September 14

Births

1946: Pete Agnew (Bass for Nazareth)

1947: Jon "Bowzer" Bauman (Sha Na Na)

1949: Steve Gaines (Guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd)

1950: Paul Kossoff (Guitar for Free)

1959: Morten Harket (Lead Vocals for A-Ha)

1967: John Power (Bass & Vocals for The La's)

1970: Graig Montoya (Bass for Everclear)

1970: Mark Webber (Guitar for Pulp)

1973: Nas (Nasir Jones) (Rapper)

1981: Ashley Roberts (Singer in The Pussycat Dolls)

1983: Amy Winehouse (Singer / Songwriter)

Events

1814: Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the "Star-Spangled Banner." The song became the official U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931.

1963: The Beatles' "She Loves You" becomes England's best-selling single of all time, a record that wouldn't be broken until 1977, when ex-Beatle Paul McCartney will release "Mull Of Kintyre."

1963: Pete Seeger finally agrees to break a general folk music boycott of the ABC-TV variety show Hootenanny and appear, only to change his mind when the network asks him to sign a loyalty oath first.

1964: The ill-fated sitcom The Bing Crosby Show debuts on ABC-TV.

1968: CBS-TV debuts the animated show The Archies. The recording group had contributions from Ron Dante, Andy Kim, Jeff Barry and others. Rock mogul, Don Kirshner (who also brought us The Monkees), was put in charge of the studio group. The following year The Archies started a eight-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Sugar Sugar', becoming the longest running one hit wonder in the UK.

1968: Rolling Stone reports that the Who's Pete Townshend is working on a "rock opera" about a boy who is deaf, dumb, and blind.

1968: The US Information Agency sends 40 foreign diplomats to a Blood Sweat and Tears show in Washington CD, considering it a crash course in America's new cultural scene.

1968: Tragedy strikes Roy Orbison when his Hendersonville, TN home burns down during his European tour, trapping and killing two of his three sons, Roy Jr. (age 10) and Tony (age 6).

1969: Genesis take the stage for the first time, playing at the cottage owned by leader Peter Gabriel's former Sunday School teacher.

1970: Stevie Wonder marries his first wife, singer and former Motown secretary Syreeta Wright, in Detroit. They would divorce in 1972.

1976: Bob Dylan's Hard Rain concert airs on NBC-TV.

1979: Kenny Rogers is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6666 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley also officially declares today "Kenny Rogers Day" in the city.

1979: The film version of Quadrophenia, the Who's 1973 rock opera about growing up Mod in London, opens in theaters.

1985: The MTV Awards are held for the first time. Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd co-hosted the show.

1987: Though already on its last legs, ABC-TV's American Bandstand today becomes the longest-running entertainment show in America.

1989: Cuban bandleader and composer Perez Prado died of a stroke in Mexico City. Had the US & UK 1955 No.1 single 'Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White'.

1994: The Temptations are awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7060 Hollywood Blvd.

1994: Singer Steve Earle was sentenced to 1 year in jail after being found guilty of possession of crack cocaine.

1997: Over 2000 fans watched Pete Townshend unveil a English Heritage Blue Plaque at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair London, to mark where Jimi Hendrix had lived in 1968-69. Hendrix was the first pop star to be awarded with the plaque.

1999: The Strokes made their live debut at The Spiral in New York.

2000: Paul Simon, Crosby Stills and Nash, and the Eagles' Don Henley and Glenn Frey perform at the joint VH1/Rolling Stone fundraiser for Al Gore.

2001: In the wake of the horrific September 11th attacks, Clear Channel Communications releases its infamous list of songs banned from radio stations until further notice for possibly being upsetting to American listeners. Included are improbably traumatizing oldies such as Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World," The Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," and "Ticket To Ride," Petula Clark's "Sign Of The Times," Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band," Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife," The Drifters' "On Broadway," The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Hey Joe," The Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets," "Daniel," and "Rocket Man," John Lennon's "Imagine," Martha and the Vandellas' "Nowhere To Run" and "Dancing In The Street," Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels' "Devil With A Blue Dress On," Ricky Nelson's "Travelin' Man," Elvis Presley's "(You're The) Devil In Disguise," The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday," Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken" and "Peace Train," The Surfaris' "Wipeout," The Youngbloods' "Get Together," Zager and Evans' "In The Year 2525," and the Zombies' "She's Not There."

2002: No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani married Gavin Rossdale of Bush in St. Paul's church London.

2005: Britney Spears gave birth to a baby boy by Caesarean section. Spears and husband Kevin Federline had been taken to the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, under police escort, early in the morning.

2005: Actress Renee Zellweger files for an annulment of her marriage to Kenny Chesney in Los Angeles, barely four months after the couple exchanged vows.

2006: Marianne Faithfull announces she's undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

2006: Whitney Houston filed for divorce from singer Bobby Brown, after 14 years of marriage.

2008: Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson was one of the pilots who flew specially chartered flights after 85,000 tourists were stranded in the US, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe after Britain's third-largest tour operator went into administration. The singer, who had worked for the airline Astraeus for nine years, took up flying during a low point in his solo career after he quit the band in 1993.

September 13

Births

1911: Bill Monroe (Bluegrass Musician)

1916: Dick Haymes (Singer)

1922: Charles Brown (Blues Singer & Pianist)

1922: Yma Sumac (Peruvian Singer)

1925: Mel Torme (Singer)

1941: David Clayton-Thomas (Lead Singer for Blood Sweat and Tears)

1944: Peter Cetera (Singer for Chicago)

1952: Randy Jones (Cowboy in The Village People)

1954: Steve Kilbey (Lead singer-songwriter & Bass for The Church)

1956: Joni Sledge (Singer in Sister Sledge)

1957: Vinny Appice (Drummer for Black Sabbath & DIO)

1963: Dave Mustaine (Guitarist for Megadeth and one time member of Metallica)

1967: Stephen Perkins (Drummer for Jane's Addiction & Porno For Pyros)

1967: Timothy S. Owens (Singer for Judas Priest & Iced Earth)

1977: Fiona Apple (Singer / Songwriter)

1985: Brent Kutzle (Bass & Cello with OneRepublic)

Events

1959: While he is stationed in the US Army in Germany, Elvis Presley's friend, airman Currie Grant, brings Priscilla Ann Beaulieu to a party at his apartment after meeting her in the nearby Eagles Club, a popular hangout for officers and their families. Wearing a sailor dress for the occasion, Priscilla says "It's a pleasure to meet you" and remarks that it's a shame the Army has taken his sideburns. He plays her a few songs on guitar. Elvis and "Cilla" are immediately smitten with each other, with the singer describing her to friends as smart, saying that she treats him like an ordinary guy, and dubbing her "the woman I've been looking for my whole life."

1960: A movement to ban Ray Peterson's new single "Tell Laura I Love Her" begins in the UK when it is feared that the song's powerful story of a stock-car driver who dies young while racing for his girl's love will inspire a "death cult" amongst teens.

1960: The FCC bans "payola," the controversial practice of paying DJs for playing songs, as a result of the scandal involving, among others, Dick Clark and Alan Freed.

1963: The Hollies' Graham Nash (later of CSNY) falls out of his touring van after a Scottish gig, leaning on an unlocked door and tumbling out at 40 mph. 36 years later to the day, the singer breaks both legs in a boat accident off the coast of Hawaii.

1963: Barbra Streisand marries her first husband, actor Elliot Gould, in New York. The two would divorce in 1971.

1964: To prevent the spate of stage-rushing going on at recent frenzied Rolling Stones concerts, Liverpool's Empire Club hires two dozen rugby players to act as a human shield; the crowd of 5,000 washes right over them.

1965: Ringo Starr and wife Maureen become the proud parents of their first child, Zak Starkey (who also became a drummer). Six years later to the day, Paul and Linda McCartney celebrate the arrival of their second child, Stella.

1965: The Beatles win their first Grammys, for Best New Artist and Best Album (for A Hard Day's Night), at the awards ceremony in New York.

1969: John Lennon debuts the Plastic Ono Band at the Rock and Roll Revival Show in Toronto. So named because of the flexible "plastic" nature of the members, this lineup included Eric Clapton, longtime Beatles associate Klaus Voormann, and drummer Alan White, all of whom rehearsed for the first time on the plane trip over from England. The concert, mainly a mix of simple rock and roll oldies and stabs at "Give Peace A Chance," "Yer Blues," and John's forthcoming single "Cold Turkey," will later be released as Live Peace In Toronto 1969.

1977: Symphonic conductor Leopold Stokowski died at the age of 95.

1980: Jackson Browne scored his only US No.1 album with 'Hold Out'.

1982: David Bowie reports to the Cook Islands to begin filming his role in the movie Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.

1985: Sting began his first solo tour in San Diego. The tour was to support the album "Dream Of The Blue Turtles."

1991: Geffen Records threw a party to launch Nirvana’s single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ The band ended up being thrown out of their own party after starting a food fight.

1993: Max Weinberg, drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, begins his new job as bandleader for NBC-TV's new show Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

1994: The debut album "Ready to Die" was released by The Notorious Big.

1996: American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur died after being shot six days earlier when he was driving through Las Vegas. 13 bullets were fired into his BMW. The incident was blamed on East and West Coast Gang wars. Shakur was a convicted sex offender, guilty of sexual abuse. After serving eleven months of his sentence he was released from prison on an appeal financed by Marion "Suge" Knight, the CEO of Death Row Records.

1998: Lauryn Hill started a five week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.'

1998: Mel B (Spice Girls) and Jimmy Gulzarof were married.

2000: Elton John storms out of the Estoril Casino in Portugal just before his planned gig there and flies back to England, fuming that the supposedly sell-out crowd had only half arrived. Turns out they were merely lingering at a VIP dinner given just before the show.

2003: US stores Wal-Mart were refusing to stock 'Permission To Land' the Number 1 album by UK rock group The Darkness because the sleeve featured a woman's bottom.

2005: Jimi Hendrix' boyhood home in Seattle is saved from destruction after his estate and the city agree to renovate the building and turn it into a community center.

2009: Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" wins Best Female Video during the MTV Video Music Awards. Rapper Kanye West interrupts her acceptance speech at New York's Radio City Music Hall to insist that Beyonce should have won.

September 12

Births

1888: Maurice Chevalier (French Singer & Actor)

1931: George Jones (Country Singer)

1946: Tony Bellamy (Piano & Vocals for Redbone)

1943: Maria Muldaur (Singer / Songwriter)

1944: Barry White (R&B Singer)

1944: Colin Young (Singer for The Foundations)

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

1949: Dickie Peterson (Lead Singer & Bass for Blue Cheer)

1949: Tony Stevens (Bass for Foghat & Savoy Brown)

1952: Gerry Beckley (Guitar & Piano for America)

1952: Neil Peart (Drummer for Rush)

1956: Barry Andrews (Keyboards for XTC)

1956: Brian Robertson (Guitar for Thin Lizzy & Motorhead)

1966: Ben Folds (Singer / Songwriter & Piano for Ben Folds Five)

1968: Larry Laronde (Bass for Primus)

1974: Jennifer Nettles (Lead vocalist for Sugarland)

1978: Ruben Studdard (R&B Singer)

1981: Jennifer Hudson (Actress & Singer)

Events

1954: The first 'teen idol', Frank Sinatra was at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Three Coins In The Fountain,' the singer's first No.1. The song was The Academy Award winning Best Original Song of 1954.

1966: N.B.C. aired the first episode of The Monkees TV show in the US.

1966: ABC-TV's "The Roger Miller Show" premiered.

1967: Filming continued for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. The bus headed for Widecombe on the Moor, where a local fair was being held but the bus driver (Alf Manders) took a shortcut to bypass heavy traffic and ended up stuck on a bridge, the coach ended up having to drive in reverse for a half-mile before it could turn around. They then head for Plymouth, followed by a 20-car convoy of journalists and photographers.

1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Cosmo's Factory'. It enjoyed a nine-week run at No.1 in the US where it sold over three million copies.

1986: Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues was hospitalised after collapsing from exhaustion in Los Angeles.

1986: Public Image Ltd guitarist John McGeoch needed 40 stitches in his face after a two-litre wine bottle was thrown at the stage during a gig in Vienna.

1987: Michael Jackson kicked of his Bad World Tour by playing the first of three sold-out nights at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. By the end of the 123-date tour, Jackson had played to over 4million fans across fifteen countries.

1987: Morrissey left The Smiths for a solo career.

1988: Pogues singer Shane Macgowan was admitted to a Dublin hospital suffering from nervous exhaustion.

1990: Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac announced they were leaving the band at the end of their current tour.

1994: George Jones undergoes triple bypass surgery on his 63rd birthday at Nashville's Baptist Hospital.

1995, INXS singer Michael Hutchence pleaded guilty to punching photographer Jim Bennett outside a London hotel. He was fined $800 and ordered to pay $3,000 in medical costs.

1996: Oasis canceled their U.S. tour citing "internal differences" as the cause.

2000: Christina Aguilera released her first Spanish album, Mi Reflejo which contained Spanish versions of songs from her English debut as well as new Spanish tracks.

2001: Garth Hudson keyboard player with The Band, filed for bankruptcy for the third time.

2002: The son of Rod Stewart was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation after pleading no contest to attacking a man outside a Malibu, California restaurant. 22 year-old Sean Stewart had been arrested on Dec. 5th, 2001, after he was seen kicking the man in the face and stomach. Stewart was also sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $5,600 to the victim.

2003: Johnny Cash, US singer songwriter died of respiratory failure aged 71. One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, known as "The Man in Black." He traditionally started his concerts by saying, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." Had the 1969 US No.2 single 'A Boy Named Sue', plus 11 other US Top 40 singles. Cash also had his own US TV show in late 60's early 70's.

2004: Drummer and arranger Kenny Buttrey died in Nashville, Tennessee, Worked with Neil Young, (Harvest, and After the Gold Rush), Bob Dylan (Blonde on Blonde, Nashville Skyline & John Wesley Harding), and Bob Seger, Elvis Presley, Donovan, George Harrison, Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg, Kris Kristofferson, Jimmy Buffett, Chuck Berry and Area Code 615.

2006: Britney Spears gave birth to a second baby boy at a hospital in Los Angeles.

2006: Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay was arrested and cautioned for common assault following an altercation with a photographer after an incident outside a London nightclub.

2007: The surviving members of Led Zeppelin announced they would reform for a star-studded tribute concert in London. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones would play at a show to remember the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The place of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, would be taken by his son Jason. The one-off concert, the trio's first performance for 19 years, would take place at the O2 arena in London on 26th November with tickets costing $200. All profits from the show would go towards scholarships in Ertegun's name in UK, the USA and Turkey, the country of his birth. 

2008: Kanye West was arrested on suspicion of vandalism after a fight with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport. The incident happened before he cleared security screening at the airport before boarding a flight to Hawaii. A camera valued at $10,000 was broken in the incident, according to an airport spokesman.

September 10

Births

1898: Waldo Semon (Invented vinyl that made LP’s & 45’s)

1937: Tommy Overstreet (Country Singer)

1945: Jose Feliciano (Puerto Rican Singer & Guitarist)

1946: Danny Hutton (Vocals in Three Dog Night)

1949: Barriemore Barlow (Drums for Jethro Tull)

1950: Joe Perry (Lead Guitar for Aerosmith)

1950: Don Powell (Drums for Slade)

1951: Pete Tolson (Pretty Things)

1957: Siobhan Fahey (Vocals for Bananarama & Shakespear Sister)

1966: Robin Goodridge (Drums for Bush)

1984: Matthew Followill (Lead Guitarist for Kings of Leon)

Events

1962: The BBC bans Bobby "Boris" Pickett's Halloween novelty single "Monster Mash," finding it in poor taste. However, in 1973 the radio giant lifts the ban, sending a re-release of the holiday favorite to #3.

1964: Rod Stewart makes his first recording, a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl" done with Rod's group the Hoochie Coochie Men. It fails to chart.

1964: The Kinks third single 'You Really Got Me', was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. Future Led Zeppelin founder and guitarist Jimmy Page played tambourine on the track.

1965: Beatles manager Brian Epstein begins negotiating for a cartoon series on ABC-TV bearing the name and likenesses of the group.

1969: As part of their latest exhibition, celebrating the anonymity of "Bagism," John Lennon and Yoko Ono sit onstage for five hours in a white bag at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts.

1973: The Rolling Stones' single "Star Star" is banned by the BBC for its real lyrics, which feature the word "starf*****" sung a dozen times.

1974: After poor album sales and infighting caused by drug addiction, The New York Dolls break up for the first time.

1977: Bing Crosby invites David Bowie to appear on what would be his last annual Christmas TV special, suggesting they sing a duet. Bowie agrees.

1979: Having waited five years in vein for two #1 American singles in a row, ABBA finally begin their first US tour.

1979: Pattie Smith announced that she was performing her last show in front of 85,000 people in Florence, Italy. She returned to performing a decade later.

1988: Guns N' Roses started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Sweet Child O' Mine', the group's first US No.1, a No.24 hit in the UK.

1990: Will Smith made his debut in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

1991: Nirvana’s single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was released in the US.

1992: Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash married actress and model Renee Suran.

1998: Gary Glitter appeared in court on child pornography charges.

2007: Pamela Anderson's ex-husband Kid Rock was involved in an alleged assault on drummer Tommy Lee, (who was also married to the actress up until 1998). Police interviewed witnesses to a tussle involving the pair at the MTV Music Video Awards in Las Vegas. Lee was removed from the ceremony while Rock was allowed to stay.

September 9

Births

1926: Jake Carey (The Flamingos)

1940: Joe Negroni (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers)

1941: Otis Redding (R&B Singer)

1942: Luther Simmons (Vocals in The Main Ingredient)

1945: Dee Dee Sharp (R&B Singer)

1946: Doug Ingle (Organ for Iron Butterfly)

1946: Bruce Palmer (Bass for Buffalo Springfield)

1947: Freddy Weller (Guitar for Paul Revere and the Raiders)

1952: Dave Stewart (Guitarist, Songwriter & producer for Eurythmics)

1953: John McFee (Guitar for The Doobie Brothers)

1975: Michael Bublé (Pop Singer)

Events

1954: Rising young star Elvis Presley performs at the opening of Memphis' Lamar-Airways shopping mall, and, afterward, meets audience member Johnny Cash for the first time.

1955: Seeburg introduces their latest jukebox, which not only holds a record 100 singles but is also capable of playing the same number of EPs.

1956: Elvis Presley makes the first of three contracted appearances on Ed Sullivan's CBS show. (Sullivan had previously announced he would never have such an act on, but ratings prevailed and Sullivan offered Elvis a record $50,000 for the three shows.) Charles Laughton hosts, filling in for an ailing Sullivan. Elvis performs "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "Ready Teddy," and "Hound Dog," but is shot from the waist up only, due to a scandalous swivel-hipped performance on NBC-TV's Milton Berle Show a few months earlier. A record 54 million viewers -- nearly 83 percent of the nation's sets! -- are tuned in to the event; the next day, pre-orders for "Love Me Tender" begin rolling in, forcing the release of the single to be bumped up by weeks.

1971: John Lennon's LP "Imagine" was released in US.

1975: Paul McCartney and Wings begin their historic 13-month world tour, US dates of which will be captured on record as the double LP Wings Over America. The group plays to over two million fans total during the course of the tour.

1977: David Bowie appeared on Marc Bolan’s ITV show, Marc, singing ‘Heroes’ as well as a duet with Bolan, ‘Standing Next To You’, which is prematurely terminated when Bolan fell from the stage, much to Bowie’s amusement. After the show the pair recorded demos together which were never finished because Bolan is killed in a car crash a week later.

1981: Sting and Phil Collins both played their first solo sets at Amnesty's International's "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball."

1982: Al Green and Patti Labelle add impressive new entries to their resume when they star in the debut production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short To Box With God at the Alvin Theatre in New York.

1991: Tracy Byrd marries Michelle Hilton in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

1992: Nirvana's Chris Novoselic knocked himself unconscious during the MTV music and video awards after being hit on the head with his guitar after throwing it 'up in the air'.

1995: Coolio featuring L.V. scored his first US No.1 single with 'Gangsta's Paradise'. The song sampled the chorus of the 1976 Stevie Wonder song 'Pastime Paradise' and featured in the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds (starring Michelle Pfeiffer). Coolio was awarded a Grammy Award for the song.

1996: Bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe died from a stoke 4 days before his 85^th birthday.

1996: Tom Petty's wife, Jane, filed for divorce after 22 years.

1998: An episode of "Judge Judy" aired in which Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten appeared as the defendant in a case involving a drummer who sued Rotten for allegedly head-butting him during a contract dispute.

2003: Simon and Garfunkel announce plans for a reunion tour, the first in 20 years and the first onstage reunion of any kind in a decade.

2004: US guitar maker Ernie Ball died after a long illness. In the late 50’s Ball opened the first music store in the USA in Tarzana, California to sell guitars exclusively. He developed the guitar strings called ‘Slinkys’ specifically designed for rock and roll electric guitar.

2005: Despite numerous fan protests, the City of Liverpool, England declares its intention to go ahead and demolish Ringo Starr's birthplace on Madryn Street, which the famous drummer lived in until the age of five.

2005: Former Ray Charles employee and engineer Terry Howard is exonerated in a Los Angeles court for allegedly stealing dozens of recordings of the singer.

2007: Country Singer Joe Nichols marries Heather Singleton at Whitfield Chapel in Savannah, Georgia.

2008: Former Raspberries lead and solo star Eric Carmen is arrested in his hometown of Cleveland on DUI charges. He will be sentenced to six months in jail, but only serve 30 days.

2008: A man was charged with assault after an attack on Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher during the band's set at the V Festival in Canada. Gallagher was admitted to hospital after a man ran on stage and pushed him over while he played guitar. Toronto police said Daniel Sullivan, 47, had been charged over the incident. A band statement said the guitarist "fell heavily on to his monitor speakers".