June 4

Births

1930: Morgana King (Jazz Singer)

1937: Freddy Fender (Baldemar Huerta) (Rock & Country Singer)

1944: Michelle Phillips (Singer in The Mamas and the Papas)

1944: Roger Ball (Sax & Keyboard for The Average White Band)

1945: Gordon Waller (Peter and Gordon)

1953: Jimmy McCulloch (Guitar for Thunderclap Newman & Wings)

1958: Selwyn Brown (Vocals & Keyboards for Steel Pulse)

1959: Paul Taylor (Guitar & Keyboards for Winger)

1964: Chris Kavanagh (Drums for Sigue Sigu Sputnik & Big Audio Dynamite)

1974: Stefan Lessard (Bass for The Dave Matthews Band)

1975: Russell Brand

1990: Zachary Farro (Drummer for Paramore)

Events

1942: The label started the year before by songwriter Johnny Mercer, Liberty Records, is now renamed Capitol, becoming the US' first major West Coast label. New label head Glenn Wallichs comes up with the idea of sending free copies of Capitol 78s to radio stations, thus becoming the first record promoter.

1956: Gene Vincent makes his stage debut, performing in his hometown of Norfolk, VA.

1962: The Beatles sign their first record contract with EMI, though it's merely to produce a series of demos. The band will have to pass its upcoming audition to get signed to make actual records.

1964: The Beatles begin their first world tour, playing the K.B. Hallen Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Session drummer Jimmy Nicol, wearing Ringo's suit, sits in for the ailing drummer for this and the next five dates.

1964: The Beatles finish filming on their first movie, A Hard Day's Night.

1966: Janis Joplin arrives in San Francisco, having been invited there by Big Brother and the Holding Company in order to become their new lead singer.

1967: At the Emmy Awards in New York, The Monkees wins the statuette for Outstanding Comedy Series.

1968: Brian Jones goes on trial in London for his arrest in May on marijuana possession charges.

1969: Nicky Hopkins leaves the Jeff Beck Group.

1971: ABC-TV's Bobby Sherman TV Special airs, featuring guest stars 5th Dimension.

1972: Pink Floyd begin to record their next album, tentatively titled Eclipse, at Abbey Road Studios in London. It would eventually be released as Dark Side of the Moon.

1979: US President Jimmy Carter hosts Chuck Berry, who plays a concert for The First Family at the White House.

1983: The Police started a four week run at No.1 with 'Every Breath You Take' the group's fifth and final No.1 single. Taken from the bands album Synchronicity, Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

1984: Bruce Springsteen released the album, ‘Born In The USA’, which went on to top the US chart for seven weeks and featured seven Top 10 singles.

1986: After a years-long court battle, the producers of the Beatle tribute Beatlemania! are forced to pay Apple $10 million in royalties.

1990: American punk rock singer Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church died after being hit by a taxi in Paris, France. Bators had been out drinking when he was hit by a taxi while crossing the road; he was taken to hospital but left before seeing a doctor. He died in his sleep as the result of a concussion.

1992: Priscilla Presley announces that the winner of the USPS Elvis stamp battle is the earlier "Thin Elvis" stamp, which got more votes than the '70s "Fat Elvis" stamp by a factor of three to one.

1993: Kurt Cobain was arrested after a dispute at his house in Seattle; the disagreement allegedly concerned the Nirvana's guitarist's collection of firearms.

1994: Derek Leckenby (Herman's Hermits) died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 51.

1996: Crowded House announced they had split up. Brothers Neil and Tim Finn from the group were both awarded OBE's in 1993 for their service to their native New Zealand.

1997: Ronnie Lane (Bass for The Faces) died of pneumonia at age 51.

1997: Jeff Buckley’s body was discovered floating in the Mississippi River. A passenger on a tourist boat spotted the body near the southern tip of Mud Island. The singer, songwriter had disappeared when swimming on May 29th.

1998: Ray Charles reunites with his legendary touring band in Chicago to perform in celebration of his 50th year in show business.

2000: A teenage Sisqo fan was shot in the leg at a concert by the R&B star in Phoenix, Arizona when violence erupted after fans began objecting to parking fees of $30 at the venue.

2000: Eminem started a eight-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with his debut release 'The Marshall Mathers LP'.

2002: Wyclef Jean was one of ten people arrested for disorderly conduct in a New York rally protesting cuts to education. Jean was arrested and led away in handcuffs following an attempt to perform, which was forbidden by the event’s permit. P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu, Foxy Brown and the Wu-Tang Clan were also at the rally to show their support and protest a proposed $1.2 billion cut to New York’s public education system.

2004: American Idol winner Fantasia was at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Believe.' The first time in US chart history a debut single topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

June 3

Births

1906: Josephine Baker (Singer & Dancer)

1927: Boots Randolph (Sax Player)

1932: Dakota Staton (Jazz Singer)

1942: Curtis Mayfield (Singer for The Impressions & Solo)

1943: Michael Clarke (Michael James Dick) (Drummer for The Byrds & The Flying Burrito Brothers)

1946: Eddie Holman (Pop Singer)

1946: Ian Hunter (Singer for Mott The Hoople)

1946: John Paul Jones (John Baldwin) (Bassist for Led Zeppelin)

1947: Dave Alexander (Bass for The Stooges)

1947: Mickey Finn (Drummer for T Rex)

1950: Suzi Quatro (Singer & Bassist)

1950: Florian Pilkington-Miksa (Drummer for Curved Air)

1951: Deniece Williams (R&B Singer)

1951: Christopher Cross (Singer)

1952: Billy Powell (Keyboards for Lynyrd Skynyrd)

1954: Dan Hill (Country Singer)

1956: Danny Wilde (Singer for The Rembrandts)

1961: El Debarge (Singer for Debarge)

1962: David Cole (C & C Music Factory)

1964: Kerry King (Guitar for Slayer)

1965: Mike Gordon (Bass, Banjo, Piano, Harmonica and Percussion for Phish)

1968: Samantha Sprackling (Vocals for Republica)

1974: Kelly Jones (Vocals & Guitar for Stereophonics)

1985: Tavion La'Corey Mathis (Singer in Pretty Ricky)

Events

1949: Elvis Presley, still an 8th grader, receives his final grades for the year at Humes High School, including an "A" in language but only a "C" in music. Four years later to the day, he would graduate.

1949: Hank Williams makes his last appearance on Shreveport's Louisiana Hayride.

1955: A car dealership in Lubbock, TX, holds a promotional autograph signing for two rising stars -- Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.

1959: Billboard Magazine responds to the growing popularity of stereophonic recordings by splitting its album chart in two: one chart for mono, one for stereo.

1959: Stricken with tonsillitis while in the Army, Elvis Presley enters the base hospital in Germany and remains there for six days, during which a fruitless search is undertaken for a doctor who will operate on the famous throat. The inflammation is instead allowed to run its course.

1963: The mayor of Aurora, IN, declares today "Lonnie Mack Day" in honor of the native guitarist, recently on the charts with his famous instrumentals "Memphis" and "Wham!"

1964: The Rolling Stones perform their cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" on tonight's episode of ABC-TV's musical variety show Hollywood Palace, hosted this week by Dean Martin.

1964: During a photo shoot for The Saturday Evening Post, an exhausted Ringo Starr collapses and is rushed to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with tonsillitis and pharyngitis. With the band scheduled to leave for a world tour in only 27 hours. producer George Martin and manager Brian Epstein agree on his replacement, session drummer Jimmy Nicol, who had already drummed on a Beatles covers album. Nicol is immediately rushed to the studio to rehearse six songs, and then joins the group on tour for eleven days. When John and Paul ask how he's doing on the tour, Nicol always replies with "It's getting better," which will eventually inspire the song "Getting Better" on Sgt. Pepper.

1967: A truly surreal edition of ABC-TV's American Bandstand features Jefferson Airplane performing "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit."

1967: The Doors single "Light My Fire" was released.

1968: Valerie Solanas shot Andy Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol's studio in New York City. Solanas had been to see Warhol after asking for the return of a script which had apparently, been misplaced. Warhol was seriously wounded in the attack and barely survived.

1970: With the BBC refusing to air the Kinks' new single, "Lola," due to its reference to "Coca-Cola" (brand names being a no-no for the corporation), lead singer Ray Davies is forced to fly all the way from London to New York to record the words "cherry cola" for a alternate release.

1982: Elvis Presley's fabled home, Graceland, is opened to the public.

1983: Already undergoing psychiatric treatment and suffering from, among other things, voices in his head, Derek and the Dominoes drummer Jim Gordon brutally murders his own mother with a hammer and knife in their home. Gordon, who co-wrote the band's biggest hit, "Layla," is sentenced to life in prison.

1987: George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" was banned by the BBC.

1989: Country singer Rebe McEntire weds her manager Narvel Blackstone.

1990: Michael Jackson was admitted to St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica after complaining of chest pains. Test showed that he had bruised ribs from dance practice.

1991: To pay off his $16 million tax bill to the IRS, Willie Nelson releases a new album entitled Who'll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes.

1994: Pearl Jam rocker Eddie Vedder (29) weds Beth Liebling (27).

1998: Van Halen cancelled a show at the Docks club in Hamburg, Germany, after a piece of ceiling plaster fell and hit Alex Van Halen. He suffered a bruised arm.

2000: Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts is arrested after allegedly trashing his house, threatening his wife's life, and then disappearing. He is captured and ordered to get psychiatric help.

2002: Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, The Corrs, Will Young, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7 are the performers at Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrating the 50th year of her reign.

2003: Barry Manilow suffered a broken nose after he accidentally walked into a wall at his home in Palm Springs, California and knocked himself unconscious. Although he passed out for four hours, he didn't endure any lasting effects as doctors determined that surgery was not necessary.

June 2

Births

1932: Sammy Turner (Pop Singer)

1934: Johnny Carter (Doo-Wop Singer in The Flamingos & The Dells)

1937: Jimmy Jones (R&B Singer)

1941: Charlie Watts (Drummer for The Rolling Stones)

1941: William Guest (Gladys Knight and the Pips)

1944: Marvin Hamlisch (Piano Player)

1949: Anthony Jones (Bass for Humble Pie)

1950: Chubby Tavares (Lead Singer for Tavares)

1951: Steve Brookins (Drummer for .38 Special)

1955: Michael Anthony (Drummer for Van Halen)

1960: Tony Hadley (Vocals for Spandau Ballet)

1962: Thor Eldon (Guitar for The Sugarcubes)

1970: Louis Freeze (B- Real in Cypress Hill)

1976: Tim Rice-Oxley (Piano for Keane)

1980: Fabrizio Moreti (Drummer for The Strokes)

Events

1953: Elvis Presley graduates from Humes High School in Memphis.

1956: Gene Vincent and his Blue Caps released "Be-Bop-A-Lula".

1958: Massively influential DJ Alan Freed joins the staff of New York's WABC, where he gets his own weeknight spot.

1958: After wandering the US for a year, 17-year-old Barry Sadler, later of "Ballad of the Green Berets" fame, joins the Air Force. (He wouldn't become an Army Green Beret for a few years.)

1962: "Twist Baby," by Owen Gray, becomes the first 45 issued on the new Island Records label.  The label became home to Free, Traffic, Jethro Tull, Bob Marley and U2.

1964: The Rolling Stones play their first US gig at a high school in Lynn, MA; that same day, they make their American TV debut on WABC's Les Crane Show in New York.

1964: Gerry and the Pacemakers begin filming their film debut, Ferry Cross The Mersey, also starring Cilla Black.

1965: James Brown released the single "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag".

1967: The Beatles released the Album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

1967: David Bowie released his debut Album, David Bowie.

1972: For the first time since 1960, Dion reunites with his old group, the Belmonts, for an oldies revival show at Madison Square Garden.

1976: Paul McCartney and Wings set a new indoor stadium attendance record of 67,100 at the Seattle Kingdome.

1978: Bruce Springsteen's album, "Darkness On The Edge of Town" was released.

1981: Prince made his live British debut at The Lyceum Ballroom, London, (he will not play the UK again for five years).

1988: James Brown's wife Adrienne attempts to claim diplomatic immunity on charges of drugged driving, speeding and criminal trespass, invoking her status as the wife of the "Ambassador of Soul." Seriously.

1988: Ex-Temptation David Ruffin is sentenced to two years probation in Detroit for a cocaine possession rap the previous year.

1989: Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, 52, marries model Mandy Smith, 19, in a secret ceremony. Wyman's 28-year-old son was best man. All other four Stones attended. They would divorce two years later.

1993: Ronald Ray Howard's murder trial began in Austin, TX. Howard killed a state trooper after listening to Tupac Shakur's "2Pacalypse Now" album. Howard was convicted and sentenced to death.

1995: Stone Roses guitarist John Squire smashed his collarbone in a cycling accident causing the band to pull out of major gigs.

1998: Helen Carter (The Carter Family) suffered from gastrointestinal problems which led to heart problems that took her life at age 70.

1999: Junior Braithwaite (Bob Marley and the Wailers) was murdered in the home of a fellow musician in Kingston at age 46.

2002: Jimmy Buffett catches an unexpected gust of wind and crashes his plane into a sign while landing at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.

2003: After a public outcry (and legal protests from Yoko Ono), Paul McCartney agrees to drop his mission to have certain Beatles songwriting credits reversed to read "McCartney-Lennon."

2005: Franz Ferdinand's frontman, Alex Kapranos was detained by Russian police after being suspected of being a spy. Kapranos was attempting to board a plane in Moscow when the altercation took place. Travelling under his actual surname, Huntley, Alex was accused of being an MI6 agent who was previously suspected of stealing information on Russian weaponry. Unlucky for Alex that the surname Huntley was also used by actual former MI6 agent Richard Tomlinson who did steal secrets in the early 90s. The singer was freed after he pointed out that the Huntley they were so concerned about was 42, 13 years older than him.

2008: Bo Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida at age 79.

2009: Cher sues Universal Music Group on behalf of herself and her late partner Sonny Bono, claiming the label owes them five million in unpaid royalties.

June 1

Births

1915: Johnny Bond (Country Singer)

1921: Nelson Riddle (Composer)

1926: Marilyn Monroe

1934: Pat Boone (Pop Singer)

1945: Jim McCarty (Guitar for Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Cactus, Buddy Miles)

1945: Linda Scott (Pop Singer)

1947: Ron Wood (Bass for The Faces & The Rolling Stones)

1949: Mike Levine (Keyboardist & bassist for Triumph)

1950: Graham Russell (Vocals & Guitar for Air Supply)

1959: Alan Wilder (Keyboards & Vocals for Depeche Mode)

1960: Simon Gallup (Bass for The Cure)

1962: Jesse Johnson(Guitar for The Time)

1963: Mike Joyce (Drums for The Smiths)

1969: Damon Minchella (Bass for Ocean Colour Scene)

1974: Alanis Morissette (Singer)

Events

1956: Doris Day signs a major five-year, million-dollar recording contract with Columbia.

1957: NBC-TV chooses Ricky Nelson as one of Five Stars For Springtime on its variety special of the same name, along with Patti Page, Nat King Cole, Gordon MacRae, and Andy Williams.

1961: Experimental FM stereo is heard for the first time in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Schenectady, NY markets.

1964: Having just graduated high school the day before, a young singer named Dolly Parton heads to Nashville to be discovered.

1964: The Rolling Stones visit the US for the first time, arriving at New York's Kennedy Airport in order to kick off their first American tour, an event which would inspire their song "Flight 505."

1965: Art Garfunkel graduates with a Master's in mathematics from New York's Columbia University.

1967: Fairport Convention makes their stage debut with a performance at St. Michael's Hall in the Golders Green section of London.

1971: The two-room shack in Tupelo, MS that served as a birthplace and early home for Elvis Presley is opened to the public.

1971: CBS-TV airs what would be the last Ed Sullivan Show, featuring guest performer Gladys Knight. The show would be canceled the next day, having run an astonishing 23 years.

1972: At Abbey Road Studios in London, Pink Floyd begin recording their landmark album Dark Side Of The Moon.

1973: Former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt broke his spine after attempting to leave a party by climbing down a drainpipe and falling three stories. It left Wyatt permanently crippled and confined to a wheelchair.

1975: On his 28th birthday, Ron Wood makes his stage debut with the Rolling Stones as the band kicks off its latest US tour at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA.

1991: Soul Singer David Ruffin (The Temptations) died of a cocaine overdose.

1992: Natalie Cole announces her separation from her husband, producer Andre Fischer.

1992: Rod Stewart is the proud parent of his fifth child, daughter Renee, by his second wife, model Rachel Hunter.

1994: Guns ‘n’ Roses drummer Matthew Sorum files to divorce Kai.

1997: Kenny Rogers marries his fifth wife, assistant Wanda Miller, at his home in Athens, GA.

1997: Spice Girl, Baby Spice arrived back in the UK in a wheelchair after breaking her ankle during a Turkish TV show.

1998: Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) was arrested for drug possession in New York.

1999: Northeastern University dropout Shawn Fanning, 18, invents a file-sharing program he calls Napster.

1999: Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn began a five day journey on a Sea-Doo (from Nashville to New Orleans) to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

2003: Slipknot bassist Paul Gray was arrested on drugs and drink-driving charges after he collided with a car after going through a red light in his home town of Des Moines, Iowa. Gray, (who wears a pig mask on stage) then tried to write a cheque for $1,000 to the other driver, who then called the police. Gray failed two alcohol tests at the scene and was arrested for possession of marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia, as well drink-driving.

2005: White Stripes singer Jack White married his girlfriend, British model Karen Elson in a canoe on the Amazon in Brazil.

2009: The first event, a George Strait concert, was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

2011: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 1,108,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's only the 17th album to sell a million in a week since SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991, and the highest sales week since 2005.