October 12

Births

1935: Sam Moore (R&B Singer in Sam and Dave)

1935: Luciano Pavarotti (Italian Opera Singer)

1942: Melvin Franklin (Bass Singer in The Temptations)

1955: Pat Dinizio (Guitar & Vocalist for Smithereens)

1958: Jeff Keith (Vocalist for Tesla)

1969: Martie Erwin (Multi-instrumentalist in Dixie Chicks)

Events

1944: What would come to be known as the "Columbus Day Riot" takes place in New York City, when 35,000 hysterical teenage girls crowd the Paramount Theatre for a chance to see the return of crooner Frank Sinatra. The crowd of teen "bobbysoxer" girls halt traffic in Times Square, refuse to leave between shows to the extent of fainting from hunger, and ruin several seats in the theater when several urinate there rather than take a chance on going to the bathroom.

1955: Chrysler introduces the world's first in-car sound systems -- vinyl record players, complete with an assortment of classical records, mounted under the dashboard.

1956: Massively influential DJ Alan Freed's second film, Don't Knock The Rock, starring Little Richard, Bill Haley, and the Treniers, opens in New York.

1957: After a harrowing plane flight on the way to tonight's gig in Sydney, Australia, during which one of the engines catches fire, Little Richard rejects rock and roll for the first time on stage. He tells tonight's crowd, "If you want to live for the Lord, you can't take rock 'n' roll, too. God doesn't like it." After his saxophone player, Clifford Burks, doubts his conviction to the conversion, Richard proves it by tossing his four diamond rings into the nearest river.

1962: The Beatles meet Little Richard for the first time when they open for him at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, England. Though Richard apparently finds John and George "rude," he is quite taken with Paul, reportedly to the point of attempting to seduce him. On the same day, the band's first single, "Love Me Do," enters the British charts.

1966: The Moody Blues, still in their first incarnation as a white R&B band, split up.

1966: Sammy Davis Jr. appears as a guest star on today's "The Clock King's Crazy Crimes" episode of ABC-TV's Batman series.

1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience play their first headlining gig, opening at Paris' Olympia Theatre.

1968: John Sebastian left the band Lovin' Spoonful to start his solo career.

1969: Tom Zarski, a student at Eastern Michigan University, calls WKNR in Detroit, MI, and informs DJ Russ Gibb on air of the rumor that Paul McCartney died in a car crash, perhaps as long ago as 1966. Zarski tells Gibb that by playing a section of the band's "Revolution 9" backwards, a clue emerges: the phrase "Turn me on, dead man." Gibb proceeds to do just that. Listeners are stunned.

1971: Pop singer Gene Vincent died from a stomach ulcer at age 36.

1972: The movie Lady Sings The Blues, a musical biopic of singer Billie Holiday that launches the movie career of star Diana Ross, opens in New York.

1975: Singer Rod Stewart ends his longtime association with The Faces by playing one final gig with them at Nassau Coliseum in New York.

1978: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark made their live debut at Eric's, Liverpool, England.

1978: While living at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, Sex Pistol Sid Vicious called the police to say that someone had stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. He was arrested and charged with murder and placed in the detox unit of a New York prison. He died of a heroin overdose before his murder trial began.

1979: Jethro Tull lead singer Ian Anderson has his right eye torn open by a thorn, situated on a rose an adoring fan threw on stage at the band's Madison Square Garden concert.

1980: Eight audience members are stabbed by a fellow concertgoer at a Blood Sweat and Tears show in Los Angeles.

1985: Ricky Wilson (Guitarist for the B-52's) died of complications from aids.

1994: Pink Floyd played the first of a 15-night run at Earls Court, London, England. Less than a minute after the band had started playing 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', a scaffolding stand holding 1200 fans, collapsed, throwing hundreds of people 20 feet to the ground. It took over an hour to free everyone from the twisted wreckage, ninety-six people were injured, with 36 needing hospital treatment. Six were detained overnight with back, neck and rib injuries. Pink Floyd sent a free T-shirt and a note of apology to all the fans who had been seated in the stand that collapsed. The show was immediately cancelled and re-scheduled.

1996: British dance duo The Chemical Brothers scored their first UK No.1 single with 'Setting Sun.' The song was written by Noel Gallagher and sung by Noel Gallagher of Oasis.

1997: John Denver was killed at the age of 53 when his Experimental Rutan Long-EZ crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Grove, California.

1999: Adrian Young drummer with No Doubt proposed to his girlfriend during a gig in San Francisco. Young came on to the stage before the bands encore and got down on bended knee with a ring, his girlfriend Nina accepted.

2002: The new Elvis Presley compilation 30 No. 1 Hits debuts at #1 on the US album charts, the first Presley album ever to do so.

2005: A 1974 Rolls Royce that belonged to late Queen singer Freddie Mercury is auctioned off on eBay.

2005: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee suffered minor burns at a concert in Casper, Wyoming during a pyrotechnics explosion. Lee was treated at a local hospital for the injuries to his arm and face, which occurred while he was suspended from a wire 30 feet above the stage.

2006: Sara Evans files for divorce from Craig Schelske in Franklin, Tennessee, citing infidelity, verbal abuse and heavy use of pornography. She immediately withdraws from ABC-TV's "Dancing With The Stars" series.