June 7

Births

1917: Dean Martin (Singer)

1940: Tom Jones (Thomas Woodward) (Singer)

1944: Clarence White (Guitar for The Byrds)

1953: Johnny Clegg (Reggae Artist)

1957: Paddy McAloon (Guitar & vocals for Prefab Sprout)

1958: Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson ) (R&B Singer & Guitarist)

1961: Dave Catching (Guitar for Eagles Of Death Metal & Queens Of The Stone Age)

1966: Eric Kretz (Drums for Stone Temple Pilots)

1967: David Navarro (Guitar for Jane's Addiction & Red Hot Chili Peppers for a minute)

Events

1958: Yet another juvenile-delinquent movie, High School Confidential, opens nationwide, featuring Jerry Lee Lewis performing his hit title song.

1963: The Rolling Stones make their first TV appearance on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ and release their 1st single "Come on".

1964: Proving they weren't quite ready for the US heartland yet, The Rolling Stones are booed off the stage in San Antonio, TX, resulting in the previous performer returning to the stage -- a troop of performing monkeys.

1967: The Beatles' third film project, the animated musical fantasy Yellow Submarine, is announced as being in development (though the band themselves will only appear in a cameo). Three new songs from the band are reported to be included: "Only A Northern Song," "It's All Too Much," and "All Together Now." ("Hey Bulldog" is cut from the original theatrical release.)

1967: Cementing the promising hippie-folk band's downfall, three members of Moby Grape are arrested for allegedly "consorting" with underage schoolgirls.

1969: Blind Faith featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood perform their one and only concert, a somewhat underwhelming performance in Hyde Park, London.

1969: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is banged up but not seriously injured in a car crash near Sussex, England. However, his passenger, girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, suffers a broken collarbone.

1969: Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell both appeared on the first ABC TV Johnny Cash Show from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

1975: Elton John's album 'Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboys', went to No.1 on the US album chart, the first album ever to enter the US chart at No.1.

1978: Prince's first single "Soft and Wet" was released.

1979: Chuck Berry is sentenced to his second jail term -- four months in California's Lompoc prison for tax evasion.

1983: Jerry Lee Lewis marries wife #5, Shawn Michelle Stevens, who would die under what some consider mysterious circumstances a year later at Lewis' home.

1993: Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol.

1993: Chuck Berry, Sam Phillips, Pete Townshend, and Billy Joel are among the rock immortals present at the groundbreaking ceremony for Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1995: Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood was admitted to hospital after his ear was leaking blood. The problem was diagnosed as his arm movement from continuous guitar playing.

1997: Hanson started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'MMMbop'. Originally called The Hanson Brothers, lead singer Zak Hanson was just 13-years-old at the time of the hit. One of the biggest debut singles of all time; reaching No.1 in 27 countries.

1999: Late for his date to ring the New York Stock Exchange's opening bell, Rod Stewart decides to announce his presence by tossing soccer balls onto the trading floor.

2002: Liam Howlett of The Prodigy married former All Saints singer Natalie Appleton at a ceremony in Les Adrets, France. Guests included Liam and Noel Gallagher and former Eurythmic Dave Stewart.

2002: In Chicago, IL, R. Kelly was booked on child pornography charges. He had been arrested two days before and released after posting bond.

2002: Virgin Records announced they had dropped Victoria Beckham after her debut solo album, which cost over $5.1 million to make, had sold only 50,000 copies.

2003: Kenny Chesney headlines a stadium show for the first time in his career, playing for 61,780 in the rain at Knoxville's Neyland Stadium. Joining him on the bill: Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, The Warren Brothers and Deana Carter.

2007: Rancho Mirage, CA renames a portion of 35th Avenue as Dean Martin Drive in honor of its deceased former resident.

2007: Bo Diddley is buried in Gainesville, FL, with mourners chanting his signature "Hey! Bo Diddley" as his music is played by a local gospel group. A floral tribute is also presented in the shape of his signature modified square Gretsch guitar.

2010: Former Stereophonics drummer and BBC Radio Wales presenter Stuart Cable, was found dead at his home near Aberdare in Wales aged 40.

2010: Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was granted a restraining order against an elderly neighbor who allegedly threatened to kill him. The man was also ordered to pay more than $1,500 in legal fees.

June 6

Births

1936: Levi Stubbs (Lead Singer for The Four Tops)

1939: Gary U.S. Bonds (R&B Singer)

1944: Peter Albin (Bass for Big Brother and the Holding Company)

1944: Edgar Froese (Keyboards for Tangerine Dream)

1960: Steve Vai (Guitarist for Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake)

1961: Tom Araya (Vocals & Bass for Slayer)

1966: Sean Yseult (Bass for White Zombie)

1970:  James “Munky” Shaffer (Guitar for Korn)

1974: Uncle Kracker (Matthew Shafer) (DJ for Kid Rock & Solo Singer)

1978: Carl Barat (Singer for The Libertines)

Events

1960: The RIAA presents Bing Crosby with a special platinum record honoring the sale of his 200 millionth record, a total which includes not only 125 albums but 2,600 singles!

1960: Singer Tony Williams leaves the Platters to embark upon a solo career.

1962: The Beatles audition for EMI, recording four demos, the first material the band ever recorded at Abbey Road: three original compositions called "Love Me Do," "Ask Me Why," and "P.S. I Love You," and a cover of the standard "Besame Mucho." Producer George Martin is not at the session, but is called in by engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith when he hears something he likes in "Love Me Do." Martin is not impressed with the group's songwriting, scruffy outfits, and even scruffier equipment (one of the band's amps blows during the audition), and he tells them so, finishing, "Look, I've laid into you for quite a time, you haven't responded. Is there anything you don't like?" To which George quips, "I don't like your tie!" The tension is broken, and Martin, charmed by the group's personality, agrees to work with them. (Though he later says, "They were pretty awful. I understand why other record companies turned them down.") The band members are paid $12 each for the session; drummer Pete Best, whose skills Martin remains unimpressed with, would soon be fired from the group.

1964: An anonymous ad taken out in six American music trade papers declares: "In the public interest, watch the Rolling Stones crush the Beatles!"

1966: Roy Orbison loses his first wife, Claudette, then 25, after the motorcycle they're both riding collides with a truck in Gallatin, TX. The tragedy would haunt Orbison for years.

1969: Rod Stewart signs to the Mercury label.

1970: Syd Barrett played his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd at the Extraveganza '70, at London's Olympia. He was joined on stage by Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.

1971: John Lennon and Yoko Ono join Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention onstage at the Fillmore East in New York for a set of lengthy, chaotic, screeching jams later release as a bonus disc with the Lennon/Ono album Some Time In New York City.

1972: David Bowie releases the Album ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust’.

1977: Stevie Wonder appears, sponsored by Billboard, as a guest music lecturer at a UCLA symposium, talking about his early Motown days and illustrating his points with performances.

1979: Def Leppard played at Crookes Workingman's Club in Sheffield. The gig was reviewed in UK music paper 'Sounds' and led to a recording contract with Phonogram Records.

1987: Under increasing pressure from the group to tone down his behavior, Michael Jackson officially severs ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses.

1990: A Federal judge in Florida declared that 2 Live Crew's "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" LP was obscene.

1991: Sax player Stan Getz died from liver cancer.

1992: David Bowie and his new wife, model Iman, renew their vows in Florence, Italy after some doubt arises as to the legality of their first ceremony in Switzerland.

1993: The Velvet Underground reform for the first time in 24 years for a show at London's Wembley Arena.

1993: The Who's Tommy, now a Broadway play, takes home five Tony Awards at the annual ceremony in New York.

2001: Saying he "doesn't have time to drive them anymore," Elton John auctions off 20 of his automobiles for a cool $2.75 million.

2003: Dave Rowberry (The Animals) died in London of an ulcer hemorrhage at the age of 62.

2005: A Los Angeles jury begins deliberation in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial.

2006: Billy Preston died in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complication.

2010: Marvin Isley, the youngest member of the American R&B band, the Isley Brothers, died, aged 56. Marvin Isley, who was the group's bass player, stopped performing in 1996 because of complications from diabetes, including the loss of his legs.

June 5

Births

1947: Freddie Stone (Frederick Stewart ) (Guitar & Vocals for Sly and the Family Stone)

1947: Laurie Anderson (Performance Artist & Singer)

1947: Tom Evans (Bass & Vocals for Badfinger)

1952: Nicko McBrain (Drums for Iron Maiden)

1956: Richard Butler (Vocals for Psychedelic Furs & Love Spit Love)

1956: Kenny G (Kenneth Bruce Gorelick) (Jazz Musician)

1959: Michael Winans (Gospel Singer)

1969: Brian McKnight (R&B Singer)

1971: Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark) (Rapper?)

1974: Aaron "P-Nut" Wills (Bass for 311)

1979: Pete Wentz (Bassist for Fall Out Boy)

1981: Sebastien Lefebvre (Guitar for Simple Plan)

Events

1943: The Grand Ole Opry takes a new home at the Ryman Auditorium, where it remains until 1974.

1955: Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, awakens suddenly in Memphis, convinced that her boy is in danger; at that moment, Elvis' first pink Cadillac catches on fire while en route from Fulton, AR. Elvis is unharmed.

1956: Elvis Presley appears on the last broadcast of Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater, performing his brand-new song, "Hound Dog," and also "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." Elvis' hip-swinging dancing to "Hound Dog" shocks the nation, leading the press to describe it as "like the mating dance of an aborigine" and that the singer clearly had "no future in the music business."

1959: A young kid named Robert Zimmerman, a greaser of sorts known for his long hair and black leather jackets, graduates from Hibbing High School in Hibbing, MN. Within a few years, he would become a New York folksinger and change his name to Bob Dylan.

1964: David Jones and his band, The King Bees, releases his first single, "Liza Jane." Within five years, he will become famous as David Bowie, having changed his last name to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones.

1964: The Rolling Stones played their first-ever live date in the US when they appeared at the Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California.

1968: The favorite for the Democratic party nomination for President, Sen. Robert Kennedy, is assassinated after a rousing speech in Los Angeles, inspiring David Crosby to write "Long Time Gone" and the Rolling Stones to add the line "Who killed the Kennedys?" to their new song-in-progress, "Sympathy For The Devil."

1971: Grand Funk Railroad beats the Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium record gross for a concert, after manager Terry Knight has the idea to raise ticket prices at Shea just enough to make that possible.

1974: Sly Stone marries his first wife, Kathy Silva, onstage before his show at Madison Square Garden. Bishop Stewart, the singer's uncle, officiates before the crowd of 19,000; Silva files for divorce five months later.

1975: Syd Barrett, ex-Pink Floyd member and founder who was forced from the band after becoming an acid casualty, quietly appears in the Abbey Road studios during recording of the band's album Wish You Were Here, which was largely written about him. No one notices Barrett, and he soon leaves as quietly as he entered. This was the last time any member of Pink Floyd saw Barrett.

1977: Alice Cooper's boa constrictor, a co-star of his live act suffered a fatal bite from a rat it was being fed for breakfast. Cooper held auditions for a replacement and a snake named 'Angel' got the gig.

1979: Muddy Waters, 64, marries his third wife, 25-year-old Marva Jean Brooks, in Chicago with Eric Clapton as best man.

1983: During a 48-date North American tour U2 played at Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver. The show was recorded and released as 'U2 Live At Red Rocks: Under A Blood Red Sky.'

1986: The cable-TV music special Fats Domino and Friends, featuring friends Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis, airs on HBO.

1987: The Prince's Trust Rock Gala is held for the fifth time at Wembley Arena in London. The annual charity event features the music of George Harrison, who performs "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Eric Clapton; and Ringo Starr's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends," featuring Jeff Lynne. Other performers include Elton John, Phil Collins, Dave Edmunds, and Ben E. King.

1987: Sly Stone surrenders to authorities in Fort Meyers, FL for violating his probation (for cocaine possession).

1988: Patti Boyd, ex-wife of George Harrison, files for divorce from Eric Clapton, who once wrote the song "Layla" about her.

1989: The Doobie Brothers begin their reunion tour, their first with their original lineup since 1975.

1990: Drummer Jim Hodder (Steely Dan) drowned in his swimming pool at age 42.

1990: Richard Sohl, keyboard player with the Patti Smith group died of a heart attack. He also played live with Iggy Pop.

1993: Conway Twitty became ill while performing in Branson, Missouri, and was in pain while he was on the tour bus. He died in Springfield, Missouri, at Cox South Hospital from an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

1993: Mariah Carey married the President of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola in Manhattan, guest's included Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Ozzy Osbourne. (The couple separated in 1997).

1995: Kelley Deal (Breeders) pled guilty to drug possession charges. She was sentenced to treatment in a rehabilitation center.

1996: An arrest warrant was issued for former Milli Vanilli member Rob Pilatus after he disappeared from a drug treatment center in Los Angeles. He turned up 6 days later at another center.

1997: Noel Gallagher married Meg Matthews at the Little Church Of The West in Las Vegas, (where Elvis married Priscilla). The Oasis guitarist divorced Matthews in 2001.

1997: Ex Small Faces, The Faces and leader of Slim Chance, Ronnie Lane died aged 51 after a 20-year battle with multiple sclerosis.

1999: Jazz singer and songwriter Mel Torme died aged 73.

2001: Alicia Key's debut album "Songs in A Minor" was released.

2002: Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin), bass guitarist with The Ramones died at his Hollywood, California apartment of a heroin overdose aged 49. He was the group's primary songwriter, penning songs such as 'Rockaway Beach', '53rd & 3rd', and 'Poison Heart'.

2003: A Grandfather who set up his own pirate radio station in Wakefield, Yorkshire was under investigation by local broadcasting authorities. The man known as Ricky Rock had erected a 32ft transmitter in his garden and had been playing hits by The Beach Boys, Beatles and Elvis Presley. Ricky said he set the station up because 'talent-less boy bands and dance music' featured on local stations did not cater to the tastes of his generation.

2003: R. Kelly was banned from travelling to LA for a video shoot. He wasn't allowed to leave Chicago after being charged with 21 child porn offences last June over a video, which claimed to show him having sex with an underage girl.