August 8

Births

1907: Benny Carter (Jazz musician)

1932: Mel Tillis (Country Singer)

1933: Joe Tex (Soul Singer)

1952: Robin Quivers (Howard Stern Show)

1956: Christopher Foreman (Guitar for Madness)

1961: Rikki Rockett (Richard Allan Ream) (Drums for Poison)

1961: The Edge (Dave Evans) (Guitar for U2)

1962: Kool Moe Dee (Mohandas Dewese) (Rapper)

1965: Aaron Abeyta (Lead Guitar for NOFX)

1973: Scott Stapp (Singer for Creed)

1973: Mark Wills (Country Artist)

1976: Joshua “JC” Chasez (Vocals for N’SYNC)

1976: Drew Lachey (Singer in 98 Degrees)

1980: Mike Hindert (Bass for The Bravery)

Events

1923: A fourteen-year-old clarinet player named Benny Goodman lands his first professional gig, playing for a cruise ship operating on Lake Michigan near Chicago.

1958: Bing Crosby and wife Kathryn announce the birth of their first child (and Bing's fifth overall), Harry Lillis Crosby III.(Harry is Bing's real first name.)

1969: Photographer Iain MacMillan shoots the cover for the Beatles' album, Abbey Road, just outside the studios of the same name where the band recorded most of its classic songs. The photo, which merely shows the band crossing the street while walking away from the studio, has become iconic in its own right, and provides "Paul Is Dead" enthusiasts with several erroneous "clues" to his "death," including the fact that Paul is barefoot. (Supposedly this represents a corpse, but McCartney has stated that it was simply a hot day.) The shoot, which lasts ten minutes, produces six shots, from which Paul picks the cover.

1970: At Philadelphia's Mount Lawn Cemetery, Janis Joplin purchases a headstone for her idol, Bessie Smith, the famous African-American blues singer who died from injuries suffered in a 1937 car crash -- after being refused at a whites-only hospital. (Bessie's widower refused to purchase a stone for her.)

1975: Hank Williams, Jr. falls 500 feet down Ajax Mountain near Missoula, MT, exposing part of his brain and keeping him in and out of hospitals for the next two years. The resultant facial scars would inspire his trademark "hat, beard, and shades" look.

1975: Saxophonist Cannonball Adderley died of a stroke at age 46.

1980: The Greater London Council banned The Plasmatics from blowing a car up on stage during their UK live debut at London's Hammersmith Odeon.

1982: Mickey Thomas (Singer for Jefferson Starship) married Sara Kendrick.

1983: Harold Melvin and three members of the Blue Notes are arrested for cocaine, marijuana, and meth possession at Caesars Boardwalk Regency Hotel Casino in Atlantic City.

1986: David Crosby (The Byrds, Crosby Stills & Nash) is released from prison after serving only eight months of his original five-year sentence for cocaine and firearms possession.

1992: A riot broke out during a Guns N' Roses and Metallica gig at Montreal stadium when Metallica's show was cut short after singer James Hetfield was injured by pyrotechnics. Guns N' Roses took the stage but frontman Axl Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early. The cancellation led to a riot by the audience who overturned cars, smashed windows, looted local stores and set fires.

1996: Kiss appeared at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio on their 192 date Alive World Tour. During this show a fan threw his fake leg on stage, which all the members signed and handed back to him.

2000: In Portugal, Oasis walked off stage for the second time in two weeks when drummer Alan White was hit by a rock.

2005: Two jurors in the Michael Jackson molestation case tell NBC-TV's Today that they have come to regret their ruling of "not guilty."

2006: Travis Barker (Drummer for Blink-182) filed for a divorce from ex-beauty queen Shanna Moakler.

August 7

Births

1942: B.J. Thomas (Pop Singer)

1950: Rodney Crowell (Country Guitarist & Singer / Songwriter)

1951: Pete Way (Bass for Fastway, UFO & Ozzy Osbourne)

1958: Bruce Dickinson (Vocals for Iron Maiden)

1960: Jacquie O'Sullivan (Singer for Bananarama)

1964: Ian Dench (Guitar for EMF)

1966: Kristin Hersh (Singer & Guitar for Throwing Muses & Solo)

1977: Jamey Jasta (Lead Singer for Hatebreed)

Events

1954: Johnny Cash married Vivian Liberto at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Memphis. Cash had plans of becoming a Memphis appliance salesman, he instead formed a band with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant, and was signed to Sun Records a year later.

1957: The Quarrymen (minus new member Paul McCartney, away at Scout camp!) make their debut at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Manager Alan Sytner instructs them not to play rock and roll, but midway through their performance, John lights into a version of Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel," which the crowd loves.

1963: The first of the Frankie Avalon / Annette Funicello "beach movies," Beach Party, opens in American theaters, featuring music by surf legend Dick Dale. Exactly 24 years later on this day, the reunion movie Back To The Beach opens, with Frankie and Annette cast as parents with wild and crazy teens of their own, and featuring music by Fishbone and Pee-Wee Herman.

1965: Mike Smith (Singer for Dave Clark Five) had two ribs broken when he was pulled off the stage by a fan in Chicago.

1970: Christine Perfect, now married to bass player John McVie, joins her husband's band, Fleetwood Mac, as its first female member.

1971: The Bee Gees started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart'. It was the group's tenth US hit and first No.1.

1974: J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf marries movie star Faye Dunaway in a Beverly Hills courtroom. They would divorce in 1979.

1991: Paul Simon gives a free concert in Central Park, much as he had in 1981 with partner Art Garfunkel. The performance eventually became the album Paul Simon's Concert In The Park.

1995: LL Cool J and Simone Johnson were married.

1996: A federal appeals court overturns the ruling that original Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers members Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago co-wrote the group's biggest hit, 1955's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" ruling that copyright claims must be filed within three years of the song's publication.

1997: Garth Brooks played to the largest crowd ever in New York's Central Park. An estimated 1 million people attended the live concert with an additional 14.6 million viewing live on HBO.

1999: Violence erupted outside a Dave Matthews Band concert in Hartford, CT. 55 arrests were made in the parking lot of the Meadows Music Theater.

2000: Having recently won back merchandising rights for their son's famous name, the family of Jimi Hendrix succeeds in shutting down the faux-official website www.jimihendrix.com.

2002: Three members of Oasis were injured when the taxi they were travelling in was involved in a crash during a US tour in Indianapolis. Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell and Jay Darlington were all taken to hospital and treated for cuts and bruises.

2006: Barry Manilow cancels some dates at the Las Vegas Hilton while doctors attempt to repair torn cartilage in his hip.

2007: The Isley Brothers' Ron Isley begins serving a 27-month sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution at Terre Haute, IN for income tax evasion.

2007: Lily Allen had her US work visa cancelled after arriving at Los Angeles airport. The 22-year-old, who was due to tour America in September, had flown in for the MTV Video Music Awards launch. She was held at the airport for five hours in connection with an arrest for an alleged assault in London in June.

2008: Elvis Presley's peacock jumpsuit, was sold at auction for $300,000, making it the most expensive piece of Elvis memorabilia ever sold at an auction. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar featured a blue-and-gold peacock design, hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the pant legs.

2011: Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi (Antwan Patton) was arrested in Miami for possession of drugs including ecstasy and Viagra pills.

August 6

Births

1928: Andy Warhol (Artist)

1942: Isaac Hayes (R&B Singer)

1946: Allan Holdsworth (Guitar for Soft Machine)

1952: Vinnie Vincent (Guitar for Kiss & Vinnie Vincent’s Invation)

1969: Elliot Smith (Singer / Songwriter)

1972: Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) (Vocals for The Spice Girls)

1978: Freeway (Leslie Edward Pridgen) (Rapper)

1981: Travis McCoy (Singer & Rapper in Gym Class Heroes)

1984: Eric Roberts (Bass for Gym Class Heroes)

Events

1956: The Alan Freed movie Rock! Rock! Rock! goes into production, featuring Tuesday Weld (her singing vocals dubbed by Connie Francis), Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and LaVern Baker.

1960: On ABC-TV's American Bandstand, Chubby Checker demonstrates The Twist for the first time, kicking off a dance craze that would last the better part of two years.

1964: Rod Stewart makes his TV debut on BBC-TV's The Beat Room, singing as a member of his group, The Hoochie Coochie Men.

1966: As the Fleet Street press in London reports on the "bigger than Jesus" controversy in America, Beatles manager Brian Epstein cuts his vacation short and flies to New York City for a televised press conference where he defends John Lennon's remarks, stating "The quote which John Lennon made to a London columnist has been quoted and misrepresented entirely out of context of the article, which was in fact highly complimentary to Lennon as a person... Lennon didn't mean to boast about the Beatles' fame. He meant to point out that the Beatles' effect appeared to be a more immediate one upon, certainly, the younger generation. John is deeply concerned and regrets that people with certain religious beliefs should have been offended."

1973: A log from a passing lumber truck crushes Stevie Wonder's car as it speeds near Winston-Salem NC, leaving him in a coma for four days and causing him to permanently lose his sense of smell. Miraculously, he fully recovers and is back in the studio within weeks.

1974: Abba scored their first US top 10 hit when ‘Waterloo’ went to No.6. The Swedish group were also on their first American tour.

1982: Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ starring Bob Geldof opened in movie theatres in New York. The film was conceived alongside the double album by Pink Floyd’s, Roger Waters.

1987: The Beastie Boys sued the city of Jacksonville, FL for including the phrase "mature audience" on their concert tickets and ads.

1988: 'Appetite For Destruction' Guns N' Roses debut album went to No.1 in the US, after spending 57 weeks on the chart and selling over 5 million copies. Singles from the album, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine,’ ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Paradise City’ were all US top 10 hits. Worldwide sales now stand in excess of 28 million and the album is the best-selling debut album of all-time in the US, beating Boston's debut album Boston, which has gone 17x platinum.

1989: Adam Clayton of U2 was arrested in The Blue Light Inn car park in Dublin for marijuana possession and intent to supply the drug to another person. His conviction was waived in exchange for paying $50,000 to the Dublin Woman's Aid Centre.

1994: Lisa Loeb started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Stay (I Missed You).  Actor and friend Ethan Hawke had asked her to provide a song for the upcoming movie Reality Bites and 'Stay' was featured in the film.  She did not have a record label distributor at the time.

1996: Vince Neil attempted to play a show at an Indiana club. The show, starting more than four hours late, ended after only three songs. Neil claimed that he wasn't feeling well, and that the audience of "rednecks" didn't appreciate his talent.

1996: Eddie Vedder videotaped the Ramones placing their hands in cement on the Hollywood Rock Walk prior to a Ramones show at The Palace. The Ramones claimed that it was their last show ever.

1999: Dick Latvala died aged 56 after being in a coma caused by a heart attack. Latvala worked with The Grateful Dead since the early 80’s looking after their archives of live performances which became a series of 'Dick’s Picks' albums.

2001: Whitney Houston became one of the highest-paid musicians in the world after signing a new deal with Arista records, said to be worth more than $100m.

2004: R&B singer Rick James died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure with his various health conditions of diabetes, stroke, a pacemaker, and a heart attack at age 56.

2007: Marilyn Manson was being sued by a former band member who said he was owed $20m in shared profits. Stephen Bier, who played keyboards under the stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy, claimed he was not paid properly over a period of almost two decades. In legal papers filed in Los Angeles, Bier claimed Manson falsely told him the band was not making much money and used band money to buy a $2m home and collect Nazi memorabilia, including coat hangers used by Adolf Hitler.

2009: Steven Tyler was airlifted to a hospital after falling off the stage during a gig at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. The 61-year-old Aerosmith singer fell from a catwalk onto a couple of fans, he suffered neck and shoulder injuries. About 30 minutes after the accident, guitarist Joe Perry came out to tell the crowd that the remainder of the show had been cancelled.