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.

[Bikkie]

1678
Reward offered for identity of pamphlet author

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

1871
Journalist begins search for Dr. Livingstone

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




1804
Napoleonic Code approved in France

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




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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2004-Motown producer Johnny Bristol dies at age 65.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1970-Faces release First Step.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1939-Kate Smith records "God Bless America."

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

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

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

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

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

1839-Composer Modest Mussorgsky is born in Russia.

[Bikkie]

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



In Music History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1974-The Eagles release On The Border.

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

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

1967-Elvis Presley releases Easy Come, Easy Go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Bikkie]

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





In Music History

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Bikkie]

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

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



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



In Music History

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

2010-Rock photographer Jim Marshall dies at age 74.

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

2009-Motown drummer Uriel Jones dies at age 74.

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

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

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

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

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

2001-John Connolly of Sevendust marries Lori Kirkley.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Bikkie]

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

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


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


In Music History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008-The Raconteurs release Consolers of the Lonely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Bikkie]

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

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




In Music History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1987-Nike begins airing a commercial using the Beatles song "Revolution," marking the first time an original version of a Beatles song is used in an ad.

1987-Elton John admits that his marriage to Renate Blauel is in trouble, releasing a statement (through his publicist) that reads: "In order to put an end to further speculation, Elton and Renate jointly wish it to be known that they have for many months lived apart whilst each of them has been considering the future of their marriage." The couple married on Valentine's Day, 1984; their divorce is finalized on November 17, 1988.

1983- Duran Duran hit No.1 on the UK Singles chart with “Is There Something I Should Know?”.

Video Makes Radio Stars Out Of Duran Duran
1983-Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, Duran Duran have their first American hit when "Hungry Like The Wolf" hits #3 on the Hot 100.

1982- Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder released the single “Ebony & Ivory” in the UK, a major hit promoting racial harmony.

1980-John Poulos (drummer for The Buckinghams) dies of drug-related heart failure less than a week before this 33rd birthday.

1977-The Clash release their first single, making an immediate political statement with "White Riot." It is released only in the UK and not available in America until two years later.

1977- Hall & Oates scored their first US No.1 with “Rich Girl” from the album Bigger Than The Both Of Us.

1976-Blues singer Duster Bennett dies in a car accident at age 29 after falling asleep at the wheel.

1976-David Keuning (lead guitarist for The Killers) is born in Pella, Iowa.

1975-The movie version of Tommy premieres in London.

1973- Noel Coward, English playwright, composer, and actor dies at age 73.

Iconic Stones Logo Appears For First Time
1971-The Rolling Stones' lips and tongue logo appears for the first time when it is used on VIP passes for their show at the Marquee Club in London.

1971-Emerson, Lake & Palmer play their adaptation of Mussorgsky's classical piece "Pictures At An Exhibition" at Newcastle City Hall in England. The performance is released as a live album later that year.

1970-Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is arrested in Washington, DC for taking "immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl (he pleads guilty and spends three months in jail).

1970-The Woodstock movie premieres in Hollywood.

1969-Pat Boone guest stars on the TV show The Beverly Hillbillies.

1969- Marvin Gaye reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”.

1968-Kenny Chesney is born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is raised in nearby Luttrell.

1968-Guitarist James Iha is born in Chicago. In 1988 he forms Smashing Pumpkins with Billy Corgan. The band breaks up in 2000 and reforms in 2006, but Iha doesn't rejoin until 2018.

1966-After 14 years on TV (and ten years on radio before that), the last episode of The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, which made Rick Nelson a household name, airs on ABC.

1966-The Strangeurs, featuring future Aerosmith frontman Steven Tallarico (later Steven Tyler), open for The Byrds at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. The Strangeurs arrange for girls to sit in the front row and scream for them, but it's hardly necessary as the crowd goes nuts during their set, where they play six songs instead of their allotted two.

1995- Rapper Eazy-E, co-founder of N.W.A., died at age 31 from AIDS-related complications, leaving a lasting impact on hip-hop.

1964-Former Beatles drummer Pete Best appears on the game show I've Got A Secret.

1964- The musical Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand, opened at New York’s Winter Garden Theater, running for 1,348 performances.

1964- Chuck Berry recorded “No Particular Place To Go,” which became a Top 10 hit internationally.

1958-Dee Clark records "Hey Little Girl."

1955- Bill Hayes’ version of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” topped the US Singles chart for five weeks.

1953-Billy Lyall (keyboardist for Bay City Rollers, Pilot) is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1950-Teddy Pendergrass (lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) is born in Kingstree, South Carolina.

1949-Actress/singer Vicki Lawrence is born in Inglewood, California.

1948-Richard Tandy (keyboardist for Electric Light Orchestra) is born in Birmingham, England.

1948-Steven Tyler is born Steven Tallarico in Yonkers, New York. Originally a drummer, he switches to frontman when he forms Aerosmith in 1970. Over the course of an adventurous 50+ year career with the band, he overcomes a crippling drug addiction and does time as a judge on American Idol.

1946-Johnny Crawford is born in Los Angeles, California. As a child star, he is one of the original Mouseketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club and plays in the popular Western TV show The Rifleman before releasing a string of singles in the '60s.

1946-Fran Sheehan (bassist for Boston) is born in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

1944-Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Michigan. She finds fame as lead singer of The Supremes.

1938- NBC broadcasted a performance of Howard Hanson’s 3rd Symphony, showcasing early American orchestral music.

1936-Fred Parris, a founder of The Five Satins and composer of their hit "In The Still Of The Nite," is born in Connecticut.

1934-Actor/singer Alan Arkin (of The Tarriers) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1917-Funky soul singer Rufus Thomas, known for his recordings at Stax Records, is born in Mississippi.

1827- Legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away at age 56, marking a pivotal moment in classical music history.

[Bikkie]

1883
The 'Sallies' come to New Zealand
Two English Salvation Army officers landed at Port Chalmers to set up a New Zealand branch of the Christian evangelical movement.


1984
Trades' Hall bombing
Caretaker and unionist Ernie Abbott was killed on 27 March 1984 when a bomb exploded inside Trades’ Hall on Wellington’s Vivian St.



In Music History

2022-Summer Of Soul, directed by Questlove of The Roots, wins the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film features never-before-seen footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, including performances by Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson and Sly & the Family Stone.

2021-Morgan Wallen's Dangerous: The Double Album, which debuted at #1 in America, logs its 10th week at the top, the most weeks for a debut chart-topper since Whitney Houston's self-titled album in 1987. In its fourth week at #1, Wallen was caught on camera using the N-word (addressed to his white friend) after a night of drinking, but instead of tanking the album when his music was pulled from radio stations, the controversy helped extend its run as fans bought and streamed it in support.

2020- Bob Andy, the Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter, passed away at the age of 75.

2020-Two weeks into the pandemic, Dua Lipa releases her disco-fied second album, Future Nostalgia, with the hits "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating." It earns her lots of new fans, including Elton John, who teams with her on "Cold Heart" the following year.

2013-Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires dies at age 88.

2013-Crawdaddy magazine founder Paul Williams dies at age 64. Not to be confused with the singer/songwriter/actor Paul Williams, the subject of the 2011 documentary, Paul Williams Still Alive.

2011-Dionne Warwick is the fourth contestant fired by Donald Trump on season 11 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Trace Adkins is one of the finalists on Season 7 of The Celebrity Apprentice. He loses the battle to tabloid editor Piers Morgan.

2008-The Los Angeles Times publishes — and later retracts — a story that Diddy had a hand in the shooting that killed Tupac Shakur. In the end, it is all fiction conjured by an imprisoned con man.

2008-A jury convicts rapper Remy Ma of assault charges stemming from a shooting outside a Manhattan night club.

2008- Leona Lewis' second single "Bleeding Love" reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first British woman to reach No.1 on the American charts since Kim Wilde in 1987.

2007-Faustino Oramas of Buena Vista Social Club dies at age 95.

2006-Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion is designated as a National Historic Landmark.

2006-Pete Wells, guitarist in Rose Tattoo, dies of prostate cancer at age 59.

2005-The medical drama Grey's Anatomy debuts on ABC with a new approach to music, using little-known songs, complete with lyrics, to soundtrack many scenes. Songs popularized by the series include "How To Save A Life" by The Fray, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol and "The Story" by Brandi Carlile.

2005-Mexican singer Rigo Tovar dies at age 58.

2004-Prince kicks off his Musicology tour with a show in Reno, Nevada. The average ticket costs $61, which includes a copy of the Musicology album. These are counted as sales according to Billboard, so the album rises to #3 (his previous three albums failed to chart). The tour takes in $87.4 million, making it the highest-grossing of 2004.

2003-John Lennon's boyhood home in Liverpool is opened to the public.

2001-Bruce Springsteen releases Live In New York City, the accompanying album to an HBO concert film that follows the Boss and his E Street Band on a ten-show tour, ending at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

2000-British singer Ian Dury, who with his band Ian Dury & the Blockheads had a #1 UK hit with "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick," dies of cancer at age 57.

1995-The British boy band Take That release their most successful single, "Back For Good," which lands at #1 on several charts around the world and secures the #7 spot in America.

1993-Saxophone player Clifford Jordan dies from lung cancer at age 61.

1993-Kyuss begins a run of Australian tour dates opening for Metallica, during the latter group's tour in support of The Black Album, at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

Digital Underground Release Sex Packets
1990-Digital Underground, a rap collective that later includes Tupac Shakur, release their debut album, Sex Packets. It's a concept album about a drug that simulates the experience of having sex.More

U2 Surprise Los Angeles Onlookers With A Rooftop Performance
1987-U2 play a rooftop concert in Los Angeles to film their video for "Where The Streets Have No Name." Thousands of onlookers gather and police order the band to stop playing.

1986-In Valley Center, Kansas, Metallica join Ozzy Osbourne's Ultimate Sin tour as the opening act.

1986-Sammy Hagar makes his first appearance as Van Halen's lead singer when the group begin their tour in Louisiana.

1984-Run-DMC release their self-titled debut album, which becomes the first rap album certified Gold by the RIAA.

"Pac-Man Fever" Takes Hold
1982-"Pac-Man Fever," a song about the arcade game that has America enthralled, cracks the Top 10, becoming the only song about a video game ever to do so.

Eric Clapton Marries George Harrison's Ex-Wife
1979-Eric Clapton marries George Harrison's ex-wife Pattie, the subject of the song "Layla." Harrison attends the wedding and remains friends with Clapton.

1976-Gary Wright's big hit "Dream Weaver" reaches its US chart peak of #2. The song is inspired by the writing of Paramahansa Yogananda.

1975-Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) of Black Eyed Peas is born in Hacienda Heights, California.

1973-Liza Minnelli wins an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Cabaret, beating out Diana Ross, who starred in Lady Sings The Blues.

1973-Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead is stopped for speeding, then busted when various drugs are found in his car.

1972-Grand Funk fire their manager/producer, Terry Knight, accusing him of taking more than his share of royalties. Knight sues, and in December confiscates the band's equipment via a court order.

1970-Mariah Carey is born in Huntington, Long Island, New York. She becomes the best-selling female singer of the '90s and the self-proclaimed "Queen of Christmas," thanks to her perennial favorite "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

1970-Brendan Hill, drummer for Blues Traveler, is born in London, England.

1967-The Young Rascals record "Groovin'."

1965-Johnny April (bassist for Staind) is born in Enfield, Connecticut.

1965- The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, leading to its induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

1965-Jeff Beck joins The Yardbirds as a replacement for Eric Clapton.

1964-Derrick McKenzie (drummer for Jamiroquai) is born in London, England.

1959-Keyboard player Andrew Farriss, who forms INXS along with his brothers, Tim and Jon, is born in Perth, Western Australia. He and lead singer Michael Hutchence team up to write most of the group's songs.

1959- Russ Conway started a four-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with "Side Saddle."

1958-Stereo albums are introduced.

1957-"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera)" from the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much wins the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

1953-Rock guitarist Wally Stocker (of The Babys, Air Supply and Humble Pie) is born in London, England.

1950-Tony Banks (keyboardist for Genesis) is born in East Hoathly, East Sussex, England.

1948-The film musical April Showers is released, starring Jack Carson and Ann Sothern; it includes the 1921 song of the same name.

1946-Andy Bown (keyboardist, rhythm guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Beckenham, London, England.

1941-R&B singer/songwriter Bunny Sigler is born in Philadelphia. His real name is Walter, but his family calls him Bunny because he was born two days before Easter.

1940-Ska musician Derrick Morgan is born in Jamaica.

1932-Bluesman Junior Parker is born Herman Parker Jr. in either Clarksdale, Mississippi, or West Memphis, Arkansas.

1924-Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan is born in Newark, New Jersey.