August 7

Births

1942: B.J. Thomas (Pop Singer)

1950: Rodney Crowell (Country Guitarist & Singer / Songwriter)

1951: Pete Way (Bass for Fastway, UFO & Ozzy Osbourne)

1958: Bruce Dickinson (Vocals for Iron Maiden)

1960: Jacquie O'Sullivan (Singer for Bananarama)

1964: Ian Dench (Guitar for EMF)

1966: Kristin Hersh (Singer & Guitar for Throwing Muses & Solo)

1977: Jamey Jasta (Lead Singer for Hatebreed)

Events

1954: Johnny Cash married Vivian Liberto at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Memphis. Cash had plans of becoming a Memphis appliance salesman, he instead formed a band with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, and was signed to Sun Records a year later.

1957: The Quarrymen (minus new member Paul McCartney, away at Scout camp!) make their debut at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Manager Alan Sytner instructs them not to play rock and roll, but midway through their performance, John lights into a version of Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel," which the crowd loves.

1963: The first of the Frankie Avalon / Annette Funicello "beach movies," Beach Party, opens in American theaters, featuring music by surf legend Dick Dale. Exactly 24 years later on this day, the reunion movie Back To The Beach opens, with Frankie and Annette cast as parents with wild and crazy teens of their own, and featuring music by Fishbone and Pee-Wee Herman.

1965: Mike Smith (Singer for Dave Clark Five) had two ribs broken when he was pulled off the stage by a fan in Chicago.

1970: Christine Perfect, now married to bass player John McVie, joins her husband's band, Fleetwood Mac, as its first female member.

1971: The Bee Gees started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart'. It was the group's tenth US hit and first No.1.

1974: J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf marries movie star Faye Dunaway in a Beverly Hills courtroom. They would divorce in 1979.

1991: Paul Simon gives a free concert in Central Park, much as he had in 1981 with partner Art Garfunkel. The performance eventually became the album Paul Simon's Concert In The Park.

1995: LL Cool J and Simone Johnson were married.

1996: A federal appeals court overturns the ruling that original Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago co-wrote the group's biggest hit, 1955's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" ruling that copyright claims must be filed within three years of the song's publication.

1997: Garth Brooks played to the largest crowd ever in New York's Central Park. An estimated 1 million people attended the live concert with an additional 14.6 million viewing live on HBO.

1999: Violence erupted outside a Dave Matthews Band concert in Hartford, CT. 55 arrests were made in the parking lot of the Meadows Music Theater.

2000: Having recently won back merchandising rights for their son's famous name, the family of Jimi Hendrix succeeds in shutting down the faux-official website www.jimihendrix.com.

2002: Three members of Oasis were injured when the taxi they were travelling in was involved in a crash during a US tour in Indianapolis. Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell and Jay Darlington were all taken to hospital and treated for cuts and bruises.

2006: Barry Manilow cancels some dates at the Las Vegas Hilton while doctors attempt to repair torn cartilage in his hip.

2007: The Isley Brothers' Ron Isley begins serving a 27-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution at Terre Haute, IN for income tax evasion.

2007: Lily Allen had her US work visa cancelled after arriving at Los Angeles airport. The 22-year-old, who was due to tour America in September, had flown in for the MTV Video Music Awards launch. She was held at the airport for five hours in connection with an arrest for an alleged assault in London in June.

2008: Elvis Presley's peacock jumpsuit, was sold at auction for $300,000, making it the most expensive piece of Elvis memorabilia ever sold at an auction. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar featured a blue-and-gold peacock design, hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the pant legs.

2011: Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi (Antwan Patton) was arrested in Miami for possession of drugs including ecstasy and Viagra pills.