April 17

Births

1934:  Don Kirshner (Music Producer)

1943:  Roy Estrada (Bass for Frank Zappa band & Little Feat)

1948:  Jan Hammer (Keyboard for Mahavishnu Orchestra & Solo)

1954:  Michael Sembello (Guitarist & Singer)

1955:  Pete Shelley (Guitar & Vocals for The Buzzcocks & Solo)

1964:  Maynard James Keenan (Singer for Tool & A Perfect Circle)

1967:  Liz Phair (Singer & Guitarist)

1970:  Redman (Reginald "Reggie" Noble) (Rapper)

1974:  Victoria Adams (Posh Spice in The Spice Girls)

1974: Mikael Åkerfeldt (Lead Singer & Guitarist for Opeth)

Events

1960: Touring in the UK, 21-year-old US singer Eddie Cochran was killed when the taxi he was traveling in crashed into a lamp post on Rowden Hill, Chippenham, Wiltshire, (where a plaque now commemorates the event). Songwriter Sharon Sheeley and singer Gene Vincent survived the crash. Cochran's current hit at the time was 'Three Steps to Heaven'. The taxi driver, George Martin, was convicted of dangerous driving, fined $100, disqualified from driving for 15 years, and sent to prison for six months.

1964: After an extensive investigation of the hit song "Louie Louie," and its supposedly filthy lyrics, the FBI issues a report claiming the words of the Kingsmen's famous version are incomprehensible.

1964: An 18-year-old Van Morrison makes his first concert appearance with Them on the stage of the Maritime Hotel in Belfast.

1969: Bob Dylan's former backing group, which has come to be known simply as "The Band," plays its first show alone and under its own name at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco.

1970: Johnny Cash played at the White House for President Nixon, who requested that he played 'A Boy Named Sue.'

1970: Paul McCartney's 1st solo album "McCartney" is released.

1972: Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones) Girlfriend Anita Pallenberg gave birth to their second child, daughter Dandelion.

1973: Tito and John Jackson from The Jackson Five were arrested for buying stolen TV and stereo equipment.

1974: Vinnie Taylor (guitarist with US rock 'n roll revival band Sha Na Na) was found dead in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia from a drug overdose.

1975: Elvis Presley bought a Convair 880 Jet formally owned by Delta Airlines for $250,000, which he re-christened Lisa Marie. Presley spent a further $600,000 refurbishing the Jet to include personal quarters, a meeting area and a dance floor.

1982: Afrika Bambaataa And The Soul Sonic Force release the groundbreaking break dance single “Planet Rock” on Tommy Boy Records. The song sampled Kraftwerk’s song “trans Europa Express”.

1983: Felix Pappalardi, producer and bass player with American rock band Mountain was shot dead by his wife Gail Collins during a jealous rage. Collins was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and sentenced to four years in prison.

1987: Reggae drummer and percussion player Carlton Barrett of The Wailers was shot dead outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica. He Joined Bob Marley and The Wailers in 1970, wrote the Marley song ‘War.’ Barrett was the originator of the one-drop rhythm, a percussive drumming style.

1991: Nirvana appeared at the OK Hotel in Seattle, Washington, where they played a new song, ‘Smell’s Like Teen Spirit’, live for the first time.

1993: Former Bangles leader Susanna Hoffs married screenwriter M. Jay Roach in Los Angeles.

1998: Linda McCartney died after a long battle against cancer. She Married Paul McCartney in 1969 when she was working as a photographer.

2003: Earl King the New Orleans Blues guitarist died aged 69.

2004: Kurt Cobain's Mark IV-style Mosrite Gospel guitar sold for $100,000 at the Icons of 20th Century Music auction held in Dallas, Texas. Other items sold included Elton John and Bernie Taupin's song writing piano which sold for $140,000 and a 1966 Rickenbacker guitar owned by The Byrds Roger McGuinn's sold for $99,000.

2007: Bryan Ferry was forced to make an apology after praising Nazi iconography in a German magazine. Talking to Welt am Sonntag, he said the Nazis "knew how to put themselves in the limelight and present themselves...I'm talking about the films of Leni Riefenstahl and the buildings of Albert Speer and the mass marches and the flags. Just amazing - really beautiful." British MPs asked shoppers to think twice about shopping in Marks and Spencer asking for Ferry to be dropped as the face of the M&S Autograph menswear collection. Ferry said he was "deeply upset" by the publicity surrounding the interview.

2008: Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen and a member of The E Street Band, died of cancer at the age of 58. Federici had worked with Springsteen for over 40 years, starting with Steel Mill and Child with Springsteen.

2009: Morrissey walked off stage during his set at the Coachella festival in California after declaring he could "smell burning flesh". The committed vegetarian took offence to the smell coming from nearby barbecues. Sir Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure also appeared at the event.

2009: Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley welcome their second son, Jasper Warren Paisley, at a Nashville hospital.

April 16

Births

1924: Henry Mancini (Composer)

1924: Rudy Pompilli (Saxophone for Bill Haley and His Comets)

1930: Herbie Mann (Jazz Flutist)

1935: Bobby Vinton (Singer)

1939: Dusty Springfield (Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien) (Singer)

1943: Lonesome Dave Peverett (Guitar & Singer for Foghat)

1947: Gerry Rafferty (Singer / Songwriter)

1951: John Bentley (Bass for Squeeze)

1955: Kool Herc (Hip-Hop DJ)

1962: Ian MacKaye (Singer for Minor Threat & Fugazi)

1964: Dave Pirner (Lead Vocals & Guitar for Soul Asylum)

1965: Gerardo (Rapper)

1971: Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (best known as Singer Selena)

Events

1955: A young Roy Orbison sees Elvis for the first time, performing at the Sportatorium in Dallas, TX.

1964: The Rolling Stones released their first Album “The Rolling Stones” .  It charted for 40 weeks, 11 weeks at #1.

1964: The Beatles filmed the "chase scenes" for A Hard Days Night with actors dressed as policemen in the Notting Hill Gate area of London. In the evening they recorded the title track for the film, ‘A Hard Day's Night’ at Abbey Road. John and Paul had the title first, and had to write a song to order, completing the track in nine takes.

1965: The Hollies make their US stage debut at New York's Paramount Theatre.

1969: The Elektra label drops Detroit's MC5 from their roster after an infamous ad in a local music zine, complete with Elektra logo, advised buyers to "Stay alive with the MC5 -- and f*** Hudson's." Hudson's was a Michigan record chain that had refused to stock the band's latest album Kick Out The Jams, due to the lyric "Kick out the jams, m************!"

1971: The Rolling Stones released 'Brown Sugar' the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records, which introduces the infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.

1972: Electric Light Orchestra make their live debut at Croydon, England's Fox and Greyhound pub.

1973: Paul McCartney's first television special, James Paul McCartney, airs on ABC, featuring a few Beatles songs, new Wings tracks, sketches, and a final performance of a song called "Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance," originally written for Twiggy.

1974: Queen make their US live debut at Regis College in Denver, CO.

1976: Boz Scaggs goes to visit friend Bobby "Blue" Bland backstage at the famed Antone's in Austin, TX, and is beaten unconscious by two bouncers.

1977: Stevie Wonder becomes the proud father of his second child, son Kieta, by Yolanda Simmons.

1977: David Soul one half of TV cop show "Starsky & Hutch", went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Don't Give Up On Us', his only US hit.

1990: Neil Young, Natalie Cole, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Tracy Chapman, Simple Minds, and more take part in the concert Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa, an "international reception" for the famed civil-rights leader, who had just been released from a 27-year prison sentence.

1993: David Lee Roth was arrested in New York's Washington Square Park for allegedly buying a $10 bag of marijuana.

1993: Paul McCartney headlined a concert at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate 'Earth Day' along with Ringo Starr, Don Henley and Steve Miller.  McCartney had last performed there as a member of the Beatles in 1965.

1993: Billy Burnette announced that he was leaving Fleetwood Mac to concentrate on recording country music.

1994: Toby Keith breaks his right ankle during the last play of a University of Oklahoma alumni football game.

1994: Prince had his first UK No.1 with 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World', (his 37th single release). It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.

1994: Singer Harry Connick Jr weds model Jill Goodare.

1995: Bob Seger becomes the proud parent of his second child, daughter Samantha Char, by his second wife, Annette Sinclair.

1996: At tonight's Grammy Awards ceremonies in New York, KISS, back again in full makeup, announce their reunion and upcoming tour, the first time all four original members have taken the stage together since 1981.

1996: Judy Collins marries her second husband, designer Louis Nelson.

1997: Elton John is awarded an honorary membership to his old alma mater, Britain's Royal Academy of Music.

1997: R&B Singer Mark Morrison was convicted with threatening a police officer with an illegal 23,000-volt electric stun gun. The singer left Maryebone Magistrates' Court in tears after being warned he was likely to be sent to prison.

1999: Skip Spence (Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape) died from lung cancer, two days before his 53rd birthday. He had also battled schizophrenia and alcoholism.

2002 : Sony Music Entertainment filed a complaint against the Dixie Chicks for breach of contract.

2003: After suffering a stroke in his Manhattan apartment, Luther Vandross is admitted to a local hospital.

2003: Jerry Lee Lewis files for divorce from his sixth wife, former Jerry Lee Lewis fan club president Kerrie McCarver.

2008: Barbra Streisand donates $5 million to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a women's heart education and research program.

April 14

Births

1935: Loretta Lynn (Country Singer)

1945: Ritchie Blackmore (Guitarist for Deep Purple & Rainbow)

1964: Vinnie Moore (Guitar for UFO)

1965: Martyn LeNoble (Bass for Porno For Pyros)

1973: David Miller (Tenor in Il Divo)

1974: Da Brat (Shawntae Harris) (Rapper)

1980: Win Butler (Lead Vocalist & Songwriter for Arcade Fire)

Events

1759: George Frideric Handel died.

1960: Inspired by the hysteria surrounding Elvis Presley and his Army stint, the musical Bye Bye Birdie, starring Dick Van Dyke, Dick Gautier, and Paul Lynde opens on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre. It will run for 607 performances.

1963: The Beatles visit the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, to see an unsigned band called The Rolling Stones.

1967: ABC-TV airs the final episode of their afternoon rock music variety show Where The Action Is, featuring the house band it made famous, Paul Revere and the Raiders.

1968: Famed producer Phil Spector takes his first wife, Ronnie Bennett of Ronettes fame. The legendarily unhappy marriage will finally end in 1972.

1969: The Monkees' dismal last gasp, the NBC-TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee, airs to bad ratings and worse reviews.

1969: In a first for the Academy Awards, the Oscar for Best Actress is a tie: Katherine Hepburn for The Lion In Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl.

1970: Stephen Stills breaks his wrist while driving into a parked car, forcing the cancellation of CSNY's upcoming American tour.

1971: The Illinois Crime Commission issued a list of 'drug-oriented records' including 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' by Procol Harum and The Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.'

1973: Led Zeppelin started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Houses Of The Holy', also a No.1 in the US. The young girl featured on the cover of the album climbing naked up Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is Samantha Gates who was 6 years old at the time of the photo shoot.

1974: Pete Townshend of the Who makes his solo concert debut at the Roundhouse in London, backed solely by his own pre-recorded audio tapes.

1975: After a long audition process during the recording of their album Black and Blue, and after a slew of rumors about who would fill the position, the Rolling Stones announce former Faces member Ron Wood as their new guitarist, replacing the departed Mick Taylor.

1976: Stevie Wonder signs the largest music contract to that time when he resigns with Motown/Tamla for $13 million.

1980: New Jersey considers a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the new official state anthem, but eventually designate it as merely the Garden State's "rock anthem."

1980: Olivia Newton John's TV special Olivia's Hollywood Nights, also starring Elton John, The Carpenters, and Andy Gibb, airs on ABC.

1983: The Pretenders bass player Pete Farndon died from a drug overdose. He was fired from the group on June 14th 1982, (two days before Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott was found dead of heart failure). Farndon was in the midst of forming a new band with former Clash drummer Topper Headon when he died.

1988: Public Enemy released their 2^nd album “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back”.  Considered on many publications lists as the greatest hip-hop album of all time, the album would finish at number 48 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, the highest ranking hip-hop album on the magazine’s list. The Source Magazine rated it as the greatest hip-hop album ever.

1989: Tom Petty released his first solo album "Full Moon Fever."

1999: Tammy Wynette's body was exhumed and an autopsy performed in Nashville at the request of her husband, George Richey.

2001: Sean Puffy Combs (P. Diddy) was arrested in Miami for riding a scooter in South Beach on a suspended driver's license. He was released 20 minutes later after signing a promise to appear in court.

2002: Ashanti started a ten week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Foolish' and on the same day started a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with her self-titled album.

2003: A man was arrested accused of making up a Bjork concert then selling tickets. Alex Conate allegedly sold tickets worth $14,000 at $40 each after persuading a San Diego nightclub owner that Bjork had agreed to play there. He was accused of taking the money and moving to Hawaii, where he was arrested.

2007: Don Ho died in Waikiki from heart failure.

2008: Liverpool's John Moore University names a new Chancellor -- Queen's Brian May.

2009: George Harrison is posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1750 Vine -- not coincidentally in front of the offices of George's old US label, Capitol.