August 13

Births

1919: George Shearing (Jazz Pianist)

1921: Jimmy McCracklin (Blues Pianist & Singer)

1930: Don Ho (Hawaiian Singer)

1938: Dave "Baby" Cortez (R&B Pianist)

1951: Dan Fogelberg (Singer / Songwriter)

1959: Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family)

1963: Tigg Ketler (Drummer for Bang Tango)

1964: Ian Haughland (Drummer for Europe)

1984: James Morrison (Singer / Songwriter)

Events

1924: Vernon Dalhart's "The Prisoner's Song" becomes the first country record to sell a million copies -- a milestone for public acceptance of the genre.

1938: Blues legend Robert Johnson, who was reported to have "made a deal with the Devil" in order to execute his amazing guitar technique, plays his last gig at a dance approximately 15 miles from Greenwood, MS, and is supposedly poisoned by either the club's owner or a jealous girlfriend, who places strychnine in an open bottle of whiskey. When offered the bottle, fellow bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson knocks it out of his hand, admonishing him against ever drinking from an open container at a public event, but Johnson drinks from the next open bottle anyway. He would die three days later.

1952: The original version of 'Hound Dog' was recorded by Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton. It would become the first hit for the song-writing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and went on to top the Billboard R&B chart for seven weeks, selling nearly two million copies.

1959: Bobby Darin signs his first movie contract, a million-dollar, six-year, six-picture deal with Paramount Studios. He would go on to secure a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1962.

1963: The Four Seasons sue their struggling first label, Vee Jay, for non payment of royalties and move to Mercury/Philips Records. This would be the first of a long line of incidents that would doom the label.

1964: The Kinks score their first hit as "You Really Got Me," written by Ray Davies on his mother's piano, enters the British charts.

1965: The Jefferson Airplane made its stage debut at the Matrix Club in San Francisco, CA.

1966: Longview, TX radio station KLUE-AM organizes the first of the "Beatles bonfires," where ex-Beatle fans can burn the groups' records in protest of John Lennon's recent "bigger than Jesus" comment. KLUE's radio tower is struck the next morning by lightning, throwing the station off the air. Meanwhile, Cleveland's Reverend Thurman H. Babbs, of the New Haven Baptist Church, calls for the excommunication of all Beatles fans.

1967: A planned Joan Baez concert at Washington DC's Constitution Hall is canceled after the Daughters of the American Revolution protest her recent anti-war remarks concerning Vietnam.

1968: Soul singer Joe Hinton died from skin cancer at age 38 while still in the prime of his recording career.

1971: Around midnight on this day, Saxophonist King Curtis was lugging an air-conditioning unit towards his brownstone apartment on West 86th Street in New York City when he noticed two junkies were using drugs on the steps to his home. When he asked them to leave, an argument started. The argument quickly became heated and turned into a fist fight with one of the men, 26-year old Juan Montañez. Suddenly, Montañez pulled out a knife and stabbed Curtis in the chest. Curtis managed to wrestle the knife away and stab his assailant four times before collapsing. Montañez staggered away from the scene and Curtis was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he died from his wounds less than an hour later.

1971: John Lennon leaves England via Heathrow Airport, headed for New York City to find Yoko Ono's estranged and possibly kidnapped daughter Kyoto. It would be the last time he would see England.

1977: Bachman-Turner Overdrive announce that the group is splitting up (though they would reunite within six years).

1980: Songwriter, producer, and artist Todd Rundgren, his female companion, and three others are victims of a home invasion at his house in Woodstock, NY, bound and gagged by four masked intruders who steal art, stereo equipment, and recording equipment. One of the criminals hums Todd's 1972 hit "I Saw The Light" to himself as the robbery takes place.

1982: In response to plummeting record sales (which the industry blames on the sale of blank cassette tapes), major labels CBS, Atlantic, and Warner Brothers announce a series of major staff cuts.

1982: American soul singer Joe Tex died at his home in Navasota, Texas, following a heart attack, just five days after his 49th birthday. Had nine US Top 40 hits including the 1972 US No.2 single 'I Gotcha'.

1988: Keith Whitley collects his first #1 country single in Billboard with "Don't Close Your Eyes".

1988: Willie Nelson becomes the first artist ever to have an album spend 10 years on the Billboard country chart, as "Stardust" logs its 520th week.

1990: While warming up for an outdoor concert at Wingate Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Curtis Mayfield is paralyzed by a lighting tower which falls from the stage and onto his back. He will remain a quadriplegic for the next nine years until his death in 1999.

1991: Arista releases Brooks & Dunn's debut album, "Brand New Man".

1992: Neil Diamond played the first of six sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York. Diamond would bring in over $40 million from touring this year, the second highest in the music industry.

1994: Members from Oasis and The Verve were arrested after smashing up a hotel bar and breaking into a church to steal communion wine. Both bands had been appearing at Hulsfred Festival in Sweden.

1995: Michael Stipe (Singer for R.E.M.) has surgery for a hernia.

1999: Ex Guns N' Roses member Slash was arrested accused of assaulting his girlfriend at his Sunset Boulevard recording studio by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. He was released on bail.

1999: Mick Jagger's marriage to model Jerry Hall was been declared null and void at the High Court in London. Neither Jagger nor Hall were present for the 30-minute hearing before Mr Justice Connell. After hearing evidence on behalf of Hall the judge ruled their "marriage" in Bali in 1990 was not valid either in Indonesia or under English law, and a decree of nullity was granted to Hall. The annulment avoided what had been expected to be a long and costly court battle, in which Ms Hall, 43, was reportedly seeking a $55m share of Jagger's wealth.

2002: Adam Ant pleaded guilty to threatening drinkers at The Prince Of Wales Pub in London in January of this year. The former 1980's pop star had returned to the bar with a starting pistol after being refused entry. He had also thrown a car alternator through the window of the pub.

2007: Fats Domino is honored as an "American Music Legend" by the Recording Industry Association of America.

2007: Amy Winehouse pulled out of two Rolling Stones gigs in Hamburg Germany citing exhaustion, British group Starsailor replaced Winehouse for the shows. 

August 12

Births

1926: Joe Jones (R&B Singer)

1927: Porter Wagoner (Country Singer)

1929: Buck Owens (Alvis Edgar Owens) (Country Singer & Guitarist)

1949: Mark Knopfler (Guitar & Vocals for Dire Straits & Solo)

1954: Pat Metheny (Jazz / Rock Guitarist)

1960: Morty Black (Bass for TNT)

1961: Roy Hay (Guitar & Keyboards for The Culture Club)

1963: Sir Mix-A-Lot (Anthony Ray) (Rapper)

Events

1877: Thomas Edison finishes the prototype of his new invention, the phonograph, and hands it over to his master mechanic John Kreusi to build. Kreusi bets Edison two dollars that the contraption will never work.

1957: Encouraged by Roulette exec George Goldner and his recent success in England, Frankie Lymon officially leaves his group, the Teenagers, to pursue a solo career.

1958: On "compassionate leave" from the Army, Elvis Presley travels to Memphis' Baptist Memorial hospital to be by the side of his mother, Gladys, who is quickly deteriorating from acute hepatitis.

1960: After "auditioning" for the band at the Jacaranda club (the band actually had no other prospects), Pete Best is hired as the Silver Beatles' new drummer just as the band sets out for a series of dates in Hamburg, Germany.

1965: Jefferson Airplane make their stage debut, opening San Francisco's' new club The Matrix (3138 Fillmore).

1966: The Beatles begin the US leg of their last tour, playing a date at the International Amphitheater in Chicago, IL.

1967: Fleetwood Mac make their stage debut at the National Jazz and Blues Festival in Windsor, England, alongside such acts as Donovan, Cream, The Small Faces, and Chicken Shack, featuring a young Christine Perfect (later known as Christine McVie).

1968: The New Yardbirds, later to be known as Led Zeppelin, begin their first rehearsal beneath a record store at 22 Gerrard Street in Westminster, London, performing a cover of the old Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio number "Train Kept A Rollin'."

1970: At Harvard, Janis Joplin performs what would be her final concert, ending with a version of Gershwin's "Summertime."

1970: The Hollywood Bowl holds a memorial concert for recently deceased folk legend Woody Guthrie, featuring (among others) Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Pete Seeger, Odetta, and Tom Paxton.

1977: Henri Padovani, guitarist with The Police, quit the group after nine months leaving them a trio.

1978: The Commodores started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Three Times A Lady', also No.1 in the UK and becoming Motown's biggest British selling single. Lionel Richie wrote the song about his love for his wife, mother and grandmother hence 'Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady.'

1985: Kyu Sakamoto was killed in a plane crash when JAL Flight 123, a 747, crashed and burned on a thickly wooded mountain about 60 miles northwest of Tokyo. He was 43. He had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Sukiyaki', the first Japanese artist to hit the top of the US singles chart.

1989: Patty Loveless notches her first #1 country single with "Timber, I'm Falling In Love".

1993: The Red Hot Chili Peppers replaced guitarist Arik Marshall with Jesse Tobias. Tobias was replaced by Dave Navarro three months later.

1994: Less than two months after All-4-One netted a gold single for a pop version of "I Swear," John Michael Montgomery's country rendition also goes gold.

1994: The 25th Anniversary Woodstock concert, entitled "Woodstock '94," is held in Saugerties, NY, with over 30 bands playing for a crowd of about 350,000. The multi-day show is a huge success, with little hint of the violence that would mar the 30th anniversary concert.

1997: MTV debuts the Fleetwood Mac reunion concert The Dance, marking the first time the five had been on stage together since 1982.

1997: In the middle of Blues Guitarist Luther Allison’s summer of 1997 tour, he checked into a hospital for dizziness and loss of coordination. It was discovered that he had a tumor on his lung that had metastasized to his brain. He died on this day in 1997.

1998: Scott Weiland (Singer for Stone Temple Pilots) pled guilty to felony heroin possession and was sentenced to three months in a drug treatment facility.

1999: Governor Mel Carnahan of Missouri declares today "Porter Wagoner Day" in honor of the country legend.

1999: The movie Detroit Rock City, produced by KISS and telling the story of KISS fans on their way to a KISS concert, opens nationwide.

2000: During an outdoor gig in Mancos, California as .38 Special were mid-set, the wind took hold of an overhead canopy and brought down ten tons of equipment onto the stage. The drum kit was completely crushed, but no one was seriously injured.

2001: Shania Twain and husband-producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange have a son, Eja (pronounced "Asia") in Switzerland.

2006: Rodney Atkins earns his first #1 single in Billboard: "If You're Going Through Hell (Before The Devil Even Knows)".

2011: Jani Lane, who fronted the glossy rock band Warrant during the days of hair metal, was found dead in a motel room in Woodland Hills, Calif. of undetermined causes. He was 47.

August 11

Births

1925: Mike Douglas (Singer & Talk Show Host)

1942: Mike Hugg (Drums for Manfred Mann)

1943: Kenny Gamble (Songwriter)

1943: Jim Kale (Bass for The Guess Who)

1943: Denis Payton (Saxophone for The Dave Clark Five)

1949: Eric Carmen (Vocals & Keyboards for The Raspberries, The Young Rascals & Solo)

1954: Bryan Bassett (Guitar for Wild Cherry)

1955: Joe Jackson (Singer / Songwriter)

1957: Richie Ramone (Drummer for The Ramones)

1968: Charlie Sexton (Guitarist & Singer / Songwriter)

1970: Andy Bell (Guitar & vocals for Ride)

1976: Ben Gibbard (Lead Singer for Death Cab for Cutie & The Postal Service)

1985: J-Boog (Jarell Damonte Houston)(Singer in B2K)

Events

1951: Hank Williams hits #1 in Billboard's country chart with "Hey, Good Lookin'".

1952: Hank Williams was fired from the Grand Ole Opry and told not to return until he was sober.

1956: Elvis Presley's double sided hit 'Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog was released. The single went to No.1 on the US chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks - a record that would not be broken until 1992's Boyz II Men hit 'End of the Road'.

1962: Booker T. and the MG's instrumental song, "Green Onions," was released.

1963: The Kingston Trio appear as the celebrity "mystery guests" on CBS-TV's What's My Line?.

1964: The Who, temporarily known as the High Numbers, take the stage at Harrow, England's Railway Hotel, but not before lead singer Roger Daltrey is involved in a fistfight with his father-in-law just outside.

1964: The Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, has its US premiere in New York City.

1966: The Beatles fly to Chicago to begin their last world tour and give a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel at which John Lennon attempts to apologize for his recent "bigger than Jesus" remarks: "If I had said television is more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it... originally I was pointing out that fact in reference to England-- that we meant more to kids than Jesus did, or religion, at that time. I wasn't knocking it or putting it down, I was just saying it as a fact... I'm not saying that we're better, or greater, or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is, you know. I just said what I said and it was wrong, or was taken wrong. And now it's all this..." Paul: "And this is the point-- you know, this is why we're getting in all these messes with saying things. Because, you know, we're just trying to move forwards. And people seem to be trying to just sort of hold us back and not want us to say anything that's vaguely sort of, you know, inflammatory... I think it's better for everyone if we're just honest about the whole thing." George: "Well, in the context that it was meant -- it was the fact that Christianity is declining, and everybody knows about that, and that was the fact that was trying to be made... I agree that it's on the wane." Ringo: "Well, I just hope it's all over now, you know. I hope everyone's straightened out, and it's finished."

1969: Diana Ross holds a party for 350 at Beverly Hills' Daisy Club to announce her discovery of the singing group the Jackson 5 -- even though Gladys Knight actually recommended them to Motown head Berry Gordy. That night, the group gains even more exposure by performing at the first Miss Black America pageant.

1972: The mayor of San Antonio, TX, declares today "Cheech and Chong Day" after the popular comedy duo, although neither was born anywhere near the city.

1972: Elvis and Pricilla Presley filed for divorce. They had married in May of 1967.

1973: Rather than join Paul McCartney in traveling to Nigeria to record the band's latest album, Band On The Run, Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell both quit Wings, forcing Paul, wife Linda, and Denny Laine to record the album as a trio.

1976: Keith Moon of the Who is hospitalized after having a complete mental breakdown and trashing his room at the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami, FL.

1982: Donna Summer has her first daughter, Amada Grace Sudano, with husband Bruce Sudano.

1984: Ray Parker JR. started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with the theme from the film 'Ghostbusters'. Parker who had been a session guitarist for Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye was accused of plagiarizing the melody from Huey Lewis and the News song ‘I Want a New Drug’, resulting in Lewis suing Parker, the pair settled out of court in 1985.

1986: Thanks to MTV's repeated marathons of their Sixties TV show, six vintage albums by The Monkees re-enter the Billboard album charts.

1987: Rolling Stone magazine declares the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band the best album of the last twenty years.

1989: Bruce Springsteen joins Ringo Starr onstage at a concert in Holmdel, NJ, to sing four songs: "Get Back," "Long Tall Sally," "Photograph," and "With A Little Help From My Friends."

1989: Three members of L.L. Cool J crew were arrested and charged with raping a 15 year-old girl. The incident took place after a concert when the girl had won a backstage pass on a radio contest.

1992: The vast Mall of America opens in Bloomington, MN with Ray Charles on hand to sing his famous version of "America The Beautiful."

1996: Mel Taylor (Drummer for The Ventures) died from cancer.  Only two weeks elapsed between Taylor's cancer diagnosis until his death. He had been a cigarette smoker, but had quit the habit about 11 years before his death.

1999: KISS are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000: Madonna gave birth to a baby boy Rocco Ritchie at The Cedars-Sinai Hospital Beverly Hills.

2001: Blake Shelton picks up his first #1 single in Billboard with "Austin," which remains at the top for five weeks.

2005: Steve Earle and Allison Moorer are married at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. It's his seventh wedding, her second.

August 10

Births

1909: Leo Fender (Founder of Fender Guitar)

1928: Jimmy Dean (Country Singer)

1928: Eddie Fisher (Pop Singer)

1940: Bobby Hatfield (Singer in The Righteous Brothers)

1943: Ronnie Spector (Lead Singer in The Ronettes)

1943: James Griffin (Singer & Guitar for Bread)

1947: Ian Anderson (Vocals & Flute for Jethro Tull)

1948: Patti Austin (R&B Singer)

1961: Jon Farriss (Drummer for INXS)

1962: Julia Fordham (Singer / Songwriter)

1962: Dan Donovan (Keyboards for Big Audio Dynamite)

1968: Michael Bivins (Singer for New Edition & Bell Biv DeVoe)

Events

1959: Four members of the Platters -- the male four -- are arrested in Cincinnati and charged with "aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness, and assignation" after local police found the singers in a Sheraton Gibson Hotel after-show party entertaining four scantily-clad nineteen-year-olds, including three white girls. The members would be acquitted of the charges in December, but in the meantime, the arrest led to the Platters being banned in several major radio markets.

1963: 13 year-old Little Stevie Wonder started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Fingertips part II', making him the youngest singer to top the charts.

1964: On his way to visit two injured fans in Liverpool, England, Mick Jagger is pulled over and fined $50 for speeding and driving without insurance.

1970: Jim Morrison of the Doors goes on trial in Miami, FL, for an infamous incident on March 1, 1969, where he allegedly exposed himself on stage. (Though no doubt drunk, disinterested, and verbally taunting the audience, according to firsthand accounts, Morrison is generally thought these days to have been innocent of the major charge, sparking talk of a posthumous public vindication by Florida officials.)

1972: Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested backstage in Gothenburg, Sweden, for possession of six ounces of marijuana. The couple are released after paying a combined fine of $1,200.

1975: The jazz vocal group Manhattan Transfer debut their summer variety series on CBS-TV.

1976: Elton John begins a historic record-breaking ten-night run of concerts at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

1982: Johnny Lyon (Asbury Jukes) married Jill Glasner.

1983: Kajagoogoo fired their lead singer Limahl who took up a solo career with the theme to “The Neverending Story”. The group scored the 1983 UK No.1 single 'Too Shy'.

1985: Madonna's "Like A Virgin" became the first album by a female to be certified for 5 million sales.

1985: Canadian singer, guitarist Bryan Adams scored his first US No.1 album with 'Reckless.'

1985: 'Money for Nothing' by Dire Straits peaked at No.4 on the UK singles chart. Notable for its groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting singing the song's falsetto introduction and backing chorus, "I want my MTV," who also co-wrote the song with Mark Knopfler. The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on 1 August 1987.

1985: Michael Jackson buys ATV Music (every Beatle songs) for $47 Million.

1985: Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran was air lifted to safety when his boat 'Drum' overturned while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull with five other crew members for twenty minutes, until being rescued by the Royal Navy.

1987: Wilson Pickett is found guilty of threatening patrons at a New Jersey bar with a loaded shotgun after a brawl inside the club. He is given two years' probation and fined $1000.

1987: A Chorus Line, the Broadway smash that had become the longest-running show on Broadway four years earlier, celebrates a historic 5,000th performance.

1993: The Dave Matthews Band played at The Flood Zone in Richmond, Virginia, the gig was recorded with some of tonight’s songs ending up on the bands first major label album ‘Remember Two Things.’

1995: Jimmy Buffett led a birthday celebration for U.S. President Clinton's birthday at the White House.

1999: it was announced that Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthur's had quit the band after finishing his guitar parts on the bands new album.

2001: The Dixie Chicks' Martie Seidel marries Gareth Maguire in Kailua, Hawaii.

2002: When The Dixie Chicks perform on the Grand Ole Opry, Natalie Maines interrupts the proceedings to announce the newest inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame: Opry members Porter Wagoner and "Jumpin'" Bill Carlisle.

2004: The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts confirms that he is undergoing treatment for throat cancer, which will eventually go into remission.

2007: Spice Girl Emma Bunton gave birth to a baby boy called Beau at London's private Portland Hospital. Bunton and her partner Jade Jones, a former member of defunct boy band Damage, had been together for eight years.

2008: singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 65. Police were called to his home after his wife found him unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Hayes won an Oscar for the 1971 hit Theme From Shaft as was also known as the voice of Chef from the hit cartoon show, South Park. He was married four times and had 12 children.

2009: Brooks & Dunn announce in a five-sentence note to their fans that they're ending their run as a duo after one last tour. "It's time to call it a day".

August 9

Births

1934: Merle Kilgore (Country Singer / Songwriter)

1939: Billy Henderson (Singer for The Spinners)

1946: Marinus Gerritsen (Bass for Golden Earring)

1947: Barbara Mason (R&B Singer)

1963: Whitney Houston (Singer)

1972: Arion Salazar (Bass for Third Eye Blind)

1972: Juanes (Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez) (Colombian Singer & Guitarist)

Events

1958: Cliff Richard, a seventeen-year-old who would become England's first homegrown rock star of note, signs his first recording contract with EMI.

1963: ITV television in Britain premieres the legendary rock and roll variety show Ready! Steady! Go!, which would run until 1966. The first episode features co-host Dusty Springfield as well as musical guests The Searchers, Pat Boone, and The Tremeloes.

1964: Bob Dylan and Joan Baez share the stage for the first time, singing "With God On Our Side" at the Newport Folk Festival.

1964: The crowd of over three thousand at tonight's Rolling Stones gig in Manchester, England, prove hard to control, accidentally breaking the ribs of one policeman and causing another two to faint in the crush.

1967: At England's National Jazz and Blues Festival in Sunberry, Jerry Lee Lewis is kicked off the stage after the overenthusiastic crowd responds to his set with a near-riot.

1967: Scott McKenzie was at No.1 on the singles chart with 'San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair).' The singers only Top 40 hit was written by John Philips of Mamas & Papas.

1974: Four members of the jazz-rock group Chase, who'd scored a hit three years earlier with "Get It On," are killed in a plane crash near Jackson, MN, including leader Bill Chase.

1978: Muddy Waters performs at the Carter White House.

1980: AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Back In Black'.  It only went to #4 in the US. It was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, (who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33), and was dedicated to him. The album has sold an estimated 49 million copies worldwide to date, making it the second highest selling album of all time, and the best selling hard rock or heavy metal album, as well as the best selling album ever released by a band.

1980: Ten original Gerald Scarfe drawings for Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Wall’ were stolen from the foyer of Earls Court, London, England where they were being exhibited.

1985: After the massive success of the Motown 25 TV special on NBC, the network debuts the ill-fated Motown Revue variety series, which would only run for five weeks.

1986: Queen give what would prove to be their last live performance ever at the annual Knebworth Park Festival in England, closing as usual with "We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions" and "God Save The Queen."

1991: The 5th Dimension are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

1991: Rick James pled innocent to charges that he imprisoned, tortured and sexually assaulted a woman in his California home.

1994: During an Oasis gig at The Riverside in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, guitarist Noel Gallagher was hit in the face by a man who had jumped on the stage. Noel refused to carry on playing and after leaving the stage a mob of over 300 people attacked the bands bus as they were leaving.

1995: The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia’s body was discovered in his room at the rehabilitation clinic. The cause of death was a heart attack. Garcia had long struggled with drug addiction, weight problems, and sleep apnea, all of which contributed to his physical decline. He was well known for his distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarist's of All Time"

2002: Lisa Marie Presley is married to actor Nicolas Cage, in a union that lasts less than four months.

2005: Singer / Songwriter Marc Cohn survived being shot in the head during an attempted car jacking as he left a concert in Denver, Colorado. Cohn was struck in the temple by the bullet but it did not penetrate his skull. Police said a man tried to commandeer Cohn's tour van as it left after a show, the attacker was fleeing police after trying to pay a hotel bill with a stolen credit card.

2007: As the first Phil Spector / Lana Clarkson murder trial winds down, the legal teams visit the famed producer's Alhambra mansion in California to take a look at the scene of the crime.

2007: Amy Winehouse cancelled a series of European shows after being admitted to hospital suffering from "severe exhaustion". The 23-year-old singer was taken to University College London Hospital and later discharged. In the past few weeks she had pulled out of the T in the Park festival - also citing "exhaustion", Liverpool's Summer Pops event and concerts in Norway and Denmark.

2007: Jennifer Lopez won $545,000 in a case against her first husband, who planned to publish a book claiming she had several affairs. Lopez claimed Ojani Noa had violated a previous legal settlement preventing him from revealing private details about their relationship. The star claimed Mr Noa offered not to publish the book in return for $5 million.

2011: Singer Gavin DeGraw suffered a broken nose and was hospitalized after he was attacked by a group on a New York City street.