May 7

Births

1946: Thelma Houston (Disco Singer)

1946: Bill Kreutzmann (Drummer for The Grateful Dead)

1946: Jerry Nolan (Drummer for The New York Dolls)

1950: Prairie Prince (Charles Lempriere Prince) (Drummer for The Tubes & Journey)

1961: Phil Campbell (Lead Guitar for Motorhead)

1969: Eagle Eye Cherry (Singer/ Songwriter)

1986: Matt Helders (Drummer for Arctic Monkeys)

Events

1941: Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded the song "Chattanooga Choo Choo".

1955: Ray Charles breaks through with his first R&B #1, a revamped version of a gospel standard called "It Must Be Jesus" called "I Got A Woman."

1955: "Rock Around The Clock" was released by Bill Haley & His Comets.

1958: The Champs appear on ABC-TV's American Bandstand to perform their hit instrumental "Tequila."

1965: At London's Twickenham Studios, the Beatles film the scene in Help! entitled "The Exciting Adventures of Paul On The Floor," where a suddenly shrunken Paul McCartney tries to hide his newly-naked body.

1966: The Mamas and the Papas started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Monday Monday', it made No.3 in the UK. The group was reported, as saying they all hated the song except for its writer John Phillips.

1967: During Moscow's May Day celebrations, several Soviet teens dance the twist in outright violation of the Ministry of Culture's orders against Western decadence.

1967: Breaking his self-imposed exile after a motorcylce accident the previous year, Bob Dylan gives his first post-crash interview to the New York Daily News.

1968: Singer-songwriter Reginald Dwight changes his name legally to Elton Hercules John, the first and last names taken from his former bandmates in Bluesology, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

1971 :The Rolling Stones released "Brown Sugar"in the U.S. It was the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records.

1972: Tom Jones' Special London Bridge Special, featuring the Carpenters and Engelbert Humperdinck but also celebrities from Kirk Douglas to Charlton Heston, airs on the BBC.

1972: The Rolling Stones released the second album on their own label, 'Exile on Main Street' featuring two hit singles, 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest of any Stones album on the list.

1977: Eric Clapton records "Wonderful Tonight".

1978: Bob Dylan's upcoming series of concerts at London's Wembley Empire sell out all 90,000 tickets in just eight hours.

1982: Diana Ross is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.

1983: Paul Weller unveiled his new group Style Council at an anti nuclear benefit gig in London.

1989: Ron Wilson (Drummer for The Surfaris) died of a brain aneurysm.

1991: In his hometown of Englewood, NJ, Wilson Pickett is arrested for insisting on driving over the lawn of his neighbor, Donald Aronson, who just happens to be the town's Mayor. After finding a knife and baseball bat in his vehicle, attempted murder is added to the charges. Pickett is inexplicably let off with a charity concert and a one-year probation.

1991: A judge in Macon, Georgia dismissed a wrongful death suit against Ozzy Osbourne. A local couple failed to prove their son was inspired to attempt suicide by Ozzy's music.

1991: Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, 54, ends his two-year marriage to model Mandy Smith, 21, whom he had begun dating at 13. Despite only spending two months total with Wyman during their marriage, she receives a settlement of $6.5 million.

1992: Nigel Preston drummer with The Cult died in London, England aged 32. Was a founding member of The Death Cult, he also played and recorded with Sex Gang Children, Theatre of Hate and The Gun Club.

1994: BTO's Randy Bachman acts as conductor in Vancouver for a 1,322-guitar orchestra, performing the band's hit "Takin' Care Of Business" for over an hour and, in the process, setting a new world record.

1997: Eddie Rabbitt (Country Singer) died of lung cancer.

1998: Steve Perry left Journey.

2002: London authorities wrap up their four-month investigation of Who guitarist Pete Townshend, charged with downloading child pornography in 1999. Townshend, who claimed he was researching a book he was writing about his own childhood sexual abuse, was not jailed but was placed on a national sex offender registry.

2003: Carole King appears as music store owner Sophie Bloom on tonight's "Help Wanted" episode of WB-TV's Gilmore Girls (King's re-recording of her hit "Where You Lead" is the show's theme song).

2003: A Los Angeles federal jury recommended a $1.5 million award to a British record company that sued rapper-producer Dr Dre for song plagiarism. London-based Minder Music Ltd. sued Dre in 2000, claiming his 1999 song, ‘Let's Get High,’ used the bass line of The Fatback's 1980 song, ‘Backstroking’ which was featured on Dre's successful ‘2001’ album, which sold 9 million copies worldwide.

2003: A US surgeon sued 50 Cent over an unpaid medical bill. The doctor claimed 50 Cent and his friend turned up at a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds in 2000, but said the rapper never paid the $20,000 he owed for treatment despite being asked several times.

2009: Dolly Parton is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

2009: Trina Johnson-Finn was in custody awaiting her trial in Suriname, South America, after being accused of trying to pass herself as singer Toni Braxton at a concert. The singer was booed off stage in Paramaribo in March and pelted with rubbish when a huge crowd realised she was not the award-winning artist. Ms Johnson-Finn's husband, Raymond Finn made a statement saying his wife had been duped by the promoter who had booked her and had advertised her as the real Braxton.

May 6

Births

1945: Bob Seger (Guitar and Singer)

1950: Robbie McIntosh (Drummer for Average White Band)

1951: Davey Johnstone (Guitar for The Elton John Band)

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

1964: Tony Scalzo (Singer & Guitarist for Fastball)

1966: David Narcizo (Drums for Throwing Muses)

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

1968: Lætitia Sadier (Singer in Stereolab)

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)".

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 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.

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 favorite 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 accomplishments.

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.

2006: The Go-Betweens singer & songwriter Grant McLennan died in his sleep at his home in Brisbane, Australia, aged 48 from a heart attack.

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 4

Births

1923: Ed Cassidy (Drummer for Spirit)

1928: Maynard Ferguson (Jazz Trumpeter)

1929: Audrey Hepburn

1937: Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour) (Guitarist)

1938: Tyrone Davis (R&B Singer)

1940: Ronnie Bond (Drums for The Troggs)

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

1942: Nickolas Ashford (Singer in Ashford and Simpson)

1944: Peggy Santiglia (Singer in The Angels)

1950: Darryl Hunt (Bass for The Pogues)

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

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

1959: Randy Travis (Country Singer)

1972: 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.

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.

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 at age 44.

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.

2012: Beastie Boy MCA (Adam Yauch) died at age 47 after a three-year battle with salivary gland cancer.