March 4

Births

1944: Bobby Womack (R&B Singer)

1948: Chris Squire (Bass for Yes)

1948: Shakin’ Stevens (Singer)

1951: Chris Rea (Singer / Songwriter & Guitarist)

1963: Jason Newsted (Bass for Metallica)

1967: Evan Dando (Vocals & Guitar for The Lemonheads & Solo)

Events

1959: The very first Grammy Awards are held in New York City, and the winners, to one's surprise, have nothing to do with rock and roll, or, sometimes, even the categories they were nominated in: for some reason, the Champs' "Tequila" wins Best R&B Song, but Record of the Year goes to "Volare" by Domenico Modugno, while Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn soundtrack LP wins Album of the Year.

1967: The Spencer Davis Group is dealt a crippling blow when its star members, Steve Winwood and his brother, Muff, announce their intention to leave. The elder Winwood would eventually go on to form the band Traffic.

1968: Temptations members Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams are hospitalized with minor injuries after skidding on an icy road near Sommerset, PA.

1969: Sonny and Cher Bono are the proud parents of their first and only child, a daughter named Chastity.

1970: Janis Joplin heads to Rio de Janeiro after being fined $200 for using obscene language at a Miami, FL concert the previous November. While there, she announces her intention to quit drugs and alcohol.

1977: CBS released The Clash's self- titled first album in the UK. CBS in the U.S. refused to release it until 1979. Americans bought over 100,000 imported copies of the record making it one of the biggest- selling import records of all time.

1979: The Jackson 5's Randy Jackson is involved in a serious car crash near Los Angeles, breaking both legs and nearly dying when a nurse at the hospital nearby injects him with methadone.

1983: George Jones marries Nancy Sepulveda at the home of his sister, Helen Scroggins, in Woodville, Texas. The newlyweds eat their wedding dinner at a Burger King in Jasper, Texas.

1986: Richard Manuel (Piano for The Band) committed suicide at the age of 41.

1993: Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown became parents when Whitney gave birth to a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown.

1994: Kurt Cobain was rushed to hospital after overdosing on alcohol and drugs in a Rome hotel during a Nirvana European tour. Cobain had taken 50-60 pills of Rohypnol mixed with champagne; rumors on the internet claimed that Kurt was dead.

1996: Minnie Pearl of complications from a stroke at age 83.

2001: Michael Jackson and friend Macaulay Culkin spend the night shopping at a London record store, which stays open after hours to accommodate the pair.

2002: Doreen Waddell, singer with Soul II Soul was killed after attempting to run across the A27 in Brighton, England after being caught shoplifting.

2010: Rascal Flatts has a guest role on CBS-TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." The script has bass player Jay DeMarcus electrocuted in the opening scene as the band plays "Unstoppable".