May 25

Births

1922: Kitty Kallen (Big Band Singer)

1926: Miles Davis (Trumpet Legend)

1936: Tom T. Hall (Country Singer)

1936: Donnie Elbert (Soul Singer)

1942: Brian Davison (Drummer for The Nice)

1947: Jessi Colter (Country Singer)

1947: Mitch Margo (Singer in The Tokens)

1948: Klaus Meine (Singer for The Scorpions)

1950: Robert Steinhardt (Violin & Singer for Kansas)

1955: John Grimaldi (Guitar for Argent)

1958: Paul Weller (Guitarist & Singer for The Jam)

1959: Rick Smith (Keyboards for Underworld)

1975: Lauryn Hill (Singer & Rapper The Fugees)

1980: Joe King (Guitarist & vocals for The Fray)

Events

1962: The Isley Brothers release the single "Twist And Shout".

1965: While onstage at a concert in Cardiff, Wales, Kinks guitarist Dave Davies slips and falls into Mick Avory's drum kit, knocking himself unconscious and forcing the group to cancel their current tour.

1965: Blues artist Sonny Boy Williamson (II) was discovered in bed at the rooming house where he had been staying, dead of an apparent heart attack suffered in his sleep the night before.  According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60's, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.

1966: Felton Jarvis takes over for Chet Atkins as Elvis Presley's producer. Jarvis, a fan from the early days, will be instrumental in moving the singer back to blues, gospel, and R&B-based material.

1968: Rolling Stones release "Jumping Jack Flash"

1969: Folk group Fairport Convention holds a benefit at London's Roundhouse for recently deceased drummer Martin Lamble, who was killed in a car accident along with guitarist Richard Thompson's girlfriend and the band's clothes designer.

1973: Carole King holds a free concert in Central Park which draws a then-record 100,000 fans.

1974: Rick Wakeman became the first member of the group Yes to have a No.1 album when 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' went to the top of the charts.

1974: Pam Morrison, Jim Morrison's widow, died of a drug overdose.

1978: The Who perform a concert at London's Shepperton Film Studios specifically for use in the upcoming documentary The Kids Are Alright. It will sadly prove to be the group's last performance with original drummer Keith Moon.

1983: Dio released the album "Holy Diver."

1985: Dire Straits scored their second No.1 album with 'Brothers In Arms', also No.1 in 25 other countries. It went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

1988 : Debbie Gibson's "Foolish Beat" hit #1, making her the youngest artist to write, sing and produce a #1 hit. She was 17 years old at the time.

1991: Randy Travis and Lib Hatcher were married.

1992: Khalil Rountree, tour manager of Boyz II Men was killed by gunfire after a scuffle in an elevator on the 26th floor of a hotel in Chicago; their assistant tour manager was also injured.

1994: Barbra Streisand postponed the first night of a six-night stand in Anaheim, CA. She had come down with viral laryngitis.

1995: The earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, dating all the way back to 1961, is sold at a London auction for over $85,000.

1996: Bradley Nowell (Singer for Sublime) was found dead in his San Francisco motel room of a drug overdose at the age of 26.

1997: Bob Dylan is admitted into a Los Angeles hospital suffering from chest pains and is eventually diagnosed as suffering from histoplasmosis, an inflammation of the cardial sac. As a result, his tour was canceled.

1997: Elvis Presley officially tops the list of dead entertainers with sales of over one billion records.

1998: Chicago mayor Richard Daley declares this Ramsey Lewis Week in honor of the native pop-jazz pianist.

2001: Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher won a damages settlement from The Daily Mirror after they claimed he lied in court during divorce proceedings with Meg Matthews.

2002: 30 Eminem fans were hurt after a crowd surge at a gig in Washington DC. Five people were taken to hospital, one man suffered a heart attack.

2004: Madonna canceled three shows in Israel after terrorists threatened to kill her and her kids. A spokesperson said she was targeted because she symbolises the West and not because she practises the Jewish faith Kabbalah.

2005: Domenic Troiano (Guitar for The Guess Who, The James Gang) died of prostate cancer. His condition was first diagnosed about ten years earlier.

2006: Ska & Reggae legend Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack at his home in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England, aged 64.

2007: Wayne Fontana of Mindbenders fame arrives for his London trial on charges of dousing a police car in gas and setting fire to it, appearing as "Lady Justice" replete with a cape, crown, and dark glasses in place of a blindfold, and carrying a sword and scales. He is reprimanded by the judge.

2009: A former member of Wilco, who was suing the band over a royalties claim, died at his home in Illinois at the age of 45. Jay Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for the band between 1994 and 2001. Bennett filed his legal action against Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy at the beginning of May, claiming $50,000 for five albums he made with the group.