August 18

Births

1925: Sonny Til (Lead Singer of The Orioles)

1939: Johnny Preston (Pop Singer)

1944: Carl Wayne (Singer for The Move)

1945: Sarah Dash (R&B Singer in Labelle)

1949: Nigel Griggs (Bass for Split Enz)

1950: Dennis Elliott (Drummer for Foreigner)

1952: Patrick Swayze (Actor / Singer)

1967: Dan Peters (Drums for Mudhoney)

1967: Blas Gomez (Drummer for Slaughter)

1968: Brian Tichy (Drums for Billy Idol, Whitesnake & Foreigner)

1969: Everlast (Erik Schrody) (House Of Pain & Solo)

1971: Aphex Twin (Richard James) (Electronic Artist)

Events

1937: The first FM (frequency modulation) radio station in the US, Boston's WGTR (now WAAF), is granted its construction permit by the FCC.

1962: The Beatles perform at at the 17th annual fete for the Birkenhead, England, Horticultural Society at local Hulme Hall, a gig notable only as the first time Ringo Starr will play onstage with the band. Ringo had prepared for two hours with the group beforehand.

1964: The Beatles arrive in San Francisco, CA, for the start of their first full US tour, met at the airport by nine thousand screaming fans (but not the ticker tape parade that had been rumored). A fenced-off press area is destroyed by the sheer size of the crowd, forcing a frightened group to retreat to their hotel. There, a woman is beaten and robbed on another floor, ignored by authorities who assume the screaming is part of the Beatles' fan base.

1969: The Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, NY, ends at approximately 9 am EST when Jimi Hendrix performs "Hey Joe." {His now-legendary rendition of the US National Anthem "The Star Spangled Banner" actually came a few songs earlier.)

1969: While filming the violent gangster movie Ned Kelly in Australia, Mick Jagger is hit in the hand by a stray bullet from an old gun being used as a prop.

1973: Jazz drumming legend Gene Krupa plays what is to be his last live show, a gig with the Benny Goodman Quartet in New York City.

1976: Marvin Gaye narrowly averts a ten-day stint in the Los Angeles country jail for failure to pay child support and alimony.

1977: Elvis Presley's funeral is held in at his Memphis estate, Graceland, where 150 mourners attend, including such luminaries as Ann-Margret, James Brown, and actor George Hamilton.  Held in Graceland's living room, It lasted from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, and was led by Woodale Church of Christ pastor C.W. Bradley. Televangelist Rex Humbard gave a short sermon, followed by a testimonial from comedian Jackie Kahane, who often opened Elvis' shows.  Outside, 75,000 fans mourn, so many that President Jimmy Carter has ordered the National Guard in to maintain order.

Elvis' burial begins with a long procession down the street that bears his name, a white hearse and seventeen white limousines behind, ending at Forest Hill Cemetery. The 900-pound copper coffin is carried by pallbearers Jerry Schilling, Joe Esposito, George Klein, Lamar Fike, Billy Smith, Charlie Hodges, Gene Smith, and Dr. George Nichopoulous. A small service is then held in the mausoleum, followed by the paying of respects from family and friends. Elvis' father, Vernon, is the last to pay respects, kissing the coffin and repeating "Daddy will be with you soon." Elvis is interred at 4:30 pm CST.


1978: The Temptations' Melvin Franklin is shot four times in the hand and leg during an attempted carjacking, but survives.

1979: Nick Lowe married Johnny Cash's stepdaughter Carlene Carter in Los Angeles. The couple are now divorced.

1982: Liverpool names four of its streets for its hometown heroes the Beatles: John Lennon Drive, Paul McCartney Way, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive.

1984: George Michael was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with his first solo single 'Careless Whisper.' It made George the first person to reach No.1 as a solo artist and a member of a band in the same year. It gave Epic records UK their first UK million seller and the song was No.1 in nearly 25 countries, selling over six million copies worldwide.

1984: Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran married American model Julie Anne at Marylebone registry office London, England.

1986: Bon Jovi released their "Slippery When Wet" album.

1990: Jazzie B from Soul II Soul was injured when he was involved in a seven-car pile-up while travelling from Detroit to Chicago.

1991: Billy Preston is arrested on charges of battery after allegedly attacking a 16-year-old prostitute once Preston discovered he was a transvestite. The keyboardist and singer is eventually given five years probation.

1992: Kurt Cobain became a father when his wife Courtney Love gave birth to a daughter Frances Bean.

2005: Kanye West called for an end to homophobia in the hip-hop community during an MTV interview saying “hip-hop was always about speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people. Not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates, I wanna just, to come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it'."

2006: Justin Hawkins the lead singer of The Darkness checked himself into the Priory rehabilitation clinic suffering from exhaustion after three years of non-stop work.

2008: Soul singer Pervis Jackson died of cancer. Was a member of The Spinners (Also known as The Motown Spinners and The Detroit Spinners). Had the 1980 UK No.1 & US No.2 single 'Working My Way Back To You'.