May 23

Births

1910: Artie Shaw (Jazz Clarinetist & Bandleader)

1910: Scatman Crothers (Drummer & Singer)

1928: Rosemary Clooney (Singer)

1934: Dr. Robert Moog (Invented Moog Synthesizer)

1944: General Johnson (Norman Johnson) (Singer in General Johnson & The Chairmen Of The Board)

1944: Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood (Drummer for Funkadelic)

1952: James Mankey (Guitar for Concrete Blonde)

1953: Rick Fenn (Guitar in 10CC)

1957: Jimmy McShane (Pop singer for Baltimora)

1965: Simon Gilbert (Drums for Suede)

1967: Junior Waite (Drummer for Musical Youth)

1967: Philip Selway (Drums for Radiohead)

1973: Maxwell (Gerald Maxwell Rivera) (R&B Singer)

1974: Jewel (Jewel Kilcher) (Singer & Songwriter)

1974:Richard Jones (Bass for Stereophonics)

1975: KT Tunstall (Singer & Songwriter)

Events

1963: Paul Revere and the Raiders sign their first major label contract with Columbia.

1964: Ella Fitzgerald's cover of the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" enters the UK charts, making her the first outside artist to have a hit with a Beatles song.

1964: The Beach Boys release the single "I Get Around".

1969: The Who release the Album “Tommy”.

1970: The latest (and last) Beatles album, Let It Be, logs record-setting advance orders of a staggering 3.7 million.

1970: The Grateful Dead make their UK stage debut with a four-hour show at the Hollywood Music Festival, ironically held in Staffordshire, England, with Mungo Jerry opening.

1970: Paul McCartney's debut solo album, 'McCartney', started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart.

1971: Iron Butterfly announces their breakup.

1973: Columbia Records fires head Clive Davis, citing alleged misuse of company funds to pay for interior decorating and his son's bar mitzvah.

1974: George Harrison announced the launch of his own record label, 'Dark Horse.'

1977: San Francisco bans electric instruments from all free outdoor concerts, leaving Jefferson Starship to cancel their planned free concert in Golden Gate Park. Years later, Bernie Taupin would write "We Built This City" for the band about this event.

1979: Tom Petty declares bankruptcy after his record label, ABC, is sold to MCA.

1979: The Who's acclaimed documentary The Kids Are Alright debuts in New York.

1985: Still riding the crest of her own improbable comeback, Aretha Franklin has "Aretha Franklin Appreciation Day" declared in the state of Michigan by Governor James. J. Blanchard.

1987: The Doobie Brothers reform with most of their members past and present -- a dozen members in all -- for a Vietnam Veterans benefit that raises $350,000. Two thousand vets attend the show for free.

1991: Photographer Michael Lavine took what would be the publicity shots for Nirvana’s 'Nevermind' album at Jay Aaron Studios in Los Angeles. The idea for the front cover shot of the baby swimming was taken after Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl saw a TV documentary on water babies and was taken by Kirk Weddle. Several babies were used; five-month old Spencer Eldon’s photo came out best.

1992: Freddie Mercury's will bequeaths the bulk of the deceased Queen singer's $17 million estate to his longtime companion, Mary Austin.

2000: Noel Gallagher walked out on his band Oasis during a European tour. The move was put down to a series of burst-ups with his brother Liam. The band drafted in replacement guitarist Matt Deighton for the rest of the European dates.

2007: The US Library of Congress hands out the first Gershwin Award to Paul Simon for being a "performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins."