Birthdays
1917: Rufus Thomas (R&B Singer)
1936: Freddie Parris (The Five Satins)
1944: Diana Ross (Singer)
1948: Richard Tandy (Keyboards for Electric Light Orchestra)
1948: Steven Tyler (Singer for Aerosmith)
1949: Vicki Lawrence (Singer)
1949: Fran Sheehan (Bass for Boston)
1950: Teddy Pendergrass (R&B Singer)
1950: Ronnie McDowell (Singer)
1955: Martin Price (808 State)
1956: Stephanie Mills (Singer)
1957: Paul Morley (Art Of Noise)
1968: James Jonas Iha (Guitar for Smashing Pumpkins)
1968: Kenny Chesney (Country Singer)
1981: Jay Sean (R&B Singer)
Events
1827: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died.
1958: Eddie Cochran recorded "Summertime Blues".
1962: Elvis Presley begins filming his 11th motion picture, titled Girls! Girls! Girls!
1963: Funny Girl, a musical about Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, opens on Broadway, starring Barbra Streisand. It features the hits "Don't Rain On My Parade" and the song that would become her trademark, "People."
1964: Tonight's guest on CBS-TV's "panel show" I've Got A Secret is former Beatles drummer Pete Best, whose "secret" occupation is guessed almost immediately. When host Gary Moore asks Best why he "left" the group (Best was fired), he replied: "I thought I'd like to start a group of my own."
1965: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes.
1968: Little Willie John Dies. The official cause of death was listed in his death certificate as a heart attack.
1969: Pat Boone guest-stars as himself on tonight's "Collard Greens An' Fatback" episode of CBS-TV's Beverly Hillbillies.
1970: Mere days after winning a Grammy for Best Recording for Children with their album Peter, Paul and Mommy, Peter Paul and Mary are scandalized when group leader Peter Yarrow is arrested in Washington, DC for "taking immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl. He would spend three months in prison and would later be given clemency by President Jimmy Carter.
1972: Mott The Hoople are about to call it quits when friend of the band David Bowie offers to produce their next album, even offering them two new songs he's written: "Suffragette City," which the band turns down, and "All The Young Dudes."
1975: The movie musical Tommy, directed by Ken Russell and based on the Who album of the same name, premieres in London, starring Who lead singer Roger Daltrey in the title role, as well as Ann-Margret and Jack Nicholson. Guest stars include Elton John and Tina Turner.
1976: Keith Richards and model girlfriend Anita Pallenberg become the proud parents of a son, Tara. Sadly, he would die ten weeks later from pneumonia.
1976: One-man blues band Duster Bennett was killed in a car accident.
1976: Riding near the scene of a multi-car pileup in Memphis, Elvis Presley jumps out of his limo, displays his honorary police captain's badge from the city, and attempts to help the victims before police and rescue teams arrive.
1977: Hall and Oates started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rich Girl', the duo's first US No.1
1980: Pink Floyd's landmark 1973 LP Dark Side Of The Moon surpasses Carole King's Tapestry as the album with the longest consecutive stay on the Billboard 200 album chart. It would remain on the chart until 1988.
1980: Jon Paulus (Buckinghams) died of a drug overdose at the age of 32.
1983: Duran Duran went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Is There Something I Should Know'. Their first No.1 and there eighth single release. The group were on a US promotional trip on this day, where they were greeted by 5,000 screaming fans at an in-store appearance in New York City.
1985: After Stevie Wonder's Oscar speech the previous night, at which he dedicated his Best Song Award to Nelson Mandela, South Africa bans all Wonder records from its nation's radio stations.
1988: Morrissey went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut solo LP 'Viva Hate.'
1994: Soundgarden entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'Superunknown'.
1995: Rapper producer, and record executive Eazy-E (Eric Lynn Wright) died of AIDS in Los Angeles aged 31.
2001: the toy figure of Eminem was facing a ban from UK shops. Woolworth's and Hamleys were refusing to stock the dolls. Psychologists warned parents who buy the dolls for children will be inadvertently giving their approval to bad language.
2002: Randy Castillo drummer with the Ozzy Osbourne band died of cancer aged 51.
2004: Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, died at the age of 62 after being in poor health sustained in a 1966 car crash.
2005: Australian drummer Paul Hester died aged 46, after he "attempted suicide" and died from strangulation after being found hanged in a park in Melbourne. He had been a member of Crowded House, Split Enz and Largest Living Things.
