January 12

Births

1904: Mississippi Fred McDowell (Blues Singer & Guitarist)

1905: Tex Ritter (Country Artist)

1926: Ray Price (Country Singer)

1928: Ruth Brown (R&B & Blues Singer)

1946: George Duke (Jazz Keyboardist)

1946: Cynthia Robinson (Vocals for Sly & The Family Stone)

1951: Chris Bell (Singer / Songwriter & Guitarist for Big Star)

1952: Ricky Van Shelton (Country Artist)

1954: Howard Stern (DJ)

1954: Felipe Rose (Indian in The Village people)

1959: Blixa Bargeld (Vocals & Guitar for Einstürzende Neubauten)

1965: Rob Zombie (Rob Cummings) (Singer for White Zombie & Solo)

1970: Raekwon (Corey Woods) (Rapper in Wu-Tang Clan & Solo)

1970: Zack de la Rocha (Singer for Rage Against The Machine)

1974: Mel C (Melanie Chisholm) (Singer in The Spice Girls)

1978: Jeremy Camp (Christian Singer / Songwriter)

1980: Amerie (Amerie Mi Marie Rogers) (R&B Singer)

1993: Zayn Malik (Vocals for One Direction)

Events

1959: Berry Gordy borrows $800 from his family to start a record label and rents an eight-room house on 2648 W. Grand Blvd, the future home of Motown Records.

1965: The Supremes guest star on an episode of NBC's Tarzan, playing a trio of nuns.

1969: Led Zeppelin's debut album was released in the US. Recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, the album took only about 36 hours of studio time to complete.

1974: The Steve Miller Band were at No.1 on the singles chart with 'The Joker', the group's first of three No.1's.

1977: The Police had their first rehearsal, held at drummer's Stewart Copeland's London flat, with Henri Padovani on guitar.

1977: Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards was fined $1,275 for possession of cocaine found in his car after he had been involved in a car crash.

1981: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) donates several rock record albums to the Library of Congress, including Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, The Sex Pistol’s Never Mind The Bollocks & KISS Alive!

1985: After a record 24 weeks as the #1 album in the nation, Prince slipped to the #2 spot with "Purple Rain". Replacing Prince at the top spot: ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen’s "Born In the USA".

1991: Johnny Paycheck is released from prison after serving two years of a seven-year sentence for a barroom shooting. Ohio Governor Richard Celeste had commuted his sentence upon leaving office.

1992: The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and wife Jerry Hall become the proud parents of their third child, Georgia May Ayeesha.

1993: The Eighth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in Los Angeles. Inductees include Cream (who reunite on stage for the event), Ruth Brown, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Etta James, Van Morrison, and Sly and the Family Stone.  Van Morrison did not attend the induction dinner.

1995: The Tenth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York. Inductees include The Allman Brothers Band, Al Green, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Martha and the Vandellas, Neil Young, and Frank Zappa.

1998: The Thirteenth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York. Inductees include The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas and the Papas, Lloyd Price, Santana, and Gene Vincent.

1999: Britney Spears' debut album "...Baby One More Time" was released.

2001: British Airways staff complained about Oasis singer Liam Gallagher after he had grabbed a stewardess' bottom, refused to stop smoking and thrown objects around the cabin during a flight from London to Rio De Janeiro.

2002: Singer Adam Ant (Stuart Goddard) was arrested at the Prince of Wales club in London. He was charged with possession of a firearm and with criminal damage and assault. He also allegedly attacked a man in his 40s.

2003: Singer-songwriter Maurice Gibb from the Bee Gee's died at age 53 in Miami Hospital, Florida following a heart attack during abdominal surgery.