May 6

Births

1928: Davey Johnstone (Guitar for The Elton John Band)

1939: Herbie Cox (The Cleftones)

1942: Colin Earl (Keyboards in Mungo Jerry)

1945: Bob Seger (Guitar and Singer)

1948: Mary McGregor (Singer)

1950: Robbie McIntosh (Guitar for Average White Band)

1960: John Flansburgh (Guitar & Vocals for They Might Be Giants)

1966: David Narcizo (Drums for Throwing Muses)

1967: Mark Bryan (Guitar for Hootie & The Blowfish)

1971: Chris Shiflett (Guitar for Foo Fighters)

Events

1957: Chuck Berry recorded "Rock And Roll Music".

1965: While preparing to go to sleep in his hotel room while on tour in Clearwater, FL, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards fools around with his new Gibson "fuzz box" amp and discovers a new guitar riff, one he likes so much he starts his tape recorder and plays it over and over until he falls asleep. When he awakens the next day, he finds a tape full of one guitar riff and about twenty minutes of snoring; bringing the riff to Mick Jagger at the hotel pool, the two begin composing their breakthrough hit, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

1965: Marianne Faithfull marries her second husband, artist John Dunbar, at the registry office in Cambridge, England. Within six months she will be living with Mick Jagger, who had written her hit song "As Tears Go By."

1965: James Brown recorded "I Got You (I Feel Good)".

1972: Elton John releases the single "Rocket Man".

1973: Paul Simon begins his first tour as a solo artist, performing at Music Hall in Boston at a show that would be recorded for his upcoming album Live Rhymin'.

1977: The Boomtown Rats played their first gig in England when they appeared at Studio 51, London.

1977: Dolly Parton made her New York singing debut.

1978: At the United Nations, the Bee Gees announce an upcoming series of concerts to benefit the UNICEF organization.

1978: The soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever started an 18 week run at No.1 on the UK album chart, also No.1 in the US. The album, which features seven Bee Gee songs, went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.

1982: Tom Paton, manager of the Bay City Rollers, is convicted of the counts of "conducting (himself) in a shamelessly indecent manner" with teen boys. He is sentenced to three years in prison.

1984: Tina Turner releases the soon-to-be-smash single "What's Love Got To Do With It?" marking the beginning of one of the greatest comebacks in music history.

1984: Fictional group Spinal Tap played a gig at New York's CBGB's.

1993: The IRS raids Jerry Lee Lewis' ranch home in Nesbit, MS, and hauls away his belongings in an attempt to make up for what it says are $1.6 million in back taxes.

1994: Pearl Jam filed a complaint with the U.S. Justice Department against Ticketmaster. The charge was the company had a monopoly on the concert ticket business.

1995: Oasis scored their first UK No.1 single when 'Some Might Say' went to the top of the UK charts. It was the first single to be released from the Manchester bands second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? And the last Oasis track to feature original drummer Tony McCarroll.

1996: Metallic began two days of recording for the video "Until It Sleeps."

1997: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds its twelfth annual induction ceremonies, for the first time in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Hall itself. The Jackson 5 & Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees, The Young Rascals, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, and Parliament-Funkadelic are all inducted. Mitchell decides not to accept her award in person after having just publicly reconciled with the daughter she gave up for adoption three decades earlier.

2002: Albany State University in Georgia awards hometown boy Ray Charles an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy.

2002: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen was voted the UK's favourite single of all time in a poll by the Guinness Hit Singles book. 'Imagine' by John Lennon was voted in at No.2 and 'Hey Jude', The Beatles No.3, 'Dancing Queen' by Abba was fourth and Madonna 'Like A Prayer' was in fifth place.

2002: American songwriter and producer Otis Blackwell died from a heart attack. He wrote the classic songs ‘All Shook Up’, ‘Return To Sender’, ‘Don't Be Cruel’, ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ and ‘Fever.’ Over the years, Blackwell's songs have sold more than 185 million copies.

2005: In Augusta, GA, a statue of James Brown was unveiled. The bronze lifesize statue was to commemorate Brown's musical accomplisments.

2005: US coffee shop chain Starbucks banned the sale of Bruce Springsteen's latest album Devils and Dust over concerns about its adult content. The retailer - which stocked CDs at its branches in the US - said it would be promoting other albums instead.

2008: Cher returns to the stage with the first of 200 planned shows at the Las Vegas Coliseum, marking her final three-year retirement tour. (Only 78 shows would be performed.)

2009: A former publicist for Michael Jackson was suing the singer for $44m for his alleged failure to pay her for her services. Raymone Bain said Mr Jackson had agreed to give her 10% of any business deals arranged with her assistance. Ms Bain acted as Mr Jackson's publicist during his 2005 trial for child abuse.

May 5

Births

1937: Johnnie Taylor (R&B Singer)

1942: Tammy Wynette, (Country singer)

1942: Jim King ( Family)

1948: Bill Ward (Drums for Black Sabbath)

1951: Rex Goh (Guitar for Air Supply)

1954: Pete Erskine (Drummer for The Weather Report)

1959: Ian McCulloch (Singer for Echo And The Bunnymen)

1961: Sean McLuskey (Jo Boxers)

1962: Gary Daly, vocals (China Crisis)

1962: Kevin Paul Mooney (Bass for Adam And The Ants)

1964: Kevin Saunderson (Inner City)

1981: Craig David (Singer)

1981: Jesse Colburn (Guitarist for Avril Lavigne)

1988: Adele (Pop Singer)

1989: Chris Brown ((R&B Singer)

Events

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.

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.

1962: Chris Montez recorded "Let's Dance."

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: The Beatles single 'Get Back' was released in the US.

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: 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. 

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.

1996: Rage Against The Machine went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Evil Empire'.

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.

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.

May 4

Births

1928: Maynard Ferguson (Jazz Trumpeter)

1929: Audrey Hepburn

1931: Ed Cassidy (Drummer for Spirit)

1934: Ace Cannon (Alto Sax Player)

1937: Dick Dale (Guitarist)

1938: Tyrone Davis (R&B Singer)

1941: David LaFlamme (Violinist in It's A Beautiful Day)

1942: Nickolas Ashford (Ashford and Simpson)

1943: Ricky West (The Tremeloes)

1944: Richie Furay (Singer in Buffalo Springfield & Poco)

1944: Peggy Santiglia (The Angels)

1945: George Wadenius (Guitar in Blood Sweat and Tears)

1949: Zal Cleminson (Guitarist in Sensational Alex Harvey Band)

1949: Stella Parton (Country Singer)

1951: Bruce Day (Bass Guitar for Santana & Pablo Cruise)

1951: Mick Mars (real name Bob Deal) (Motley Crue)

1951: Jackie Jackson (The Jackson 5)

1959: Randy Travis (Country Singer)

1970: Gregg Alexander (Singer for New Radicals)

1972: Mike Dirnt (Bass for Green Day)

1979: Lance Bass  (*NSYNC)

Events

1886: The graphophone, a link between the earlier gramophone and the modern phonograph, is patented, featuring wax cylinders which conducted music better than Thomas Edison's original tinfoil ones.

1956: England's New Musical Express erroneously reports that "Elvin" Presley will be performing an upcoming gig at the Palladium in London. Elvis never plays Europe.

1956: Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps recorded 'Be Bop A Lula.' The track was written three days before the session. The song became a 1956 US No.7 & UK No.16 hit single spending 20 weeks on the US chart. In April 1957, the record company announced that over 2 million copies had been sold to date.

1957: ABC-TV premieres Alan Freed's Rock and Roll Revue show, an attempt to replicate the success of their own American Bandstand. The first show features performances from The Clovers, The Del-Vikings, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Sal Mineo, and Guy Mitchell.

1959: The very first Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, with Record of the Year going to Domenico Modugno's "Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)" and Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn soundtrack winning Album of the Year. The Champs' "Tequila," for some reason, takes home Best Rhythm and Blues Performance.

1963: Andy Williams started a 16-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Days Of Wine And Roses'.

1964: Birmingham, England musicians Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder form an R&B group they call the Moody Blues (after Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo").

1968: Steppenwolf makes its US television debut, performing "Born To Be Wild" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.

1968: Twiggy, one of the first English "supermodels," catches an 18-year-old singer named Mary Hopkin on the BBC-TV talent show Opportunity Knocks and calls friend Paul McCartney, who eventually signs her to Apple and gives her one of his songs, "Those Were The Days," to record.

1970: The US National Guard opens fire on a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University in Ohio, killing four unarmed students and wounding eleven more. After seeing the photos later that week in Life magazine, Neil Young immediately writes the song "Ohio," which Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will record the next day. Twenty-five years later to the day, Peter Paul and Mary play a commemorative concert at the university, performing Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind."

1973: Led Zeppelin opened their 1973 North American tour, which was billed as the 'biggest and most profitable rock & roll tour in the history of the United States'. The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship' a Boeing 720 passenger jet, complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and a white fur bedroom.

1974: Abba were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Waterloo', the group's first of nine UK No.1 singles was the 1974 Eurovision song contest winner for Sweden. The song was first called 'Honey Pie'.

1976: KISS performed their first concert in their hometown of New York City

1985: The legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem reopens after a massive ten-million-dollar makeover.

1987: Paul Butterfield (Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band) dies of a drug-related heart failure.

1989: Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine in Jersey, he was released on $9,000 bail.

1989: Stevie Ray Vaughan set out on what would be his last ever tour at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver, British Columbia. The guitarist was killed in a helicopter crash on  Aug 27^th 1989 after a concert at Alpine Valley Music Theater in Wisconsin, after playing 107 of the 110 dates.

1990: In an interview, David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie (she of the Rolling Stones song), claims for the first time that she once walked in on her ex and Stones frontman Mick Jagger having sex.

1991: Cher scored her first solo UK No.1 single with 'The Shoop Shoop Song' from the film 'Mermaids'. The song had been a hit for Betty Everett on 1964, and gave Cher her first No.1 in the UK since 1965's 'I Got You Babe'.

1991: Phil Collins and Al Jarreau received Honorary Doctor of Music Degrees from Berklee College of Music during cermonies in Boston.

1992: Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu (Dudu Zulu), a band member of Johnny Clegg & Savuka, died of a gunshot wound in Zululand, South Africa, at the age of 33.

1992: Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke declares today "KISS Day" and presents the band with a key to the city.

1996: Alanis Morissette started a six-week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with 'Jagged Little Pill'.

1997: Courtney Love placed an advert in The Seattle Times selling the house she had shared with Kurt Cobain. The five bedroom four bathroom house was on the market for $3m. The carriage house where Kurt Cobain died had been knocked down during refurbishment.

2004: Clement "Coxsone" Dodd (Ska Producer) died suddenly of a heart attack while working at the Studio.

2008: Martha Reeves' home in Detroit is burglarized and one million dollars' worth of recording equipment stolen. In just a few hours, the perpetrator is caught while attempting to hock the merchandise for $400.

May 3

Births

1903: Bing Crosby (Singer)

1919: Pete Seeger (Folk Singer)

1921: Joe Ames (The Ames Brothers)

1926: Jimmy Cleveland (Jazz Trombonist)

1928: Dave Dudley (Country Singer)

1928: James Brown (R&B Singer)

1936: Engelbert Humperdinck (Singer)

1937: Frankie Valli (Singer in The Four Seasons)

1944: Pete Staples (Bass player in The Troggs)

1950: Mary Hopkin (Folk Singer)

1951: Christopher Cross (Singer)

1953: Bruce Hall (Bass for REO Speedwagon)

1955: Steve Jones (Sex Pistols Guitarist)

1959: David Ball (Soft Cell)

1965: Simon Smith (Drums for The Wedding Present)

1972: Josey Scott (Lead singer for Saliva)

1981: Farrah Franklin (Singer in Destiny's Child)

Events

1958: One of the first major rock and roll riots breaks out during Alan Freed's "Big Beat Spring 1958" show at the Boston Arena, with local police threatening to shut the show down because of dancing and Alan Freed telling the crowd from the stage, "The police don't want you to have fun." He is arrested for inciting a riot.

1964: Gerry and the Pacemakers make their US television debut, singing "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show.

1968: Having just returned from studying with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India, the Beach Boys make him the opening lecture act on their new tour. About half of the dates are eventually canceled.

1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded 'Voodoo Chile.' It was featured on the 'Electric Ladyland' double album and became a UK No.1 single on 21st November 1970 two months after the guitarist's death.

1969: Jimi Hendrix was arrested when Canadian customs officials found heroin in his bag.

1971: Grand Funk Railroad hold their sparsely-attended first press conference at the Gotham Hotel in New York.

1976: Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and others perform a benefit for the New York Public Library.

1976: Paul McCartney opens his first tour with his new band as the massively successful Wings Over America tour begins in Ft. Worth, TX.

1978: The movie FM, a flop comedy about a radio station, opens in Los Angeles. However, the title track, performed by Steely Dan, becomes a huge hit.

1980: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Against The Wind'.

1986: Robert Palmer went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Addicted To Love', it made No.5 in the UK. Palmer originally recorded the song as a duet with Chaka Khan but due to contractual problems her voice was removed.

1986: Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park) opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

1991: Texas Governor Ann Richards officially declares today ZZ Top in the Lone Star State.

1991: Andy Williams marries his second wife, Debbie Haas, in New York City.

2000: Rapper DMX was sentenced to 15 days in jail after he pled guilty to drug possession charges, driving without a license and outstanding parking tickets. DMX was also fined $350.

2001: London based bank Coutts And Co. turned down applications from members of Oasis to open accounts on the grounds of the bands bad behavior.

2004: The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal by two musicians who claimed they were owed royalties from Ozzy Osbourne. Bassist Robert Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake had fought a long-running battle since 1997 with the Osbourne family claiming they were entitled to money from the albums ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Diary of a Madman.’ Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager, said that the pair had "harassed" her family and had had their contributions removed from the albums because of their "abusive and unjust behaviour".

2006: Bob Dylan's first hosted radio show airs on XM Satellite Radio, with the legend playing favorite tracks by Prince, Wilco, Blur, LL Cool J, and Billy Bragg, among others.

2008: Rap star Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The 38-year-old dedicated the star to his father, who was shot dead in 1972.