Births
1933 Tiny Tim, singer who had a 1968 US No.17 single with ‘Tiptoe Through The Tulips’. He died of a heart attack on November 29th 1996.
1940 Herbie Hancock, US keyboard player, composer of film soundtracks, (1983 UK No.8 single 'Rockit'). Worked with Miles Davis Chick Corea.
1944 John Kay, guitar, vocals, Steppenwolf, (1968 US No.2 and 1969 UK No.30 single 'Born To Be Wild').
1949 Donald Ray Mitchell, Was Not Was, (1992 UK No.4 single 'Shake Your Head').
1950 David Cassidy, US singer, (1972 UK No.1 single 'How Can I Be Sure', plus nine other UK Top 40 singles), The Partridge Family, (1970 US No.1 single 'I Think I Love You', 1972 UK No.3 single 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do').
1956 Alexander Briley, The Village People, (1978 US No.2 and 1979 UK No.1 single 'Y.M.C.A.').
1957 Vince Gill, US country singer. Has won 17 Country Music Awards and 14 Grammy Awards. In 2000 he married singer Amy Grant.
1958 Will Sergeant, Echo And The Bunnymen, (1983 UK No.8 single 'The Cutter').
1962 Art Alexakis, guitar, vocals, Everclear, (2000 UK No.36 single 'Wonderful', 1997 album, 'So Much For The Afterglow').
1964 Amy Ray, guitar, vocals, Indigo Girls, (1989 US No.22 album 'Indigo Girls').
1965 Sean Welch, The Beautiful South, (1990 UK No.1 single 'A Little Time' plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles).
1967 Sarah Cracknell, singer, Saint Etienne, (1993 UK No.12 single 'You're In A Bad Way').
1970 Nicholas Lofton Hexum, vocalist and rhythm guitarist with 311.
1978 Guy Berryman, bass, Coldplay, (2000 UK No.4 single 'Yellow', 2000 UK No.1 album 'Parachutes' and the 2005 worldwide No.1 album ‘X&Y').
1980 Bryan McFadden, vocals, Westlife, (Irish boy band, scored 12 UK No.1 singles, first UK No.1 1999 'Swear It Again' plus 4 UK No.1 albums). Now solo.
Events
1939 Woody Herman’s orchestra recorded "Woodchopper’s Ball."
1954 Bill Haley and the Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock." The song was released a year later in the movie "Blackboard Jungle."
1954 Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was released.
1955 The national radio show "Your Hit Parade" celebrated its 20th anniversary.
1963 Bob Dylan performed his first major solo concert at Town Hall in New York City.
1962 Chubby Checker married Catharina Lodders a Dutch beauty Queen who was the winner of Miss World in this year.
1963 Billed as 'A Shot Of Rhythm and Blues', at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, The Beatles and eight other groups. Dorr's opened at 4 o'clock, admission for members 7/6, visitors, 8/6.
1964 Chubby Checker and former Miss World, Catherina Lodders, were married.
1966 Jan Berry (Jan and Dean) was almost killed when he crashed his car into a parked truck in Los Angeles; he was partially paralysed and suffered brain damage. Berry was able to walk again after extensive therapy.
1966 Tom Jones went into hospital to have his tonsils removed, (there was speculation that he had a nose job).
1969 Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer" was released.
1969 The 5th Dimension started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In', a No.11 hit in the UK.
1971 Crosby, Stills Nash & Young's live album "Four Way Street" was certified gold by the RIAA.
1972 The Rolling Stones released "Exile on Main Street."
1973 The film "That'll Be the Day," starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, premiered in London.
1975 The movie version of "Tommy" opened.
1975 David Bowie announced his second career retirement, saying, 'I've rocked my roll. It's a boring dead end, there will be no more rock 'n' roll records from me.'
1975 Elton John started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Philadelphia Freedom', his fourth US No.1, it made No.12 in the UK.
1978 The Four Tops performed at Aretha Franklin's wedding.
1978 Aretha Franklin married actor Glynn Turman.
1980 The Detroit Spinners were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Working My Way Back To You.'
1984 "Louie Louie Day" was held in Olympia, WA.
1985 USA for Africa's "We Are The World" album was released.
1986 Go-Go's lead singer Belinda Carlisle married actor Morgan Mason.
1988 Sonny Bono was elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA.
1989 Two DJ's on Los Angeles station KLOS asked what ever happened to David Cassidy' The singer called the station up and the presenters invited him onto the show. David played three songs live on air and was subsequently signed by a new record label.
1990 The Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre announced that Asteroids 4147-4150, would be named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr after the four members of The Beatles.
1990 James Brown was released from a South Carolina jail on work furlough after serving 15 months of a six-year sentence for aggravated assault.
1993 Actress Lisa Bonet filed for divorce from Lenny Kravitz.
1995 Two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, (then the governor of Texas), declared "Selena Day" in Texas. The Mexican American singer Selena was murdered aged 23 by the president of her fan club Yolanda Saldívar on 31st March 1995.
1997 R Kelly started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Believe I Can Fly.'
1997 While on tour in the UK, Fun Lovin' Criminals drummer Stephen Borovini received a police caution after he was arrested on suspicion of making obscene phone calls to women working in gyms in the Leeds area.
1998 Pulp went to No.1 on the UK album chart with 'This Is Hardcore.'
1999 Shania Twain became the only female artist in music history to sell at least 10 million units with back to back releases.
2000 Bo Diddley filed suit against Nike for using his name and image without permission. Nike is accused of continuing to use his image after a contract expired in 1991.
2000 It was announced that Tony Bennett would have a selection of his paintings exhibited at a London gallery from May 16 until June 16. The title of the exhibition is "What My Heart Has Seen."
2000 Metallica filed suit against Napster, the University of Southern California, Yale University and Indiana University for copyright infringement, unlawful use of digital audio interface device and violations of the Racketeering Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
2002 Ozzy Osbourne received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2005 Mariah Carey released ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, the album entered the US chart at number one, going six times platinum in less than a year, and subsequently became the most successful album of 2005.
