January 20

Births

1888: Leadbelly (Blues Musician)

1922: Ray Anthony (Big Band Leader)

1951: Ian Hill (Bass for Judas Priest)

1952: Paul Stanley (Vocals & Guitar for KISS)

1955: Michael Anthony (Bass for Van Halen)

1965: John Michael Montgomery (Country Artist)

1965: Greg Kriesel (Bass for The Offspring)

1966: Tracii Guns (Guitar for L.A. Guns & Guns N’ Roses first Guitarist)

1971: ?uestlove (Ahmir Khalib Thompson) (Drummer for The Roots)

1979: Rob Bourdon (Drummer for Linkin Park)

1980: Matthew Tuck (Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar for Bullet For My Valentine)

Events

1958: Elvis Presley receives his draft notice in Memphis, TN. It allows a sixty-day deferment for the King to finish his film King Creole.

1964: The Beatles album “Meet The Beatles” is released in the US.  The whole album was 27:00 minutes long.

1965: The Rolling Stones and the Kinks both make their debut on ABC's Shindig! along with guests Dave Clark Five, Petula Clark, Bobby Vee, Bobby Sherman and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

1968: In his first public appearance since his motorcycle accident two years earlier, Bob Dylan joins Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and the Band at a Carnegie Hall tribute concert for Woody Guthrie.

1971: Diana Ross marries Bob Silberstein.

1973: Following his newfound success as a country and western artist, Jerry Lee Lewis finally takes the stage at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Although officials instruct him to play only country and to keep his comments clean, Lewis eventually breaks both rules, playing his classic rock and roll hits and declaring himself "the rock & rollin', country and western, rhythm and blues singin' motherf-----."

1974: After only five months of recovery from a near-fatal car crash, Stevie Wonder returns to performance with a show at London's Rainbow Theatre.

1982: Ozzy Osborne bit the head off of a bat in Des Moines, IA, and was hospitalized to undertake a series of rabies shots.

1988: The Third Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Drifters, Bob Dylan, and The Supremes. Beach Boy Mike Love raises eyebrows with his acceptance speech, which methodically insults most of the honorees (among others).

1999: Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), while on probation for a 1997 heroin case, was arrested for failing to provide a urine sample to his live-in drug treatment center.

January 19

Births

1939: Phil Everly (Singer in The Everly Brothers)

1943: Janis Joplin (Singer)

1945: Rod Evans (Original Singer for Deep Purple)

1946: Dolly Parton (Country Singer)

1949: Robert Palmer (Singer)

1951: Dewey Bunnell (Vocals & Guitar for America)

1959: Jeff Pilson (Bass for Dokken, Dio and Foreigner)

1963: Caron Wheeler (Vocals for Soul II Soul)

1971: John Wozniak (Vocals & Guitar for Marcy Playground)

Events

1957: Pat Boone performs at the inaugural ball for President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1957: Johnny Cash makes his first national television appearance on CBS' Jackie Gleason Show.

1959: Arbitron ratings reveal that ABC's American Bandstand is now the nation's most popular daytime show.

1967: Lesley Gore appears on an episode of ABC's Batman series, playing Catwoman's sidekick, Pussycat. Gore also sings "California Nights," her recent single, on the show.

1971: Prosecutors at Charles Manson's murder trial play a recording of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter," in deference to the rumor that Manson saw the band's "White Album" as a blueprint for violent revolution.

1974: Two Miami shows featuring Bob Dylan and the Band prove so popular that they cause a nine-mile-long traffic jam. Many ticket holders only get to see half of the show(s).

1976: Rock promoter Bill Sargent offers thirty million dollars to the members of the Beatles to reunite (and is shocked when they decline).

1977: Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band perform for President Jimmy Carter's inauguration ceremonies.

1978: Johnny Rotten was fired from The Sex Pistols for 'not being weird enough anymore.'

1980: Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' started a 15-week run at #1 on the US album chart. The group’s third US #1, it went on to sell over 23 million copies in the US alone. 'The Wall' is still the third largest grossing album in the US, behind Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller' and Eagles’ 'Greatest Hits'.

1993: The US Supreme Court rules that Tom Waits can keep all of the $2.5 million awarded him by a lower court. Waits had sued Frito-Lay for using a soundalike of him in a 1988 snack commercial.

1993: Fleetwood Mac reunites to perform for President William Jefferson Clinton's inauguration ceremonies. (Clinton had used the band's 1977 hit "Don't Stop" as his campaign theme song.)

1994: The Ninth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include The Animals, The Band, Duane Eddy, The Grateful Dead, Elton John, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Rod Stewart.

1997: Madonna won the Best Actress award for her role in Evita at the Golden Globe Awards.

1999: Bizzy Bone (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) went on trial in Columbus, Ohio, on charges that he dragged a student barber down a flight of stairs.

2006: Soul singer, Wilson Pickett died in hospital near his Ashburn, Virginia home of a heart attack aged 64.

January 18

Births

1941: David Ruffin (Singer for The Temptations)

1971: Jonathan Davis (Vocals for Korn)

1977: Richard Archer (lead singer of Hard-Fi)

1983: Samantha Mumba (Singer)

Events

1965: Paul Simon drops out of law school to pursue music full-time.

1968: At a White House luncheon to discuss the rise in urban crime, Eartha Kitt gets into a notorious spat with First Lady Claudia Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson, declaring, "Vietnam is the main reason we are having trouble with the youth of America. It is a war without explanation or reason." Although accounts of the entire argument differ, Kitt is subsequently blackballed in America.

1969: Former Beatle Pete Best wins his eight-million-dollar defamation suit against his former group (but settles for considerably less money in the judgment).

1973: Pink Floyd begin recording their legendary Dark Side of the Moon album.

1973: The Rolling Stones hold a benefit concert at the Los Angeles Forum for victims of the recent Nicaraguan earthquake, raising over $200,000 for the cause. (Lead singer Mick Jagger personally contributes an extra $150,000.)

1974: Free's Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, Mott the Hoople's Mick Ralphs, and King Crimson's Boz Burrell unite to form the band Bad Company.

1975: Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago officially declares today Bobby Vinton Day.

1975: Barry Manilow scored his first US No.1 single when 'Mandy', (originally titled 'Brandy' when it was recorded in 1972 by Scott English), went to the top of the charts.

1977: President Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Concert takes place the night before the swearing-in, featuring performances by Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklin, among others. John Lennon and Paul Simon are among those spotted in the crowd.

1981: Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics was arrested on stage at Milwaukee and was charged with the offence of simulating sex with a sledgehammer. Williams later filed a multimillion dollar civil suit against the Milwaukee Police, claming they sexually assaulted and beat her during the arrest, but a jury rejected her claims.

1985: USA Today readers select Cleveland, OH, as their choice for the permanent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1987: Steve Winwood marries Eugenia Grafton.

1989: The Fourth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include Dion, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, and Stevie Wonder.

1995: The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia escapes unhurt when his rented BMW crashes into a guardrail near Mill Valley, California.

1996: Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson after less then two years of being married.

2004: Jennifer Lopez’s divorce from her second husband Cris Judd became final. Lopez and Judd married in 2001, after meeting when filming the video to ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’ but split the next year. He was expected to get a $15 million settlement from the divorce.

January 17

Births

1922: Betty White (Actress)

1927: Eartha Kitt (Jazz Singer & Catwoman)

1948: Mick Taylor (Guitar for The Rolling Stones)

1955: Steve Earle (Singer / Songwriter)

1959: Susanna Hoffs (Singer & Guitar for The Bangles & Solo)

1964: Andy Rourke (Bass for The Smiths)

1966: Shabba Ranks (Rexton Gordon) (Reggae Singer)

1971: Kid Rock (Robert James Ritchie) (Singer)

1971: Jon Wysocki (Drummer for Staind)

1978: Ricky Wilson (Vocals for Kaiser Chiefs)

1981: Ray J (William Ray Norwood) (R&B Singer & Brandy’s Brother)

1982: Alex Varkatzas (Vocals for Atreyu)

Events

1967: London's Daily Mail newspaper carries an article about potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire. It was this article that inspired the line John Lennon wrote in "A Day In The Life."

1971: Marvin Gaye performs the national anthem at Superbowl V in Miami, FL.

1972: Highway 51 South in Memphis, TN is renamed "Elvis Presley Blvd."

1974: Singer Dino Martin (not to be confused with his more famous father, Dean) is arrested on suspicion of possession and sale of firearms. He was arraigned and released the next day on $5,000 bail.

1979: Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton announce their intention to record what would be known as the Trio album together. It would be eight years before the recording was made, however.

1981: Mötley Crüe formed when bass guitarist Nikki Sixx left the band London and began rehearsing with drummer Tommy Lee and vocalist, guitarist Greg Leon, (who later left). Sixx and Lee then added guitarist Bob "Mick Mars" Deal. Vince Neil accepted an offer to join (after turning them down) in April of this year.

1986: Olivia Newton-John gives birth to her daughter Chloe.

1990: The Fifth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, The Kinks, The Platters, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Who.

1993: President William Jefferson Clinton's Inauguration ceremonies feature a free outdoor concert at which Aretha Franklin, Michael Bolton, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, and Diana Ross (among others) perform.

1994: Donny Osmond of the Osmonds and Danny Bonaduce of the Partridge Family appear in a three-round charity boxing match. The fight was created after Osmond taunted Bonaduce at the gym they both frequented. Bonaduce won the split decision.

1996: The Eleventh Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include David Bowie, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jefferson Airplane, Little Willie John, Pink Floyd, The Shirelles, and The Velvet Underground.

January 16

Births

1944: Ronnie Milsap (Country Artist)

1950: Damo Suzuki (Vocals for Can)

1959: Sade (Helen Folasade Adu) (R&B Singer)

1959: Jill Sobule (Singer / Songwriter)

1962: Maxine Jones (Singer in En Vogue)

1970: Brendan O'Hare (Drummer for Teenage Fanclub)

1979: Aaliyah (R&B Singer)

1981: Nick Valensi (Guitar for The Strokes)

Events

1938: Benny Goodman brings jazz to New York City's Carnegie Hall for the first time with a concert there. When asked how long an intermission he wanted, Goodman joked, "How much does Toscanini get?"

1957: The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool. It became the home of many Liverpool bands including The Beatles who appeared at the club 292 times.

1965: Beatles manager Brian Epstein, in Britain's Melody Maker magazine, is quoted as saying "I give the Beatles two or three years more at the top."

1972: David Seville (The Chipmunks) died of a heart attack at age 53.

1976: The television variety show Donny and Marie, starring Donny and Marie Osmond, debuts on ABC.

1978: Sex Pistol, Sid Vicious fell through a glass door at a San Francisco hotel, took a drug overdose and was rushed to hospital.

1979: Cher's divorce from Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers becomes final.

1980: Paul McCartney is jailed in Tokyo, Japan, for possession of a half-pound of marijuana found in his luggage. He would spend ten days behind bars -- the only time ever spent away from wife Linda -- before being expelled from the country by Japanese authorities. (His Japanese tour, naturally, was canceled.)

1987: The Beastie Boys became the first act censored on "American Bandstand."

1990: Ike Turner was convicted of driving under the influence of cocaine and being under the influence of cocaine and sentenced to a four year prison sentence in California.

1991: The Sixth Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include LaVern Baker, The Byrds, John Lee Hooker, The Impressions, Wilson Pickett, Jimmy Reed, and Ike and Tina Turner.

1996: Jimmy Buffett’s seaplane Hemisphere Dancer is shot at by Jamaican authorities after being mistaken for a drug smuggler's plane. Buffett and U2's Bono, also on board, are unhurt. The incident inspires Buffett's song "Jamaica Mistaica."

1996: Wayne Newton performs his 25,000th show in Las Vegas.

2004: Michael Jackson appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to seven charges of child molestation. The singer, who arrived 21 minutes late was told off by the Santa Barbara judge saying 'Mr. Jackson, you have started out on the wrong foot here, it is an insult to the court.'

2009: Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in jail for falsely imprisoning a male escort.

January 15

Births

1909: Gene Krupa (Jazz Drummer & Band Leader)

1929: Earl Hooker (Blues Guitarist)

1929: Dr. Martin Luther King

1941: Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) (Singer / Songwriter)

1949: Ronnie Van Zant (Lead Singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd)

1951: Charo (Flamenco Guitarist)

1952: Boris Blank (Yello)

1953: Duke Erikson (Bass for Garbage)

1959: Peter Trewavas (Bass for Marillion)

1965: Adam Jones (Guitar for Tool)

1965: Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez) (Vocals for Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam)

1981: Howie Day (Singer / Songwriter)

Events

1955: Billboard magazine reports that "music with an R&B beat is not longer regarded as a passing phase by major recording firms," citing the recent success of white pop covers of R&B hits.

1961: The Supremes sign with Motown Records.

1967: Ed Sullivan refuses to let the Rolling Stones sing their big hit "Let’s Spend the Night Together" on his CBS show of the same name unless they change the title and lyrics to "Let's Spend Some Time Together." The band does as it's told, but lead singer Mick Jagger mocks the censorship by making faces at the camera while he sings the cleaned-up line.

1969: George Harrison had a five-hour meeting with John, Paul and Ringo where he made it clear that he was fully prepared to quit The Beatles for good. Harrison wasn’t happy with plans for live performances and the Let It Be film project.

1974: The Fifties-nostalgia sitcom Happy Days premieres on ABC.

1982: Harry Casey (the KC in KC and the Sunshine Band) is partially paralyzed in a Miami car crash. His recovery takes the better part of a year.

1992: The Seventh Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held in New York City. Inductees include Bobby "Blue" Bland, Booker T. and the MGs, Johnny Cash, The Isley Brothers, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Sam and Dave, and The Yardbirds.

1994: Singer / Songwriter Harry Nilsson died in his sleep of heart failure after spending the previous day in the recording studio.

1998: James Brown is admitted to a South Carolina hospital for addiction to painkillers.

2002: 1980's British pop legend Adam Ant was admitted to a mental ward 24 hours after being charged by police with pulling a gun on staff in a London pub.

2003: In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lou Rawls is arrested on one count of battery against his girlfriend.

2010: Charlie Daniels suffers a mild stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado.

January 14

Births

1936: Clarence Carter (R&B Singer)

1948: T-Bone Burnett (Singer & Producer)

1959: Geoff Tate (Singer for Queensryche)

1962: Patricia Morrison (Bass for Sisters Of Mercy & The Damned)

1967: Zakk Wylde (Guitar for Ozzy Osbourne & Black Label Society)

1968: LL Cool J (James Todd Smith) (Rapper)

1969: Dave Grohl (Drums for Nirvana, Vocals & Guitar for Foo Fighters)

1982: Caleb Followill (Singer & Guitar for Kings Of Leon)

Events

1955: Legendary disc jockey and promoter Alan Freed debuts his first Rock and Roll Ball in New York City. Staged at the 6,000-seat Saint Nicholas Arena in Harlem, both shows sell out well in advance. Featured at the gig are Big Joe Turner, the Clovers, Fats Domino, the Moonglows, the Drifters and the Harptones.

1966: Singer David Jones changes his last name to Bowie in order to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones.

1970: At the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Diana Ross performs her last show with the Supremes. Miss Ross also introduces her replacement, Jean Terrell.

1970: John Lennon's erotic "Bag One" lithographs are exhibited publicly in London (and removed by Scotland Yard two days later).

1973: The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh is arrested for possession of drugs in California.

1973: Elvis Presley draws the largest single television event audience ever for his "Aloha From Hawaii" concert, broadcast live via satellite to over one billion people in forty countries throughout the world. Originating from Honolulu's International Center Arena, the show is a major success, and is released as a hit double-album set later that year. However, the United States doesn't get to see the show until NBC airs it on April 4th.

1978: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album logs a record 31st week at the top of Billboard's album chart.

1978: The Sex Pistols played their last live gig at Winterland, San Francisco, (they re-formed in 96).

1988: Paul McCartney releases his album CHOBA B CCCP (translation: Back In The U.S.S.R.) exclusively in Russia, causing bootleg copies stateside to fetch upwards of $1000. (The album, a collection of oldies covers, is eventually released worldwide.)

1989: The soundtrack to the film Dirty Dancing, which consists mainly of classic oldies, reaches sales of ten million copies (now known as Diamond certification).

1992: Jerry Nolan drummer with The New York Dolls died from a fatal stroke.

1997: The Beach Boys guest star on an episode of the ABC sitcom Home Improvement.

1999: Model Jerry Hall files for divorce from her husband, the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger.

1999: Metallica sued Victoria's Secret, claiming that the manufacturer infringed on its trademark by marketing a line of "Metallica" lip pencils.

2003: Linda Gail Lewis the sister of Jerry Lee Lewis, dropped a claim of sex discrimination against Van Morrison. Lewis had claimed that Morrison had 'publicly humiliated' her on stage and had tried to ruin her life by asking her for sex. She withdrew her claim after discussions with her lawyer. Morrison denied all the allegations.

2005: A $100,000 statue honoring the late punk guitarist Johnny Ramone was unveiled by his widow Linda at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.