October 27

Births

1949: Garry Tallent (Bass for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band)

1951: K.K. Downing (Guitar for Judas Priest)

1958: Simon Le Bon (Vocals for Duran Duran)

1967: Scott Weiland (Vocals for Stone Temple Pilots & Solo)

1984: Kelly Osbourne (Singer)

Events

1957: Police in Oakland, CA inform Elvis Presley that he is not allowed to swivel his hips onstage in tonight's performance at the Oakland Auditorium; Elvis responds by sarcastically wiggling only his little finger while singing. The cops film the show anyway, just in case.

1960: Tina Turner gives birth to Ronald Renelle Turner, her second child, while touring in Los Angeles. Husband Ike is not present at the birth.

1960: Singer Ben E King records his first solo songs "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me".

1964: Singers Sonny and Cher wed, Cher wore bell-bottoms.

1969: Blues artist Muddy Waters is seriously injured in a car crash in Champagne, Illinois. Three people were killed in the accident.

1970: Black Sabbath played their first ever-live show in the US when they kicked of a 16-date tour at Glassboro State College In NJ.

1975: Bruce Springsteen, riding on hype for his latest album, Born To Run, finds himself the first rocker to make the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week.

1979: Elton John collapses during his show atollywood's Universal Amphitheatre and is hospitalized for "exhaustion."

1980: John Lennon's killer Mark David Chapman purchases the .38 revolver (a five-shot Charter Arms "Off Duty" special) with which he will eventually kill his idol.

1989: U2 bass player Adam Clayton was convicted of a drink driving offence by a Dublin court after being found driving twice over the legal limit. He was fined $1,000 and banned from driving for 1 year.

1990: Michael Waite from reggae group Musical Youth was jailed for four years for his part in a robbery.

1992: Bo Diddley sues the estate of his former manager, the now-deceased Martin Otelsberg, for $75,000 in misappropriated funds.

1995: Gloria Estefan becomes the only pop artist to receive a call from the Pope to perform.

2005: The distributor of rapper 50 Cent's new film said it would remove posters advertising the film after complaints they glorify gun violence. Posters for 'Get Rich or Die Tryin' showed 50 Cent holding a gun in his left hand and a microphone the other. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich wrote to Paramount Pictures urging them to take down the posters. The company said it had taken down one poster near a Los Angeles nursery school, and planned to remove more.

2009: Eric Clapton pulled out of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert in New York City after he underwent an operation to remove gallstones. His place at the Madison Square Garden gig was taken by Jeff Beck.

October 26

Births

1911: Mahalia Jackson (Gospel Singer)

1951: Bootsy Collins (Bass for P-Funk)

1953: Keith Strickland (Guitar & Drums for The B-52's)

1963: Natalie Merchant (Vocals for 10,000 Maniacs & Solo)

1967: Keith Urban (Country Artist)

1981: Girl Talk (Gregg Michael Gillis) (Mash Up Artist)

Events

1935: The NBC Radio show Lux Radio Theatre presents its newest find -- a 12-year-old girl singer named Judy Garland.

1961: Bob Dylan signs with Columbia Records, his first recording contract.

1962: The Rolling Stones, consisting of Keith Richard, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman, record their first demo tape at Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury, London. They recorded three songs, Jimmy Reed's 'Close Together', Bo Diddlley's 'You Cant Judge A Book By The Cover' and Muddy Waters' 'Soon Forgotten.'

1962: The first Motown "revue" tour begins in Washington DC, featuring Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas, the Contours, Stevie Wonder, and the Marvelettes.

1965: The Beatles receive Members of the British Empire (MBE) medals from Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony staged at Buckingham Palace. It is the first such honor ever given to a rock band, causing many former recipients, many distinguished military personnel, to return their medals in disgust. According to John, the group is so nervous beforehand that it gets high on marijuana in a palace bathroom; during the ceremony, when Her Majesty asks the group how long it's been together, Ringo replies "forty years." Later, a press conference is held at the Saville Theatre.

1970: Mrs. Alta Mae Anderson, mother of Meredith Hunter, the Rolling Stones concertgoer murdered by Hell's Angels at their Altamont show, sues the band for hiring the infamous biker club as security.

1978: The Police played their first U.S. show in Boston at the Rat Club.

1980: Paul Kantner of Jefferson Starship suffers what is thought to be a stroke while recording the band's latest album but is later revealed to be a brain embolism. He recovers after two weeks' hospitalization.

1984: 19-year-old John D. McCollum killed himself with a .22 caliber handgun after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records. One year later, McCollum's parents took court action against Ozzy and CBS Records, alleging that the song "Suicide Solution" from the album Blizzard of Ozz contributed to their son's death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.

1991: Ozzy Osbourne broke his foot after an accident on stage at a gig in Chicago, causing him to cancel the remaining dates of a US tour.

1992: Julie Fogerty, wife of husband John Fogerty of CCR, gives birth to the couple's first son (and Fogerty's fourth total), Tyler Jackson.

1998: US Federal courts refuse to issue an injunction against makers of mp3 players, one which the RIAA has been pushing for in light of rampant piracy.

1998: Fats Domino is awarded the National Medal of Arts from US President Bill Clinton.

2000: Garth Brooks announces his plans to retire during a party to celebrate his certification for sales of 100 million albums at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. Brooks says he'll record one more album before he quits.

2002: Jessica Simpson, married former 98° member Nick Lachey. The couple were featured on MTV ‘Newlyweds’ TV show. The couple separated after three years of marriage.

2006: Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor quit the band during the US leg of their world tour. A statement on behalf of the group described the relationship with Andy Taylor as unworkable and one that could not be resolved.

2007: Rapper T.I. was released on $3m bail in Atlanta after he was charged with unlawfully possessing firearms, unregistered machine guns and silencers. US Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman said the singer would remain under house arrest in Henry County, Georgia, being monitored 24 hours a day by a private firm paid for by himself. The rapper was also electronically tagged.

October 25

Births

1825: Johann Strauss II (Composer)

1944: Jon Anderson (Lead Vocals & Keybpards for Yes)

1948: Glenn Tipton (Guitar for Judas Priest)

1951: Richard Lloyd (Guitar & Vocals for Television)

1955: Matthias Jabs (Guitar for The Scorpions)

1961: Chad Smith (Drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers)

1968: Speech (Todd Thomas) (Rapper for Arrested Development)

1984: Katy Perry (Singer / Songwriter)

1985: Ciara (Ciara Princess Harris) (R&B Singer)

Events

1960: A 17-year-old art student named Keith Richards runs into his old schoolmate, an economics student named Mick Jagger, at a train station in London. Richards notices the R&B albums under Jagger's arm, and before long the two form their first group -- Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.

1962: The Beatles give their first-ever radio interview, on Radio Clatterbridge, a closed-circuit radio station serving Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals in Wirral, near Liverpool. Paul is quoted as saying "John is, in fact, the leader of the group."

1964: The Rolling Stones make their US television debut when they appear on CBS's Ed Sullivan Show. After screaming fans practically tear the studio seats apart, Sullivan declares to reporters: "I promise you they'll never be back on our show. It took me 17 years to build this up, I'm not going to have it destroyed in a matter of weeks. We won't book any more rock 'n' roll groups. Frankly, I didn't see the group until the day before the broadcast. I was shocked when I saw them." The group returns to the program five times.

1968: The New Yardbirds, soon to be known as Led Zeppelin, make their live concert debut at England's Surrey University, described on the poster as the "first big dance of the term."

1968: The double album 'Electric Ladyland' by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was released. It was also made available as two albums with changed artwork after complaints about the naked women who were pictured on the sleeve. The female models were each paid $9 for the photo shoot and another $9 if they posed completely naked.

1970: Speaking at a US radio conference, President Nixon asked programmers to ban all songs containing drug references.

1974: Al Green was taking a shower at his Memphis home when his ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson burst in and poured boiling hot grit over him. She then shot herself dead. Green suffered second degree burns.

1980: New Order played their debut gig at The Squat in Manchester, England.

1986: Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Slippery When Wet'. Featuring two US No.1 singles, 'You Give Love A Bad Name' and 'Livin' On A Prayer'. The album went on to sell over 8 million copies world wide.

1986: Dire Straits guitarist, singer Mark Knopfler broke his collarbone after crashing in a celebrity car race before the Australian Grand Prix.

1991: Bill Graham, concert promoter, was killed in a helicopter crash.

1995: Cliff Richard is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, the very first native rock star to receive the honor.

1997: Johnny Cash reaches over to pick up a dropped guitar pick at today's concert in Flint, MI and falls over on stage; apologizing, he reveals to the audience that he is in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. The crowd, thinking Cash is joking, laughs at the comment.

2002: An arsonist destroys Aretha Franklin's mansion in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. The criminal is never caught; fortunately, no one is living there at the time.

2004: UK DJ and producer John Peel died of a heart attack at age 65.  He was BBC’s longest-serving radio DJ and the first DJ to introduce The Ramones, Roxy Music, The Smiths, The Fall, Rod Stewart, Blur, the Sex Pistols, T. Rex and others to the masses.

2006: Forbes.com's sixth annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list reports that Elvis Presley's estate comes in second (beaten out by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain). Also in the top twenty: John Lennon, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Ray Charles, and Bob Marley.

2007: Three workers building the set for an Akon outdoor show at Emory University in Atlanta were taken to hospital after a canopy fell on top of them. The concert was later cancelled.

October 24

Births

1911: Sonny Terry (Blues Musician)

1930: The Big Bopper  (J.P. Richardson) (Singer)

1936: Bill Wyman (Bass for The Rolling Stones)

1962: Debbie Googe (Bass for My Bloody Valentine)

1980: Monica (R&B Singer)

Events

1959: On his 23rd birthday, and still a year away from even buying his first bass guitar, the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman marries his first wife, 18-year-old bank clerk Diane Corey.

1967: Pink Floyd are forced to cancel an important upcoming US tour, their first, after leader Syd Barrett refuses to lip-sync to "Arnold Layne" on ABC-TV's popular American Bandstand show.

1970: Santana scored their first US No.1 album with 'Abraxas'.

1970: Picking up on an earlier speech by his Vice-President, US President Richard Nixon delivers a White House address to the National Association of Broadcasters, urging radio stations to ban any and all songs with drug-related lyrics.

1973: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is fined $500 for possession of heroin, quaaludes, and illegal firearms at his home in London.

1973: John Lennon sues the US Government for wiretapping his phone during its investigation of "radical" antiwar elements in society.

1978: The film version of The Wiz, an African-American remake of The Wizard Of Oz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, premieres in New York City.

1978: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards pleads guilty to heroin possession in Toronto, Canada and is given a one-year suspended sentence. The Stones are also ordered to play a gig for charity.

1980: The Guinness Book of World Records presents Paul McCartney with a special rhodium album for being the best-selling songwriter in the history of recorded music, having written 43 platinum songs and sold over 100 million records.

1989: One of the most bizarre music copyright cases ever begins in Los Angeles as former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty is sued by his former label head, Saul Zaentz, for allegedly plagiarizing himself! Fogerty was accused of re-writing his CCR song "Run Through The Jungle" for his 1985 comeback hit "The Old Man Down The Road." Fogerty would eventually win the suit after taking the stand with his guitar and demonstrating his songwriting process.

1989: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces its 4th annual inductees: The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, The Kinks, The Platters, Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, Carole King, and Gerry Goffin.

1993: Duran Duran cancelled the remainder of their tour after Simon LeBon tore a vocal chord.

1995: The Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, declares today "Tony Bennett Day" in honor of the native singer. Later that night, Bennett celebrates with a gig at Radio City Music Hall.

1998: Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown was jailed for 4 months after being found guilty of disorderly behaviour during a flight from Paris to Manchester. Brown had threatened to chop the hands off an air stewardess during a heated exchange.

2000: Linkin Park released their debut alumb "Hybrid Theory."

2000: Neal McCoy and his wife, Melinda, renew their wedding vows on their 20th anniversary at the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas with an Elvis Presley impersonator officiating.

2006: Forbes.com revealed that Kurt Cobain had overtaken Elvis Presley as the highest earning dead celebrity. Cobain's work earned $50m in the 12 months to October 2006, compared with Presley's $42m. Former Beatle John Lennon earned $35m.

2006: Rapper Foxy Brown was sentenced to three years probation for assaulting two New York nail salon workers in 2004. Brown had kicked and punched employees during a dispute over payment for a pedicure and manicure in August 2004. She had been threatened with jail after failing to turn up to court.

2006: Big Machine releases Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album.

October 21

Births

1917: Dizzy Gillespie (Jazz Trumpeter)

1940: Manfred Mann (Keyboardist)

1941: Steve Cropper (Guitar for Booker T. and the MGs)

1946: Lux Interior (Erick Lee Purkhiser) (Singer for The Cramps)

1952: Brent Mydland (Keyboards for Grateful Dead)

1953: Charlotte Caffey (Guitar for The Go- Go's)

1957: Steve Lukather (Guitar & Vocals for Toto)

Events

1908: The first two-sided vinyl record was offered for sale by the Columbia label in an ad running in this week's Saturday Evening Post.

1956: Elvis Presley visits his favorite local movie theater, the Memphian, and is attacked by an adoring crowd who scratch his new Cadillac. This begins Elvis' new habit of renting the entire theater whenever he wants to watch a movie.

1958: Buddy Holly recorded his last studio session including “True Love ways”.

1961: Bob Dylan recorded "Bob Dylan," his first album. He was 20 years old when he did the recording for Columbia Records. The cost to produce the session was $400.

1965: Bill Black, Elvis Presley's bass player, (1954-57), died four months after receiving surgery to remove a brain tumour, aged 39.

1971: In Paris, Mick Jagger and girlfriend Bianca become the proud parents of Mick's first child, Jade.

1975: The city of Los Angeles declares this "Elton John Week" and awards the musician his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6915 Hollywood Blvd.

1976: Keith Moon played his last show with The Who at the end of a North American tour at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. On September 7, 1978, Moon died of an overdose of a sedative Heminevrin, that had been prescribed to prevent seizures induced by alcohol withdrawal.

1992: Elvis' first grandson, Benjamin Storm, is born to Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough.

1992: Elton John sues the syndicated US television show Hard Copy for alleging that the singer moved to the Atlanta suburbs to be near an AIDS treatment facility.

1994: Neil Diamond publicly announces his divorce from his second wife, Marcia Murphey, whom he has been with since 1969.

1995: Green Day singer Billie Joe was arrested and fined $141 after mooning at the audience during a gig in Milwaukee.

1995: Shannon Hoon, (Singer for Blind Melon), dies of a cocaine overdose at 28.

2003: Elton John signs the deal for the first of his famous "Red Piano" concerts at Las Vegas' Ceasar's Palace.

2004: Bo Diddley postpones a concert in California to have a toe amputated due to complications from diabetes.

2006: Sandy West (Drummer for The Runaways) was diagnosed with lung cancer, which later spread to her brain.  She died on this day at age 47.

2007: Kid Rock and five members of his entourage were arrested after an argument with a man escalated into a fight in a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Kid Rock’s tour bus was pulled over by police after it left the scene; Rock was released after posting $1,000 bail.

October 20

Births

1885: Jelly Roll Morton (Ragtime Pianist)

1937: Wanda Jackson (Rockabilly Singer)

1945: Ric Lee (Drummer for Ten Years After)

1953: Tom Petty (Guitar & Vocals)

1964: Jim (Soni) Sonefeld (Drums for Hootie & The Blowfish)

1971: Snoop Doggy Dogg (Calvin Broadus) (Rapper)

Events

1964: A riot predictably breaks out during the Rolling Stones first-ever Paris gig, leading to the arrest of 150 concertgoers at the Olympia Theatre.

1966: The Yardbirds (featuring Jimmy Page) record a version of their hit "Over Under Sideways Down" as a jingle for General Foods' Great Shakes beverages.

1968: The Yardbirds end their stage career with a gig at Liverpool University.

1969: The Who begin a six-night run at the Fillmore East in New York, performing their new rock opera "Tommy" in its entirety.

1974: Former Animals lead singer Eric Burdon and his wife Rose celebrate the birth of their first daughter, which they name Mirage. (They will later think better of it and rename her Alexandria.)

1976: Waiting for lead singer Robert Plant to recover from a car accident, Led Zeppelin release the concert documentary The Song Remains The Same, a document of three 1973 shows at Madison Square Garden interspersed with several slightly ridiculous "fantasy" sequences. Though critical reaction is not kind, it goes on to be a success, as does the obligatory soundtrack album.

1977: Guitarist Steve Gaines, lead singer Ronnie Van Zandt, and backup singer Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd are all killed when the band's small Convair plane runs out of fuel and does down en route from Greenville, SC, to their next gig in Baton Rouge, LA. Crash landing in a forest near Gillsburg, MS, the accident also takes the lives of the band's assistant road manager as well as the two pilots, not to mention severely injuring the rest of the band and most of the other two dozen passengers. The remaining members would not reunite for another decade.

1977, Siouxsie Sioux and Kenny Morris from The Banshees were arrested and held overnight at Holloway police station, London for causing an obstruction after a London gig, they were both fined $40.

1978: The Police made their US debut at C.B.G.B.S, New York. The trio had flown on low cost tickets with Laker Airtrain from the UK, carrying their instruments as hand luggage.

1979: Bob Dylan appears on tonight's episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live to perform three new religious songs from his upcoming album Slow Train Coming, shocking listeners with his new fundamentalist Christian direction.

1980: U2's first album, "Boy", was released.

1991: Clint Black and Lisa Hartman were married near Houston, TX.

1994: In a surprise appearance, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young take the stage during Bob Dylan's concert at New York's Roseland Ballroom and perform "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "Highway 61 Revisited" with the legend himself.

1996: Carly Simon cancels a planned show aboard the famous cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II, docked in New York, after she comes down with a bad case of stage fright.

1996: UK R&B singer Mark Morrison was arrested accused of conspiracy to rob a West London shop, he was later released on bail.

2001: The Concert For New York City, a benefit show for victims of the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks, is staged at Madison Square Garden, featuring (among others) The Who, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, James Taylor, and David Bowie.

2003: Jimmy Cliff is awarded Jamaica's prestigious Order of Merit for his contributions to the world of music and movies.

2006: George Jones breaks his right wrist when he falls at the front door of producer Keith Stegall's Nashville studio, requiring the cancellation of three weekend concerts.

2007: Paul Raven, bassist with post-punk band Killing Joke, died of a suspected heart attack aged 46 in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was recording.

October 19

Births

1944: Peter Tosh (Reggae Legend)

1945: Patrick Simmons (Guitar & Vocals for The Doobie Brothers)

1960: Jennifer Holliday (R&B Singer)

1972: Pras (Pras Michel) (Rapper in The Fugees)

Events

1958: Brenda Lee records "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" at the Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville.

1964: The incredibly influential English concert called the "American Negro Blues Festival" kicks off, featuring Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sonny Boy Williamson, among others. It is the first glimpse of these bluesmen for many upcoming British R&B and rock legends.

1966: The Yardbirds, now featuring Jeff Beck on lead guitar and Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar, arrive in New York City to start their first American tour.

1970: Working from a design sketched out by his wife and himself, Elvis Presley orders a dozen 14-karat gold pendants from a Beverly Hills jeweler featuring the letters "TCB" set around a lightning bolt. Designed as totems for the Memphis Mafia (and also for security issues), the symbol stands, in Elvis' words, for "Taking Care of Business in a Flash." They would eventually come to symbolize the '70s era for Presley.

1981: At the Holiday Star Theater in Merriville, IN, Bob Dylan calls up longtime friend Larry Kegan, wheelchair-bound since the age of 15, and lets his perform Chuck Berry's "No Money Down" as tonight's encore.

1985: A-Ha went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Take On Me', making them the first Norwegian group to score a US No.1.

1989: Alan Murphy guitarist with Level 42 died of pneumonia related to aids. He also worked with Kate Bush, Go West and Mike & the Mechanics.

1991: Oasis played The Boardwalk in their hometown Manchester, the group's first gig with Noel Gallagher in the group.

1999: Capitol releases Keith Urban's self-titled debut album as a solo artist.

2006: Keith Urban checks into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, to cope with a recurrence of substance abuse.