October 25

Births

1825: Johann Strauss II (Composer)

1912: Minnie Pearl (Comedian)

1941: Helen Reddy (Singer)

1944: Jon Anderson (Lead Vocals & Keyboards for Yes)

1947: Glenn Tipton (Guitar for Judas Priest)

1951: Richard Lloyd (Guitar & Vocals for Television)

1955: Matthias Jabs (Guitar for The Scorpions)

1957: Robbie McIntosh (Guitar for The Pretenders)

1959: Christina Amphlett (Singer for Divinyls)

1961: Chad Smith (Drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers)

1968: Speech (Todd Thomas) (Rapper for Arrested Development)

1970: Ed Robertson (Guitar for Barenaked Ladies)

1981: Austin Winkler (Singer for Hinder)

1984: Katy Perry (Singer / Songwriter)

1985: Ciara (Ciara Princess Harris) (R&B Singer)

Events

1960: A 17-year-old art student named Keith Richards runs into his old schoolmate, an economics student named Mick Jagger, at a train station in London. Richards notices the R&B albums under Jagger's arm, and before long the two form their first group -- Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.

1962: The Beatles give their first-ever radio interview, on Radio Clatterbridge, a closed-circuit radio station serving Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals in Wirral, near Liverpool. Paul is quoted as saying "John is, in fact, the leader of the group."

1964: The Rolling Stones make their US television debut when they appear on CBS's Ed Sullivan Show. After screaming fans practically tear the studio seats apart, Sullivan declares to reporters: "I promise you they'll never be back on our show. It took me 17 years to build this up, I'm not going to have it destroyed in a matter of weeks. We won't book any more rock 'n' roll groups. Frankly, I didn't see the group until the day before the broadcast. I was shocked when I saw them." The group returns to the program five times.

1968: The New Yardbirds, soon to be known as Led Zeppelin, make their live concert debut at England's Surrey University, described on the poster as the "first big dance of the term."

1968: The double album 'Electric Ladyland' by the Jimi Hendrix Experience was released. It was also made available as two albums with changed artwork after complaints about the naked women who were pictured on the sleeve. The female models were each paid $9 for the photo shoot and another $9 if they posed completely naked.

1970: Speaking at a US radio conference, President Nixon asked programmers to ban all songs containing drug references.

1974: Al Green was taking a shower at his Memphis home when his ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson burst in and poured boiling hot grit over him. She then shot herself dead. Green suffered second degree burns.

1980: New Order played their debut gig at The Squat in Manchester, England.

1986: Bon Jovi went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Slippery When Wet'. Featuring two US No.1 singles, 'You Give Love A Bad Name' and 'Livin' On A Prayer'. The album went on to sell over 8 million copies world wide.

1986: Dire Straits guitarist, singer Mark Knopfler broke his collarbone after crashing in a celebrity car race before the Australian Grand Prix.

1991: Bill Graham, concert promoter, was killed in a helicopter crash.

1995: Cliff Richard is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, the very first native rock star to receive the honor.

1997: Johnny Cash reaches over to pick up a dropped guitar pick at today's concert in Flint, MI and falls over on stage; apologizing, he reveals to the audience that he is in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. The crowd, thinking Cash is joking, laughs at the comment.

2002: An arsonist destroys Aretha Franklin's mansion in the suburbs of Detroit, MI. The criminal is never caught; fortunately, no one is living there at the time.

2004: UK DJ and producer John Peel died of a heart attack at age 65.  He was BBC’s longest-serving radio DJ and the first DJ to introduce The Ramones, Roxy Music, The Smiths, The Fall, Rod Stewart, Blur, the Sex Pistols, T. Rex and others to the masses.

2007: Three workers building the set for an Akon outdoor show at Emory University in Atlanta were taken to hospital after a canopy fell on top of them. The concert was later cancelled.

October 24

Births

1911: Sonny Terry (Blues Musician)

1930: The Big Bopper  (J.P. Richardson) (Singer)

1936: Bill Wyman (Bass for The Rolling Stones)

1944: Ted Templeman (Producer)

1962: Debbie Googe (Bass for My Bloody Valentine)

1980: Monica (Monica Denise Brown ) (R&B Singer)

1986: Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) (Rapper)

Events

1959: On his 23rd birthday, and still a year away from even buying his first bass guitar, the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman marries his first wife, 18-year-old bank clerk Diane Corey.

1962: US Soul singer James Brown recorded his legendary 'Live At The Apollo' album. The album was listed at No.24 in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

1967: Pink Floyd are forced to cancel an important upcoming US tour, their first, after leader Syd Barrett refuses to lip-sync to "Arnold Layne" on ABC-TV's popular American Bandstand show.

1970: Santana scored their first US No.1 album with 'Abraxas'.

1970: Picking up on an earlier speech by his Vice-President, US President Richard Nixon delivers a White House address to the National Association of Broadcasters, urging radio stations to ban any and all songs with drug-related lyrics.

1973: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is fined $500 for possession of heroin, qualudes, and illegal firearms at his home in London.

1973: John Lennon sues the US Government for wiretapping his phone during its investigation of "radical" antiwar elements in society.

1978: The film version of The Wiz, an African-American remake of The Wizard Of Oz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, premieres in New York City.

1978: The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards pleads guilty to heroin possession in Toronto, Canada and is given a one-year suspended sentence. The Stones are also ordered to play a gig for charity.

1980: The Guinness Book of World Records presents Paul McCartney with a special rhodium album for being the best-selling songwriter in the history of recorded music, having written 43 platinum songs and sold over 100 million records.

1989: One of the most bizarre music copyright cases ever begins in Los Angeles as former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty is sued by his former label head, Saul Zaentz, for allegedly plagiarizing himself! Fogerty was accused of re-writing his CCR song "Run Through The Jungle" for his 1985 comeback hit "The Old Man Down The Road." Fogerty would eventually win the suit after taking the stand with his guitar and demonstrating his songwriting process.

1989: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces its 4th annual inductees: The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, The Kinks, The Platters, Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team, Carole King, and Gerry Goffin.

1993: Duran Duran cancelled the remainder of their tour after Simon LeBon tore a vocal chord.

1995: The Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, declares today "Tony Bennett Day" in honor of the native singer. Later that night, Bennett celebrates with a gig at Radio City Music Hall.

1998: Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown was jailed for 4 months after being found guilty of disorderly behavior during a flight from Paris to Manchester. Brown had threatened to chop the hands off an air stewardess during a heated exchange.

2000: Linkin Park released their debut album "Hybrid Theory."

2000: Neal McCoy and his wife, Melinda, renew their wedding vows on their 20th anniversary at the Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas with an Elvis Presley impersonator officiating.

2006: Forbes.com revealed that Kurt Cobain had overtaken Elvis Presley as the highest earning dead celebrity. Cobain's work earned $50m in the 12 months to October 2006, compared with Presley's $42m. Former Beatle John Lennon earned $35m.

2006: Rapper Foxy Brown was sentenced to three years probation for assaulting two New York nail salon workers in 2004. Brown had kicked and punched employees during a dispute over payment for a pedicure and manicure in August 2004. She had been threatened with jail after failing to turn up to court.

2006: Big Machine releases Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album.

October 23

Births

1947: Greg Ridley (Bass for Humble Pie)

1949: Würzel (Michael Burston) (Guitar for Motorhead)

1956: Dwight Yoakam (Country Artist)

1959: “Weird” Al Yankovic (Comedian)

1964: Roberto Trujillo (Bass for Metallica & Suicidal Tendencies)

1972: Richard McNamara (Guitar for Embrace)

Events

1954: Elvis Presley's second Sun single, "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," breaks out in Nashville and New Orleans, becoming his first chart hit outside of his native Memphis.

1962: 12 year old Little Stevie Wonder recorded his first single for Motown Records, 'Thank You For Loving Me All The Way.'

1966: The Yardbirds, in their first concert featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar, open at San Francisco's Fillmore West.

1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded their first single 'Hey Joe', at De Lane Lea studios in London.

1969: Columbia Records announces its intention to prosecute the purveyors of Great White Way, an unauthorized collection of unreleased Bob Dylan demos that is often considered the first "bootleg" record.

1976: Led Zeppelin make their belated US television debut on an episode of the syndicated Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. They performed ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Dazed And Confused’.

1978: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious attempted to commit suicide while awaiting trial for killing his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.

1980: On the same day that John Lennon's "comeback" single, "Starting Over," is released, Mark David Chapman ,his future killer, signs out of his detail as a security guard for the last time. Instead of signing "Chappy," as he usually does, the killer tellingly signs out as "John Lennon."

1995: In Houston, TX, a jury convicted Yolanda Saldivar of the murder of Selena.

1995: Tone-Loc was ordered to take an anger management class after fighting with a pizza delivery person.

1998: A St. Louis federal judge rules that the local Fort Zumwalt High School Marching Band is not allowed, as per the ruling of the superintendent of schools, to include Jefferson Airplane's pro-drug hit "White Rabbit" in its repertoire as part of a "Sixties medley."

2002: Kanye West was involved in a car crash after he fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from a recording studio in West Hollywood. No other cars were involved in the incident which left West with his jaw fractured in three places.

2007: The first trial of legendary producer Phil Spector -- accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 -- ends in a mistrial, with ten jurors voting him guilty and two not guilty.

2007: Rapper Foxy Brown was given 11 weeks in solitary confinement after fighting with another inmate in prison. She was also said to have been abusive to guards and refused to take a random drug test. Brown was serving a year in jail for violating her probation after a fight she had in a New York nail salon.

October 22

Births

1920: Timothy Leary (Psychologist)

1942: Annette Funicello (Singer & Mickey Mouse Club Member)

1942: Bobby Fuller (Vocals & Guitar for The Bobby Fuller Four)

1945: Eddie Brigati (Vocals for The Young Rascals)

1945: Leslie West (Guitar for Mountain)

1960: Darryl Jenifer (Bass for Bad Brains)

1964: TobyMac (Toby McKeehan) (Christian Singer / Songwriter)

1965: John Wesley Harding (Singer / Songwriter)

1968: Shaggy (Orville Richard Burrell) (Reggae Artist)

1968: Shelby Lynne (Country Singer / Songwriter)

1976: Jon Foreman (Lead Singer / Songwriter of Switchfoot)

1985: Zach Hanson (Drums for Hanson)

Events

1961: In response to the ever-expanding "twist" craze, Chubby Checker performs his original hit from a year ago, "The Twist," along with the followup smash "Let's Twist Again," in a medley on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show. The resultant attention boosted both singles back into the Hot 100, and shot "The Twist" back to #1 in early 1962, marking the only time the same single has hit the top spot in two separate years.

1963: A 24-year-old Kenny Rogers takes his third wife, Margo Gladys Anderson.

1963: David Allan Coe begins serving a four-year prison sentence at the Ohio State Penitentiary, for car theft, possession of obscene materials and possession of burglary tools. He later claims he killed a fellow inmate during his incarceration.

1964: Mod rockers the High Numbers fail their audition with the EMI label, but within a year will find success on Brunswick Records as The Who.

1966: The Supremes became the first female group to have a No.1 album on the US char whith 'The Supremes a Go Go', knocking The Beatles 'Revolver', from the top of the charts.

1969: An understandably miffed and somewhat confused Paul McCartney issues an official press release through Apple stating that he is not, in fact, dead, and then retires to his farm in Scotland (where Life magazine will track him down to further prove his not-deadness).

1976: Keith Moon performed for the last time with The Who.

1990: Pearl Jam played their first ever concert when they appeared at the Off Ramp in Seattle.

1993: Annette Funicello is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Blvd.

1996: Apple announces that The Beatles have sold an unprecedented 19 million albums this year as a result of the Anthology juggernaut, with 41% of those sales, according to polls, going to fans who weren't even born when the group broke up.

2003:  Singer / Songwriter Elliot Smith committed suicide at age 34. One time member of Stranger Than Fiction, he had a solo 1997 album 'Either/Or'.