March 18

Births

1938: Charlie Pride (Country Singer)

1941: Wilson Pickett  (R&B Singer)

1947: Barry J Wilson (Drums for Procol Harum)

1950: John Hartman (Original Drummer for The Doobie Brothers)

1953: Jamie West-Oram (Guitar for The Fixx)

1959:  Irene Cara (Singer)

1961: Grant Hart (Drummer for Husker Du)

1963: Vanessa Williams (Pop Singer)

1963: Jeff LaBar (Guitar for Cinderella)

1964: Courtney Pine (Jazz Musician)

1966: Jerry Cantrell (Lead Singer & Guitar for Alice In Chains)

1970: Queen Latifah (Rapper & Jazz Singer)

1974: Stuart Zender (Bass for Jamiroquai)

1979: Adam Levine (Guitar & Vocals for Maroon 5)

Events

1939:  Frank Sinatra made his first recording, a song called ‘Our Love’, with the Frank Mane band.

1958: Jerry Lee Lewis becomes the first musician to appear on American Bandstand actually singing and not lip-synching his performance. Singing "Great Balls Of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and "Breathless" live, he also becomes the first guest to perform three songs on the program.

1959:  EMI Records in the UK announced that it had now stopped all production of 78 rpm discs.

1965: The Rolling Stones were each fined $8.50 for urinating in a public place. The incident took place at a petrol station after a gig in Romford, Essex, England.

1965, John Lennon gave his friend and ex-Quarry Man Pete Shotton $35,000 to open Hayling Supermarkets. Lennon, George Harrison and Shotton became joint directors of Hayling Supermarkets Ltd.

1967:  The UK music magazine New Musical Express announced that former Spence Davis Group member Steve Winwood was planning to form a new group with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. The ensemble would choose the name Traffic.

1967:  Pink Floyd signed to EMI Records in the UK.

1972:  Neil Young started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Heart Of Gold'. His only Top 20 hit as a solo artist reached No.10 on the UK chart.

1973: At Earl's Court in London, Pink Floyd perform their just-released album Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety for the first time.

1975: Ken Russell's bizarre and controversial film of the Who's rock opera Tommy premieres in New York.

1976:  The Film 'The Man Who Fell To Earth' featuring David Bowie premiered in London.

1977:  The Clash released their debut single 'White Riot.' It peaked at No.38 on the UK charts.

1978:  The Bee Gees had the Top 3 on the US singles charts, 'Night Fever' at No.1, '(Love is) Thicker Than Water', by brother Andy at No.2, co-written by Barry Gibb and 'Emotion' by Samantha Song written and produced by The Bee Gees at No.3.

1982:  Driving home from a basketball game in Philadelphia, soul singer Teddy Pendergrass crashed his Rolls Royce severely injuring his spinal cord.

1991:  After attending an in-store promo appearance U2 were fined $850 after being found guilty of selling condoms illegally at the Virgin Megastore, Dublin.

1992:  Donna Summer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1994:  Four guns and 25 boxes of ammo were confiscated from Kurt Cobain after his wife, Courtney Love, called police fearing he was going to commit suicide. He did commit suicide about 3 weeks later.

1994: Darryl Jones replaces longtime bassist Bill Wyman in the Rolling Stones.

1996:  The Sex Pistols announced their comeback at the 100 Club in London, 20 years after they had split.

1997:  Joni Mitchell announced that she had reunited with a daughter she had given up for adoption many years earlier.

1997: Taylor Hawkins replaced William Goldsmith as the drummer for the Foo Fighters.

2001:  John Phillips of Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure aged 65. .

2002:  The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam and close friend of the Ramones. The ceremony took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

2002:  In Concord, CA, about 1,500 teenagers swarmed a music store to get autographs from the R&B band B2K. The Sun Valley Mall was temporarily shut down due to the unexpectedly large crowd.

2002: In New York, Isaac Hayes, Brenda Lee, and Gene Pitney (among others) are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2004:  Courtney Love exposed her breasts during an appearance on David Letterman's TV talk show. The singer who had her back to the audience flashed at the presenter while singing the song Danny Boy. After the show, she went on to perform a surprise gig at the Plaid night-club in Manhattan where she was alleged to have injured a man by throwing a microphone stand into the crowd.  Ms. Love was charged with assault and reckless endangerment.

2011:  Country Singer Ferlin Husky Died at 85.

2011:  Hip-hop artist Petey Pablo plead guilty to possession of a stolen firearm.  He was arrested in 2010 while attempting to clear security at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Authorities found a loaded gun in a bag that had passed through an X-ray machine.  He faced up to 10 years in prison.

March 16

Births

1942: Jerry Jeff Walker (Country Singer / Songwriter)

1948:  Michael Bruce (guitarist for Alice Cooper Band)

1949: Erik Estrada (Ponch)

1954:  Nancy Wilson (Guitar for Heart)

1959:  Flavor Flav  (William Jonathan Drayton, Jr ) (Rapper in Public Enemy)

1964:  Patty Griffin (Singer / Songwriter)

1972:  Andy Dunlop (Lead Guitar for Travis)

Events

1964:  The Beatles set a new record for advance sales in the U.S. with 2,100,000 copies of their latest single 'Can't Buy Me Love.'

1965:  The Beatles continue filming in Austria for their second movie, Help! They completed the "ski lift" segment of the film.

1968:  The posthumously released Otis Redding single 'Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay', started a five week run at No.1 on the US chart, (a No.3 hit the UK). Otis was killed in a plane crash on 10th December 1967 three days after recording the song.

1970:  Motown singer Tammi Terrell died of a brain tumor at the age of 24.  She had collapsed onstage on October 14, 1967 into Marvin Gaye's arms during a concert in Hampton, Virginia.

1971:  Winners at this years Grammy Awards included, Simon and Garfunkel who won Record of the year, Song of the year and Album of the year for 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', The Carpenters won Best new act and Best vocal performance.

1972:  John Lennon lodged an appeal with the US immigration office in New York, after he was served with deportation orders arising from his 1968 cannabis possession conviction.

1974:  During a US tour, Elvis Presley played the first of four nights at the Midsouth Coliseum in Memphis Tennessee. This was the first time Elvis had played in Memphis since 1961.

1977:  After being with the label for just six days The Sex Pistols were fired from A&M due to pressure from other label artists and its Los Angeles head office.  25,000 copies of ‘God Save The Queen’ were pressed and the band made $127,500 from the deal.

1979:  Twisted Sister became the first band to sell out New York City's Palladium without ever releasing a record. The band did not sign a record deal until 3 years later.

1989:  MTV America launched a contest to give away Jon Bon Jovi's childhood home.

1991:  Seven members of Country singer Reba McEntire's band and her road manager were among 10 people who were killed when their private jet crashed in California just north of the Mexican border.  McEntire, who had given a private concert in San Diego for IBM employees the night before, was not on the plane.

1992:  During a Metallica gig at an Orlando Arena, fans dangled an usher by his ankles from the balcony as trouble broke out at the concert. The band was charged $38,000 for repairs and cleaning after the audience trashed the building.

1996:  The Ramones performed what they claimed would be their last ever date in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1999 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) presented the first Diamond Awards. The awards are given in recognition of albums and singles that have sold 10 million copies or more.

2005:  Billy Joel checked into a rehabilitation center for alcohol abuse.  A statement from the 55-year-old singer's spokesperson put his latest problems down to "a recent bout of severe gastrointestinal distress."

2010:  Abba were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Genesis and The Hollies.

March 15

Births

1912: Lightnin' Hopkins (Blues Artist)

1916: Harry James (Jazz Trumpeter & Bandleader)

1931: D.J. Fontana (Drummer for Elvis)

1940: Phil Lesh (Bass for The Grateful Dead)

1941: Mike Love (Singer / Songwriter in The Beach Boys)

1944: Sly Stone (Funk Keyboardist & Singer)

1946: Howard Scott (Guitar for War)

1947: Ry Cooder (Guitarist & Singer)

1955: Dee Snider (Singer for Twisted Sister)

1962: Terence Trent D'arby (Singer)

1963: Bret Michaels (Singer for Poison)

1964: Rockwell (Kennedy William Gordy) (R&B Singer)

1968: Mark McGrath (Singer for Sugar Ray)

1968: Jon Schaffer (Guitar for Iced Earth)

1968: John Tardy (Singer for Obituary)

1972: Mark Hoppus (Bass & Vocals for Blink 182)

1975: Will.i.am (Producer & Rapper in Black Eyed Peas)

1977: Joe Hahn (DJ for Linkin Park)

1981: Young Buck (David Darnell Brown) (Rapper)

Events

1929: Blues artist Pinetop Smith dies from a gunshot wound in a dance-hall fight in Chicago.

1945 : Billboard magazine began listing a top albums chart. The first #1 was "The Nat King Cole Trio.

1955: Elvis Presley signed a management contract with Colonel Tom Parker.

1958: Elvis Presley performs his last concert before leaving for the Army, a show at Memphis' Russwood Park. Aside from two benefit shows in 1961, this would be the last Presley concert until 1969.

1966: Tonight's winners at the Grammy Awards in New York City: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass for "A Taste Of Honey" (Record Of The Year), Frank Sinatra's September Of My Years (Album Of The Year), and "The Shadow Of Your Smile" (Song Of The Year).

1968:  "LIFE" magazine called Jimi Hendrix "the most spectacular guitarist in the world."

1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono, attempting to marry in Paris, are caught "standing in the dock at Southampton / Trying to get to Holland or France," as later documented in the Beatles song "The Ballad Of John And Yoko." Passport problems keep them from boarding.

1971: CBS-TV announces it will cancel The Ed Sullivan Show, then the longest-running TV show in history, after 23 years.

1972: After Los Angeles station KHJ’s DJ Robert W. Morgan broadcasts Donny Osmond's version of "Puppy Love" for 25 1/2 hours straight, worried callers summon the local police, who break into the studio, convinced that hippies or anarchists have taken it over. Turns out it was just a publicity stunt.

1975: Mick Jagger settles his paternity suit with singer Marsha Hunt out of court.

1975 :  The group T. Rex disbanded.

1975: The Doobie Brothers went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Black Water', the group's first of two US No.1's.

1976: KISS Destroyer is released.

1978: The Alan Freed biopic American Hot Wax, widely considered one of the best rock and roll movies of all time, premieres in New York City, featuring appearances and performances by Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

1982: Bob Dylan is inducted, somewhat belatedly, into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.

1986: The Bangles were at No.2 on the UK singles chart with 'Manic Monday', a song written by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher, it also made No.2 in the US, held of No.1 by Prince with 'Kiss'.

1989: The Rolling Stones sign a contract for $70 million -- the largest ever amount to that time -- for their upcoming 50 date US tour.

1999: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducts Curtis Mayfield, Del Shannon, Dusty Springfield, Paul McCartney, The Staple Singers, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen at their annual ceremony in New York City. Marking their reunion after ten years, Springsteen performs at the ceremony with the E Street Band.

2003: Brad Paisley marries "According To Jim" star Kimberly Williams in Malibu, California.

2004: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducts Bob Seger, George Harrison, The Dells, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, Prince, and Traffic at their annual ceremony in New York City.

2004: Former Crazy Town guitarist Rust Epique died of heart failure from an apparent heart attack at his home in Las Vegas. Epique was 35.

2004:  A federal judge denied Axl Rose's request for a restraining order to block the release of a Guns ‘N’ Roses greatest hits collection. Rose sued because he said he had not approved the album.

2005: former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown was arrested after a fight during a concert in San Francisco after a fan jumped on stage and attacked the singer, who then became involved in a fracas with a security guard. Brown was arrested at his hotel after the show at the Great American Music Hall but released without charge.

2006: Remnants of Fats Domino's three pianos are discovered and saved by the Louisiana State Museum after attempting to salvage his Ninth Ward home after Hurricane Katrina.

2010: Sony Music announced the biggest recording deal in history with the estate of Michael Jackson worth more than $200 m. The deal involved 10 album projects over seven years including one of previously unreleased material. Sony had sold about 31 million copies of Jackson's albums worldwide since his death on 25 June, 2009.

2011: Casey Royer, the former drummer for Social Distortion, was charged today with one count of child endangerment and one count of being under the influence of heroin after OD'ing on the drug in front of his 12-year-old son while the two watched TV at home.

2011 Nate Dogg, the California rapper whose real name is Nathaniel D. Hale, died at the age of 41 of complications from multiple strokes.