February 29

Births

1904: Jimmy Dorsey (Big Band Leader, Clarinet & Sax Player)

1952: Randy Jackson (Lead Vocals & Guitar for Zebra)

1972: Dave Williams (Singer for Drowning Pool)

1976: Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) (Rapper)

Events

1960: Just four years into his career, Elvis Presley becomes the biggest-selling artist of all time, with 18 million records sold, according to an article published in today's edition of Billboard. "The King" would go on to sell one billion records around the world.

1968: Florence Ballard, having just legally settled during her breakup with The Supremes, marries her first husband, former Motown chauffeur Thomas Chapman, in Detroit.

1972: John Lennon's temporary visa expires, leading Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina to send a memo to the Nixon White House suggesting that deporting John Lennon might be "a strategic counter-measure” against his increasing political activism. Around the same time, CIA director Richard Helms sent a memo to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover about Lennon's upcoming "anti-war" tour, kicking off a three-year battle for Lennon to stay in the US.

1977: While staying at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, Lynyrd Skynyrd get in a heated argument with members of London's Metropolitan Police, whose boxing team is staying at the same hotel. A fistfight breaks out, in which two members of the group are knocked unconscious.

1980: Jerry Allen, Sheriff of Cerro Gordo County, IA, finds a manila envelope marked "rec'd April 7, 1959," opens it, and discovers the glasses Buddy Holly was wearing the night he was killed in an infamous plane crash in nearby Clear Lake. Thought lost for 21 years, the glasses had merely been covered in snow when police cleaned up the crash site, and since the plane had taken off from Mason City, the glasses were delivered there when revealed by the spring thaw. (The wristwatch belonging to Jay "The Big Bopper" Richardson was also present in the envelope.) After a lengthy court battle, the glasses were deemed the property of Buddy's widow, Maria Elena, and are on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock.

2000: At the premiere of his new Broadway musical, an adaptation of the opera Aida done with lyricist Tim Rice, Elton John storms out of the theater after 15 minutes, fuming that his songs were "ruined."

2000: In Guilford, Surrey, Eric Clapton had his driving privileges suspended for six months and was fined about $570 dollars for speeding.

February 28

Births

1939: John Fahey (Folk Artist)

1942: Brian Jones (Guitar for The Rolling Stones)

1943: Donnie Iris (Guitar for Wild Cherry & Solo)

1957: Cindy Wilson (Singer in The B52’s)

1957: Ian Stanley (Keyboards for Tears For Fears)

1969: Patrick Monahan (Singer / Songwriter for Train & Solo)

1977: Jason Aldean (Country Artist)

Events

1966: Over $20,000 in debt, the owners of Liverpool's famous Cavern Club -- where the Beatles got their start -- decide to close the rock institution. 100 fans barricade themselves in the club, but to no avail. The venue would later become a subway station, although the Cavern would eventually reopen in a different location.

1968: Singer Frankie Lymon was found dead of a heroin overdose at age 25 in his grandmother's bathroom.

1970: Led Zeppelin is forced to play its gig in Copenhagen, Denmark under a different name (The Nobs) when the appalled family of the late Ferdinand von Zeppelin himself complains.

1970: In an interview with the New Musical Express, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green talked about his plans to give all his money away. The following year Green confronted his accountant with a gun after he sent him an unwanted royalty check. The guitarist went to jail briefly before being transferred to an asylum and was committed to a mental hospital in 1973. He re- launched his career in the 90's.

1972: George and Patti Harrison were injured in a car crash; Patti was unconscious for several days.

1976: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Paul Simon picks up Best Pop Vocal and Best Album awards for Still Crazy After All These Years, leading him to famously remark, in his acceptance speech, "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year."

1977: A crazed audience member climbs onstage at a Ray Charles concert and attempts to strangle the blind pianist with a rope.

1982: Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham collapsed during the bands European tour suffering from heroin withdrawal.

1984: Michael Jackson won a record seven Grammy awards including: Album of the year for 'Thriller'; Record of the year and Best rock vocal performance for 'Beat It'; Best pop vocal performance, Best R&B performance and Best R&B song for 'Billie Jean', and Best Recording For Children for E.T The Extra Terrestrial.

1985: David Byron, singer with Uriah Heep, died from an epileptic fit and liver disease aged 38.

1991: Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley declares today Curtis Mayfield Day.

1996: The original members of Kiss appeared at the Grammy Awards. It was the first time in 17 years that the band had appeared in full make-up and costumes.

1997: Death Row Records boss Marion 'Suge' Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for violating his probation for a 1995 assault conviction. Under US law, Knight would not be allowed to run Death Row Records while in prison.

2006: Two stewards were shot during a concert by rapper Kanye West at the NEC in Birmingham, England. Police said the shootings took place after people who tried to gain entrance without tickets were escorted from the arena. A man, who had no ticket, entered the foyer and was ejected, he then returned and shot at the stewards, one was in a serious condition after being shot in the face.

2007: The Doors are honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6901 Hollywood Blvd.

2008: Boy George pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall. The singer and DJ was also accused of assaulting Audun Carlsen during the alleged incident on 28 April 2007. He was released on bail until a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in November.

2008: Drummer Buddy Miles, who played with Jimi Hendrix in his last regular group, Band of Gypsys, died aged 60 at his home in Austin, Texas after struggling with a long-term illness.

2010: The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver ends with, among other things, a surprise appearance by Canadian native Neil Young, who sings "Long May You Run" as the torch is put out.

February 27

Births

1954: Neal Schon (Guitar for Santana & Journey)

1957: Adrian Smith (Guitar for Iron Maiden)

1960: Paul Humphreys (Vocals & Keyboards for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)

1960: Johnny Van Zant (Lead Vocals for Lynyrd Skynyrd)

1971: Chilli (Rozonda Thomas) (Singer in TLC)

1981: Josh Groban (Singer)

Events

1959: Jerry Lee Lewis becomes the proud parent of his first child from his scandalous marriage to Myra Gale Brown. Steve Allen Lewis, named after the famed talk show host, (and good friend) would tragically drown in Lewis' pool just three years later.

1960: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles make their first ever TV appearance, singing "Shop Around" on ABC's American Bandstand.

1966: The Supremes are the "mystery guests" on tonight's episode of the CBS game show What's My Line?

1967: Pink Floyd recorded their first single 'Arnold Layne', with producer Joe Boyd at Sound Techniques studio in Chelsea, England.

1970: Oklahoma City officials fine Jefferson Airplane $1,000 for using profanity onstage during their show.

1970: Elvis Presley plays his first-ever stadium gig with an afternoon show at the Texas Livestock Show that leaves him personally and professionally unfulfilled: the concert, held on a weekday, is sparsely attended, and the rotating stage in the Astrodome leaves him, in his own words, "singing to a cow." The evening show, however, would break all attendance records and restore Elvis' confidence in himself fully.

1974: Cher filed for divorce from Sonny Bono. Cher married Gregg Allman from The Allman Brothers band on 27th June 1975.

1977: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police wake Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards from his sleep at the Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, and charge him with illegal drug possession: 5 grams of cocaine, 22 grams of heroin, and assorted paraphernalia. Bail is set at $25,000.

1980: The last Grammies of the '70s are given out at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles: Record and Song of the Year both go to "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, while Billy Joel's 52nd Street album takes home Album and Male Pop Vocal. Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" wins for Best Disco Performance.

1990: Arista releases Alan Jackson's debut album, "Here In The Real World".

1990: Milli Vanilli's Rob Pilatus shared his perspective on life with Time magazine. In the interview he said, "Musically, we're more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."

1991: James Brown is released from at the Lower Savannah Work Center in South Carolina after serving two years of a six-year sentence. He'd been arrested in 1989 after a notorious two-state high-speed police chase. Six years later to the day, on the set of the syndicated tslk show Rolonda, James suddenly proposes marriage to host Rolonda Watts, whom he is not involved with.

February 26

Births

1928: Fats Domino (Singer & Piano Player)

1932: Johnny Cash (Legend)

1943: Bob "Bear" Hite (Lead Singer of Canned Heat)

1945: Mitch Ryder (William S. Levise, Jr) (Guitar & Singer)

1950: Jonathan Cain (Keyboards for Journey)

1953: Michael Bolton (Singer?)

1968: Tim Commerford (Bass for Rage Against The Machine)

1971: Erykah Badu (R&B Singer)

1979: Corinne Bailey Rae (R&B Singer)

Events

1955: For the first time, sales of the newer, smaller 45rpm records outpace those of the old 78rpm variety.

1965: Guitarist Jimmy Page released a solo single called 'She Just Satisfies' in the UK. Page played all the instruments on it except for the drums, and produced the track, as well as singing lead vocals.

1979: During a court case between The Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm McLaren it was revealed that only $51,000 was left of the $1,360,000 the band had earned.

1983: Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' went to No.1 on the album chart. It went on to become the most successful album of all time with sales over 50 million copies.

1985: Chuck Berry is the recipient of the annual Lifetime Achievement Award at tonight's Grammys.

1987: Capitol Records released the first 4 Beatles albums on CD.

1997: Despite having broken up 27 years earlier, the Beatles are awarded three Grammys for their multimedia Anthology juggernaut and "new single" "Free As A Bird," including "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group" and both short- and long-form categories of "Best Music Video."

2002: The Bee Gees play what is to be their final concert, performing at Miami Beach's Love and Hope Ball, a benefit for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.