Births
1927: Ralph Stanley (Bluegrass Artist)
1943: George Harrison (Guitar & Vocals for The Beatles, The Traveling Wilbury’s & Solo)
1954: John Doe (Vocals & Bass for X & Solo)
1971: Daniel Powter (Singer / Songwriter)
1973: Justin Jeffre (Singer in 98 Degrees)
Events
1957: Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "That'll Be The Day." The song would be their first hit. A previously recorded version, on July 22, 1956, was produced poorly and the vocals were performed differently.
1961: A big day for Elvis. First, Elvis Presley Day is declared in Memphis by Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington. At a luncheon in his honor, RCA presents him with a diamond watch commemorating his 75 million records sold, and Elvis holds a press conference. As part of the festivities, he performs two rare charity shows at the city's Ellis Auditorium. A private party is held at Graceland late in the evening.
1967: ABC-TV's Hollywood Palace broadcasts two Beatles promo videos for the first time in the US: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane."
1987: Frank Sinatra guest stars as "" on tonight's "" episode of CBS-TV's Magnum P.I..
1992: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, James Brown is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
1995: Frank Sinatra performs for what would be the last time, singing his hits for a private party of 1,200 at his own golf tournament, the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic in Palm Springs, CA. His last song? "The Best Is Yet To Come."
1998: Bob Dylan is interrupted during his performance of "Love Sick" at tonight's Grammy Awards by a background dancer named Michael Portnoy, who rips off his shirt to reveal the words "SOY BOMB" painted on him, rushes to the front of the stage, and begins dancing spastically. That same night, Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to Bo Diddley and (posthumously) Roy Orbison. Also, during Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech, Ol Dirty Bastard grabbed the microphone and made various observations such as "Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best" and "Wu-Tang is for the children". He was then escorted offstage.
2001: Rapper Lil' Kim said a shooting which happened after she left a New York radio station was unconnected to her. One man was wounded in the incident outside the radio station Hot 97 in New York when five men fired 22 bullets. The New York Daily News reported the incident was the result of a feud between Lil' Kim and rival rappers, Capone-N-Noreaga.
2003: Financier Ralph Whitworth pays one million dollars to have Paul McCartney play at his wife Wendy's 50th birthday party. McCartney presents the CNN exec with a dozen roses after singing "Birthday" to her and then, as agreed, donates the full amount to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield.
2005: Edward Patten of Gladys Knight and the Pips is admitted to a hospital in Detroit after a stroke; he passes away the next day.
2006: George Michael was found slumped over in a car in Hyde Park, London. A concerned person spotted the singer and called police who after being checked by paramedics was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs and then released on bail.
2009: Calling him "the soundtrack of my youth," US President Barack Obama presents Stevie Wonder with the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize.
2010: Tragedy strikes Marie Osmond when her son, Michael Blosil, leaps to his death from the eighth-floor window of his Los Angeles apartment.
