June 12

Births

1928: Vic Damone (Singer)

1930: Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle and Singer)

1941: Chick Corea (Keyboardist)

1941: Reg Presley (Singer for The Troggs)

1949: John Wetton (Bass for King Crimson & Asia)

1951: Brad Delp (Lead Singer & Guitar for Boston)

1959: John Linnell (Accordion, Keyboards & Sax for They Might Be Giants)

1962: Grandmaster Dee (Drew Carter) (DJ for Whodini)

1969: Bardi Martin (Bass for Candlebox)

1977: Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Blues Singer & Guitarist)

1979: Robyn (Singer)

1985: Chris Young (Country Singer)

Events

1935: At age 17, Ella Fitzgerald recorded her first songs. The two songs were "Love and Kisses" and "I'll Chase the Blues Away.

1957: Jimmy Dorsey died of throat cancer at age 53.

1959: Sam Cooke insists on racially integrated seating for tonight's dual-headlining show with Jackie Wilson in Norfolk, VA.

1959: Bo Diddley released "Go Go Bo Diddley."

1961: Frankie Avalon begins a 12-day tour of South America, one of the first rock tours to play on the continent.

1962: Brenda Lee dislocates her neck while performing at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ, and is hospitalized; one year later to the day, the teen idol finally graduates from the showbiz-friendly high school Hollywood Professional.

1965: Sonny and Cher make their US television debut, singing "Just You" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.

1965: Rolling Stones release the single "Satisfaction".

1966: The Dave Clark Five break a record by becoming the first rock band to make 12 appearances on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show.

1973: Grand Funk Railroad recorded "We're An American Band".

1978: Country singer Johnny Bond died of a heart attack at age 63.

1982: The largest political rally in US history occurs when three-quarters of a million people cram into New York's Central Park for the Rally for Nuclear Disarmament, a musical protest featuring Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and Gary "U.S." Bonds.

1987: The Los Angeles Coroner's Office rules that blues legend Paul Butterfield died from a heart attack caused by decades of drug and alcohol abuse.

1989: The Elvis Presley Autoland Museum, a section of Graceland devoted to twenty of the King's vintage cars, opens to the public.

1992: Jordan and Danny of New Kids on the Block are acquitted in copyright-infringement charges stemming from their song "I'll Be Your Everything," which the estate of Percy Sledge claimed borrowed heavily from Sledge's 1975 song of the same name.

1994: Cab Calloway suffers a stroke in his hometown of Rochester, NY, the beginning of a series of medical events which will lead to his death in November.

1999: It was reported that Oasis had paid Gary Glitter $340,000 as an out-of-court settlement after being accused of using the Gary Glitter lyric, ‘Hello, hello, it’s good to be back’ in the song ‘Hello’.

2000: Bruce Springsteen debuts his new song, "American Skin (41 Shots)," which protests the NYPD killing of unarmed suspect Amadou Diallo, to resounding boos at Madison Square Garden.

2002: Clive Calder the man who is credited with discovering Britney Spears sold his record company Zomba to BMG Music for $2 billion. Calder started Zomba in 1975 and had hits with Billy Ocean, Sam Fox and Tight Fit.

2003: In New York, the Songwriters' Hall of Fame inducts new members Little Richard, Van Morrison, Queen, and Phil Collins.

2005: Pink Floyd announced they would reunite with former bassist Roger Waters, who left the band in 1985, on July 2 for the Live 8 London concert. This would be the first time the band had played together as a quartet since The Wall tour in 1981.

2011: Carl Gardner, lead singer of '50s group the Coasters, passed away in Port St. Lucie, Florida after an extended illness.