On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

1893
'King Dick' Seddon becomes premier
Richard John Seddon became premier following the death of John Ballance. Immortalised as ‘King Dick’, Seddon was to dominate the New Zealand political landscape for the next 13 years. He remains this country’s longest-serving premier or prime minister.


1955
RNZAF's first combat strike since Second World War
Five Vampire fighter aircraft of No. 14 Squadron carried out the RNZAF’s first combat strike since the Second World War against guerrillas in the Malayan jungle.



In Music History

2023-Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind," "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald") dies at 84.

2019-Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers marries Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner in Las Vegas, where an Elvis impersonator officiates. The marriage lasts until September 2023, when Joe files for divorce.

2017-At the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, John Popper, Susan Tedeschi, Widespread Panic and many other artists perform at a tribute to Col. Bruce Hampton in celebration of his 70s birthday. Hampton, a mentor to many of these musicians, collapses on stage and dies during the encore. "Bruce was the only person I could think of who has ever played at his own funeral," his friend Scott McKinney says.

2013-Chris Kelly of the rap duo Kris Kross dies at age 34 after overdosing on heroin and cocaine. The duo were teenagers when they had their #1 hit "Jump" in 1992; they also opened for Michael Jackson on his Dangerous tour that year.

2012-Bobby Vee announces that he's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

2010-"Nothin' On You" by the rapper B.o.B hits #1 in America. It features vocals from Bruno Mars, who also co-wrote and co-produced the song. He lands his own #1 hit a few months later with his debut single as a lead artist: "Just The Way You Are."

2007-Rush release Snakes & Arrows. Alex Lifeson's guitar work on the album is influenced by David Gilmour's suggestion that he write more acoustic songs.

2006-Rock and roll saxophonist Johnny Paris (leader of Johnny and the Hurricanes) dies at age 65 of hospital-borne infections after an operation.

2006-Rapper Big Hawk (of Screwed Up Click) dies at age 36 when he's shot by an unidentified assailant outside of a friend's house in Houston, Texas.

2003-While being treated for kidney failure, Barry White suffers a stroke, paralyzing the right side of his body. The singer never fully recovers and dies a few months later.

2000-David Gray's album White Ladder, which has been available in Europe for over a year, is finally issued in America as the first release on Dave Matthews' new label, ATO Records. It goes on to sell a million copies there; ATO goes on to sign Crowded House, Brandi Carlile, Alabama Shakes and many other big names.

2000-Former Village Voice scribe Jimmy McDonough sues Neil Young for $1.8 million in civil court for allegedly backing down from his agreement to authorize a biography McDonough spent years writing.

1999-The Lyz Art Forum in Siegen, Germany, presents an exhibition of 70 paintings by Paul McCartney, including "Bowie Spewing," which is indeed a portrait of a young David Bowie.

1998-Brian Eno appears as Father Brian Eno in the "Going to America" episode of British sitcom Father Ted.

1994-New Kids On The Block, which two years earlier was playing stadiums, wrap up a tour of clubs and theaters in support of their Face The Music album. They call it quits soon after, but reunite in 2008.

1992-Sub Pop Records release a compilation album titled The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History, which for many listeners is the first time they can hear the band. Hailing from Scotland, the Vaselines had received renewed interest after Nirvana covered their songs "Molly's Lips" and "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam."

LL Cool J Delivers a Knockout On MTV Unplugged
1991
For the first time, MTV Unplugged features rap acts, with De La Soul, MC Lyte, A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J performing. LL steals the show with a shirtless rendition of "Mama Said Knock You Out."

1990-Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi dies of cancer at age 64.

1986-Hugo Peretti, who co-wrote Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love," dies at age 69 in Englewood, New Jersey.

1979-Elton John becomes the first Western rock star to play in Israel when he performs a concert in Jerusalem as part of a tour that also takes him to Russia, where he becomes one of the first Western rock stars to tour the Soviet Union.

1977-The Police release their first single, "Fall Out," which is available only in the UK. Guitarist Andy Summers has yet to join the band.

1976-Led Zeppelin's Presence album, with the rockers "Achilles Last Stand" and "Nobody's Fault but Mine," hits #1 in America.

1976-The Bellamy Brothers' "Let Your Love Flow" hits #1 in America.

1975-Bachman-Turner Overdrive begin their first UK tour at Glasgow Apollo; they are supported by Thin Lizzy.

1975-The Rolling Stones announce their Tour Of The Americas by rolling down 5th Avenue in New York City playing "Brown Sugar" from the back of a flatbed truck.

1974-At the request of President Nixon, the Carpenters perform at a state dinner honoring West German Chancellor Willy Brandt.

1973-Washington, DC, mayor Walter Washington officially declares today Marvin Gaye day in the singer's hometown.

1969-Neil Young releases his second solo album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, which features favorites "Cowgirl in the Sand," "Cinnamon Girl," and "Down by the River."

1968-Paul McCartney and John Lennon watch Bill Haley play Royal Albert Hall in London.

1968-D'Arcy Wretsky-Brown (bass guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins) is born in South Haven, Michigan.

1967-Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys is arrested by the FBI for draft-dodging and refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States. Wilson, a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, is eventually exonerated by his draft board and rejoins the band, touring in Ireland.

1967-Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu are married in a private ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. They met seven years earlier when Priscilla was 14, but she claims they didn't consummate their relationship until this wedding night.

1966-The Beatles play their last concert (not counting their Apple Records rooftop appearance in 1969) in their native England when they perform at a show put on by the New Musical Express. The last song is "I'm Down."

1966-Rock bassist Johnny Colt (of The Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd) is born Charles Brandt in Cherry Point, North Carolina.

1965-Spike Jones, known for satirical takes on classics and popular songs, dies at age 53 of emphysema.

1963-The Rolling Stones sign a management deal with Andrew Loog Oldham, who removes their apostrophe (they were The Rollin' Stones) and drops piano player Ian Stewart from the official lineup; he continues to play with the band and acts as road manager, but isn't recognized as a member. Stewart, who doesn't look the part, remains an integral part of the Stones operation until his death in 1985.

1957-The Kingston Trio form in Palo Alto, California.

1957-The first issue of 16 Magazine, featuring Elvis Presley on the cover, is published.

1956-Little Willie John records "Fever."

1956-Johnny Cash releases "I Walk The Line," a pledge of fidelity to his first wife. When the song becomes a hit, Cash finds it much harder to be true and strikes up an affair with June Carter, whom he later marries.

1955-A St. Louis guitarist named Chuck Berry is signed to Chess Records in Chicago after bluesman Muddy Waters recommends him to the label.

1954-Guitarist and songwriter Ray Parker, Jr., writer and performer of the Ghostbusters theme, is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1946-Nick Fortuna (bass guitarist for The Buckinghams) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1946-Jerry Weiss (trumpeter and flugelhorn player for Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in New York City.

1945-Singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge is born in Lafayette, Tennessee.

1942-The US government halts production of jukeboxes so their factories can assist with the war effort. The Seeburg company produces electrical components for the armed forces; Wurlitzer makes communications systems for aircraft.

1939-Tommy Dorsey records "Lonesome Road."

1939-Folk singer Judy Collins is born in Seattle, Washington.

1934-Jazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn is born in Washington, DC.

1933-R&B singer-songwriter Titus Turner, known for writing the oft-covered tunes "Leave My Kitten Alone" and "Sticks and Stones," is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1931-Kate Smith makes her radio show debut with the twice-weekly Kate Smith Sings show on NBC.

1930-Blues musician Little Walter, known for the 1952 harmonica standard "Juke," is born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville, Louisiana.

1929-Country singer-songwriter Sonny James, known for the 1957 hit "Young Love," is born James Hugh Loden in Hackleburg, Alabama.

1924-R&B singer Big Maybelle, known for the 1956 hit "Candy," is born Mabel Louise Smith in Jackson, Tennessee.

1907-Kate Smith, known for her rendition of "God Bless America," is born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith in Greenville, Virginia.

1904-Czech composer Antonin Dvorak dies at age 62 of an undetermined illness.




Featured Events

2006-Guinness certifies a new world record for most guitarists playing at the same time when 1,581 axepeople simultaneously perform the Jimi Hendrix version of "Hey Joe" in Wrocław, Poland.

2000-Destiny's Child release their third album, Survivor, which is all about sisterhood and empowerment. It's their first release with the lineup of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Nancy Sinatra Appears In Playboy
1995-Nancy Sinatra, 54, appears on the cover of Playboy magazine. In her centerfold, she wears only her famous boots.More

1993-Charley Pride becomes just the second African American inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and the only active member (DeFord Bailey, the first, passed away in 1982). Pride first performed there in 1967.

1967-Tim McGraw is born Samuel Timothy McGraw in Delhi, Louisiana. His dad is pro baseball player Tug McGraw of the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

1966-James Brown performs on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Unlike most solo acts, he brings his own band, which allows him to provide the full James Brown experience, including the cape bit where he drops to his knees but is soon revived.

1965-British Invasion band Herman's Hermits hit #1 in America with "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," a very English song first heard on a BBC show called The Lads in 1963.

1956- Johnny Cash released his breakthrough single “I Walk the Line”, which became his first No.1 on the Billboard country charts and peaked at No.17 on the US pop charts. The song featured Cash’s signature “boom-chicka-boom” sound, created by placing a dollar bill in the guitar neck, and innovative backward guitar runs inspired its chord progression.
This Day In Music

1966- The Beatles performed in the UK for the final time at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool, playing five songs to 10,000 fans alongside the Rolling Stones, The Who, The Yardbirds, and Dusty Springfield.
This Day In Music

1965- Herman’s Hermits topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”, while Spike Jones, known for his comedic musical arrangements, passed away at age 53.
soundod.com

1971–1976: Several chart milestones occurred, including Dave and Ansell Collins’ reggae hit “Double Barrel” reaching No.1 in the UK (1971), Led Zeppelin’s Presence topping the US Billboard 200 (1976), and the Bellamy Brothers’ debut single “Let Your Love Flow” hitting No.1 in multiple countries.
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1979- Elton John became the first pop star to perform in Israel, beginning a mini-tour of five shows in six nights.
On This Day

1980s–1990s: Notable events include Mick Fleetwood filing for bankruptcy (1984), the opening of musicals like My One and Only (1983) and The Will Rogers Follies (1991), and Andrea Bocelli performing for Pope John Paul II in 2000.
On This Day

2005- Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 with his solo album …Something To Be, featuring the hit single “Lonely No More” and becoming the first male rock group artist to debut at No.1 with a solo LP.


Other Notable Milestones

1786- Mozart conducted the premiere of his opera The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna.

1939- Tommy Dorsey Orchestra recorded “Lonesome Road”.

1972- Paul Simon released his self-titled solo debut album, and The Eagles released their first single “Take It Easy”.

1982- KISS released the album Killers.

1998- Garth Brooks announced the sale of the 4 millionth ticket for his world tour.

[Bikkie]

Atlantic salmon
1868
First shipment of salmon and trout ova arrives
The clipper Celestial Queen arrived at Port Chalmers carrying the first shipment of live fish ova from England. These fish were intended to provide sport for the settlers, but none survived in New Zealand.


The second-to-last tram at the railway station stop on its way to Newtown
1964
New Zealand's last electric tram trip
Tram no. 252, displaying the message ‘end of the line’ and driven by Wellington Mayor Frank Kitts, travelled from Thorndon to Newtown zoo. Large crowds lined the streets to witness the end of electric trams in New Zealand.



In Music History

2014-'60s R&B/pop singer Jessica Cleaves (Friends Of Distinction) dies at age 65 of complications from a stroke.

2012-Greg Ham's funeral takes place at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia, with more than 300 mourners attending. The Men at Work flute player died two weeks earlier on April 19, at his home in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton North. Among the many mourners attending, are his partner, Linda Wostry, from whom he had recently separated, and Men At Work bass player John Rees. At the end of the service, to the strains of jazz music, Greg's 20-year-old son Max stands on the steps of the town hall, holding a framed photo of his father, while his sister, Greg's 17-year-old daughter Camille, releases a single white dove into the sky. The mourners then give the troubled musician a final round of applause as his coffin drives away down the streets of Melbourne.

2010-A flood in Nashville damages the Grand Ole Opry House and Country Music Hall of Fame. John Fogerty, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Keith Urban are among those who lose guitars and other equipment that is held in a storage facility. Also destroyed are the bass used on the Hank Williams song "Your Cheatin' Heart," and a Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix.

2009-The TV series Jonas, starring the Jonas Brothers, debuts on the Disney Channel, where it runs for two seasons. The group already has three albums out, including the #1 A Little Bit Longer from 2008.

2006-Following up on their massively successful Lateralus album, Tool release 10,000 Days. In its first week 564,000 copies copies are sold, and by the end of 2007 the number is at 2.5 million.

Neil Young Releases Overtly Political Album
2006-Neil Young releases Living With War, a very political album taking aim at the policies of US President George W. Bush.More
2005-Cream reunite for the first of four shows in London's Royal Albert Hall, the site of their farewell concert 36 years earlier. The band hasn't played together since their 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

2003-Dixie Chicks appear naked on the front cover of Entertainment Weekly, with slogans such "Traitors," "Hero," "Boycott," "Saddam's Angels" and "Proud Americans" printed across their bodies. The slogans represent the mixed reaction Dixie Chicks received following singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush comments.

2003-Composer George Wyle, who wrote the theme song for the '60s TV series Gilligan's Island, dies at age 87.

2000-Aimee Mann releases her album Bachelor No. 2 Or, The Last Remains Of The Dodo independently after Geffen Records lets her go. It's a sluggish market for singer-songwriters; the "dodo" in the album title is a reference to how Mann thinks they're going extinct.

1998-Heavy metal guitarist Hideto "Hide" Matsumoto (of X-Japan) commits suicide at age 33 by hanging himself.

1995-Indie rocker Lucy Dacus, co-founder of the band Boygenius, is born. The "Night Shift" singer is raised by her adoptive parents in Mechanicsville, a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Her upbringing inspires much of her musical output in her solo work, with her adolescence being the foundation of the 2021 album Home Video.

1995-Pink Floyd's album The Wall goes Diamond, with sales of over 10 million in the US. It later eclipses (oh wait, wrong album) that total with sales of well over 20 million.

1995-Jill Sobule releases "I Kissed A Girl," a song about a soon-to-be married woman who shares an intimate kiss with her female friend. It climbs to #67, becoming the first chart hit that's clearly about a romantic relationship among women. In 2008, Katy Perry releases a song with the same title and similar subject matter that becomes her first hit.

1994-Varg Vikernes, leader of the Norwegian black metal band Burzum, begins his trial for the murder of rival black metal musician (and former bandmate) Oystein Aarseth, co-founder of the band Mayhem. The two men had had a confrontation in August of 1993 which ended with the fatal stabbing of Aarseth. Vikernes was convicted at the trial and was sentenced to 21 years in prison; however he was released early in May of 2009 on probation and currently continues to do business as Burzum, with several albums released since then. He still has fans.

1992-Dance Floor, a horse owned by MC Hammer, comes in third in the Kentucky Derby.

The Cure Reach New Heights With Disintegration
1989-The Cure issue a gloomy record that's predicted to be commercial suicide, but ends up being their best seller: Disintegration. It boasts their biggest pop hits, "Lovesong" and "Lullaby."

1989-Michael Jackson, wearing a wig and fake moustache, enteres a Zales jewelry store in Simi Valley, California. Security finds him suspicious and calls the police, who show up to explain that you shouldn't wear a disguise to a jewelry store.

1988-Living Colour's debut album, Vivid, is released. It takes almost a year to catch on, as the band slowly builds a following through tours, radio play and MTV.

1988-Melissa Etheridge releases her self-titled debut album, adding a much-welcome new female voice to rock radio with the singles "Bring Me Some Water" and "Like the Way I Do."

1987-Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

1986-Country singer-songwriter Rose Falcon is born in New York.

1986-Judas Priest kick off their Fuel For Life tour with a show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's the first time lead singer Rob Halford, who went to rehab in January, has ever performed sober with the band.

1985-Singer-songwriter Lily Allen is born in London. After a rambunctious childhood that gets her kicked out of a number of schools, she finds a following on MySpace and releases her first single, "Smile," in 2006. It goes to #1 in the UK, followed two years later by another chart-topper, "The Fear."

1980-At the University of Birmingham, England, Joy Division play what transpires to be their final show, two weeks before singer Ian Curtis commits suicide at the age of 23. The show features the band's only live performance of the song "Ceremony," which is later released as the debut single by New Order - a new act formed from the surviving members.

1979-At the Rainbow Theatre in London, The Who play their first concert following the death of drummer Keith Moon. Their new stickman is Kenney Jones, formerly of Faces.

1977-Eric Clapton records "Wonderful Tonight."

1973-Actress and jazz vocalist June Hutton (of The Stardusters) dies in Encino, Los Angeles, California, at age 52.

1972-Bruce Springsteen auditions for Columbia Records' John Hammond, who is the guy that signed Bob Dylan. The planned 15-minute session runs 2 hours, and the next day, Bruce records a 14-song demo. He signs with the label five weeks later.

1971-It's day two of the Mayday protests, as demonstrators fed up with the war in Vietnam try to shut down the US government by blocking off streets and bridges in Washington, DC. Thousands of arrests are made, many to bystanders who have nothing to do with the protest. At the foot of the Washington Monument, where much of the action is taking place, Jonathan Edwards performs his new song, "Sunshine." As the arrests continue, he plays the song over and over, "because there's no better song for the soundtrack of that movie."

1965-The Rolling Stones make their second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing four songs, including "The Last Time" and "Little Red Rooster."

Beatles Second Album Replaces First At #1
1964-The Beatles Second Album, a collection of B-sides and sundry tracks yet to find a home in the States, goes to #1 in America, replacing their first album, Meet the Beatles!More

1960-Ray Peterson records "Tell Laura I Love Her."

1960-Production begins on Elvis Presley's first post-Army movie, G.I. Blues.

1960-Dick Clark testifies before Congress on the matter of payola.More

1960-Ben E. King leaves The Drifters and signs a solo contract with Atco Records.

1954-Prescott Niles (bassist for The Knack) is born in New York City.

1951-Jo Callis (keyboardist, guitarist for The Human League) is born John William Callis in Rotherham, England.

1951-John Glascock (bassist for Jethro Tull) is born in Islington, Greater London, England.

1950-Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm is born Louis Andrew Grammatico in Rochester, New York. He and guitarist Mick Jones, the main songwriters in the group, are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

1948-Country/gospel singer-songwriter Larry Gatlin (of The Gatlin Brothers) is born in Seminole, Texas.

1946-Lesley Gore is born Lesley Sue Goldstein in Brooklyn, New York.

1945-Rock keyboardist Goldy McJohn (of Steppenwolf) is born John Raymond Goadsby in Toronto, Canada.

1944-English drummer Bob Henrit (of The Kinks, Argent) is born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England.

1943-"Roll Out The Barrel" is banned as a marching song for training American airmen, as it is deemed "too lusty."

1936-English pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck is born Arnold George Dorsey in Madras, British India (present-day Chennai, India). He'll borrow his stage name from the German composer of the 1893 opera Hansel and Gretel.

1933-Bunk Gardner (played woodwinds and tenor sax for Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention) is born John Leon Gardner in Cleveland, Ohio.

1929-Rock and roll guitarist Link Wray is born Fred Lincoln Wray Jr. in Dunn, North Carolina.

1904-Broadcaster, singer and occasional lyricist Wilfrid Coad Thomas is born in Britain. Wrote the English lyrics to "Rose, Rose, I Love You," recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951.

1885-Wilhelm Schimmel starts his piano company.

1997-The James Bond spoof Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery hits theaters. The theme is "Soul Bossa Nova," a song by Quincy Jones from 1962 - the same year the first Bond movie appeared. Yeah baby!





Key Events in Music

1963 – The Beatles scored their first UK No.1 hit with “From Me to You”, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, marking the start of their chart dominance in the UK and their first entry on the US Billboard charts.
This Day In Music

1964 – The Rolling Stones released their self-titled debut album, beginning a 12-week run at the top of the UK album chart. The US version included a slightly different tracklist.
This Day In Music

1980 – Joy Division played their final live show at Birmingham University, just before frontman Ian Curtis tragically passed away, leading the remaining members to form New Order.
This Day In Music

1991 – Nirvana began recording their iconic album Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Southern California, which would become a defining work of the grunge era.

1998 – Hide Matsumoto, Japanese rock star and guitarist of X Japan, was found dead at age 33, with his funeral attended by over 70,000 fans.



Other Notable Historical Highlights

1887 – Composer Gioachino Rossini’s remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence.

1936 – Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf premiered in Moscow.

1938 – Ella Fitzgerald recorded “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” with Chick Webb and His Orchestra.

1952 – John Cage premiered Water Music, an experimental piece for piano, radio, and unconventional instruments in New York City.

1960 – Ben E. King left The Drifters and signed a solo contract with Atlantic Records.

1977 – Eric Clapton recorded “Wonderful Tonight”, inspired by his wife Pattie Boyd.

1979 – The Who performed their first concert without drummer Keith Moon, with Kenney Jones replacing him.

1980 – Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” was banned in South Africa.




Chart Milestones

1970 – Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” topped the UK Singles chart and achieved international success.

1965 – Billboard chart history saw five singles simultaneously in both the pop and R&B top 10, including Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally”.




Recent Performances and Cultural Moments

2023 – Sabrina Carpenter performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville during her Emails I Can’t Send Tour.

2024 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit performed at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, covering classics like Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman”.

2024 – Selena Gomez launched her cooking show Selena + Restaurant on Food Network, highlighting her cultural influence beyond music.

[Bikkie]

Early plough, c. 1830s-1840s
1820
First European plough used in New Zealand
The missionary John Butler turned New Zealand's first furrow at Kerikeri, writing: ‘I trust that this day will be remembered with gratitude, and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn.’



1897
New Zealand's first woman doctor registered
Margaret Cruickshank, the first female doctor registered in New Zealand, practised in Waimate, South Canterbury, until her death from influenza in 1918.


Charles Mackay, c. 1906-1920
1929
Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots
Charles Ewing Mackay, the disgraced former mayor of Whanganui, was shot dead by Berlin police during May Day riots in the German capital.



In Music History

2025-Lady Gaga plays a free concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to an estimated 2.1 million people. Enormous free concerts are a thing on this particular beach: Madonna drew 1.6 million in 2024, and 3.5 million came to see Rod Stewart in 1994. Most of the funding for these shows comes from the city, which uses them to draw tourists during low season.

2024-Randy Travis, unable to sing as a result of a stroke he suffered in 2011, releases "Where That Came From," a song with his vocal generated by artificial intelligence. It's the first major release from a legacy artist using AI technology to create a vocal from scratch, offering the possibility of more songs from singers - living or dead - that don't have to actually sing on them.

2014-Drummer Bobby Gregg, who played on Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Simon and Garfunkel's hit rock version of "The Sound of Silence," dies at age 78 from reasons unknown.

2013-The reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants host "Metallica Night" at the ballpark, with Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield playing the national anthem on electric guitars and Lars Ulrich throwing out the first pitch.More

2011-Marvin Gaye's organist Odell Brown dies at age 71.

2009-Clint Black is the eleventh contestant booted off Season 8 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Thanks to a Vegas-themed video featuring dice-shaped lollipops, Lil Wayne's single "Lollipop" hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stays for five consecutive weeks.

2008-The A-Sides, a brief side project for British indie-folk rockers Noah and the Whale, play a one-off gig at London's Push Club. They promise new wave interpretations of Noah and the Whale songs, covers and some "punk style" new originals. Prior to the show, the band urges fans via their MySpace page to "read the Motley Crue biography The Dirt, because that's pretty much how it's gonna go down."

2006-Bob Dylan's first hosted radio show airs on XM Satellite Radio, with the legend playing favorite tracks by Prince, Wilco, Blur, LL Cool J, and Billy Bragg, among others.

2005-Fall Out Boy release their breakthrough album, From Under the Cork Tree. Debuting at #9 on the albums chart, the sophomore effort is their first to crack the Top 10.

2002-Doug Firley of Gravity Kills drops a keyboard on his hand, shattering the bones in his right ring finger during a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

2001-Jazz drummer Billy Higgins dies at age 64 of kidney and liver failure.

1997-Katrina & the Waves, whose last big hit was "Walking On Sunshine" in 1985, win the Eurovision Song Contest for the United Kingdom with "Love Shine A Light." Lead singer Katrina Leskanich is American, but guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper are British.

1996-Country singer Patsy Montana dies in San Jacinto, California, at age 87. Known for her 1935 signature hit "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," the tune that made her the first female country performer to have a million-selling single.

1993-New Order's sixth album, Republic, is launched. It reaches #11 in America, helped to success in that country by a cover featuring images of California and an American-only limited edition release in bright orange vinyl packaging. Lead track "Regret" reaches #28, the band's biggest-selling single Stateside.

1991-Andy Williams marries his second wife, Debbie Haas, in New York City.

1990-Patti LaBelle makes her debut on the sitcom A Different World, playing Dwayne Wayne's overbearing mother, Adele, in the season 3 finale, "Perhaps Love." She appears in a total of eight episodes.

1987-Michael Kiwanuka is born in the Muswell Hill area of North London, where he's raised by his Ugandan parents. After touring as Adele's opening act, he wins the BBC Sound Of 2012 poll (over Frank Ocean and Azealia Banks) and releases his debut album, Home Again. In 2016 he goes to #1 in the UK with his second album, Love & Hate.

1987-Italian-French singer Dalida overdoses on barbiturates at age 54, leaving behind a note that reads "Life has become unbearable for me... Forgive me."

"Addicted To Love" Video Makes Indelible Mark On MTV
1986
Propelled by a memorable video where lookalike models vamp the song, Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

1982-Huey Lewis & the News play a great gig at the Agora in Cleveland. On the ride out, Lewis looks at the skyline and thinks, "The heart of rock and roll is beating in Cleveland." A song is born.

1981-Josh Tillman is born in Rockville, Maryland. He is the drummer for Fleet Foxes before going solo as Father John Misty.

1978-Bob Dylan records "Ain't No Man Righteous, No Not One," "I Believe In You," and "Slow Train."

1977-Country singer Eric Church is born in Granite Falls, North Carolina. After forming a band called the Mountain Boys as a student at Appalachian State University, he moves to Nashville and releases his debut album, Sinners Like Me, in 2006. His star turn comes in 2011 with his album Chief, which includes two of his most enduring songs, "Drink In My Hand" and "Springsteen."

1977-Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and others perform a benefit for the New York Public Library.

1977-Helmut Koellen (bass player for Triumvirat) dies of carbon monoxide poisoning at age 27 as he listens to studio tracks in his car while the engine is running in his garage.

1975-Tony Orlando and Dawn's "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" hits #1.

1975-Chicago's LP Chicago VIII hits #1.

1974-Led Zeppelin launches its Swan Song label.

1972-Scottish rock guitarist Les Harvey, age 27, dies onstage during a Stone The Crows concert when he's electrocuted by a ungrounded microphone standing in a pool of rainwater.

1971-Led Zeppelin play their song "Four Sticks" for the first and only time in concert during a show in Denmark.

1969-Bob Dylan records "Take A Message To Mary" and "Blue Moon."

1969-Canadian customs officials arrest Jimi Hendrix after finding heroin in his bag (he is acquitted in court).

1968-The Beach Boys begin a United States tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who gives a lecture as the opening act. The tour is a flop, and some of the dates are canceled.

1967-The Hollies record "Carrie Anne."

1967-The Walker Brothers announce their split. Scott Walker goes on to become a highly influential solo artist in the late '60s.

1967-Beach Boy Carl Wilson goes to court on draft evasion charges.

1964-Gerry and the Pacemakers make their US TV debut, performing "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1964-Sterling Campbell is born in New York City. An accomplished drummer, he has stints in several bands including Duran Duran, Soul Asylum and The B-52s.

1960-Cathy Jean Giordano records "Please Love Me Forever."

1959-David Ball is born in Blackpool, England. Best known as half of the duo Soft Cell, he helps shape the sound of British electronic music, sticking with analog synthesizers as digital machines become the norm.

1953-Bruce Hall (bassist for REO Speedwagon) is born in Champaign, Illinois.

1952-Kitty Wells records "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."

1951-'70s soft rocker Christopher Cross is born Christopher Charles Geppert in San Antonio, Texas.

1950-Mary Hopkin is born in Pontardawe, Wales. She signs with The Beatles' Apple Records in 1968 after a winning performance on the UK TV competition show Opportunity Knocks, and releases her first single, "Those Were The Days," later that year.

1948-John Richardson (drummer for the Rubettes) is born in South Ockendon, Essex, England.

1944-Pete Staples (bass guitarist for The Troggs) is born in Andover, Hampshire, England.

1939-The Andrews Sisters record "Beer Barrel Polka."

1934-'60s pop singer Frankie Valli (of The Four Seasons) is born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio in Newark, New Jersey.

1928-Country singer Dave Dudley is born David Darwin Pedruska in Spencer, Wisconsin.

1926-Jazz trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, who would accompany Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, and James Brown, is born in Wartrace, Tennessee.

1921-Traditional pop vocalist Joe Ames (of The Ames Brothers) is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

1919-Pete Seeger is born in Manhattan. Throughout his career, Seeger champions folk music and uses the form to push for civil rights and environmental issues.

1917-Betty Comden is born Basya Cohen in Brooklyn. Along with her partner Adolph Green, she writes the screenplay for Singin' In The Rain along with many other musicals.






Featured Events

2010-"I Gotta Feelin'" by The Black Eyed Peas reaches 5,561,000 downloads, making it the best-selling digital song of all time, surpassing Flo-Rida's "Low." It eventually sells 8 million digital copies and retains the record as streaming replaces downloads.

1986-The Silver Dollar City Tennessee amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is reopened as Dollywood after Dolly Parton takes an ownership stake. The park grows considerably and becomes very successful with Parton involved.

1976-Paul McCartney opens his first US tour with Wings as the massively successful Wings Over America tour begins in Fort Worth, Texas.


Disastrous Concert Takes Rock Out Of Boston
1958-The popular disc jockey Alan Freed hosts a rock concert at the Boston Arena (a hockey rink) that does not go well. The city doesn't host another rock concert until 1964.More

1933-James Brown is born in Barnwell, South Carolina, raised in Augusta, Georgia. His '60s and '70s hits like "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" and "Funky Drummer" break new ground with a percussive soul sound that lays the foundation for hip-hop when they're heavily sampled in the '80s and '90s. He's also an electrifying performer whose dazzling stage moves are emulated by the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince.

1903-Bing Crosby is born Harry Lillis Crosby Jr. in Tacoma, Washington.

1917- Ernest Bloch's "Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque" and "Israel Symphony" premiered in Carnegie Hall, NYC, with Artur Bodanzky conducting the former and the composer conducting the latter.

1944- "Going My Way," directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby, premiered in New York, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1945.

1956- Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella" opened at the Imperial Theater, NYC, and ran for 678 performances.

1994- The 29th Academy of Country Music Awards took place, with Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, and Wynonna winning.

2005- Fall Out Boy's breakthrough album "From Under the Cork Tree" was released through Island Records.

2013- The Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn was renamed after Beastie Boys' rapper Adam Yauch.

2015- Chris Isaak was confirmed as a judge on the seventh season of "The X Factor Australia."

2025- Lady Gaga's free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, drew an estimated crowd of 2.5 million attendees, making it the largest concert in history for a female artist.

[Bikkie]

1772
Marion du Fresne arrives in the Bay of Islands
Marion du Fresne’s was the second French expedition to visit New Zealand, following that of Jean François Marie de Surville in 1769. Du Fresne’s acceptance of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s beliefs about ‘noble savages’ was to have unfortunate consequences for him and his crew.


1937
Avalanche kills two workers at the Homer tunnel
The engineer-in-charge and the overseer were killed when the second avalanche to hit the Homer tunnel project in less than 12 months struck without warning.



In Music History

2024-A crowd estimated at 1.6 million watch Madonna cap off her Celebration Tour at a free concert in Rio. The concertgoers fill up a 2.4-mile stretch of Copacabana Beach equipped with giant sound towers with huge video screens, a $12 million production.

2024-After 10 weeks at the top of the Country chart, Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" gives way to "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey, a singer who came to the fore when Beyoncé featured him on her Cowboy Carter album.

2024-The top 14 songs on the Hot 100 are all from Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department, with "Fortnight" taking the top spot. All 31 songs from the album are on the chart in addition to an earlier song, "Cruel Summer."

2021-Nick Kamen, known for the 1986 hit "Each Time You Break My Heart," dies of bone marrow cancer at his London home. He was 59.

2020-Grimes has a baby boy she names X Æ A-12. The father is entrepreneur Elon Musk.

2019-A section of Staten Island is renamed "Wu-Tang Clan District" in honor of the group.More

2018-Soul singer Leon Bridges releases his sophomore album, Good Thing. Its single "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand" takes the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

2017-Implying that they will soon be voted out of office, Democrats sing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" to taunt Republicans in the House of Representatives after a Republican-sponsored bill replacing the Affordable Care Act passes.

2016-After Donald Trump's campaign plays "Start Me Up" following his victory speech celebrating his path to the Republican nomination, The Rolling Stones ask him to stop, joining several other artists in decrying his use of their songs.More

2013-James Righton of Klaxons marries the actress Keira Knightley. He proves useful when he gives ger guitar lessons for her role as a musician in the 2014 movie Begin Again.

2012-Adam Yauch (aka MCA of the Beastie Boys) dies of cancer at age 47 in New York City.

2010-Olivia Newton-John gets "Physical" in a duet with Jane Lynch on the Glee episode "Bad Reputation."

2008-Martha Reeves' (of Martha & the Vandellas) home in Detroit is burglarized and one million dollars' worth of recording equipment is stolen. In just a few hours, the perpetrator is caught while attempting to hock the merchandise for $400.

2000-Letters to Cleo play their last concert in Boston; they disband the following month.

Jennifer Lopez Launches Debut Single
1999-Former In Living Color Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez issues her first single, "If You Had My Love." The song lands at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lopez the first artist to top the chart with a debut single since Britney Spears did the same with "...Baby One More Time" four months earlier.

PJ Harvey Releases Rid Of Me
1993-PJ Harvey, fronted by British alt rocker Polly Jean Harvey, release their second and last album as a trio, Rid Of Me. The album is later hailed as one of the defining albums of the decade, but at the time, critics are split over Steve Albini's aggressive production.More

1992-Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu (percussionist for Johnny Clegg & Juluka) is killed in a hail of gunfire in South Africa at age 33.

1991-Punk rocker Simon Wilde (bassist for D.O.A.) dies of a brain tumor at age 33.

1991-Governor Ann Richards declares "ZZ Top Day" in Texas, honoring the group for "bringing the powerful beat of Texas boogie to enthusiastic audiences across the globe."

1990-David Bowie's ex-wife Angela goes on The Joan Rivers Show and says that she once walked in on Bowie and Mick Jagger naked in bed. Angela signed a gag order when she divorced Bowie that kept her from talking for 10 years, and was taking advantage of the opportunity.

1987-Paul Butterfield (of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band) dies of a heroin overdose at age 44.

1982-Under the leadership of chairman Elton John, who has invested heavily in the team, the Watford Football Club is promoted to the First Division of English football with a win over Wrexham. The team was in the lowly Fourth Division when Elton took over as chairman in 1978 1979-Bob Dylan records "Gotta Serve Somebody," "Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)," "When He Returns," and "Man Gave Names To All The Animals."

1979-Lance Bass of 'N Sync is born James Lance Bass in Laurel, Mississippi.

1978-Jefferson Starship's album Earth is certified Platinum.

The Sting's Ragtime Soundtrack Hits #1
1974-The Sting soundtrack, featuring Marvin Hamlisch's adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime piano tunes, hits #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.

1974-Grand Funk's cover of "The Loco-Motion" hits #1 in America. It's the second time the song has topped the chart: Little Eva's original went to #1 in 1962.

1972-Green Day bass player Mike Dirnt is born Michael Pritchard in Berkeley, California, where he is adopted by a couple from nearby El Sobrante.

1972-Christian singer Chris Tomlin is born in Grand Saline, Texas.

1970-Gregg Alexander of The New Radicals is born Gregory Aiuto in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

1970-Later memorialized in the Neil Young song "Ohio," the Ohio National Guard fires on protesters at Kent State University, killing four students, two of whom weren't even protesting. This shameful event in American history leads to the formation of Devo, as Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale are both on campus and horrified by the events.

1969-Al Stewart and his girlfriend Mandi attend a party at the Putney home of John Martyn which inspires the song "Night Of The 4th Of May."

1968-Steppenwolf make their US television debut, performing "Born to Be Wild" on American Bandstand.

1968-Twiggy, one of the first English "supermodels," catches an 18-year-old Welsh singer named Mary Hopkin on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. She calls her friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs Hopkin to Apple and has her record "Those Were The Days" as her first single.

1967-The Turtles' "Happy Together" is certified Gold.

1964-Denny Laine, Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder form the M&B Five in Birmingham, England. They later change the name to The Moody Blues.

1964-Gary Holt (guitarist for Exodus) is born in Richmond, California.

1961-The Jarmels record "A Little Bit Of Soap."

1960-Bobby Rydell takes American Bandstand viewers on a tour of his Philadelphia home.

1959-Country singer Randy Travis is born Randy Bruce Traywick in Marshville, North Carolina. It takes while for him to get a record deal, but when he does, he's off to the races, with 15 #1 Country hits from 1986-1994.

1959-The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.

1957-Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue debuts on ABC; the show is an attempt to replicate the success of their own hit American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.

1956-Lonnie Donegan quits the popular Chris Barber Jazz Band to form a skiffle group.

1951-Mick Mars, founder and lead guitarist of Motley Crue, is born Robert Alan Deal in Terre Haute, Indiana. Visually, he blends into the scenery, but his riffs and solos create a sonic boom that helps define their sound.

1951-Jackie Jackson of The Jacksons is born Sigmund Esco Jackson in Gary, Indiana.

1951-Bruce Day (bass player for Santana, Pablo Cruise) is born.

1949-Zal Cleminson (guitarist for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band) is born Alistair Macdonald Cleminson in Glasgow, Scotland.

1949-Country singer-songwriter Stella Parton is born in Sevierville, Tennesee, to a family that includes older sister Dolly Parton.

1946-Perry Como's "Prisoner Of Love" hits #1 in America.

1945-Georg Wadenius (lead guitarist for Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Stockholm, Sweden.

1944-'60s pop singer Peggy Santiglia (of The Angels, Dusk) is born in Belleville, New Jersey.

1941-Motown songwriter Nick Ashford (Ashford & Simpson) is born in Fairfield, South Carolina.

1941-Singer and violinist David LaFlamme (of It's a Beautiful Day) is born Gary Posie in New Britain, Connecticut.

1940-Ronnie Bond (drummer for The Troggs) is born Ronald James Bullis in Andover, Hampshire, England.

1938-Tyrone Davis is born Tyrone Fettson in Greenville, Mississippi, but is raised by his father in Saginaw, Michigan. Known for his #1 R&B hits, "Can I Change My Mind" (1968), "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" (1970), and "Turning Point" (1975).

1937-Surf rocker Dick Burns (of The Hondells) is born in Buffalo, New York.

1937-Surf rock guitarist Dick Dale is born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts.

1928-Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson is born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada.

1923-Ed Cassidy (drummer for Spirit) is born in Harvey, Illinois.

1655-Florentine harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Cristofori is born. He invents the piano in 1709.







Key Historical Events

1728- George Frideric Handel's opera Tolomeo, re di Egitto premiered in London, marking an important moment in Baroque opera history.

1878- Thomas Edison demonstrated his phonograph for the first time at the Grand Opera House in New York City, revolutionizing sound recording.

1929- Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s musical Show Boat closed at the Ziegfeld Theatre in NYC after 572 performances, cementing its status as a landmark in American musical theater.

1956- Ronnie Hilton’s rendition of No Other Love reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart for six consecutive weeks.

1959- The first Annual Grammy Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, with winners including Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, and Domenico Modugno.

1961- Doo-wop band The Marcels scored their first UK No.1 with Blue Moon, also topping charts in the US, New Zealand, and Canada.

1963- Andy Williams’ album Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests began a 16-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200.

1965- The Beatles achieved their first UK No.1 with From Me To You, beginning a seven-week run at the top.

1973- Led Zeppelin launched their 34-date North American tour in Atlanta, grossing over $4 million and breaking attendance records previously held by The Beatles. Progressive rock band Yes released their first live album Yessongs, which became a commercial success internationally.

1974- ABBA’s Waterloo topped the UK Singles chart, marking their first of nine No.1 hits and securing their Eurovision Song Contest victory for Sweden.

1996- Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill began a six-week run at the top of the UK chart.

2012- Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys passed away, leaving a legacy of seven platinum-selling albums and contributions to music video direction and independent film.

2023- Ed Sheeran was found not guilty of copyright infringement regarding Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On for his single Thinking Out Loud.

2024- Madonna concluded her Celebration world tour with a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, attended by 1.6 million people, marking the largest concert of her career.




Notable Releases and Chart Achievements

Gene Vincent recorded Be Bop A Lula, which became a major hit in the US and UK, selling over 2 million copies.

The Beach Boys’ Surfin’ U.S.A. LP debuted on Billboard’s album chart, eventually peaking at No.2 and staying for 78 weeks.

Andy Williams’ single Can’t Get Used to Losing You reached No.2 on the Hot 100 and No.1 on the Easy Listening chart.



Awards and Recognitions

The first Grammy Awards in 1959 recognized artists across genres, including jazz, pop, and classical, establishing a precedent for future music industry accolades.

The Recording Industry Association of America awarded The Turtles a Gold Disc for Happy Together in 1967, highlighting the commercial success of rock and pop singles.

[Bikkie]

1833
James Busby arrives in the Bay of Islands
James Busby’s arrival in the Bay of Islands was the first tentative step along a path that led to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi seven years later.


Māori arrested for taking part in the ‘Dog Tax Rebellion’
1898
Dog Tax War narrowly averted
War threatened sleepy Hokianga as government troops marched towards armed Māori ‘rebels’.



In Music History

2020-Tori Amos releases her second memoir, Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage.

2020-The Guns N' Roses version of "Live And Let Die" blares as President Donald Trump tours a mask factory in Arizona during the coronavirus pandemic without wearing a mask. Intrigued by the irony, many news outlets show the footage. The band later sells T-shirts saying "Live N' Let Die With COVID 45."

2018-The musical Jagged Little Pill, based on Alanis Morissette's 1995 album of the same name, debuts at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts.More

2016-Arsenio Hall files a $5 million defamation suit against Sinead O'Connor after the singer posts a message on Facebook suggesting he was the recently deceased Prince's drug dealer. She later apologizes and Hall drops the suit.

2015-After years working in Nashville as a songwriter and as a member of the bands The SteelDrivers and The Jompson Brothers, Chris Stapleton, 37, releases his debut album, Traveller, with a rootsy sound that harkens back to the days of Hank Williams. It wins the Grammy for Best Country Album and both the ACM and CMA awards for Album Of The Year.

2015-The teenage rapper Silento releases "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)," igniting a dance craze that spreads on YouTube, quickly going over a billion views. The "Nae Nae" part of the dance is based on Sheneneh's antics from the '90s TV series Martin.

2008-To thank fans for years of support, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) posts the album The Slip for free on his website.

2008-Country/pop singer Jerry Wallace, known for the 1959 hit "Primrose Lane," dies at age 79 of congestive heart failure.

2007-Avril Lavigne lands her only US #1 hit with "Girlfriend," the first single from her third album, The Best Damn Thing.

2004-Jamaican record producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, who signed Bob Marley & the Wailers to his Studio One label, dies of a heart attack at age 72.

2001-Zydeco musician Boozoo Chavis dies in Austin, Texas, at age 70.

2000-The Ridley Scott film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe as a Roman general turned slave who seeks revenge for the murder of his family, debuts in US theaters. The movie opens with an idyllic scene in a wheat field against the backdrop of Hans Zimmer's ethereal score. The composer wanted to set the tone for an emotional story rather than a typical blood-and-guts gladiator film.

1998-Bad Religion release their 10th full-length studio album, No Substance.

1998-Tori Amos releases her fourth solo album, From The Choirgirl Hotel. The lead single, "Spark," is inspired by the first of three miscarriages the singer suffers before welcoming daughter Natashya in 2000. The album debuts at #5 in the US.

1992-Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys appear on the Full House episode "Captain Video (Part 1)," where Uncle Jesse records their song "Forever." A version of the song sung by John Stamos, who plays that character, appears on the group's album Summer in Paradise a few months later.

1990-Lou Reed, Al Green, Terence Trent D'Arby, Kylie Minogue and Randy Travis are among the performers at a John Lennon tribute concert in his hometown of Liverpool, England.More

1989-Chris Brown is born in Tappahannock, Virginia. His talent is evident early on, so he makes his way to New York City, where he lands a deal with Jive Records at 15. His first single, "Run It!," released when he's 16, goes to #1.

1988-Singer and TV personality Brooke Hogan is born Brooke Ellen Bollea in Tampa, Florida. Dad is professional wrestler Hulk Hogan.

1986-Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun announces that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be built in Cleveland, Ohio.

Chrissie Hynde And Jim Kerr Get Married
1984
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders marries Jim Kerr of Simple Minds.

1981-Craig David is born in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

1979-Peaches and Herb's "Reunited" hits #1 in America.

1972-Paul Simon, Chicago and Carole King all perform at a benefit concert for US presidential candidate George McGovern.

1969-Creedence Clearwater Revival release "Bad Moon Rising."

1968-Buffalo Springfield play their last concert, a show in Long Beach, California. They would get back together in 2010 and tour in 2011.

1963-The Beatles' UK debut album Please Please Me goes to #1 in that territory.

1962-The Shirelles go to #1 in America with "Soldier Boy," where they sing about staying true while their fellas go off to battle.

1962-Kevin Mooney (bass player for Adam & The Ants) is born in Greenwich, London, England.

1962-Chris Montez records "Let's Dance."

1959-Ian McCulloch (frontman for Echo & The Bunnymen) is born in Liverpool, England.

1948-Bill Ward (drummer for Black Sabbath) is born in Aston, Birmingham, England.

1937-Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire is born in Coventry, England.

1934-Johnnie Taylor is born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas.

1934-Saxophonist Ace Cannon, known for the 1962 hit "Tuff," is born in Grenade, Mississippi.

1911-James Bland dies of tuberculosis in Philadelphia.

1898-Blues musician Blind Willie McTell is born William Samuel McTier in Thomson, Georgia.





Featured Events

2014-Beyoncé's sister Solange Knowles attacks Jay-Z in an elevator they are all riding after attending the Met Gala at The Standard hotel in New York. The footage, which is leaked on TMZ, shows Jay taking his whooping before a security guard restrains Solange. Beyoncé later mentions the incident in her song "Flawless" when she sings, "sometime s--t go down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator."More

2009-Tina Turner, 69, closes out her 50th Anniversary Tour with a show in Sheffield Arena that turns out to be her last concert. "I don't want people to come to a show and think that I used to be great," she says.

1999-At the 34th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, Garth Brooks is named Artist of the Decade.

1988-Adele is born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins in London. Her albums are named after her age when they're released, starting with 19 in 2008. Her second album, 21, goes stratospheric, with visceral songs about her ex that make a deep connection with fans.

1942-Tammy Wynette is born Virginia Wynette Pugh on a cotton farm in Mississippi. Her signature song comes in 1968 with "Stand By Your Man," which she says she spent 15 minutes writing and a lifetime defending.


Key Historical Events

1891- The Music Hall, later known as Carnegie Hall, opened in New York City with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as guest conductor of the New York Music Society Orchestra.

1927- Dmitri Shostakovich premiered his 1st Symphony in Berlin, Germany.

1956- Elvis Presley scored his first US No.1 single and album with Heartbreak Hotel and his self-titled debut, marking a milestone in rock’n’roll history.

1960- The Everly Brothers began a seven-week stint at number one on the UK Singles chart with Cathy’s Clown.

1962- The Shirelles hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Soldier Boy, also topping charts in New Zealand.

1962- The West Side Story soundtrack album went #1 and stayed there for 54 weeks, a record at the time.

1968- Buffalo Springfield performed their final concert in Long Beach, California, before disbanding.

1973- David Bowie topped the UK Albums chart for the first time with Aladdin Sane, featuring hits like The Jean Genie.

1973- Elvis Presley’s live album Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite reached the top of the US Billboard 200.

1979- Peaches & Herb hit No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with Reunited.

1984- Duran Duran scored their second UK number one single with The Reflex, also topping charts in the US and several other countries.

1992- Radiohead released their debut EP Drill.

1996- Rage Against the Machine topped the Billboard 200 with Evil Empire, featuring Grammy-nominated tracks.

2008- Neil Diamond released Home Before Dark, topping charts in the US, UK, and New Zealand.

2010–2023: Pop icons like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Sabrina Carpenter performed major concerts or events on May 5, highlighting the day’s ongoing significance in contemporary music.




Notable Birthdays

1988- Adele, the globally acclaimed singer-songwriter known for hits like Hello and Someone Like You, was born on May 5.

Historical composers born on this date include Johann Adolph Scheibe (1708), Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819), and Hans Erich Pfitzner (1869),.




Other Highlights

1955- The musical Damn Yankees opened in New York City, running for 1,019 performances.

1972- Paul Simon, Chicago, and Carole King performed at a benefit for U.S. Presidential candidate George McGovern.

1986- Cleveland, Ohio, was announced as the site for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

1999- Garth Brooks was named Artist of the Decade at the 34th Academy of Country Music Awards.

[Bikkie]

1869
Colonial troops invade the Urewera
The main purpose of the operation was to punish Tūhoe for supporting Te Kooti Rikirangi, whose ‘rebel’ force they had sheltered after it was defeated at Ngātapa, inland from Poverty Bay, in January.



In Music History

2022-Bad Bunny releases Un Verano Sin Ti, which debuts at #1 in America and spends 10 (non-consecutive) weeks at the top of the US albums chart. It's only the second entirely Spanish-language album to top the chart, following his previous album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, in 2020.

Adele Puts On George Michael Costume
2015-Adele dresses up like George Michael for her 27th birthday. "I was my hero," she Tweets.

2014-Sia releases the video for "Chandelier." Being very fame-averse, she isn't in it. Instead, 11-year-old Maddie Ziegler of the reality series Dance Moms does a dance routine while wearing Sia's signature wig. It becomes one of the most popular videos on YouTube, amassing over 2 billion views and pushing Sia's album 1000 Forms Of Fear to #1.

2014-"The Heart Of Man Is Like A Mine," a lost song from German composer Felix Mendelssohn, is performed for the first time in over a century and a half by alto Amy Williamson and pianist Christopher Glynn on BBC's Today.

2013-Lauryn Hill is sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion. She begins serving the sentence in July.

2009-Donald "Ean" Evans (longtime bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd) dies of lung cancer at age 48 in Columbus, Mississippi.

2008-In Central London, Mark Saunders, a barrister, Oxford-educated, very secure financially, and married to an equally successful woman, takes a shotgun and fires at random from his kitchen window. Police arrive promptly, and after a siege lasting more than five hours, marksmen open fire on him, and he is shot dead. At the inquest in October 2010, it is ruled he was killed lawfully, and one of the firearms officers involved in the siege is accused of inserting song titles into his evidence. The officer concerned is known only as AZ8, and the songs concerned include "Enough Is Enough" by Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, "Line Of Fire" by Journey, and "F--k My Old Boots (Robo Cop And Seacombe)" by The Membranes. AZ8 is cleared in March 2011 of doing this with intent. Obviously he had Faith in the British system of Law And Order, the police having to Shoot Shoot a man who was Ticking until he went off Like A Hurricane.

2008-Cher begins her "Cher at the Colosseum" shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, planning to play 200 concerts over three years. The run ends in February, 2011 with 192 performances, since eight were canceled.

2006-Australian alt-rocker Grant McLennan (of Go-Betweens) dies of a heart attack at age 48.

2004-Guitarist Barney Kessel, who played on many Billie Holiday recordings, dies at 80.

2003-Fall Out Boy release their debut album, the pop-punk effort Take This To Your Grave.

2002-Rock and roll songwriter Otis Blackwell dies at age 71 of a heart attack.

2001-Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and his wife Skylar have their second child, a son named Layne.

1996-Backstreet Boys release their self-titled debut album to international markets, aiming to tap into Europe's fascination with boy bands. A US release comes the following year.

1994-Donna Summer appears on an episode of Family Matters, playing Steve Urkel's shy Aunt Oona (from Altoona). Oona comes out of her shell when she belts out "Last Dance" at karaoke.

1993-The IRS confiscates personal property from Jerry Lee Lewis' home in Mississippi and later auctions it off to help pay the $1.6 million he owes in back taxes.

1991-The DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince video for "Summertime" debuts on NBC following the season 1 finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This is part of a new trend; six months earlier, The Simpsons debuted "Do The Bartman" following an episode of their show.

1990-Bassist Jason Everman plays his last show with Soundgarden, at Subterrania in London.

1989-N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, which was released nine months earlier, reaches its chart peak of #37 in the US.

1988-D.J. Tanner ditches school to nab Stacey Q's autograph on the Full House episode "D.J. Tanner's Day Off."

1987-Rapper Meek Mill is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1983-Jazz trombonist Kai Winding dies of a brain tumor at age 60.

1983-The Smiths open for Sisters of Mercy at the University of London Union. In the audience is a producer from the influential radio program The John Peel Show, who gets the band on the show. Peel becomes a huge fan and plays the version of "This Charming Man" they recorded for the show, helping launch their career.

1982-Tom Paton, manager of the Bay City Rollers, is convicted of gross indecency with teenage boys and sentenced to three years in jail.

1982-Diana Ross gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a solo artist.

1979-Bob Dylan records "Trouble In Mind," "When You Gonna Wake Up," and "Slow Train."

1978-The Knack is formed.

Cheryl Tiegs Inspires Bob Seger Song
1978-The model Cheryl Tiegs appears on the cover of Time magazine, inspiring Bob Seger's song "Hollywood Nights."More

1977-The Boomtown Rats sign their first major label recording contract.

1972-Elton John releases "Rocket Man."

1971-Ike and Tina Turner's cover of "Proud Mary" is certified Gold.

1971-Chris Shiflett (lead guitarist for Foo Fighters) is born in Santa Barbara, California.

1969-Jamaican ska trombonist Don Drummond (The Skatalites) dies at age 37 at Bellevue Asylum in Kingston, Jamaica, where he was institutionalized after murdering his girlfriend in 1965. The official cause of death is "natural causes," but plenty of theories arise suggesting he was murdered either by gangsters or a music-hating government.

1967-Mark Bryan (lead guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish) is born in Silver Spring, Maryland.

1965-James Brown records "I Got You (I Feel Good)" during his first session at Criteria Studios in Miami. It becomes one of his signature songs and introduces his new catch phrase: "I feel good!"

1964-Tony Scalzo (frontman for Fastball) is born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

1963-The Ronettes sign a five-year "personal services" contract with Phil Spector, giving him complete control of their recordings in exchange for a cash advance of $15,000 and royalties of about 3% of record sales. This works out very well for Spector, who reaps huge profits on the songs. The group claims they are never paid the royalties, and spend decades in legal action trying to recover them.

1960-Elvis Presley records "Tonight's All Right For Love."

1960-Alt rocker John Flansburgh (of They Might Be Giants) is born in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

1957-Chuck Berry records "Rock And Roll Music."

1951-Guitarist Davey Johnstone, a longtime member of Elton John's band, is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1950-Guy Lombardo's "The Third Man Theme" hits #1.

1950-Robbie McIntosh (drummer for The Average White Band) is born in Dundee, Scotland.

1948-Folk singer Mary MacGregor, known for the 1976 hit "Torn Between Two Lovers," is born in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1942-Colin Earl (pianist for Foghat, Mungo Jerry) is born Hampton Court, London, England.

1939-Herbie Cox (lead singer of The Cleftones) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1965-At a hotel in Clearwater, Florida, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones can't sleep because there's a guitar riff running through his head. He rolls a tape, falls asleep and wakes up the next morning to find he's recorded the riff to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Featured Events

2007-Amy Lee of Evanescence marries Josh Hartzler, the inspiration for the song "Bring Me To Life."

2005-Audioslave becomes the first US rock act to perform a free outdoor concert in Cuba when the group performs at La Tribuna in Havana.

1997-The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time holds its induction ceremonies in Cleveland, where the Hall is located. (Previous ceremonies were held in New York). Getting in are The Jackson 5, The Bee Gees, The Young Rascals, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Parliament-Funkadelic.

1995-Thanks to a stream of airplay for perplexing tracks like "Lightning Crashes" and "All Over You," Live's Throwing Copper summits the Billboard albums chart just over a year after it was released, bumping off The Lion King soundtrack.

1995-Melissa Etheridge sets a record with back-to-back singles – "Come to My Window" and "I'm The Only One" – on Billboard's Hot 100 for at least 40 weeks.

1994-Pearl Jam cancel their summer tour when they can't find enough venues that won't use Ticketmaster, leading to a battle between the band and the ticketing behemoth.

1973-Paul Simon begins his first tour as a solo artist, performing at Music Hall in Boston at a show that is recorded for his album Live Rhymin'.

1945-Bob Seger is born in Lincoln Park, Michigan. He becomes a fixture on the Detroit music scene in the late '60s and becomes a star with his 1976 album Night Moves. He rocks out on songs like "Old Time Rock And Roll" and "Katmandu" but is best known for songs like "Turn The Page" and "Against The Wind," which stir up a range of emotions.



Key Events

1965- Keith Richards began writing the Rolling Stones' classic "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" in a Clearwater, Florida hotel room, following his purchase of a Gibson fuzz box. The song was recorded shortly after and became the Stones' first US No.1 hit, later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

1965- James Brown recorded "I Got You (I Feel Good)" at Criteria Studios in Miami, which became his highest-charting single, peaking at No.3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1966- The Rolling Stones released "Paint It Black" in the US, featuring Brian Jones on sitar, marking a notable fusion of rock and Eastern instrumentation.

1968- Johnny Cash released his first live album, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, recorded earlier that year.

1973-Paul Simon began his first solo tour after parting ways with Art Garfunkel, performing in Boston.

1977-Dolly Parton made her New York singing debut.

1978- The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, primarily featuring the Bee Gees, began an 18-week run at No.1 in the UK and a 24-week run atop the US Billboard 200, becoming one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time with hits like "Stayin’ Alive," "How Deep Is Your Love," and "Night Fever".

1994- Pearl Jam filed a complaint against Ticketmaster in the US Justice Department, challenging its monopoly on concert ticket sales.

1994- Alternative rock band Live topped the US Billboard 200 with their album Throwing Copper.

1997- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted influential artists including the Bee Gees, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Jackson Five, Joni Mitchell, and Parliament-Funkadelic.




Notable Births and Deaths

1858- Composer Georges-Adolphe Hue was born.

2020- Florian Schneider, co-founder of Kraftwerk and electronic music pioneer, passed away at age 73, leaving a lasting influence on electronic and pop music.

Errol Brown, frontman of Hot Chocolate, died of liver cancer; he was known for hits like "You Sexy Thing" and "Brother Louie".



Other Highlights

1978- The Bee Gees announced the launch of UNICEF benefit concerts.

2005- A life-size bronze statue of James Brown was unveiled in Augusta, Georgia, commemorating his musical achievements.

Metallica- In 1996, the band began recording for the video "Until It Sleeps," and in 2003, they were featured as an "mtvICON" in a 90-minute special.

[Bikkie]

A luxury ocean liner is destroyed
On this day in 1915, during World War I, a single torpedo fired by a German submarine struck the Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. Less than 20 minutes later, the ship sank, and some 1,200 people (of the nearly 2,000 on board) died. The Germans considered their attack justified: they had warned the Lusitania would be sunk, and it was carrying tons of Allied munitions. With 128 American citizens now dead and submarine warfare apparently without limits, public outrage in the United States ran high. Though the country would not enter World War I until 1917, the seeds of its involvement had been sown.


In Music History

2025-Gretchen Wilson of "Redneck Woman" fame makes a comeback with a win on The Masked Singer, where she sings as a crustacean called Pearl. Wilson beats out Andy Grammer and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line for the victory.

2022-Mickey Gilley dies at 86. He had 39 Top 10 Country hits and owned a bar in Dallas called Gilley's that was known as "the world's biggest honky-tonk."

2017-Spider-Man actor Tom Holland takes the art of lip synching to a new level with his performance of "Umbrella" on the show Lip Sync Battle, where he dresses like Rihanna and confidently pulls off her choreography, complete with rain machine. It's the most memorable moment from the show, which lasts five seasons.

2016-After completing a tour with Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose takes over as lead singer for AC/DC, filling in for Brian Johnson at a show in Lisbon after Johnson is told that continuing the tour could result in permanent hearing loss. Rose fills in on the remaining dates as a guest vocalist.

2012-Jake Owen marries the 22-year-old model Lacey Buchanan. The pair met when she appeared in Owen's video for "Eight Second Ride."

2011-Lady Gaga's HBO concert special airs. The show is made up of two February concerts from Madison Square Garden on her Monster Ball tour. Those who remember Madonna's Truth or Dare notice a lot of similarities.

2011-'60s pop singer John Walker (of The Walker Brothers) dies of liver disease at age 67.

2008-The Jammys Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to Phish. The ceremony takes place in The Theater at Madison Square Garden.

2008-A number of British tabloids, including The Sun and The Daily Mail, blame the "emo suicide cult" for the death of 13-year-old Hannah Bond. My Chemical Romance take the brunt of their ire for allegedly glamorizing death on albums like The Black Parade, which was a #2 hit in both the US and UK. MCR, who insist they never encourage self-harm, respond by leading their fans in chants of "F--k the Daily Mail!"

2007-Sammy Hagar sells an 80% stake in his Cabo Wabo tequila company to Gruppo Campari for $80 million.More

2007-The first and only Hottest Chicks In Metal Tour kicks off in Louisville. All the bands on the tour are fronted by women: Lacuna Coil (Cristina Scabbia), Within Temptation (Sharon den Adel), In This Moment (Maria Brink), The Gathering (Anneke van Giersbergen) and Stolen Babies (Dominique Lenore Persi).

2005-This s--t is bananas: Gwen Stefani hits #1 in America with "Hollaback Girl." The song has a cheerleader theme, and Stefani (looking impressive in the outfit at 35) plays one in the video. She wasn't a cheerleader in high school - she played piccolo in the marching band.

2005-Giacomo, owned by A&M Records founder Jerry Moss, wins the Kentucky Derby at 50-to-1 odds.

2005-System Of A Down perform their raging Iraq War protest song "B.Y.O.B." on Saturday Night Live with the network using a 5-second delay to mute their vocals every time they say "f--k."

2002-Carole King guests on the WB Network's TV show Gilmore Girls (for which she also sings the opening song).

2002-Carole King guests on the WB Network's TV show Gilmore Girls (for which she also sings the opening song).

2002-Tom Waits releases the albums Blood Money and Alice on the same day. Blood Money contains songs used for a Robert Wilson production of the unfinished play Woyzeck by German playwright Georg Büchner, while Alice contains mostly songs written for Wilson's adaptation of a play also named Alice. They're his 13th and 14th studio albums.

1998-Country singer-songwriter Eddie Rabbitt dies of lung cancer at age 56.

1994-Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra, in the audience for a show by the Fixtures at the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California, is seriously injured when a mosher lands on his leg and then starts a fight with him. According to Biafra, the mosher and his friends kicked him in the head and called him a "sellout rock star."

1991-EMF launch their debut album, Shubert Dip. It features one of the year's biggest hits, "Unbelievable."

1988-Thanks to constant airplay on MTV, Terence Trent D'Arby hits #1 in America with "Wishing Well." It's his second single - his first, "If You Let Me Stay," topped out at #68.

1984-Roger Waters releases his first solo album, The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking. His band, Pink Floyd, fractured the previous year.

1983-Stevie Wonder makes his only appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he's the host and musical guest. He plays a Stevie Wonder impersonator in a skit with Eddie Murphy and stars in a camera commercial spoof with the tagline, "so simple, even Stevie Wonder can use it."

1982-The first Men at Work album, Business as Usual, already a #1 hit in their native Australia, is finally released in America. In November, it rises to the top in the US.

1973-George Harrison releases "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)."

1970-Cold lead singer Scooter Ward is born in Jacksonville, Florida.

1969-The Who release "Pinball Wizard."

1968-Aretha Franklin records a live album in Paris.

1968-Eagle-Eye Cherry (yes, that's his real name) is born in Skane, Sweden. Known for his hit "Save Tonight," he's the son of trumpet player Don Cherry and half-brother of Neneh Cherry.

1967-Jimi Hendrix plays the Saville Theatre in London, with Brian Jones, Ringo Starr and members of The Moody Blues and The Beach Boys in attendance.

1961-Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell is born in Pontypridd, Wales.

1958-Rock guitarist Marty Willson-Piper (of The Church) is born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England.

1956-Anne Dudley (of The Art of Noise) is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.

1955-Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle is born in Manchester, England. Starting with their groundbreaking indie EP Spiral Scratch, he's in every lineup of the pop-punk trailblazers, taking over on vocals after frontman Pete Shelley dies in 2018.

1950-Drummer Prairie Prince (of The Tubes, Journey, New Cars) is born Charles Lempriere Prince in Charlotte, North Carolina.

1946-Bill Kreutzmann, drummer for the Grateful Dead, is born in Palo Alto, California.

1946-Singer-songwriter Bill Danoff (of Starland Vocal Band) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1946Rock guitarist Ray Monette (of Rare Earth, Funkadelic) is born.

1946-Jerry Nolan (drummer for New York Dolls, Heartbreakers) is born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.

1943-Rick West (lead guitarist for The Tremeloes) is born Richard Westwood in Dagenham, Essex, England.

1939-Johnny Maestro (original lead singer for The Crests, Brooklyn Bridge) is born John Mastrangelo in New York City.

1936-Soul singer Jimmy Ruffin is born in Collinsville, Mississippi, to a family that will later include younger brother David Ruffin (of The Temptations).

1931-'50s pop/jazz singer Teresa Brewer is born in Toledo, Ohio.

1927-'50s pop singer-songwriter Jim Lowe is born in Springfield, Missouri.

1840-The composer Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky is born in Votkinsk, Russia.

1833-Composer Johannes Brahms is born in Hamburg, Germany.

1824-Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is premiered in Vienna, Austria. Its final movement incorporates Friedrich Schiller "Ode to Joy" poem sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus. It represents the first time a major composer has used voices in a symphony.






Featured Events

2016-Following his unexpected death, Prince takes the top two spots on the Billboard albums chart with The Very Best of Prince at #1 and Purple Rain at #2. With his music unavailable on most streaming services and download distributors, physical albums are in many cases the best way to get his music.

1998-Steve Perry officially leaves Journey, honoring an agreement made with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain that they would reform the band without him if he was not able to tour. He is replaced with the similar-sounding Steve Augeri.

1992-John Frusciante quits the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the middle of their Japanese tour.More

1978-Goaded by an item in the magazine saying they are "more interested in finding a softball team they can beat," the Eagles take on Rolling Stone in a game the rock band wins 15-8 (Don Henley is the winning pitcher). In the crowd cheering on the Eagles are Joni Mitchell and Chevy Chase.

1968-On a plane ride returning home from his last gig with the band Bluesology, keyboard player Reginald Dwight looks for a stage name he can use for his burgeoning solo career. In the cabin, he comes across the band's horn player Elton Dean and lead singer Long John Baldry, and asks them if he can appropriate their names to concoct a new one for himself. They agree, and Elton John is born.

1966-"Monday Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas goes to #1 on the Hot 100, becoming the first song with a day of the week in the title to top the chart.

1977- The Eagles topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Hotel California," their fourth No.1 hit in the US. The song's guitar solo remains one of the greatest of all time and was awarded the 1977 Grammy for Record of the Year.

1966-The Mamas & the Papas started a three-week stint at No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Monday, Monday." This song was also the first single by a mixed-gender group to reach No.1 in the US.

1968- Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, devised his stage name by combining the names of his bandmates, Elton Dean, and Long John Baldry.

1973- George Harrison released "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" on this day, which became an international hit and reached No.1 in the US.

[Bikkie]

1926
New Zealand Railways Magazine launched
Originally intended as a journal for the Railways Department’s 18,000 staff and their major customers, the New Zealand Railways Magazine evolved into a hugely popular general-interest periodical.


1970
'Cheryl Moana Marie' hits no. 1
Pop singer John Rowles established himself as an international star in the late 1960s. His hit single ‘Cheryl Moana Marie’ sold a million copies worldwide.



In Music History

2025-Zach Bryan buys the church in Lowell, Massachusetts where his literary hero, Jack Kerouac, was an altar boy. He works with the Kerouac estate to turn it into a museum and events center based on Kerouac's life and work.

2022-Bono and The Edge of U2 play an acoustic set at a subway station in Kyiv that has been converted into a bomb shelter. Their appearance is in support of Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia months earlier.

2012-Fiona Apple releases "Every Single Night," her first new song since 2005. The song is a visceral expression of her internal struggle, as she sings about how every single night is a fight with her brain.

2012-Tom Gabel, lead singer of the Florida punk band Against Me!, comes out as transgender and announces he will undergo gender reassignment surgery, becoming Laura Jane Grace.More

2009-San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders declares "Adam Lambert Day" after Lambert's performance of "Black Or White" and "Mad World" on American Idol.

2008-Country singer Eddy Arnold dies in Nashville, Tennessee, a week before his 90th birthday.

2008-Crosby Loggins, son of Kenny Loggins, wins the first and only season of MTV's Rock The Cradle, a singing competition featuring the offspring of celebrity musicians. Runners-up are Jesse Blaze Snider, son of Twisted Sister's Dee Snider and Chloe Lattanzi, daughter of Olivia Newton-John.

2001-Clint Black and his wife Lisa Hartman Black welcome their daughter Lily Pearl Black.

2001-Sum 41 release their debut studio album, All Killer, No Filler.

2001-The road manager for Insane Clown Posse is arrested at an Omaha show for attacking an Eminem supporter who was tossing M&M candies on stage to taunt ICP about their Detroit rival.

1999-Jazz singer Leon Thomas dies of heart failure at age 62.

1995-Rick Nelson receives a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1993-The newly formed Backstreet Boys give their very first public performance, at SeaWorld Orlando.

1992-Will Smith (AKA the Fresh Prince) marries a songwriter named Sheree Zampino, who is pregnant with their son Trey. The couple divorce in 1995.

1991-Bohemian-born pianist Rudolf Serkin dies of cancer at age 88.

1990-A jury orders Frito-Lay to pay the famously anti-advertising Tom Waits $2.6 million for imitating his voice in a Doritos radio commercial that transforms his song "Step Right Up" into an ad for their SalsaRio flavor chips. In 1992, the verdict is upheld on appeal.

1982-The orchestral instrumental "Chariots Of Fire - Titles," by the Greek composer Vangelis, goes to #1 in America.

1982-In Los Angeles, Dean Martin is arrested when police find a loaded .38 pistol in the trunk of his Rolls Royce. He pleads guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and is sentenced to a year's probation.

1982-Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart dies of cancer and lymphoma at age 39.

1979-The Cure release their debut album, Three Imaginary Boys. It opens with "10:15 Saturday Night," the track that earned them a record deal.

1978-Donny Osmond gets married at the age of 21 to Debra Glenn. The union is bad for his career as his teen fanbase loses interest when he's no longer an eligible bachelor, but it's great for his personal life. The couple enjoys a happy marriage and welcomes five children.

1977-The Grateful Dead play a show at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, that becomes legend among Deadheads when the soundboard recording is widely distributed. In 2011 it's entered into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, and in 2017 is officially released as Cornell 5/8/77.

1977-Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa is born in New Hartford, New York, where he'll start playing the guitar at age 4.

1976-Carly Simon becomes the first Saturday Night Live musical guest who doesn't play live when a bout of stage fright keeps her from going on. Instead, NBC runs prerecorded renditions of "You're So Vain" and a new song called "Half A Chance."

1975-Enrique Iglesias is born in Madrid, Spain, to Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and journalist Isabel Preysler.

1974-British R&B musician Graham Bond dies in an apparent suicide at age 36 when he's hit by a train at Finsbury Park station in London, England.

1972-Darren Hayes (frontman for Savage Garden) is born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

1972-Billy Preston becomes the first rock star to headline at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

1971-Candice Night, who forms Blackmore's Night with her husband, Ritchie Blackmore, is born Candice Lauren Isralow at Hauppage, New York.

1968-George Dewey Hay, founder of Nashville's Grande Ole Opry radio program, dies at age 72.

1967-LaVerne Sophia Andrews (of The Andrews Sisters) dies of cancer at age 55.

Dylan Makes Original Lyric Video
1965
D.A. Pennebaker films Bob Dylan in one of the earliest music videos ever shot, the famous "flashcard" clip for "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

1965-"Count Me In" makes Gary Lewis and the Playboys the only American act in the US Top 10. Their song is #2 behind "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits.

1964-Blur drummer Dave Rowntree is born in Essex, Rowntree, England.

1963-Major Lance records "Monkey Time."

1963-Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is born in Versailles, France. The imaginative director is also known for his surreal music videos for artists like Bjork, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, and others.

1953-Billy Burnette (guitarist for Fleetwood Mac) is born Dorsey William Burnette III in Memphis, Tennessee.

1953-Drummer Alex Van Halen, who along with his younger brother Eddie forms Van Halen, is born in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

1951-Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz is born in the Army hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

1951-Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey is born in Denver, Colorado. Outside of EW&F, he has a hit with Phil Collins in 1986 with "Easy Lover."

1944-Glam rocker Gary Glitter is born Paul Francis Gadd in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England.

1943-Paul Samwell-Smith (bassist for The Yardbirds) is born in Richmond, Surrey, England.

1943-Danny Whitten, guitarist in Neil Young's band Crazy Horse, is born in Columbus, Georgia. The song "The Needle And The Damage Done" is about Whitten, who dies of a drug overdose at 29.

1942-Country musician Jack Blanchard is born in Buffalo, New York, raised in Ohio.

1941-Soul singer John Fred (of John Fred & His Playboy Band) is born John Fred Gourrier in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1940-Toni Tennille of Captain & Tennille is born Cathryn Antoinette Tennille in Montgomery, Alabama.

1940-Rick Nelson is born Eric Hilliard Nelson in Teaneck, New Jersey. His parents are Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and he appears with them on the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet before becoming a recording star.

1911-Blues musician Robert Johnson is born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.

1810-Sir Walter Scott publishes the poem "The Lady of the Lake," which later provides the title for the song "Hail to the Chief."








Featured Events

2015-In Tulsa, Rush begin their R40 Live tour, playing their newer songs first and working backward to "Working Man," the song that launched them in America. It ends up being their last tour, as drummer Neil Peart develops brain cancer and dies in 2020.

1993-The comeback is complete as Aerosmith's Get a Grip album debuts at #1, marking their first trip to the top of the albums chart.

1981-Lionel Richie and Diana Ross meet at a Reno, Nevada recording studio at 3:30 a.m., where they record vocals for "Endless Love," needed quickly so it can be inserted into the film of the same name. Richie flew in from Los Angeles; Ross drove up after her concert in Lake Tahoe. The song becomes one of the biggest hits of the decade.

1976-John Sebastian's "Welcome Back," the theme song to the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, hits #1 in America. The series was originally called Kotter, but after Sebastian wrote the song, the title was changed to accommodate (Sebastian tried writing a song called "Kotter," but could only rhyme that word with "otter").

1970-The Beatles release their final studio album, Let It Be, in the UK. Its American release date is May 18.

1965-On their first American tour, The Rolling Stones stop in Jacksonville, Florida. In the audience is 17-year-old Ronnie Van Zant, who decides then and there that he wants to be a singer in a rock band. He later forms Lynyrd Skynyrd.

1963-The Beatles land their first #1 hit when "From Me to You" tops the UK chart. The song goes nowhere in America, where word of The Beatles is still just a whisper.


Key Album Releases and Chart Milestones

1970- The Beatles released their final studio album, Let It Be, which topped charts worldwide despite internal band tensions and mixed critical reception.

1979- The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys (titled Boys Don’t Cry in the US and Australia), marking the start of their influential post-punk career.

1993- Aerosmith’s 11th studio album, Get a Grip, reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200, selling over 20 million copies globally and featuring hits like “Cryin’” and Grammy-winning “Livin’ on the Edge”.

1982- Vangelis’ instrumental theme Chariots of Fire topped the US singles chart, becoming an iconic film soundtrack.




Notable Concerts and Performances

1972- Billy Preston became the first rock performer to headline at Radio City Music Hall, paving the way for future rock acts like David Bowie.

2008- The Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert at Carnegie Hall featured Sting, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Brian Wilson, and others, highlighting music’s role in philanthropy.




Awards and Recognitions

1985 & 2001: The Academy of Country Music Awards recognized artists such as Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, and Toby Keith for their contributions to country music.



Other Significant Events

1952- Revival of the musical Of Thee I Sing opened at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC.

1962- Stephen Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum premiered at Alvin Theater, NYC, winning six Tony Awards.

1976- Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue closed after only seven performances.

2023- Disney’s live-action musical The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, premiered in the US.



Births and Deaths

1742 & 1745: Composers Johann Baptiste Krumpholtz and Carl Philipp Stamitz were born.

1967- LaVerne Sophia, eldest of The Andrews Sisters, passed away.

1982- Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, died at age 39.

1991- Pianist Rudolf Serkin, renowned for his Beethoven interpretations, passed away at 88.

[Bikkie]

1907-First School Journal published
New Zealand pupils were for the first time able to read a schoolbook published in their own country.

Anthony Wilding, c. 1910
1915
Kiwi Wimbledon winner killed in battle
New Zealand's most successful tennis player, Anthony Wilding was one of the stars of the sport in the decade before the First World War.


Crowds at VE Day celebrations in Wellington
1945
New Zealand celebrates Victory in Europe
Germany surrendered on 7 May, New Zealand time, but acting Prime Minister Walter Nash insisted that celebrations wait until after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill officially announced peace at 1 a.m. on 9 May, New Zealand time.



In Music History

2022-Patti Labelle plays Cedric The Entertainer's overbearing mother in the episode of The Neighborhood, "Welcome To The Mama Drama." At the end, they all sing her hit "Lady Marmalade."

2020-Rock pioneer Little Richard dies of bone cancer at the age of 87. Over the course of his legendary career he recorded some of America's most recognizable songs, including "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," and "Good Golly Miss Molly."

2017-Italian trance DJ Robert Miles dies in Ibiza, Spain, at age 47 after a short illness.

2014-Michael Jackson's second posthumous album, Xscape, is released.

2014-Hunter Hayes breaks the record for most concerts performed in different cities in a single day when he plays 10 shows in 24 hours.

2013-Rocker Sixto "Sugar Man" Rodriguez receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater, Wayne State University, Detroit.

2013-The RIAA starts counting streaming toward its Gold and Platinum awards, with 1,500 album streams equal to one album sale (a "unit"), and 150 song streams counting for one song sale.

2010-Cyndi Lauper is the ninth contestant booted off Season 9 of The Celebrity Apprentice.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Sizzle With Stadium Arcadium
2006-The Red Hot Chili Peppers release their ninth album, Stadium Arcadium. Featuring the hit singles "Dani California" and "Snow (Hey Oh)," it's their first album to hit #1 in the US.More

2005-The music video for Stevie Wonder's "So What The Fuss" is issued with a descriptive audio track by Busta Rhymes for the visually-impaired.

2003-The Eagles, trimmed to a four-man lineup (Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) after parting ways with Don Felder, start their Farewell I tour in Richmond, Virginia, the title a mocking reference to the many "farewell" tours that aren't really. They play 168 dates on the tour over a span of three years.

2000-Bad Religion release their 11th full-length studio album, The New America. It's the band's final release on Atlantic Records and their final recording with drummer Bobby Schayer, who had been a member of Bad Religion since 1991. On The New America, guitarist Brett Gurewitz (who left Bad Religion in 1994, but eventually rejoined the band in the next year) co-wrote the song "Believe It" with frontman Greg Graffin.

1998-Blues musician Lester Butler dies of a heroin and cocaine overdose at age 38.

1998-Brian Wilson plays his first ever solo concert (no Beach Boys) at a show in St. Charles, Illinois.

1995-Shaboozey is born Collins Chibueze in Woodbridge, Virginia. He releases his first single in 2014 but doesn't get much attention until 2024, when he shows up on two tracks from Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album. Later that year, his song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" topples Bey's "Texas Hold 'Em" at #1.

1989-In an interview with The Washington Times, Public Enemy's "Minister of Information," Professor Griff, blames Jews for "the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe."More

1979-Pierre Bouvier (lead singer, guitarist for Simple Plan) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

1979-Rock singer and party starter Andrew W.K. is born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Stanford, California. He defines his style and image with songs like "Party Hard," "It's Time To Party" and "Big Party," which he says encourage an active and thoughtful lifestyle. He expounds on the meaning of party culture in interviews, speaking engagements, and even an advice column in The Village Voice.

1979-Jazz singer Eddie Jefferson dies at age 60 when a dancer he once hired and fired shoots him outside of Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit.

1971-Oasis bass player Paul McGuigan is born in Manchester, England.

1967-"Damita Jo Day" is held in the singer's hometown of Austin, Texas.

1964-Chuck Berry makes his UK stage debut at London's Astoria Theatre, with The Animals, The Nashville Teens, and The Swinging Blue Jeans opening for him.

1963-The Rolling Stones sign their first management contract with Andrew Loog Oldham's management company Impact, agreeing to license their UK output to Decca.

1962-David Gahan (lead singer for Depeche Mode) is born in Epping, Essex, England.

1962-Pop singer Paul Heaton (of The Housemartins) is born in Machynlleth, Powys, Wales.

1953-Jenny Haan (later Janita Haan Morris) is born Janita Haan at Edgware, England.

1953-John "Rhino" Edwards (bass guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Chiswick, London, England.

1950-Tom Petersson (bass guitarist for Cheap Trick) is born in Rockford, Illinois.

1949-Billy Joel is born in The Bronx, New York, raised in Hicksville on Long Island.

1949-Electric blues guitarist Bob Margolin is born in Brookline, Massachusetts.

1946-Las Vegas entertainer Clint Holmes, known for the 1972 hit "Playground In My Mind," is born in Bournemouth, England.

1945-Rock guitarist and producer Steve Katz (Blues Project, Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Brooklyn, New York City.

1944-Don Dannemann (singer, guitarist for The Cyrkle) is born in Brooklyn, New York City. Dannemann will also become a jingle writer, penning the original 7Up "Uncola" song.

1944-Rock guitarist Richie Furay (of Buffalo Springfield, Poco) is born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

1943-Rocker Bruce Milner (pianist for Every Mother's Son) is born.

1942-Mike Millward (of The Fourmost) is born in Bromborough, Cheshire, England.

1942-'60s pop singer-songwriter Tommy Roe is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1941-Doo-wop singer Danny Rapp (of Danny & the Juniors) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-Peter Birrell (bass guitarist for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, Lancashire, England.

1937-Rock and roll singer-songwriter Sonny Curtis (of Buddy Holly's The Crickets) is born in Meadow, Texas.

1937-R&B singer Dave Prater (of Sam & Dave) in Ocilla, Georgia.

1936-The front page story of Melody Maker: "B.B.C. Appoints Anti-Song Plugging Official."

1935-Nokie Edwards, guitarist for The Ventures, is born Nole Floyd Edwards in Lahoma, Oklahoma.

1914-Country singer Hank Snow is born Clarence Eugene Snow is born in Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Canada.

1707-Baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude dies.




Featured Events

2005-Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger get married. Their union lasts just four months, but provides inspiration for Chesney's song "I'm Alive."

1992-Bruce Springsteen performs on US TV for the first time when he finally accepts a longstanding offer to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. He plays three songs from Human Touch and Lucky Town, the albums he released simultaneously five weeks earlier.

1987-The Grateful Dead shoot the video for "Touch Of Grey" after a concert in Monterey, California. After the show, the shoot is set up and the audience brought back in to watch two different performances of the song: one by the band and another by their skeleton likenesses - the "Dead Ringers." It's the first music video by the band, and it goes into rotation on MTV, giving the group their first hit single.

1974-Bruce Springsteen gets a huge career boost when he opens for Bonnie Raitt at her Boston Arena show. Playing his full two-hour set at Raitt's insistence (rare for an opening act), Bruce is so impressive that Rolling Stone's Jon Landau writes in Boston's The Real Paper, "I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." Landau went on to become Springsteen's manager and producer.

1970-The Canadian band The Guess Who hit #1 in America with "American Woman." The song is actually a tribute to the women of Canada.

1964-Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" hits #1 in the US, making him the first artist to displace The Beatles, who held the top spot the previous 14 weeks with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love."

FDA Approves The Pill, So Does Loretta Lynn
1960-The birth control pill is introduced in the US, inspiring Loretta Lynn to sing a song about it.



Key Events and Milestones

1964- Chuck Berry, known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," began his first UK tour at the Astoria Theatre in London, performing for 23 consecutive nights and concluding at the Hammersmith Apollo. The same year, Louis Armstrong, at age 62, became the oldest artist to top the US Billboard Hot 100 with Hello, Dolly!, which later won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male.

1969- George Harrison released his second solo album, Electronic Sound, an experimental work on The Beatles’ Zapple Records label.

1970- Canadian rock band The Guess Who reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with American Woman / No Sugar Tonight, marking their only US chart-topping single.

1978- The musical review Ain’t Misbehavin’, celebrating Fats Waller’s songs and starring Nell Carter and Irene Cara, opened at the Longacre Theater in New York City, eventually winning multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards.

1981- Adam and the Ants hit number one on the UK Singles Chart with Stand and Deliver, beginning a five-week run.

1987- Pop band Curiosity Killed the Cat topped the UK Albums Chart with their debut album Keep Your Distance, while Starship began a four-week run at number one in the UK with Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, also a chart-topper in the US, Canada, Ireland, and Portugal.

1992- British dance act KWS started a five-week stint at number one in the UK with the double A-side single Please Don’t Go / Game Boy.

1998- American blues harmonica player and singer Lester Butler passed away at age 38.

2020- Legendary rock and roll pioneer Little Richard died at age 87, leaving a lasting legacy with hits like Tutti Frutti, Long Tall Sally, and Good Golly, Miss Molly.



Additional Notable Events

1868- Anton Bruckner’s 1st Symphony in C premiered, conducted by the composer.

2006- Paul Simon released his eleventh solo studio album, Surprise.

2023- George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun became the first Beatles song to reach a billion streams on Spotify, also becoming the oldest song to achieve this milestone.

[Bikkie]

1307 – Scottish king Robert the Bruce heavily defeats an English cavalry force at the battle of Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire.

1774 – Louis XVI becomes king of France after Louis XV dies of smallpox.

1857 – The Indian Mutiny, against rule by the British East India Company, begins.

1897 – Ethel Benjamin becomes the first woman admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.

1925 – NZ prime minister William Ferguson Massey dies in office.

1940 – British prime minister Neville Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill forms new government.

1941 – Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland in an apparent attempt to negotiate a peace; he is arrested and jailed.

1960 – An all-white All Blacks team departs for a tour of South Africa, in the face of widespread opposition.





In Music History

2023In Stockholm, Beyoncé kicks off her Renaissance tour, her first since her Formation tour in 2016. Among her accessories: Tiffany in-ear monitors with 4.5-carat diamonds.

2019-The #FreeBritney movement gains traction as supporters gather outside the Los Angeles courthouse where Britney Spears speaks to a judge about her conservatorship. Spears has been under the conservatorship, a legal maneuver typically used to protect the elderly or mentally incompetent, since 2008, with her father, Jamie Spears, conservator.

2018-Scott Hutchison, the 36-year-old lead singer of the Scotish band Frightened Rabbit, is found dead after going missing a day earlier.

2018-Responding to the #MuteRKelly campaign, Spotify removes R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from playlists as part of a new policy against "hate content" and "hateful conduct." The capricious policy is rescinded two weeks later after an industry backlash.

2016-Justin Timberlake performs his new single "Can't Stop the Feeling" in the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest as the show is broadcast in America for the first time. His appearance in Stockholm, Sweden, leads to speculation that the USA will be invited to enter the song competition, following the successful addition of Australia to the line-up in 2015.

2011-The Cars, disbanded since 1988, release their album Move Like This and kick off a tour with a concert at the Showbox in Seattle. It doesn't go well: tensions soon resurface, and the tour is cut short after less than a month. They don't play together again until their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2018.

2011-Norma Zimmer, The Lawrence Welk Show's longtime "Champagne Lady," dies at age 87.

2010-In tribute to the recently deceased Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, Jose Feliciano performs the US national anthem before the Tigers/Yankees game at Tiger Stadium. In 1968, Harwell had Feliciano sing the anthem before a Tigers World Series game, and the 23-year-old blind Puerto Rican singer responded by playing the first non-traditional rendition of the song at a major sporting event. He and Harwell took a lot of heat, but in later years, it became common for singers to put their own spin on the song.

2009-Songwriter/historian Julie Coryell dies at 61.

2005-British soul and R&B singer Seal marries celebrity model Heidi Klum. The couple had been dating since 2004, when Klum gave birth to her daughter Leni, sired by her previous boyfriend; Seal was present at the birth and Klum announced that Seal would adopt Leni as her father. The couple have three biological children together before their divorce in 2012.

2003-Madonna's album American Life debuts at #1 but far underperforms her previous albums, as fans don't warm up to it (her rap in the title track is a low point). She rebounds with her next one, Confessions On A Dance Floor.

2003-Matthew West marries his long term girlfriend, Emily.

1994-Serial killer John Gacy, the subject of songs by Sufjan Stevens and Jane's Addiction, is executed for the murders of 33 young men and boys.

1994-Philadelphia rhymers G. Love & Special Sauce release their self-titled debut album, featuring "Cold Beverage" and "Baby's Got Sauce."

1992-Jazz singer Sylvia Syms (not to be confused with the actress Sylvia Syms) dies from a heart attack onstage at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

1989-On his 29th birthday, U2 frontman Bono welcomes his first child when wife Ali gives birth to a daughter named Jordan.

1988-Prince releases his 10th album, Lovesexy, which becomes his first chart-topper in the UK.

1986-"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys, a synthy song about clubbing in London, hits #1 on the Hot 100 five months after going to #1 in their native UK. It's the first of many hits for the duo.

1986-Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe marries actress Heather Locklear. They divorce seven years later.

1985-Pop singer Ashley Poole (of Dream) is born in Blythe, California.

1985-After three albums, The Go-Go's announce their breakup, with frontwoman Belinda Carlisle leaving to start a solo career with help from guitarist Charlotte Caffey. The first of their many reunions takes place in 1990.

1980-R&B singer Jason Dalyrimple (of Soul For Real) is born in Wheatley Heights, New York.

1979-A judge rules in favor of Peter Frampton in the lawsuit brought against him by Penny McCall, his live-in girlfriend from 1973-1978 and the inspiration behind songs like "Show Me The Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way." She wanted half of his earnings from their time together, but they were never married and never had a formal agreement. The case sets a legal precedent for cohabitating couples.

1975-Apple Records officially dissolves.

1974-Eric Clapton records "I Shot The Sheriff," a cover of a Bob Marley song. He's reluctant to do it, but it becomes the only #1 hit of his career on the Hot 100.

1974-The Who sell out Madison Square Garden in a record eight hours.

1974-Led Zeppelin launch their record label, Swan Song, with lavish parties in London and Los Angeles. Bad Company and Dave Edmunds both record for the label, which shuts down in 1983.

1969-The Turtles and The Temptations perform at the White House for President Richard Nixon's daughter, Tricia. Things don't go so well for the Turtles' Mark Volman, who falls off the stage five times.

1967-Rapper Young MC is born Marvin Young in South Wimbledon, London, England.

1964-Dusty Springfield makes her US television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.

1963-The first Rolling Stones recording session is held in London, where they record their first single: a cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On."

1957-Sid Vicious (bassist for The Sex Pistols) is born John Simon Ritchie in Lewisham, London, England.

1955-Danny Kustow, guitarist in the Tom Robinson Band, is born in London.

1952-Reggae drummer Sly Dunbar (of Sly & Robbie) is born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica.

1947-Rocker Jay Ferguson (Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne) is born John Arden Ferguson in Burbank, California. As a composer, he will create the theme to NBC-TV's The Office.

1946-Graham Gouldman (bassist for 10cc) is born in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England.

1946-'60s psychedelic rocker Donovan is born Donovan Philips Leitch in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland.

1946-Guitarist Dave Mason, a founding member of Traffic, is born in Worcester, England. He writes their song "Feelin' Alright," which isn't really about feelin' alright - Mason tells Songfacts it's about "another relationship gone bad."

1940-Singer-songwriter Arthur Alexander is born in Florence, Alabama, raised in nearby Sheffield. His song "You Better Move On" is the first hit to come out of FAME studios in Florence; his song "Anna (Go to Him)" is covered by The Beatles.

1938-Henry Fambrough, a founding member of The Spinners, is born in Detroit. He keeps the group going into the 2020s with various lineups.

1935-Larry Williams, '50s rock and roll singer known for hits like "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1909-Maybelle Carter, matriarch of The Carter Family clan and mother to June Carter Cash, is born Maybelle Addington in Nickelsville, Virginia.

1894-Composer Dimitri Tiomkin is born Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin in the Ukraine.


1960
Paul Hewson is born in Dublin. He shortens his nickname from Bono Vox (Latin for "good voice") to simply Bono and fronts the band U2.

Featured Events

2006-Chris Daughtry gets voted off Season 5 of American Idol in a shocker, as he is favored to win. He finishes fourth, with Taylor Hicks claiming the victory.

1999-Shel Silverstein, the prolific author of beloved children's books who was also a top songwriter, dies of a massive heart attack at age 68. He wrote "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash.More

1994-Weezer release their self-titled debut (aka The Blue Album). It sells 90 copies the first week but picks up steam when "Undone - The Sweater Song" starts getting airplay. "Buddy Holly" becomes a hit on MTV, and the album eventually sells over 3 million copies.

1991-Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys gets a signature look when he loses his right eye after being shot by his girlfriend.

1986-Paul Simon plays three songs from his upcoming Graceland album on Saturday Night Live. He's backed by South African musicians, including the vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, who perform with him on "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes." With South Africa under a cultural boycott in an attempt to stop Apartheid, its music is sequestered. Simon's appearance with musicians from the country and the subsequent album introduce the sound to a global audience, but also cause problems for Simon when he faces criticism for violating the boycott.

Kraftwerk Predicts High-Tech Society On Computer World
1981-Kraftwerk release their eighth studio album, Computer World, featuring prescient songs about the influence of computers on society.More

1975-Stevie Wonder headlines the fourth annual "Human Kindness Day" festival in Washington, DC. Belying the name of the festival, many in the estimated crowd of 125,000 turn violent, and hundreds of robberies and assaults are reported.

1899-Fred Astaire is born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska. After appearing with his sister Adele on the Broadway stage, he becomes a Hollywood star.


.
Notable Recordings and Releases

1963- The Rolling Stones recorded their debut single, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Come On,” at Olympic Studios in London, marking the start of their legendary career.

1970- saw David Bowie win the Ivor Novello Award for Best Original Song with “Space Oddity,” inspired by the Apollo 11 mission and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

1974- marked the release of Bad Company’s debut single “Can’t Get Enough,” which reached No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1986- Austrian artist Falco topped the UK Singles chart with “Rock Me Amadeus,” becoming the first German-speaking artist to achieve a US Billboard Hot 100 No.1.

1988 -Prince released his 10th studio album Lovesexy in the UK, notable for its controversial nude cover.




Band Milestones and Tour

1985- The Go-Go’s announced their disbandment. They were the first all-female band to have a No.1 album with Beauty and the Beat and were later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

1975 -featured Stevie Wonder headlining the final Human Kindness Day festival in Washington, D.C., performing to over 125,000 people alongside The Commodores and Sly and the Family Stone.

2023- saw Beyoncé kick off her Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm, Sweden, while artists like Ava Max, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Timberlake performed major concerts on May 10, highlighting the date’s ongoing significance in live music.




Other Significant Events

1960- The Silver Beetles (later The Beatles) auditioned for promoter Larry Parnes, beginning their journey toward global fame.

1963- Decca Records signed The Rolling Stones on George Harrison’s recommendation.

1982- WABC radio in New York played its last record, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” before switching to an all-talk format.

1994- Barbra Streisand began her first concert tour in 30 years at the Capitol Centre in Maryland.




Chart Achievements

1986- The Pet Shop Boys topped the Billboard Hot 100 with “West End Girls,” also winning Best Single at the 1987 BRIT Awards.

1986- Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” climbed from No.7 to No.3 on the charts, while Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately” held No.5.

[Bikkie]

Charles Upham
1945
Charles Upham presented with first Victoria Cross
New Zealand’s most-decorated soldier, Charles Upham, received the first of his two VCs – for outstanding gallantry and leadership during the Battle of Crete in 1941 – from King George VI at Buckingham Palace.



In Music History

2024-Nemo, representing Switzerland, becomes the first non-binary winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with a performance of "The Code," which is about "the realization that I am neither a man nor a woman." It's Switzerland's first win since Celine Dion took the prize for "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" in 1988.

2022-Lionel Richie accepts the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at a celebration where Gloria Estefan sings "Dancing On The Ceiling," Chris Stapleton does "Say You, Say Me," and his fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan performs "Lady."

2014-Ed Gagliardi (bass guitarist for Foreigner) dies at age 62 after an eight-year battle with cancer.

2012-William Balfour, the former brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson, is convicted of murdering Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew "as an act of vengeance by a jilted husband," according to the jury. Balfour's trial, at which Hudson herself had to take to the witness stand, began in October of 2008.

2008-John Rutsey, the original drummer for Rush, dies of a diabetes-related heart attack at age 55.

2007-The Mamas & The Papas, Otis Redding and Al Kooper are all inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.

2006-Guitarist Dave Baksh announces he is leaving Sum 41 to pursue a career with his new band, Brown Brigade.

2004-Willie Nelson cancels ten upcoming concerts in order to get some much-needed carpal tunnel surgery.

2004-John Whitehead (of the R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead), age 55, is murdered outside of his Philadelphia home when he's shot while fixing his car. The crime, thought to be a tragic case of mistaken identity, remains unsolved.

2003-Jackson Browne appears on the "Brake My Wife, Please" episode of The Simpsons.

2003-Noel Redding (bassist for the Jimi Hendrix Experience), age 57, is found dead in his Ireland home from a hemorrhage related to cirrhosis of the liver.

2000-Napster, which lets users download songs posted by other users for free, wins the Webby award for best music site, beating out Launch.com, Wired Planet, sputnik7 and FarmClub.

1999-Sabrina Carpenter is born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. In 2014 when she's 15, she stars in the Disney show Girl Meets World and sings the theme song. When the show ends three years later, she devotes more time to music, and in 2024 lands a big hit with "Espresso."

1999-After releasing four Spanish-language albums, Ricky Martin releases his first in English, Ricky Martin. It includes the mega-hit "Livin' La Vida Loca," his American breakthrough.

1997-Country singer Trace Adkins marries Rhonda Forlaw in Nashville.

1996-The wonderfully titled Fairweather Johnson, the second album by Hootie & the Blowfish, debuts at #1 in America.

1995-Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray play a tribute concert for Stevie Ray Vaughan in Austin, Texas. They had all played with Stevie Ray at his last concert on August 26, 1990.

1993-Onyx bring slam dancing to hip-hop with "Slam," releasing their high-energy hit co-produced by Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.

1991-"Joyride" by Roxette peaks at #1 on the Hot 100. It's the fourth and final US chart-topper for the Swedish duo.

1990-The late Ritchie Valens is finally awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Blvd.

1989-The late Roy Orbison is posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, with Eric Clapton presenting the award to Orbison's widow. Orbison enjoyed a career resurgence in the '80s, but died on December 6, 1988.

1979-Bob Dylan records "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking," "Precious Angel," "When You Gonna Wake Up," "I Believe In You," "Slow Train," and "Gotta Serve Somebody."

1979-Lester Flatt, the guitarist who founded the Foggy Mountain Boys along with banjo player Earl Scruggs, dies of heart failure at age 64 after a long illness.

1976-Record producer/musician Alexander Perls is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1975-Cher's new boyfriend, Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers, appears on her variety show Cher, where he performs "Midnight Rider."

1973-Stevie Wonder records "Higher Ground."

1970-The Chairmen Of The Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" is certified gold.

1970-Sammy Davis, Jr., who was previously wed to actresses Loray White and May Britt, gets married for the third and final time to another actress: Altovise Gore. Jesse Jackson presides over the ceremony.

1968-A Rolling Stone review of Electric Flag's album A Long Time Comin' incorporates the first documented use of the phrase "heavy metal": "This is the new soul music, the synthesis of white blues and heavy metal rock."

1968-Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park," a mysterious song written by Jimmy Webb about a cake left out in the rain. It climbs to #2 in America, but 10 years later reaches #1 in a version by Donna Summer.

1967-Cream records "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Outside Woman Blues."

1967-The Donna Reed Show's Paul Petersen signs with Motown Records (but never has a US hit with them).

1967-The Bee Gees make their first big splash on UK television, performing their new single "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)" on the BBC's Top Of The Pops.

1965-The Byrds appear on TV for the first time when they play their cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the NBC show Hullabaloo.

1964-In an early sign of their tendency to disrupt authority, The Rolling Stones are refused service for lunch at Bristol, England's Grand Hotel because they're not properly dressed in jackets and ties. The next day, the Daily Express calls them "the ugliest group in Britain" and remarks, "The Rolling Stones gather no lunch."

1962-Ray Stevens releases "Ahab The Arab."

1959-"The Happy Organ" by Dave "Baby" Cortez goes to #1 in America, marking the first time an instrumental song featuring on organ tops the chart.

1957-The Everly Brothers make their stage debut in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry.

1955-Electronic musician Jonathan "J.J." Jeczalik (of The Art of Noise) is born in Banbury, England.

1955-Drummer Mark Herndon (of Alabama) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1947-Butch Trucks (drummer for The Allman Brothers Band) is born Claude Hudson Trucks in Jacksonville, Florida.

1943-Les Chadwick (bassist for Gerry and the Pacemakers) is born in Liverpool, England.

1943-Arnie Silver, aka Arnie Satin (of the '60s vocal group The Dovells), is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-Eric Burdon (lead singer of The Animals) is born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1935-Kit Lambert, manager of The Who and co-founder of Track Records, is born Christopher Sebastian Lambert in Middlesex, England.







Featured Events

2008-Leonard Cohen kicks off his first tour in 15 years with a show in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He continues touring on and off for the next five years in a series of highly acclaimed performances.More

1988-Still going strong, the legendary songwriter Irving Berlin turns 100. A concert celebrating his life and music takes place at Carnegie Hall, with Tony Bennett, Bob Hope, Ray Charles and Rosemary Clooney all taking part.

1985-Madonna's "Crazy For You," written for the movie Vision Quest, hits #1 in the US.

1975-"Stand By Your Man," released for the fifth time in the UK, finally catches on, going to #1 for the first of three weeks. First released in the UK in 1969, the song leads a surge of British interest in Tammy Wynette, who begins a tour there when her song is still topping the charts.

1972-John Lennon goes on the Dick Cavett Show and mentions that the FBI is monitoring him. He turns out to be right.

David Cassidy Reveals All To Rolling Stone
1972-In an effort to shed his teenybopper image, David Cassidy appears shirtless (and pantless) on the cover of Rolling Stone.More

1970-The soundtrack for the movie Woodstock is released, featuring recordings from the festival. Those who were there realize it didn't sound nearly as good as they remembered it.


Notable Events and Releases

1957- The Everly Brothers made their stage debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, marking the start of their influential career in rock and country music

1959- Dave “Baby” Cortez reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 with his instrumental hit The Happy Organ

. On the same day, the musical Once Upon A Mattress, starring Carol Burnett, opened at the Phoenix Theatre in New York City

1963-The Beatles’ debut album Please Please Me hit number one in the UK, beginning a record-breaking 30-week run at the top of the charts

1964- The Beach Boys released their single I Get Around, which became their first US #1 hit and a top 10 hit in the UK

1965- Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut in Flora, the Red Menace, and The Byrds made their television debut performing Mr. Tambourine Man on NBC’s Hullabaloo

1967- The Bee Gees made their UK television debut on Top of the Pops with New York Mining Disaster, 1941

1970- Atlantic Records released the live Woodstock album, capturing performances from the 1969 festival; it later achieved double platinum status

1972- John Lennon appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, revealing that the FBI had tapped his phone, a claim later confirmed, and premiered the controversial song Woman Is The Ni**r of the World*

1974- Steely Dan released Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, which became their biggest US hit, peaking at #4

1975- Natalie Cole released her debut album Inseparable, featuring hits like This Will Be (An Everlasting Love), earning her two Grammy Awards

1981- Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats opened in London’s West End, eventually running for 8,949 performances

On the same day, reggae legend Bob Marley passed away at age 36, leaving a lasting legacy with albums like Legend and Exodus

1983- The musical Dance a Little Closer opened and closed after just one performance at the Minskoff Theater in New York City


Births and Deaths

1791- Composer Jan Vaclav Hugo Vorisek was born

1895- Composer William Grant Still, a pioneering African-American classical composer, was born

1979- Bluegrass musician Lester Flatt, known for his work with Flatt and Scruggs, died at age 64

1981- Bob Marley, the iconic Jamaican singer-songwriter and reggae pioneer, died at age 36



Other Highlights

1966- Wilson Pickett recorded Land of 1000 Dances, which became a major hit on both R&B and pop charts

1966- English band Small Faces released their debut album, peaking at #3 on the UK charts

1973- Stevie Wonder recorded Higher Ground, a funk classic that topped the US R&B chart and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100

[Bikkie]

In Music History

2017-Harry Styles becomes the second One Direction member (following Zayn Malik) to release a solo album. The eponymous album is a departure from his boy band material in 1D, with meaty songs like "Sign of the Times" and "Sweet Creature." It goes to #1 in many countries (including the US and UK) and establishes Styles as a solo artist.

2017-To commemorate the 30th anniversary of their acclaimed 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, U2 embarks upon The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, with an opener in Vancouver, Canada. The band plays through the entire album, including rare treats "Exit" and "Trip Through Your Wires," which haven't been performed since the '80s, and a live first for "Red Hill Mining Town."

Astronaut Plays "Space Oddity" In Space
2013
After the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield records the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" on board the International Space Station, his sublime rendition is posted to YouTube, quickly garnering millions of views.

2011-David Gilmour and Nick Mason join their former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters at the London 02 Arena performance of Waters' The Wall tour, joining in on "Comfortably Numb" and "Outside The Wall." It's the first time they've played together since Live 8 in 2005.

2011-The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, embark on a 45th Anniversary Tour with a date at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It's the group's fourth and final reunion tour, as Davy Jones dies in 2012.

2011-Jamaican drummer Lloyd Knibb (of The Skatalites) dies of liver cancer at age 80.

2007-Brian May of Queen goes under police protection after a schizophrenic leaves a letter at his home blaming him for his mental illness and threatening to kill him. The news is published in the Sunday Mirror the following day, against May's wishes.

2001-Perry Como dies in his sleep less than week before his 89th birthday.

2001-File this under strange but true: After 27 years as a fugitive from a New Jersey prison, convicted child-killer Edward Solly is arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he has been masquerading as long-dead Sha Na Na guitarist Vinnie Taylor, complete with a website and nightclub act.More

1998-Lenny Kravitz releases his fifth studio album, aptly titled 5. The album features his first Grammy Award-winning hit, "Fly Away."

1997-Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson appear on VH1's Storytellers, where they play each other's songs and swap stories. It's released as an album the following year.

1997-Married country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill release their first duet, "It's Your Love."

1994-Garth Brooks guest stars on the "Up All Night" episode of the sitcom Mad About You.

1983-Meat Loaf files for bankruptcy.

1981-Debbie Harry branches off from Blondie, announcing her solo career. She continues working with the band, which proves more successful.

1978-Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, is born in Los Angeles. His mother is the actress Lisa Richards, who had a regular role on the soap opera Dark Shadows and appeared on episodes of Fantasy Island and Chips.

1975-Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, each performing in the Sydney production of Jesus Christ Superstar, meet on the first day of rehearsals. Later in the year, they form Air Supply.

1973-Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy goes to #1 in America.

1971-Mick Jagger marries his first wife, Bianca Perez-Mora, who is four months pregnant with their daughter, Jade, in St. Tropez, France. The couple divorce in 1978.

1969-Martin Lamble, drummer for Fairport Convention, dies at age 19 when the band's van crashes on the way home from a gig in Birmingham, England. Bandmate Richard Thompson's girlfriend, Jeannie Franklyn, is also killed.

1967-At a concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Pink Floyd introduce an early version of quadraphonic sound, using a device to pan sound around the venue. There are also bubble machines, which get them banned from the hall for damaging the carpets.

1967-Archie Bell is drafted into the US Army.

1967-Procol Harum release "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."

1962-Bad Religion founder Brett Gurewitz is born in Los Angeles, California.

1961-Billy Duffy (guitarist for The Cult) is born in Hulme, Manchester, England.

1960-On Frank Sinatra's TV variety show, it's the Welcome Home Elvis special to honor The King, who was recently discharged from the US Army. The famous singers perform a medley of "Love Me Tender" and "Witchcraft" together.

1959-Eddie Fisher marries actress Elizabeth Taylor. They get divorced in 1964.

1959-Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath, Badlands) is born in New York City, but raised in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

1958-The Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do Is Dream" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.

1958-The movie Let's Rock, with Paul Anka, Danny & the Juniors and The Royal Teens, opens.

1955-Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn) is born Leon Eric Brooks in Shreveport, Louisiana.

1950-John "Jocko" Marcellino (of Sha Na Na) is born in Quincy, Massachusetts.

1950-Rocker Billy Squier is born in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His breakout year is 1981, when the new network MTV plays his hits "The Stroke" and "In The Dark."

1948-Steve Winwood (of Traffic, Blind Faith and The Spencer Davis Group) is born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England.

1945-Ian McLagan (keyboardist for The Small Faces, The Faces) is born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England.

1944-R&B singer James Purify (of James & Bobby Purify) is born in Pensacola, Florida.

1942-Ian Dury (Kilburn and the High-Roads, Ian Dury & the Blockheads) is born in England.

1942-Country singer Billy Swan is born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

1940-Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield is born in Harlem, New York City.

1884-Czech composer Bedrich Smetana dies at age 60.


Featured Events

2000-Following the launch of Metallica's legal case against the popular online file-sharing service Napster, Chuck D of Public Enemy and Lars Ulrich of Metallica appear on The Charlie Rose Show, where they debate whether MP3 downloading is a vehicle for piracy or a return of power to the people.More

1984-Lionel Richie's "Hello," a song inspired by his younger years when he was too shy to talk to the ladies, goes to #1 in America.

1977-The Sex Pistols sign with Virgin Records for £15,000 after being dropped by both EMI and A&M. This one takes, and Virgin issues their landmark album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. "I've always liked Richard Branson because, pompous rich t--t that he is, he has a great sense of rebelliousness," lead singer Johnny Rotten says.

1972-The Rolling Stones release Exile On Main Street, a landmark double album recorded primarily at a villa in France, where the group is living to avoid British taxes (they are "tax exiles," thus the album name).

1967-The first Jimi Hendrix album, Are You Experienced?, is released. Songs include "Foxy Lady," "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze."

1963-Bob Dylan refuses to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show when they won't let him play "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues."More

1929-Burt Bacharach is born in Kansas City, Missouri.



Key Album Releases

1967 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album Are You Experienced in the UK, which spent 33 weeks on the British charts and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time

1972 – The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main St. on their own label, featuring hits like “Tumbling Dice” and “Sweet Virginia,” topping charts in multiple countries including the US and UK

1973 – Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy began a two-week run at No.1 on the US Billboard 200 and also topped charts in Australia and the UK

1998 – Lenny Kravitz released his fifth studio album 5, which became a chart-topper in Australia and sold over 6 million copies worldwide

2017 – Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, later winning Best Rap Album at the Grammys and earning a Pulitzer Prize for Music

2017 – Harry Styles released his debut solo album, debuting at No.1 in both the UK and US, marking a major solo milestone after One Direction


Notable Singles and Chart Achievements

1958 – The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream” became the best-selling single in the US and topped the UK Singles chart for seven weeks

1965 – The Rolling Stones completed recording “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which became one of their most iconic songs

1984 – Lionel Richie’s “Hello” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No.1 in multiple countries

1990 – Adamski’s single “Killer” began a four-week run at No.1 in the UK



Significant Events and Milestones

1963 – Bob Dylan walked out of rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show after being told he could not perform “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues” due to censorship concerns

1969 – A tragic car accident killed Fairport Convention drummer Martin Lamble and frontman Richard Thompson’s girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn

1977 – The Sex Pistols signed with Virgin Records, marking a pivotal moment in punk rock history

1960 – Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley appeared on the same TV special, performing each other’s hits, including “Love Me Tender” and “Witchcraft”

2001 – Destiny’s Child topped the UK Albums chart with Survivor, and Janet Jackson’s All for You reached No.1 on the US Billboard 200


Births of Notable Composers

1739 – Jan Krtitel Vanhal
1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister
1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti
1842 – Jules Massenet
1845 – Gabriel Fauré
1855 – Anatoly Lyadov
1903 – Sir Lennox Berkeley



Deaths

2023 – American alto saxophonist David Sanborn passed away at age 78, leaving a legacy of collaborations with Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and many others

[Bikkie]

1787 – Eleven ships, later known as the First Fleet, set sail from Portsmouth, England, carrying criminals to Botany Bay, Australia.

1830 – Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.

1846 – US Congress declares war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas.

1861 – Pakistan’s (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.

1912 – Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the UK.

1917 – Three children near Fatima, Portugal, report seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary at what has since become a sacred site.

1936 – The New Zealand National Party is formed from the remnants of the United-Reform coalition government heavily defeated by Labour the previous year.

1940 – In his first speech as UK prime minister, Winston Churchill tells the House of Commons: ‘’I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’’

1945 – World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei’s photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine.

1947-Death of Frances Hodgkins
One of this country's most celebrated artists, Frances Hodgkins spent most of her life overseas. She earned a place among the British avant-garde of the 1930s and 1940s – the first New Zealand-born artist to achieve such stature.

1995-New Zealand wins the America’s Cup
Few New Zealanders in 1995 could have avoided television commentator Peter Montgomery’s famous line, ‘the America’s Cup is now New Zealand’s cup!’



In Music History

2022-Rihanna and her boyfriend A$AP Rocky have their first child, a boy named RZA, named after the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. Rocky's real name is Rakim Mayers, named after the rapper Rakim of Eric B. & Rakim.

2019-Doris Day dies at 97.

2017-Todd Rundgren gives the commencement speech at Berklee College Of Music, where he says, "I've never been nominated, thankfully, for the Rock Hall of Fame. If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve." When he's inducted in 2021, he makes good on his promise by not showing up.

2017-Portugal wins the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time when Salvador Sobral triumphs with the ballad "Amar Pelos Dois."

2016-Chance the Rapper puts out his third mixtape, Coloring Book. It's released independently and not available for purchase, but still debuts at #8 on the Billboard 200, the first release to make the chart on streams alone. Chance goes on to win the Grammy for Best New Artist.

2016-Tower of Power play a California prison with former lead singer Rick Stevens, who served 36 years for a 1976 drug-related triple homicide.

2016-Blake Shelton releases "Straight Outta Cold Beer," the third promotional single for his If I'm Honest album.

2016-Kristian Bush of Sugarland appears on the TLC reality series Say Yes To The Dress, where he is flummoxed by bridal culture. While shooting the episode, he is asked to write a new theme song for the show, which he does with "Forever Now (Say Yes)."

2012-Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass guitarist for Booker T. and the MGs) dies in his sleep at age 70 while on tour in Tokyo.

2011-Jack Richardson (producer of Guess Who, Bob Seger) dies at age 81.

2008-Frank Sinatra gets his own stamp 10 years after his death. The 42 cent stamp features a young Sinatra in a snappy suit and fedora.

2008-Rapper Remy Ma is sentenced to eight years in prison for assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion in conjunction with the shooting of a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub.

2008-The Turtles' Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, better known as "Flo and Eddie," sue Capitol Records for allowing Ice Cube to sample the group's 1972 song "Buzzsaw" for Cube's 1992 hit "Jackin' For Beats."

2006-Ryan Vandeberghe announces that the Suicide Machines have broken up after 15 years.

2006-Johnnie Wilder Jr. (lead vocalist of Heatwave) dies at age 56 of complications from paralysis (due to a 1979 car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down).

2004-In an Australian radio interview, Gene Simmons of Kiss states of Islam: "This is a vile culture, and if you think for a second that it's willing to just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing coming... they want to come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil." After a flood of angry calls from Muslims, Simmons claims he was speaking only of extremists.

2003-Tommy Chong of Cheech & Chong pleads guilty to selling drug paraphernalia over the Internet.

2003-Michael Jackson sues Motown records for alleged nonpayment of Jackson 5 royalties and unauthorized usage of the group's music in TV commercials.

2002-Dionne Warwick is arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana when screeners find 11 marijuana cigarettes inside a lipstick container. Charges are dropped after she does an anti-drug public service announcement.

2002-Eddie Money appears on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens in the aptly titled episode "Eddie Money."

2000-Britney Spears is the musical guest and host on Saturday Night Live, where she performs two songs and appears in four sketches. In her opening monologue, she addresses rumors that she's had implants. "I'm 18 and still growing," she says, as her breasts move around in her shirt.

1997-Oprah Winfrey, who has been following Tina Turner's Wildest Dreams tour for her talk show and doing giveaways along the way, joins Turner on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles to perform "The Best." It's not easy for Oprah; during rehearsals, Turner tells her, "You really don't have any rhythm, do you?"

1994-"Black Hole Sun" is released as the second single off Soundgarden's album Superunknown.

1993-Morgan Wallen is born in Sneedville, Tennessee. After competing on The Voice in 2014, he releases his debut album, If I Know Me, in 2018. Over the next several years he becomes the most popular singer in country music, breaking records for album sales and chart entries with a steady stream of songs about heartbreak, small-town life, and learning from one's mistakes.

1988-Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker dies at age 58 after falling from a second floor window at a hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands. An autopsy reveals traces of heroin and cocaine in his body, and the death is ruled an accident.

PMRC Rallies Support For Labelling Offensive Music
1985
The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) holds a meeting in a Washington church where they foment support for their agenda: a ratings system for albums and concerts like those used for movies, and also to keep offensive album covers out of view in record stores. Their efforts lead to warning stickers on albums with offensive lyrics.

1981-Filmmaker James Szalapski releases his Outlaw Country documentary Heartworn Highways. The film follows numerous musicians, including David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Townes Van Zandt.

1981-Pop singer Joan Weber, known for the 1955 hit "Let Me Go, Lover!," dies of heart failure in a New Jersey mental institution at age 45.

1978-Just days after breaking his leg in a softball game, Jimmy Buffett appears on Saturday Night Live for the first and only time, singing "Son Of A Son Of A Sailor" with his injured limb propped up on an old boat.

1977-Rapper Pusha T is born Terrence LeVarr Thornton in the Bronx borough of New York City. He grows up in the suburbs of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he and his older brother, Gene (aka No Malice) form the hip-hop duo Clipse and write street songs about their experiences as drug dealers. As a solo artist, he's crowned the King of Coke Rap with singles like "Nosetalgia" and "Neck & Wrist."

1977-Rapper Pusha T is born Terrence Thornton in New York City. He forms the group Clipse before emerging as a solo artist.

1977-Hustler magazine offers Linda Ronstadt (and nine other celebrities) $1 million to pose nude in the magazine. She declines.

1975-Country singer-songwriter Bob Wills, known for the hit "Faded Love" (popularly covered by Patsy Cline in 1963), dies of pneumonia in Fort Worth, Texas, at age 70.

1974-An unlikely riot occurs at tonight's Jackson 5 concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC when impatient fans begin smashing bottles in the parking lot. 50 fans are injured; 43 are brought to jail.

David Essex And Ringo Starr In That'll Be The Day
1973-The movie That'll Be The Day, starring David Essex, Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Billy Fury and John Hawken of The Nashville Teens opens in the UK.More

1971-Motown child prodigy Stevie Wonder turns 21, and is by law released from his recording contract and given $1 million of the $30 million he has earned while at the label. Nevertheless, after gaining complete artistic control, Wonder re-signs to Tamla.

1971-Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane crashes her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which forces the cancellation of some recording sessions.

1969-The Beatles pose for the photo that becomes the cover of their The Beatles 1967-1970 compilation, re-creating the cover of their first album, Please Please Me, now with far more hair on their heads and faces.

1967-The Supremes land their 10th #1 hit with "The Happening."

1967-Pop singer Melanie Thornton (of La Bouche) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

1966-The Rolling Stones release "Paint It Black."

1966-Metal guitarist Lee Altus is born in Odessa, Soviet Ukraine.

1965-Elvis Presley's sixteenth movie, Tickle Me, premieres in Hollywood. It opens nationally two weeks later.

1960-The juvenile delinquent movie Platinum High School, starring Conway Twitty, opens in New York.

1958-Six months after marrying his third wife, 13-year-old second cousin Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis is finally granted a divorce from his second wife, Jane Mitcham.

1955-Johnny Tillotson is the opening act and sees fans rip the shirt off Elvis Presley's back after their Jacksonville, Florida, concert.

1955-Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Florida, is the first Presley show at which a riot ensues. After Elvis tells the audience, "Girls, I'll see you backstage," he has some of his clothes ripped off, but escapes unharmed.

1951-Paul Thompson (drummer for Roxy Music) is born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

1950-Blues rocker Danny Kirwan (of Fleetwood Mac) is born in Brixton, London, England.

1947-Pete "Overend" Watts (bass guitarist for Mott the Hoople) is born in Yardley, Birmingham, England.

1945-Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz (harmonica player for The J. Geils Band) is born in New London, Connecticut.

1943-Motown singer Mary Wells is born in Detroit, Michigan.

1941-Rock and roll singer and guitarist Joe Brown is born in Swarby, Lincolnshire, England.

1941-Rock and roll pioneer Ritchie Valens is born Richard Steven Valenzuela in Pacoima, California.

1938-Louis Armstrong records an influential jazz rendition of the Black spiritual "When The Saints Go Marching In," which becomes a jazz and pop standard.

1935-Pop songwriter Teddy Randazzo is born in Brooklyn, New York. Known for '60s hits "Pretty Blue Eyes," "Goin' Out Of My Head," and "Hurt So Bad," among others.

1934-Hymn composer William Golden dies in a traffic accident near Eupora, Mississippi.

1914-Country singer-songwriter Johnnie Wright (Johnnie and Jack), known for the 1965 hit "Hello Vietnam," is born in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

1912-Jazz musician Gil Evans is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

1911-Jazz singer Maxine Sullivan, known for her 1937 swing version of the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond," is born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania.




Featured Events

2010-12-year-old Greyson Chance appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, performing his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi." Two weeks later, DeGeneres starts a record label and signs him.

1985-Bruce Springsteen gets married for the first time, tying the knot with the model/actress Julianne Phillips. The couple divorce in 1989.More

"Night Fever" Replaced At #1 By Another Bee Gees Written Song
1978-After eight weeks at #1, "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees is finally bumped off, replaced by Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You," another song written by the Bee Gees and also featured on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.More

1970-The Beatles documentary Let It Be makes its theatrical debut. It is the last Beatles movie.

1966-Darius Rucker (frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish) is born in Charleston, South Carolina.

Stevie Wonder Is Born
1950-Stevie Wonder is born Stevland Morris in Saginaw, Michigan.


Key Events and Releases

1966 – The Rolling Stones released their hit single "Paint It Black" in the UK, one of the first rock records to feature a sitar, which topped charts in the UK, US, Canada, and the Netherlands.

1967 – The Supremes scored their tenth US No.1 single with "The Happening", marking the last release under the name The Supremes before becoming Diana Ross & The Supremes.

1970 – The Beatles documentary Let It Be premiered in New York City, chronicling the band’s final album sessions and rooftop performance; it later won an Academy Award for Original Song Score and a Grammy for Best Original Score.

1996 – Oasis became the fastest-selling group in UK history, selling out 330,000 tickets for their Knebworth House concerts in just nine hours, with 2.5 million people applying for tickets.

1969 – Led Zeppelin performed at the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu, becoming one of the first major British rock acts to play in Hawaii.

1978 – Yvonne Elliman topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with "If I Can’t Have You", dethroning the Bee Gees’ Night Fever.

2008 – Jason Mraz released his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things..

2016 – Chance the Rapper released his mixtape Coloring Book, the first album to chart on the Billboard Top 100 based solely on streams, later winning a Grammy for Best Rap Album.




Notable Births and Milestones

1950 – Stevie Wonder was born, later becoming the youngest artist to score a No.1 hit at age 13 and achieving critical acclaim with albums like Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life.

1767 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart premiered his first opera Apollo et Hyacinthus at age 11 in Salzburg.




Other Significant Events

1955 – Tony Bennett reached number one on the UK Singles chart with Stranger in Paradise.

1965 – Roger Miller scored his only UK No.1 with King of the Road.

1975 – Robert “Bob” Wills, influential western swing musician, passed away at age 70.

Louis Armstrong recorded When The Saints Go Marching In, later added to the National Recording Registry in 2020.

Broadway milestones include the opening of The Pajama Game, which ran for over 1,000 performances and won a Tony for Best Musical.