Wednesday, January 23, 2013

January 23


Births:

1910: Django Reinhardt (Jazz Guitarist)
1948: Anita Pointer (R&B Singer in The Pointer Sisters)
1950: Danny Federici (Organ and Keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band)
1953: Robin Zander (Vocals & Rhythm Guitar for Cheap Trick)
1973: Marc Nelson (Singer in Boyz II Men)
1974: Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Actress)
1975: Nick Harmer (Bass Guitar for Death Cab for Cutie)

Events:

1956: Rock 'n' Roll fans in Cleveland under 18 years old were banned from dancing in public (unless accompanied by an adult) after Ohio Police introduced a law dating back to 1931.

1965: Petula Clark becomes the first female Brit to hit the top of the American charts, with her smash "Downtown."

1977: Singer Patti Smith broke her vertebra when she fell off the stage at a gig in Tampa, Florida.

1978: Terry Kath, guitarist with Chicago, accidentally shot himself dead while cleaning (with what he believed) was an unloaded gun. Kath's last words were "Don't worry it's not loaded" as he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He was killed instantly at 32 years old.

1979: Beach Boy Brian Wilson and his wife Marilyn were divorced.

1986: Ray Charles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the first induction dinner, held in New York City.

1990: Allen Collins, guitarist from Lynyrd Skynyrd, died of pneumonia after being ill for several months. Collins who was one of the founding members also co-wrote most of the band's songs (including Free Bird), with late front man Ronnie Van Zant. He survived a plane crash in 1977 that killed two other band members. Collins was behind the wheel in a car accident in 1986 that killed his girlfriend and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He later pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.

2000: Heart's Nancy Wilson and her husband, famed rock scribe Cameron Crowe, are the proud parents of their first and only children, twins named William and Curtis.

2003: R. Kelly was arrested on new child pornography charges. The singer was detained in Miami after police said digital sex pictures were discovered at his home in Florida last June. The singer was already facing 21 charges relating to producing child pornography and appearing in a video having sex with an underage girl. He was charged with a further 12 counts of possession of child pornography.

2011: Ringo Starr attempts to register the word "Ringo" as a trademark in the US.