On This Day In History

[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.