August 29

Births

1920: Charlie "Bird" Parker (Jazz Sax Player)

1924: Dinah Washington (Blues & Jazz Singer)

1953: Rick Downey (Drummer & Vocalist for Blue Oyster Cult)

1955: Diamanda Galas (Performance Artist)

1956: GG Allin (Punk Rocker)

1958: Michael Jackson (Singer)

1958: Elizabeth Fraser (Vocals for Cocteau Twins)

1960: Tony MacAlpine (Guitarist)

1968: Me'Shell NdegéOcello (Singer & Rapper)

1975: Kyle Cook (Guitarist for Matchbox 20)

1980: David Desrosiers (Bass for Simple Plan)

1986: Lea Michele (Glee Singer)

Events

1958: The first of Alan Freed's Big Beat revues is held at Brooklyn, New York's Fox Theatre, featuring Chuck Berry, Billy Haley and his Comets, Frankie Avalon, The Elegants, Bobby Freeman, and Jimmy Clanton.

1964: In a clear case of rock and roll being saved by the British Invasion, Billboard magazine notes that guitar sales are the highest they've been since the advent of Elvis Presley.

1966: The last episode of ABC-TV's musical variety show Hullabaloo airs, featuring guest stars Lesley Gore, Paul Anka, Peter and Gordon, and The Cyrkle.

1966: The Beatles play the last live gig for a paying audience, winding up their last world tour at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The show, which ends with a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally," is filmed by Beatles press officer Tony Barrow. Afterwards George Harrison is heard half-joking, "Well, that's it. I'm not a Beatle anymore."

1969: Bob Seger divorces his first wife after only ten months of marriage.

1976: Jimmy Reed died in San Francisco following an epileptic seizure just before his 51st birthday. Reed was a major influence on The Rolling Stones, he had the 1957 hit ‘Honest I Do’ in 1957 and ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ in 1960.

1977: Three men are arrested in Memphis after attempting to steal Elvis Presley's recently-deceased body from a Memphis mausoleum, causing the Presley family to move his body to its present location in the "meditation garden" at Graceland.

1986: The American Bandstand studio located at 4548 Market Street in Philadelphia, PA is entered into the US National Register of Historic Places.

1987: Rick Astley's debut hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up', started a five-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart. It became the biggest selling single of 1987 and the song won Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards.

1990: Elton John enters rehab in Chicago to combat his bulimia and his various drug and alcohol addictions.

1992: U2 became only the second act ever (Billy Joel was the first) to play at The Yankee Stadium in New York City, during their sold out Zoo TV tour.

1995: The US Internal Revenue Service places a lien on Aretha Franklin's home for $600,000 in back taxes.

1995: K.T. Oslin undergoes quadruple-bypass heart surgery at Nashville's St. Thomas Hospital.

2002: Alan Jackson collects a whopping 10 nominations for the 36th annual Country Music Association awards, breaking a 32-year-old record held by Merle Haggard.

1996: Isaac Hayes, who co-wrote the Stax classic "Soul Man," sent a protest letter to presidential candidate Bob Dole requesting Dole to stop using his song, which his supporters had changed to "I'm A Dole Man."

2005: Fats Domino, now 77, is rescued from his Ninth Ward home in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

2008: US rapper DMX pleaded guilty to trying to buy cocaine and cannabis in Miami. The 37-year-old singer, real name Earl Simmons, entered the plea in a Florida court and was sentenced to time served. Simmons was still in custody awaiting extradition to the state of Arizona on outstanding drug and animal cruelty charges.

August 28

Births

1942: Sterling Morrison (Guitar for The Velvet Underground)

1943: David Soul (Hutch & Singer)

1948: Danny Seraphine (Drummer for Chicago)

1949: Martin Lamble (Drummer for Fairport Convention)

1951: Dave Hlubek (Guitar for Molly Hatchet)

1965: Shania Twain (Eileen Edwards) (Country Artist)

1969: Jack Black (Guitar for Tenacious D and Actor)

1974: Peter Turner (Bass for Elbow)

1981: Jake Owen (Country Singer)

1982: LeAnn Rimes (Country Singer)

1986: Florence Welch (Singer for Florence & The Machine)

Events

1960: A 17-year-old Barry White completes his four-month prison term for stealing 300 tires from a Cadillac dealership. Having heard Elvis sing "It's Now Or Never" in prison, he leaves determined to make music his life.

1961: Tamla Records released the Marvelettes first single, 'Please Mr. Postman'. The song went on to sell over a million copies and become the group's biggest hit, reaching the top of both the Billboard Pop and R&B charts. The song is notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.

1963: Just before Dr. Martin Luther King gives his famous "I Have A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Peter, Paul and Mary serenade the crowd with their hit version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind."

1965: The Rolling Stones sign with Decca records and ink a management contract with the soon-to-be-notorious Allen Klein.

1967: In San Francisco, The Grateful Dead, along with Janis Joplin's group Big Brother and the Holding Company, play the funeral of a Hell's Angel killed after being hit by a car.

1969: Paul and Linda McCartney become the proud parents of their first child, a daughter they name Mary after Paul's dear departed mother.

1984: With over one million ticket sales in only two months, the Jacksons' reunion tour, entitled Victory, becomes the most successful concert tour of all time.

1986: Tina Turner receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2005: For the second time in two years, Art Garfunkel is arrested for marijuana possession.

2005: Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was admitted to hospital after being shot in the leg at a party hosted by hip hop star Kanye West. The party was held at a club in Miami, Florida, to celebrate this year's MTV Video Music Awards.

August 27

Births

1937: Tommy Sands (Pop Singer & was married to Nancy Sinatra)

1942: Daryl Dragon (Keyboards for The Captain and Tennille)

1944: Cuba Gooding Sr. (Lead Singer for The Main Ingredient)

1944: Tim Bogert (Bass for Vanilla Fudge & Cactus)

1949: Jeff Cook (Country Guitar & Vocalist for Alabama)

1950: Neil Murray (Bass for Whitesnake & Black Sabbath)

1952: Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) (Comedian & Actor)

1953: Alex Lifeson (Guitarist for Rush)

1956: Glen Matlock (Bassist for The Sex Pistols)

1961: Yolanda Adams (Gospel Singer)

1967: Bob Nastanovich (Drums for Pavement & Silver Jews)

1970: Tony Kanal (Bass for No Doubt)

1977: Mase (Mason Betha) (Rapper)

1979: Sarah Neufeld (Violinist for Arcade Fire)

1979: Jon Siebles (Guitar for Eve 6)

1986: Mario (Mario Dewar Barrett) (R&B Singer)

Events

1965: The Beatles meet Elvis Presley at his mansion in Beverly Hills where they play pool, have a short jam session and Paul give’s Elvis a lesson on the bass guitar.

1967: While studying with the Maharishi in Bangor, North Wales, the Beatles receive news that manager Brian Epstein (32) has been found dead in his Belgravia, London home (a death later attributed to an accidental overdose of the sleeping pill Carbitrol, taken with brandy). The Maharishi puzzles the Beatles somewhat by counseling them that Brian's death is cosmically unimportant; nevertheless, they immediately return to London. On the same day, London's Sunday Express newspaper reports that former band drummer Pete Best now works in a bakery, where he pulls down a weekly salary of eighteen pounds.

1977: Jimmy Buffett marries his second wife, Jane Slagsvol of Columbia, SC, who had co-written two of his songs, "Something So Feminine About A Mandolin" and "Kick It In Second Wind." They remain married today.

1990: Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed when the helicopter he was flying in, hit a man-made ski slope while trying to navigate through dense fog. Vaughn had played a show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisconsin with Robert Cray & His Memphis Horns, and Eric Clapton. Vaughan was informed by a member of Clapton's crew that three seats were open on a helicopter returning to Chicago with Clapton's crew, it turned out there was only one seat left; Vaughan requested it from his brother, who obliged. Three members of Eric Clapton's entourage were also killed.

1991: Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten. The group’s most commercially successful album, which has sold over 13 million copies, produced three hit singles: Alive, Even Flow, and Jeremy.

1992: John Lennon's original written lyrics for "A Day In The Life" fetch $87,000 at a Sotheby's auction.

1998: Phil Vassar's first daughter, Haley, is born. Her arrival is celebrated in the lyrics of his single "American Child".

2003: Janis Ian marries her girlfriend, Nashville defense lawyer Patricia Snyder, in Toronto, Canada; gay marriages are legal in this country.

2003: P Diddy was being sued for $5m (£3.20m) by a woman who claimed she was assaulted by a bouncer outside his New York restaurant. Stephanie Grieso, said she was arguing outside Justin's in August 2002 when a bouncer grabbed her by the neck and pushed her down on the pavement, causing leg injuries.

2007: Kevin Federline's lawyers asked Britney Spears to pay some of her former husband's legal expenses in their divorce case. His legal team said Federline had "no net income" after various expenses, and that Ms Spears was "clearly the monied party" in the dispute. According to legal documents filed in Los Angeles, the pop star's average monthly income was $737,868. The couple had married in October 2004 and filed for divorce in November 2006. 

August 23

Births

1912: Gene Kelly (Singer & Dancer)

1917: Tex Williams (Country Singer)

1946: Keith Moon (Drummer for The Who)

1949: Rick Springfield (Guitar & Singer)

1951:Jimi Jamison (Singer for Survivor)

1960: Stephen Maynard Clark (Lead Guitar for Def Leppard)

1961: Dean DeLeo (Guitar for Stone Temple Pilots)

1962: Shaun Ryder (Vocals for Happy Mondays & Black Grape)

1974: Shifty Shellshock (Seth Brooks Binzer)(Singer for Crazy Town)

1978: Julian Casablancas (Guitar & Vocals for The Strokes)

1986: SkyBlu (Skyler Gordy) (Rapper in LMFAO)

Events

1962: John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell, already two months pregnant with their son Julian, at Liverpool's Mount Pleasant Registry Office, with Paul McCartney and George Harrison as witnesses. Fans milling about the offices find out about the marriage immediately, spoiling plans to keep it a secret. Manager Brian Epstein, who had served as best man, then buys lunch for the wedding party at the local cafeteria Reece's and gives the new couple use of his apartment. The marriage would last six years. On the same day, local paper Mersey Beat officially announces the replacement of Pete Best with Ringo Starr.

1963: The Rolling Stones appeared on UK TV show Ready, Steady, Go! for the first time, performing their debut single ‘Come On.’ The group made a total of 20 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966.

1965: The Beatles' second film, Help! has its US premiere in New York City.

1967: Enjoying a wild birthday party Keith Moon drummer with The Who drove his Lincoln car into a Holiday Inn swimming pool.

1970: Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground performed together for the last time at the New York Club 'Max's Kansas City'. Reed worked as a typist for his father for the next two years at $40 per week.

1974: The local papers report that John Lennon, while staying in mistress' May Pang's New York apartment during his infamous "lost weekend," has spotted a UFO. John's next album, Walls and Bridges, contains this notation in the inner booklet: "On 23 August 1974, I saw a UFO J.L."

1975: Joy Division singer Ian Curtis married Deborah Woodruff, whom he met while still at school, when he was 19 and she was 18. They remained married until his death when he hanged himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England at the age of 23.

1987: A 20th anniversary "Summer Of Love" concert headlined by the Grateful Dead at Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angel Camp, CA goes horribly wrong when an escaped felon, wandering in the crowd, shoots a pursuing police officer while trying to escape.

1993: News of Michael Jackson's child molestation investigation is finally made public by the Los Angeles police.

1993: Duran Duran received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

1995: Dwayne Goettel (Keyboards for Skinny Puppy) was found dead of an apparent heroine overdose at the home of his parents in Canada.

1998: "Scary Spice" Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls announced that she was pregnant.

1999: Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers marries his third wife, Patti Arnold, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

2000: Kenny Loggins is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2004: Queen becomes the first band officially sanctioned by the Iranian government since the 1979 cultural revolution that outlawed rock groups. Lead singer Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar of Indian parents, had remained quite popular in the country.

2004: The Pocahontas Village Board in Illinois votes to rename the town's Pocahontas Community Park as Gretchen Wilson Park.

2005: Bay City Rollers' lead singer Les McKeown is arraigned on cocaine possession and distribution charges in London. He is eventually acquitted of the intent to distribute.

2007: Queen guitarist Brian May is finally awarded his doctorate in astrophysics by London's Imperial College -- the very Ph. D. title he was seeking when he left the college during the band's first flush of success.