May 7

Births

1946: Thelma Houston (Disco Singer)

1946: Bill Kreutzmann (Drummer for The Grateful Dead)

1946: Jerry Nolan (Drummer for The New York Dolls)

1950: Prairie Prince (Charles Lempriere Prince) (Drummer for The Tubes & Journey)

1961: Phil Campbell (Lead Guitar for Motorhead)

1969: Eagle Eye Cherry (Singer/ Songwriter)

1986: Matt Helders (Drummer for Arctic Monkeys)

Events

1941: Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded the song "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

1955: Ray Charles breaks through with his first R&B #1, a revamped version of a gospel standard called "It Must Be Jesus" called "I Got A Woman."

1955: "Rock Around The Clock" was released by Bill Haley & His Comets.

1958: The Champs appear on ABC-TV's American Bandstand to perform their hit instrumental "Tequila."

1965: At London's Twickenham Studios, the Beatles film the scene in Help! entitled "The Exciting Adventures of Paul On The Floor," where a suddenly shrunken Paul McCartney tries to hide his newly-naked body.

1966: The Mamas and the Papas started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monday Monday', it made No.3 in the UK. The group was reported, as saying they all hated the song except for its writer John Phillips.

1967: During Moscow's May Day celebrations, several Soviet teens dance the twist in outright violation of the Ministry of Culture's orders against Western decadence.

1967: Breaking his self-imposed exile after a motorcylce accident the previous year, Bob Dylan gives his first post-crash interview to the New York Daily News.

1968: Singer-songwriter Reginald Dwight changes his name legally to Elton Hercules John, the first and last names taken from his former bandmates in Bluesology, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

1971 :The Rolling Stones released "Brown Sugar"in the U.S. It was the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records.

1972: Tom Jones' Special London Bridge Special, featuring the Carpenters and Engelbert Humperdinck but also celebrities from Kirk Douglas to Charlton Heston, airs on the BBC.

1972: The Rolling Stones released the second album on their own label, 'Exile on Main Street' featuring two hit singles, 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest of any Stones album on the list.

1977: Eric Clapton records "Wonderful Tonight".

1978: Bob Dylan's upcoming series of concerts at London's Wembley Empire sell out all 90,000 tickets in just eight hours.

1982: Diana Ross is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

1983: Paul Weller unveiled his new group Style Council at an anti nuclear benefit gig in London.

1989: Ron Wilson (Drummer for The Surfaris) died of a brain aneurysm.

1991: In his hometown of Englewood, NJ, Wilson Pickett is arrested for insisting on driving over the lawn of his neighbor, Donald Aronson, who just happens to be the town's Mayor. After finding a knife and baseball bat in his vehicle, attempted murder is added to the charges. Pickett is inexplicably let off with a charity concert and a one-year probation.

1991: A judge in Macon, Georgia dismissed a wrongful death suit against Ozzy Osbourne. A local couple failed to prove their son was inspired to attempt suicide by Ozzy's music.

1991: Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, 54, ends his two-year marriage to model Mandy Smith, 21, whom he had begun dating at 13. Despite only spending two months total with Wyman during their marriage, she receives a settlement of $6.5 million.

1992: Nigel Preston drummer with The Cult died in London, England aged 32. Was a founding member of The Death Cult, he also played and recorded with Sex Gang Children, Theatre of Hate and The Gun Club.

1994: BTO's Randy Bachman acts as conductor in Vancouver for a 1,322-guitar orchestra, performing the band's hit "Takin' Care Of Business" for over an hour and, in the process, setting a new world record.

1997: Eddie Rabbitt (Country Singer) died of lung cancer.

1998: Steve Perry left Journey.

2002: London authorities wrap up their four-month investigation of Who guitarist Pete Townshend, charged with downloading child pornography in 1999. Townshend, who claimed he was researching a book he was writing about his own childhood sexual abuse, was not jailed but was placed on a national sex offender registry.

2003: Carole King appears as music store owner Sophie Bloom on tonight's "Help Wanted" episode of WB-TV's Gilmore Girls (King's re-recording of her hit "Where You Lead" is the show's theme song).

2003: A Los Angeles federal jury recommended a $1.5 million award to a British record company that sued rapper-producer Dr Dre for song plagiarism. London-based Minder Music Ltd. sued Dre in 2000, claiming his 1999 song, ‘Let's Get High,’ used the bass line of The Fatback's 1980 song, ‘Backstroking’ which was featured on Dre's successful ‘2001’ album, which sold 9 million copies worldwide.

2003: A US surgeon sued 50 Cent over an unpaid medical bill. The doctor claimed 50 Cent and his friend turned up at a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds in 2000, but said the rapper never paid the $20,000 he owed for treatment despite being asked several times.

2009: Dolly Parton is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

2009: Trina Johnson-Finn was in custody awaiting her trial in Suriname, South America, after being accused of trying to pass herself as singer Toni Braxton at a concert. The singer was booed off stage in Paramaribo in March and pelted with rubbish when a huge crowd realised she was not the award-winning artist. Ms Johnson-Finn's husband, Raymond Finn made a statement saying his wife had been duped by the promoter who had booked her and had advertised her as the real Braxton.