On This Day In History

[Bikkie]

1846
Eight killed in attack on Boulcott Farm
Disagreements over the validity of land purchases by the New Zealand Company led to a series of skirmishes between Māori and government troops in the Wellington region in 1846.



1981
All Whites beat Australia on road to Spain
The New Zealand football team's famous 2-0 victory in Sydney was a defining moment in their epic qualifying campaign for the 1982 World Cup finals.



In Music History

2012-Chuck Brown, the "Godfather of Go-Go," dies at age 75.

2010-Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio succumbs to stomach cancer at age 68.

2009-Bob Dylan's 33rd album, Together Through Life, debuts at #1 in the US and the UK. Eight days shy of his 68th birthday, Dylan again becomes the oldest artist to ever top the US tally. He takes over the record from Neil Diamond, who was 67 years, 4 months old when his album Home Before Dark hit #1 in May 2008.

2007-Parma, Italy, names streets after Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

2003-Hoboken, New Jersey, names its post office after its favorite son, Frank Sinatra.

2002-Cher appears on the TV show Will & Grace for the second time. This episode is titled "A.I.: Artificial Insemination."

2001-Brian Pendleton (rhythm guitarist for Pretty Things) dies of lung cancer at age 57.

2000-With his Warner Bros. contract terminated, Prince starts using that name again. He changed it to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 after a dispute with the label.

1999-Diana Ross and Brandy star as mother and daughter in the made-for-TV movie Double Platinum.

1998-Keith Richards injures his ribs and chest when he falls from a chair at his Connecticut home; The Rolling Stones are forced to reschedule the first four dates of their upcoming tour while he recovers.

1998-The Dave Matthews Band go to #1 on the albums chart for the first time when Before These Crowded Streets debuts at the top spot, ending the Titanic soundtrack's 16-week berth at the top. Remarkably, their next six albums also debut at #1, a testament to their very loyal fans.

1993-R&B singer Marv Johnson, Motown's earliest performer, dies of a stroke at age 54.

1990-Muppets creator Jim Henson dies of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome at 53. Henson made music a key component of The Muppet Show, which featured a gnarly house band (The Electric Mayhem) and welcomed many superstars eager to interact with his creatures. Elton John, Julie Andrews, John Denver and Loretta Lynn all appeared on the show.

1990-Sammy Davis Jr. dies of complications from throat cancer at age 64. He was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in many movies and TV shows, and landing a #1 hit with "The Candy Man."

1987-David Crosby marries his longtime girlfriend Jan Dance in Los Angeles, with bandmate Stephen Stills giving away the bride and Graham Nash renewing his vows with wife Susan.

1986-Top Gun hits theaters with a soundtrack that includes the Kenny Loggins action theme "Danger Zone" and the Berlin love ballad "Take My Breath Away." Both songs are huge hits, continuing a trend of blockbuster movies debuting popular tunes.

1986-Caitlin O'Riordan of The Pogues marries Elvis Costello in Dublin, Ireland. They divorce in 2002.

1983-Michael Jackson does the Moonwalk for the first time on TV when he breaks out the move on the Motown 25th anniversary TV special.

1981-Kim Carnes' version of "Bette Davis Eyes," written and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1975, hits #1 in America.

1981-Ernie Freeman, a pianist known for R&B and pop arrangements from the '50s through the '70s, dies at a heart attack at age 58. Won Grammy awards for his arrangements of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

1980-Alabama release their first RCA Nashville single, "Tennessee River," which becomes their first #1 hit on the Country chart.

1980-Elvis Presley's doctor, George Nichopoulous, is arrested for abusing his licence to prescribe controlled drugs. Nichopoulous wrote Elvis prescriptions for over 10,000 doses of narcotics in 1977, the year Elvis died). He is acquitted, but in 1992 the Tennessee Medical Board revokes his license.

1980-Paul McCartney releases McCartney II, which, like most of his first solo album issued 10 years earlier, was recorded at his home studio with Paul playing every instrument. Forty years later, he does it again with McCartney III.

1980-The Carpenters' last TV special, Music, Music, Music, airs on ABC. Guest stars include Ella Fitzgerald, John Davidson, and Nelson Riddle.

1978-Guitarist Zoltan Bathory is born in Szentendre, Hungary, where he grows up under communist rule. As an adult he moves to America, teaches himself English, and forms the metal band Five Finger Death Punch. "Growing up in a country that had no resources will make you resourceful," he says.

Joe Walsh Is Underwater On His Solo Album
1978-Joe Walsh releases his fourth album, But Seriously, Folks..., where he indulges in an underwater meal in the artwork.More

1976-Mayor James H. McGee declares today "Ohio Players Day" in the band's hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

1974-Queen cut their first US tour short when guitarist Brian May comes down with hepatitis. They return to action November 30, touring behind their third album, Sheer Heart Attack.

1970-The Who release their acclaimed album Live At Leeds in America. It was recorded three months earlier at the University of Leeds in England.

1970-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young land their first US #1 album when Deja Vu hits the top spot. Tracks include "Teach Your Children," "Our House" and "Woodstock," a song written about the festival by Joni Mitchell.

1970-Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane is arrested on charges of drug possession in his Bloomington, Minnesota, hotel room after police find him smoking pot. His eventual punishment is a $100 fine.

1970-Randy Bachman leaves The Guess Who to produce an album for Winnipeg band Brave Belt, which he eventually joins. At the suggestion of Neil Young, Bachman recruits fellow Winnipeg bassist and vocalist C.F. Turner, and the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive is born.

1969-Jack Casady, bassist for Jefferson Airplane, is arrested in New Orleans for possession of marijuana and given a suspended sentence of two-and-a-half years.

1969-During The Who's set at the Fillmore East in New York, a plainclothes policeman rushes the stage to tell the audience that a fire has broken out, but guitarist Pete Townshend, figuring him for a rabid fan, kicks him off. Literally. The guitarist is arrested onstage and later charged $30.

1968-Ralph Tresvant (lead singer of New Edition) is born in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

1968-Tony Joe White records "Polk Salad Annie."

1966-Frank Sinatra records "Summer Wind."

1965-Krist Novoselic (bass guitarist for Nirvana) is born in Compton, California.

1964-Mary Wells' "My Guy" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

1960-Billboard magazine reports that Detroit music mogul Berry Gordy is thinking of starting three new record labels, including one called Motown.

1959-Wayne Newton, 16 years old, makes his Las Vegas debut, performing with his brother, Jerry, at the Freemont Hotel downtown. A few years later, he becomes a Vegas Star and a regular on the Strip.

1955-New wave singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor is born in Coventry, England.

1953-Richard Page (lead singer of Mr. Mister) is born in Keokuk, Iowa.

1953-Jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt dies of a brain hemorrhage at age 43.

1953-Percy Faith's "Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)" hits #1.

1951-Jonathan Richman (frontman for The Modern Lovers) is born in Natick, Massachusetts.

1949-Guitarist William "Sputnik" Spooner (of Grateful Dead, The Tubes) is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1947-'60s singer Barbara Lee (of The Chiffons) is born in The Bronx, New York.

1947-Darrell Sweet (drummer for Nazareth) is born in Bournemouth, England.

1946-Robert Fripp (guitarist for King Crimson) is born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England.

1946-Roger Earl (drummer for Foghat, Savoy Brown) is born in Hampton Court Palace, London, England.

1945-Nicky Chinn, who penned hits with songwriting partner Mike Chapman throughout the '60s and '70s, is born in London, England.

1944-Jazz drummer Billy Cobham is born in Panama.

1936-Doo wop singer Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson (of The Dell-Vikings) is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1932-Drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt (Young-Holt Unlimited, The Ramsey Lewis Trio) is born in Rosedale, Mississippi.

1929-Jazz singer Betty Carter is born Lillie Mae Jones in Flint, Michigan.

1919-Liberace is born Władziu Valentino Liberace in West Allis, Wisconsin, along with a twin who dies at birth.

1913-Woody Herman, jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1767-A piano is played for the first time in public in the UK. In a playbill for a performance of The Beggar's Opera at Covent Garden Theatre, London, it is announced a Miss Brickler sings "accompanied by Mr. Dibdin on a new instrument called piano-forte."





Featured Events

Britney Spears Releases Second Album
2000-Britney Spears' second album, Oops!… I Did It Again, is released. It sells 1.3 million copies in its first week, setting a new record for best-selling debut by a female artist.More

"Torn" Dominates American Radio And MTV
1998-Five years after it was first released (in Danish), "Torn" goes to #1 on the US Airplay chart with a version by the Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia.More

1987-U2 break big in America with their first #1 hit in that country, "With Or Without You," from the album The Joshua Tree. Their next single, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," follows to #1, cementing their superstar status.

1986-Host Johnny Carson and his bandleader Doc Severinsen wear fake beards in honor of ZZ Top, who perform "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Tush" on The Tonight Show.More

1975-Kiss play the Cobo Arena, Detroit, recording it for some of their live album Alive!, their first Gold album. In September, Bob Seger records two concerts at Cobo for Live Bullet, his first Gold album.

1966-Janet Jackson is born Janet Damita Jo Jackson in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of nine kids in the Jackson family. She releases her first album in 1982 when she's 16 and breaks through with Control in 1986. Her next album, Rhythm Nation 1814, makes her one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

1966-The Beach Boys release their landmark album Pet Sounds, produced with great ingenuity by their bass player, Brian Wilson. Standout tracks include "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows."

1956-Doris Day introduces her signature song, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much.

1966 – The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds, their 11th studio album, produced and arranged primarily by Brian Wilson. The album was revolutionary for its innovative instrumentation, including synthesizers, theremins, and unconventional objects like bike bells and soda cans. Hits like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” made it one of the most influential albums in music history, later added to the National Recording Registry in 2004.

1970 – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young topped the Billboard 200 with their second studio album Déjà Vu, marking their first album with Neil Young and featuring classics like “Woodstock” and “Our House”.

2014 – Coldplay released Ghost Stories, showcasing a more electronic and restrained sound compared to their previous albums.




Notable Singles and Chart Achievements

1964 – Mary Wells’ “My Guy” reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, also charting highly in New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and Canada.

1987 – U2’s “With or Without You” became their first US No.1 single, leading their album The Joshua Tree.

2000 – *NSYNC released “It’s Gonna Be Me”, their only Billboard Hot 100 No.1.

2016 – Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a summer hit.

2016 – Adele released “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” from her album 25, generating significant media attention.




Memorable Performances and Events

1965 – The Rolling Stones appeared with Chuck Berry on Hollywood A-GO-GO, and The Beach Boys performed “Help Me Rhonda” on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1983 – Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk live for the first time during the television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

1985 – Madonna performed in Cleveland on her The Virgin Tour, solidifying her status as a pop icon.

1988 – Bruce Springsteen began a five-night stand at Madison Square Garden as part of his Tunnel of Love Express Tour, performing a 33-song set including a rare cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying”.




Other Historical Notes

1929 – Paul Whiteman and his orchestra backed Bing Crosby on the recording of “Sposin’”.

1946 – Annie Get Your Gun opened at New York’s Imperial Theatre for 1,147 performances.

1953 – Django Reinhardt, the legendary Romani guitarist, passed away at age 43.

1968 – Tony Joe White recorded “Polk Salad Annie”.

1970 – Randy Bachman left The Guess Who to pursue solo projects and later formed BTO.

[Bikkie]

1833
First British Resident comes ashore
Hundreds of Māori greeted the new British Resident in New Zealand, James Busby, when he landed at the Paihia mission station on 17 May 1833. The ceremony that followed was the first formal meeting between Māori chiefs and the representative of a great power.


1922
Catholic Bishop found not guilty of sedition
James Liston, the assistant bishop of Auckland, was found not guilty of sedition following a high-profile court case.


1962
George Wilder escapes from prison
George Wilder was a burglar who left apology and thank-you notes for his victims. He was at large for 65 days, becoming a folk hero in the process.



In Music History

2024-CNN airs a video from 2016 showing Sean Combs (Puff Daddy) violently assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who has filed a lawsuit against him. Combs has already lost most of his marketing deals and partnerships in a wave of allegations of violence and sexual misconduct.

2022-The Greek composer Vangelis, known for "Chariots Of Fire," dies at 79 from heart failure.

2019-Tyler, The Creator releases his fifth album, Igor, also the name of his blond-haired alter-ego. It becomes his first #1 album and earns Tyler his first Grammy win when it takes the trophy for Best Rap Album.

2016-Moby releases his memoir Porcelain, named because he threw up into a lot of porcelain toilets. It's also the title of a hit single from his landmark album, Play.

2016-Alanis Morissette sues her former business manager, Jonathan Schwartz, claiming he stole $4.7 million from her from 2009-2016. The following year, Schwartz admits to that theft and also to stealing another $2 million from other clients. Morissette is compensated in a settlement.

2016-Ne-Yo begins a two-episode stint as Mindy's new love interest on Hulu's comedy series The Mindy Project.

2015-Twenty One Pilots release their fourth album, Blurryface, their first to land at #1 in the US.

2013-Singer-songwriter Alan O'Day dies of brain cancer at age 72.

2011-Rapper Wiz Khalifa and his girlfriend Amber Rose narrowly escape danger at a London nightclub. Khalifa is performing in the packed club when a bystander breaks a bottle over another patron's head. A fight ensues and Khalifa and Rose dodge bottles as they promptly exit the club with their entourage. Club promoters are upset that Khalifa ended his show early, as they reportedly paid the rapper 14,000 euros to do the show.

2008-Madonna's Hard Candy album hits #1 in America, her seventh to hit the top spot.

2008-The Brothers Four's Bob Flick marries his third wife, actress Loni Anderson.

2005-The reality series Britney and Kevin: Chaotic debuts on the UPN network, chronicling the adventures of the newly married Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. It proves unwatchable, and lasts just five episodes. The couple divorce two years later.

2005-System Of A Down release Mezmerize, with the war protest "B.Y.O.B." It debuts at #1 in America, as does their next album, Hypnotize, released six months later (a tactic cribbed from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies).

2003-June Carter Cash's funeral is held in her hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Among the 2000 mourners are Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sheryl Crow - and her husband, Johnny Cash.

2002-Blues singer Little Johnny Taylor, known for '60s hits like "Part Time Love," dies in Conway, Arkansas, at age 59.

1996-Blues musician Johnny "Guitar" Watson dies of a myocardial infarction at age 61 after collapsing on stage during a tour in Yokohama, Japan.

1995-Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard share the stage for the first time ever at a concert in Sheffield, England.

1993-Barry Manilow guest stars on the "One" episode of Murphy Brown as part of a storyline where the lead character can't stand his music but her infant son finds it soothing.

1992-Bandleader and TV host Lawrence Welk dies of bronchial pneumonia at age 89.

1989-Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman opens the Sticky Fingers restaurant in West London. Guest with big appetites can order the Beggars Banquet.

1989-The Doobie Brothers release their reunion album, Cycles, which gets them back on the radio with the hit single "The Doctor."

1985-Dire Straits release their best selling album, Brothers In Arms. It goes to #1 in many territories, but the subsequent tour wipes out the band, which go on an extended hiatus and don't release another album until 1991.

1980-Weeks after being detained in Tokyo on drug charges, Paul and Linda McCartney appear as musical guests on Saturday Night Live.

1979-Billy Joel sings the national anthem before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers lose the game and the series.

1978-The TV special The Carpenters: Space Encounters airs on ABC.

1978-The disco film Thank God It's Friday, starring Donna Summer and Village People, premieres in Los Angeles.

1976-R&B singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss (of Xscape) is born in College Park, Georgia.

1975-Elton John plays "Bennie And The Jets" and "Philadelphia Freedom" on Soul Train, becoming just the third white performer to appear on the show, after Dennis Coffey and Gino Vannelli.

1975-Earth, Wind & Fire's LP That's The Way Of The World hits #1.

1974-The Elton John TV special Say Goodbye To Norma Jean And Other Things airs on ABC.

1974-NBC-TV's The Midnight Special offers another salute to '50s and '60s rock n' roll, with Frankie Avalon as host and performances by Sam & Dave, Lou Christie, Frankie Ford, The Fleetwoods, Shirley & Lee, and Fabian.

1973-Queens Of The Stone Age leader Josh Homme is born in Palm Springs, California. The surrounding area becomes home base for his long-running Desert Sessions project, which brings together a wide range of creative types to make music on the fly.

1971-The Christian musical Godspell opens at New York's Cherry Lane Theatre. It becomes the third-longest-running off-Broadway production of its day.

1970-Jean Knight records "Mr. Big Stuff" and King Floyd lays down "Groove Me" at the same sessions at Malaco Records' studios in Jackson, Mississippi. Both songs become huge hits, reviving the fortunes of the label.

1970-Pop singer Jordan Knight (of New Kids on the Block) is born in Worcester, Massachusetts.

1970-R&B singer Darnell Van Rensalier (of Shai) is born in New Jersey.

1969-At a shipyard in South Bristol, Maine, Pete Seeger launches the Clearwater, a sloop he sails to push for clean water initiatives, specifically in his beloved Hudson River. Don McLean is one of the original crew members.

1968-Dave Abbruzzese, drummer for Pearl Jam on their albums Vs. and Vitalogy, is born in Stamford, Connecticut, raised in Mesquite, Texas.

1967-The acclaimed Bob Dylan documentary Don't Look Back premieres at the Presidio Theatre in San Francisco. Directed by D. A. Pennebaker, it follows Dylan on his 1965 European tour.

1965-Trent Reznor is born Michael Trent Reznor in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He develops a passion for playing classical piano as a child, before going on to form the influential industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. He later teams with Atticus Ross to score films like The Social Network and Gone Girl.

1965-Homer O'Dell (guitarist for Mint Condition) is born.

1963-The very first Monterey Folk Festival begins at the Monterey Fairgrounds in California. Over the weekend, Bob Dylan makes his first West Coast performance, Jerry Garcia's band wins an amateur competition, and Janis Joplin draws a crowd on the second stage.

1961-New age singer Enya is born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin in Dore, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland. "Eithne" is pronounced "Enya," so she goes with that spelling to avoid confusion.

1959-Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's lead singer on their first two albums, is born in London, England. He's beloved by fans but clashes with group leader Steve Harris, leading to his departure in 1981, when he's replaced by Bruce Dickinson.

1953-During a recording session at Atlantic Records studios in New York, Ray Charles learns that his mother has died. He continues on with the session, recording the song "Sinner's Prayer."

1953-George "Lightnin' Licks" Johnson, guitarist in The Brothers Johnson, is born in Los Angeles.

1952-Georgia Gibbs' "Kiss Of Fire" hits #1.

1952-Roy Adams (drummer for The Climax Blues Band) is born in Birmingham, England.

1949-Pop singer Keith is born James Barry Keefer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1949-Bill Bruford (drummer for Yes, King Crimson) is born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.

1949-Andrew Latimer (frontman for the prog rock band Camel) is born in Guildford, Surrey, England.

1944-Country musician and singer Jesse Winchester is born near Bossier City, Louisiana.

1942-Blues musician Taj Mahal is born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in Harlem, New York.

1941-Malcolm Hale (lead guitarist for Spanky & Our Gang) is born in Butte, Montana.

1938-Pervis Jackson, bass vocalist of The Spinners, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1933-Weak from fighting tuberculosis, Jimmie Rodgers arrives in New York and starts recording his last songs. He dies nine days later.

1925-Bluegrass musician Red Smiley (of Reno and Smiley) is born Arthur Lee Smiley in Asheville, North Carolina.

1921-Bob Merrill, a prolific songwriter whose hits include "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" and "Mambo Italiano," is born in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1866-Composer and pianist Erik Satie is born in Honfleur, France.





Featured Events

Chris Cornell Dies At 52
2017-After performing with Soundgarden in Detroit, Chris Cornell is found dead from an apparent suicide at the age of 52.More

2013-Eight years in the making, Daft Punk's fourth album, Random Access Memories, features guest appearances from a range of artists including Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams. It becomes their first US chart topper, propelled by the massive worldwide hit single (and Nile Rodgers collaboration) "Get Lucky."

2012-Donna Summer dies of lung cancer at her home in Naples, Florida, at age 73.

2008-A pregnant Ashlee Simpson marries Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. The union lasts three years; Simpson gets remarried to Evan Ross (Diana's son) in 2014.

1987-Tom Petty's home in Encino, California, burns to the ground. Petty and his family escape unharmed, but are traumatized by the blaze, which is determined to be arson. The perpetrator is never caught.

1966-Bob Dylan, who has recently "gone electric" and added rock and roll instruments to his folk music, appears at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. Just before he begins a version of his latest hit, "Like A Rolling Stone," a member of the audience, a folk purist angry at the move to rock, shouts out, "Judas!" Dylan responds with, "I don't believe you," adding, "You're a liar!" He then proceeds to tell the band to play the song "f--king loud."

1965-The FBI ends its two-year investigation into the Kingsmen song "Louie Louie," determining that the largely indecipherable lyrics are not obscene.



Notable Events and Milestones

Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco," passed away on May 17, 2012, at age 63. She was a five-time Grammy winner with hits like I Feel Love, Hot Stuff, and Bad Girls, selling over 100 million albums worldwide.

Elton John made RIAA history in 1975 with Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, the first album certified Gold before release, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 for seven weeks.

Monterey Folk Festival debuted in 1963, featuring Bob Dylan’s West Coast live debut, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, and a young Jerry Garcia.

Glen Campbell recorded Gentle on My Mind in 1967, a song that earned four Grammys and became a Top 40 hit.

Daft Punk released Random Access Memories in 2013, featuring hits like Get Lucky, topping charts in over 30 countries and winning multiple Grammys.




Chart-Topping Singles and Albums

1957- Guy Mitchell scored his final UK No.1 with Rock-a-Billy.

1962- B. Bumble and the Stingers topped the UK Singles chart with Nut Rocker.

1971- Paul and Linda McCartney released Ram, featuring Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, which topped charts in multiple countries.

1975- Earth, Wind & Fire’s That’s the Way of the World reached No.1 on the Billboard 200, featuring Shining Star.

1980- Blondie’s Call Me hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time a new wave band topped the chart.

1986- Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while her debut album topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks.

2014- John Legend’s All of Me reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

2025- Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Luther achieved its 10th consecutive week at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.




Other Significant Occurrences

1713- Antonio Vivaldi’s first opera Ottone in villa premiered in Vicenza, Italy.

1904- Maurice Ravel’s song cycle Shéhérazade premiered in Paris.

1939- The Glenn Miller Orchestra began a three-month engagement at Glen Island Casino, New York.

1971- The rock musical Godspell opened in New York City.

1975- Mick Jagger punched a restaurant window, requiring 20 stitches.

1993- Alan Jackson released Chattahoochee, later winning CMA Single of the Year and Billboard Song of the Year.

[Bikkie]

1893
Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia addresses Kotahitanga Māori parliament
Meri Te Tai Mangakāhia, a prominent advocate for Māori women, addressed the Kotahitanga Māori parliament - the first woman known to have done so.


Nurses sent to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Left to right: Nurse Dodds, Sister Shadbolt, Nurse Sharples,
1937
New Zealand nurses detained on way to Spanish Civil War
The only organised New Zealand contingent to serve in the Spanish Civil War comprised New Zealand Spanish Medical Aid Committee (SMAC) nurses René Shadbolt, Isobel Dodds and Millicent Sharples.



1966
Death of Māori King Korokī
Korokī Te Rata Mahuta Tāwhiao Pōtatau Te Wherowhero was the fifth head of the Kīngitanga movement founded in 1858 in response to European colonisation.





In Music History

2024-Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," a scathing diss track directed at Drake, goes to #1 as their feud comes to a head.

2020-Country singer Travis McCready holds the first post-pandemic concert at Temple Live in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Fans are spaced out in "pods," required to wear masks, and have their temperatures taken before they are admitted.

2014-Italian-American singer Jerry Vale dies at home in Palm Desert, California, at age 83.

2012-Rihanna makes her big-screen acting debut playing a naval weapons specialist in the action/sci-fi movie Battleship. It earns her a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.

2010-Janelle Monáe releases her debut album, The ArchAndroid, largely inspired by the Ray Kurzweil book The Singularity Is Near.

2007-Amy Winehouse marries Blake Fielder at a secret ceremony in Miami. Their tumultuous relationship inspired many of the songs on her seminal album Back To Black.

2006-Andy Capps (drummer for Built To Spill) is found dead at age 37 in his Idaho home. No cause of death is given.

2004-Jazz drummer Elvin Jones (of The John Coltrane Quartet) dies of heart failure at age 76.

2004-Lenny Kravitz releases his seventh album, Baptism.

2004-Clint Warwick (original bassist for The Moody Blues) dies at age 63 of liver disease.

2002-The Barry Manilow Ultimate Manilow concert special airs on CBS to promote his compilation album of the same name.

2001-The movie Shrek is released, reviving the songs "Hallelujah" (sung on the soundtrack by Rufus Wainwright) and "I'm a Believer" (performed by Smash Mouth in the rave-up at the end of the film).

1999-Jamaican record producer Augustus Pablo, known for his influential 1976 album King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, dies at age 44 of a collapsed lung.

1996-Soundgarden perform for the first (and only) time on Saturday Night Live, playing "Pretty Noose" and "Burden In My Hand." Jim Carrey hosts.

1996-Brad Nowell of Sublime marries Troy Dendekker, the mother of his son, Jakob. He dies of a drug overdose a week later.

1996-Brad Nowell of Sublime marries Troy Dendekker, the mother of his son, Jakob. He dies of a drug overdose a week later.

1992-Sister Souljah, a rapper associated with the group Public Enemy, is quoted in The Washington Post saying, "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?" It becomes a big moment in American politics when Bill Clinton denounces the comment, risking support from black voters. Clinton goes on to win the presidential election.

1991-R.E.M. go to #1 in America with their seventh album, Out of Time, which features the tracks "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People."

1991-Bananarama release Pop Life, their first album without bandmate Siobhan Fahey, who left the group in 1988 amid tensions over their pop-oriented image. It's also their last release as a trio. Jacquie O'Sullivan replaces Fahey on the album, but leaves later that year due to the press constantly comparing her with the former 'Nana.

1985-After repeated attempts to break through in America, Simple Minds go to #1 with "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which is used in the movie The Breakfast Club.

1982-Actor/singer Eric West is born Eric Rosa in New York City. Records the single "Can You Help Me?" in 2002, which becomes a huge hit in Latin America.

1980-Drummer Peter Criss leaves Kiss. He is replaced by Eric Carr, but returns to the band (along with Ace Frehley) in 1996.

1978-The Buddy Holly Story, starring Gary Busey as Holly, is released in the US.

1976-Warren Zevon releases his self-titled album, produced by Jackson Browne. It doesn't sell very well, but Linda Ronstadt covers three of the tracks: "Hasten Down The Wind," "Carmelita," and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me."

1975-The Bay City Rollers appear at BBC Radio "Fun Day" at the Mallory Park racetrack in Leicestershire, England, where they are set to perform on an island in the middle of a lake. When throngs of fans try to swim to the Rollers, mayhem ensues and they never get to perform.

1970-Mark Richardson (drummer for Skunk Anansie) is born in Leeds, England.

1969-Martika, known for her 1989 US #1 hit "Toy Soldiers," is born Marta Marrero to Cuban parents in Whittier, California.

1968-Archie Bell & the Drells hit #1 in America with the funk-tacular "Tighten Up."

1967-Josh Clayton-Felt of School of Fish is born.

1966-The Hollies record "Bus Stop." The song becomes the British Invasion band's first Top 10 single in the US, peaking at #5.

1966-Sixteen-year-old Bruce Springsteen records for the first time when his band, The Castiles, cut two songs ("Baby I" and "That's What You Get") at a studio in the Brick Mall Shopping Centre in New Jersey. Springsteen wrote both songs, which later emerge on bootlegs, with his bandmate, George Theiss.

1964-The Animals record the folk song "House Of The Rising Sun" in a matter of minutes at a London studio. A few months later, it becomes a huge hit, going to #1 in both the UK and US.

1963-Roy Orbison begins a UK tour in Slough, England, with The Beatles, whose song "From Me to You" is #1 in that territory.

1959-Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City," written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, hits #1 in America.

1957-Electronic musician Michael Cretu (of Enigma) is born in Bucharest, Romania.

1950-Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo is born in Akron, Ohio. A prolific composer of TV and film music, his work can be heard in Rugrats, Tiger King, and the Hotel Transylvania franchise.

1949-Keyboard player Rick Wakeman is born in London. After making his name as a session musician, he joins Yes in 1971.

1949-Bill Wallace (bassist for The Guess Who) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1944-Singer-songwriter Albert Hammond is born in London after his family evacuates from Gibraltar during World War II.

1922-Kai Winding, jazz composer and trombonist, is born in Aarhus, Denmark.

1912-Perry Como is born Pierino Ronald Como in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. One of the most popular crooners of the 1940s and 1950s, he also starred in a number of movies and made many TV appearances.

1911-Bluesman Big Joe Turner is born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr in Kansas City, Missouri.

1909-Spanish pianist and composer Isaac Albéniz dies at age 48 of kidney disease.






Featured Events

1999-Backstreet Boys release their third album (second in America), Millennium, with the hits "I Want It That Way" and "Larger than Life." Primarily produced by Max Martin, it sells over 13 million in America and many more worldwide.

1995-Bette Midler stars in the Seinfeld episode "The Understudy."

1981-After nearly 20 years with Motown Records, Diana Ross leaves the label and signs a record $20 million contract with RCA. Her hit duet "Endless Love" is released on Motown in August even though she has left the label.

1980-Battling epilepsy and depression, Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis hangs himself at his home in England.More

1975-Surfer/musician Jack Johnson is born on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. When his mellow, feel-good songs catch on in the '00s, he switches his focus from surfing to music and starts his own label, Brushfire Records.

1974-Giving the streaking craze full exposure, Ray Stevens hits #1 in America with his novelty song "The Streak."

1963"-If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife..."

Jimmy Soul's marriage advice anthem hits #1 in America.

1952-George Strait is born in Poteet, Texas. The "King Of Country," he lands a record 44 #1 hits on the Country chart in a remarkable run from 1982-2008.




Notable Events and Chart Hits

1959- Wilbert Harrison’s rendition of “Kansas City” topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the most successful version of the song, which had been covered by over 300 artists including James Brown and The Beatles. Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” also entered the Billboard Top 40, eventually reaching #1 in the US and the UK.

1963- The Beatles kicked off their first British tour as headliners in Slough, England, with Roy Orbison and Gerry and the Pacemakers on the bill. Jimmy Soul’s “If You Wanna Be Happy” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1964- The Animals recorded “House of the Rising Sun”, which became a major international hit, topping charts in the US, UK, Canada, Finland, and Spain.

1967- The Tremeloes’ “Silence Is Golden” hit #1 on the UK Singles chart, also topping charts in Ireland, South Africa, Norway, and New Zealand.

1974- Ray Stevens’ novelty song “The Streak” reached #1 in the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand, while The Rubettes’ debut single “Sugar Baby Love” topped the UK charts.

1985- Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a new wave classic featured in The Breakfast Club. Murray Head’s “One Night in Bangkok” also hit #3 in the US.

1993- Janet Jackson’s album janet. debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, selling 350,000 copies in its first week and producing six Top 10 hits, solidifying her global superstar status.

2018- K-pop sensation BTS released their album Love Yourself: Tear, selling 135,000 copies in the first week.




Significant Artist Milestones and Deaths

1980- Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis tragically took his own life, just before the band’s first North American tour, leaving a lasting influence on post-punk music.

2017- Chris Cornell, the iconic frontman of Soundgarden and Audioslave, passed away at age 52, leaving a profound legacy in grunge and rock music.

1980- Peter Criss, drummer and founding member of Kiss, officially left the band.




Classical and Musical Theatre Highlights

1889- Jules Massenet’s opera Esclarmonde premiered in Paris.

1897- Paul Dukas’ symphonic scherzo The Sorcerer’s Apprentice premiered, later famously featured in Disney’s Fantasia.

1946- The musical Follow the Girls closed at the Broadhurst Theatre in NYC after 888 performances.

1961- The musical Donnybrook! opened at the 46th Street Theater in NYC.



Country Music Births

George Strait, the “King of Country,” was born on May 18 in Poteet, Texas. He holds the record for the most #1 hit singles in any genre, with 60.

Leon Ashley, known for his #1 hit “Laura (What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got)”, was born in Covington, Georgia.

Joe Bonsall, tenor vocalist of The Oak Ridge Boys, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[Bikkie]

1846
Brunner, Kehu and Heaphy reach Māwhera pā
This journey was part of Thomas Brunner's epic 1846-48 exploration of the South Island. He was guided by Kehu of Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri and accompanied by Charles Heaphy, a draftsman and artist with the New Zealand Company.


1987
Attempted hijacking in Fiji foiled
An attempted hijacking of an Air New Zealand Boeing 747 at Nadi airport, Fiji, was thwarted when a member of the cabin crew struck the hijacker on the head with a whisky bottle.



In Music History

2025-"Pretty Little Baby," an obscure 1962 B-side by Connie Francis, goes to #1 on TikTok's Viral 50 and Top 50 charts after millions of creators use it in videos, including celebs like Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. When told by her publicist that she has a viral hit, the 87-year-old Francis replies, "What's that?"

2022-Ciara lands on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which is starting to feature singers in addition to athletes and models. Megan Thee Stallion made the cover the previous year.

2017-Linkin Park release the album One More Light, which ends up being their last album with lead singer Chester Bennington, who dies by suicide on July 20. The lead single, "Heavy," reflects his troubled state of mind.

2010-David Guetta's "Gettin' Over You" becomes the billionth track to be Shazamed.

2007-At Porter Wagoner's 50th anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry, Dolly Parton sings "I Will Always Love You" to Wagoner, whom she wrote the song about in 1974.

2007-Frank Guida, a Sicilian-American songwriter and music producer whose first hit was Tommy Facenda's "High School U.S.A.," dies in Norfolk, Virginia, at age 84.

2006-Freddie Garrity (frontman of Freddie & the Dreamers) dies at age 69 while on holiday in North Wales.

2004-Blues singer Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore dies in Yazoo City, Mississippi, at age 90.

2003-JoJo Siwa is born Joelle Siwa in Omaha, Nebraska. After starring in reality dance shows, she launches her music career at 13 and becomes a social media star, huge with tweens and teenagers. In 2024 she moves away from G-rated music with saucier songs for her now-older audience.

2000-The Allman Brothers Band announce that founding guitarist Dickey Betts will not be a part of their summer tour. Reason given: "sadly, there are creative differences."

2000-Folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary celebrate their 40th year together with a US tour that kicks off with a three-night stand in Las Vegas.

1999-Moby releases Play, a downtempo collection of electronic tunes built on samples of field recordings and old blues numbers. Thanks to music licensing, the songs reach lots of ears and the album becomes a global hit.More

1998-Jewel releases a book of poetry, A Night Without Armor.

1998-DMX releases his debut album, It's Dark And Hell Is Hot, featuring "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," produced by the up-and-coming Swizz Beatz. It debuts at #1 in America.

1998-After signing with DreamWorks Records thanks to the demo tape his dad, Loudon Wainwright III, passed on to the label, Rufus Wainwright releases his self-titled debut album. A standout track is "Baby," which showcases his opera influence.

1998-Godzilla: The Album, the soundtrack to the blockbuster movie, is released. It contains both "Come With Me" (Puff Daddy's rap reworking of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir") and Rage Against The Machine's "No Shelter," a song about media manipulation that mocks the film with the line, "Godzilla, pure mothaf--n' filler to keep ya eyes off the real killer."

1997-Backstreet Boys release "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," their breakthrough single in the US.

1996-Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, Peter Frampton and Cypress Hill appear on the "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons, a spoof on the Lollapalooza tour. Cypress Hill, the first rappers to guest star on the show, are accused of ordering the London Symphony Orchestra while high, and end up teaming with them on "Insane In The Brain."

1992-Pop/soul singer Sam Smith is born in London, England.

1992-DJ/producer Marshmello is born Christopher Comstock in Philadelphia.

1992-Lainey Wilson is born in Baskin, Louisiana (population, about 200). She moves to Nashville in 2011 when she's 19, and in 2018 she finally gets a record deal. Her breakout hit, "Things A Man Oughta Know," comes in 2020.

1991-Odia Coates, known for a string of '70s duets with Paul Anka, including the #1 "(You're) Having My Baby," dies of breast cancer at age 49.

1990-Madonna's "Vogue," a song about a dance popular in gay nightclubs where dancers "strike a pose" like fashion models, goes to #1 in America.

Peter Gabriel Hits Big Time With So
1986-Former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel transitions from cult performer to pop star with the release of his fifth solo album, So, which includes the hit single "Sledgehammer."More

1984-The song "Thriller" falls off the Hot 100, ending a run of hits from the Thriller album that started on November 6, 1982, when "The Girl Is Mine" entered the tally. In that stretch, only two weeks went by without a Thriller song on the chart.

1979-Two months after they are married, Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd finally get a wedding reception, as Clapton gets a break in touring. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are guests, and jam together for the first time in almost 10 years.

1979-Breakfast In America, the sixth album from the UK group Supertramp, hits #1 in America thanks to the hits "The Logical Song" and "Take The Long Way Home."

1979-Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter become the parents of Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings.

1975-Lynyrd Skynyrd release the single "Saturday Night Special." The B-side is "Made in the Shade." It's the only single released from the Nuthin' Fancy album.

1973-Stevie Wonder hits #1 in America with "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," a song inspired by his wife (and sometimes co-writer) Syreeta Wright.

1972-Jenny Berggren (lead singer of Ace of Base) is born Jenny Cecilia Petrén in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1972-Elton John releases Honky Chateau, which includes "Rocket Man." It becomes his first #1 album in America, igniting a run of six consecutive chart toppers.

1970-Rapper Prince Be (of P.M. Dawn) is born Attrell Cordes in Jersey City, New Jersey. His stepfather is Kool & the Gang's George Brown.

1964-Lawrence Wright dies in London. His death goes unreported by Melody Maker, the newspaper he founded in 1926.

1962-Mick Jagger is mentioned in print for the first time when the British music magazine Disc prints this item: "A 19-year-old Dartford rhythm-and-blues singer, Mick Jagger, has joined Alexis Korner's group, Blues Inc., and will sing with them regularly on their Saturday night dates at Ealing and Thursday session at the Marquee Jazz Club, London. Jagger, at present completing a course at the London School of Economics, also plays harmonica."

1962-Iain Harvie (guitarist for Del Amitri) is born in Glasgow, Scotland.

1962-Marilyn Monroe Sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President"
Less than three months before her death, Marilyn Monroe makes one of her last public appearances at President John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday celebration, where she famously sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" in his honor.

1961-The Everly Brothers form their Calliope Records label (its first release is Don performing "Pomp And Circumstance" as "Adrian Kimberly").

1960-Annette Funicello performs at Radio City Music Hall in New York, missing her high school graduation.

1960-The Drifters record "Save the Last Dance for Me."

1958-Ritchie Valens records "Come On, Let's Go," "Peggy Lee," and "Fever."

1954-Phil Rudd (drummer for AC/DC) is born Phillip Hugh Norman Witschke Rudzevecuis in Melbourne, Australia.

1954-Modernist composer Charles Ives dies of a stroke.

1952-'70s funk singer Barbara Joyce Lomas (of B.T. Express) is born in Bessemer, Alabama.

1949-Dusty Hill (bassist, keyboardist, co-vocalist of ZZ Top) is born Joseph Michael Hill in Dallas, Texas.

1948-Grace Jones is born in Spanish Town, Jamaica.

1948-Music journalist and Crawdaddy magazine founder Paul Williams is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1947-Steve Currie (bass player for T. Rex) is born in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England.

1947-Jerry Hyman (former trombonist of Blood, Sweat & Tears) is born in Brooklyn, New York.

1940-Mickey Newbury, who penned a record-breaking string of hits across four different charts in 1968, including The First Edition's "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," is born in Houston, Texas.





Featured Events

2009-The first episode of the TV series Glee airs, featuring a Glee Club performance of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" that brings the song back to the charts. The Glee version lands at #4 - five spots higher than Journey's original.

1998-Sonny and Cher get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For Sonny, who died January 5, 1998, it's a posthumous honor.

1993-Depeche Mode begin their Devotional tour in Lille, France. They reach new levels of excess on the trek, culminating with lead singer Dave Gahan having a heart attack during a show.More

Billy Ray Cyrus Debuts With #1 Album
1992-Billy Ray Cyrus releases his debut album, Some Gave All, featuring his signature song "Achy Breaky Heart." The album dominates the Billboard 200 chart for 17 consecutive weeks, and the single's music video spawns a line-dancing trend across the US, where a new breed of country music is already becoming a phenomenon. More

1951-Jeffrey Ross Hyman is born in Queens, New York. He forms the Ramones and takes the stage name Joey Ramone. At first, he's the drummer, but he becomes the lead singer when Dee Dee struggles to sing and play bass at the same time.

1945-Pete Townshend of The Who is born in Chiswick, United Kingdom.

1984- "Legend" by Bob Marley and the Wailers debuted at the top of the UK album chart, marking a 12-week run.

1973- Stevie Wonder topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and Madonna scored her eighth No.1 hit with "Vogue."

1979- ABBA's "Voulez-Vous" topped the UK charts, and Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" reached No.1 in the US.

1962- Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to President John F. Kennedy, a performance that became iconic.

1969- The Beatles' "Get Back" was certified Gold by the RIAA, selling over a million copies and hitting No.1 in the U.S.

[Bikkie]

1773
New Zealand's first sheep released
During his second voisit to New Zealand in 1773, James Cook released a ewe and a ram in Queen Charlotte Sound. They survived only a few days – an inauspicious start to this country’s long association with sheep.


1865
Loss of City of Dunedin with all hands
The paddle steamer City of Dunedin left Wellington at around 5 p.m. on Saturday 20 May. It was never heard from again and no trace was ever found of the four dozen people on board.


1870
Pasifika labourers arrive in Auckland
New Zealand received its first known shipload of labourers from the Pacific Islands when the clipper schooner Lulu docked in Waitematā Harbour


1941
German paratroops land on Crete
The Battle for Crete raged for 12 days before the Allies were driven off the island. Casualties were high on both sides. More than 650 New Zealanders were killed and 2000 taken prisoner.



In Music History

2022-Harry Styles releases his third solo album, Harry's House, which debuts at #1 in the US, UK, and many other countries. Hits from the album include "As It Was" and "Late Night Talking."

2018-Hosting the Billboard Music Awards, Kelly Clarkson rejects the planned moment of silence in favor of a "moment of action" for the victims of a school shooting that took place two days earlier in her native Texas.More

2017-At the Palladium in London, The Cranberries play their last show with lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, whose health issues for cancellation of the remaining dates. She dies on January 15, 2018.

2016-Tom Petty's reunited pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch release their second and final album, 2. It's the last album of original material Petty puts out before his death in 2017.

2016-Barenaked Ladies release the live album BNL Rocks Red Rocks, which was recorded on June 10, 2015, at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, during the band's Last Summer On Earth tour. Guests include former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay and Violent Femmes sax player Blaise Garza, who join BNL for a rendition of Hay's 1982 hit "Who Can It Be Now?"

2016-The National release an anthology album of 59 Grateful Dead covers called Day of the Dead, with appearances by Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby, Courtney Barnett and Wayne Coyne. Proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, which helps fight AIDS.

2013-Ray Manzarek (keyboardist for The Doors) dies at age 74 in Rosenheim, Germany, while receiving treatment for a rare form of cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma or bile duct cancer).

2012-Robin Gibb (of Bee Gees) dies from colorectal cancer-related kidney and liver failure at age 62.

2009-Kris Allen wins season 8 of American Idol, defeating Adam Lambert in a surprise victory.

2007-Composer Ben Weisman dies in Los Angeles, age 85. He wrote or co-wrote more songs for Elvis Presley (57!) than anyone else.

2006-Hawthorne, California, dedicates a monument to their famous hometown sons: the three Wilson brothers of The Beach Boys.

2006-Saturday Night Live spoofs Neil Young's latest album, the very political Living With War, reimagining it as I Do Not Agree With Many Of This Administration's Policies.More

2006-The Finnish band Lordi win the Eurovision Song Contest - the first heavy metal band ever to do so.

2003-South Carolina's parole board pardons James Brown of all past offenses committed in the state, even the felonies, spurring James to spontaneously sing "God Bless America" at the conclusion of the hearing.

2003-Lynyrd Skynyrd release Vicious Cycle, their twelfth studio album. It's the last to feature work by bassist Leon Wilkeson, who passed away during recording. Kid Rock appears on the album in a remake of "Gimme Back My Bullets."

1998-Frank Sinatra's funeral takes place in Beverly Hills, which draws 400 invited guests and a slew of onlookers. Tony Bennett, Angie Dickinson, Joey Bishop (the only surviving member of the Rat Pack), Liza Minnelli, Jack Nicholson, Tony Danza and Tom Selleck all show up to pay their respects.

1998-Tommy Lee of Motley Crue is sentenced to six months in jail and three years' probation stemming from an incident three months earlier when he got in a fight with his wife, Pamela Anderson Lee. Goes to jail that evening and serves three months before he is released.

1997-Foo Fighters release their second album, The Colour And The Shape, with the hits "Everlong" and "My Hero." It's their first album with members other than Dave Grohl (Pat Smear on guitar and Nate Mendel on bass).

1995-The Eagles' Don Henley marries his first and only wife, the model Sharon Summerall, in Malibu, with Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Jimmy Buffett, Sheryl Crow, and other celebs attending. At the reception, live music is provided by Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Sting.

1991-The first album from an MTV Unplugged performance is released when Paul McCartney issues Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) in the UK. It is released in America in June.

1985-Jon Pardi is born in Dixon, California. Part of a wave of artists that make good-time country songs with modern production (Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line are others), he breaks through in 2013 with "Up All Night," a song about a truck, a girl and a dirt road.

1981-Rachel Platten is born in New York City. She grows up in Newton, Massachusetts.

1980-The Clash concert in Hamburg, West Germany is plagued by crowd violence. When Joe Strummer smashes one particularly bellicose fan over the head with his guitar, Strummer is arrested, but cleared after a test proves he was not drinking.

1978-Wings' "With A Little Luck" hits #1 in America.

1977-The stage show "Beatlemania" opens at the Winter Garden Theater, New York.

1972-Rapid-fire rapper Busta Rhymes is born Trevor George Smith Jr. in Brooklyn, New York. Chuck D of Public Enemy provides his stage name, which comes from a college football player named George "Buster" Rhymes.

1970-George Harrison meets producer Phil Spector at Abbey Road Studios to play demos of the songs which will appear on his debut album, All Things Must Pass.

1969-Chicago singer Peter Cetera is attacked at a Dodgers-Cubs game at Dodger Stadium. Explaining the incident, Cetera says: "Four marines didn't like a long-haired rock 'n' roller in a baseball park, and of course I was a Cubs fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn't do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days. With my jaw wired together, I actually went on the road, and I was actually singing through my clenched jaw, which, to this day, is still the way I sing."

1968-Pete Townshend of The Who marries Karen Astley (daughter of composer Ted Astley), whom he met at Ealing Art College in London. The couple have three children before separating in the '90s. They divorce in 2009.

1967-The Young Rascals' "Groovin'" hits #1 in America.

1967-George Harrison visits the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for the first time.

1967-After his wife dies in a car accident, 23-year-old Manuel Fernandez (electric organist of Los Bravos) commits suicide.

1966-Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band play their first gig, performing at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco.

1966-When John Entwistle and Keith Moon are late for a Who show at the Rikki Tik club in Newbury, England, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey go on with the opening act as their rhythm section. Entwistle and Moon show up halfway through, and after the show Moon announces that he and Entwistle are leaving to form a duo. All is well a week later when they patch things up.

1966-Gitarist Tom Gorman of Belly is born.

1965-The Rolling Stones debut "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on the American variety show Shindig! They make sure one of their musical heroes, Howlin' Wolf, is also on the show and introduce his performance of "How Many More Years."

1964-The Drifters' lead singer Rudy Lewis is found dead on the morning the group is scheduled to record "Under The Boardwalk." He is replaced by Johnny Moore, who was with a previous incarnation of the group, who sings lead on the song the next day. Lewis' death is widely reported as a drug overdose, although this is never confirmed by a medical authority.

1961-Haircut 100 lead singer Nick Heyward is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.

1959-Susan Cowsill (The Cowsills) is born in Canton, Ohio, the youngest member and only daughter of the Cowsill family.

1958-Jane Wiedlin (rhythm guitarist of The Go-Go's) is born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

1955-Steve George (keyboardist for Mr. Mister) is born in Phoenix, Arizona.

1954-Jimmy Henderson (guitarist for Black Oak Arkansas) is born in Mississippi.

1944-Joe Cocker is born John Robert Cocker in Sheffield, England.

1942-Pop singer Jill Jackson (of Paul & Paula) is born in McCartney, Texas.

1941-Harry James records "You Made Me Love You."

1940-Soul singer Shorty Long, known for the 1968 hit "Here Comes The Judge," is born Frederick Earl Long in Birmingham, Alabama.

1925-Vic Ames, pop singer of the '40s and '50s (The Ames Brothers), is born in Malden, Massachusetts.

1920-Montreal Canada's XWA broadcasts the first scheduled radio program in North America.

1901-Jazz pianist Jimmy Blythe, who composed the seminal boogie-woogie tune "Chicago Stomp," is born in South Keene, Kentucky.

1896-German composer Clara Schumann dies after suffering a stroke at age 76.





Featured Events

2017-Toby Keith performs to an all-male audience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in one of the first concerts in the city since a ban on public performance of music was relaxed after more than 25 years.

2012-Lady Gaga appears on The Simpsons, where she tries to help Lisa improve her social standing in the episode "Lisa Goes Gaga."

1989-Paula Abdul notches her second #1 US hit with "Forever Your Girl," the title track to her debut album. The song is written by Oliver Leiber, son of Jerry Leiber of the Leiber & Stoller songwriting team.

1981-Alice Cooper and his wife Sheryl have their first child, a daughter named Calico. Their next two kids also have creative names: Dash and Sonora.

1967-Because of the line, "I'd love to turn you on," the BBC bans The Beatles song "A Day In The Life," claiming it may promote drug use.

1954-Bill Haley and His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" is released for the first time. It stalls on the charts, but becomes a hit a year later when it is used in the movie Blackboard Jungle.

1946-Cher is born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, California. She first records as "Bonnie Jo Mason," and then "Cherilyn." Teaming up with Sonny Bono in 1964, they record as "Caesar and Cleo," before changing it to "Sonny and Cher" the next year. When they hit it big with "I Got You Babe," she sticks with Cher.

[Bikkie]

1840
Hobson proclaims British sovereignty over New Zealand
Lieutenant-Governor William Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over all of New Zealand – the North Island on the basis of cession through the Treaty of Waitangi, and South and Stewart Islands by right of discovery.



In Music History

2021-Olivia Rodrigo releases her debut album, Sour, which includes her debut single, "Drivers License," and also the hits "Deja Vu," "Good 4 U," and "Brutal."

2021-J. Cole suits up to play for the Patriots Basketball Club of the Rwandan African league. He scores three points in his debut.

2018-The Hootie & the Blowfish album Cracked Rear View is certified for selling 21 million copies in America, overtaking Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction as the top-selling debut album of all-time in that country.

2015-Louis Johnson of The Brothers Johnson dies at 60. In addition to his work with the group, he also played bass on many sessions for other artists; that's him on Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Billie Jean."

2010-The Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin falls off a 20-foot cliff while hiking near San Francisco, mangling her knees and forcing the band to cancel their upcoming reunion tour.

2008-David Cook seems shocked to become the Season 7 winner of American Idol, beating 17-year-old David Archuleta. Cook got 56% of the record 97.5 million votes.

2008-Lou Pearlman, manager of Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, is sentenced to 25 years in prison on four federal charges: two counts of conspiracy, money laundering and using false statements in a bankruptcy proceeding.

2005-Nine Inch Nails' fourth album, With Teeth, becomes the industrial rock band's second consecutive studio effort to debut at #1. Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl plays drums on six tracks and percussion on one other. The album also is NIN's first release to feature future member Atticus Ross.

2003-Ruben Studdard wins Season 2 of American Idol, beating out Clay Aiken.

2003-Ike Turner is refused entry into Japan because of a past drug conviction.

2002-Little Big Town release their disastrous self-titled debut through Sony's Monument Records. Although the album produces a couple minor hits on the Country chart, the group is denigrated by critics as a fake country band, devoid of substance. LBT proves them wrong with their acclaimed 2005 album, The Road to Here.

2001-Josh Groban's career takes off after he appears on the Season 4 finale of Ally McBeal as a jilted teenager.More

2000-Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots marries the model Mary Forsberg. It's his second marriage, and this one is low-key, taking place at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Celebrity guests include Weiland's bandmates and Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers.

1996-Soundgarden's fifth album, Down On The Upside, is released. It debuts at #2 in America, behind Fugees' The Score.

1993-Sliver, starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin, is released in the US. The movie is panned by critics, but its prominent use of UB40's cover of the Elvis Presley original "Can't Help Falling in Love" helps give the band their second #1 hit in the States. The song was originally released as the first single from their 1993 album, Promises and Lies.

1988-"Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses" by Kathy Mattea hits #1 on the Country chart. It's the second chart-topper from her fourth album, Untasted Honey, following "Goin' Gone."

198-3"Little Red Corvette" goes to #6 in the US, giving Prince his first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100. The video is one of the first by a black artist to go in hot rotation on MTV.

1983-Michael McDonald marries the singer Amy Holland; they met when he produced her debut album in 1980. The marriage endures and they have two children together: son Dylan and daughter Scarlett.

1983-David Bowie's "Let's Dance" hits #1 on the US chart.

1981-Reggae star Bob Marley is buried with state honors in St. Ann's, Jamaica.

1979-Time magazine runs a story on Rickie Lee Jones titled "The Duchess of Coolsville," a reference to the song "Coolsville" on her debut album. The moniker sticks.

1979-Elton John becomes the first western act to tour the U.S.S.R. when he plays the first of eight concerts at a show in Leningrad.

1977-Stevie Wonder hits #1 in America with "Sir Duke," a tribute to Duke Ellington, who died in 1974.

1976-Blue Öyster Cult release their most popular album, Agents Of Fortune. Thanks to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," it sells over a million copies in America.

1975-After a show in Knoxville, Tennessee, Alice Cooper leaves one of his stage props, a 13-foot boa constrictor, in the hotel bathroom, where it escapes down the toilet. The snake shows up two weeks later in a room occupied by country singer Charley Pride; Cooper learns to put the lid down.

1972-The Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie Smalls, is born Christopher George Latore Wallace in Brooklyn, New York. He releases just one solo album before he is murdered in 1997, but leaves a legacy as one of the most creative and distinctive rappers of his time.

1970-At the Record Plant in Los Angeles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young record "Ohio," a song Neil Young wrote about the Kent State Shootings from two weeks earlier.

1964-The Drifters record "Under The Boardwalk" the day after their lead singer, Rudy Lewis, is found dead. He is replaced by former member Johnny Moore.

1962-Dee Dee Sharp records "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)."

1957-Paul Anka records "Diana."

1955-Stan Lynch (original drummer for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1955-Chuck Berry records his first single, "Maybellene," at Chess Records in Chicago.

1948-Leo Sayer is born Gerard Hugh Sayer in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England.

1947-Bill Champlin (keyboardist, guitarist for Chicago) is born in Oakland, California.

1944-Marcie Blane, known for the '60s pop hit "Bobby's Girl," is born Marcia Blank in Brooklyn, New York.

1943-Vincent Crane is born in Reading, England. As a member of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, he co-writes "Fire," and later joins Atomic Rooster.

1943-Hilton Valentine (original guitarist for The Animals) is born in North Shields, Northumberland, England.

1941-Ronald Isley (of The Isley Brothers) is born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1904-Fats Waller is born Thomas Waller in New York City.
Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay1965
Ten years into the Rock Era, it looks like it's here to stay. Time magazine reports on the rock revival with the cover story, "Rock 'n' Roll: The Sound of the Sixties."




Featured Events

2016-Following the release of his album Views, Drake places a record 20 songs on the Hot 100, besting Justin Bieber's mark of 17 on December 5, 2015.

Country Hit "I Swear" Tops The Hot 100 In R&B Rendition
1994-R&B vocal group All-4-One hits #1 on the Hot 100 with "I Swear," a cover of a country song by John Michael Montgomery. The group is playing gigs at Disneyland when the song tops the chart; it stays at #1 for 11 weeks.More

1992-Bette Midler is Johnny Carson's last guest on The Tonight Show (his final show, the following night, has no guests). She serenades him with "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)."

1992-MTV airs the first episode of The Real World, which gets huge ratings and begins a shift in programming away from music videos. It also encourages other networks to try this "Reality TV" thing.

1986-Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini kick off the Raising Hell tour with a show in Columbus, Georgia. All three acts are from New York City; the tour, which stops in places like Saginaw, Michigan, and Jacksonville, Florida, affirms that rap is finding a much wider audience.

ZZ Top Rule MTV With Babes And A Classic Car
1983-ZZ Top release their video for "Gimme All Your Lovin'," marking the first appearance of the Eliminator, Billy Gibbons' 1933 Ford Hot Rod. The car appears in three other ZZ Top videos and becomes closely associated with the band. Gibbons has another one built just like it to bring on tour.More

1977-Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album takes over the #1 spot in the US from the Eagles' Hotel California.




Key Album Releases

Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (1971): Released on May 21, this 11th studio album is celebrated as one of the greatest albums of all time. It marked a turning point in Gaye’s career, blending social commentary on inequality and introspective lyricism. The album produced hits like “What’s Going On,” “Mercy Mercy Me,” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” and remained on the Billboard 200 for over a year.

Paul McCartney – Ram (1971): Released on the same day, this album showcased McCartney’s post-Beatles experimentation and songwriting.

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977): Returned to No.1 on the US Billboard 200 for an eight-week stint, solidifying its status as a classic rock milestone.




Notable Singles

Chuck Berry – “Maybellene” (1955): Recorded on May 21, this debut single is considered one of the first rock ‘n’ roll songs, topping the Billboard R&B chart and reaching No.5 on the Pop chart.

Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (1977): Began a three-week run at No.1 in the US, paying tribute to Duke Ellington and other musical influences.

Rod Stewart – “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” / “The First Cut Is the Deepest” (1977): Reached No.1 on the UK Singles chart for four consecutive weeks.

Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (2011): Achieved her first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the best-selling digital song by a female artist in the US.




Historic Performances and Milestones

The Castiles (Bruce Springsteen) (1960s): Performed at Freehold Regional High School for the first time, marking the early career of Springsteen.

The Beatles (1960s): Recorded BBC radio programs at the Playhouse Theatre in London, contributing to their early broadcast legacy.

Elton John (1979): Became the first mainstream Western artist to tour the USSR, performing eight concerts in Leningrad.




Other Significant Events

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Ohio” (1970): Recorded in response to the Kent State shootings, the protest anthem highlighted the Vietnam War era tensions.

Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) (1968): Appeared in court for marijuana possession, reflecting the era’s intersection of music and counterculture.

Leontyne Price (1960): Became the first African American to sing the lead at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in Aida, a milestone in classical music history.

[Bikkie]

1884
First New Zealand rugby team in action
The first representative New Zealand rugby team played its first match, defeating a Wellington XV 9-0 before embarking on a tour of New South Wales.


1995
Waikato-Tainui sign Deed of Settlement with the Crown
Waikato–Tainui was the first iwi to reach a Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Crown for injustices that went back to the 1860s. The Deed of Settlement included cash and land valued at a total of $170 million.



In Music History

2019-ABC airs live remakes of All in the Family and The Jeffersons, two shows with iconic theme songs. Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei (as Archie and Edith Bunker) sing "Those Were The Days," the All in the Family theme; Jennifer Hudson does "Movin' On Up," The Jeffersons theme.More

2016-Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper becomes the first streaming-only entry on Billboard's albums chart when it debuts at #8.

2015-Jana Kramer marries former NFL player Mike Caussin.

2011-Donald Trump names John Rich of Big & Rich winner of The Celebrity Apprentice, Season 11.

2011-Joseph Brooks, who wrote the title hit to the 1977 film You Light Up My Life, commits suicide at age 73 while awaiting a rape trial. He was accused of committing a series of rapes by luring aspiring actresses to his apartment under the guise of conducting movie auditions.

2010-Alanis Morissette marries the rapper Souleye (Mario Treadway). They have their first child seven months later.

2009-Meg White marries guitarist Jackson Smith, son of Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith, in the backyard of her former husband (and White Stripes bandmate), Jack White, in Nashville. The ceremony is a double wedding, with the Raconteurs' Jack Lawrence marrying his photographer girlfriend Jo McCaughey.

2007-Joey Fatone of 'N Sync comes in second to Apolo Anton Ohno on Dancing With The Stars.

2004-After 12 weeks at #1, Usher's "Yeah!" is knocked off by his next single, "Burn," which spends another eight weeks at the top.

2000-Aaron Tippin releases "Kiss This," his third and final #1 hit on the country chart.

1996-Mission: Impossible, starring Tom Cruise as superspy Ethan Hunt, debuts in theaters. A reboot of the classic '60s TV series, it features a hit electronic reimagining of Lalo Schifrin's iconic "Burning Fuse" theme from U2's Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.

1976-"Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney & Wings goes to #1 in America, where it stays for five weeks.

1972-The Guess Who record their Live At The Paramount album in Seattle, Washington.

1968-Cream's Disraeli Gears is certified gold.

1967-Dan Roberts (bass guitarist for Crash Test Dummies) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1967-Florence Ballard makes her last appearance with The Supremes when the group performs on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

1966-Johnny Gill is born in Washington, DC. He joins New Edition in 1987, replacing Bobby Brown, and has a solo hits in 1990 with "Rub You the Right Way" and "My, My, My."

1966-Bruce Springsteen releases his first recording, "That's What You Get" by his group, The Castiles.

1965-Two months before The Beatles' famous concert at Shea Stadium, The Rolling Stones play a much smaller stadium: Ratcliffe Stadium in Fresno, California, with opening act The Byrds. Attendance is about 4,000, a fraction of the 56,000 who see The Beatles at Shea.

1965-"Ticket To Ride" becomes The Beatles' eighth #1 US single.

1962-Jesse Valenzuela (original vocalist, then guitarist for Gin Blossoms) is born.

1961-Ernie K-Doe's "Mother-in-Law," written by Allen Toussaint, hits #1 in America.

1959-Morrissey is born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Davyhulme, Lancashire, England. From 1982-1987 he fronts The Smiths, earning a reputation for gloom with songs like "How Soon Is Now?" and "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now." His solo career continues that theme and is even more successful as he extends his fanbase to America.

1958-Jerry Lee Lewis arrives in London for a tour. When a reporter for the Daily Mail notices a young girl in the entourage, he asks her who she is. "I'm Jerry Lee's wife," she replies, revealing their taboo union. Word spreads that Lewis has married his 13-year-old second cousin, Myra Gale Brown, tanking the tour and sending him back home to America a pariah.

1955-John Grimaldi (guitarist for Argent) is born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England.

1955-Police cancel a Fats Domino show at the Ritz ballroom in Bridgeport, Connecticut, fearing his music will lead to a riot.

1955-Jerry Dammers (keyboardist for The Specials) is born in Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India.

1954-Robert Zimmerman, later known as Bob Dylan, has his bar mitzvah in Hibbing, Minnesota.

1930-Jazz bandleader/trumpeter Kenny Ball is born in Ilford, Essex, England.

1813-Richard Wagner is born in Leipzig, Germany.






Featured Events

Rocketman Tells Elton John's Life Story
2019-The biographical film Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton as Elton John, debuts in US theaters.

2017-Minutes after an Ariana Grande concert ends at the Manchester Arena in England, a suicide bomber detonates a device, killing 22 and injuring at least 60 others in an act of terrorism.

Cher Calls Letterman an A-Hole
1986-Cher, making her first appearance on David Letterman's show, tells him why she declined the many invitations to come on before: Because she thought he was an "a--hole."

1967-The Monkees release Headquarters, proving they're more than a group of actors who just play a band on TV. Although it's their third album, it's the first that allows them creative control over songwriting and performing without relying on session musicians. The album goes to #1 on the Billboard 200.

1950-Bernie Taupin is born in Lincolnshire, England. He becomes Elton John's lyricist, and also co-writes #1 hits for two other acts: "These Dreams" for Heart and "We Built This City" for Starship.




Key Events in Music History on May 22

1976 - Paul McCartney and Wings: The band began a five-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with "Silly Love Songs," marking McCartney's fifth No. 1 as a solo artist. This song became the biggest hit of the year in the US and solidified his record for the most No. 1 singles by a songwriter.

1971 - The Rolling Stones: Their album "Sticky Fingers" hit number one on the US charts. This album is celebrated for its innovative cover art by Andy Warhol and includes classic tracks like "Brown Sugar" and "Wild Horses".

1993 - Ace of Base: The Swedish pop group scored their first No. 1 hit in the UK with "All That She Wants," which also topped charts in over ten countries.

1966 - Bruce Springsteen: At just 16 years old, he began his songwriting career, co-writing songs for his band, The Castiles, during a trip to a recording studio.

1836 - Felix Mendelssohn: The premiere of his oratorio "St. Paul" took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, marking an important moment in classical music history.

2017 - Billboard Music Awards: Drake set a record by winning 13 awards, surpassing Adele's previous record of 12 wins.

Birthdays: Notable musicians born on May 22 include Bernie Taupin, the primary lyricist for Elton John, who was born in 1950.

[Bikkie]

1430 – Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians, who sell her to the English.

1455 – Battle of St Albans is fought in Britain's War of the Roses.

1533 – Marriage of England's King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void.

1785 – In a letter to a friend, Benjamin Franklin reveals his invention of spectacles of two thicknesses, the first bifocals.

1797 – During a financial crisis, a cartoon by James Gilray appears depicting the Bank of England as a haggard old woman. This is generally thought to be the origin of the bank's nickname The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.

1868 – Kit Carson, American frontiersman and soldier who contributed greatly to the westward expansion of the US, dies.

1901 – Gaetano Brecci, assassin of King Umberto of Italy, commits suicide.

1926 – Lebanon is proclaimed a republic by France.

1934 – Aviatrix Jean Batten arrives in Darwin in a DH-60M Moth, setting a women's record for England-Australia flights of 14 days 23 hours 25 minutes; US outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed in a police ambush in Louisiana.

1937 – John D Rockefeller, US multimillionaire and founder of the Standard Oil Company, dies.

1945 – Nazi SS Chief Heinrich Himmler commits suicide while imprisoned in Luneburg, Germany.

1951 – China formally annexes Tibet.

1993 – More than 1.5 million Cambodians ignore Khmer Rouge threats and vote in the country's first free elections in more than two decades.

1995 – Israel suspends plans to confiscate Arab land in east Jerusalem, acknowledging that it can no longer act at will to strengthen the Jewish hold on the city.

2002 – A heatwave strikes India and kills 1030 people, mainly in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Temperatures reached a record 51 degrees celsius.

2009 – Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, 62, leaps to his death amid a widening corruption scandal.

2011 – A dense ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano blows towards Scotland, causing airlines to cancel flights, forcing US President Barack Obama to shorten a visit to Ireland, and raising fears of a repeat of last year's huge travel disruptions in Europe that stranded millions of passengers.

2015 – John Forbes Nash Jr, 86, a mathematical genius whose struggle with schizophrenia was chronicled in the movie A Beautiful Mind, dies in a car crash in New Jersey.



In Music History

2024-Sean Kingston, known for his 2007 #1 hit "Beautiful Girls," is arrested, charged along with his mother with wire fraud in a scheme where they bought luxury goods like jewelry and a Cadillac Escalade but didn't actually pay for them, using Kingston's celebrity status to gain trust. On March 28, 2025 they're both found guilty of all charges.

2021-Chayce Beckham wins season 19 of American Idol. He's the first winner with a coronation song he wrote himself: "23," which details his battle with alcoholism.

2021-Drake wins Artist of the Decade at the Billboard Music Awards.

2015-Australia makes its inaugural entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, which is held in Vienna, Austria. The country is represented by singer and songwriter Guy Sebastian. Their invitation to compete follows a successful guest appearance from Jessica Mauboy in 2014. Sebastian finishes fifth, with the win going to Sweden's Måns Zelmerlöw.

2014-Malik Bendjelloul, who directed the Sixto Rodriguez documentary Searching For Sugar Man, commits suicide at age 36.

2012-Billboard reports that the albums of Donna Summer increase in sales by a factor of over 3000% in the week following her death on May 17 after a battle with cancer.

2011-Lady Gaga, a huge and still-rising star thanks to hits like "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," releases another hit-packed album: Born This Way. The title track becomes an anthem of inclusivity and one of her signature songs.

2008-Shirley Bassey suffers from abdominal pains in Monaco, necessitating emergency surgery and forcing her to cancel her upcoming appearance at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert.

2008-Veteran rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters receives a full pardon from New York's Governor David Paterson for the attempted murders of two men in 1991, ending a long legal saga.

2006-Clifford Antone, a blues club owner and independent record label founder who mentored the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Gary Clark Jr., dies at age 56 of a possible heart attack.

2006-Jordin Sparks wins Season 6 of American Idol.

2000-Billy Corgan announces that The Smashing Pumpkins will break up at the end of the year, saying they are tired of "fighting the good fight against the Britneys of the world."

2000-Coldplay shoot the video for "Yellow" on a beach in Studland Bay, Dorset, England. The 30 or so extras are sent home because it's too cold and wet to execute the "beach party" vibe envisioned, so lead singer Chris Martin just walks around singing the song in one take. It's basic, but very effective, becoming a classic video.

"Bad Habit" Singer Steve Lacy Is Born
1998-Steve Lacy is born in Compton, California. The neo-soul singer begins his music career as a guitarist in the alternative R&B band the Internet before going solo with his debut EP, Steve Lacy's Demo, in 2017.More

1996-The video for Metallica's "Until It Sleeps" debuts, showing the band with short hair for the first time.

1994-Jimmy Fernandez (bassist for The God Machine) dies suddenly of a brain tumor at age 28.

1992-Totally Krossed Out by the teenage rap duo Kriss Kross hits #1 in the US. Produced by Jermaine Dupri, the title is a reference to how they wear their clothes: backwards in a look they call "krossed out."

1987-The Doobie Brothers reunite with original members, including singer/guitarist Tom Johnston, for a Vietnam Veterans benefit at the Hollywood Bowl. The show leads to a series of reunion concerts over the next month, and a full-on reunion tour in 1989.

1985-It's Aretha Franklin Appreciation Day in Michigan, as Governor James Blanchard declares the singer "One of Michigan's natural resources."

1985-Hall & Oates perform with Temptations Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin at the re-opened Apollo Theatre in Harlem. The concert is later released as Live At The Apollo.

1979-The Third Barry Manilow Special airs on ABC. A mix of music and comedy, it includes an appearance by John Denver, who commiserates with Manilow on how critics can't stand them despite their legions of fans.

1979-The Who's acclaimed documentary The Kids Are Alright debuts in New York City.

1979-Sister Sledge's We Are Family is certified Platinum.

1978-Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band begin their "Darkness Tour" at Shea's Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York.

1977-When San Francisco outlaws "electronic instruments" in public, a free Jefferson Airplane concert in Golden Gate Park is canceled.

1975-Jackie "Moms" Mabley, vaudeville star and standup comedian who appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, dies of heart failure at age 81. At age 75, she became the oldest living person to have a Top 40 hit with her 1969 cover of Dion's "Abraham, Martin and John."

1973-Neo-soul singer Maxwell is born Gerald Maxwell Rivera in Brooklyn, New York.

1973-Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson, debuts in theaters. In addition to scoring and writing songs for the film, Bob Dylan makes his acting debut as a knife-wielding stranger named Alias. His acting is derided, but he lands a hit with "Knockin' On Heaven's Door."

1971-Iron Butterfly breaks up.

1970-Grateful Dead play outside North America for the first time, doing a 4-hour set at the Hollywood Music Festival in England. Mungo Jerry and Steppenwolf are also on the bill.

1970-Paul McCartney's first solo album, the back-to-basics McCartney, hits #1 in America even though it contains no singles.

1967-Phil Selway (drummer for Radiohead) is born in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.

1967-Bobby Darin's film Cop-Out, also known as Stranger In The House, debuts in the UK.

1966-After a few months honing their act at the Los Angeles club The London Fog, The Doors play the Whisky a Go Go for the first time, where they become the house band. Their Whisky run gets them lots of exposure and leads to them signing a contract with Elektra Records.

1964-Ella Fitzgerald's cover of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" enters the UK chart, making her the first outside artist to have a hit with a Beatles song.

1964-Elvis Presley's ninth film, Follow That Dream, opens.

1963-Paul Revere and the Raiders sign their first major label contract with Columbia Records.

1960-The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks. In the UK, it has been at #1 since May 11, making it the first song to top both charts at the same time.

1953-Rick Fenn (guitarist for 10cc) is born in England.

1952-Rock guitarist Jim Mankey (of Concrete Blonde) is born in Washington.

1947-Bill Hunt (keyboardist and horn player for Electric Light Orchestra) is born in Birmingham, England.

1946-Ruth Komanoff, the future Ruth Underwood, is born. The percussionist becomes known for her work with Frank Zappa.

1946-Danny Klein (bassist for The J. Geils Band) is born in The Bronx, New York City.

1945-Country singer Misty Morgan is born in Buffalo, New York.

1944-Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (drummer for Parliament, Funkadelic) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1941-"General" Norman Johnson (frontman for Chairmen of the Board) is born in Norfolk, Virginia.

1934-Dr. Robert Moog, engineer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer, is born in New York City.

1928-Rosemary Clooney is born in Maysville, Kentucky.

1910-Jazz clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw is born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City.





2010-Bret Michaels of Poison wins Season 9 of Donald Trump's show The Celebrity Apprentice.

2008-Weezer's video for "Pork and Beans," featuring a number of YouTube stars, makes its debut.More

2007-The US Library of Congress hands out the first Gershwin Award to Paul Simon for being a "performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins."

2006-Dixie Chicks release Taking the Long Way, their seventh studio album. It goes on to win five Grammy Awards.

2000-A Perfect Circle release their debut album, Mer de Noms. In addition to Maynard James Keenan of Tool, the group features guitarist Billy Howerdel and drummer Josh Freese, who had been working on the Chinese Democracy album for Guns N' Roses. Mer de Noms racks up worldwide sales of well over 2 million; Chinese Democracy doesn't appear until 2008.

Country Singers Release Dueling Versions Of "How Do I Live"
1997-Country singers LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood release separate versions of the Diane Warren-penned ballad "How Do I Live" on the same day.More

1979-Responding to a wave of lawsuits after refusing to transfer his contract to MCA Records, Tom Petty files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a bold move that halts the legal proceedings and forces MCA to negotiate.More

1974-Jewel Kilcher is born in Payson, Utah. Raised in Homer, Alaska, she rises to fame using just the name Jewel. Her debut album, Pieces Of You, released in 1995 when she's 20, catches on a year later thanks to the hits "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant For Me." It sells over 12 million copies and moves Jewel into the upper echelon of singer-songwriters.



Key Album Releases and Chart Milestones

In 2000, Eminem released his third album, The Marshall Mathers LP, which became one of the fastest-selling albums in the U.S., debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and producing hits like “The Real Slim Shady” and “Stan”.

On May 23, 1970, Paul McCartney’s solo debut album, McCartney, began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard 200, featuring the enduring hit “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

Elton John released Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy on May 23, 1975, which achieved immediate commercial success, topping charts in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

In 1981, the Dutch studio group Stars on 45 began a five-week stint at number one in the UK with their Long Play Album, a medley of Beatles songs.

1969-The Who release their album Tommy, a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who plays a mean pinball.



Historic Singles and Chart-Toppers

1960- The Everly Brothers’ “Cathy’s Clown” began a five-week run at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles chart for seven weeks.

1964- Ella Fitzgerald became the first artist to chart in the UK with a Beatles cover when her version of “Can’t Buy Me Love” reached number 34.



Notable Concerts and Events

1970- The Grateful Dead made their first international live appearance at the Hollywood Rock Festival in England, sharing the stage with Black Sabbath, Traffic, and Free.

1971- Rock band Iron Butterfly played their final show before breaking up, later reuniting in 1974.

1976- Bob Dylan performed at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado, during his Rolling Thunder Revue tour; the concert was later released as the live album Hard Rain.




Births of Influential Musicians

Luka Bloom (Irish folk singer, 70), Philip Selway (Radiohead drummer, 58), Mindi Abair (session saxophonist, 56), Matt Flynn (Maroon 5 drummer, 55), Jewel (singer-songwriter, 51), Scott Raynor (blink-182 drummer, 44), Gwenno Saunders (Pipettes vocalist, 44), Tristan Prettyman (42), Heidi Range (ex-Sugababes vocalist, 42), and Sarah Jarosz (mandolinist and singer-songwriter, 34) were all born on May 23.

Historical figures include jazz trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton (1921), Foggy Mountain Boys singer Mac Wiseman (1925), and electronic music pioneer Robert Moog (1934),.




Classical and Musical Theatre Highlights

1814- Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, premiered at the Kärntertor Theatre in Vienna.

1826- Mozart’s Don Giovanni was performed in America for the first time at the Park Theater in New York City, with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte in attendance.

1921- Shuffle Along, the first all-black musical in the U.S., opened on Broadway.

[Bikkie]

1854
Parliament's first sitting in Auckland
It started with a bang – 21 in fact, fired from the guns at Auckland’s Fort Britomart. Once the smoke cleared, New Zealand’s first Parliament was in business.


1943
Turning point in Battle of the Atlantic
In the Battle of the Atlantic, one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War, 24 May 1943 was a crucial date. Thousands of New Zealanders took part in this long and bitter struggle.



1968
Three die in Īnangahua earthquake
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake centred near Īnangahua Junction, 40 km east of Westport, struck at 5.24 a.m., shaking many people from their beds.



In Music History

2024-Twenty One Pilots release Clancy, the concluding chapter of a narrative that began with Blurryface in 2015. The album tells the story of Clancy, a character frontman Tyler Joseph uses as a vehicle to explore depression, anxiety, and addiction, complete with subplots involving mind control, evil bishops, and an oppressive city called Dema that serves as a metaphor for mental illness.

2023-Tina Turner dies at 83 after a long illness.

2016-Gord Downie, lead singer of The Tragically Hip, announces that he has a terminal brain cancer called glioblastoma. Downie, who was diagnosed in December and has been going through treatment, does one last tour with the band, closing with a show in his hometown of Kingston, Ontario, on August 21.

2013-Ed Shaughnessy (drummer for Johnny Carson's Tonight Show Band on NBC) dies of a heart attack at age 84.

2012-Billboard announces that Lionel Richie's Tuskegee is the second-best-selling album of the year so far in 2012, right behind Adele's 21. It's notable that the soul/R&B singer and Motown alumnus began his career in 1967, and is still connecting with modern audiences a full five decades later.

2010-At a Lamb of God concert in Prague, lead singer Randy Blythe pushes an encroaching fan off the stage. The man falls backward, hits his head, and dies two weeks later from the injury. Blythe doesn't know that the fan is seriously injured, and isn't aware of it when Czech authorities issue a warrant for his arrest. When the band returns to play a show in 2012, police detain Blythe and hold him in prison for five weeks. He later stands trail and is cleared of the charges.

2010-Slipknot bass player Paul Gray, one of the group's founders, dies at age 38 from an accidental overdose in his Iowa hotel room. The band's next album, .5: The Gray Chapter (2014), is filled with songs about coming to terms with his death.

2009-Former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett dies in his sleep from an accidental overdose of a prescription painkiller at age 45.

2008-Forty-two years after releasing his first album, Neil Diamond scores his first #1 when Home Before Dark tops the albums chart.

2004-An auction of Bruce Springsteen's birth certificate on eBay is shut down by the Boss's legal team.

2003-Paul McCartney sits down for tea with Russian premier Vladimir Putin, then heads to Red Square for his very first performance behind the Iron Curtain, for an audience of 20,000.

1991-Gene Clark (tambourine player for The Byrds), suffering from a bleeding ulcer, dies at age 46 after years of drug and alcohol abuse.

Madonna Puts Her Life On Display In Truth Or Dare
1991
After a limited release in major cities (starting with Los Angeles), Madonna's groundbreaking, highly revealing concert documentary Truth or Dare opens in theaters.

1988-Country singer Billy Gilman, known for his hit debut "One Voice" at just 11 years old, is born in Westerly, Rhode Island.

1986-Garth Brooks marries his college sweetheart, Sandy Mahl. They'll welcome three daughters before their divorce in 2001.

1986-The Monkees, minus Mike Nesmith, begin their 145-date "20th Anniversary World Tour" at the Concord Hotel in the Catskill Mountains. The group has risen in popularity thanks to MTV, which started airing old episodes of their TV show.

1982-Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Boz Scaggs, and Country Joe & the Fish play a benefit concert for Vietnam vets at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

1982-The 11-minute film The Cooler, staring Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, is screened in the Short Film category at the Cannes Film Festival.

1979-The three remaining members of Genesis give the fans a thrill by manning the box office and selling their own tickets to the upcoming show at the Roxy in Los Angeles.

1977-At Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, Emerson, Lake & Palmer begin an extravagant, 11-month tour with a 70-piece orchestra, 63 roadies, a choir and a karate instructor for drummer Carl Palmer. The tour is a stunning spectacle, but a financial disaster.

1977-Marc Bolan plays his last show with T. Rex. The concert takes place at Gröna Lund in Stockholm, Sweden, with Bolan the only original member of the band at that point. The singer would die in an auto accident on September 16 that year.

1975-On his 34th birthday, Bob Dylan attends the annual Romani celebration of their patron saint Sarah the Black in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France. The experience inspires the song "One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)."

1975-Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," a song celebrating the band's credo of clean living and spiritual health, hits #1 in America.

1974-NBC-TV's wildly successful variety show The Dean Martin Show signs off after nine years.

1974-Duke Ellington dies of lung cancer at age 75.

1969-The Beatles' "Get Back," featuring piano from Billy Preston, hits #1 in America.

1969-The Guess Who make their debut on American television, singing "These Eyes" and "Laughing" on American Bandstand.

1969-Rich Robinson (guitarist for The Black Crowes) is born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1967-Rapper Heavy D is born Dwight Errington Myers in Mandeville, Middlesex, Jamaica.

1966-Elvis Presley begins filming his 20th film, Frankie And Johnny, in Hollywood.

1965-Sonny Boy Williamson, a blues musician known for writing songs like "Bring It On Home" and "Help Me," dies. His age is uncertain, possibly 52.

1963-Blues guitarist Elmore James dies of a heart attack at age 45.

1956-Larry Blackmon (frontman for Cameo) is born in New York City.

1955-Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, welcome their daughter, Rosanne Cash. She grows up to be a country singer like her dad.

1952-Doris Day's "A Guy Is A Guy" hits #1.

1947-Blue Öyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard is born in Watertown, New York.

1947-Cynthia "Plaster" Caster, an artist known for her plaster casts of celebrities' genitalia and breasts, is born Cynthia Albritton in Chicago, Illinois. Her work inspires the 2001 documentary Plaster Caster.

1946-Steve Upton (original drummer for Wishbone Ash) is born in Wrexham, Wales, but will be raised in Exeter, Devon, England.

1945-Priscilla Presley is born Priscilla Ann Wagner in Brooklyn, New York. At age 14, she'll meet future husband Elvis Presley in Germany while he's serving in the US Army.

1944-Patti LaBelle is born Patricia Louise Holt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She leads the vocal group Patti LaBelle And The Blue Belles, which evolves into the R&B trio Labelle of "Lady Marmalade" fame. Her solo career takes off in the '80s with hit singles like "New Attitude" and "On My Own."

1942-Derek Quinn (guitarist, harmonica player for Freddie & the Dreamers) is born in Manchester, England.

1938-Comedian Tommy Chong (of Cheech & Chong) is born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

1938-Ska pioneer Prince Buster is born Cecil Bustamente Campbell in Orange Street, Jamaica. He earns his nickname for his boxing prowess.

1930-A-fter taking off from Croydon, London, on May 5, the British aviator Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Australia, inspiring the songs "Amy" (by Horatio Nicholls) and "Flying Sorcery" (by Al Stewart).





Featured Events

2006-Taylor Hicks wins Season 5 of American Idol, defeating Katharine McPhee.

2000-50 Cent is shot nine times while in the backseat of a parked car. He lives, but is dropped by his label, Columbia. Moving to G-Unit, he becomes a superstar a few years later, with the shooting front and center on his bio.

1997-The Spice Girls album Spice hits #1 in the US, making them the first British act to reach #1 in the US with their debut album.

Hanson Hit #1 with "MMMbop"
1997-Hanson land a #1 hit with their debut single, "MMMbop," one of the most insidious earworms in music history.More

1941-Bob Dylan is born Robert Allen Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota. He moves to New York City in 1961, where he becomes the breakout star of the Greenwich Village folk scene, known for intricate, incisive, and often mysterious lyrics that are examined in great detail throughout his career. We're still trying to make sense of "Desolation Row."



Key Events

1956 – First Eurovision Song Contest held in Lugano, Switzerland; Lys Assia wins with “Refrain”.

1974 – David Bowie releases Diamond Dogs, topping UK and Canadian charts.

1975 – Earth, Wind & Fire hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Shining Star”.

1969 – The Beatles’ “Get Back” begins a five‑week run at No.1 in the US.

1962 – Elvis Presley tops the UK Singles Chart with “Good Luck Charm”.

1968 – Rolling Stones release “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, a major international hit.

1803 – Beethoven performs with violinist George Bridgewater in Vienna.




Notable Birthdays

Bob Dylan (1941) – Influential singer‑songwriter.

Patti LaBelle (1944) – Soul and R&B icon.

Rosanne Cash (1955) – Country singer‑songwriter.



Additional Highlights

1997 – Spice Girls’ debut Spice becomes their first US No.1 album.

1970 – Peter Green’s final show with Fleetwood Mac at the Bath Festival.

1963 – Barbra Streisand performs at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

[Bikkie]

1861
The Christchurch Press goes to press
Published from a cottage in Montreal Street, the first edition was a six-page tabloid which sold for sixpence.


1978
Bastion Point protesters evicted
Police and army personal removed 222 people from Bastion Point, Auckland, ending an occupation that had begun in January 1977. Ngāti Whātua were protesting against the loss of land in the Ōrakei Block, which had once been declared ‘absolutely inalienable’.


1992
First episode of Shortland Street goes to air
Shortland Street is New Zealand’s longest-running television drama series


2008
Scott Dixon wins Indianapolis 500
Dixon's victory at the Brickyard in 2008, the first Indianapolis 500 win by a New Zealander, helped him secure his second Indy Racing League championship.



In Music History

2014-Two members of the Japanese girl group AKB48, along with a staff member, are attacked by a saw-wielding maniac during a meet-the-fans event. The victims are treated for cuts and fractures while the suspect is arrested for attempted murder.

2013-Marshall Lytle (bassist for Bill Haley) dies of lung cancer at age 79.

2013-Clarence Burke Jr. (lead singer of The Five Stairsteps) dies at his home in Marietta, Georgia, from an undisclosed cause at age 64.

2012-At a concert in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson interrupts a performance of "Stupid Girl" to call out a guy in the crowd who's being abusive. "Dude, never hit a woman," she tells him.

2011-Seventeen-year-old Scotty McCreery becomes the youngest male winner of American Idol when he's crowned champion of the show's 10th season. Shortly after, the "I Love You This Big" singer releases his debut album, Clear As Day, which goes to #1 on the Country chart and the all-genre Billboard 200.

2011-Judas Priest perform "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking the Law" on American Idol with contestant James Durbin, a rare heavy metal showing on the program. It's the debut of guitarist Richie Faulkner in Judas Priest; he replaces K. K. Downing, who is having health problems.

2010-Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls wins Season 10 of Dancing With The Stars.

2008-Jet releases a YouTube video featuring their song "Shine On" that honors the life and work of Australian ophthalmologist Fred Hallows. It is estimated that Hallows' work in Australia and other developing nations has helped bring eyesight to over one million people. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, lead singer Nic Chester said, "hopefully [the video] encourages people to make a donation to keep Fred's work going."

2006-Reggae singer-songwriter Desmond Dekker dies of a heart attack at age 64.

2005-Garth Brooks proposes to Trisha Yearwood in front of 7,000 fans during a show at Buck Owens's Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. The pair marry in December.

2005-Domenic Troiano (guitarist for The Guess Who, Bush) dies at age 59 after a ten-year battle with prostate cancer.

2004-In a letter to fans, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio says that after 21 years together, the band is splitting up. "We all love and respect Phish and the Phish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyond the point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricatures of ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act." They wrap things up with a show in Coventry, Vermont, in August, but it is not the final curtain: In 2009, the band reunites.

2004-Nineteen-year-old Avril Lavigne releases her second album, Under My Skin, with the hits "Don't Tell Me" and "My Happy Ending." It sells 3 million copies in America.

2002-The mosh pit goes horribly wrong at an Eminem concert in Washington, D.C.'s RFK Stadium, and at least 25 people are injured.

2000-Alanis Morissette files with the SEC to sell about $1 million worth of her MP3.com stock, which she accumulated in a partnership with the company. The shares were worth about 10 times as much a year earlier, not long after Morissette signed on.

1998-"Ramsey Lewis Week" is declared in Chicago to honor the Grammy Award-winning jazz composer.

1996-Powered by their funked-up cover of "Killing Me Softly," Fugees hit #1 in America with their second album, The Score. It ends up being the group's last album, as personal and professional differences lead to their breakup soon after.

1996-Seventeen-year-old basketball phenom Kobe Bryant takes the singer Brandy, also 17, to his prom in Philadelphia. The pair met earlier that year at the Essence Awards. They never get romantically involved but remain friends.

1994-Jazz guitarist Eric Gale (of Stuff) dies of lung cancer at age 55.

1992-Boyz II Men is touring as the opening act for MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit tour when their manager, Khalil Rountree, is murdered by three gunmen at a Chicago hotel.

1991-It's peak Michael Bolton as his album Time, Love & Tenderness goes to #1 in America. Hits from the set include the Diane Warren-penned title track and his cover of "When a Man Loves a Woman."

The Cure Go Mainstream With Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
1987-The Cure find mainstream success in America with the versatile double album Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, featuring the hit singles "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven."

1980The Fray guitarist Joe King is born in Cortez, Colorado. He takes over lead vocals when Isaac Slade leaves the group in 2022.

1978-Keith Moon performs for the last time with The Who at the Shepperton Film Studio in England for the movie The Kids Are Alright.

1978-A London concert by The Who turns out to be the last for drummer Keith Moon, who dies a few weeks later.

1977-George Lucas' space opera Star Wars debuts in theaters, accompanied by an instantly iconic score from John Williams.

1976-In Salt Lake City, Utah, Bob Dylan performs "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts" live for the first and only time. He writes some of the lyrics on his shirt in case he forgets mid-performance.

1973Mike Oldfield releases "Tubular Bells" in the UK. Part of it becomes theme music for the movie The Exorcist.

1970-Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green plays his last official show with the band, although he does fill in a few years later when they lose their lead guitarist.

1965-Dave Davies of The Kinks falls and injures himself on stage in Cardiff, Wales, forcing cancellation of the group's tour.

1962-The West Side Story soundtrack goes to #1 in the US, where it stays for a record 54 (non-consecutive) weeks.

1961-Ral Donner records "You Don't Know What You've Got."

1958-Paul Weller (singer, guitarist for The Jam, The Style Council) is born in Woking, Surrey, England.

1950-Robby Steinhardt (co-lead singer for Kansas) is born in Illinois, but will grow up in Lawrence, Kansas.

1948-Klaus Meine (lead singer of Scorpions) is born in Hanover, Germany.

1947-Doo-wop singer Mitch Margo (of The Tokens) is born.

1943-Country singer Jessi Colter is born Miriam Johnson in Phoenix, Arizona. Known for her collaborations with husband Waylon Jennings.

1942-Brian "Blinky" Davison (drummer for The Nice) is born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

1936-Country singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who penned the smash hit "Harper Valley P.T.A.," is born in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

1934-English composer Gustav Holst, known for his orchestral suite The Planets, dies of heart failure after an operation for an ulcer.

1927-Norman Petty, recording engineer for Buddy Holly, is born in Clovis, New Mexico. He'll also produce hits for Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.

1921-Kitty Kallen is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known for the hit 1954 single "Little Things Mean A Lot."

1921-Lyricist Hal David, frequent collaborator of Burt Bacharach, is born in New York City.





Featured Events

2005-Carrie Underwood wins Season 4 of American Idol and becomes their most successful alum in terms of sales. Her debut album goes on to sell over 8 million copies in America.

1996-Sublime frontman Brad Nowell dies of a heroin overdose at age 28, just one week after marrying Troy Dendekker, the mother of his 11-month-old son, Jakob.More

Billboard Learns That Country Sells
1991-Billboard implements SoundScan technology on their Albums chart, replacing the decades-old system that relied on record stores to report sales figures. With SoundScan, the sales are tracked electronically, providing much more accurate data.More

1990-ZZ Top appear in Back to the Future Part III, playing an Old West-themed rendition of their #1 rock hit "Doubleback" when Marty McFly travels to 1885 to rescue Doc Brown. The regular version plays over the closing credits. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers also reprises his role as Marty's nemesis Needles.

Hands Across America For Hunger Relief
1986-It's Hands Across America, as millions of Americans form a human chain from New York to Santa Monica to raise money for hunger relief. The project is organized by the same guy who put together "We Are The World," but the theme song is far less ambitious.

1985Wham!'s "Everything She Wants" hits #1 in the US, making them the first group since the Bee Gees to have three #1 hits from the same album.