May 17

Births

1941: Malcolm Hale (Spanky and Our Gang)

1942: Taj Mahal (Blues Guitarist)

1944: Jesse Winchester (Folk Singer)

1949: Bill Bruford (Drummer for Yes & King Crimson)

1953: George Johnson (Brothers Johnson)

1959: Paul Dianno (Vocals for Iron Maiden)

1961: Enya Ni Bhraonain (Singer for Clannad and Solo)

1963: Page Samuel McConnell (Pianist, Organist, Keyboardist for Phish)

1965: Trent Reznor (Singer & Songwriter for Nine Inch Nails)

1966: Jan Kincaid (The Brand New Heavies)

1968: Dave Abbruzzese (Drummer with Pearl Jam from 1991 to 1994)

1970: Jordan Knight (New Kids On The Block)

1974:Andrea Corr (Vocals for The Corrs)

Events

1933: Jimmie Rodgers, already terminally ill with tuberculosis, begins recording his last two dozen songs for RCA Victor in Nashville.  He died nine days later at the age of 35.

1958: The Killer's hometown of Ferriday, LA, holds its first annual "Jerry Lee Lewis Day."

1963: The first annual Monterey Folk Festival opens with musical performances by, among others, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Peter Paul and Mary, and Joan Baez.

1964: Bob Dylan makes his first major UK appearance onstage at London's Royal Festival Hall.

1966: Bob Dylan, who had recently "gone electric" and added rock and roll instruments to his folk music, appears at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England; just before he begins a version of his latest hit, "Like A Rolling Stone," a member of the audience, a folk purist angry at the move to rock, shouts out, "Judas!" Dylan responds with "I don't believe you," adding, "You're a liar!" Then proceeds to tell the band to play the song "f****** loud."

1969: Chicago released their debut Album Chicago Transit Authority.

1970: On the same afternoon, with the same band, and at the same session, Jean Knight records "Mr. Big Stuff" and King Floyd records "Groove Me" at the Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS.

1971: The Christian musical Godspell opens at the New York's Cherry Lane Theatre. It would become the third-longest-running off-Broadway production of its day.

1974: The Elton John TV special Say Goodbye To Norma Jean And Other Things airs on ABC.

1975: An angry Mick Jagger thrusts his hand through the plate-glass window of a restaurant in Montauk, NY, requiring 20 stitches.

1975: Elton John was awarded a Platinum Record for sales of a million copies of the LP 'Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy', the first album ever to be certified Platinum (1 Million Copies) on the day of its release.

1978: The disco film Thank God It's Friday, starring Donna Summer, premieres in Los Angeles.

1980: After Gene Simmons' girlfriend, Diana Ross, tells KISS drummer Peter Criss he's too talented for the band, the drummer quits, to be replaced by Eric Carr.

1980: Just weeks after his harrowing incarceration in Tokyo, Paul McCartney appears (with wife Linda) as the musical guests on NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live.

1987: Tom Petty's home in Encino, CA, is ravaged by fire, causing over a million dollars' worth of damage.

1989: Rolling Stone ex-bassist Bill Wyman opens the first of his Stones-themed restaurants, Sticky Fingers, in London.

1990: Nirvana played the last date of a North American tour at the Zoo in Boise, Idaho. This was Chad Channing’s final gig with the band, drummer Dave Grohl replaced him in Sept of this year after his band Scream had split-up.

1992: Lawrence Welk died from pneumonia in Santa Monica, California.

1993: Barry Manilow is the guest star (playing himself) on the "One" episode of CBS-TV's Murphy Brown.

1995: Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Little Richard share the stage for the first time ever at a concert in Sheffield, England.

1996: Johnny "Guitar" Watson died on stage while on tour in Yokohama, Japan. According to eyewitness reports, he collapsed mid guitar solo. His last words were "ain't that a bitch", probably in reference to the song "Ain't that a Bitch".

2000: The Eagles filed suit against the "Hotel California" restaurant in Dallas, TX, alleging trademark violations.

2002: Lance Bass of boy-band *NSYNC underwent hospital treatment to correct an irregular heartbeat. Bass was hoping to qualify for a seat onboard a Russian rocket flight to the International Space Station.

2003: June Carter Cash's funeral is held in her hometown of Henderson, TN, with two thousand mourners attending, including her husband Johnny Cash as well as Kris Kristofferson and Hank Willams, Jr. Emmylou Harris, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Sheryl Crow all perform tributes.

2003: Singer with Stone Temple Pilots Scott Weiland, was arrested on suspicion of drug possession after being stopped during a routine traffic search in Los Angeles, He was released on $10,000 bail.

May 16

Births

1913: Woody Herman (Jazz Clarinetist)

1919: Liberace (Wladziu Valentinon Liberace) (Piano Player)

1929: Betty Carter (Jazz Singer)

1935: Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson (Singer in The Del-Vikings)

1939: Pervis Jackson (Bass Singer in The Spinners)

1946: Robert Fripp (Guitarist for King Crimson)

1946: Billy Cobham (Drummer)

1947: Darrel Sweet (Nazareth)

1947: Barbara Lee (The Chiffons)

1951: Jonathan Richman (Guitar & Vocals for The Modern Lovers)

1953: Richard Page (Mr Mister)

1958: Glenn Gregory (Singer for Heaven 17)

1964: Boyd Tinsley (Violinist for Dave Matthews Band)

1965: Chris Novoselic (Bass for Nirvana)

1966: Janet Jackson (Singer)

1968: Ralph Tresvant (Vocals for New Edition and Solo)

1971: Simon Katz (Jamiroquai)

Events

1953: While walking from the Avon railway station after playing in a Paris club, guitar legend Django Reinhardt collapsed outside his house from a brain haemorrhage and died.

1960: Billboard magazine reports that Detroit music mogul Berry Gordy is thinking of starting three new record labels, including one called Motown.

1963: At this year's Grammy Awards ceremonies in Los Angeles, Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" wins Record Of The Year and Best Male Vocal, while Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" is awarded Best R&B Recording. For some reason, Best Rock and Roll Record goes to the Bent Fabric instrumental "Alley Cat."

1965: The Rolling Stones' limo is attacked by female fans on the way back to their hotel after a show in Long Beach, CA, standing on the roof in such numbers that it caves in. While the band holds the roof up with their hands, the chauffeur speeds away, leaving fans to fall on the road.

1965: The Beach Boys appeared on the "The Ed Sullivan Show" and performed "Help Me Rhonda."

1966: The Beach Boys released the album 'Pet Sounds' in the US. The album is now regarded as the masterpiece of composer-producer Brian Wilson, and is often hailed as one of the best and most influential albums in popular music.

1966: Frank Sinatra recorded the single "Summer Wind".

1969: Jack Casady, bassist for the Jefferson Airplane, is arrested in New Orleans for possession of marijuana and given a suspended sentence of two-and-a-half years.

1969: During the Who's set at the Fillmore East in New York, a plainclothes policeman rushes the stage to tell the audience that a fire has broken out, but guitarist Pete Townshend, figuring him for a rabid fan, kicks him off. Literally. The guitarist is arrested onstage, and later charged $30.

1970: Randy Bachman leaves the Guess Who to produce an album for Winnipeg band Brave Belt, which he eventually joins. At the suggestion of Neil Young, Bachman recruits fellow Winnipeg bassist and vocalist C.F. Turner, and the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive is born.

1970: Marty Balin of the Jefferson Airplane is arrested in his Bloomington, MN hotel room after police, responding to a noise complaint, find the singer smoking marijuana and having sex with teenage girls. His sentence is eventually reduced to a small fine.

1975: Tonight's episode of NBC-TV's The Midnight Special is a retro tribute hosted by Chubby Checker and featuring musical performances by Bo Diddley, The Drifters, Lesley Gore, The Angels, The Tymes, and Danny and the Juniors.

1976: Mayor James H. McGee declares today "Ohio Players Day" in the band's hometown of Dayton, OH.

1980: The Carpenters' last TV special, Music, Music, Music, airs on ABC.

1980: Brian May of Queen collapses onstage during a concert in and is rushed to the hospital, where he is diagnosed (for the second time) with hepatitis.

1980: Former Buggles members Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes joined Yes, replacing Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson.

1980: Elvis Presley's doctor, George Nichopoulous, is brought before the Memphis medical board and officially charged with 14 counts of abusing his right to prescribe medication. Though he will be acquitted in November, his case will be reopened twelve years later, when his license will be revoked.

1981: Pretenders' Drummer Martin Chambers weds Tracy Atkinson.

1983: The television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever" aired. It was a taping of the first time that Michael Jackson performed the moonwalk for a live audience.

1984: Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee for ‘staggering drunk’ down Beale Street.

1986: Johnny Paycheck is convicted of shooting a man in a misunderstanding occurring at a bar in Hillsboro, OH. The fan was only grazed by the bullet, and Paycheck is pardoned after 22 months in prison.

1986: Caitlin O'Riordan (Pogues) and Elvis Costello were married.

1987: David Crosby marries his longtime girlfriend Jan Dance in Los Angeles, with bandmate Stephen Stills giving away the bride and Graham Nash renewing his vows with wife Susan.

1987: U2 started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart 'With Or Without You', the group's first US No.1.

1990: Sammy Davis Jr. died of complications from throat cancer.

1998: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones reaches for a book of artistic nudes in his library at home in Connecticut and falls from a ladder, breaking a few ribs and forcing the band to postpone its upcoming tour.

1999: Diana Ross stars in her last major TV role, portraying the estranged mother of R&B singer Brandy in the NBC movie Double Platinum.

2000: The Artist announced that he was reclaiming the name "Prince" since his contract with Warner-Chappell had expired. The contract officially ended on December 31, 1999.

2000: The "What My Heart Has Seen" exhibition opened at the Catto Gallery in London. The art is the work of Tony Bennett.

2000: The Debut Britney Spears album "Oops!..I Did It Again" was released.

2002: Cher is the guest star (for the second time) on tonight's "A.I.: Artificial Insemination" episode of NBC-TV's Will & Grace.

2003: Hoboken, NJ names its post office after its favorite son, Frank Sinatra.

2003: While undergoing dialysis, Barry White suffers a stroke, though his sister publicly claims he will soon perform again, it proves to be the end of White's public life.

2010: Ronnie James Dio, singer with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio died after a six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old.

May 15

Births

1918: Eddy Arnold (Country Artist)

1932: Baba Oje (Singer in Arrested Development)

1937: Trini Lopez (Singer)

1938: Lenny Welch (Pop Singer)

1947: Graham Goble (Guitar & Vocals for The Little River Band)

1948: Gary Thain (Bass for Uriah Heep)

1948: Brian Eno (Producer and Keyboardist for Roxy Music)

1951: Dennis Fredericksen (Vocals for Toto)

1953: Mike Oldfield (Keyboardist)

1959: Andrew Eldritch (Vocals for The Sisters Of Mercy)

1966: Pete Wiggs (Saint Etienne)

1983: Devin Bronson (Guitarist with Avril Lavigne)

Events

1954: A Memphis truck driver named Elvis Presley auditions with the house band at Memphis' Hi Hat Club and is told he'll never make it as a singer.

1961: Brenda Lee guest stars as struggling singer "Tina Davis" on tonight's "Teenage Thrush" episode of CBS-TV's Make Room For Daddy.

1963: The Rolling Stones sign to Decca Records.

1963: At the 5th Annual Grammy Awards, most of the big prizes go to Henry Mancini for his instrumental movie theme "The Days Of Wine And Roses." Best Album and Best Female Vocal go to The Barbra Streisand Album, while Nino Tempo and April Stevens inexplicably win Best Rock and Roll Recording for "Deep Purple." However, Ray Charles does win the top R&B award for "Busted."

1967: While attending a concert by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames at London's ultrahip Bag O'Nails club, Paul McCartney meets a young photographer named Linda Eastman. They will meet again one year later to the day when Paul appears with John on NBC-TV's Tonight Show to talk about their upcoming venture, Apple Records.

1969: John Lennon’s 'Life With The Lions' was released on Apple’s avant-garde imprint Zapple. One side of the album was recorded on a cassette player at London’s Queen Charlotte Hospital during Yoko Ono’s pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage.

1970: Black Sabbath release their debut Album Black Sabbath.

1970: The Beatles' last LP, "Let It Be," is released in US.

1971: Pink Floyd play London's Crystal Palace Bowl, situated in front of a large lake in which, thanks to the band's volume, most of the fish will die.

1972: The Temptations recorded the single "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone".

1973: Former Boz Scaggs and Elvin Bishop backup singers the Pointer Sisters make their stage debut as an act of their own, singing at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

1974: Bill Wyman (Bass for Rolling Stones) released his first solo album, "Monkey Grip." It was the first solo effort by a member of the Rolling Stones.

1974: Frank Zappa and his wife announced the birth of their third child, a boy named Ahmet Rodan, after the Japanese movie monster that lived of a steady diet of 707 planes.

1975: The latest and ultimately most famous lineup of Fleetwood Mac -- Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks -- play their first show together in El Paso.

1976: Sylvers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Boogie Fever'; the group were made up by nine family sisters and brothers.

1977: Procol Harum plays what will prove to be their last live show at the Academy of Music in New York.

1981: Former Sex Pistol John Lydon's band Public Image Ltd performed a show at New York's Ritz Club posing behind a video screen while the music was played from tapes. They were showered with missiles and eventually booed off stage.

1982: Rock Supergroup Asia (included former members of veteran progressive rock bands Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Uriah Heep, U.K., Roxy Music, Wishbone Ash and The Buggles) went to No.1 on the US album chart with their self-titled album. It spent a total of nine weeks at No.1.

1984: Nils Lofgren replaced "Miami" Steve Van Zandt in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

1986: Bob Dylan signs for his first true acting gig, the disastrous love triangle Hearts Of Fire, also starring Rupert Everett and future pop-metal afterthought Fiona.

1991: Manic Street Preacher guitarist Richey Edwards carved '4 real' into his arm with a razor blade while being interviewed by music paper The NME.

1992: Barbara Lee of the Chiffons died from a heart attack the day before her 45th birthday. She had the 1963 US No.1 single 'He's So Fine.'

1994: Blur scored their first UK No.1 album with ‘Parklife’, which went on to spend over two years on the chart. The album featured four UK hit singles: 'Girls & Boys', 'End of a Century', 'Parklife' and 'To the End'.

1995: Scott Weiland (Singer for Stone Temple Pilots) was arrested for trying to buy drugs in a motel parking lot in Pasadena, CA.

1997: Courtney Love sold the Seattle mansion she shared with Kurt Cobain. A local family purchased the house in the salubrious Denny Blaine area for $3m.

1998: Sony and Cher received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999: Rob Gretton manager of The Joy Division and New Order died from a heart attack at age 46. He was also a partner in Factory Records, proprietor of the Rob's Records label and a co-founder along with Tony Wilson of The Hacienda nightclub in Manchester, England.

2001: Brian Pendleton of The Pretty Things died of cancer aged 57, (1964 UK No.10 single 'Don't Bring Me Down'). The bands 1974 album Silk Torpedo was the first album release on Led Zeppelin's own label Swan Song.

2002: Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay claimed he was assaulted at the premiere of 'Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones' in London. The singer suffered facial injuries after an incident with a photographer after the star-studded event.

2003: June Carter Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee of complications following heart valve replacement.

2008: Neil Diamond reached the top of the US Billboard album chart for the first time in his career with ‘Home Before Dark’ the 67-year-old's 29th studio album. His previous highest chart position was in 1973 when the soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull peaked at No.2. At the age of 67, Diamond became the oldest artist to have a US number one, the record was previously held by Bob Dylan in 2006 with ‘Modern Times’ released when he was 65.

2009: Randy Bachman of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive is presented with Canada's highest civilian honor, an officer of the Order of Canada.

May 14

Births

1916: Skip Martin (Jazz Saxophonist)

1925: Al Porcino (Jazz Trumpeter)

1932: Bob Johnston (Producer)

1936: Bobby Darin (Singer)

1936: Charlie Gracie (Guitarist & Singer)

1943: Jack Bruce (John Symon Asher) (Bass for Cream)

1944: Troy Shondell (Singer)

1945: Derek Leckenby (Lead Guitar in Herman's Hermits)

1945: Gene Cornish (Guitar in The Rascals)

1952: David Byrne (Guitar & Vocals for The Talking Heads)

1956: Steve Hogarth (Marillion)

1962: C.C. Deville (Guitar for Poison)

1962: Ian Astbury (Singer & Guitarist for Southern Death Cult & The Cult)

1963: Fabrice Morvan (Vocals for Milli Vanilli) .. or was he??

1966: Mike Inez (Alice In Chains)

1971: Danny Wood (New Kids On The Block)

1973: Shanice (R&B Singer)

1979: Dan Auerbach (Vocals & Guitar for The Black Keys)

Deaths

Events

1938: Duke Ellington recorded the song "Caravan".

1956: Buddy Holly visits his optometrist's office to correct his horrible 20/800 vision with primitive contact lenses, but Buddy hates them, and decides to keep his signature glasses.

1956: "The Platters" was released. It was the group's first album.

1957: Elvis Presley was rushed to a Los Angles hospital after swallowing a porcelain cap from one of his front teeth, which then lodged its-self in one of his lungs.

1959: Jazz Saxophonist Sidney Bechet died from lung cancer on his sixty-second birthday.

1964: Jan and Dean began recording "Little Old Lady From Pasadena."

1966: For the record ninth time in three years, the Kingsmen's hit version of "Louie Louie" enters the Billboard singles charts.

1968: Elvis Presley meets with NBC-TV producer Bob Finkel, helming his upcoming Christmas special with Singer, and tells him he wants to use this event to reintroduce and prove himself once again to the rock audience.

1968: On a publicity tour to promote their new venture, Apple, John Lennon and Paul McCartney agree to appear on NBC-TV's Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Unfortunately, Carson is on vacation that week, and his replacement, sportscaster Joe Garagiola, has almost no idea what to talk about with the pair (at one point, he actually asks which one of the two is Ringo). Guest Tallulah Bankhead, for her part, seems to look upon the duo's appearance as an affront to her Golden Age of Hollywood stardom. The interview is a disaster, cut short so as to give the appearance that the two lead Beatles have somewhere to go. The only existing video copy is a three-minute excerpt a fan films by pointing a video camera at his TV set; fan audio of the entire interview has been widely bootlegged.

1969: During a UK tour, Fairport Conventions van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig in Birmingham killing the group's 19 year-old drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn.

1970: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young release the single "Ohio"

1976: 33 year-old Keith Relf, former lead singer for The Yardbirds, was electrocuted while tuning a guitar which was not properly earthed. The accident happened in his West London home where he was found by his eight year old son, still holding the plugged-in electric guitar.

1985: Ronald Reagan presents Michael Jackson with a special Presidential Humanitarian Award at the White House for his work against drunk driving.

1987: Frank Sinatra, who had played South Africa in the past, suddenly condemns the apartheid regime publicly, referring to president P.W. Botha as "a bum."

1988: Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary celebration takes place at New York's Madison Square Garden, featuring appearances from many famous artists on the label's roster: The Bee Gees, Wilson Pickett, The Rascals, The Coasters, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Crosby Stills and Nash, Foreigner, Yes, Genesis, and the event's main attraction, a rare reunion of Led Zeppelin, featuring John Bonham's son Jason taking over drums for his late father.

1992: The album "Revenge" was released by KISS. The album featured a new drummer, Eric Singer.

1993: Christie's auction house in London sells the acoustic guitar on which Elvis Presley recorded his first Sun single, "That's All Right, Mama" b/w "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," to an unnamed bidder for $152,000. On the same day, the US tabloid Weekly World News claims that Elvis Presley has only recently died.

1997: Mark Morrison was jailed for three months after threatening a police officer with an electric stun gun, he was also ordered to pay $600 costs.

1998: Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack at age 82.

1998: George Michael pled no contest in the Beverly Hills Municipal Court to committing a lewd act in a park restroom. He was fined $810, given 80 hours of community service, and ordered to undergo counseling.

2003: Lawyers for Britney Spears and the Skechers footwear company settled a dispute over a deal for the pop star to market a line of roller skates and accessories. Spears had filed a $1.5 million breach of agreement lawsuit against Skechers in December, claiming the company failed to pay her adequately. Skechers had responded with a $10 million lawsuit, accusing Spears of fraud and breach of the three-year licensing agreement she signed in January 2002.

2004: Phil Spector was arrested after getting into a scuffle with his chauffeur at his California mansion. The 64 year old record producer was taken into custody and later released after a court date was set.

2005: A judge in Springfield, Massachusetts, ordered rapper 50 Cent to stay clean of drugs and take an anger management course to avoid spending time in jail. The rapper appeared in court charged with assaulting three women at a concert in 2004 after leaping into the crowd.

2005: Jimmy Martin (Bluegrass Musician) died of bladder cancer.

2006: Ashton "Family Man" Barrett, former bassist with Bob Marley's Wailers, loses a lawsuit alleging that Island Records and Marley's estate have failed to pay him millions in royalties.