September 13

Births

1857: Milton Hershey (Founder of Hershey Chocolate)

1911: Bill Monroe (Bluegrass Musician)

1922: Yma Sumac (Peruvian Singer)

1925: Mel Torme (Singer)

1941: David Clayton-Thomas (Lead Singer for Blood, Sweat and Tears)

1944: Peter Cetera (Singer for Chicago & Solo)

1948: Nell Carter (Singer / Actress)

1949: Fred "Sonic" Smith (Guitarist for MC5)

1952: Randy Jones (Cowboy in The Village People)

1952: Don Was (Singer in Was, Now Was & Producer)

1954: Steve Kilbey (Lead singer / songwriter & Bass for The Church & Solo)

1956: Joni Sledge (Singer in Sister Sledge)

1957: Vinny Appice (Drummer for Black Sabbath & DIO)

1961: Dave Mustaine (Lead Singer & Guitarist for Megadeth and one time member of Metallica)

1967: Stephen Perkins (Drummer for Jane's Addiction & Porno For Pyros)

1967: Timothy “Ripper” Owens (Singer for Judas Priest & Iced Earth)

1977: Fiona Apple (Singer / Songwriter)

1979: Geike Arnaert (Singer for Hooverphonic)

1980: Teppei Teranishi (Guitar & Keyboards for Thrice)

1993: Niall Horan (Singer in One Direction)

Events

1959: While he is stationed in the US Army in Germany, Elvis Presley's friend, airman Currie Grant, brings Priscilla Ann Beaulieu to a party at his apartment after meeting her in the nearby Eagles Club, a popular hangout for officers and their families. Wearing a sailor dress for the occasion, Priscilla says "It's a pleasure to meet you" and remarks that it's a shame the Army has taken his sideburns. He plays her a few songs on guitar. Elvis and "Cilla" are immediately smitten with each other, with the singer describing her to friends as smart, saying that she treats him like an ordinary guy, and dubbing her "the woman I've been looking for my whole life."

1960: A movement to ban Ray Peterson's new single "Tell Laura I Love Her" begins in the UK when it is feared that the song's powerful story of a stock-car driver who dies young while racing for his girl's love will inspire a "death cult" amongst teens.

1960: The FCC bans "payola," the controversial practice of paying DJs for playing songs, as a result of the scandal involving, among others, Dick Clark and Alan Freed.

1963: The Hollies' Graham Nash (later of CSNY) falls out of his touring van after a Scottish gig, leaning on an unlocked door and tumbling out at 40 mph. 36 years later to the day, the singer breaks both legs in a boat accident off the coast of Hawaii.

1963: Barbra Streisand marries her first husband, actor Elliot Gould, in New York. The two would divorce in 1971.

1964: To prevent the spate of stage-rushing going on at recent frenzied Rolling Stones concerts, Liverpool's Empire Club hires two dozen rugby players to act as a human shield; the crowd of 5,000 washes right over them.

1965: Ringo Starr and wife Maureen become the proud parents of their first child, Zak Starkey (who also became a drummer). Six years later to the day, Paul and Linda McCartney celebrate the arrival of their second child, Stella.

1965: The Beatles win their first Grammys, for Best New Artist and Best Album (for A Hard Day's Night) at the awards ceremony in New York.

1969: John Lennon debuts the Plastic Ono Band at the Rock and Roll Revival Show in Toronto. So named because of the flexible "plastic" nature of the members, this lineup included Eric Clapton, longtime Beatles associate Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White, all of whom rehearsed for the first time on the plane trip over from England. The concert, mainly a mix of simple rock and roll oldies and stabs at "Give Peace A Chance," "Yer Blues," and John's forthcoming single "Cold Turkey," will later be released as Live Peace In Toronto 1969.

1977: Symphonic conductor Leopold Stokowski died at the age of 95.

1980: Jackson Browne scored his only US No.1 album with 'Hold Out'.

1982: David Bowie reports to the Cook Islands to begin filming his role in the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

1985: Sting began his first solo tour in San Diego. The tour was to support the album "Dream Of The Blue Turtles."

1991: Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana’s single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ The band ended up being thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight.

1993: Max Weinberg, drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, begins his new job as bandleader for NBC-TV's new show Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

1994: The debut album "Ready to Die" was released by The Notorious Big.

1996: American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur died after being shot six days earlier when he was driving through Las Vegas. 13 bullets were fired into his BMW. The incident was blamed on East and West Coast Gang wars. Shakur was a convicted sex offender, guilty of sexual abuse. After serving eleven months of his sentence he was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records.

1998: Lauryn Hill started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.'

1998: Mel B (Spice Girls) and Jimmy Gulzarof were married.

2000: Elton John storms out of the Estoril Casino in Portugal just before his planned gig there and flies back to England, fuming that the supposedly sell-out crowd had only half arrived. Turns out they were merely lingering at a VIP dinner given just before the show.

2003: US stores Wal-Mart were refusing to stock 'Permission To Land' the Number 1 album by UK rock group The Darkness because the sleeve featured a woman's bottom.

2005: Jimi Hendrix' boyhood home in Seattle is saved from destruction after his estate and the city agree to renovate the building and turn it into a community center.

2009: Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" wins Best Female Video during the MTV Video Music Awards. Rapper Kanye West interrupts her acceptance speech at New York's Radio City Music Hall to insist that Beyonce should have won.