May 29

Births

1903: Bob Hope

1936: Sylvia Vanderpool (Mickey and Sylvia)

1942: Sir Monti Rock III (Singer oin Disco Tex and his Sex-O-Lettes)

1945: Gary Brooker (Pianist for Procol Harum)

1953: Danny Elfman (Singer for Oingo Boingo & Composer)

1955: Mike Porcaro (Bass for Toto)

1956: Larry Blackmon (Cameo)

1956: La Toya Jackson (Singer)

1958: Marie Fredriksson (Roxette)

1959: Mel Gaynor (Drums for Simple Minds)

1961: David Palmer (Drummer for ABC)

1961: Melissa Etheridge (Singer)

1963: Blaze Bayley (Lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999)

1967: Noel Gallagher (Guitarist & singer for Oasis)

1975: Melanie Brown (Mel B) (Scary Spice for The Spice Girls)

Events

1942: Bing Crosby recorded the song "White Christmas".  It went on to become the biggest-selling single of all time with sales of over 30 million. (It was overtaken by the 1997 Elton John version of ‘Candle In The Wind’.)

1952: Hank Williams and his wife, Audrey, were divorced.

1958: Little Anthony and the Imperials recorded the single "Tears On My Pillow".

1959: Herndon Stadium in Atlanta holds one of the first outdoor rock concerts, featuring Ray Charles, Jimmy Reed, and B.B. King. Nine thousand people attend.

1969: The debut album "Crosby, Stills and Nash" was released.

1971: Three dozen audience members attending today's Grateful Dead show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom are treated for hallucinations after drinking apple juice purposefully spiked with LSD (some say by the band themselves).

1973: The Byrds officially disband for good (or so it seems) when founder and leader Roger McGuinn performs his first solo concert at New York's Academy of Music.

1973: Mike Oldfield released the Album ‘Tubular Bells’.

1977: Manchester band Warsaw, (later to become Joy Division) made their live debut supporting The Buzzcocks at The Electric Circus, Manchester, England.

1977: Elvis leaves his show in Baltimore, MD for a full half-hour, angering and bewildering fans.

1982: The Clash's "Combat Rock" LP was released.

1983: KISS play their last concert in their traditional makeup (although, reformed with all original members, they would return to the painted faces in 1996).

1989: Elvis Presley's first grandchild, Danielle Riley Keough, is born to Lisa Marie Presley.

1989: John Cipollina (Lead Guitar for Quicksilver Messenger Service) died from chronic emphysema at the age of 45.

1991: After just completing the recording of the 'Nevermind' album, Nirvana played a last-minute show at the Jabberjaw in Los Angeles. In the audience was Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl’s girlfriend and L7 bassist Jennifer Finch who brought along her best friend Courtney Love.

1992: After the recent AIDS-related death of lead singer Freddie Mercury, the Queen song "We Are The Champions" is banned from the graduation ceremony at Sacred Heart private school in Clifton, NJ.

1997: Singer songwriter Jeff Buckley disappeared after talking a swim in the Mississippi River, his body was found on 4th June 1997 after being spotted by a passenger on a tourist riverboat.

1999: Photographers taking shots of old cars wrecked at the bottom of Malibu's Decker Canyon discover the body of Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Kramer, who had gone missing on February 12, 1995. His death is ruled a suicide.

2007: A piano used by John Lennon on the night he died was put up for sale for $375,000 on The Moments in Time memorabilia website. The upright grand piano was part of the Record Plant Recording Studios in New York where the former Beatle recorded his 1971 Imagine album. Lennon was said to be so fond of the instrument that he had it moved to whichever studio he was working in and had used the piano hours before being shot on 8 December 1980.

2009: Phil Spector was jailed for at least 19 years for murdering an actress in 2003. The producer, 69, famed for his Wall of Sound recording technique, was last month found guilty of shooting Lana Clarkson at his California home. Spector had pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder during the five-month retrial in Los Angeles. His lawyers said he would appeal. Spector was given a sentence of 15 years to life for second-degree murder and an additional four years for personal use of a gun.

May 28

Births

1910: T-Bone Walker (Aaron Thibadeaux) (Blues Guitarist)

1917: Papa John Creach (Violin for Hot Tuna & Jefferson Starship)

1931: Sonny Burgess (Guitarist)

1944: Gladys Knight (R&B Singer)

1944: Gary Stewart (Country Singer)

1944: Billy Vera (Singer)

1945: John Fogerty (Vocals & Guitar for Creedence Clearwater Revival and Solo)

1948: Larry Gatlin (The Gatlin Brothers)

1949: Wendy O. Williams (Singer with The Plasmatics)

1955: John McGeoch (Guitar for Magazine)

1959: Steve Harrington (Singer for Visage)

1962: Roland Gift (Singer for Fine Young Cannibals)

1968: Kylie Minogue (Singer)

1985: Colbie Caillat (Singer)

Events

1955: According to Billboard, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is the nation's most popular tune, with four different versions on the charts at one time, equaling 18 million copies sold.

1955: Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on the Big D Jamboree radio program, broadcast from the Dallas Sportatorium by KRLD.

1957: The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) is established, leading to the creation of the annual Grammy Awards.

1958: Buddy Holly receives his draft notice in Lubbock, TX, but is refused induction because of his notoriously poor eyesight and also a stomach ulcer.

1960: Elvis Presley visits Vegas, and his entourage is for the first time dubbed the "Memphis Mafia" in the local media, due to their penchant for wearing long coats and dark glasses.

1966: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' latest album, What Now My Love, enters the Billboard Top Ten, joining three other Alpert LPs there (Whipped Cream and Other Delights, South of the Border, and Going Places) and setting a record for most albums simultaneously in the top ten.

1966: Tina Turner released "River Deep, Mountain High".

1967: The Association make their television debut, performing "Along Comes Mary" on CBS-TV's Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

1969: Mick Jagger and girlfriend Marianne Faithfull are arrested in their London home on charges of marijuana possession, but released on $80 bail.

1973: Bassist Ronnie Lane leaves the Faces.

1976: After leader Gregg Allman testifies against the Allman Brothers' road manager, Scooter Herring in order to avoid prosecution in a drug trafficking sting, the band, considering Gregg's actions a betrayal against a member of the "family," breaks up. Herring is sentenced to 75 years in prison.

1977: Having finally settled his two-year-long legal battle with former manager Mike Appel, Bruce Springsteen is finally freed to record his follow-up to the 1975 smash Born To Run.

1977: Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howletts band, Strontium 90 in Paris France.  They went on to become The Police.

1978: David Cassidy is the guest star on tonight's "A Chance to Live" episode of NBC-TV's Police Story, a surprisingly effective dramatic turn that garnered such praise it led to his own show, the legendary flop David Cassidy: Man Undercover.

1983: Actress and singer Irene Cara started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Flashdance...What A Feeling'. Taken from the film 'Flashdance'.

1983: The four day US Festival '83' took place in California, featuring The Clash, U2, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Van Halen, Stray Cats, Men At Work, Judas Priest, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson. INXS, Joe Walsh, Motley Crue and Ozzy Osbourne. Over 750,000 fans attended the festival.

1988: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith marries his second wife, Teresa Barrick, in her hometown of Tulsa, OK.  The couple announced they were separating due to personal problems in February 2005.

1995: Hootie & the Blowfish started a four-week run at No.1 on the US album charts with 'Cracked Rear View'. The album went on to sell over 15m copies.

1996: Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan was rushed to Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles after an apparent drug overdose. The singer was later arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin.

2001: Tony Ashton (Pianist & Keyboards for Deep Purple) died from cancer.

2003: Paul McCartney and his second wife, model/activist Heather Mills, announce the upcoming birth of their first child, to be named Beatrice Milly.

2004: Derek Frigo guitarist from 80’s glam band Enuff Z' Nuff died of a drug overdose aged 36. Two US hit singles ‘New Thing’ and ‘Fly High Michelle.’

2009: Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his bladder. The band who were currently on a world tour cancelled several shows because of the 47-year-old's ongoing health problems.

May 27

Births

1932: Junior Parker (Blues Singer & Harmonica)

1935: Ramsey Lewis (Jazz Pianist)

1935: Rudy Lewis (The Drifters)

1939: Don Williams (Country Singer & Songwriter)

1939: Jerry Mercer (Drummer for April Wine)

1944: Lenny Davidson (Guitar for The Dave Clark Five)

1945: Bruce Cockburn (Singer)

1947: Peter Knight (Fiddle player in Steeleye Span)

1948: Pete Sears (Bass Guitar in Jefferson Starship)

1956: Neil Finn (Guitar & Vocals for Split Enz & Crowded House)

1957: Eddie Harsch (Keyboards for The Black Crowes)

1957: Siouxsie Sioux (Susan Dallion) (Vocals for Siouxsie And The Banshees)

1966: Sean Kinney (Drummer for Alice In Chains)

1971: Lisa Left-Eye Lopes (Vocals for TLC)

1975: Andre 3000 (Andre Benjamin) (Rapper in Outkast)

1990: Chris Colfer (Singer on Glee)

Events

1933: Country singer Jimmie Rodgers died from a lung hemorrhage due to tuberculosis at age 35.

1957: Buddy Holly and the Crickets released their first single "That’ll Be The Day".

1957: Buddy Holly recorded the singles "Not Fade Away" & "Everyday".

1960: Frank Sinatra makes his television debut on NBC-TV's Star Spangled Revue special, hosted by Bob Hope.

1961: Johnny Cash guest stars on tonight's "The Deathly Quiet" episode of NBC-TV's little-remembered Henry Fonda Western The Deputy.

1962: At the Grammy Awards in New York, Andy Williams' "Moon River," from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, is named both Record and Song of the Year.

1963: Bob Dylan released the Album ‘The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan’.

1964: Eleven schoolboys are suspended from a grammar school in Coventry, England, for showing up with Mick Jagger-style haircuts.

1966: The Exploding Plastic Inevitable show, featuring the Velvet Underground and the Mothers of Invention, plays its first gig on the West Coast, at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium.

1966: Before his concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Bob Dylan welcomes the Beatles again in his dressing room; Paul, anxious to impress the singer, plays him an early, electronic version of a track that would later become "Tomorrow Never Knows." "Oh, I get it, you don't want to be cute anymore," Dylan laughs, and leaves the room.

1967: Columbia and RCA announce plans to raise the price of long-playing LP (33 rpm) records one dollar to a high of $4.98.

1974: Lisa Marie Presley, then five, meets an 11-year-old Michael Jackson for the first time when Elvis brings her to the Jackson 5 show at the Sahara in Vegas.

1977: Declan McManus made his 'live' debut at the Nashville in London as Elvis Costello.

1977: The Sex Pistols single 'God Save The Queen' was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, high street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at No.2 on the UK charts behind Rod Stewart's 'I Don't Want to Talk About It'. There have been persistent rumours, (never confirmed or denied), that it was actually the biggest-selling single in the UK at the time, and the British Phonographic Industry conspired to keep it off the No.1 slot.

1983: The Smiths were at No.1 on the UK independent chart with their debut single 'Hand In Glove.'

1987: During a show in Rome's Flaminio Stadio, U2's sound system set off earthquake alarms in two neighborhoods.

1989: Celebrated anti-communist labor leader Lech Walesa presents Stevie Wonder with a "Badge of Solidarity" from his native Poland.

1989: For the first time since 1975, Chicago and the Beach Boys begin a joint headlining tour of the US, with Brian Wilson joining his old group on some of the dates.

1994: The Eagles reunite after 14 years, giving a two-and-a-half-hour performance in Burbank, CA, including two encores and a finale of "Desperado."

1997: Oasis singer Liam Gallagher was left with cuts and bruises after a scuffle with a youth at the Tower Thistle Hotel in east London. Members of the band had been drinking at the bar when the fight broke out.

1999: Lionel Richie and wife Diane Alexander become the proud parents of their first child, Miles Brockman.

2000: Paula Yates was awarded $680,000 in an out-of-court settlement from her boyfriend Michael Hutchence fortune. The INXS singer Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney in 1997 aged 37.

2004: The Bee Gees are made Commanders of the Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace; Maurice's son Adam accepts on behalf of his father, who'd just died six months earlier.

2007: Saatchi & Saatchi were fired by Dr Martens for running an advertising campaign featuring dead rock stars such as Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious wearing the brand's boots in heaven. David Suddens, the chief executive of Dr Martens parent company Airwear, said the brand had not commissioned the series of four print ads. "Dr Martens are very sorry for any offence that has been caused by the publication of images showing dead rock icons wearing Dr Martens boots."

2009: A credit card company sued Courtney Love, claiming she owed more than $350,000. In court papers filed in Los Angeles, American Express said it had suspended Love's Amex Gold card after she "failed and refused" to make payments.

2010: Dozens of AC/DC fans needed treatment after complaining of burning eyes during a concert on the runway of Wels Airport, Wels, Austria. Around 150 fans had to be treated. Doctors found that the fans showed allergic reactions to bark mulch spread at the venue – the runway of Wels Airport – to avoid the soil getting too muddy after hours of massive rainfall.

May 26

Births

1886: Al Jolson

1909: Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis Manager)

1920: Peggy Lee (Norma Dolores Egstrom) (Singer)

1940: Billy Davis Jr. (Singer in The 5th Dimension)

1942: Larry Taylor (Bass for Canned Heat)

1943: Georgie Fame (Jazz Singer & Keyboardist)

1943: Levon Helm (Drums & Vocals for The Band)

1945: Verden Allen (Keyboards for Mott The Hoople)

1945: Gary Peterson (The Guess Who)

1946: Mick Ronson (Guitarist & Producer, member of The Rats, then worked with David Bowie)

1948: Stevie Nicks (Singer for Fleetwood Mac and Solo

1949: Hank Williams Jr, (Country Singer)

1959: Wayne Hussey (Guitar for Dead Or Alive)

1964: Lenny Kravitz (Singer & Guitarist)

1972: Alan White (Drums for Oasis)

1978: Jaheim Hoagland (aka Jaheim) (R&B Singer)

1981: Isaac Slade (lead singer and pianist for The Fray)

Events

1955: Decca Records, home to Bill Haley and His Comets, announces that the group has sold three million records in the past year, due mostly to "Rock Around The Clock" and "Shake, Rattle And Roll."

1961: The Marcels make their US television debut, performing "Blue Moon" on ABC-TV's American Bandstand.

1963: After a Beatles performance at the Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, John Lennon and Paul McCartney write "She Loves You" in their hotel room, originally an answer song of sorts to the Bobby Rydell hit "Forget Him."

1964: Marianne Faithful recorded the Mick Jagger and Keith Richards song ‘As Tears Go By’, accompanied by future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.

1966: The Beatles recorded ‘Yellow Submarine’ at Abbey Road studios in London. Recovering from a case of food poisoning, producer George Martin missed this recording, EMI engineer Geoff Emerick worked on the session.

1967: The Beatles recorded the single "All You Need Is Love".

1968: US blue artist Little Willie John died in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. Co-wrote and was the first to record a 'Fever' (covered by Peggy Lee in 1958), and 'Need Your Love So Bad' covered by Fleetwood Mac.

1969: John and Yoko began an eight-day 'bed in', in room 1742 of The Hotel La Reine Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada, to promote world peace. They recorded ‘Give Peace a Chance’ in the hotel room (Petula Clark can be heard on the chorus). The song was credited to Lennon & McCartney, even though Paul had nothing to do with the record.

1971: WNEW-FM in New York becomes the first radio station to play Don McLean's new single, "American Pie," which it features in its 8:36 entirety.

1973: Model and singer Marsha Hunt, inspiration for the Rolling Stones song "Brown Sugar," names Mick Jagger in a paternity suit, claiming the singer fathered her two-year-old daughter Karis. That same day, Stones guitarist Keith Richards is busted, along with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, in his Chelsea home for possession of heroin, illegal pharmaceuticals, guns, and ammo.

1973: Deep Purple's single "Smoke On The Water" was released.

1974: Tragedy struck at a David Cassidy concert at London's White City when over 1,000 fans had to be treated by first aid workers due to the frenzied excitement. One fan Bernadette Whelan died from heart failure four days later.

1975: Cher's divorce from Sonny Bono becomes final, leaving her free to marry Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers just four days later.

1975: Bob Dylan and the Band release the Album ‘The Basement Tapes’.

1976: Peter Frampton released the single "Baby, I Love Your Way".

1977: Elvis Presley performs what would be his last concert, performing at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, IN for a crowd of 18,000. Although Elvis appears pale, weak, and overweight, as he had with increasing regularity, there is nothing to suggest his impending death -- indeed, there is nothing unusual about this show on the tour, except that Elvis for some reason introduces practically everyone from his life while on stage. Some take this as "proof" Elvis knew he was in his final days; others maintain that he was worried about the imminent publication of Elvis: What Happened?, a tell-all biography by former bodyguards Sonny and Red West that publicly broke the story of his drug abuse, and what those revelations might do to his image. The last song he performs from the stage is "Can't Help Falling In Love." Footage of the final concert is taken but has not been widely seen since; the audio portion can be heard on the LP The Last Farewell (released on CD as Adios: The Final Performance, A.J. Records CD 92-2002). Presley's father, Vernon, will pass away two years later to the day.

1977: Billy Powell singer with The O'Jays died of cancer. (1972, hit 'Back Stabbers', 1973 US No.1 & UK No.9 single 'Love Train'). Originally known as The Triumphs, and then The Mascots, they took the name "The O'Jays", in tribute to radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay.

1982: Roxy Music leader Bryan Ferry marries his first wife, model Lucy Helmore. The same day, Marie Osmond marries her first husband, Brigham Young University basketball player Steve Craig.

1990: David Bowie was sued by his ex wife Angie for $56 million.

1990: For the first time ever the Top five positions on the US singles chart were held by female artists; Madonna was at No.1 with 'Vogue', Heart were at No.2, Sinead O'Connor No.3, Wilson Phillips at No.4 and Janet Jackson was at No.5

1993: Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers marries his first wife, R&B singer Angela Winbush.

1994: Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley. The couple divorced in 1995.

1995: Flavor Flav (Public Enemy) was sentenced to three months in jail for firing a gun at a neighbor in his New York apartment.

1996: A fire at the home of Eric Clapton caused over one and a half million pounds worth of damage; Firemen arrived on the scene to find Clapton braving the blaze to save his collection of guitars.

1997: Bob Dylan was admitted to a Malibu Hospital with chest pains, causing all his summer tour to be cancelled.

1999: The Manic Street Preachers refused to play a concert because Queen Elizabeth II was present. The group had vowed to never perform for the monarchy because they considered it an outdated institution.

2000: Drummer Tommy Lee was jailed for five days for drinking alcohol. Lee appeared in front of a LA court charged with violating his probation by consuming alcohol, an act that directly contravenes the terms of his parole.

2002: The first episode of 'At Home With The Osbournes' was shown on MTV in the UK.

2006: Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale became parents when their baby boy Kingston James McGregor Rossdale was born.

2009: A US judge ended a bitter two-year battle over the late soul singer James Brown's estate. Judge Jack Early ruled half of his assets will go to a charitable trust, a quarter to his wife and young son, and the rest to his six adult children. Brown's family and wife Tomi Rae Hynie Brown had fought over his fortune since he died of heart failure in 2006.