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.