May 5

Births

1898: Blind Willie McTell (Blues Artist)

1934: Johnnie Taylor (R&B Singer)

1942: Tammy Wynette (Country singer)

1948: Bill Ward (Drums for Black Sabbath)

1959: Ian McCulloch (Lead Vocals for Echo And The Bunnymen)

1959: Steve Stevens (Guitar for Billy Idol)

1963: James LaBrie (Singer for Dream Theater)

1966: Shawn Drover (Drummer for Megadeth)

1981: Craig David (Singer)

1981: Jesse Colburn (Guitarist for Avril Lavigne)

1988: Adele (Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) (Pop Singer)

1989: Chris Brown (R&B Singer)

Events

1891: The Music Hall (later Carnegie Hall) had its grand opening with its first public performance. The first performer was Pyotr Llych Tchaikovsky.

1900 : "The Billboard" (later called "Billboard") began weekly publication instead of monthly after six years of publication.

1956: Elvis Presley scored his first US No.1 single and album when 'Heartbreak Hotel' went to the top of the charts. His debut album also went to No.1 making it the first Rock & Roll album to go to #1 on the Billboard charts.

1962: The Shirelles started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Soldier Boy', it made No.23 in the UK.

1962: The soundtrack to West Side Story went to No.1 on the US album chart. It went on to spend a total of 54 weeks at the No.1 position.

1963: On a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe Head of A&R at Decca records (and the man who turned down The Beatles), went to see The Rolling Stones play at Crawdaddy Club, London. The band was signed to the label within a week.

1968: Buffalo Springfield split up. Richie Fury formed Poco and Stephen Stills teamed up with David Crosby and Graham Nash in Crosby Stills & Nash.

1968: Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" was released.

1969: Stevie Wonder met President Nixon at the White House.

1972: Blind blues guitarist Reverend Gary Davis died of a heart attack aged 76. His unique finger-picking style influenced many other artists.

1973: David Bowie scored his first UK No.1 album when 'Aladdin Sane' started a five-week run at the top, featuring the single 'Drive In Saturday'.

1974: The band Television appeared at CBGB's in New York City, supported by the Stillettoes (later to become Blondie, who were playing their first show at CBGB).

1984: Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr married Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde in a horse drawn carriage in Central Park, New York City.

1984: Duran Duran were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Reflex', the group's second and last No.1. The song which was taken from their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger was also a US No.1.

1986: It was announced that Cleveland, Ohio, had been chosen as the city where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame would be built.

1987: Over 130 girls fainted during a gig by Curiosity Killed The Cat in Liverpool, England.

1990: The John Lennon tribute concert was held at the Pier Head Arena in Merseyside, featuring Lenny Kravitz, Al Green, Joe Cocker, The Christians, Kylie Minogue, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Deacon Blue, Lou Reed, Joe Walsh and Wet Wet Wet. 

1990: At his wedding reception, drummer Jason Bonham plays a set with his dad's old bandmates in Led Zeppelin, sparking yet more reunion rumors that do not come to pass.

1992: Radiohead released 'The Drill EP', their first record in the UK.

1995: Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler was arrested on a felony count of possession of heroin, as well as two misdemeanour drug charges.

1996: Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan received both a public apology and a donation of  $12,750 to the Warchild charity from The Sport newspaper after they ran a story claiming she had performed a gig in Hamburg without wearing any underwear.

1997: Management company Ignition sent emails to over 100 Oasis unofficial websites threatening legal action over their alleged unlawful breach of copyright over Oasis music featured on the sites.

1997: Texas Governor George W. Bush declares today ZZ Top Day.

1997: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have their first baby, Gracie Katherine McGraw.

1998: The Michigan state legislature introduced a bill that would limit concert attendance by minors under the age of 18.

1999: Garth Brooks was named artist of the decade at the 34 annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

2000: Rod Stewart had a one-hour throat operation at Cedar Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles to remove a growth on his thyroid. The growth turns out to be benign.

2002: Two disc jockeys from Denver's KRFX-FM, Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, stopped a live radio interview with Detroit rocker Ted Nugent after he used derogatory racial terms for Asians and Blacks. The station received dozens of complaints.

2005: Justin Timberlake underwent an operation at Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Hospital to remove nodules from his throat.

2011: Bryan Adams became a first-time father at the age of 51.  The Mother of their baby is Alicia Grimaldi, a long-time employee who helps run Adams' charitable efforts.