October 16

Births

1938: Nico (Singer in The Velvet Underground & Solo)

1943: C.F. Turner (Vocals & Bass for Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

1947: Bob Weir (Vocals & Guitar for The Grateful Dead & Solo)

1952: Boogie Mosson (Bass for Parliament-Funkadelic)

1960: Bob Mould (Vocals & Guitar for Husker Du, Sugar & Solo)

1962: Flea (Michael Balzary) (Bass for The Red Hot Chili Peppers)

1969: Wendy Wilson (Singer in Wilson Phillips)

1971: Chad Gray (Singer for Mudvayne)

1977: John Mayer (Singer / Songwriter & Guitarist)

Events

1962: Motown launches its first "package tour," a revue of the label's artists featuring Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Mary Wells, in Washington DC.

1966: Folk singer Joan Baez is among 124 antiwar protesters arrested for blocking entrance to an Army Induction Center in Oakland, CA. She is sentenced to ten days in jail.

1972: Internal strife between the three remaining band members -- reportedly due to leader John Fogerty's reluctance to give up creative control -- lead to today's public breakup of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The press statement tries to put the best possible face on the incident, "We don't regard this as breaking up. We look at it as an expansion of our activities."

1986: Chuck Berry is the center of an all-star "60th birthday" bash in his hometown of St. Louis, a tribute concert -- held three days before his actual 60th -- where the legendary rocker is joined by Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Robert Cray, Linda Ronstadt, and many others on stage at the local Fox Theatre. The making of the concert and the show itself are filmed by veteran director Taylor Hackford for the critically acclaimed hits 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll.

2001: After Bob Dylan hires extra security guards in preparation for his comeback "Love And Theft" tour, two of the guards turn Dylan himself back when the singer forgets his own pass. The new guards are fired.

2002: Billy Joel leaves the Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT, where it is rumored he's been undergoing treatment for alcoholism.

2003: Simon and Garfunkel open their new "Old Friends" Tour with a concert in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

2004: Alabama performs what's hailed as its final show, in Bismarck, North Dakota.

2006: CBGB, the legendary New York punk club credited with discovering Patti Smith and The Ramones, closed after a final gig by Smith herself.