March 2

Births

1904: Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)

1917: Desi Arnaz (Ricky Ricardo)

1923: Doc Watson (Bluegrass Artist)

1938: Lawrence Payton (Singer in The Four Tops)

1942: Lou Reed (Guitar & Vocals for Velvet Underground & Solo)

1948: Rory Gallagher (Blues Guitarist)

1950: Karen Carpenter (Singer for The Carpenters)

1955: Dale Bozzio (Lead Singer for Missing Persons & Solo)

1962: Jon Bon Jovi (Singer)

1968: Daniel Craig (Bond, James Bond)

1977: Chris Martin (Singer, guitar & Piano for Coldplay)

Events

1960: Elvis Presley, having completed his stint with the US Army's 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, leaves Germany and a tearful, teenage Priscilla Beaulieu behind to return to American civilian life. On the way, his plane refuels in Scotland's Prestwick Airport, marking the first and only time The King will set foot in the UK.

1963: A "Limbo Party" at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, hosted by dance craze maven Chubby Checker, also features Marvin Gaye, The Four Seasons, The Crystals, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Lou Christie, Paul and Paula and Dick and Dee Dee. That same day, the Four Seasons become the first group to have its first three singles reach #1 in the US ("Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and the latest, "Walk Like A Man").

1964: The Beatles begin filming their first movie, A Hard Day's Night, at London's Paddington railway station. During filming, George Harrison meets teenage actress Pattie Boyd and is instantly smitten. They would marry two years later.

1975: Paul and Linda McCartney's car runs a red light in Los Angeles, and police discover eight ounces of marijuana in her purse. She is arrested, but Paul, who is driving, is not.

1983: Sony, Polygram and Philips, working together, introduce a new music format to the US. Called a "compact disc," it's a five-inch wonder which runs one hour of playing time.

1984: Model Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger are the proud parents of their first child, Elizabeth Scarlett Jagger.

1999: Singer Dusty Springfield died of breast cancer at age 59.

2000: DMX was arrested for driving without a license and marijuana possession in Cheektowaga, NY.

2006: Glam rock legend Gary Glitter goes to trial for the alleged molestation of two girls, ages 11 and 12, in his Vietnamese home. Glitter claims he was merely teaching the duo to speak English.

2007: American R&B singer Kelis was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida, after the singer started screaming racial obscenities at two female police officers who were working on an undercover operation on South Beach as prostitutes. Kelis was detained and charged with two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and for resisting arrest.

2008: Canadian guitarist & singer / songwriter, Jeff Healey, died of cancer. He lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes when he was eight months old, resulting in his eyes being surgically removed. After living cancer-free for 38 years, he developed sarcoma in his legs. Despite surgery for this, the sarcoma spread to his lungs and ultimately was the cause of his death.

2009: DJ Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) checked himself into rehab to battle an alcohol addiction. His manager Garry Blackburn said. "Norman is voluntarily seeking help for his alcohol problem but he's in good shape."

March 1

Births

1904: Glenn Miller (Trumpet Player & Band Leader)

1927: Harry Belafonte (Day-O)

1944: Roger Daltrey (Singer for The Who)

1944: Mike D'Abo (Singer for Manfred Mann)

1945: Burning Spear (Winston Rodney) (Reggae Singer)

1947: Norman Connors (R&B Singer)

1958: Nik Kershaw (Singer)

1962: Peter Stephenson (Keyboards for The Shamen)

1962: Bill Leen (Bass for Gin Blossoms)

1963: Rob Affuso (Drummer for Skid Row)

1973: Ryan Peake (Bass for Nickelback)

1987: Ke$ha (Kesha Rose Sebert) (Singer)

1994: Justin Bieber (Singer)

Events

1941: The world's first commercial FM radio station, Nashville's W47NV, begins broadcasting.

1958: In what would prove to be a major influence on the burgeoning British rock scene, Buddy Holly and the Crickets begin their first and only UK tour at London's Trocadero Club, playing 25 dates of two sets a night.

1958: New Orleans mayor DeLesseps "Chep" Morrison, noting Elvis Presley's arrival in town to begin filming his movie King Creole, officially declares today "Elvis Presley Day" in the city.

1966: Upset by the band deciding to use Roger McGuinn as lead vocal on all singles, and also suffering from a fear of flying that made touring difficult, guitarist and vocalist Gene Clark announces his departure from the Byrds.

1968: Johnny Cash marries June Carter of the gospel stars The Carter Family. Carlene Carter's $1-a-week allowance, earned by mowing the lawn, rises to $10-a-week.

1969: Jim Morrison of the Doors is arrested on stage during a gig in Miami, FL, for allegedly exposing himself to the crowd during the band's show at the Coconut Grove Auditorium. The singer is later tried and sentenced to eight months of hard labor, a sentence his lawyers were still appealing when Morrison died in 1971.

1973: Elvis Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, sells all of Elvis' back catalog recordings to RCA for a lump sum of $5.4 million, forgoing all future royalties, in an apparent attempt to garner the King some quick, much-needed cash. Parker also renegotiates Elvis into a 50-50 split on new royalties, and lands another seven-year, fourteen-album deal with RCA for $3.5 million.

1973: The Robert Joffrey Dance Company opened the presentation "Deuce Coupe Ballet". The show was based on the music of the Beach Boys.

1974: Chris Difford placed an ad in a shop window 'lyricist seeks musician for co-writing' Glen Tillbrook answered the ad. The pair went on to form Squeeze.

1974: Queen begin their first tour as headliners with a show at Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

1980: Patti Smith married MC5 guitarist Fred 'Sonic' Smith. Fred Smith died on November 4th 1994.

1982: Jimmy Page's first solo LP was released. It was the soundtrack to Death Wish II.

1986: Gary Glitter was admitted to hospital, suffering from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

1994: Aretha Franklin is honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Frank Sinatra is given the annual Living Legends Award at tonight's Grammys in New York.

1994: Tony Bennett's Unplugged wins Album of the Year at tonight's Grammy Awards.

1994: Nirvana played their final concert ever when they appeared at The Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany. The 3,000 capacity venue was a small Airport Hanger. The power went off during the show so they played an impromptu acoustic set including a version of The Cars 'My Best Friend's Girl.'

1995: In Switzerland, Bill Berry (Drummer for R.E.M) suffered a brain aneurysm while performing on stage.

1997: 'Bowie Bonds' were issued on the US Stock Exchange. Linked to David Bowie's back catalogue albums with money earned on the bonds via interest from royalties, investors could expect to make an 8% profit in about 10 years.

February 29

Births

1904: Jimmy Dorsey (Big Band Leader, Clarinet & Sax Player)

1952: Randy Jackson (Lead Vocals & Guitar for Zebra)

1972: Dave Williams (Singer for Drowning Pool)

1976: Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) (Rapper)

Events

1960: Just four years into his career, Elvis Presley becomes the biggest-selling artist of all time, with 18 million records sold, according to an article published in today's edition of Billboard. "The King" would go on to sell one billion records around the world.

1968: Florence Ballard, having just legally settled during her breakup with The Supremes, marries her first husband, former Motown chauffeur Thomas Chapman, in Detroit.

1972: John Lennon's temporary visa expires, leading Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina to send a memo to the Nixon White House suggesting that deporting John Lennon might be "a strategic counter-measure” against his increasing political activism. Around the same time, CIA director Richard Helms sent a memo to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover about Lennon's upcoming "anti-war" tour, kicking off a three-year battle for Lennon to stay in the US.

1977: While staying at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, Lynyrd Skynyrd get in a heated argument with members of London's Metropolitan Police, whose boxing team is staying at the same hotel. A fistfight breaks out, in which two members of the group are knocked unconscious.

1980: Jerry Allen, Sheriff of Cerro Gordo County, IA, finds a manila envelope marked "rec'd April 7, 1959," opens it, and discovers the glasses Buddy Holly was wearing the night he was killed in an infamous plane crash in nearby Clear Lake. Thought lost for 21 years, the glasses had merely been covered in snow when police cleaned up the crash site, and since the plane had taken off from Mason City, the glasses were delivered there when revealed by the spring thaw. (The wristwatch belonging to Jay "The Big Bopper" Richardson was also present in the envelope.) After a lengthy court battle, the glasses were deemed the property of Buddy's widow, Maria Elena, and are on permanent display at the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock.

2000: At the premiere of his new Broadway musical, an adaptation of the opera Aida done with lyricist Tim Rice, Elton John storms out of the theater after 15 minutes, fuming that his songs were "ruined."

2000: In Guilford, Surrey, Eric Clapton had his driving privileges suspended for six months and was fined about $570 dollars for speeding.

February 28

Births

1939: John Fahey (Folk Artist)

1942: Brian Jones (Guitar for The Rolling Stones)

1943: Donnie Iris (Guitar for Wild Cherry & Solo)

1957: Cindy Wilson (Singer in The B52’s)

1957: Ian Stanley (Keyboards for Tears For Fears)

1969: Patrick Monahan (Singer / Songwriter for Train & Solo)

1977: Jason Aldean (Country Artist)

Events

1966: Over $20,000 in debt, the owners of Liverpool's famous Cavern Club -- where the Beatles got their start -- decide to close the rock institution. 100 fans barricade themselves in the club, but to no avail. The venue would later become a subway station, although the Cavern would eventually reopen in a different location.

1968: Singer Frankie Lymon was found dead of a heroin overdose at age 25 in his grandmother's bathroom.

1970: Led Zeppelin is forced to play its gig in Copenhagen, Denmark under a different name (The Nobs) when the appalled family of the late Ferdinand von Zeppelin himself complains.

1970: In an interview with the New Musical Express, Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green talked about his plans to give all his money away. The following year Green confronted his accountant with a gun after he sent him an unwanted royalty check. The guitarist went to jail briefly before being transferred to an asylum and was committed to a mental hospital in 1973. He re- launched his career in the 90's.

1972: George and Patti Harrison were injured in a car crash; Patti was unconscious for several days.

1976: At tonight's Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Paul Simon picks up Best Pop Vocal and Best Album awards for Still Crazy After All These Years, leading him to famously remark, in his acceptance speech, "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year."

1977: A crazed audience member climbs onstage at a Ray Charles concert and attempts to strangle the blind pianist with a rope.

1982: Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham collapsed during the bands European tour suffering from heroin withdrawal.

1984: Michael Jackson won a record seven Grammy awards including: Album of the year for 'Thriller'; Record of the year and Best rock vocal performance for 'Beat It'; Best pop vocal performance, Best R&B performance and Best R&B song for 'Billie Jean', and Best Recording For Children for E.T The Extra Terrestrial.

1985: David Byron, singer with Uriah Heep, died from an epileptic fit and liver disease aged 38.

1991: Mayor of Los Angeles Tom Bradley declares today Curtis Mayfield Day.

1996: The original members of Kiss appeared at the Grammy Awards. It was the first time in 17 years that the band had appeared in full make-up and costumes.

1997: Death Row Records boss Marion 'Suge' Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for violating his probation for a 1995 assault conviction. Under US law, Knight would not be allowed to run Death Row Records while in prison.

2006: Two stewards were shot during a concert by rapper Kanye West at the NEC in Birmingham, England. Police said the shootings took place after people who tried to gain entrance without tickets were escorted from the arena. A man, who had no ticket, entered the foyer and was ejected, he then returned and shot at the stewards, one was in a serious condition after being shot in the face.

2007: The Doors are honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6901 Hollywood Blvd.

2008: Boy George pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall. The singer and DJ was also accused of assaulting Audun Carlsen during the alleged incident on 28 April 2007. He was released on bail until a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in November.

2008: Drummer Buddy Miles, who played with Jimi Hendrix in his last regular group, Band of Gypsys, died aged 60 at his home in Austin, Texas after struggling with a long-term illness.

2010: The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver ends with, among other things, a surprise appearance by Canadian native Neil Young, who sings "Long May You Run" as the torch is put out.