March 13

Birthdays

1910: Sammy Kaye (Swing Bandleader)

1914: Bobby Haggart (Dixieland Jazz Artist)

1923: Red Garland (Jazz Pianist)

1930: Jan Howard (Country Singer)

1933: Mike Stoller (Composer)

1934: Dick Katz (Jazz Pianist)

1939: Neil Sedaka (Pop Singer)

1949: Donny York (Sha Na Na)

1959: Greg Norton (Husker Du)

1960: Adam Clayton (U2)

1973: David Draiman (Disturbed)

Events

1958: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) launches its Gold Award Program to honor artists with outstanding sales. One million units sold of a single 45 rpm record earned Gold status; in 1976: the Platinum Award was introduced for singles which moved two million units. Today, the single awards are given at the half-million (gold) and million (platinum) level of sales or downloads, with the same award qualifications for album-length releases. The Diamond Award (album sales of over 10 million) was introduced in 1999.

1959: On Friday the 13th, the Kingston Trio are nearly killed when their plane makes an emergency landing on a turkey farm in South Bend, IN.

1964: According to Billboard, over 60 percent of all US singles currently sold are Beatles records.

1965: Tom Jones made his first major TV appearance on BBC TVs 'Billy Cotton Band Show.'

1965: Disgusted with the pop direction taken with their latest single, the Graham Gouldman-penned "For Your Love," Eric Clapton quits the Yardbirds, eventually forming Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker of the Graham Bond Organization.

1968: Elvis Presley begins filming his 28th movie, Live A Little, Love A Little (wisely changed from its original title, Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips, which was the book this film was based on). Racier and grittier than most Elvis fare, it features only four songs. One year later to the day, his 29th film, the equally gritty Western Charro! is released, featuring one song only, over the opening credits.

1975: George Jones and Tammy Wynette divorce after six years.

1975:  Rush released "Fly By Night".

1976:  The Jackson 5 moved from Motown to Epic Records. They also changed their name to the Jackson's.

1976:  The Four Seasons' "December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night)" hits #1

1984:  MTV premiered its weekly "Top 20 Video Countdown" show.

1987:  Bryan Adams’ "Heat of the Night" became the first commercially released cassette single.

1987:  Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1750 Vine Street.

1993:  Canadian rapper Snow, (Darrin O'Brien), started a 7-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Informer'.

1999:  Cher started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Believe', making Cher the oldest woman to top the Hot 100 at the age of 53.

2002:  Wall Of Voodoo guitarist Marc Moreland died in Paris, France of Kidney failure aged 44. Had the 1983 hit ‘Mexican Radio.’

2002 - In Middletown NJ, Sebastian Bach (Skid Row Singer) was arrested for threatening the life of a bartender and the patrons of Lincroft Inn. He was charged with disorderly conduct, possession of under 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released the next day after posting bail.

2004:  Luciano Pavarotti gave his final opera performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He still had concerts planned up until October 12, 2005.

2005:  50 Cent went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘The Massacre’, the US rappers first UK No.1. The album was also a US No.1 spending six weeks at the top of the chart.

2006:  The Sex Pistols refused to attend their own induction into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City. Blondie, Herb Alpert and Black Sabbath were all inducted but the Pistols posted a handwritten note on their website, calling the institution "urine in wine", adding "We're not your monkeys, we're not coming. You're not paying attention".

2007:  Coffee house Starbucks announced the launch of its own music label, saying it would sign both established and new artists. The chain, which had 13,000 stores worldwide, had already released albums under its Hear Music brand, licensing songs from other companies. Starbucks bosses said the label would now become more independent and that music fitted with the firm's identity.

2008, Michael Jackson refinanced his Neverland ranch to save it from being auctioned off, after being told that if he failed to pay $25m he owed on the California property, it would be auctioned within a week. Jackson bought Neverland in 1987 intending to create a fantasy land for children naming it after an island in the story Peter Pan, where children never grow up.