March 26

Births

1944: Diana Ross (R&B Singer)

1948: Steven Tyler (Singer for Aerosmith)

1949: Fran Sheehan (Bass for Boston)

1950: Teddy Pendergrass (R&B Singer)

1955: Martin Price (Keyboards for 808 State)

1957: Paul Morley (Art Of Noise)

1968: James Jonas Iha (Guitar for Smashing Pumpkins)

1968: Kenny Chesney (Country Singer / Songwriter)

1981: Jay Sean (R&B Singer & Rapper)

Events

1827: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died at age 56.

1963: Funny Girl, a musical about Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, opens on Broadway, starring Barbra Streisand. It features the hits "Don't Rain On My Parade" and the song that would become her trademark, "People."

1964: Tonight's guest on CBS-TV's "panel show" I've Got A Secret is former Beatles drummer Pete Best, whose "secret" occupation is guessed almost immediately. When host Gary Moore asks Best why he "left" the group (Best was fired), he replied: "I thought I'd like to start a group of my own."

1965: Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes.

1965: It was announced that Jeff Beck would take Eric Clapton's place in the Yardbird

1968: Little Willie John Dies. The official cause of death was listed in his death certificate as a heart attack.

1969: Pat Boone guest-stars as himself on tonight's "Collard Greens An' Fatback" episode of CBS-TV's Beverly Hillbillies.

1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their "bed-in" for peace in Amsterdam.

1970: Mere days after winning a Grammy for Best Recording for Children with their album Peter, Paul and Mommy, Peter Paul and Mary are scandalized when group leader Peter Yarrow is arrested in Washington, DC for "taking immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl. He would spend three months in prison and would later be given clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

1972: Mott The Hoople are about to call it quits when friend of the band David Bowie offers to produce their next album, even offering them two new songs he's written: "Suffragette City," which the band turns down, and "All The Young Dudes."

1975: The movie musical Tommy, directed by Ken Russell and based on the Who album of the same name, premieres in London, starring Who lead singer Roger Daltrey in the title role, as well as Ann-Margret and Jack Nicholson. Guest stars include Elton John and Tina Turner.

1976: Keith Richards and model girlfriend Anita Pallenberg become the proud parents of a son, Tara. Sadly, he would die ten weeks later from pneumonia.

1976: Riding near the scene of a multi-car pileup in Memphis, Elvis Presley jumps out of his limo, displays his honorary police captain's badge from the city, and attempts to help the victims before police and rescue teams arrive.

1977: Hall and Oates started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Rich Girl', the duo's first US No.1

1980: Pink Floyd's landmark 1973 LP Dark Side Of The Moon surpasses Carole King's Tapestry as the album with the longest consecutive stay on the Billboard 200 album chart. It would remain on the chart until 1988.

1983: Duran Duran went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Is There Something I Should Know'. Their first No.1 and there eighth single release. The group was on a US promotional trip on this day, where they were greeted by 5,000 screaming fans at an in-store appearance in New York City.

1985: After Stevie Wonder's Oscar speech the previous night, at which he dedicated his Best Song Award to Nelson Mandela, South Africa bans all Wonder records from its nation's radio stations.

1986: Guns N' Roses was signed to Geffen Records.

1988: Morrissey went to No.1 on the UK album chart with his debut solo LP 'Viva Hate.'

1990: Digital Undergound released their debut album “Sex Packets” on Tommy Boy records.

1994: Soundgarden entered the US album chart at No.1 with 'Superunknown'.

1995: Rapper producer, and record executive Eazy-E (Eric Lynn Wright) died of AIDS in Los Angeles aged 31.

2001: The toy figure of Eminem was facing a ban from UK shops. Woolworth's and Hamleys were refusing to stock the dolls. Psychologists warned parents who buy the dolls for children will be inadvertently giving their approval to bad language.

2002: Randy Castillo drummer with the Ozzy Osbourne band died of cancer aged 51.

2004: Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, died at the age of 62 after being in poor health sustained in a 1966 car crash.

2005: Australian drummer Paul Hester died aged 46, after he "attempted suicide" and died from strangulation after being found hanged in a park in Melbourne. He had been a member of Crowded House, Split Enz and Largest Living Things.

2008: The Los Angeles Times apologised for claiming rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was involved in a 1994 shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. The LA Times, which published the original story on its website, initially said its claims were based on FBI records, witness accounts and other unnamed sources. The apology followed a claim that the newspaper was conned by a prisoner who doctored the documents used.