Classical and Musical Theatre Highlights

1814- Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, premiered at the Kärntertor Theatre in Vienna.

1826- Mozart’s Don Giovanni was performed in America for the first time at the Park Theater in New York City, with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte in attendance.

1921- Shuffle Along, the first all-black musical in the U.S., opened on Broadway.

[Bikkie]

1854
Parliament's first sitting in Auckland
It started with a bang – 21 in fact, fired from the guns at Auckland’s Fort Britomart. Once the smoke cleared, New Zealand’s first Parliament was in business.


1943
Turning point in Battle of the Atlantic
In the Battle of the Atlantic, one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War, 24 May 1943 was a crucial date. Thousands of New Zealanders took part in this long and bitter struggle.



1968
Three die in Īnangahua earthquake
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake centred near Īnangahua Junction, 40 km east of Westport, struck at 5.24 a.m., shaking many people from their beds.



In Music History

2024-Twenty One Pilots release Clancy, the concluding chapter of a narrative that began with Blurryface in 2015. The album tells the story of Clancy, a character frontman Tyler Joseph uses as a vehicle to explore depression, anxiety, and addiction, complete with subplots involving mind control, evil bishops, and an oppressive city called Dema that serves as a metaphor for mental illness.

2023-Tina Turner dies at 83 after a long illness.

2016-Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, announces that he has a terminal brain cancer called glioblastoma. Downie, who was diagnosed in December and has been going through treatment, does one last tour with the band, closing with a show in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario, on August 21.

2013-Ed Shaughnessy (drummer for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Band on NBC) dies of a heart attack at age 84.

2012-Billboard announces that Lionel Richie's Tuskegee is the second-best-selling album of the year so far in 2012, right behind Adele's 21. It's notable that the soul/R&B singer and Motown alumnus began his career in 1967, and is still connecting with modern audiences a full five decades later.

2010-At a Lamb of God concert in Prague, lead singer Randy Blythe pushes an encroaching fan off the stage. The man falls backward, hits his head, and dies two weeks later from the injury. Blythe doesn't know that the fan is seriously injured, and isn't aware of it when Czech authorities issue a warrant for his arrest. When the band returns to play a show in 2012, police detain Blythe and hold him in prison for five weeks. He later stands trail and is cleared of the charges.

2010-Slipknot bass player Paul Gray, one of the group's founders, dies at age 38 from an accidental overdose in his Iowa hotel room. The band's next album, .5: The Gray Chapter (2014), is filled with songs about coming to terms with his death.

2009-Former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett dies in his sleep from an accidental overdose of a prescription painkiller at age 45.

2008-Forty-two years after releasing his first album, Neil Diamond scores his first #1 when Home Before Dark tops the albums chart.

2004-An auction of Bruce Springsteen's birth certificate on eBay is shut down by the Boss's legal team.

2003-Paul McCartney sits down for tea with Russian premier Vladimir Putin, then heads to Red Square for his very first performance behind the Iron Curtain, for an audience of 20,000.

1991-Gene Clark (tambourine player for The Byrds), suffering from a bleeding ulcer, dies at age 46 after years of drug and alcohol abuse.

Madonna Puts Her Life On Display In Truth Or Dare
1991
After a limited release in major cities (starting with Los Angeles), Madonna's groundbreaking, highly revealing concert documentary Truth or Dare opens in theaters.

1988-Country singer Billy Gilman, known for his hit debut "One Voice" at just 11 years old, is born in Westerly, Rhode Island.

1986-Garth Brooks marries his college sweetheart, Sandy Mahl. They'll welcome three daughters before their divorce in 2001.

1986-The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, begin their 145-date "20th Anniversary World Tour" at the Concord Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. The group has risen in popularity thanks to MTV, which started airing old episodes of their TV show.

1982-Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Boz Scaggs, and Country Joe & the Fish play a benefit concert for Vietnam vets at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

1982-The 11-minute film The Cooler, staring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, is screened in the Short Film category at the Cannes Film Festival.

1979-The three remaining members of Genesis give the fans a thrill by manning the box office and selling their own tickets to the upcoming show at the Roxy in Los Angeles.

1977-At Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, Emerson, Lake & Palmer begin an extravagant, 11-month tour with a 70-piece orchestra, 63 roadies, a choir and a karate instructor for drummer Carl Palmer. The tour is a stunning spectacle, but a financial disaster.

1977-Marc Bolan plays his last show with T. Rex. The concert takes place at Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden, with Bolan the only original member of the band at that point. The singer would die in an auto accident on September 16 that year.

1975-On his 34th birthday, Bob Dylan attends the annual Romani celebration of their patron saint Sarah the Black in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France. The experience inspires the song "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)."

1975-Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," a song celebrating the band's credo of clean living and spiritual health, hits #1 in America.

1974-NBC-TV's wildly successful variety show The Dean Martin Show signs off after nine years.

1974-Duke Ellington dies of lung cancer at age 75.

1969-The Beatles' "Get Back," featuring piano from Billy Preston, hits #1 in America.

1969-The Guess Who make their debut on American television, singing "These Eyes" and "Laughing" on American Bandstand.

1969-Rich Robinson (guitarist for The Black Crowes) is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1967-Rapper Heavy D is born Dwight Errington Myers in Mandeville, Middlesex, Jamaica.

1966-Elvis Presley begins filming his 20th film, Frankie And Johnny, in Hollywood.

1965-Sonny Boy Williamson, a blues musician known for writing songs like "Bring It On Home" and "Help Me," dies. His age is uncertain, possibly 52.

1963-Blues guitarist Elmore James dies of a heart attack at age 45.

1956-Larry Blackmon (frontman for Cameo) is born in New York City.

1955-Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, welcome their daughter, Rosanne Cash. She grows up to be a country singer like her dad.

1952-Doris Day's "A Guy Is A Guy" hits #1.

1947-Blue Öyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard is born in Watertown, New York.

1947-Cynthia "Plaster" Caster, an artist known for her plaster casts of celebrities' genitalia and breasts, is born Cynthia Albritton in Chicago, Illinois. Her work inspires the 2001 documentary Plaster Caster.

1946-Steve Upton (original drummer for Wishbone Ash) is born in Wrexham, Wales, but will be raised in Exeter, Devon, England.

1945-Priscilla Presley is born Priscilla Ann Wagner in Brooklyn, New York. At age 14, she'll meet future husband Elvis Presley in Germany while he's serving in the US Army.

1944-Patti LaBelle is born Patricia Louise Holt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She leads the vocal group Patti LaBelle And The Blue Belles, which evolves into the R&B trio Labelle of "Lady Marmalade" fame. Her solo career takes off in the '80s with hit singles like "New Attitude" and "On My Own."

1942-Derek Quinn (guitarist, harmonica player for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, England.

1938-Comedian Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong) is born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

1938-Ska pioneer Prince Buster is born Cecil Bustamente Campbell in Orange Street, Jamaica. He earns his nickname for his boxing prowess.

1930-A-fter taking off from Croydon, London, on May 5, the British aviator Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Australia, inspiring the songs "Amy" (by Horatio Nicholls) and "Flying Sorcery" (by Al Stewart).





Featured Events

2006-Taylor Hicks wins Season 5 of American Idol, defeating Katharine McPhee.

2000-50 Cent is shot nine times while in the backseat of a parked car. He lives, but is dropped by his label, Columbia. Moving to G-Unit, he becomes a superstar a few years later, with the shooting front and center on his bio.

1997-The Spice Girls album Spice hits #1 in the US, making them the first British act to reach #1 in the US with their debut album.

Hanson Hit #1 with "MMMbop"
1997-Hanson land a #1 hit with their debut single, "MMMbop," one of the most insidious earworms in music history.More

1941-Bob Dylan is born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota. He moves to New York City in 1961, where he becomes the breakout star of the Greenwich Village folk scene, known for intricate, incisive, and often mysterious lyrics that are examined in great detail throughout his career. We're still trying to make sense of "Desolation Row."



Key Events

1956 – First Eurovision Song Contest held in Lugano, Switzerland; Lys Assia wins with “Refrain”.

1974 – David Bowie releases Diamond Dogs, topping UK and Canadian charts.

1975 – Earth, Wind & Fire hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Shining Star”.

1969 – The Beatles’ “Get Back” begins a five‑week run at No.1 in the US.

1962 – Elvis Presley tops the UK Singles Chart with “Good Luck Charm”.

1968 – Rolling Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, a major international hit.

1803 – Beethoven performs with violinist George Bridgewater in Vienna.




Notable Birthdays

Bob Dylan (1941) – Influential singer‑songwriter.

Patti LaBelle (1944) – Soul and R&B icon.

Rosanne Cash (1955) – Country singer‑songwriter.



Additional Highlights

1997 – Spice Girls’ debut Spice becomes their first US No.1 album.

1970 – Peter Green’s final show with Fleetwood Mac at the Bath Festival.

1963 – Barbra Streisand performs at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

[Bikkie]

1861
The Christchurch Press goes to press
Published from a cottage in Montreal Street, the first edition was a six-page tabloid which sold for sixpence.


1978
Bastion Point protesters evicted
Police and army personal removed 222 people from Bastion Point, Auckland, ending an occupation that had begun in January 1977. Ngāti Whātua were protesting against the loss of land in the Ōrakei Block, which had once been declared ‘absolutely inalienable’.


1992
First episode of Shortland Street goes to air
Shortland Street is New Zealand’s longest-running television drama series


2008
Scott Dixon wins Indianapolis 500
Dixon's victory at the Brickyard in 2008, the first Indianapolis 500 win by a New Zealander, helped him secure his second Indy Racing League championship.



In Music History

2014-Two members of the Japanese girl group AKB48, along with a staff member, are attacked by a saw-wielding maniac during a meet-the-fans event. The victims are treated for cuts and fractures while the suspect is arrested for attempted murder.

2013-Marshall Lytle (bassist for Bill Haley) dies of lung cancer at age 79.

2013-Clarence Burke Jr. (lead singer of The Five Stairsteps) dies at his home in Marietta, Georgia, from an undisclosed cause at age 64.

2012-At a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson interrupts a performance of "Stupid Girl" to call out a guy in the crowd who's being abusive. "Dude, never hit a woman," she tells him.

2011-Seventeen-year-old Scotty McCreery becomes the youngest male winner of American Idol when he's crowned champion of the show's 10th season. Shortly after, the "I Love You This Big" singer releases his debut album, Clear As Day, which goes to #1 on the Country chart and the all-genre Billboard 200.

2011-Judas Priest perform "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" on American Idol with contestant James Durbin, a rare heavy metal showing on the program. It's the debut of guitarist Richie Faulkner in Judas Priest; he replaces K. K. Downing, who is having health problems.

2010-Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls wins Season 10 of Dancing With The Stars.

2008-Jet releases a YouTube video featuring their song "Shine On" that honors the life and work of Australian ophthalmologist Fred Hallows. It is estimated that Hallows' work in Australia and other developing nations has helped bring eyesight to over one million people. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, lead singer Nic Chester said, "hopefully [the video] encourages people to make a donation to keep Fred's work going."

2006-Reggae singer-songwriter Desmond Dekker dies of a heart attack at age 64.

2005-Garth Brooks proposes to Trisha Yearwood in front of 7,000 fans during a show at Buck Owens's Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. The pair marry in December.

2005-Domenic Troiano (guitarist for The Guess Who, Bush) dies at age 59 after a ten-year battle with prostate cancer.

2004-In a letter to fans, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio says that after 21 years together, the band is splitting up. "We all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act." They wrap things up with a show in Coventry, Vermont, in August, but it is not the final curtain: In 2009, the band reunites.

2004-Nineteen-year-old Avril Lavigne releases her second album, Under My Skin, with the hits "Don't Tell Me" and "My Happy Ending." It sells 3 million copies in America.

2002-The mosh pit goes horribly wrong at an Eminem concert in Washington, D.C.'s RFK Stadium, and at least 25 people are injured.

2000-Alanis Morissette files with the SEC to sell about $1 million worth of her MP3.com stock, which she accumulated in a partnership with the company. The shares were worth about 10 times as much a year earlier, not long after Morissette signed on.

1998-"Ramsey Lewis Week" is declared in Chicago to honor the Grammy Award-winning jazz composer.

1996-Powered by their funked-up cover of "Killing Me Softly," Fugees hit #1 in America with their second album, The Score. It ends up being the group's last album, as personal and professional differences lead to their breakup soon after.

1996-Seventeen-year-old basketball phenom Kobe Bryant takes the singer Brandy, also 17, to his prom in Philadelphia. The pair met earlier that year at the Essence Awards. They never get romantically involved but remain friends.

1994-Jazz guitarist Eric Gale (of Stuff) dies of lung cancer at age 55.

1992-Boyz II Men is touring as the opening act for MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit tour when their manager, Khalil Rountree, is murdered by three gunmen at a Chicago hotel.

1991-It's peak Michael Bolton as his album Time, Love & Tenderness goes to #1 in America. Hits from the set include the Diane Warren-penned title track and his cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman."

The Cure Go Mainstream With Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
1987-The Cure find mainstream success in America with the versatile double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, featuring the hit singles "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven."

1980The Fray guitarist Joe King is born in Cortez, Colorado. He takes over lead vocals when Isaac Slade leaves the group in 2022.

1978-Keith Moon performs for the last time with The Who at the Shepperton Film Studio in England for the movie The Kids Are Alright.

1978-A London concert by The Who turns out to be the last for drummer Keith Moon, who dies a few weeks later.

1977-George Lucas' space opera Star Wars debuts in theaters, accompanied by an instantly iconic score from John Williams.

1976-In Salt Lake City, Utah, Bob Dylan performs "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts" live for the first and only time. He writes some of the lyrics on his shirt in case he forgets mid-performance.

1973Mike Oldfield releases "Tubular Bells" in the UK. Part of it becomes theme music for the movie The Exorcist.

1970-Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green plays his last official show with the band, although he does fill in a few years later when they lose their lead guitarist.

1965-Dave Davies of The Kinks falls and injures himself on stage in Cardiff, Wales, forcing cancellation of the group's tour.

1962-The West Side Story soundtrack goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for a record 54 (non-consecutive) weeks.

1961-Ral Donner records "You Don't Know What You've Got."

1958-Paul Weller (singer, guitarist for The Jam, The Style Council) is born in Woking, Surrey, England.

1950-Robby Steinhardt (co-lead singer for Kansas) is born in Illinois, but will grow up in Lawrence, Kansas.

1948-Klaus Meine (lead singer of Scorpions) is born in Hanover, Germany.

1947-Doo-wop singer Mitch Margo (of The Tokens) is born.

1943-Country singer Jessi Colter is born Miriam Johnson in Phoenix, Arizona. Known for her collaborations with husband Waylon Jennings.

1942-Brian "Blinky" Davison (drummer for The Nice) is born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

1936-Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who penned the smash hit "Harper Valley P.T.A.," is born in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

1934-English composer Gustav Holst, known for his orchestral suite The Planets, dies of heart failure after an operation for an ulcer.

1927-Norman Petty, recording engineer for Buddy Holly, is born in Clovis, New Mexico. He'll also produce hits for Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.

1921-Kitty Kallen is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known for the hit 1954 single "Little Things Mean A Lot."

1921-Lyricist Hal David, frequent collaborator of Burt Bacharach, is born in New York City.





Featured Events

2005-Carrie Underwood wins Season 4 of American Idol and becomes their most successful alum in terms of sales. Her debut album goes on to sell over 8 million copies in America.

1996-Sublime frontman Brad Nowell dies of a heroin overdose at age 28, just one week after marrying Troy Dendekker, the mother of his 11-month-old son, Jakob.More

Billboard Learns That Country Sells
1991-Billboard implements SoundScan technology on their Albums chart, replacing the decades-old system that relied on record stores to report sales figures. With SoundScan, the sales are tracked electronically, providing much more accurate data.More

1990-ZZ Top appear in Back to the Future Part III, playing an Old West-themed rendition of their #1 rock hit "Doubleback" when Marty McFly travels to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown. The regular version plays over the closing credits. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers also reprises his role as Marty's nemesis Needles.

Hands Across America For Hunger Relief
1986-It's Hands Across America, as millions of Americans form a human chain from New York to Santa Monica to raise money for hunger relief. The project is organized by the same guy who put together "We Are The World," but the theme song is far less ambitious.

1985Wham!'s "Everything She Wants" hits #1 in the US, making them the first group since the Bee Gees to have three #1 hits from the same album.

[Bikkie]

1879
Parihaka ploughing campaign begins
Under the leadership of Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi, Parihaka Māori began a ploughing campaign in protest against European settlement on land confiscated from Māori.


1926
Anna Pavlova dances in New Zealand for the first time
The world’s best-known ballerina performed her famed ‘Dying Swan’ and ‘Fairy Doll’ to a full house in His Majesty’s Theatre, Auckland.



In Music History

2025-Guitarist/vocalist Rick Derringer dies at age 77, two months after undergoing triple-bypass surgery. Derringer played with The McCoysThe McCoys, Johnny Winter, and The Edgar Winter Group. He also had a successful solo career, and was best-known for the 1974 hit "Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo."

2023-Halle Bailey of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle stars in the live-action film adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The Black singer faces racist backlash against her role as the formerly white-skinned, red-haired Ariel. Halle, who sings the classic "Part Of Your World" in the movie, thinks it's important for little Black and brown girls to be able to see themselves in her portrayal.

2022-Pink, who wrote and performed the theme song to The Ellen DeGeneres Show ("Today's The Day"), appears on the last episode, where she sings "What About Us" at Ellen's request.

2022-Alan White, the drummer for Yes since 1972, dies at 72.

2022-Andy Fletcher, a founding member of Depeche Mode, dies at 60. He played keyboards in the band and also served at times as peacemaker and business manager.

2017-Chris Cornell is laid to rest at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles next to Johnny Ramone. Mourners at the funeral service include Dave Navarro, Tom Morello, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Courtney Love and his Soundgarden bandmates Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil. Cornell hanged himself on May 18.More

2016-Gucci Mane gets out of jail after serving three years on gun charges. He goes home and records vocals for "1st Day Out tha Feds," which is released the next day.

2012Ian Astbury, frontman of The Cult, marries the musician Aimee Nash in Las Vegas.

2008-Yale University awards Paul McCartney an honorary Doctorate of Music.

2007-Def Jam Records gives away 10,000 umbrellas to promote Rihanna's single "Umbrella." Totes later teams with the singer to launch a Rihanna line of umbrellas.

2006-Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and her husband, Gavin Rossdale of Bush, have their first child: a son named Kingston James McGregor.

2004-Fantasia Barrino wins season 3 of American Idol, becoming the first Black woman to win the competition. She later reveals that she was functionally illiterate at this time, having dropped out of high school in ninth grade.

2004-Days after touching down in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to film a documentary on the war-torn country, Sum 41 are forced to evacuate from their hotel in Bukavu after serious fighting erupts. They are rescued by UN peacekeeper Chuck Pelletier. Sum 41 would go on to name their third studio album Chuck in honor of Pelletier.

1999-British punk band Manic Street Preachers refuse to play a concert to mark the opening of Wales' parliament because Queen Elizabeth II is present.

1994-Alanis Morissette and her producer Glen Ballard write "Ironic" for her forthcoming breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill.

1994-Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley, the child of Elvis, in a secret ceremony held in the Dominican Republic. The couple divorce 20 months later, citing irreconcilable differences.

1993-Singapore lifts its decades-old ban on the music of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Chicago.

1993-At the Ivor Novello Awards, when the duo Shakespears Sister win an award for their album Hormonally Yours, Siobhan Fahey's publicist reads a statement letting her bandmate Marcella Detroit (and the rest of the audience) know they're breaking up. "I wish Marcy all the best for the future," it reads. "All's well that end's well."

1988-Frank Sinatra appears in a commercial for Michelob singing "The Way You Look Tonight" as part of the brewery's "The Night Belongs to Michelob" ad campaign.

1987-Richard Marx releases his first single, "Don't Mean Nothing," featuring Joe Walsh on guitar. It climbs to #3 on the Hot 100, the first of seven consecutive singles to place in the Top 5.

1984-Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It For The Boy," from the movie Footloose, hits #1 in America.

1982-Bobby Darin, who died in 1973, gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1981-Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray ("How To Save A Life," "You Found Me") is born in Boulder, Colorado.

1977-Beatlemania!, a Broadway tribute to the music of The Beatles, starring sound- and look-alikes, opens at the Winter Garden Theater to rave reviews.

1977-R&B singer William Powell (of The O'Jays) dies of cancer at age 35.

1975-Lauryn Hill is born in East Orange, New Jersey. She can both sing and rap at the highest levels, as evident on the 1996 album The Score with her group Fugees, and on her landmark solo album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, released in 1998.

1973-Carole King returns to her hometown of New York City to play a free concert in Central Park. The crowd, estimated at 70,000, includes Joni Mitchell, who sang on her Tapestry album. After enjoying the show, the crowd cleans up after themselves using garbage bags distributed by Parks Department.

1973-The Edgar Winter Group's rock instrumental "Frankenstein," titled because it was such a monster to edit, hits #1 in America.

1973-Despite breaking up three years earlier, The Beatles land the #1 album in America, the compilation The Beatles 1967-1970.

1969-Still on their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono check in to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (the "Hotel La Reine") in Montreal, where they start their second week-long "bed-in" for peace. At the end of their stay, they record "Give Peace A Chance" with a chorus that includes Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers and Dick Gregory.

Janis Joplin Makes The Cover Of Newsweek
1969-Janis Joplin lands on the cover of Newsweek with the headline, "Janis Joplin: Rebirth of Blues."M

1968-Little Willie John, known for '50s and '60s R&B hits like "Need Your Love So Bad" and "Fever," dies of a heart attack at age 30 while serving a sentence for manslaughter at Washington State Penitentiary. He was imprisoned in 1966 as a result of a fatal knifing incident after a performance in Seattle.

1967-Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention release Absolutely Free, their second studio album. Considerably more commercially successful than their debut album, it peaks at #41.

1967-The Hollies release "Carrie Anne," a song inspired by the singer Marianne Faithfull, who had dated Allan Clarke of The Hollies. For the song, "Marianne" became "Carrie-Anne" to hide her identity.

1967-Kristen Pfaff (bassist for Hole) is born in Buffalo, New York.

The Beatles Release Sgt. Pepper
1967-The Beatles release their landmark album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the UK.More

1966-Elvis Presley records "Where No One Stands Alone," "Down In The Alley," "Tomorrow Is A Long Time," and "Love Letters."

1966-The Beatles record their whimsical hit "Yellow Submarine," primarily written by Paul McCartney.

1965-The Rolling Stones join Howlin' Wolf on the TV show Shindig! to perform Wolf's blues number "How Many More Years."

1963-Elvis Presley records "Echoes Of Love," "Please Don't Drag That String Around," "(You're The) Devil In Disguise," and "Never Ending."

1962-Mr. Acker Bilk's "Stranger On The Shore" hits #1.

1958-After just three shows, Jerry Lee Lewis cancels his British tour when he is again met by a hostile crowd that have learned of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old second cousin. When he returns to America, he is met with similar hostility, derailing his career.

1956-Liberace, at the peak of his powers, plays to a crowd of 16,000 at Madison Square Garden in a three-hour solo set that draws mostly ladies.

1949-Hank Williams, Jr. is born Randall Hank Williams in Shreveport, Louisiana, to country legend Hank Williams and first wife, Audrey.

1948-Stevie Nicks is born Stephanie Lynn Nicks in Phoenix, Arizona, but is raised in California. After releasing an album with her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham in 1973, the duo join Fleetwood Mac, helping the group transform from a renowned blues band to one of the most popular (and intriguing) groups in the world.

1946-Mick Ronson, who becomes David Bowie's guitarist, is born in England.

1945-Garry Peterson (drummer for The Guess Who) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1944-Verden Allen (organist for Mott The Hoople) is born Terence Allen in Crynant, Neath, Wales.

1941-Art Sharp (former lead vocalist, guitarist for Nashville Teens) is born in Woking, Surrey, England.

1940-Levon Helm (lead vocalist for The Band) is born Mark Lavon Helm in Elaine, Arkansas, but will grow up in nearby Turkey Scratch.

1940-Ray Ennis (vocalist, lead guitarist for Swinging Blue Jeans) is born in Huyton, Liverpool, England.

1937-Lionel Hampton records "Flying Home."

1933-Country singer Jimmie Rodgers dies at age 35 after a long battle with tuberculosis (which he sings about in "T.B. Blues.")

1926-Miles Davis is born in Alton, Illinois.

1920-Peggy Lee is born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota.

1916-Louis Thomas Hardin, aka Moondog, is born in Marysville, Kansas. Aside from forging a career as a musician, composer, and inventor, he becomes well-known as a street musician in New York City, where his cloak and Viking-style helmet earns him the nickname "the Viking of 6th Avenue."

1909-Delta bluesman "Papa Charlie" McCoy is born in Jackson, Mississippi.

1904-George Formby, who will become a popular comedic actor and singer throughout the '30s and '40s, is born George Hoy Booth in Wigan, Lancashire, England.

1886-Al Jolson is born Asa Yoelson in Seredžius, Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire).

1880-John Curwen, an English minister who co-founded the Tonic sol-fa system of music education, dies at age 64.

1868-The Fenian terrorist, Michael Barrett, is hanged outside Newgate Prison in what is the last public execution in England. The crowd sings "Champagne Charlie" and "Rule, Britannia!"





Featured Events

2006=The right-leaning National Review reveals their list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs. At the top is "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who, which is praised for its revolutionary spirit. Next on the list is "Taxman" by The Beatles and "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones.

1999=Backstreet Boys' album Millennium sells 1.13 million units in its first week, establishing a new SoundScan-era record for sales in a single week.

1996=Firemen arrive at the burning home of Eric Clapton to find the guitarist running in and out of the home to save his guitar collection. The house is gutted, with about three million dollars in damage.

1977-Rock sensations and serial marketers Kiss provide Marvel Comics with a vial of their blood to be mixed with the red ink used to print their upcoming comic book. The photo op takes place at the printing plant in Depew, New York, where the comic will be made.

1974-An overenthusiastic crowd at a David Cassidy concert in London rushes the stage, injuring a thousand screaming fans and crushing 14-year-old Bernadette Whelan, who dies from her injuries four days later. A distraught Cassidy refuses to tour for the next 11 years.

1972-Mott The Hoople, on the verge of breaking up, are offered help from David Bowie, who allows them to record two songs he wrote. They pass on "Suffragette City" but cut "All The Young Dudes," which becomes their biggest hit and revives their career.

1964-Lenny Kravitz is born in Manhattan, New York, to The Jeffersons actress Roxie Roker and TV executive Sy Kravitz. He releases his debut album, Let Love Rule, in 1989.




Notable Events

1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their second “Bed-In for Peace” at Montreal’s Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, promoting world peace amid the Vietnam War and leading to the recording of “Give Peace a Chance” on June 1.

1973 – Carole King performed a free concert in New York’s Central Park for roughly 100,000 fans, featuring hits like “It’s Too Late” and “You’ve Got a Friend”.

1990 – Billboard Milestone: Female artists held the top five spots on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, with Madonna’s “Vogue” leading, followed by Heart, Sinead O’Connor, Wilson Phillips, and Janet Jackson.

1964 – Marianne Faithfull recorded “As Tears Go By,” featuring Jimmy Page on guitar, which became an international hit.

1984 – Deniece Williams topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” featured in the film Footloose.




Album and Single Releases

1967 – The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which reached No.1 in the UK and US and is considered one of the greatest albums of all time.

1975 – Glen Campbell released the single “Rhinestone Cowboy,” later named Billboard Country Song of the Year.

1973 – Deep Purple released “Smoke on the Water,” which became one of their signature songs.

1979 – Frank Zappa released “Dancin’ Fool” from Sheik Yerbouti, peaking at #45 on the charts.

2002 – Eminem released The Eminem Show, which won the 2003 Grammy for Best Rap Album and was Billboard Album of the Year.





Other Significant Moments

1962 – Acker Bilk became the first British act to top the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Stranger on the Shore”.

1966 – The Rolling Stones topped both the US and UK charts with “Paint It Black,” notable for its use of the sitar.

1966 – The Beatles began recording “Yellow Submarine” at Abbey Road Studios, later becoming a global hit.

1968 – Little Willie John, R&B singer, passed away at age 30; he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

[Bikkie]

1909
Amy Bock sentenced in Dunedin Supreme Court
The Tasmanian-born confidence trickster topped a long career impersonating well-off men for financial gain by claiming to be a sheepfarmer and the nephew of a bishop.


Colin McCahon, 1963
1987
Death of Colin McCahon
Colin McCahon is regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest painters. A risk-taker and a nonconformist, he engaged with questions of religion, faith and the human condition through his art.



In Music History

2022-Season 4 of the Netflix series Stranger Things airs with a scene featuring the 1985 Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill." The song starts trending and enters the Top 10 in 34 different territories, including America, where it lands at #8. Bush's previous chart peak in the US was #30 when the song was first released.

2014-At his trial for historic sexual offenses, Rolf Harris sings a few bars of his hit "Jake The Peg." He's also known for the 1969 chart-topper "Two Little Boys."

2012-On his 90th birthday, actor Christopher Lee announces the release of his Heavy Metal single "Let Legend Mark Me as the King."

2012-Lady Gaga is forced to cancel a scheduled concert performance in Jakarta, Indonesia, after Islamic protesters threaten to stop the show themselves. Bearing banners saying "Go to hell, Lady Gaga," the protesters cite the singer's loose morals and revealing costumes as evidence that she is corrupting the youth. The island of Bali remains a predominantly Hindu enclave within Indonesia, with much of the rest of the population Islam, Christian, or Sikh.

2011-Gil Scott-Heron, a spoken-word performer who dubbed himself a "bluesologist," dies at age 62. Although he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive several years earlier, his cause of death is not released.

2011-A species of Afrotropical spider is named in honor of composer Brian Eno. The creature is called Pseudocorinna brianeno.

2009-Gerard Way (of My Chemical Romance) becomes a father when wife Lyn-Z (of Mindless Self Indulgence) gives birth to daughter Bandit Lee.

2004-At a radio station-sponsored show in Sydney, Vines lead singer Craig Nicholls has a meltdown on stage, yelling at fans and kicking at a photographer, who files assault charges against him. It's one of many on-stage outbursts for Nicholls since the band rose to fame in 2002. Before his trail, he's diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which helps clear him of the charges and leads him to a path where he's better able to manage his mental health.

2004-The Bee Gees are made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace; Maurice's son Adam accepts on behalf of his father, who'd just died six months earlier.

2003-Italian composer Luciano Berio dies at age 77.

1999-Lionel Richie and his wife Diane Alexander have their first child, Miles Brockman.

1994-After a 14-year hiatus, the Eagles reunite for a show in Burbank, California, closing the show with "Desperado." They soon launch their "Hell Freezes Over" tour, which becomes the first tour to charge more than $100 for a substantial number of tickets.

1990-The Stone Roses play a concert on Spike Island, an abandoned chemical plant in Widnes, Cheshire, England, that draws 28,000 fans and comes to define the Madchester movement, inspiring Oasis and Pulp, who released a song about it in 2025 called "Spike Island."

1988-The Monsters of Rock tour, with a lineup of Metallica, Van Halen, Scorpions and Dokken, kicks off with a show at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin. Metallica emerge super-sized, and soon after the tour release their album ...And Justice for All. Dokken, strained from infighting and exhaustion, break up after the tour.

1987-U2's concert in Rome sets off earthquake alarms as a result of the noise level.

1977-The Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" is released, selling about 150,000 copies in a week despite being nightparted on BBC's Radio 1 and declined by some record stores.

1975-Rapper Andre 3000 (of OutKast) is born André Lauren Benjamin in Atlanta, Georgia.

1974-Five-year-old Lisa Marie Presley first meets Michael Jackson in Lake Tahoe, where her father had been performing. The pair will marry 20 years later in a union that lasts two years.

1972-The Chi-Lites land their first and only #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Oh Girl."

1966-Sean Kinney, drummer for Alice in Chains, is born in Seattle, Washington.

1966-The Exploding Plastic Inevitable show, featuring The Velvet Underground and the Mothers of Invention, plays its first gig on the West Coast, at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium.

1966-Elvis Presley records the gospel tunes "So High," "Farther Along," "By And By," "In the Garden," "Beyond The Reef," "Somebody Bigger Than You And I," and "Without Him."

1964-Eleven schoolboys are suspended from a grammar school in Coventry, England, for showing up with Mick Jagger-style haircuts.

1963-Bob Dylan releases his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

1963-Elvis Presley records "What Now, What Next, Where To," "Witchcraft," "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers," "Love Me Tonight," "Memphis, Tennessee," "Long Lonely Highway," and "Western Union."

1962-At the Grammy Awards in New York, Andy Williams' "Moon River" from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's is named both Record and Song of the Year.

1960-Frank Sinatra performs on the Star Spangled Revue special, hosted by Bob Hope.

1958-Neil Finn (frontman for Crowded House) is born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand.

1957-Siouxsie Sioux (lead singer for Siouxsie and the Banshees) is born Susan Janet Ballion in London, England.

1957-Eddie Harsch, keyboard player for The Black Crowes from 1992-2006, is born Edward Hawrysch in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He dies in 2006 at 59.

1948-Pete Sears (bassist, keyboardist, guitarist for Jefferson Starship) is born in Bromley, Kent, England.

1947-Marty Kristian of The New Seekers is born Martin Vanags in Leipzig, Germany.

1947-Folk rocker Peter Knight (of Steeleye Span) is born in London, England.

1945-Bruce Cockburn is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1943-Cilla Black is born Priscilla Maria Veronica White in Vauxhall, Liverpool, England.

1939-Don Williams, singer of 11 #1 country hits such as "You're My Best Friend" (1975) and "I'm Just A Country Boy" (1977), is born in Floydada, Texas.

1935-Jazz composer/pianist Ramsey Lewis, who will have hit instrumental versions of "Hang On Sloopy" and "The In Crowd" with his Ramsey Lewis Trio, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1922-Actor and occasional singer Christopher Lee is born in Belgravia, Westminster, London. He's best known for his villainous roles in Dracula, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

1915-Lyricist Fred Wise is born in New York City. Among his compositions: "Rock-A-Hula Baby" and "Pretty Little Black Eyed Susie."





Featured Events

Abba's "Abba-tars" Take The Stage In The Virtual Reality Show Voyages
2022-Abba's virtual reality show Voyages opens in London with digital avatars performing in place of the actual band members.

2017-"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber tops the Hot 100, becoming the first #1 on the chart sung mostly in Spanish since "Macarena" in 1996.

2017-Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band dies at age 69 after a battle with liver cancer.

2014-50 Cent throws out the first pitch at the Mets game, missing the catcher by about 20 feet. Topps later produces a baseball card commemorating the moment.More

2006-For the first time in their 22-year career, Red Hot Chili Peppers score a #1 album in the US: the two-disc set Stadium Arcadium.

1995-Cracked Rear View, the debut by Hootie & the Blowfish, goes to #1 in America nearly 10 months after it was released.

[Bikkie]

The fingerprint evidence that convicted Dennis Gunn
1920
Fingerprints help convict murderer
In what may have been a world first for a capital crime, the conviction of Dennis Gunn was based almost entirely on fingerprint evidence.





In Music History

2001-The Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) announces their list of the 30 best Australian songs of the last 75 years. The top 3: 1) "Friday On My Mind" by The Easybeats 2) "Eagle Rock" by Daddy Cool 3) "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil

2001-MTV's Total Request Live spawns a country spinoff on sister network CMT with Most Wanted Live. Broadcasting from Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, hosts Lance Smith and Amber Moog present a crop of country clips ranked by fan voters.

2000-Suzi Gardner of L7 becomes the first woman casted by Cynthia Plaster Caster, who has worked on a number of rock stars, including Jimi Hendrix. For her female subjects, which later include Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab and Karen O of Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Cynthia molds their breasts.

2000-The White Stripes perform on TV for the first time, playing "Apple Blossom" and "You're Pretty Good Looking" on the Detroit Public Television series Backstage Pass.

1996-Jimmy Rowles, a jazz pianist who played with the likes of Benny Goodman, Les Brown, Peggy Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald, dies of cardiovascular disease at age 77.

1995-At the Roxy in Los Angeles, System Of A Down play their first concert, debuting songs like "Sugar" and "P.L.U.C.K." that show up on their first album three years later.

1993-The action comedy Super Mario Bros., a live adaptation of the popular Nintendo game starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, debuts in US theaters. The movie flops, but the soundtrack's lead single, "Almost Unreal" by Roxette, is a top 10 hit in the UK.

1988-Steven Tyler of Aerosmith gets married for the second time when he ties the knot with Teresa Barrick, in her hometown of Tulsa. The union lasts 17 years.

1988-George Michael's "One More Try" tops the Hot 100 for the first of three weeks.

1985-English radio broadcaster Roy Plomley, known for the long-running BBC Radio series Desert Island Discs, dies of pleurisy at age 71.

1985-Colbie Caillat is born in Malibu, California.

1983-Steve Wozniak Buys the Most Expensive Backstage Pass in History.
Apple's Steve Wozniak hosts the second US Festival, intending it to be the "Super Bowl of rock." The lineup is even more impressive than that of its 1982 predecessor, and the attendance is substantially larger. Wozniak splurges on David Bowie with two million dollars of his own money, simply because he "really loves him."

1983-Irene Cara's passion makes it happen: "Flashdance... What a Feeling" goes to #1 in America.

1983-"Candy Girl" by New Edition goes to #1 in the UK, becoming the first song with a rap to top the chart in that territory.

1982-Roxy Music release their final album, Avalon, featuring the dreamy title track and the melancholy "More Than This." It very slowly catches on in America, where it's certified Platinum 10 years later in 1992.

1981-Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are the opening act for The Clash, who play the first of eight shows at Bond's in Times Square, New York (future home of Tower Records). The rappers are booed and assaulted with various projectiles as the crowd does not appreciate their act.

1980-Pop singer Mark Feehily (of Westlife) is born in Sligo, Ireland.

1978-David Cassidy is the guest star on an episode of NBC's TV show Police Story. He does so well that he is given his own show called David Cassidy: Man Undercover, which tanks hard.

1977-Bruce Springsteen is finally free to record after a legal battle with his former manager Mike Appel kept him out of the studio for two years. Springsteen learns that it's not a good idea to sign a contract on the hood of a car.

1976-Gregg Allman testifies against The Allman Brothers Band's road manager/bodyguard Scooter Herring in a deal to avoid drug charges after a drug-trafficking sting. This causes tensions in the band, who take two years off before re-forming.

1973-Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn release "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," which becomes their third #1 country hit as a duo.

1973-Ronnie Lane leaves The Faces, and will be replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi on bass.

1971-Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie is born to David Bowie and his wife Angela. Duncan will go on to become the successful film director behind Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011).

1971-Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (and before that, The Hollies), releases his first solo album, Songs For Beginners. The first single is "Chicago (We Can Change The World)," which he wrote about protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

1969-Mick Jagger and girlfriend Marianne Faithfull are arrested in their London home on charges of marijuana possession, but released on 50 pounds' bail.

1968-Kylie Minogue is born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

1967-The Association make their television debut, performing "Along Comes Mary" on the CBS variety show the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

1966-Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" hits #1 in the US.

1965-Elvis Presley's Tickle Me movie opens nationally.

1965-Elvis Presley releases "(Such An) Easy Question."

1964-Marianne Faithfull records "As Tears Go By."

1963-Elvis Presley records "Slowly But Surely," "Blue River," and "Ask Me."

1961-Roland Gift (lead singer of Fine Young Cannibals) is born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

1958-Buddy Holly gets his draft notice, but poor eyesight keeps him out of the Army.

1956-Woody Guthrie, homeless and suffering from Huntington's disease, is arrested for vagrancy in Morristown, New Jersey. He is sent to nearby Greystone Park Psychiatric hospital and spends the rest of his life in care facilities, passing away in 1967 at 55.

1955-"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" has four different versions on the charts, including a #1 hit for Bill Hayes. The other three are by Fess Parker, Walter Schumann and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

1955-Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on the Big D Jamboree radio program, broadcast from the Dallas Sportatorium by KRLD.

1949-Wendy O. Williams (lead singer of Plasmatics) is born in Webster, New York.

1948-Ray Laidlaw (drummer for Lindisfarne) is born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.

1944-Billy Vera (of Billy Vera & the Beaters) is born William Patrick McCord in Riverside, California.

1944-Gladys Knight is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1944-Country musician Gary Stewart, known for '70s hits like "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)," is born in Jenkins, Kentucky.

1943-Tony Mansfield (drummer for Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas) is born Anthony Bookbinder in Salford, Lancashire, England.

1943-Vaughn De Leath, a female crooner who was one of the first artists to record "Are You Lonesome Tonight," dies at age 42.

1941-Country singer Ernest Tubb releases his signature song, "Walking The Floor Over You," and launches the honky tonk genre.

1931-Sonny Burgess, rockabilly guitarist of the Pacers and later The Sun Rhythm Section, made up of former Sun Records' session musicians, is born Albert Austin Burgess of Newport, Arkansas.

1923-Gyorgy Ligeti, a contemporary classical music composer, is born in Transylvania, Romania.

1917-Papa John Creach (violinist of Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship) is born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

1910-T-Bone Walker, a pioneer of jump blues and electric blues, is born Aaron Thibeaux Walker in Linden, Texas.


Steve Wozniak Buys the Most Expensive Backstage Pass in History1983
Apple's Steve Wozniak hosts the second US Festival, intending it to be the "Super Bowl of rock." The lineup is even more impressive than that of its 1982 predecessor, and the attendance is substantially larger. Wozniak splurges on David Bowie with two million dollars of his own money, simply because he "really loves him."


Featured Events

2007-The Police set aside their differences and launch their first tour since 1986 in Vancouver. Despite some bandmember clashes along the way, the tour lasts over a year, selling 3,300,912 tickets in 151 shows.

1996-Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode takes a nasty speedball (cocaine and heroin) and goes into cardiac arrest. Medics manage to kickstart his heart, saving his life.More

1982-Rocky III hits theaters. This one features a new theme song written around a key line of dialogue in the film: "Eye of the Tiger." Sylvester Stallone asked the upstart Chicago band Survivor to write and record the song when he couldn't get permission to use the Queen song "Another One Bites The Dust."

1957-The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) is established. They become known for their Grammy Awards, which kicks off in 1958.

John Fogerty Is Born
1945-John Fogerty is born, but not on the bayou; the Creedence Clearwater Revival leader claims Berkeley, California as his birthplace.

1964- English singer Cilla Black scored her second number one single in the UK with ‘You’re My World’.

1966- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass topped the US Billboard 200 for eight consecutive weeks with their sixth studio album ‘What Now My Love’.

1975- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded The Doobie Brothers a Gold Plaque for their fifth studio album ‘Stampede’ which sold over 500,000 units.

1976- The Allman Brothers Band disbanded after Gregg Allman testified against security man Scooter Herring who faced charges for drug trafficking.

2000- Britney Spears' album "Oops!…I Did It Again" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 and became the fastest-selling LP by a female solo artist in chart history.

[Bikkie]

1905
World’s first state-run maternity hospital opens
As well as providing care for expectant mothers, the new St Helens hospital in Wellington trained midwifery students.


1947
Mabel Howard becomes first female Cabinet minister
When mabel Howard was appointed minister of health and minister in charge of child welfare, she became the first woman to serve as a Cabinet minister in New Zealand.



1953
Hillary and Tenzing reach summit of Everest
A beekeeper from New Zealand, Edmund Hillary, and the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to stand on the summit of the world’s highest peak.



In Music History

2021-B.J. Thomas dies of lung cancer at 78. His most popular song is "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," a #1 US hit in 1970 used in the movie Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.

2015-Florence + the Machine release their third album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. With songs like "What Kind Of Man" and "Ship To Wreck," it leans more into rock than their first two albums. It becomes their first #1 album in America and third in their native UK.

2013-Marvin Junior (lead baritone of The Dells) dies from complications of kidney failure at age 77.

2012-Aaron Freeman tells Rolling Stone that he is retiring Gene Ween, the stage name under which he has performed with Ween for nearly two decades. This appears to be the end of Ween, and the members of the now-defunct band begin pursuing other projects.

2010-Justin Bieber, 16, hits #1 with his debut album, My World 2.0, making him the youngest male solo artist to top the chart since 13-year-old Stevie Wonder did it in 1963.

2005-Jazz singer-songwriter Oscar Brown Jr., writer of the popular jazz song "Afro Blue," dies from complications of osteomyelitis at age 78.

1999-Photographers taking shots of old cars wrecked at the bottom of Malibu's Decker Canyon discover the body of Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Kramer, who had gone missing on February 12, 1995. His death is ruled a suicide.

Student Protest Gets Queen Song Re-released
1992
Concerned that students are identifying with Freddie Mercury, who has recently died of AIDS, the principal at Sacred Heart School in Clifton, New Jersey, doesn't allow 8th graders to perform the Queen song "We Are The Champions" at their graduation ceremony. When students flood the radio station Z100 with requests for the song, it is re-released as a single.

1989-Elvis Presley's first grandchild, Danielle Riley Keough, is born to Lisa Marie Presley.

1989-John Cipollina (lead guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service) dies at age 45 from Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a genetic disorder that can lead to several diseases including emphysema, liver disease, lung cancer and COPD.

1988-Bob Dylan duets with Band drummer Levon Helm on the group's "The Weight" at a Helm show in New York. The duo also perform Chuck Berry's "Nadine."

1984-Comic rap group the Fat Boys release their self-titled debut album. By the end of the '80s, they have four Gold albums (including their debut) and star in the movie Disorderlies.

1983-Kiss play their last concert in their famous makeup; at least until 1996 when they re-form with all original members and painted faces once again.

1983-Van Halen get a record $1.5 million to play Day 2 ("Heavy Metal Day") of Apple founder Steve Wozniak's US Festival, the second and final year of the event. It's the most any act has ever been paid for a single performance.More

1982-Paul McCartney's Tug Of War begins a three-week run at #1 in the US; it's his first album to top the chart since Wings broke up. The album features the chart-topping hit "Ebony And Ivory," a duet with Stevie Wonder, as well as the #10 single "Take It Away" and the John Lennon tribute "Here Today."

1982-"House Of Fun" by Madness hits #1 in the UK. It's the only #1 hit of their career, but they place 17 songs in the Top 10 and 31 in the Top 40.

1977-Goddard Lieberson, who served as president for both Columbia Records (1956-1971; 1973-1975) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), dies of cancer at age 66.

1976-Dave Buckner (original drummer for Papa Roach) is born in Los Angeles, California.

1975-The Osmonds' appearance at Wembley Pool in London sets off a riot amongst fans.

1975-Melanie Brown is born in Leeds, England. With Spice Girls, she is known as Mel B or "Scary Spice."

1973-The Byrds break up when founding member Roger McGuinn performs his first solo concert at New York's Academy of Music. Use of "The Byrds" name gets sticky in ensuing years, and in 1989 McGuinn plays some shows with original members Chris Hillman and David Crosby to stake their legal claim to the name.

1972-Paul McCartney releases "Mary Had A Little Lamb."

1971-Thirty-six fans are treated after drinking cider spiked with LSD at a Grateful Dead show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.

1969-Chan Kinchla (guitarist for Blues Traveler) is born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1968-Al Stewart appears on John Peel's Nightride programme where he meets Pete Morgan, whose poem "My Enemies Have Sweet Voices" he sets to music.

1967-Noel Gallagher is born in Burnage, Manchester, England. He and his younger brother Liam form Oasis.

1965-The Beach Boys' "Help Me, Rhonda," with Al Jardine on lead vocals, goes to #1 in America.

1962-Henry Mancini's "Moon River" wins a Grammy for Record of the Year, and Judy Garland's Judy at Carnegie Hall wins a Grammy for Album of the Year.

1961-Ricky Nelson's "Travelin' Man" hits #1 in the US, his second and last chart-topper ("Poor Little Fool" hit #1 in 1958).

1960-Mel Gaynor (drummer for Simple Minds) is born in Balham, London, England.

1959-Herndon Stadium in Atlanta holds one of the first outdoor rock concerts, featuring Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, and B.B. King. Nine thousand people attend.

1958-Little Anthony & the Imperials record "Tears On My Pillow."

1955-Mike Porcaro, who will replace David Hungate as bassist for Toto, is born in Windsor, Connecticut.

1953-Danny Elfman (lead singer-songwriter for Oingo Boingo) is born in Los Angeles, California. Also an award-winning film composer, he is known for his work on Batman (1989) and the TV series Desperate Housewives.

1950-Rebbie Jackson, the eldest child of The Jacksons, is born Maureen Reillette Jackson in Gary, Indiana.

1949-Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi is born in Forest Hill, London, England.

1947-Pop musician Joey Levine (of Ohio Express, Third Rail, and Reunion) is born in New York City.

1945-Gary Brooker (lead singer of Procol Harum) is born in Hackney, East London, England.

1942-Backed by an orchestra, Bing Crosby records "White Christmas" at Radio Recorders studio in Los Angeles.

1942-Sir Monti Rock III (frontman of Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes) is born Joseph Montanez, Jr. in The Bronx, New York City.

1941-Roy Crewdson (guitarist for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in England.

1903-Bob Hope is born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, London, England.

1860-Spanish pianist and composer Isaac Albéniz is born in Girona, Catalonia, Spain.






Featured Events

1997-Jeff Buckley drowns while swimming in Wolf River in Tennessee. The singer/songwriter/guitarist known for his version of "Hallelujah" is 30 years old at the time of his death.More

1996-This item appears in The Guardian:
Newly widowed Stella Serth has been convicted of a public order offence in Tasmania. Mrs. Serth has been fined £200 for dancing on her husband's grave and singing "Who's Sorry Now?"

Tina Turner Releases Private Dancer
1984-Tina Turner releases Private Dancer, her big comeback album.More

1976-Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" hits #1 in America. It's the first disco hit for Motown Records, which is slow to embrace the sound.

1971-The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" hits the top of the Hot 100 for the first of two weeks.

Armed With Harmony, Crosby, Stills & Nash Release Debut Album
1969-Crosby, Stills & Nash release their self-titled debut album, lighting a path for '70s bands like America and the Eagles with rich harmonies and mysterious lyrics.More

1961-Melissa Etheridge is born in Leavenworth, Kansas. Her 1988 self-titled debut album makes an impact with songs like "Bring Me Some Water" and "Like the Way I Do," but her fourth album, Yes I Am, takes her to a new level in 1993 with the hits "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window."




Here are some key events from this date:

1942 Bing Crosby recorded "White Christmas" with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers, which became the world's best-selling single.

1969-Crosby, Stills & Nash released their self-titled debut album, which was a commercial and critical success.

1973- The Beach Boys scored their second number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Help Me, Rhonda."

1977- Elvis Presley left the stage during a concert in Baltimore, marking a significant moment in music history.

[Bikkie]

1431 – Joan of Arc is burned at the stake for heresy.

1593 – English playwright Christopher Marlowe is killed in a brawl over a bar tab.

1842 – John Francis attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria as she rides in her carriage with Prince Albert in London.

1901 – A royal commission in New Zealand rejects the idea that the colony should become an Australian state.

1911 – Ray Harroun wins in the first Indianapolis 500 car race in a time of 6 hours, 42 minutes.

1913 – Treaty of London is signed, bringing an end to the First Balkan War

1935 – Babe Ruth plays his last game of baseball.

1959 – The Auckland Harbour Bridge opens.

1964 - The Beatles' first single Love Me Do single goes to No 1 on the United States record charts.

1967 – One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is first published, in Buenos Aires.

1971 – United States unmanned spacecraft Mariner 9 is launched on a mission to gather scientific information on Mars.

1996 – The New Zealand Order of Merit is introduced in a new honours system.

1998 – A powerful earthquake rocks northern Afghanistan, burying entire villages and killing thousands of people.

2020 – A SpaceX rocket takes off from Cape Canaveral carrying two people to the International Space Station, ushering in a new era of commercial space travel.



Birthdays

Peter the Great, Russian tsar (1672-1725); Mel Blanc, US voice actor (1908-89); Benny Goodman, US bandleader (1909-86); Pro Hart, Australian artist (1928-2006) Bob Willis, UK cricketer (1949-2019); Allison Roe, NZ athlete (1956-); Harry Enfield, UK comedian (1961-); Tony Iro, NZ rugby league player/coach (1967-).




In Music History

2025-Taylor Swift buys the master recordings to her first six albums from the private equity firm that bought them in 2020. Swift's former label, along with her masters, was sold to her nemesis Scooter Braun in 2019, grinding her gears so badly that she started re-recording those albums, releasing four "Taylor's Versions" that all went to #1 and far outstreamed the originals.

2025-Miley Cyrus releases her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, featuring the singles "End Of The World" and "Easy Lover." The singer describes the accompanying musical film of the same name as being in the same vein of Pink Floyd's 1982 surrealist film The Wall "but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture."

2024-Lola Young releases "Messy," her breakthrough hit. She says it's about "not being able to make someone you love happy when you're just being you, which actually sucks."

2020-The remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" featuring Beyoncé goes to #1 in America, giving Megan her first chart-topper. The song got a huge boost on TikTok, where it soundtracked a viral dance challenge during the pandemic.

2018-At FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, Styx return "Mr. Roboto" to their setlist for the first time since their 1983 Kilroy Was Here tour, which caused enough discord to break up the band for seven years.

2017-NBC debuts its dance competition series World Of Dance, with executive producer Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo, and Derek Hough on the judging panel. It runs for four seasons.

2017-Olivia Newton-John postpones her US and Canadian tour to fight a recurrence of breast cancer, which has spread to her back. The 68-year-old singer had been in remission since 1992.

2010-Anita Humes, lead singer of The Essex ("Easier Said Than Done") dies at age 69.

2003-English record producer Mickie Most, who issued hits from The Animals, Herman's Hermits, and Hot Chocolate on his RAK Records label, dies of peritoneal mesothelioma at age 64.

2002-Diana Ross enters a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Los Angeles.

2000-Eminem's second major-label album, The Marshall Mathers LP, becomes the fastest-selling rap album ever when it sells 1.76 million copies in its debut week.

2000-Tex Beneke (blues singer and saxophonist of The Glenn Miller Orchestra) dies of respiratory failure at age 86.

Luke Raises The Roof To #26
1998-Former 2 Live Crew leader Luther "Luke" Campbell's "Raise The Roof" peaks at #26 on the Hot 100. Also a #1 rap hit, it spawns a dance craze.More

1996-John Kahn (bass guitarist for The Jerry Garcia Band) dies of a heart attack at age 48.

1994-Metallica start their S--t Hits the Sheds tour, with Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies and Candlebox supporting. Alice in Chains is supposed to be one of the opening acts, but has to bow out due to Layne Staley's drug problem.

1993-Jazz composer Sun Ra, a pioneer of free improvisation and modal jazz, dies of pneumonia at age 79.

1991-Before his concert in Paris, Lenny Kravitz gets a visit from Mick Jagger, one of his musical heroes. Kravitz quickly learns the Rolling Stones song "No Expectations" and brings Jagger on stage to perform it with him. They become good friends and frequent collaborators; Kravitz opens some shows for The Rolling Stones in 1994 and co-writes Jagger's 2001 single "God Gave Me Everything."

1990-Australian rockers Midnight Oil make headlines when they stage a protest concert outside of the Exxon building in New York City in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill that devastated Prince William Sound in Alaska the year before. Vocalist Peter Garrett says: "We can't treat the world like a garbage dump, and there's more to life than profit and loss."More

1987-The Deep Purple House Of Blue Light tour is cancelled when Ritchie Blackmore breaks a finger showboating at a concert in Phoenix, Arizona.

1987-The Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Jackson has offered $50,000 for the bones of "The Elephant Man," John Merrick, who died in 1890. Said Jackson's manager: "Jackson has a high degree of respect for the memory of Merrick. He has read and studied all material about the Elephant Man, and has visited the hospital in London twice to view Merrick's remains."

1980-Rock bassist Carl Radle (of Derek & the Dominos) dies of a drug-and-alcohol-related kidney infection at age 37.

1973-George Harrison releases his second post-Beatles album, Living In The Material World. It goes to #1 in America, where the single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" also hits the top spot. Publishing royalties from that song and others on the album go to Harrison's Material World Charitable Foundation.

1971-Patrick Dalheimer (bassist for Live) is born in York, Pennsylvania.

1970-Ray Stevens, known for novelty hits like "The Streak," hits #1 in America with "Everything Is Beautiful."

1968-Fresh from a retreat to India, The Beatles begin recording the White Album at Abbey Road Studios in London. The first song they work on is "Revolution."

1964-Country singer Wynonna Judd is born Christina Claire Ciminella in Ashland, Kentucky. She rises to fame alongside her mom, Naomi Judd, in the duo The Judds.

1964-Guitarist Tom Morello is born in Harlem, New York. He graduates from Harvard in 1986 with a degree in political science, and in 1991 forms Rage Against The Machine, becoming heavily involved in activism. When Rage disbands in 2000 he forms Audioslave with lead singer Chris Cornell.

1963-Lesley Gore makes her first TV appearance, performing "It's My Party" on American Bandstand.

1960-Stephen Duffy is born in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England. A founding member of Duran Duran, he leaves the band shortly before they are signed to EMI. He later finds moderate success as a solo artist under the name Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy with the song "Kiss Me."

1958-Marie Fredriksson (half of the pop-rock duo Roxette) is born in Össjö, Sweden.

1955-Topper Headon (drummer for The Clash) is born Nicholas Bowen Headon in Bromley, Kent, England. His nickname comes from the comic Topper because he looks like the character Mickey the Monkey.

1944-Lenny Davidson (guitarist for The Dave Clark Five) is born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.







Featured Events

2017-Bob Seger's Greatest Hits album, released in 1994, is certified Diamond for sales of 10 million copies. His music was kept off streaming services until 2017, which helped boost sales, at least half of which came after 2002.

1997-Yanni becomes the first Western artist in modern times to perform at the Forbidden City in Beijing. Despite strict regulations (including a 40-decibel sound limit), the show is a success as the Chinese welcome the Greek musician.

1992P-aul Simon marries Edie Brickell, a singer known for her song "What I Am," at a small ceremony in Montauk, Long Island. Simon, who was previously married to Carrie Fisher, is 26 years older than Brickell.

1989-Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) appears on a British TV show called Hypotheticals, where he addresses the fatwa issued against the author Salman Rushdie. Islam seems to support the fatwa - when asked if he would attend a protest where a Rushdie effigy is burned, he replies, "I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing."More

1966-Dolly Parton marries Carl Thomas Dean, the owner of a Nashville asphalt road-paving business. The long-lasting pair celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2016.

1964-The Beatles hit #1 in America with "Love Me Do," a song John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote as teenagers.

1909-Benny Goodman is born in Chicago. At just 12 years old, he begins performing professionally as a clarinetist; by 14, he joins a musicians union. He records his first solo in 1926 and by 1934 he is the leader of a 12-piece big band.

1917- The first jazz record, "Darktown Strutters' Ball," was released.

1962- Benny Goodman led the first American jazz band to play in the Soviet Union.

1966- Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were married.

1968-The Beatles began recording their White Album.

1970- Ray Stevens topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Everything Is Beautiful."

1980- The Temptations hosted a special on the Midnight Special.

1990- Midnight Oil closed down 6th Avenue in New York City as they played a protest concert.

1992- Paul Simon and Edie Brickell were married.

1997- Neil Young canceled his European tour due to a personal injury.

1999- A bomb threat at a Kenny Rogers concert caused the evacuation of over 3,000 people.

[Bikkie]

1916
HMS New Zealand fights at Jutland
In the misty North Sea on the last day of May 1916, 250 warships from Britain’s Royal Navy and Germany’s High Seas Fleet clashed in the First World War’s greatest and bloodiest sea battle.


Mona Blades and the orange Datsun car she was reportedly last seen in
1975
Mona Blades vanishes
Eighteen-year-old Mona Blades was last seen sitting in the back seat of an orange Datsun station wagon. Her body was never found and her disappearance has never been explained.



In Music History

2025-On the Hot 100, 37 songs are from Morgan Wallen's I'm the Problem album, breaking a record he set two years earlier when 36 songs from his One Thing at a Time album made the chart at the same time.

2024-Charli XCX releases a remix of her popular song "360," featuring dance-pop artist Robyn and rapper Yung Lean, both of Sweden. Charli and Robyn, who is 13 years her senior, met while they were touring the same festivals in Australia and became good friends.

2019-Psychedelic-music legend and frontman for the 13th Floor Elevators, Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson passes away at 71 years old in his home in Austin, Texas.

2016-Alicia Keys announces that she will no longer wear makeup, embracing the #nomakeup movement.More

2007-Rob Grill, lead singer of The Grass Roots, is arrested for illegal possession of prescription painkillers at his home in Mount Dora, Florida.

2006-Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town get married in a quiet ceremony but don't go public with the news until two months later, surprising fans who didn't know they were a couple.

2005-Strawberry Field (no s), the Liverpool orphanage which inspired The Beatles' famous song, is closed by the Salvation Army after almost seventy years.

2004-Rock guitarist Robert Quine, known for collaborations with Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Tom Waits, commits suicide by heroin overdose at age 61.

2003-50 Cent's second single, "21 Questions," tops the chart for the first of four weeks. Featuring Nate Dogg on the chorus, the song explores 50's romantic side, as he asks a girl if she would be there for him through thick and thin.

2000-Soul singer Johnnie Taylor dies of a heart attack at age 66.

1998-Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) announces that she is leaving Spice Girls, releasing a statement saying: "Sadly I would like to confirm that I have left the Spice Girls. This is because of differences between us. I'm sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best... PS, I'll be back." Halliwell was planning to leave the group in September at the end of their world tour, but grows frustrated and leaves early. The group continues as a quartet, but splits up in 2000. In 2007, they reunite with Halliwell back on board.

1996-Bass singer Elsbeary Hobbs (of The Drifters) dies from throat and lung cancer in Manhattan, New York at age 59.

1993-Jon Bon Jovi's wife, Dorothea Hurley, gives birth to their first child, a daughter named Stephanie Rose.

1991-Randy Travis marries his manager, Lib Hatcher, who was his court-appointed legal guardian when Randy was 17 and she was 35.

1991-Azealia Banks is born in New York City.

Five Genesis-related Acts Share Space In Hot 100
1986
Genesis enter the Hot 100 with "Invisible Touch," joining four acts by current or former members of the group on the chart.

1985-The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) sends its first letter to the RIAA requesting a ratings system for albums and concerts. The group is led by Tipper Gore, the wife of Senator Al Gore, so the record industry takes it seriously, and cuts back on their metal budgets. The end result is warning stickers on albums containing offensive lyrics.

1983-After a break in which David Byrne and Jerry Harrison release solo albums and Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth form Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads return with their fifth album, Speaking In Tongues. It contains their biggest hit, "Burning Down The House."

1980-Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley is born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

1980-The disco group Lipps, Inc. goes to #1 in America with "Funkytown," a tribute to New York City.

1976-Tom Waits begins a two-week stint performing at Ronnie Scott's Club in Soho, London, England. The club is run by Pete King, and the experience inspires Waits to write "The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King)."

1975-Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" hits #1 in America.

1974-Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown album is certified Gold.

1971-Badfinger record "Day After Day."

1968-While recording vocals for "Revolution," John Lennon does some improvised ranting that is later used in the head-scratching "Revolution 9."

1967-Big Brother & the Holding Company film a scene in the Richard Lester movie Petulia.

1965-Steve White (drummer for The Style Council) is born in Southwark, London, England.

1964-The family-friendly Dave Clark Five go on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing "Glad All Over." They're a hit with the host, who has them on 18 more times.

1964-Darryl McDaniels, the DMC of Run-DMC, is born in Harlem, New York City. He creates a new rap style by trading off lines with his fellow MC Joseph Simmons (Run). They also become fashion icons, with gold chains, fedoras and sneakers with no shoelaces.

1962-Pop singer Corey Hart is born in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

1961-Chuck Berry opens the Berryland amusement park, complete with guitar-shaped swimming pool, in Wentzville, Missouri, outside of St. Louis.

1954-Vicki Sue Robinson ("Turn The Beat Around") is born in New York.

1952-Karl Bartos (of Kraftwerk) is born in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

1947-Junior Campbell (of Marmalade) is born William Campbell Jr. in Glasgow, Scotland.

1940-Augie Meyers (of the Sir Douglas Quintet) is born in San Antonio, Texas.

1938-Johnny Paycheck is born Donald Eugene Lytle in Greenfield, Ohio. His stage name comes from a boxer who was knocked out by Joe Louis.

1938-Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) is born in Manhattan, New York.

1938'-60s pop singer Lenny Welch is born in New York.

1931-Jazz guitarist Dick Garcia is born in New York City.

1930-Clint Eastwood is born in San Francisco, California. The actor/director also dabbles in music, releasing an album of Cowboy Favorites in 1959 and composing scores for several of his films, including Mystic River, Gran Torino, and Grace is Gone.





Featured Events

2014-The trustee for Randy California, leader of the band Spirit who died in 1997, sues Led Zeppelin, claiming a song California wrote called "Taurus" was stolen for the intro to "Stairway To Heaven." After a legal odyssey that includes testimony from Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin prevails in 2020.

2014-Michael Jackson becomes the first artist with Top 10 hits in five consecutive decades on the Hot 100 as "Love Never Felt So Good" reaches at #9.

Priest Rules In Heavy Metal Parking Lot
1986-Jeff Krulik and John Heyn film the parking-lot antics of fans tailgating at a Judas Priest concert in Landover, Maryland. The result is Heavy Metal Parking Lot, a 16-minute film that captures the energy and absurdity of heavy metal culture in the '80s.More

"Got To Get You Into My Life" Brings Back The Beatles
1976-Ten years after it appeared on The Beatles' Revolver album, Capitol Records issues "Got To Get You Into My Life" as a single in America.More

1976-The Who set the record for "World's Loudest Rock Band" when their show in London measures 126 decibels. Concerned about hearing loss, Guinness later stops certifying the record.

1961-Jimi Hendrix enlists in the Army and is stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He signs up for three years, but is honorably discharged a little over a year later, ostensibly because he hurt his ankle in a parachute jump, but really because he is a lousy soldier, constantly thinking about or playing his guitar.

1956-Buddy Holly sees the John Wayne film The Searchers. Wayne's line, "That'll be the day," inspires him to write a song with that title.

1948-Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is born in Redditch, Worcestershire, England.

1976 The Who set a new record for the loudest performance by a rock band at 120 decibels during a concert at Charlton Athletic Football Ground.

1977- The BBC banned the Sex Pistols song "God Save The Queen" due to its anti-royalist theme, despite efforts to ban it.

1980-Disco and funk group Lipps Inc hit No.1 in the US with "Funkytown" for the first of four consecutive weeks.

1980- The theme song "Suicide is Painless" from the 1970 film "MAS*H" reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart for the first of three consecutive weeks.

1980- Singer-songwriter Paul McCartney started a two-week stint at number one in the UK on this day with his second studio solo album "McCartney II".

[Bikkie]

1533 – Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England.

1934 – Nissan Motor Company founded in Tokyo.

1943 – A passenger flight from Lisbon to London is shot down by German fighter planes, killing all aboard, including actor Leslie Howard.

1944 – BBC Radio broadcasts coded message to warn French Resistance that D-Day is imminent.

1958 – Charles de Gaulle becomes prime minister of France.

1960 – New Zealand's first official television transmission begins at 7.30pm. The evening's programming includes a live interview with a visiting British ballerina, and a performance by the Howard Morrison Quartet.

1968 – American writer and lecturer Helen Keller, dies aged 87.

1974 – The Heimlich manoeuvre for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine.

1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) makes its debut in the US.

1994 – South Africa rejoins the Commonwealth after an absence of 33 years.

2001 – Nepal's crown prince Dipendra shoots and kills his parents and six other royal family members before shooting himself.

2002 – Disgraced former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is killed in a plane crash.

2009 – An Air France jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris runs into thunderstorms and disappears over the Atlantic Ocean.



Birthdays

Cherry Raymond, NZ broadcaster (1925-2006); Marilyn Monroe, US actor (1926-62); Pat Boone, US singer (1934-); Morgan Freeman, US actor (1937-); Ronnie Wood, UK guitarist, The Rolling Stones (1947-); Gaylene Preston, NZ film-maker (1947-); Lorraine Moller, NZ athlete (1955-); Jason Donovan, Australian actor-singer (1968-); Heidi Klum, German model (1973-); Ben Smith, NZ rugby player (1986-).




In Music History

2019-Tyler, The Creator's offbeat album Igor debuts at #1 in the US, beating the far more traditional and trendy Father Of Asahd by DJ Khaled, the heavy favorite. Igor goes on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

2013-American Idol alums Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young get married at Los Angeles' Luxe Sunset Boulevard hotel. DeGarmo was a runner-up to Fantasia Barrino in Season 3, while Young was a finalist in Season 5.

2008-A fire at Universal Studios Hollywood destroys thousands of master tapes controlled by Universal Music Group, including recordings by Joni Mitchell, Elton John, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, Nirvana and Eminem. The extent of the loss is not revealed until years later.

2007-Tony Thompson (lead singer of Hi-Five) dies at age 31 after accidentally inhaling a toxic amount of freon.

2007-Contemporary musicians record their own versions of songs from The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's album to mark 40 years since it was released. Acts including Oasis, Travis, The Fray, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Bryan Adams and The Magic Numbers all work with Geoff Emerick - the engineer in charge of the original 1967 sessions - using the original analogue 4-track equipment to demonstrate the techniques employed for the recording at Abbey Road studios in 1967.

2006-Spanish singer and actress Rocio Jurado dies of pancreatic cancer at age 59.

2006-The UK Albums chart turns 50 years old, and in a survey by the book of British Hit Singles and Albums and NME, Definitely Maybe by Oasis is voted the greatest album of all time. The Beatles come in second and third place with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver; OK Computer by Radiohead is fourth and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis comes in fifth.

2005-White Stripes singer Jack White marries his girlfriend, British model Karen Elson, in a canoe on the Amazon in Brazil.

2005-Crazy Frog's "Axel F" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

2003-Slipknot bass player Paul Gray is arrested after colliding with another car in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Gray, who dies from an overdose on May 24, 2010, is charged with possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, as well drunk-driving.

2003-Staind's 14 Shades Of Gray hits #1 on the US albums chart. It's the meat in the sandwich of three chart-topping albums for the group, following Break The Cycle (2001) and preceding Chapter V (2005).

2002-Eminem, still without an American chart-topper, lands his third UK #1 hit with "Without Me," where he takes shots at a number of soft targets including Chris Kirkpatrick, Limp Bizkit and Moby.

2001-Rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow is sentenced in a Manhattan court to 10 years in prison for his part in a 1999 nightclub shooting.

2001-The movie Moulin Rouge!, directed by Baz Luhrmann, opens in theaters. There's lots of music in the film, including covers of "Nature Boy" by David Bowie, "Diamond Dogs" by Beck, and "Lady Marmalade" by Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink, which goes to #1 in America. Kylie Minogue makes an appearance as the Green Fairy.

2000-The film Honest, starring three of the All Saints, is pulled by cinemas after a disastrous showing at the box office.

2000-The film Honest, starring three of the All Saints, is pulled by cinemas after a disastrous showing at the box office.

2000-Mambo musician Tito Puente, who helped popularize Afro-Cuban and Caribbean music in the '50s, dies at age 77 following heart valve surgery.

Ja Rule Releases Debut Album
1999-Ja Rule releases his debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci, featuring the hit single "Holla Holla."More

Brad Paisley Releases Debut Album
1999-Brad Paisley releases his debut album, Who Needs Pictures, which features his first pair of #1 country hits: "He Didn't Have To Be" and "We Danced."More

1999-Dido releases her debut album, No Angel, in America. It takes off at the end of 2000 after Eminem samples her song "Thank You" on his hit "Stan."

1999-Napster, a file-sharing service that lets users download songs for free, goes online. It shuts down in 2001 amid a raft of lawsuits, but not before upending the music industry, which sees a steep decline in sales of CDs.

1998-Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots is arrested for heroin possession in New York the day he is supposed to do a solo show.

1997-At age 58, Kenny Rogers gets married for the fifth time, this time to his production assistant Wanda Miller. The couple have two children.

1996-Baddiel and Skinner and The Lightning Seeds' "Three Lions," the official song of the England Football team, hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1995-Alan Wilder leaves Depeche Mode.

1992-Model Rachel Hunter gives birth to Rod Stewart's daughter Renee.

1991-Seal's self-titled debut album starts a 3-week run at #1 on the UK albums chart.

1991-Sting appears on the first airing of a new Soviet TV rock show called Rock Steady.

1991-David Ruffin, who sang lead on the The Temptations' classics "My Girl" and "Ain't Too Proud To Beg," dies from an adverse reaction to cocaine at age 50. Family members suspect foul play when Ruffin's money belt - which held over $40,000 in proceeds from the group's tour - turns up empty.

1990-Mariah Carey makes her national TV debut, performing "Vision Of Love" on The Arsenio Hall Show. The song enters the Hot 100 the next day and goes to #1 eight weeks later.

1987-Sub Pop Records issues Soundgarden's first single, "Hunted Down"/"Nothing to Say."

1985-Sting releases his first solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Tracks include "Moon Over Bourbon Street" (inspired by the novel Interview With The Vampire) and "Russians," a song that looks at the Cold War from the perspective of the USSR.

1985-The Prince album Around The World In A Day goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for three weeks. Hits from the album include "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life."

1985Bruce Springsteen kicks off the European leg of his Born In The U.S.A. world tour at Slane Castle in Dublin, Ireland.

A-ha Release Debut Album
1985-A-ha release their debut album, Hunting High and Low, including their breakthrough hit, "Take On Me."More

1984-R&B singer Nate Nelson (of The Flamingos, The Platters) dies at age 52 of heart disease.

1981-The first issue of the heavy metal magazine Kerrang is published as a special pull-out by UK weekly music paper Sounds, with AC/DC on the front cover.

1979-Jimmy Buffett and his wife Jane welcome their first child, daughter Savannah Jane.

1979-The Police, supported by The Cramps, appear at the Odeon Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1977-Bob Marley and The Wailers play the first of four nights at the Rainbow Theatre in London. There are six nights booked at the Rainbow, but the last two shows are called off because of a serious toe injury Marley sustained in a friendly soccer game with French journalists just before the tour's start in Paris. Subsequently the tour's second leg in the United States would be postponed and then canceled.

1977-Billy Joel ends a US tour with a concert at Carnegie Hall.

1975-On his 28th birthday, guitarist Ronnie Wood plays his first gig with the Rolling Stones when they open their Tour Of The Americas in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is later named a full-fledged member of the band.

1974-Alanis Morissette is born, along with twin brother Wade, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1973-Former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt breaks his spine after attempting to leave a party by climbing down a drainpipe and falling three stories. It leaves Wyatt permanently crippled and confined to a wheelchair.

1971-The two-room shack in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born is opened to the public as a tourist attraction.

1969-ohn Lennon and Yoko Ono record "Give Peace A Chance" to close out their "bed-in" in Montreal.

1969-Bass guitarist Damon Minchella (of Ocean Colour Scene) is born in Ince-in-Makerfield, Lancashire, England.

1968-Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" hits #1 on the Hot 100. The song was written for the movie The Graduate and titled after the character played by Anne Bancroft.

1968-Jason Donovan is born in Malvern, Melbourne, Australia. After finding fame on the Australian soap opera Neighbours, he'll hit the top of the UK charts in a duet with co-star Kylie Minogue: "Especially For You."

1967-David Bowie releases his self-titled debut album, David Bowie, which bares little resemblance to his future work.

1967-Roger Sanchez is born in Queens, New York. The DJ/music producer will gain notoriety with his dance remixes, including his Grammy Award-winning spin on No Doubt's "Hella Good."

1967-Fairport Convention make their live debut, performing at St. Michael's Hall, Golders Green.

1965-Art Garfunkel graduates from Columbia University in New York.

1964-The Rolling Stones make their first trip to the United States, arriving on British Airways Flight 505 for their first American tour.

1963-Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" hits #1 a few weeks after her 17th birthday.

1963-Mike Joyce (drummer for The Smiths) is born in Fallowfield, Manchester, England.

1961-Elvis Presley's "Surrender" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1960-Jesse Johnson (guitarist of The Time) is born in Rock Island, Illinois.

1960-The Cure bass player Simon Gallup is born in Surrey, England.

1959-Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans," about a real battle in the War of 1812, hits #1 on both the country and pop charts in the US.

1959-The music-critique show Juke Box Jury debuts on the BBC. Each week, four guest judges vote recent songs either a "hit" or "miss." The show lasts until 1967.

1959-Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode is born in London.

1958-Private Elvis Presley completes basic Army training at Ft. Hood, Texas, earning a two-week furlough.

1957-Sam Cooke records "You Send Me."

1956-Doris Day signs a five-year recording contract with Columbia Records worth $1 million.

1953-Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn is born Ronald Gene Dunn in Coleman, Texas.

1952-Punk rock guitarist John Ellis (of The Vibrators) is born in Kentish Town, London, England.

1950-Tom Robinson of Cafe Society and Tom Robinson Band is born in Cambridge, England. In the '70s, he becomes one of the first openly gay rock musicians and an advocate for gay rights.

1950R&B singer Charlene is born Charlene Marilynn D'Angelo in Hollywood, California.

1948-The Chicago-based blues musician Sonny Boy Williamson is murdered during a robbery at age 34. A different musician based in the South who has been imiating him continues to use the name and becomes the best known Sonny Boy Williamson after writing songs like "One Way Out" and "Help Me" that are widely recorded.

1947-Guitarist Ron Wood is born in London. He goes on to join The Faces and The Rolling Stones.

1945-Linda Scott, known for her hit 1961 single "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star," is born Linda Joy Sampson in Queens, New York.

Pat Boone Is Born
1934-Pat Boone (birth name: Charles Eugene Boone) is born in Jacksonville, Florida.More

1931-Noël Coward's classic "Mad Dogs And Englishmen" is performed for the first time in public by Beatrice Lillie in The Third Little Show at the Music Box Theatre, New York.

1921-Nelson Riddle is born in Oradell, New Jersey. He'll become famous as the orchestrator and arranger behind countless hits for Capitol Records artists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, and - decades later - Linda Ronstadt.

1915-Country singer Johnny Bond, known for his 1947 hit "Divorce Me C.O.D.," is born Cyrus Whitfield Bond in Enville, Oklahoma.





Featured Events

2017-Thanks to the song by Eminem, the word "stan" is added to the Oxford American Dictionary, defined as "an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity."

Blink-182 Explode With Enema Of The State
1999-Blink-182 spin immaturity into gold (or should we say, Platinum) with their third album, Enema Of The State, which catapults the pop-punk trio to stardom with hit singles like "What's My Age Again?" and "All The Small Things."More

1993-10,000 Maniacs become the first act to appear twice on MTV Unplugged. The network has a policy against return engagements, but when they learn that Natalie Merchant will be leaving the band, they book them.More

1985-The innovative computer-animated video for Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" debuts on MTV, which is very meta because the refrain in the song (sung by Sting), is "I want my MTV." It wins Best Video at the VMAs and helps the song go to #1 in America.

1981-Brandi Carlile is born in the tiny town of Ravensdale, Washington. After dropping out of high school, she cuts her teeth performing in the Seatle music scene and puts out her first album in 2005. As her music gets more refined, her audience grows, and by 2019 she's a consistent Grammy winner with a legion of fans.

1976T-he Runaways release their eponymous debut album. Billed as the first all-female hard-rock band, the disc has little domestic success, peaking at #194, but the band are hugely successful in Japan, hitting the #1 spot with their single "Cherry Bomb."

1974-The UK music magazine NME publishes its list of the 100 Greatest Albums. The Top 3:

#3: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds
#2: Bob Dylan's Blonde On Blonde
#1: The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper

1972-Aretha Franklin's live album Amazing Grace, a collection of spirituals recorded at a church in January, is released. Anchored by Franklin's stunning rendition of "Amazing Grace," it becomes her best-selling album.




Here are some notable occurrences on this date:

1972 The Eagles released their debut album, "Eagles," which included hit singles like "Take It Easy" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling."

1974- A live concert at London's Rainbow Theatre featuring Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno, and Nico was recorded and later released as the album "June 1, 1974."

1999- Napster, the peer-to-peer file-sharing service, was launched, changing the way music was distributed and marketed.

2024- The OUTLOUD Music Festival opened in West Hollywood, highlighting queer artists and performers in the first event of Pride month itself.

[Bikkie]

Wairuna in Wellington Harbour, c. 1913-1915
1917
New Zealand steamer captured by the Wolf
The steamer Wairuna, en route from Auckland to San Francisco, was captured by the German raider Wolf and later sunk near the Kermadec Islands. The crew of 42 was taken prisoner.

Read the full story about this Event
A smiling Bruce McLaren in his racing overalls
1970
Motor racing driver Bruce McLaren dies
In 1958 Bruce McLaren was the first recipient of the Driver to Europe award, which enabled promising Kiwis to race against the world’s best.


In Music History
Page 112...5
2017Luke Combs, who majored in criminal justice at Appalachian State University, releases his debut album, This One's For You. Music suits him: He wins the CMA for New Artist Of The Year and becomes a top concert draw.

2013Taylor Swift poses for photos with KYGO radio DJ David Mueller before her concert in Denver. She later accuses him of putting his hand up her dress, and Mueller is fired. In 2015, he sues her, but Swift countersues and wins a sexual assault case against him. "He grabbed my bare ass," she says in her testimony.

2011Pink and her husband, Carey Hart, welcome their first child, a daughter named Willow Sage.

2011Jazz pianist/composer Ray Bryant (of The Ray Bryant Combo) dies at age 79.

2010After being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Paul McCartney sings "Michelle" to First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House performance.

2008Bo Diddley dies of heart failure at age 79.

2006Vince Welnick (keyboardist for The Tubes, Grateful Dead) commits suicide at age 55 after a long battle with depression.

2006Jackson Browne, Dar Williams and Pete Seeger play a hayloft in Garrison, New York, to kickstart Orleans founder John Hall's congressional campaign.More

2003A painting of Kylie Minogue wearing gold hot pants causes tempers to fray among drivers in Brighton. Artist Simon Etheridge put up the almost life-size picture in his own Art Asylum gallery as part of a Festival and since then motorists have caused regular traffic hold-ups as they stopped to take a second look.

2002S Club 7 member Hannah Spearitt announces she is quitting the group two months after her boyfriend and band member Paul Cattermole had left the group.

2002Pop Idol winner Will Young's version of The Doors' 1967 classic "Light My Fire" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

2002The 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.

2002Rockabilly singer-songwriter Boyd Bennett (of the Rockets), known for the '50s hits "Seventeen" and "My Boy, Flat Top," dies of a lung ailment at age 77.

2000Western swing bandleader Adolph Hofner dies less than a week before his 84th birthday.

1999Junior Braithwaite (of Bob Marley's Wailers) is gunned down in front of a fellow musician's home in Kingston, Jamaica. Junior, age 47, is the third Wailer to be murdered, following Peter Tosh and Carlton Barrett's 1987 deaths.


Page 2123...5
1998Lynyrd Skynyrd release their fourth live album, Lyve from Steel Town.

199850 Cent makes his major-label debut, dropping a verse on the Onyx song "React." Over the next few years, he gets shot nine times, appears on the 8 Mile soundtrack, and releases his Dr. Dre-produced hit single, "In Da Club."

1997Jazz trumpeter Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham dies at age 91.

1995Stone Roses guitarist John Squire smashes his collarbone in a cycling accident, causing the band to pull out of major gigs.


1993Aerosmith appear at the Landon Arena in Kansas, the first night on their 169-date Get A Grip world tour.

1993Jamiroquai kick off a 13-date UK tour at Royal Holloway College in Egham.

1992Freedom Williams quits C and C Music Factory and files a $10 million fraud and breach of contract suit in New York against the group.

1990Soul II Soul's Vol. II (A New Decade) starts a 3-week run at #1 on the UK album chart.


1990Mariah Carey makes the Hot 100 for the first time when her debut single, "Vision Of Love," enters at #73. In August, the song goes to #1, as do her next four singles.

1987Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia dies at age 94.

1986Blues singer ZZ Ward is born Zsuzsanna Ward outside of Philadelphia.

1986Randy Travis releases his debut album, Storms Of Life. Thanks to the #1 Country hits "On The Other Hand" and "Diggin' Up Bones," it goes on to sell over 3 million copies, establishing Travis as a star.


1984Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1984Joe Perry and Brad Whitford return to Aerosmith, reuniting their original lineup as they kick off their Back In The Saddle Tour in Concord, New Hampshire. Their comeback starts in earnest two years later when they all get sober and the rap reworking of "Walk This Way" takes off.

It's Safe To Dance
1983The 12-inch remix of "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats goes to #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. MTV begins playing the huzzah-worthy video, and the song soon rises up the Hot 100.


Page 312345
1981Prince makes his live British debut at The Lyceum Ballroom in London. He does not play the UK again for five years.

1980Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for The Strokes) is born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1979Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for three weeks.

1978Bruce Springsteen releases Darkness On The Edge Of Town. It's his first album in almost three years due to a legal dispute with his ex-manager Mike Appel.

1976Tim Rice-Oxley (keyboardist for Keane) is born in Oxford, England.

1973Electric Light Orchestra begin their first US tour, a 40-date trek kicking off in San Diego.

1973The Wings album Red Rose Speedway hits the top of the albums chart in the US and "My Love" starts a four-week run as the #1 single on the Hot 100.

1972Former teen idol Dion performs in a reunion concert with The Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1972Pink Floyd release their seventh album, Obscured By Clouds, in the UK. It is released in America on June 17.

1970Dominic Greensmith (original drummer for Reef) is born in England.

1970Cypress Hill lead rapper B-Real is born Louis Freese in Los Angeles, California.

1969Jazz bassist Albert Stinson dies from a drug overdose at 24.

1966The Who kick off a 10-date European tour at the Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden.

1965Jeremy Cunningham (bass guitarist for The Levellers) is born in Cuckfield, Sussex, England.

1964The day after arriving in America for their first US tour, The Rolling Stones appear on American TV for the first time when they are interviewed on The Les Crane Show. When Crane asks if they are excited to be making their first US TV appearance, Keith Richards sarcastically replies, "Yeah, it knocks me out."


Page 41...345
1962Thor Eldon Jonsson (guitarist for The Sugarcubes) is born in Iceland.

1962Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1960Tony Hadley (lead singer of Spandau Ballet) is born in Islington, London, England.

1960Bobby Darin plays the Copacabana in New York for the first time.


1958Alan Freed, who popularized R&B music by playing it for a white audience, moves from WINS in New York to WABC. Freed put on a lot of concerts featuring the artists he played, and WINS had suspended him over a show in Boston where a riot broke out.

1958Barry Sadler joins the US Air Force (he's later a Green Beret in the US Army).

1957Johnnie Ray's "Yes Tonight Josephine" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1955Michael Steele (bass guitarist for The Bangles) is born Susan Nancy Thomas in Pasadena, California. She is an early member of The Runaways, an all-girl punk rock group.


1952Pete Farndon (bassist for The Pretenders) is born in Hereford, England.

1951Steve Brookins (drummer for .38 Special from 1974-1987) is born.

1945The Les Brown Orchestra with Doris Day goes to #1 in America with "Sentimental Journey."

1945Soul singer Chubby Tavares (of Tavares) is born Antone Lee Tavares in Providence, Rhode Island.


1941R&B singer William Guest (of Gladys Knight & The Pips) is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1941The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts is born Charles Robert Watts in London.

1937Jimmy Jones, known for the 1960 rock and roll hit "Handy Man," is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

1936Doo wop singer Otis Williams (of The Charms), not to be confused with The Temptations member of the same name, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1932R&B singer Sammy Turner, known for the 1959 hit "Lavender-Blue," is born Samuel Black in Paterson, New Jersey.

1857Composer Edward Elgar is born in Worcester, England.

Whitney Houston Releases Hit-Filled Second Album1987
Whitney Houston's second album, Whitney, is released. It contains four #1 hits, including the enduring "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

Read more

2 JUNE
Featured Events
Music Industry Takes Stand Against Racism On "Blackout Tuesday"
2020The music industry recognizes "Blackout Tuesday" in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Using the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, many record labels and artists cease operations, while broadcasters and streaming services change their programming in support of efforts to address racism and injustice on a wide scale, and more specifically to end police brutality against African Americans.More

2018BTS become the first K-pop band to top the US albums chart when Love Yourself: Tear debuts at #1.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Added To National Historic Register
2006Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is added to the National Historic Register.More


2002Eminem's The Eminem Show hits #1 on both the UK and US album charts.

2001A cover of the chart-topping 1974 Labelle hit "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim takes the song back to the top spot, making Lil' Kim the first female rapper to appear on a Hot 100 #1 hit.

1989Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman, 52, marries 18-year-old Mandy Smith in a 15-minute civil ceremony held at a registry office in Suffolk, England. The only witnesses are Smith's sister and Wyman's son. A proper celebration takes place three days later.More


1944Marvin Hamlisch is born in New York City. The composer will not only win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Chorus Line in 1975, but will snag multiple Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Academy Awards for his work for stage and screen (The Way We Were, The Sting).


Notable Album Releases
1978: Thin Lizzy released their acclaimed live album Live and Dangerous, featuring performances from London, Philadelphia, and Toronto, which became a commercial success and is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time.
1
1972: Pink Floyd released Obscured by Clouds, serving as the soundtrack for the film La Vallée and peaking at No.6 in the UK.
2
1978: Bruce Springsteen released his fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town via Columbia Records.
1
1973: Paul McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway topped the Billboard 200, while the single My Love reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2
2012: Adam Lambert’s Trespassing reached No.1 in the US, and Fun featuring Janelle Monáe topped the UK Singles chart with We Are Young.
1
2016: Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman reached No.1 in the UK.
1
2018: BTS scored their first No.1 album on the US Billboard 200 with Love Yourself: Tear.
1
2022: Harry Styles’ Harry’s House became the No.1 album in the UK.
1


3 Sources
Chart-Topping Singles
1962: Ray Charles’ cover of Don Gibson’s I Can’t Stop Loving You hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in Australia, Sweden, and the UK.
1
1966: Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart and topped charts worldwide.
2
1975: David Bowie’s single Fame, featuring John Lennon, became his first US No.1 hit.
1
1979: Donna Summer’s disco hit Hot Stuff began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
1
1984: Wham! scored their first UK No.1 with Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, which also topped charts internationally.
1


4 Sources
Significant Performances and Milestones
1976: Paul McCartney and Wings performed to 67,100 fans in Seattle, setting a record for the largest indoor concert attendance at the time.
1
1981: Prince played his first UK show at London’s Lyceum Theatre.
1
1962: Island Records released its first single, Twist Baby by Owen Gray, marking the beginning of a label that would later sign Bob Marley, U2, and Amy Winehouse.
1

1 Source
Births and Deaths
1904: Jazz trumpeter Valaida Snow, known as the “Queen of the Trumpet,” was born.
1
1930: Singer-songwriter Jimmy Jones, famous for Handy Man, was born.
1
1932: Singer Sammy Turner, known for Lavender Blue and Always, was born.
1
1941: William Guest, founding member of Gladys Knight & the Pips, was born.
1
2008: Bo Diddley (Ellas Otha Bates), influential in bridging blues and rock ‘n’ roll, passed away at age 79.
2
2011: Jazz pianist Raphael “Ray” Bryant died at age 79.
1


2 Sources
Other Notable Events
1967: Capitol Records released The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the US with identical track listings to the UK version, topping charts for 15 weeks in the US and 22 weeks in the UK.
1
1992: Ringo Starr’s second All-Starr Band debuted in concert, featuring notable musicians like Joe Walsh and Todd Rundgren.
1
2000: Joni Mitchell completed her Both Sides Now Tour of America in Camden, New Jersey.
1
2010: Paul McCartney received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the White House.
1

[Bikkie]

1917
New Zealand steamer captured by the Wolf
The steamer Wairuna, en route from Auckland to San Francisco, was captured by the German raider Wolf and later sunk near the Kermadec Islands. The crew of 42 was taken prisoner.



1970
Motor racing driver Bruce McLaren dies
In 1958 Bruce McLaren was the first recipient of the Driver to Europe award, which enabled promising Kiwis to race against the world’s best.



In Music History

2017-Luke Combs, who majored in criminal justice at Appalachian State University, releases his debut album, This One's For You. Music suits him: He wins the CMA for New Artist Of The Year and becomes a top concert draw.

2013-Taylor Swift poses for photos with KYGO radio DJ David Mueller before her concert in Denver. She later accuses him of putting his hand up her dress, and Mueller is fired. In 2015, he sues her, but Swift countersues and wins a sexual assault case against him. "He grabbed my bare ass," she says in her testimony.

2011-Pink and her husband, Carey Hart, welcome their first child, a daughter named Willow Sage.

2011-Jazz pianist/composer Ray Bryant (of The Ray Bryant Combo) dies at age 79.

2010-After being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Paul McCartney sings "Michelle" to First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House performance.

2008-Bo Diddley dies of heart failure at age 79.

2006-Vince Welnick (keyboardist for The Tubes, Grateful Dead) commits suicide at age 55 after a long battle with depression.

2006-Jackson Browne, Dar Williams and Pete Seeger play a hayloft in Garrison, New York, to kickstart Orleans founder John Hall's congressional campaign.More

2003-A painting of Kylie Minogue wearing gold hot pants causes tempers to fray among drivers in Brighton. Artist Simon Etheridge put up the almost life-size picture in his own Art Asylum gallery as part of a Festival and since then motorists have caused regular traffic hold-ups as they stopped to take a second look.

2002-S Club 7 member Hannah Spearitt announces she is quitting the group two months after her boyfriend and band member Paul Cattermole had left the group.

2002-Pop Idol winner Will Young's version of The Doors' 1967 classic "Light My Fire" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

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.

2002-Rockabilly singer-songwriter Boyd Bennett (of the Rockets), known for the '50s hits "Seventeen" and "My Boy, Flat Top," dies of a lung ailment at age 77.

2000-Western swing bandleader Adolph Hofner dies less than a week before his 84th birthday.

1999-Junior Braithwaite (of Bob Marley's Wailers) is gunned down in front of a fellow musician's home in Kingston, Jamaica. Junior, age 47, is the third Wailer to be murdered, following Peter Tosh and Carlton Barrett's 1987 deaths.

1998-Lynyrd Skynyrd release their fourth live album, Lyve from Steel Town.

1998-50 Cent makes his major-label debut, dropping a verse on the Onyx song "React." Over the next few years, he gets shot nine times, appears on the 8 Mile soundtrack, and releases his Dr. Dre-produced hit single, "In Da Club."

1997-Jazz trumpeter Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham dies at age 91.

1995-Stone Roses guitarist John Squire smashes his collarbone in a cycling accident, causing the band to pull out of major gigs.

1993-Aerosmith appear at the Landon Arena in Kansas, the first night on their 169-date Get A Grip world tour.

1993-Jamiroquai kick off a 13-date UK tour at Royal Holloway College in Egham.

1992-Freedom Williams quits C and C Music Factory and files a $10 million fraud and breach of contract suit in New York against the group.

1990-Soul II Soul's Vol. II (A New Decade) starts a 3-week run at #1 on the UK album chart.

1990-Mariah Carey makes the Hot 100 for the first time when her debut single, "Vision Of Love," enters at #73. In August, the song goes to #1, as do her next four singles.

1987-Whitney Houston Releases Hit-Filled Second Album.
Whitney Houston's second album, Whitney, is released. It contains four #1 hits, including the enduring "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."

1987-Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia dies at age 94.

1986-Blues singer ZZ Ward is born Zsuzsanna Ward outside of Philadelphia.

1986-Randy Travis releases his debut album, Storms Of Life. Thanks to the #1 Country hits "On The Other Hand" and "Diggin' Up Bones," it goes on to sell over 3 million copies, establishing Travis as a star.

1984-Wham!'s "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1984-Joe Perry and Brad Whitford return to Aerosmith, reuniting their original lineup as they kick off their Back In The Saddle Tour in Concord, New Hampshire. Their comeback starts in earnest two years later when they all get sober and the rap reworking of "Walk This Way" takes off.

It's Safe To Dance
1983-The 12-inch remix of "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats goes to #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. MTV begins playing the huzzah-worthy video, and the song soon rises up the Hot 100.

1981-Prince makes his live British debut at The Lyceum Ballroom in London. He does not play the UK again for five years.

1980-Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for The Strokes) is born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1979-Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for three weeks.

1978-Bruce Springsteen releases Darkness On The Edge Of Town. It's his first album in almost three years due to a legal dispute with his ex-manager Mike Appel.

1976-Tim Rice-Oxley (keyboardist for Keane) is born in Oxford, England.

1973-Electric Light Orchestra begin their first US tour, a 40-date trek kicking off in San Diego.

1973-The Wings album Red Rose Speedway hits the top of the albums chart in the US and "My Love" starts a four-week run as the #1 single on the Hot 100.

1972-Former teen idol Dion performs in a reunion concert with The Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1972-Pink Floyd release their seventh album, Obscured By Clouds, in the UK. It is released in America on June 17.

1970-Dominic Greensmith (original drummer for Reef) is born in England.

1970-Cypress Hill lead rapper B-Real is born Louis Freese in Los Angeles, California.

1969-Jazz bassist Albert Stinson dies from a drug overdose at 24.

1966-The Who kick off a 10-date European tour at the Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden.

1965-Jeremy Cunningham (bass guitarist for The Levellers) is born in Cuckfield, Sussex, England.

1964The day after arriving in America for their first US tour, The Rolling Stones appear on American TV for the first time when they are interviewed on The Les Crane Show. When Crane asks if they are excited to be making their first US TV appearance, Keith Richards sarcastically replies, "Yeah, it knocks me out."

1962-Thor Eldon Jonsson (guitarist for The Sugarcubes) is born in Iceland.

1962-Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1960-Tony Hadley (lead singer of Spandau Ballet) is born in Islington, London, England.

1960-Bobby Darin plays the Copacabana in New York for the first time.

1958-Alan Freed, who popularized R&B music by playing it for a white audience, moves from WINS in New York to WABC. Freed put on a lot of concerts featuring the artists he played, and WINS had suspended him over a show in Boston where a riot broke out.

1958-Barry Sadler joins the US Air Force (he's later a Green Beret in the US Army).

1957-Johnnie Ray's "Yes Tonight Josephine" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1955-Michael Steele (bass guitarist for The Bangles) is born Susan Nancy Thomas in Pasadena, California. She is an early member of The Runaways, an all-girl punk rock group.

1952-Pete Farndon (bassist for The Pretenders) is born in Hereford, England.

1951-Steve Brookins (drummer for .38 Special from 1974-1987) is born.

1945-The Les Brown Orchestra with Doris Day goes to #1 in America with "Sentimental Journey."

1945-Soul singer Chubby Tavares (of Tavares) is born Antone Lee Tavares in Providence, Rhode Island.

1941-R&B singer William Guest (of Gladys Knight & The Pips) is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1941-The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts is born Charles Robert Watts in London.

1937-Jimmy Jones, known for the 1960 rock and roll hit "Handy Man," is born in Birmingham, Alabama.

1936-Doo wop singer Otis Williams (of The Charms), not to be confused with The Temptations member of the same name, is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1932-R&B singer Sammy Turner, known for the 1959 hit "Lavender-Blue," is born Samuel Black in Paterson, New Jersey.

1857-Composer Edward Elgar is born in Worcester, England.




Featured Events

Music Industry Takes Stand Against Racism On "Blackout Tuesday"
2020-The music industry recognizes "Blackout Tuesday" in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Using the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, many record labels and artists cease operations, while broadcasters and streaming services change their programming in support of efforts to address racism and injustice on a wide scale, and more specifically to end police brutality against African Americans.More

2018-BTS become the first K-pop band to top the US albums chart when Love Yourself: Tear debuts at #1.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Added To National Historic Register
2006-Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is added to the National Historic Register.More

2002-Eminem's The Eminem Show hits #1 on both the UK and US album charts.

2001-A cover of the chart-topping 1974 Labelle hit "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott, Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim takes the song back to the top spot, making Lil' Kim the first female rapper to appear on a Hot 100 #1 hit.

1989-Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman, 52, marries 18-year-old Mandy Smith in a 15-minute civil ceremony held at a registry office in Suffolk, England. The only witnesses are Smith's sister and Wyman's son. A proper celebration takes place three days later.

1944-Marvin Hamlisch is born in New York City. The composer will not only win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for A Chorus Line in 1975, but will snag multiple Emmy, Grammy, Tony, and Academy Awards for his work for stage and screen (The Way We Were, The Sting).



Notable Album Releases

1978- Thin Lizzy released their acclaimed live album Live and Dangerous, featuring performances from London, Philadelphia, and Toronto, which became a commercial success and is considered one of the greatest live albums of all time.

1972- Pink Floyd released Obscured by Clouds, serving as the soundtrack for the film La Vallée and peaking at No.6 in the UK.

1978- Bruce Springsteen released his fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town via Columbia Records.

1973- Paul McCartney and Wings’ Red Rose Speedway topped the Billboard 200, while the single My Love reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2012- Adam Lambert’s Trespassing reached No.1 in the US, and Fun featuring Janelle Monáe topped the UK Singles chart with We Are Young.

2016:-Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman reached No.1 in the UK.

2018- BTS scored their first No.1 album on the US Billboard 200 with Love Yourself: Tear.

2022- Harry Styles’ Harry’s House became the No.1 album in the UK.




Chart-Topping Singles

1962- Ray Charles’ cover of Don Gibson’s I Can’t Stop Loving You hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in Australia, Sweden, and the UK.

1966- Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night reached No.1 on the UK Singles Chart and topped charts worldwide.

1975- David Bowie’s single Fame, featuring John Lennon, became his first US No.1 hit.

1979- Donna Summer’s disco hit Hot Stuff began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1984- Wham! scored their first UK No.1 with Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, which also topped charts internationally.




Significant Performances and Milestones

1976- Paul McCartney and Wings performed to 67,100 fans in Seattle, setting a record for the largest indoor concert attendance at the time.

1981- Prince played his first UK show at London’s Lyceum Theatre.

1962- Island Records released its first single, Twist Baby by Owen Gray, marking the beginning of a label that would later sign Bob Marley, U2, and Amy Winehouse.



Births and Deaths

1904- Jazz trumpeter Valaida Snow, known as the “Queen of the Trumpet,” was born.

1930- Singer-songwriter Jimmy Jones, famous for Handy Man, was born.

1932- Singer Sammy Turner, known for Lavender Blue and Always, was born.

1941- William Guest, founding member of Gladys Knight & the Pips, was born.

2008- Bo Diddley (Ellas Otha Bates), influential in bridging blues and rock ‘n’ roll, passed away at age 79.

2011- Jazz pianist Raphael “Ray” Bryant died at age 79.




Other Notable Events

1967- Capitol Records released The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in the US with identical track listings to the UK version, topping charts for 15 weeks in the US and 22 weeks in the UK.

1992- Ringo Starr’s second All-Starr Band debuted in concert, featuring notable musicians like Joe Walsh and Todd Rundgren.

2000- Joni Mitchell completed her Both Sides Now Tour of America in Camden, New Jersey.

2010- Paul McCartney received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize at the White House.

[Bikkie]

1869
University of Otago founded
Governor George Bowen gave his assent to the Otago Provincial Council’s University of Otago Ordinance, enabling the establishment of New Zealand’s first university.

1936
Colin 'Pinetree' Meads born
The legendary All Black lock was a physically tough, uncompromising player. Rugby writer Lindsay Knight described Colin Meads as New Zealand's equivalent of Australia's Sir Donald Bradman or American Babe Ruth as a sporting legend.

1941
First women enter police training
Calls for policewomen had been made since the 1930s, when the National Council of Women started lobbying for women officers.



In Music History

2023-Lauryn Hill stages a surprise Fugees reunion when she brings Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel on stage to perform at her concert in Philadelphia.

2016-After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight boxing champion and civil rights activist who was the subject of the 1975 hit "Black Superman," dies of respiratory complications at age 74.

2014-Jade Castrinos, the female vocalist in Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, updates her Instagram bio to read: "For seven years i sang and wrote music with edward sharpe. they voted me off of tour a week before they left, via email. lol."More

2011-Andrew Gold, who penned what would famously become the theme song to The Golden Girls, dies of heart failure at age 59.

2011-R&B singer Benny Spellman dies of respiratory failure at age 79.

2010-Esquire posts video of a fashion shoot where Gavin Rossdale's daughter Daisy Lowe dances to the song "Tiger" by Maximum Balloon, garnering millions of views and giving the song a huge boost.More

2009-Blues singer Koko Taylor, known for her popular cover of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle," dies of surgical complications after a procedure for gastrointestinal bleeding at age 80.

2006-At the Rock am Ring Festival in Nürburgring, Germany, Metallica perform their classic album Master Of Puppets in its entirety for the first time ever.

2006-Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium hits #1 on both the UK and US albums charts.

Shakira Releases Fijacion Oral Vol. 1
2005-Shakira releases the Spanish-language portion of her double-album project, Oral Fixation, which is joined by its English counterpart in the fall. The two-part project is a followup to her first English-language album, Laundry Service, and reflects the singer's evolution from a Colombian pop princess to an international superstar.More

2003-Barry Manilow suffers a broken nose after he accidentally walks into a wall at his home in Palm Springs, California, and knocks himself unconscious. Although he passed out for four hours, he doesn't endure any lasting effects and doctors determine that surgery is not necessary.

2002-Paul McCartney and Elton John are among the many famous performers at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrating the 50th year of her reign.

2001-Tom Petty marries Dana York in a ceremony officiated by Little Richard. It's his second marriage, and his last - he and Dana are still married when he dies in 2017.

2001-Staind's Break The Cycle starts a three-week run at #1 on the US albums chart.

2001-Shaggy's "Angel" starts a four-week run at #1 on the UK singles chart. His album Hot Shot also goes to #1 on the UK albums chart.

2000-Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts is arrested after allegedly trashing his house, threatening his wife's life, and then disappearing. He is captured and ordered to get psychiatric help.

2000-In what becomes known as "the horse incident," Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are arrested in Buffalo, New York, after Chesney mounts a police horse and rides off. At trial, they're found not guilty; Chesney says he thought he had permission to get on the horse.

1997-Wu-Tang Forever, the second album by the 9-man rap group, is released.

1995-Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?," featured in the Johnny Depp movie Don Juan DeMarco, starts a five-week run at #1 on the US singles chart.

1994-Mark Wahlberg of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch makes his film debut in the comedy Renaissance Man as an army private who is teased by his fellow recruits for having no rhythm.

1993-The Australian band Midnight Oil, of "Beds Are Burning" fame, appear on MTV's Unplugged. Not all the band members are happy with the format, but drummer Rob Hirst is pleasantly surprised: "We spent a few weeks stripping the whole thing down, and what we found was underneath the grunt of the amps and the drums, there were actually some really good, melodic songs."

Bill Clinton Plays Sax On Arsenio
1992
Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, campaigning for US president, makes a whistle stop on The Arsenio Hall Show, where he plays the Elvis Presley hit "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone to a cheering, youthful audience. The appearance is later seen as the definitive moment when Clinton captured the trust and support of young voters, and locked the election on charisma points.

1990-Richard Sohl, pianist and songwriter known for his work with Patti Smith, dies of a heart attack at age 37.

1990-The Big Day free festival takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, with Wet Wet Wet, Deacon Blue, Hothouse Flowers, Sheena Easton, Texas, Hue and Cry, John Martyn, Eddi Reader, The Average White Band and others. Channel 4 TV runs a six-hour live broadcast from the event.

1989-The Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw & The Cooked starts a seven-week run at #1 on the US albums chart.

1989-Queen's 13th album, The Miracle, hits #1 in the UK.

1989-Michael Damian's "Rock On" hits #1 on the Hot 100. Damian grew up listening to the song, which was written and recorded by David Essex in 1973.

1988-Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play a memorable duet of "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks" on a foot-operated electronic keyboard in the fantasy comedy Big.

1988-A judge rejects the defense of James Brown's wife Adrienne, who claims diplomatic immunity in an effort to get out of traffic tickets. Her reasoning is that two years earlier, Congressman Douglas Bernard, Jr. called her husband the "#1 Ambassador" as part of James Brown Appreciation Day. The judge doesn't go for it.

1985-Bryan Ferry releases his sixth solo album, Boys and Girls.

1983-Already undergoing psychiatric treatment and suffering from, among other things, voices in his head, Derek & the Dominos drummer Jim Gordon brutally murders his own mother with a hammer and knife in their home. Gordon, who co-wrote the band's biggest hit, "Layla," is sentenced to life in prison.

1981-Just before The Duprees are about to embark on a reunion tour, the doo wop group's Joe Santollo dies of internal bleeding after suffering a heart attack at age 37.

1978-Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams' "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" hits #1 in America.

1975-Ozzie Nelson, who starred with his real-life family, including son Rick Nelson, in the long-running radio and television series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, dies of liver cancer at age 69.

1974-Kelly Jones (lead singer of Stereophonics) is born in Cwmaman, Wales.

Jethro Tull's Album Thick As A Brick Goes To #1
1972-Jethro Tull's concept album Thick As A Brick, complete with an insert from the fictional newspaper St. Cleve Chronicle and Linwell Advertiser, hits #1 in America.More

1972-The Eagles release "Take It Easy."

1972-With Martha Reeves and Stevie Wonder opening, The Rolling Stones kick off their Exile On Main Street tour in Vancouver, BC. The 32-date tour grosses $4 million, making it the richest rock tour in history at the time.

1972-Joe Cocker, The Beach Boys, Melanie, Richie Havens and Sha Na Na all appear at the Crystal Palace Garden Party in England.

1971-The Band appear at London's Royal Albert Hall during a European tour.

1971-Twin brothers Ariel and Gabriel Hernandez (of the pop band No Mercy) are born in Cuba.

1970-Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," with a funky descending bass line courtesy of Motown Funk Brother Bob Babbitt, is released as a single.

1970-Jimi Hendrix's Band Of Gypsys is certified Gold.

1969-Elton John's first album, Empty Sky, is released in the UK and initially sells 4,000 copies. It isn't released in America until 1975.

1968-Valerie Solanas shoots Andy Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol's studio in New York City. Solanas had been to see Warhol after asking for the return of a script which had apparently been misplaced. Warhol is seriously wounded in the attack and barely survives.

1968-Saffron (lead singer of Republica) is born Samantha Marie Sprackling is born in Lagos, Nigeria.

1967-It's a very trippy episode of American Bandstand, with Jefferson Airplane performing "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit."

1965-Mike Gordon (bass guitarist for Phish) is born in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

1964-The Rolling Stones perform for the first time on American TV when they're guests on a variety show called Hollywood Palace, which is hosted that week by Dean Martin. They play their cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," and endure ridicule from Martin, who quips, "Their hair is not that long - it's just smaller foreheads."

1964-During a photo shoot for The Saturday Evening Post, an exhausted Ringo Starr collapses and is rushed to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Jimmy Nicol replaces him on the Beatles tour.

1964-Slayer guitarist Kerry King is born in Los Angeles, California.

1962-David Cole (of C and C Music Factory) is born in Johnson City, Tennessee.

1959-Billboard magazine responds to the growing popularity of stereophonic recordings by splitting its album chart in two: one chart for mono, one for stereo.

1957-Pat Boone's "Love Letters In The Sand" hits #1 on the US Top 100 and stays for seven weeks. Boone would have two of the Top 5 songs of 1957 ("April Love" is the other), while Elvis has the other three.

1957-The Isley Brothers release "Angels Cried."

1956-Danny Wilde (of The Rembrandts) is born Daniel Thomas in Houlton, Maine.

1955-Buddy Holly opens for Elvis Presley at a matinee concert in Lubbock, Texas. After the show, they sign autographs in a promotional appearance at the Johnson-Connelley Pontiac car dealership.

1954-Dan Hill, known for the 1977 ballad "Sometimes When We Touch," is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1953-Florence Beatrice Price, the first African American composer to have a composition played by a major orchestra, dies of a stroke at age 66.

1952-Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player Billy Powell is born in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1950-Florian Pilkington-Miksa (original drummer for Curved Air) is born in Roehampton, South West London, England.

1950-Soul singer Deniece Williams is born June Deniece Chandler in Gary, Indiana.

1950-Perry Como's "Hoop-Dee-Doo" hits #1.

1947-T. Rex drummer Mickey Finn is born Michael Norman Finn outside of London, England.

1947-Dave Alexander (original bassist for The Stooges) is born in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, and will be raised in nearby Ann Arbor.

1946-Eddie Holman, known for his 1970 hit "Hey There Lonely Girl," is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1946-Michael Clarke (original drummer for The Byrds) is born Michael James Dick is born in Spokane, Washington.

1942-Curtis Mayfield is born in Chicago, Illinois. With his group The Impressions, he writes, produces and sings on '60s classics like "People Get Ready" and "Keep On Pushing." He makes his mark in the '70s as a solo artist with songs like "Superfly" and "Move On Up."

1939-Ian Hunter (lead singer of Mott the Hoople) is born Ian Hunter Patterson in Shropshire, England, to a Scottish father.

1930-Jazz singer Dakota Staton is born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Known for the 1957 hit "The Late, Late Show."

1927-Boots Randolph, popular saxophonist and pioneer of the Nashville Sound, is born Homer Louis Randolph III in Paducah, Kentucky.

1906-Josephine Baker is born in in St. Louis, Missouri, but makes her mark in France, where she becomes a renowned singer, dancer and actress.





Featured Events

2019-Forbes declares Jay-Z a billionaire, making him the first rapper to hit that mark. $310 million of his fortune comes from his stake in Armand de Brignac champagne.

2007-During a gig in New York, a fan throws something at Akon during his set. The singer brings the offender on stage, picks him up and hurls him into the crowd.More

1991-In an effort to pay off his tax debt, Willie Nelson releases Who'll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes. Available by mail order at (800) IRS-TAPE, it's part of a deal Nelson made with the IRS to help reconcile his whopping $32 million tax bill.

1972-The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There" hits #1 as the group makes a successful transition from gospel to secular music.

Kinks Take Coca-Cola Out Of "Lola"
1970-With the BBC refusing to air The Kinks' new single "Lola" because of its reference to "Coca-Cola" (brand names being a no-no for the corporation), lead singer Ray Davies flies all the way from London to New York to re-record the line as "Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola."More

1967-"It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty delta day," as Billie Joe McAllister jumps off the Tallahatchee Bridge, according to the Bobbie Gentry song "Ode To Billie Joe."

1967-Aretha Franklin's "Respect" hits #1 in America. The song was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, whose version hit #35 in 1965.

1950-Suzi Quatro is born in Detroit. She makes her musical mark in England, where she moves in 1971 after Mickie Most signs her to his label. In America, she's best known for her role as Leather Tuscadero on the TV series Happy Days.



Here are some key events that occurred on this day:

1967- Aretha Franklin's "Respect" became her first No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1977- Bob Marley and the Wailers released their album "Exodus," featuring hits like "Three Little Birds" and "One Love."

1978- Deniece Williams and Johnny Mathis topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late."

1983- Composer Charles Lecocq was born.

1998 Van Halen cancelled a show at the Docks club in Hamburg, Germany, after a piece of ceiling plaster fell and hit Alex Van Halen.

[Bikkie]

Military and Naval History on June 4

1940 – Dunkirk Evacuation Completed
British forces completed the miraculous evacuation of 338,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk’s beaches as German forces closed in. Winston Churchill delivered his famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech to rally British morale.

The operation transformed a military disaster into a symbol of British resilience and determination. Small civilian boats joined naval vessels in rescuing soldiers from the French coast.

1942 – Battle of Midway Begins
Admiral Chūichi Nagumo launched a massive Japanese strike against Midway Island, initiating one of the Pacific War’s most decisive battles. The Imperial Navy deployed its most powerful carriers and aircraft.

American codebreakers had intercepted Japanese plans, positioning U.S. forces for a surprise counterattack. The battle would determine control of the central Pacific for the remainder of the war.

1944 – U.S. Navy Captures German U-Boat
A U.S. Navy hunter-killer group captured the German submarine U-505 intact, marking the first enemy vessel seizure at sea since the 19th century. The dramatic boarding operation yielded valuable intelligence materials.

The submarine’s capture provided crucial insights into German naval codes and technology. American sailors risked their lives to prevent the U-boat’s scuttling and secure its secrets.

1944 – Allied Forces Liberate Rome
The U.S. Fifth Army entered Rome as German forces withdrew northward toward defensive positions. The liberation marked the first Axis capital to fall to Allied forces.

Pope Pius XII welcomed the Allied troops while Italian civilians celebrated their freedom from Nazi occupation. The victory boosted Allied morale despite allowing most German forces to escape.

1916 – Russia Launches Brusilov Offensive
Russian forces began a massive artillery bombardment of Austro-Hungarian positions in Galicia, launching the war’s most successful Russian offensive. General Alexei Brusilov employed innovative tactics to break enemy lines.

The offensive initially achieved spectacular success, capturing thousands of prisoners and vast territory. However, Russian losses eventually exceeded their gains, contributing to the army’s eventual collapse.



In Music History

2020-Producer Rupert Hine, whose credits include Tina Turner's hit "Better Be Good To Me" and the first four albums by The Fixx, dies at 72.

2019-Grammy-winning jazz drummer Lawrence Leathers dies at age 37 after being placed in a choke hold during an altercation involving a love triangle.

2013-Cornelius "Nini" Harp (original lead singer of The Marcels) dies of natural causes at age 73.

2013-Joey Covington (drummer for Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) dies in a single-vehicle accident in Palm Springs, California, at age 67.

2007-Soul singer Freddie Scott dies at age 74.

2006-Sandi Thom's "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

2006-Orson's Bright Idea hits #1 on the UK albums chart.

2005-System Of A Down's fourth album, Mezmerize, goes to #1 in America. Six months later, their next album, Hypnotize (recorded in the same sessions), takes the top spot.

2004-Creed, who haven't played together since 2002, announce their breakup, with lead singer Scott Stapp going solo and the other original members forming Alter Bridge. The band reunites in 2009 and again in 2024.

2004-Nathan Moore, former singer with Brother Beyond and Worlds Apart, appears at Highbury Corner magistrates court and pleads guilty to a charge of kerb crawling in central London. He is fined £250 and ordered to pay £50 costs. The former pop singer was arrested on May 27 in the Kings Cross area after he approached a woman he thought was a prostitute and requested a sexual favor. He then rode away on his moped before being arrested.

2003-A grandfather who set up his own pirate radio station in Wakefield, Yorkshire, is under investigation by local broadcasting authorities. The man known as Ricky Rock had erected a 32-foot transmitter in his garden and had been playing hits by The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and Elvis Presley. Ricky said he set the station up because "talent-less boy bands and dance music" featured on local stations did not cater to the tastes of his generation.

2002-Wyclef Jean is one of ten people arrested for disorderly conduct in a New York rally protesting cuts to education. Jean is arrested and led away in handcuffs following an attempt to perform, which was forbidden by the event's permit. Puff Daddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu, Foxy Brown and Wu-Tang Clan were also at the rally to show their support and protest a proposed $1.2 billion cut to New York's public education system.

2002-George Michael is jeered and heckled by the audience of a CNN news show as he defends the video for his new single "Shoot The Dog," in which US President George Bush is shown in bed with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Michael says it is an attack on Blair and not President Bush.

Avril Lavigne Releases Debut Album
2002-Avril Lavigne, 17, releases her debut album, Let Go, which goes to #1 in her native Canada and sells over 7 million copies in America.More

2001-Folk singer John Hartford dies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 63.

2000-Bon Jovi's Crush hits #1 on the UK albums chart.

2000-In Atlanta, Bruce Springsteen debuts "American Skin (41 Shots)," a song he wrote about the New York police killing of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed suspect. Eight days later, he performs the song at his concert in Madison Square Garden, which is protested by some members of the NYPD.More

1999-As he predicted on the title track, Kid Rock goes Platinum with his album Devil Without A Cause. It goes on to sell another 10 million copies.

1998-Ray Charles reunites with his legendary touring band to perform in celebration of his 50th year in show business at the 15th annual Chicago Blues Festival in Grant Park.

1997-Ronnie Lane (bass guitarist of The Small Faces, The Faces) dies at age 51 after a 21-year battle with multiple sclerosis.

Metallica Follow Up Black Album With Load
1996-Metallica release Load, their first album in five years.More

1996-After 10 years together, Crowded House announce they are splitting up. They reunite in 2007.

1994-The soundtrack from the film The Crow hits #1 on the US Albums chart.

1994-Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" starts a 15-week run at #1 on the UK singles chart.

1994-Derek Leckenby (lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits) dies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 51.

1993-Police are called to a domestic dispute at the house of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, and the Nirvana lead singer is arrested. Cobain claims that reports of him choking his wife are false, and that police were called because they were playing music too loud.

1992-Iron Maiden play a gig at the Oval pub in Norwich before 400 fans as The Nodding Donkeys, as a thank you to the pub's landlord, Chris Hiles.

1992-Smokey Robinson's half sister, Rose Ella Jones, files a suit against Smokey claiming she had been cheated out of royalty payments from songs written during the 1980s.

1992-The Children Of The Night foundation opens a shelter in Van Nuys, California for teenagers who have been forced into prostitution. It is funded in part from proceeds from Richard Marx' song "Children Of The Night," which he wrote after spending time with kids who were helped by the organization.

1990-Stiv Bators (frontman for The Dead Boys, The Lords of the New Church), age 40, dies of a concussion in his sleep hours after being struck by a taxi.

1986-After a years-long court battle, the producers of The Beatles' tribute Beatlemania! are forced to pay Apple $10 million in royalties.

1985-Elton John begins a high court battle with Dick James Music, seeking the rights to early songs and recordings plus damages estimated at more than $51 million.

1983-The Police's "Every Breath You Take" starts a four-week run at #1 in the UK.

Fleetwood Mac Record The USC Marching Band For "Tusk"
1979
Fleetwood Mac record the USC Trojan Marching Band at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for use in their song "Tusk," the title track to their first album since Rumours. A film crew captures the action (including Stevie Nicks deftly twirling a baton) which is made into the video for the song.

1979-US President Jimmy Carter hosts Chuck Berry, who plays a concert for The First Family at the White House.

1976-Blondie, Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, Laughing Dogs, and Tuff Darts play a show at CBGB that is packaged in the album Live At CBGB'S New York. The grimy club has become the mecca of the burgeoning punk/new wave scene in the city.

1976-Country singer Kasey Chambers is born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia.

1975-The Rolling Stones become the first rock band to receive royalties for sales of their records in Russia.

1974-Stefan Lessard (bassist for The Dave Matthews Band) is born in Anaheim, California. He's just 16 when he joins the band as a founding member in 1991.

1973-Jimmy Buffett releases A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, his first Key West-themed album with producer Don Gant. It features the country-music parody "Why Don't We Get Drunk."

1973-Beach Boys patriarch Murry Wilson dies at age 55.

1970-Just one month after the Kent State Shootings, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young release "Ohio," a song about the tragedy.

1970-Elvis Presley records "Twenty Days And Twenty Nights," "I've Lost You," "I Was Born About Ten Thousand Years Ago," "The Sound Of Your Cry," "Faded Love," "The Fool," "A Hundred Years From Now," "Little Cabin On The Hill," and "Cindy, Cindy."

1969-Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1969-Nicky Hopkins leaves The Jeff Beck Group.

1969-Hundreds of people in Glenrowan, Australia, sign a petition protesting against the casting of Mick Jagger in the role of the Australian folk hero Ned Kelly for the film of the same name. Jagger plays the part anyway.

1967-The movie To Sir With Love, featuring Lulu, premieres in New York City.

1967-The Monkees, starring the eponymous band, wins an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

1966-Janis Joplin arrives in San Francisco to join Big Brother & the Holding Company as their new lead singer.

1964-The Beatles begin their first world tour, playing the K.B. Hallen Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Session drummer Jimmy Nicol, wearing Ringo's suit, sits in for the ailing drummer for this and the next five dates.

1964-Chris Kavanagh (drummer for Sigue Sigu Sputnik, Big Audio Dynamite) is born in Woolwich, London, England.

1963-Pop Goes The Beatles debuts on the BBC. the band is a big draw on the network, but this is the first time they get their own show, where they perform, take requests, and crack jokes. They record a rock version of "Pop Goes The Weasel" for the theme song. It lasts 16 episodes.

1963-The Searchers release "Sweets For My Sweet."

Beach Boys Release "Surfin' Safari"
1962-The Beach Boys release their second single, "Surfin' Safari" backed with "409."More

1961-El DeBarge is born Eldra Patrick DeBarge in Detroit, Michigan. He will become the lead singer of his family's group, DeBarge.

1958-With the public outraged over his marriage to 13-year-old Myra Gale Brown, an indignant Jerry Lee Lewis renews their vows, since he wasn't actually divorced from a previous wife when he originally married her.

1956-Gene Vincent makes his stage debut, performing in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia.

1953-Jimmy McCulloch (guitarist for Thunderclap Newman, lead guitarist, bassist for Wings) is born in Dumbarton, Scotland.

1945-Gordon Waller (of Peter & Gordon) is born in Braemar, Scotland.

1944-Roger Ball (keyboardist, saxophonist for The Average White Band) is born in Broughty Ferry, Scotland.

1944-Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas is born Holly Michelle Gilliam in Long Beach, California. After the group disbands, she launches a successful acting career that includes a regular role on the TV series Knots Landing.

1942-Johnny Mercer's label, Capitol Records, becomes the first record company to give an album to a radio station when he gives one to a Los Angeles DJ. It's a brilliant move, as the station plays the record and promotes it. In coming years, labels will try all sorts of tricks to get their records played on radio.

1941-Linda Martell, the first Black woman to land songs on the Country chart and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry, is born Thelma Bynem in Leesville, South Carolina. She releases just one album but influences singers like Beyoncé, who includes Martell on her 2024 album Cowboy Carter.

1940-Cliff Bennett (of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers) is born in Slough, Berkshire, England.

1937-Freddy Fender is born Baldemar Huerta in San Benito, Texas. He'll have a #1 hit in 1974 with "Before The Next Teardrop Falls."

1930-Jazz singer Morgana King is born Maria Grazia Morgana Messina in Pleasantville, New York. As an actress, she plays Carmela Corleone, wife of Don Vito Corleone, in the first two Godfather films.





Featured Events

2017-Ariana Grande hosts the "One Love Manchester" benefit concert to honor the victims of the terrorist bombing at her May 22 concert at the Manchester Arena, which killed 22 people. The show takes place at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, about three miles from the arena.More

Young Elvis Chosen For Stamp
1992-When the United States Post Office decides to do an Elvis stamp, they put it up for a vote: a young Elvis or an old Elvis image, and young Elvis wins by a landslide, getting more votes by a factor of three to one. Priscilla Presley makes the announcement at Graceland.

1986-The first of a six-date Conspiracy of Hope tour is held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The concerts benefit Amnesty International and celebrate the human rights organization's 25th anniversary. The shows are headlined by U2 and Sting, and also feature Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers.

1984-Bruce Springsteen releases the album Born In The U.S.A. The cover photo, showing Bruce posed in front of the American flag, gives many the wrong idea about the title track, which is about the struggles of a veteran returning home from the Vietnam War.

1976-The Sex Pistols play a show at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Inspired by the gig, many in the audience form bands, propelling the nascent punk rock scene.Mor



Key Events in Music History on June 4

1964- The Beatles began their first and only world tour with two ten-song shows at KB Halle in Copenhagen, Denmark. British drummer Jimmie Nicol temporarily replaced Ringo Starr, who was recovering from tonsillitis, for the first five dates of the tour

1967- Guitarist Jimi Hendrix performed a cover of the Beatles’ "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at London’s Saville Theatre, with George Harrison and Paul McCartney in attendance

1969- The Beatles released "The Ballad of John & Yoko" in the US, backed with George Harrison’s "Old Brown Shoe"

1984- Bruce Springsteen released his seventh studio album, "Born in the U.S.A.", which became his biggest commercial success, topping charts in 11 countries and selling over 30 million copies worldwide. The album produced seven Top Ten hits, including "Dancing in the Dark," "I’m on Fire," and the title track

1984- Sheila E. released her album "The Glamorous Life", marking a significant contribution to pop and funk music

1992- The U.S. Postal Service announced that 1.2 million people voted for the artwork on the Elvis Presley stamp, with 75% preferring a portrait of young Elvis

1996- Metallica released their album "Load", adding to their influential heavy metal discography

1997 The body of singer Jeff Buckley was found in a Memphis harbor, marking a tragic moment in music history

1998- Brooks & Dunn, Reba McEntire, and Hanson performed a benefit concert for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals


Other Notable Moments

1934- The Dorsey Brothers recorded "Annie’s Cousin Fanny," featuring Glenn Miller on vocals

1963- The Searchers released their debut single "Sweets For My Sweet"

Pop Culture Milestones: On June 4, Pop Goes The Beatles debuted on the BBC, giving the band their own television show for the first time

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released "Ohio", a protest song about the Kent State shootings, which became a significant political and musical statement

[Bikkie]

1847
Auckland Savings Bank opens for business
The New Zealand Banking Company, Auckland’s first bank, had been wound up two years earlier.


1866
Te Kooti exiled to Chathams
The future prophet and military leader was deported to the Chatham Islands with Pai Mārire prisoners. He had been accused of spying for the enemy while fighting alongside government troops.



In Music History

2019-Miley Cyrus plays an exploited pop star in the "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" episode of Black Mirror. Her character's hit song is a reworking of "Head Like A Hole" as an empowerment anthem called "On A Roll," which is released as a single in real life with a video that gets over 20 million views on YouTube.

2017-Kesha is rebuffed when she tries to hug Jerry Seinfeld at a red carpet event - turns out he's not a hugger. The video quickly goes viral.More

2015-Shania Twain begins her Rock This Country Tour with a show in Seattle. Billed as her farewell tour, it's her first trek since her 2003-2004 Up! tour.

2013-Doo-wop singer Marshall Sewell (of The Edsels) dies of esophageal cancer at age 75.

2013-Rob Halford announces that Judas Priest will be re-forming after their retirement two years earlier.

Tom Cruise Turns Rock Star In Rock Of Ages
2012
Tom Cruise stars as rocker Stacee Jaxx in the film adaptation of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages, an homage to '80s rock and glam metal that features songs from Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, and Journey.

2012-Blues singer-songwriter Lou Pride, known for the compositions "Long Arm Of The Blues" and "Love From A Stone," dies after a bout of illness at age 68.

2012-Herb Reed (founding member of The Platters) dies of heart disease, among other ailments, at age 83 in Boston, Massachusetts.

2008-James Taylor sings the US national anthem at Game 1 of the NBA finals in Boston.

2007-Rihanna, 19, releases her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, with top producers like Stargate and Timbaland on board. The first single is "Umbrella," which comes with an intro from her Def Jam label boss, Jay-Z.

2007-Bruce Springsteen releases Live In Dublin.

2006-Elliot Easton of The Cars breaks his clavicle when the band's tour bus swerves to avoid an accident, and Easton falls out of the bunk. Performing with "The New Cars" fronted by Todd Rundgren, he plays four shows in a brace before getting surgery, which ends the tour.

2006-"Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi is released in the UK.

2004-Usher becomes the first artist since The Bee Gees in 1978 to place three song in the US Top 10: "Burn" - #1 "Yeah!" - #4 "Confessions, Pt. 2" - #9

2003-Metallica unleash their album St. Anger, with no guitar solos and one of the harshest drum tones ever committed to tape.

2002-Eleven weeks after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dee Dee Ramone, a founding member of the Ramones, dies of a heroin overdose at age 50.

2002-R. Kelly is indicted on 21 counts of child pornography, accused of coercing underage girls into sexual acts.More

Alicia Keys Debuts With Songs In A Minor
2001-Twenty-year-old Alicia Keys releases her debut album, Songs In A Minor, featuring her breakthrough hit, "Fallin'."More

1999-Frankie Laine marries his third wife, Marcia Ann Kline.

1995-Troye Sivan is born in Johannesburg. After appearing on StarSearch 2007, he builds a following on YouTube and releases his first single, "Happy Little Pill," in 2014.

1993-Toby Keith scores the first of his 20 #1 country hits when his first single, "Should've Been a Cowboy," reaches the top.

1993-Conway Twitty dies of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at age 59 after collapsing while on tour in Missouri.

1990-Jim Hodder, the original drummer for Steely Dan, age 42, drowns in the swimming pool of his home in Point Arena, California.

1989-Bill Wyman's Rolling Stones bandmates are among the guests celebrating his wedding to 18-year-old Mandy Smith, which took place three days earlier at a registrar's office. Wyman, 52, started seeing Smith when she was just 13. They separate nine months later.

1989-The Doobie Brothers begin their reunion tour, their first with their original lineup since 1975.

1988-Pattie Boyd, ex-wife of George Harrison, files for divorce from Eric Clapton, who wrote the song "Layla" about her.

1987-The Prince's Trust Rock Gala is held for the fifth time at Wembley Arena in London. The annual charity event features the music of George Harrison, who performs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends," featuring Jeff Lynne. Other performers include Elton John, Phil Collins, Dave Edmunds, and Ben E. King.

1987-Sly Stone (of Sly and the Family Stone) surrenders to authorities in Fort Meyers, Florida, for violating his probation (for cocaine possession).

1981-Sebastien Lefebvre (rhythm guitarist for Simple Plan) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1979-Muddy Waters, 64, marries his third wife, 25-year-old Marva Jean Brooks, in Chicago with Eric Clapton as best man.

1979-Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy is born in Wilmette, Illinois.

1977-Alice Cooper's boa constrictor - a star of his stage show - dies after the rat he is served for breakfast bites him. Cooper holds open auditions for a new snake, eventually choosing one named Angel.

1976-Cat Stevens performs under that name for the last time, wrapping up his Majikat tour with a show in Thessaloniki, Greece. The next year, he embraces the Islamic faith and changes his name to Yusuf Islam.

1975-Syd Barrett, ex-Pink Floyd member and founder who was forced from the band after becoming an acid casualty, quietly appears in the Abbey Road studios during recording of the band's album Wish You Were Here, which was largely written about him. No one notices Barrett, and he soon leaves as quietly as he entered.

1974-Aaron "P-Nut" Wills (bassist for 311) is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1974-At a time when just about every photogenic musician with a hit song is getting their own variety show, Bobbie Gentry of "Ode To Billie Joe" joins the fray with The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour on CBS.

1974-Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone marries Kathy Silva, the mother of his 11-month-old son, on stage before the band's sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Bishop Stewart, Sly's uncle, officiates before the crowd of 19,000; Silva files for divorce five months later.

1972-Maureen McGovern quits her full-time secretarial job in order to follow her dream of being a professional singer.

1971-James Taylor releases "You've Got a Friend."

1971-Carly Simon opens for Cat Stevens at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she debuts "Anticipation," a song she wrote a few days earlier while waiting for Stevens to come over for a date.

1971-Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg is born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where he's the youngest of nine children, including older brother Donnie (future member of New Kids on the Block).

1970-Claus Norreen (guitarist for Aqua) is born in Charlottenlund, Denmark.

1969-Brian McKnight is born in Buffalo, New York.

1969-The Doors concert documentary Feast Of Friends premieres at the Cinematheque in Los Angeles.

1969-Donovan and Joan Baez perform at a rally for nuclear disarmament in London.

1966-Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, awakens suddenly in Memphis, convinced that her boy is in danger; at that moment, Elvis' first pink Cadillac catches on fire while en route from Fulton, Arkansas. Elvis is unharmed.

1964-The first recording featuring David Bowie is released. He's still known as David Jones when "Liza Jane" by David Jones and the King Bees comes out.

1964-The Rolling Stones play their first show in America when they begin a nine-date tour at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California.

1961-Roy Orbison's "Running Scared" hits #1.

1958-The first-ever greatest hits compilation, Johnny Mathis' Johnny's Greatest Hits goes #1 in America. It stays on the chart for nine years.

1957-Bill Justis records the instrumental hit "Raunchy."

1956-Richard Butler (lead singer of The Psychedelic Furs) is born in Kingston upon Thames, London, England.

1956-Saxophone player Kenny G is born Kenneth Gorelick in Seattle, Washington. His instrumental hits "Songbird" and "Silhouette" usher in a new radio format in the '80s: Smooth Jazz. With at least 50 million albums sold, he lays claim to the title of best-selling instrumentalist in history.

1956-Elvis Presley appears on The Milton Berle Show where the pair do a comedy bit performing Elvis' "Hound Dog" and "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." It marks the first TV appearance of The Jordanaires backing up Elvis, and the last Milton Berle show for 10 years.

1956-Gene Vincent releases "Be-Bop-a-Lula."

1954-Kitty Kallen's "Little Things Mean A Lot" hits #1.

1954-Jazz drummer Pete Erskine (of Weather Report) is born in Somers Point, New Jersey.

1952-Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain is born Michael Henry McBrain outside of London, England.

1950-Ronnie Dyson, an actor-turned-singer known for his breakout role in the Broadway production of Hair and his hit single "(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?," is born in Washington, DC, though he'll grow up in Brooklyn, New York.

1947-Badfinger guitarist Tom Evans is born in Liverpool, England.

1947-Laurie Anderson is born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

1946-Sly Stone's brother, Freddie Stone, is born Frederick Stewart in Vallejo, California. They form Sly & the Family Stone, with Freddie on guitar.

1945-Don Reid (lead singer of The Statler Brothers) is born in Staunton, Virginia.

1942-The musical film Yankee Doodle Dandy is released. Starring James Cagney, the film features the song "The Yankee Doodle Boy," based upon "Yankee Doodle," a long-time standard American anthem.

1942-Capitol Records' first recording session takes place when "The General Jumped at Dawn" by Paul Whiteman's New Yorker Hotel Orchestra is recorded at Radio Recorders Studio in Los Angeles. The record flops, but Capitol soon becomes the most successful record company of the era.

1937-R&B singer Floyd Butler (of The Friends Of Distinction) is born in California.

1932-Pete Jolly is born in New Haven, Connecticut. The jazz pianist and accordionist is known for his work in film and television, including The Love Boat, M*A*S*H, and Dallas.

1925-Singer/actor Bill Hayes is born in Harvey, Illinois. Known for his long-running role as Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives and his chart-topping rendition of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett."

1922-Jazz drummer Gordon "Specs" Powell is born in New York.

1826-German composer Carl Maria von Weber dies of tuberculosis at age 39.






Featured Events

AI Band Drops Debut Album, Earns Millions of Streams
2025-The Velvet Sundown release their debut album, Floating On Echoes. Their songs quickly populate algorithm-driven playlists and amass millions of streams, even though nobody has heard of the band or any of its members. They're later revealed to be an AI-generated act, the first to garner big streaming numbers.More

2004-Jennifer Lopez marries Marc Anthony. The union lasts 10 years and produces two children: twins Max and Emme.

1993-Mariah Carey marries Tommy Mottola, the music executive who signed her to Columbia Records. The marriage, her first, lasts four years.

1983-U2 play the Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. Despite rain, the concert is intimate and energetic; it is later released as a concert film called Under a Blood Red Sky.

1968-Senator Robert Kennedy is shot three times while exiting through a kitchen at a hotel where he delivered a speech after winning the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. This event prompts David Crosby to write "Long Time Gone" and The Rolling Stones to insert the lyrics, "Who killed the Kennedys?" to their new song "Sympathy For The Devil."

1959-Robert Zimmerman graduates from Hibbing High School in Minnesota. He moves on to the University of Minnesota, but soon leaves for New York City to become the full-time folk singer, Bob Dylan.



Key Events

1961- Roy Orbison scored his first US Billboard Hot 100 No.1 single with Running Scared, also reaching No.9 in the UK

1964-Seventeen-year-old David Bowie, then known as David Jones, released his first single Liza Jane with The King Bees

1964- The Rolling Stones began their first American tour at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California

1965- The soundtrack to The Sound of Music began a 70-week run at the top of the UK album chart and also reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200, setting a record for 109 weeks in the Top Ten

1971- Paul and Linda McCartney’s album Ram topped the UK Albums chart and reached No.1 in multiple countries including the US and Canada

1982-Roxy Music’s album Avalon reached number one in the UK for the first of three non-consecutive weeks

2021- BTS scored their third US Billboard Hot 100 No.1 single with Butter, holding the top spot for seven consecutive weeks

Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour also reached No.1 in the US and over fifteen countries



Notable Births

1922- Jazz drummer Gordon “Specs” Powell was born in New York City

1932: Jazz pianist and accordionist Pete Jolly (Peter Ceragioli) was born in New Haven, Connecticut

1941- Argentine classical pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires

1947- Freddie Stone, co-founder of Sly and the Family Stone, was born in Vallejo, California

1947- Avant-garde artist and composer Laurie Anderson was born in Glen Elly, Illinois

1952- English drummer Michael “Nicko” McBrain, later of Iron Maiden, was born in Hackney, London



Other Memorable Moments

1956: Elvis Presley made a memorable TV appearance on The Milton Berle Show, performing Hound Dog without a guitar, which scandalized audiences

1945- Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes premiered in London

1974- Sly Stone married Kathy Silva onstage during a concert in New York City

1974- Patti Smith recorded her first song, a cover of Hey Joe




And it would have been my wife Dianne and I, 44th wedding anniversary, had she not died on the 14/12/2025.

[Bikkie]

1823
Wesleyan mission established
Samuel Leigh and William White established Wesleydale, a Wesleyan (Methodist) mission station at Kaeo. Leigh was friendly with Samuel Marsden of the Church Missionary Society and the two missions worked closely together.


1996
New Zealand’s first wind farm becomes operational
Commissioned by Genesis Energy, New Zealand’s first commercial wind farm opened in the windy hills of Wairarapa.




In Music History

2022-Jim Seals of the duo Seals & Crofts ("Summer Breeze") dies at 79.

2014-The BBC broadcasts You've Got A Friend: The Carole King Story, named for her 1971 song.

2012-One Direction's video release of Up All Night: The Live Tour debuts at #1 on the Billboard Music Video Sales chart, while their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful," goes to #4 on the Hot 100.

2006-Billy Preston, a virtuoso keyboardist who worked with the likes of Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and The Beatles, dies of kidney failure at age 59 after a long battle with kidney disease and hypertension. His funeral is held in Inglewood, California, on June 20th.

2005-A Los Angeles jury begins deliberation in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

2003-Dave Rowberry (keyboardist for The Animals) dies at age 62 of an ulcer hemorrhage.

2002-Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby dies at 42 of complications from AIDS. He played on four Platinum albums with the band but developed a debilitating drug habit that led to his demise.

2002-Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) marries Liam Howlett (of The Prodigy) in France. They met two years earlier at England's V Festival.

2001-Elton John auctions off 20 vehicles in his car collection, earning $2.75 million. He says he "doesn't have time to drive them anymore."

2000-Rascal Flatts release their self-titled debut album on the new Disney imprint, Lyric Street Records. It sells over 2 million copies in America, the first of five consecutive multi-Platinum albums for the band.

1998-Powered by a faux feud contrived by their label, "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica hits #1, where it stays for 13 weeks, longer than any other female duet. They perform the song together just once (at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards) until 2012, when they start sharing the stage for showcases and "battles." In 2025 they team up for The Boy Is Mine tour, with the song used as the closer.

1998-DMX hits #1 in America with his debut album, It's Dark And Hell Is Hot. The ruff and rowdy rapper goes on a tear, with his next four albums also hitting the top.

1993-The Velvet Underground re-form for the first time in 24 years for a show at London's Wembley Arena.

1993-The Who's Tommy, which has been converted into a Broadway play, wins five Tony Awards.

1992-David Bowie and Iman renew their vows in Florence, Italy, after wondering about the legality of their wedding in Switzerland.

1991-Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz dies of liver cancer at age 64. His ashes are poured from his saxophone case by his grandson off the coast of Marina del Rey, California.

1990-The 2 Live Crew album As Nasty As They Wanna Be becomes the first album declared legally obscene when Federal District Judge Jose Gonzalez rules that the album violates community obscenity standards in three south Florida counties: Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach

1989-Metallica issue their second home video, 2 Of One, which is comprised of two versions of their first music video, "One."

1987-On the first night of the 3-day Concert For Berlin, David Bowie performs on a stage so close to the Berlin Wall that East Germans can hear it from the other side. He addresses them by saying in German, "We send our wishes to all our friends who are on the other side of the wall," before playing ""Heroes," a song he wrote a decade earlier while living in that very city. Two years later, the Berlin Wall falls.

1987-After being criticized by church members for his "worldliness," Michael Jackson cuts ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses.

1986-Dick Rowe, the Decca Records executive who rejected The Beatles but signed The Rolling Stones, dies of diabetes at age 64.

Urban Cowboy Spurs Pop-Country Movement
1980-Urban Cowboy, a Western romance film starring John Travolta and Debra Winger, opens in theaters. The mellow country soundtrack spawns hits from Kenny Rogers, Johnny Lee, and Anne Murray, and spurs a trend of pop-leaning fare in country music dubbed the "Urban Cowboy Movement."More

1979-A gig at a British club gets a good review and leads to a record deal for Def Leppard.

1977-Stevie Wonder appears, sponsored by Billboard, as a guest music lecturer at a UCLA symposium, talking about his early Motown days and illustrating his points with performances.

1974-Uncle Kracker is born Matthew Shafer in Mount Clemens, Michigan.

1973-The Elvis Presley concert documentary Elvis On Tour opens nationwide.

1973-Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" is certified Gold.

1971-John Lennon makes his first stage appearance since 1969 when he and Yoko Ono jam with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at the Fillmore East in New York. The show is recorded and released as a bonus disc with the Lennon/Ono album Some Time In New York City.

1971-The Ed Sullivan Show airs its final show, going out with guests Jerry Vale and Gladys Knight & The Pips after 23 years on the air.

1970-Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer is born in Bakersfield, California. He earns the nickname by being able to spread out his toes so they look like a monkey paw.

1969-Rod Stewart signs to the Mercury label.

1966-Roy Orbison's wife Claudette dies when her motorcycle is hit by a truck. She and Roy had remarried two months earlier after reconciling from a divorce.

1964-An anonymous ad taken out in six American music trade papers states: "In the public interest, watch The Rolling Stones crush The Beatles!"

1962-The Beatles record at Abbey Road for the first time, demoing three songs they wrote themselves: "Love Me Do," "Ask Me Why" and "P.S. I Love You."

1960-Roy Orbison releases "Only The Lonely," one of the most melancholy hits of the '60s and the first in a string of sad songs he becomes famous for.

1960-Steve Vai is born in Carle Place, a town located in Long Island, New York.

1960-Singer Tony Williams leaves The Platters to embark upon a solo career.

1960-The RIAA gives Bing Crosby a special platinum record to signify career sales of 200 million records, many of them "White Christmas."

1951-Dwight Twilley, known for the hits "I'm On Fire" (1975) and "Girls" (1984), is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

1944-Jazz pianist Monty Alexander is born in Kingston, Jamaica.

1944-Electronic musician Edgar Froese (founder of Tangerine Dream) is born in Tilsit, East Prussia. After World War II, he would settle in West Berlin with his mother and surviving family members (his father and other relatives having been killed by Nazis).

1944-Peter Albin (bassist for Big Brother & the Holding Company) is born in San Francisco, California.

1943-Country singer Joe Stampley, known for the '70s chart-toppers "Roll On Big Mama" and "All These Things," is born in Springhill, Webster Parish, Louisiana.

1939-Gary U.S. Bonds is born Gary Anderson in Jacksonville, Florida. His stage name, originally just "U.S. Bonds," comes from posters advertising United States savings bonds. His big hit comes in 1961 with the #1 "Quarter To Three."

1936-Levi Stubbs (lead vocalist for The Four Tops) is born in Detroit, Michigan.





Featured Events

1992-Guns N' Roses' "November Rain" video debuts on MTV. The 9-minute epic is the most expensive video ever made to this point, costing $1.5 million. Much of the budget was spent constructing a church in the desert so Slash could solo in front of it.

1987-"You Keep Me Hangin' On" hits #1 in the US for the second time when Kim Wilde's version tops the chart. The Supremes original made the top spot in 1966.

Heart Release Bad Animals
1987-Heart release their ninth album, Bad Animals, which like their previous album, uses outside songwriters. The big hit from the disc is the #1 ballad "Alone," written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.More

1982-The "Peace Sunday: We Have a Dream" concert takes place in Los Angeles, featuring Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Stevie Wonder. 85,000 attend the show, which supports nuclear disarmament.

1975-"It was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June," according to C.W. McCall's song "Convoy."

1964-The Dixie Cups' "Chapel Of Love," a Phil Spector wall-of-sound production, hits #1 in America, where it stays for three weeks.

[Bikkie]

1917
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, better known as Passchendaele. New Zealanders played a prominent role in the successful action at Messines but paid a heavy price: 3700 casualties, including 700 dead.

1921
First Rotary club in New Zealand founded
A local Rotary club was established at a luncheon in Wellington’s YMCA, with Alexander Roberts elected as the first president.


1940
Fighter ace Edgar ‘Cobber’ Kain killed
The Hastings-born pilot's exploits flying Hurricanes for the Royal Air Force’s No. 73 Squadron in the first year of the Second World War made him a household name.


1976
McDonald's arrives in New Zealand
The golden arches appeared for the first time in New Zealand at Cobham Court, Porirua.



In Music History

2025-Alex Warren, previously known as a social media influencer, goes to #1 in the US with "Ordinary," a song written for his wife soon after their wedding. It tops the charts in several other countries as well to become one of the biggest hits of 2025.

2023-Pink kicks off her Summer Carnival tour in Bolton, England. It runs well past the summer, going into November 2024. Pink opens and closes each show with an aerial routine, singing high above the crowd while doing flips. Let's see Taylor Swift to that!

2014-Powered by a Clueless-themed video, "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX hits #1 in America, where it stays for seven weeks. Many are surprised to learn that Azalea, who raps like she's from the Dirty South, is from Australia.

2012-Bob Welch, Fleetwood Mac's guitarist from 1971–1974, dies of suicide at age 66.More

2011-Def Leppard release their first ever live album: Mirrorball.

2008-Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones make a surprise appearance to jam with Foo Fighters during their Wembley Stadium gig in London. The one-night-only supergroup plays "Rock And Roll" and "Ramble On."

2007-Rancho Mirage, California, names a street after one-time resident Dean Martin.

2006-Nelly Furtado releases her third album, Loose. A Timbaland production, it includes two #1 hits: "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right."

2003-The rain-soaked Field Day Festival takes place at Giants Stadium, with performances by Radiohead, Beastie Boys, Blur, Bright Eyes and several other acts. It was scheduled as a two-day event at a different site but hastily moved when permits didn't come through. Beck is supposed to perform but injures his ribs in a collision with a stagehand and is taken to the hospital. The festival does plant the seeds of Monsters Of Folk, as Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Jim James of My Morning Jacket meet backstage and later form the group with M. Ward.

1994-Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane/Starship is sentenced to 200 hours of community service on charges of pointing a loaded gun at police who responded to reports of a disturbance at her home on March 5th.

1994-Stone Temple Pilots release their second album, Purple, which goes to #1 in America and sells over 6 million copies on the strength of the tracks "Big Empty," "Vasoline" and "Interstate Love Song."

1993-Swae Lee is born Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown in Inglewood, California. Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, he forms the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd with his older brother, Slim Jxmmi. They rise to fame with groundbreaking songs like "Black Beatles," before Swae pursues a solo career with Same Difference in 2026.

1993-Ground is broken for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

1991-Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever debuts in theaters. It boasts a soundtrack written and produced by Stevie Wonder and features Queen Latifah's acting debut. The rapper plays a waitress who snubs the interracial couple played by Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra.

1990-Rapper Iggy Azalea is born Amethyst Kelly in Sydney, Australia. She studies American rappers like Tupac Shakur and Missy Elliott to develop a kind of Southern drawl she uses on "Fancy," a #1 hit in 2014.

Travolta Plays Rolling Stone Reporter in Perfect
1985-The movie Perfect debuts in theaters, starring John Travolta as a Rolling Stone reporter who falls for aerobics instructor Jamie Lee Curtis. While the drama is a dud with critics, it portrays Rolling Stone as more than a music magazine – which is exactly what its editor-in-chief Jann Wenner hoped.More

1984-The film Ghostbusters is released. Its theme song bears similarities to Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug." Ghostbusters theme writer Ray Parker, Jr. and Huey settle out of court.

1979-President Jimmy Carter decrees June as Black Music Month, which Barack Obama changes to African American Music Month in 2009.

1978-Tom Petty meets Bob Dylan for the first time backstage after Dylan's show at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.More

1975-John Denver scores his third US #1 hit with "Thank God I'm A Country Boy."

1974-Terry "T-Low" Brown (of Next) is born in Minnesota.

1971-Don McLean records "Vincent."

1970-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young play the Fillmore East in New York City, where Graham Nash debuts his song "Simple Man," written about his breakup with Joni Mitchell the day before. The show is broadcast live on WNEW-FM and later released as the album Fillmore East 1970.

Blind Faith Play Their First Concert
1969-Blind Faith, a supergroup featuring Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton, play their first show: a free concert at Hyde Park in London.More

1969-The Johnny Cash Show makes its debut on ABC, with Bob Dylan duetting with Cash on "Girl From the North Country" and Joni Mitchell performing "Both Sides Now." The show runs until 1971, a total of 58 episodes.

1967-Guitarist Dave Navarro, who does time in Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers and several other bands, is born in Santa Monica, California.

1967-An article appears in the Daily Mirror describing a mean man named John Mustard, giving John Lennon the idea for the Beatles song "Mean Mr. Mustard."

1966-Eric Kretz (drummer for Stone Temple Pilots) is born in San Jose, California.

1964-John "Ecstacy" Fletcher (co-vocalist for Whodini) is born.

1963-The Rolling Stones release their first single, a cover of "Come On" by Chuck Berry.

1963-The Rolling Stones make their British TV debut on Thank Your Lucky Stars.

1958-The movie High School Confidential, featuring Jerry Lee Lewis, opens.

1955-Joey Scarbury is born in Ontario, California. Known for the 1981 hit "Believe It or Not," the theme from the popular TV series The Greatest American Hero.

1953-South African musician Johnny Clegg (of Johnny Clegg & Juluka) is born in Bacup, Lancashire, England. He moves to South Africa at six years old.

1946-Man guitarist Micky Jones is born Charles Michael Jones in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

1944-Country rocker Clarence White (guitarist for The Byrds) is born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc in Lewiston, Maine.

1940Tom Jones is born Thomas John Woodward in the village of Treforest in Glamorgan, Wales.

1911-Ragtime performers Arthur Collins & Byron G. Harlan record Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band," which will hold the top spot for 10 weeks.

Prince Changes Name To Unpronounceable Symbol1993
On his 35th birthday, Prince changes his name to an unpronounceable symbol, making him, literally, an icon.




Featured Events

2024-Charli XCX releases her sixth album, Brat. It becomes a social media sensation, leading to "Brat Summer" as creators post dances and memes en masse. The movement transforms the word "brat," which is redefined to mean carefree, honest, and unapologetic.

2009-After performing the Poison hit "Nothin' but a Good Time" at the Tony Awards, Bret Michaels has a run-in with the set, and the set wins. He cuts his lip and fractures his nose in the incident.More

2004-AC/DC's Back in Black album goes Double Diamond, becoming just the sixth album with RIAA-certified sales of over 20 million in America. In November, the Shania Twain album Come On Over becomes the seventh. Both albums were produced by Mutt Lange.

1982-Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion opens to the public. Visitors get to experience the Jungle Room (green shag carpets!), the Trophy Room, and the Meditation Garden.

1977-The Sex Pistols make a mockery of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee by playing punk rock from a boat on the Thames River, including their subversive hit, "Anarchy in the U.K."

Disco Culture Revealed In Influential Magazine
1976-New York magazine runs a cover story called "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night," describing the disco-fueled nightclub scene. The article gives Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood the idea for Saturday Night Fever.More

1975-Elton John's Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy, with the hit "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," becomes the first album to debut at #1 in the US. It holds the top spot for seven (non-consecutive) weeks.

Grease Debuts On Broadway
1972-The musical Grease opens on Broadway.

1958-Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, named after his father's jazz combo, the Prince Rogers Trio. By the time he's 15, he can play at least 10 different instruments. Before his death in 2016, he releases over 400 songs, most of which he wrote and produced. Many more emerge from his vault posthumously.

1917-Dean Martin is born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio. After teaming with Jerry Lewis in the popular comedy act Martin & Lewis, he becomes a top entertainer of the 1950s and 1960s, known for hits like "Memories Are Made Of This" and "That's Amore."


Key Events

1933- George Balanchine and Kurt Weill’s ballet chanté 7 Deadly Sins premiered in Paris, marking a significant collaboration in musical theater history

1958- Berry Gordy Jr. founded Tamla Records in Detroit, the precursor to Motown Records, which would revolutionize American music

1963- The Rolling Stones released their debut single Come On, a cover of Chuck Berry’s song, reaching No.21 on the UK charts

1969- Several notable events occurred:
The Johnny Cash Show debuted on ABC-TV, featuring guests like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell

Blind Faith, a supergroup including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech, performed their first concert at Hyde Park, London, drawing over 100,000 fans

1975- John Denver’s Thank God I’m a Country Boy hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, making history as the first album to be certified gold before release

1977- During Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, the Sex Pistols staged a controversial performance aboard a boat on the River Thames, playing Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen before being stopped by police

1979- Chuck Berry faced tax evasion charges, highlighting the legal challenges faced by rock legends

1982- Elvis Presley’s Graceland opened to the public, becoming a major cultural and tourist landmark

1986- Madonna’s single Live to Tell reached #1 in the US, marking her third domestic chart-topper

2004- Tim McGraw released Live Like You Were Dying, which won the Grammy for Best Country Song and Billboard Song of the Year

2017- Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood won at the 16th CMT Video Music Awards, reflecting ongoing country music achievements

[Bikkie]

1987
New Zealand goes nuclear-free
The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act was passed into law, establishing this country as a nuclear and biological weapon-free zone.



In Music History

2020-Bonnie Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies of a heart attack at 69.

2017-Country songwriter/producer Norro Wilson, who penned hits for George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Charley Pride, and others, dies at age 79.

2016-Brian May of Queen posts a note on his website objecting to Donald Trump's use of "We Are The Champions" at campaign events. "Regardless of our views on Mr. Trump's platform, it has always been against our policy to allow Queen music to be used as a political campaigning tool," May writes. The following month, Trump uses the song as his entrance music when he makes his first appearance at the Republican convention.

2012-Nat Reese, noted blues guitarist from West Virginia, dies at age 88.

2010-Olivia Newton-John plays a celebrity judge on the Glee episode "Journey To Regionals."

2006-Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo graduates from Harvard with a degree in English. He enrolled in 1995 after the band released their first album, growing a beard so he wouldn't be recognized. He took classes on and off between tours and recording, finally earning his degree 11 years later.

Velvet Revolver Release Contraband, Made With Scott Weiland In Rehab
2004-Velvet Revolver release their first album, Contraband. The group is made up of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan, along with Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner.More

2004-Bad Religion release their 13th full-length studio album, The Empire Strikes First.

2000-Sinead O'Connor comes out as a lesbian during an interview with Curve magazine, saying, "I would say that I'm a lesbian. Although I haven't been very open about that and throughout most of my life I've gone out with blokes because I haven't necessarily been terribly comfortable about being a lesbian. But I actually am a lesbian." She marries a man the following year and says she's "three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay."

1996-"Mother Mother" by Tracy Bonham goes to #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. She's the last female solo artist to top the chart until 2013, when Lorde claims the top spot with "Royals."

1996-The Fugees' reworking of "Killing Me Softly," featuring lead vocals by Lauryn Hill, goes to #1 in the UK, where it becomes the top-selling single of 1996.

1991-Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound, hits #1 in America. The ballad "Rush, Rush" and the rosy "The Promise of a New Day" both go to #1 on the Hot 100.

1985-Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks.

1984-Bruce Springsteen plays a surprise gig at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, going on after the scheduled act to warm up for his Born In The U.S.A. tour.

1984-The movie Beat Street opens in theaters. One of the first films with a hip-hop backdrop, it features appearances by Doug E. Fresh, Melle Mel and Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force.

1981-Alex Band (vocalist for The Calling) is born in Los Angeles, California. His father is horror film director Charles Band, known for the Puppet Master franchise.

1979-Guitarist Derek Trucks is born in Jacksonville, Florida. After forming The Derek Trucks Band, he serves in The Allman Brothers Band from 1999-2014 alongside his uncle, drummer Butch Trucks.

1974-Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" goes to #1 on the Country chart. Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston's R&B version tops the Hot 100 and becomes one of the best-selling singles of all time.

1974-Paul McCartney & Wings' "Band On The Run" hits #1.

1974-Rick Wakeman departs Yes for a solo career, returns two years later, and leaves again after four years.

1970-R&B singer Nicci Gilbert (of Brownstone) is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1966-Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night" hits #1 on the UK singles chart.

1963-Marvin Gaye, 24, marries 41-year-old Anna Gordy, the daughter of Berry Gordy, his boss at Motown Records. They get divorced in 1977.

1962-Skeeter Davis records "The End of the World."

1962-Nick Rhodes (keyboardist for Duran Duran) is born Nicholas James Bates in Birmingham, England. He is instrumental in the band's success, introducing them to both the analogue synthesizer sound that becomes their signature and also driving them to focus on making creative music videos.

1961-Elvis Presley's movie Wild In The Country premieres in Memphis.

1960-Mick Hucknall (lead singer of Simply Red) is born in Manchester, England.

1959-Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" reaches its chart peak of #2 in America. His next single is something quite different: a song about a murderous cad called "Mack The Knife." That one goes to #1.

1959-The Clovers record "Love Potion #9."

1954-Greg Ginn (guitarist for Black Flag) is born in Tucson, Arizona.

1953-Jeff "Worzel" Rich (drummer for Status Quo, The Climax Blues Band) is born in Hackney, London, England.

1953-Bonnie Tyler is born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Neath, Wales.

1944-Boz Scaggs is born William Royce Scaggs in Canton, Ohio.

1942-Chuck Negron (of Three Dog Night) is born in Manhattan, New York.

1940-Nancy Sinatra is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her parents are Frank Sinatra and his wife Nancy Barbato. Nancy Jr. becomes a singer like her dad, and in 1966 has a #1 hit with "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'."

1936-Teen idol James Darren is born James William Ercolani in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He rises to fame playing Moondoggie alongside Sandra Dee's Gidget and releases a string of pop records like the 1961 hit "Goodbye Cruel World."

1929-Bliss Carman (the former William Bliss Carman), dies in New Canaan, Connecticut at age 68.

1810Romantic era composer Robert Schumann is born in Zwickau, Germany.






Featured Events

My Chemical Romance Give Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
2004-Bolstered by the hit singles "Helena" and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)," My Chemical Romance goes mainstream with their second album, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.More

2003-Billy Joel wins a Tony Award for the orchestration of his Broadway musical Movin' Out.

1996-Jars of Clay hit #37 with "Flood" - the first Top 40 hit for a Contemporary Christian band in the Alternative Rock era. Over the next few years, a steady stream of Christian Rock bands cross over, led by Creed.

1991-Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa get married. They have three children together.More

1990-Two days after a federal court declares the 2 Live Crew album As Nasty As They Wanna Be legally obscene, Charles Freeman, the owner of a record store in Ft. Lauderdale, is arrested for selling the album by six Broward county sheriff's deputies who are working undercover. He is later found guilty of selling obscene material and fined $1000. Police may have motive for targeting Freeman, as he is later arrested for selling cocaine.

1977-Kanye West is born in Atlanta, Georgia. He produces tracks for Jay-Z before starting his solo career in 2004 with his album The College Dropout.

1969-The Rolling Stones fire founding member Brian Jones, whose relationship with his bandmates has deteriorated beyond repair. Brian Jones tells the press he is leaving to "play my kind of music." Less than a month later, he is found dead at his home.



Notable Chart-Toppers and Hits

In 1996- The Fugees scored their first UK No.1 with “Killing Me Softly”, a cover of Roberta Flack’s 1973 hit, which became one of the best-selling singles of the year and earned a Grammy in 1997

Tears for Fears reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985 with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, a new wave classic that also won Best Single at the 1986 BRIT Awards

Dolly Parton went to No.1 on the Billboard country chart in 1974 with “I Will Always Love You”, later famously covered by Whitney Houston

Color Me Badd achieved their sole UK No.1 hit with “I Wanna Sex You Up” in 1991

Paul McCartney and Wings topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Band on the Run” in 1974, while David Bowie’s ‘Diamond Dogs’ reached No.1 in the UK the same year
Procol Harum began a six-week stint at No.1 on the UK Singles chart with “A Whiter Shade of Pale” in 1967



Album Releases and Milestones

Drag queen RuPaul released his debut album “Supermodel of the World” in 1993

The Style Council went to No.1 in the UK with their album ‘Our Favorite Shop’ in 1985
The Who released the soundtrack album “The Kids Are Alright” in 1979



Significant Events and Performances

In 1969, Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was asked to leave the band and was replaced by Mick Taylor

Jazz legend Oscar Peterson had to cancel a Carnegie Hall all-star performance in 2007 due to illness

Audra McDonald won a Tony Award in 2014 for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill



Births and Deaths

Composer Tomaso Albinoni was born in 1671, and composers Robert Schumann and Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst were born in 1810 and 1812, respectively



Notable deaths include American songwriter Mark James, who wrote hits like “Suspicious Minds”, and former Pointer Sisters singer Bonnie Pointer

Drummer Lawrence “Yogi” Horton died in 1987, having collaborated with artists such as John Lennon and Aretha Franklin



Other Historical Notes

Bing Crosby recorded “Silent Night” in 1942, and Paul Whiteman recorded “When Day is Done” in 1927

Elvis Presley’s films “Wild in the Country” (1961) and “Paradise Hawaiian Style” (1966) premiered on June 8

[Bikkie]

1868
Beginning of Tītokowaru's war
Ngā Ruahine fighters led by Riwha Tītokowaru killed three Pākehā settlers near Ketemarae, north of Hāwera, signalling the resumption of fighting in south Taranaki.

1909
Public Trust Office building opens
Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward opened the Public Trust Office Building in Lambton Quay, Wellington. The occasion was marked by a lunchtime banquet and a concert and dance that evening



In Music History

2025-Sly Stone dies from COPD at 82. With his group Sly & the Family Stone he brought lively funk grooves to the charts with songs like "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" and "I Want To Take You Higher." The band fell apart in the mid-'70s when he battled drug addiction, and Stone remained reclusive and erratic the rest of his life, sabotaging various comeback opportunities.

2022-Britney Spears (40) marries the actor/model Sam Asghari (28). Wedding guests include Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, and an interloper who crashes the ceremony: Jason Alexander, whom Spears was married to for 55 hours in 2004. Spears and Asghari split up 14 months later.

2017-Katy Perry begins live-streaming four days straight to promote the release of her new album, Witness. We learn that of her ex-boyfriends, John Mayer was the best in bed and Josh Groban was "the one that got away."

2016-The 47th annual Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The inductees are Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, Chip Taylor, and the late Marvin Gaye. Lionel Richie also is honored at the event with the organization's prestigious Johnny Mercer Award.

2010-Shania Twain's divorce from producer Robert "Mutt" Lange is finalized. The couple announced the split in 2008.

2000-The day after Curve magazine runs an interview with Sinead O'Connor declaring she's a lesbian, the Irish singer appears on The Rosie O'Donnell Show to perform her anthemic single "No Man's Woman."

1998-At a show in San Rafael, California, Steve Augeri debuts as lead singer of Journey, who have parted ways with Steve Perry because he's unable to tour. He's later replaced by Arnel Pineda as the band soldiers on into the 2020s. Perry never returns to the band, which is anchored by their founding member, guitarist Neal Schon.

1998-The Spice Girls play their first concert after the departure of Geri Halliwell, teaming up with opera star Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy.

1994-After a fight with boyfriend and NFL star Andre Rison, TLC singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes douses Rison's tennis shoes with lighter fluid and sets them on fire in a bathtub. The fire quickly melts the plexiglass tub and catches onto the frame of the house. Rison's mansion is burned to the ground and Lopes is charged with first degree arson. She is sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

1993-Country/soul singer Arthur Alexander dies of a heart attack at age 53, just a month after signing a new publishing and recording contract.

1987-At Gay Head in Martha's Vineyard, Carly Simon plays the first of two shows that are recorded for her HBO special Carly Simon - Coming Around Again. It's her first concert appearance since 1980, when her tour was truncated by stage fright and exhaustion.

1978-Muse frontman Matt Bellamy is born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.

1978-Dire Straits release their self-titled debut album in the UK. The single "Sultans Of Swing" takes off, and the album ends up going Platinum in several territories, including America.

1977-George and Pattie Harrison's divorce is finalized.

1972-After several years playing the New Jersey bar scene, Bruce Springsteen signs with Columbia Records and begins recording his first album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

1972-After several years playing the New Jersey bar scene, Bruce Springsteen signs with Columbia Records and begins recording his first album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.

1971-Paul McCartney's second solo album, Ram, is certified Gold.

1970-Bob Dylan receives an honorary Doctorate of Music from Princeton University. Dylan attends the ceremony on a hot day, during which the noise made by 17-year cicadas apparently drowns out his introduction. The experience inspires his 1970 song "Day Of The Locusts."

1970-Ed Simons of The Chemical Brothers is born in Herne Hill, South London, England.

1967-Dean Dinning (bass guitarist for Toad the Wet Sprocket) is born in Santa Barbara, California.

1967-Dean Felber (bass guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish) is born in Bethesda, Maryland.

1966-Elvis Presley's movie Paradise, Hawaiian Style is sneak-previewed in Memphis (it opens nationally a month later).

1963-Andy Williams is the mystery guest on TV's What's My Line.

1963-Johnny Depp is born in Kentucky. He stars in the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers video for "Into The Great Wide Open," and plays guitar on tracks by Oasis, Patti Smith and Ryan Adams.

1962-Tony Bennett plays Carnegie Hall in New York for the first time.

1950-Trevor Bolder (bass guitarist for Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash) is born in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

1949-George Bunnell (bass and rhythm guitarist for The Strawberry Alarm Clock) is born.

1947-Mick Box (lead guitarist for Uriah Heep) is born in Walthamstow, East London, England.

1941-Jon Lord, keyboard player for Deep Purple and Whitesnake, is born in Leicester, England.

1934-Jackie Wilson is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1929-R&B singer Johnny Ace is born John Marshall Alexander Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.

1865-Composer Carl Nielsen is born on the Danish island of Funen.




Featured Events

2017-Gene Simmons of Kiss files a trademark application for the devil horns hand gesture, which he claims he invented in 1974.

2007-Rihanna's "Umbrella," with a guest verse from her label boss Jay-Z, reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stays for seven weeks.

1998-Jimmy Buffett's memoir A Pirate Looks At Fifty is released. It reaches #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Nonfiction. The title is taken from his 1974 song "A Pirate Looks At Forty."

1993-Tina Turner's life story, including her stormy relationship with her husband Ike, is portrayed in the film What's Love Got To Do With It, starring Angela Bassett as Tina.

1990-Wilson Phillips hit #1 on the Hot 100 with "Hold On," a feat accomplished by their famous parents in the '60s - Wendy and Carnie Wilson are the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys; Chynna Phillips was born to John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.

1986-Genesis release Invisible Touch, their most successful album. The title track gives them their only #1 hit.

1915-Les Paul, a key developer of the electric guitar, is born Lester William Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

1891-Cole Porter is born in Peru, Indiana. His classic songs include "It's De-Lovely," "Anything Goes" and "Begin The Beguine."



Notable Events and Releases

1958 – Sheb Wooley’s novelty hit “The Purple People Eater” reached No.1 on the US Pop chart, staying there for six weeks and also topping charts in Canada and Australia, while reaching No.12 in the UK

1960 – Roy Orbison released “Only the Lonely”, his first major hit, peaking at #2 in the US and topping the UK charts

1962 – Tony Bennett made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City

1969 – Brian Jones left the Rolling Stones due to drug issues, and Mick Taylor was announced as his replacement

1970 – Bob Dylan received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Princeton University

1971 – Paul McCartney’s album “Ram” went gold, achieving international chart success

1972 – Elvis Presley sold out four consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden, attended by stars like John Lennon and David Bowie; the performances were recorded for the live album Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden

1978 – The Rolling Stones released “Some Girls”, featuring hits like Beast of Burden and Miss You

1979 – The Bee Gees scored their third US No.1 single of the year with “Love You Inside Out”

1984 – Cyndi Lauper achieved her first US #1 hit with “Time After Time”

1990 – MC Hammer’s album “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” topped the Billboard 200 for 21 consecutive weeks, propelled by “U Can’t Touch This”; Wilson Phillips also reached No.1 in the US with “Hold On”

2001 – Shaggy’s album “Hot Shot” and the single “Angel” reached No.1 in the UK

2007 – Rihanna and Jay-Z’s “Umbrella” hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for seven consecutive weeks and topping charts worldwide



Artist Milestones and Deaths

Glen Campbell released his final album “Adios” in 2017 after his farewell tour, passing away a year later

Sly Stone, influential in soul, funk, and rock, died at 82, remembered for hits like Dance to the Music and Everyday People

Julee Cruise, known for the Twin Peaks theme “Falling”, died at 65

Paul Chapman, Welsh rock guitarist, passed away on his 66th birthday



Other Highlights

1962 – Barbra Streisand appeared for the third time on The Ed Sullivan Show

1972 – Bruce Springsteen signed a record deal with Columbia Records

1990 – The Red Hot Organization released “Red Hot + Blue”, a Cole Porter tribute album to raise AIDS awareness

2010 – The 9th CMT Video Music Awards honored Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and Keith Urban

2019 – Ali Stroker became the first actress in a wheelchair to win a Tony Award for Oklahoma!