May 25

Births

1936: Tom T. Hall (Country Singer)

1948: Klaus Meine (Singer for The Scorpions)

1950: Robby Steinhardt (Violin & Singer for Kansas)

1958: Paul Weller (Guitarist & Singer for The Jam & Solo)

1969: Glen Drover (Guitar for Megadeth & King Diamond)

1975: Lauryn Hill (Singer & Rapper The Fugees & Solo)

1980: Joe King (Guitarist & vocals for The Fray)

Events

1962: The Isley Brothers release the single "Twist And Shout".

1965: While onstage at a concert in Cardiff, Wales, Kinks guitarist Dave Davies slips and falls into Mick Avory's drum kit, knocking himself unconscious and forcing the group to cancel their current tour.

1965: Blues artist Sonny Boy Williamson (II) was discovered in bed at the rooming house where he had been staying, dead of an apparent heart attack suffered in his sleep the night before.  According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60's, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.

1966: Felton Jarvis takes over for Chet Atkins as Elvis Presley's producer. Jarvis, a fan from the early days, will be instrumental in moving the singer back to blues, gospel, and R&B-based material.

1969: Folk group Fairport Convention holds a benefit at London's Roundhouse for recently deceased drummer Martin Lamble, who was killed in a car accident along with guitarist Richard Thompson's girlfriend and the band's clothes designer.

1973: Carole King holds a free concert in Central Park which draws a then-record 100,000 fans.

1974: Rick Wakeman became the first member of the group Yes to have a No.1 album when 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' went to the top of the charts.

1974: Pam Morrison, Jim Morrison's widow, died of a drug overdose.

1978: The Who perform a concert at London's Shepperton Film Studios specifically for use in the upcoming documentary The Kids Are Alright. It will sadly prove to be the group's last performance with original drummer Keith Moon.

1985: Dire Straits scored their second No.1 album with 'Brothers In Arms', also No.1 in 25 other countries. It went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

1988 : Debbie Gibson's "Foolish Beat" hit #1, making her the youngest artist to write, sing and produce a #1 hit. She was 17 years old at the time.

1991: Randy Travis and Lib Hatcher were married.

1992: Khalil Rountree, tour manager of Boyz II Men was killed by gunfire after a scuffle in an elevator on the 26th floor of a hotel in Chicago; their assistant tour manager was also injured.

1994: Barbra Streisand postponed the first night of a six-night stand in Anaheim, CA. She had come down with viral laryngitis.

1995: The earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, dating all the way back to 1961, is sold at a London auction for over $85,000.

1996: Bradley Nowell (Singer for Sublime) was found dead in his San Francisco motel room of a drug overdose at the age of 26.

1997: Bob Dylan is admitted into a Los Angeles hospital suffering from chest pains and is eventually diagnosed as suffering from histoplasmosis, an inflammation of the cardial sac. As a result, his tour was canceled.

1997: Elvis Presley officially tops the list of dead entertainers with sales of over one billion records.

1998: Chicago mayor Richard Daley declares this Ramsey Lewis Week in honor of the native pop-jazz pianist.

2001: Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher won a damages settlement from The Daily Mirror after they claimed he lied in court during divorce proceedings with Meg Matthews.

2002: 30 Eminem fans were hurt after a crowd surge at a gig in Washington DC. Five people were taken to hospital, one man suffered a heart attack.

2004: Madonna canceled three shows in Israel after terrorists threatened to kill her and her kids. A spokesperson said she was targeted because she symbolizes the West and not because she practices the Jewish faith Kabbalah.

2005: Domenic Troiano (Guitar for The Guess Who, The James Gang) died of prostate cancer. His condition was first diagnosed about ten years earlier.

2005: Carrie Underwood wins FOX-TV's "American Idol" competition with a performance of the Martina McBride hit "Independence Day."

2006: Ska & Reggae legend Desmond Dekker died of a heart attack at his home in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England, aged 64.

2011: Scotty McCreery wins FOX's "American Idol," singing "Live Like You Were Dying" on the episode with Tim McGraw.