September 4th

Musical birthdays today include Merald 'Bubba' Knight [elder brother of Gladys and member of the Pips] (84), ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Gary Duncan (80), fusion saxophonist Dave Liebman (80), Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers (75), W.A.S.P. guitarist Blackie Lawless (70), Soundgarden lead guitarist Kim Thayil (66), Rudimentary Peni frontman Nick Blinko (65), ex-Pussycat Dolls vocalist Carmit Bachar (52), Beyoncé (45) and Asking Alexandria lead singer Danny Worsnop (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Anton Bruckner (b. 1824) and Darius Milhaud (b. 1892)...  for jazz trumpeter and band leader Gerald Wilson, born in 1918... for Mitzi Gaynor, born in 1931... for guitarist Danny Gatton, who would have been 80 today... for Russian punk rock pioneer Yanka Dyagileva, who would have been 59... for composer Edvard Grieg, who died on this date in 1907... for jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Barnet, who left us in 1991... for country singer Dottie West, who was killed in a road accident at the age of 59 on the same day.... and for Badfinger drummer Charlie Gibbin, who died in his sleep at the age of 56 in 2006. 

Also on September 4: To coincide with the release of his second single 'Good Rockin' Tonight', Elvis Presley makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Audience reaction is so poor that Opry manager Jim Denny advises Elvis to go back to driving a truck (1954)... The Beatles' first formal session at Abbey Road Studios takes place. They record six tracks, including 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' (1962)... The Animals make their US live debut at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, NY (1964)... While the group are at the Battersea Dogs Home to buy a guard dog, the Who have their van stolen. The vehicle, which is carrying £5000 worth of equipment, will be recovered in a few days (1965)... The Bee Gees top the British charts for the second time with 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You'. The song is about a man who, while awaiting execution in the electric chair, begs the prison chaplain to pass along a final message to his wife... The Beatles film promotional videos for 'Hey Jude' and 'Revolution' at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals are dubbed live over pre-recorded instrumental tracks in order to get around the current British Musicians Union ban on lip-synch performances. For 'Hey Jude', the group are accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and some 300 fans and extras on the refrain... In the wake of recent rioting at the recent Democratic National Convention in the city, Chicago city authorities announce a ban on sales and radio airplay of the Rolling Stones' single 'Street Fighting Man' (1968)... The film Easy Rider has its UK premiere at London's Classic Cinema (1969)... Paul McCartney has his first stateside № 1 as a solo artist with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'... The New York Times reports that Sly Stone is being sued by his Lower East Side landlord for 'repeatedly attracting loud, noisy and boisterous persons to the building' (1971)... At a Wishbone Ash concert in Houston, TX, a concessionaire named Francisco Caruso is stabbed to death by a fan whom he refused a free sandwich (1972)... John and Yoko appear on Jerry Lewis' annual muscular dystrophy telethon (1972)... Queen's eponymous debut album is released in the US (1973)... The Bee Gees go to № 1 on the US charts with 'You Should Be Dancing'. It is the group's first foray into the disco form, and their first song in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto... The Sex Pistols make their television debut when they appear on the Manchester-based Granada TV program So It Goes (1976)... Paul Simonon, bassist for the supposedly arch-political Clash, says in an interview with the NME "I didn't even know who was prime minister until about a month ago" (1977)... Fela Kuti is jailed by the Nigerian government on a currency smuggling charge and sentenced to 2 years. Amnesty International designates him a prisoner of conscience, and begin a campaign for his release, which will come after 20 months (1984)... The day after getting his driving license back after a 5-year suspension, Gregg Allman is arrested in Florida on a DUI charge (1986)... The departure of drummer Mike Joyce marks the official end of The Smiths. The group had been heading for a split ever since the July departure of guitarist Johnny Marr, whose replacement had proved unsatisfactory (1987)... Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and the Stone Roses all record tracks for the War Child charity album, proceeds from which will go to children caught up in the current war in the former Yugoslavia (1995)... At the Virgin Megastore in central London, Cat Stevens autographs copies of his first album in 18 years, The Life of the Last prophet, a spoken-word album praising Allah. The album was released under his present name of Yusuf Islam (1996)... Kelly Clarkson is voted the first American Idol winner (2004)... The first guitar torched by Jimi Hendrix on stage, a Fender Stratocaster which he set on fire at the end of a show at the Astoria, Finsbury, N. London in 1967, goes for £280,000 at an auction of rock memorabilia. Also on the block is a copy of the Beatles' first management contract from 1962, signed by all four members of the group ~ it goes for £240,000 (2008)... The friends and family of Michael Jackson pay their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles (2009). 

September 3rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Beach Boy Al Jardine (84), original Thin Lizzy lead guitarist Eric Bell (79), Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer (78), Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones (71), pop singer Jennifer Paige (53), LMFAO co-founder Stefan 'Redfoo' Gordy (51), rapper B.G. [né Christopher Dorsey] (46), and Sum 41 bassist Jason McCaslin (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Memphis Slim and Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt, both born on this day in 1915... for Western Swing singer Hank Thompson, born in 1925... for Outlaw Country star Tompall Glaser, born in 1933... for Canned Heat founder and original lead singer Alan Wilson, who died today in 1970 at the age of 27... for Keith Harwood, studio engineer noted for his work with Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and who was killed in a road accident today in 1977... and for 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' composer Johnny Marks, who left us today in 1985. 

Also on September 3: The № 1 single in America is The Mitch Miller Singers' 'Yellow Rose of Texas', written in 1853 (1955)... Following a pattern that is becoming familiar, a Rolling Stones concert in Chicago ends in a riot after 30 fans jump onto the stage and the band members flee (1965)... Donovan tops the American charts with 'Sunshine Superman' [also a № 2  hit in the UK], which features the guitar work of session man Jimmy Page (1966)... After a two week absence, Ringo rejoins The Beatles. He finds his drum kit covered with flowers to welcome him back (1968)... A notice in the latest issue of Rolling Stone announces that the Bob Dylan bootleg album The Great White Wonder has now sold some 350,000 copies (1969)... Arthur Brown is arrested at the Pop '70 Festival in Palermo, Italy, after the singer sets his hat alight during the performance of his hit 'Fire' and strips naked on the stage. He will spend 4 days in solitary confinement before being released (1970)... Fleetwood Mac release the album Future Games, their first record to feature Christine McVie and American guitarist Bob Welch as full-time members (1971)... Bill Wyman, Ron Wood, David Bowie and Keith Moon are among the members of the all-star band recruited to play Peter Sellers' 50th birthday party in Los Angeles (1975)... The 3-day Us festival, bankrolled by Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak, opens in San Bernardino, CA. Headliners include The Police, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Talking Heads, the Kinks and the Ramones. David Bowie, who receives $1 million for his one-hour set, is widely criticized after it is revealed that he paid each member of his backing band $350 (1982)... The № 1 single in the UK is UB 40's 'Red Red Wine', a cover of Neil Diamond's 1968 Top 40 hit. When the single is finally released in the US in 1988, it will top the charts there as well (1986)... Ike Turner is released from prison after serving 18 months of a 4-year sentence for drug and weapons possession. The singer claims in an interview with Variety soon thereafter that he has spent upwards of $10 million on cocaine over the years (1988)... Crosby, Stills and Nash release After the Storm. After 25 years with Atlantic Records, it is their final album of new material for the label (1994)... The Rolling Stones 40th anniversary '40 Licks' Tour kicks off in Boston, MA (2002)... Sir Cliff Richard stuns the music world by choosing not to renew his contract with EMI Records, signing with Eminem's label Universal Music instead. Sir Cliff had sold more than 250 million records with EMI during his 46-year career (2004)... The Rolling Stones perform for 89,620 fans at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site near Moncton NB, making it the largest crowd for a musical event in Canadian history (2005)... Hundreds of Paris Hilton albums are found tampered with in record shops throughout the UK in the latest stunt by 'guerilla artist' Banksy. The provocateur replaced the American socialite turned singer's CD with his own remixes, giving them titles such as 'Why Am I Famous?' and 'What Have I Ever Done?' He had also changed pictures of Hilton on the CD sleeve to show her topless and with a basset hound's head (2006)... Internal emails sent by the promoters of Michael Jackson's planned 2009 comeback tour are published, and see them voice concerns about the singer's stability, both physical and mental. In one of them, sent the day the King of Pop arrived in London to announce his This Is It shows, he is described as 'an emotionally paralysed mess'. The singer had locked himself in his hotel room and was said to be drunk and despondent (2012). 

September 2nd

Musical birthdays include early rock and roll singer Jimmy Clanton (88), Martha & the Vandellas vocalist Rosalind Ashford (83), Caravan drummer Richard Coughlin (79), ex-ELO violinist Mik Kaminski (75), Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazare (60), MC Chris (51), and Panic! at the Disco drummer Spencer Smith (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for folk singer & songwriter Tom Glazer, born today in 1914... for Brazilian jazz guitarist and samba pioneer Laurindo Almeida, born in 1917... for jazz pianist Horace Silver, born in 1928... for former Mingus sideman Clifford Jordan, born in 1931... for Impressions founding member Sam Gooden, born in 1934... for Billy Preston, who would have been 80... for longtime New York Metropolitan Opera director Sir Rudolf Bing, who died on this date in 1997... and for Starship lead guitarist Mark Abrahamian, who left us today in 2013 at the age of 46. 

Also on September 2: On tour in the USA, the Beatles play Philadelphia's Convention Hall. After the show, John Lennon, unaware of the city's recent history of racial tensions, is heard to express surprise that the audience of 13,000 was entirely white (1964)... The Doors record their first demos at World Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, cutting six original Jim Morrison songs... The Beatles release 'Yesterday' as a single in the US, where it will top the charts (1965)... The № 1 single in the UK today is Rod Stewart's 'You Wear It Well' (1972)... George Harrison marries Olivia Arias at the Henley-on-Thames registry office (1978)... Teddy Pendergrass announces that only women will be admitted to concerts on the tour to promote his latest album 'Life Is a Song Worth Singing' (1978)... The Human Rights Now! world tour kicks off at London's Wembley Stadium with Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Sting and Youssou N'Dour on the bill (1988)... Ozzy Osbourne is arrested on charges of threatening to kill his wife Sharon. All charges will be dropped after the couple reconcile [and Ozzy does a court-ordered stint in rehab] (1989)... Michael Jackson becomes the first artist in the history of the Billboard Top 40 singles chart to debut at № 1, with 'You Are Not Alone'... Following yesterday's ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by Yoko Ono and Little Richard, the opening festivities for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH are capped with a 7-hour concert with Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen and many others on the bill (1995)...  Burglars break into Björk's London home while the singer is asleep. The intruders make off with valuable recording equipment without rousing her (2002)... During NBC's Concert for Hurricane Relief, the ever-irrepressible Kanye West attacks President George W. Bush for not responding quickly enough to the recent flooding in New Orleans, saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (2005).

September 1st

Musical birthdays today include ex-Sly and the Family Stone drummer Greg Errico (80), Barry Gibb (80), drummer Russ Kunkel (78), former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton (71), Gloria Estefan (69), Toto lead singer Joseph Williams (66), Franco-Tunisian pop singer Lââm (55), Scissor Sisters multi-instrumentalist Scott 'Babydaddy' Hoffman (50), Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman (42), and Tokio Hotel's Bill and Tom Kaulitz (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Johann Pachelbel [of Canon in D fame], born on this date in 1653... for composer Engelbert Humperdinck, born in 1854... for jazz great Art Pepper, born today in 1925... for Conway Twitty, born in 1933... for former Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Seiji Ozawa, born in 1935... for jazz-funk keyboardist Don Blackman, who would have been 73... for French horn virtuoso Dennis Brain, killed in a one-car crash today in 1957 at the age of 36... for Delta bluesman R.L. Burnside, who died on this day in 2005... for former Echo & the Bunnymen keyboardist Jake Brockman, killed in a motorcycle accident today in 2009... and for lyricist Hal David, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on September 1st: Atlantic Records buy Ray Charles' contract from the Swingtime label, where the pianist had been recording in the mellower style of Nat King Cole (1952)... An aspiring 19-year-old singer/pianist named Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at the Sun Studios in Memphis to ask for an audition. Told that owner Sam Phillips is on vacation in Florida, Lewis records some demos that Phillips will hear when he returns (1956)... James Brown makes his debut appearance on the popular ABC-TV music program Shindig! Booker T and the MGs are also on the bill (1965)... The Byrds open an 11-night run at L.A.'s Whiskey-A-Go-Go (1966)... The Beatles hold a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon a course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decide to postpone a planned trip to India to begin work on the Magical Mystery Tour film for TV (1967)... Blondie sign their first major label contract, with Chrysalis Records... Bob Dylan takes a 5-year lease on a rehearsal space in Santa Monica, CA that he subsequently christens Rundown Studio. It will be an important centre for much of Dylan's late '70s and early '80s musical activity (1977)... U2 release their very first record, an EP entitled U2-3. With an initial run of 1,ooo individually numbered copies, it will be available only in Ireland (1979)... Fleetwood Mac wrap up a 9-month world tour with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. After the final encore, Lindsay Buckingham tells the crowd "This is our last show for a long, long time" (1980)... Mick Jones is sacked by the Clash, whose other three members accuse him of 'drifting away from the original concept of the group' (1983)... Tina Turner has her first solo US № 1 single with What's Love Got to Do with It. The song was originally written in the late '70s, and was passed on by Cliff Richard and Donna Summer before finding a home with Turner (1984)... Louis Armstrong is honoured on a US postage stamp. Wynton Marsalis and sideman perform at the official launch in New Orleans (1995)... The № 1 single in the UK is Atomic Kitten's cover of the 1980 Blondie hit The Tide Is High (2002).

August 31st

 

Musical birthdays today include Van Morrison (81) violinist Yitzhak Perlman (81), Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker (78), violist Kim Kashkashian (74), Waterboys multi-instrumentalist Anthony Thistlethwaite (71), Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock (69), Squeeze lead singer Glenn Tilbrook (69), Debbie Gibson (56), and Biffy Clyro guitarist Simon Neil (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter and Broadway composer Alan Jay Lerner, born on this day in 1918... for Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, who would have been 87... for composer and guitarist Robbie Basho, and for studio musician and Jazz Crusaders founding member Wilton Felder, both of whom would have been 86.. for one-time Fleetwood Mac member and solo artist Bob Welch, who would have been 81... for singer-songwriter and session guitarist Chris Whitley, who would have been 66... and for jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, who left us today in 2002. 

Also on August 31: In Paris, Rossini's opera William Tell has its premiere (1829)... In Berlin, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera is performed for the first time (1928)... Elvis Presley plays for the last time outside of the US, at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, BC. Some 26,000 are in attendance (1957)... The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby', which will be the group's only stateside top 10 hit, enters the US charts. Lead singer Veronica Bennett will soon shorten her first name to Ronnie, and change her last name to Spector (1963)... After two previous LPs which attracted minimal notice, Dionne Warwick releases Make Way for Dionne Warwick, which will live up to its name by becoming her first album to hit the Billboard chart (1964)... Four days after the death of their manager Brian Epstein, The Beatles convene a press conference in London to announce that henceforth they shall be conducting their own financial affairs (1967)... Decca Records release what has often been called the Rolling Stones' most political song, Street Fighting Man, written after Mick Jagger attended a March, 1968 anti-war demonstration outside the US embassy in London, during which mounted police repeatedly charged the crowd of 25,000. The single will fail to crack the US top 40, as many radio stations will refuse to play it for its 'subversive content' (1969)... Neil Young releases After the Gold Rush (1970)... John Lennon testifies before an INS investigative committee that former president Richard Nixon initiated steps to have him deported for leading protests outside the Republic National Convention in Miami in 1972... Traffic play their last live show, at England's annual Reading Festival (1974)... George Harrison is found guilty of 'subconscious plagiarism' of the Ronnie Mack Song 'He's So Fine' when writing 'My Sweet Lord'. After earnings from the song have been paid to Mack's estate, the Chiffons reunite to record their own version of Harrison's 1970 worldwide hit (1976)... Prince's film Purple Rain opens nationwide in the UK (1984)... The № 1 album in the US is Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (1985)... The largest pre-order of albums in the history of Columbia Records occurs when 2.5 million advance copies of Michael Jackson's 'Bad' are shipped to record shops across the US. The album will go on to sell over 13 million copies (1987)... Oasis are at № 1 on the UK charts with their third release, Be Here Now. The album sold 1.2 million copies on its first day of release (1997)... Dixie Chicks release the album Fly, which debuts at № 1 on the Billboard chart. It will go on to sell some 12 million copies, making the Chicks the only country band to date, and the only all-female group in any genre, to have back-to-back RIAA-certified Diamond albums (1999)... The British medical magazine Thorax issues a warning to music fans saying that playing loud music in the car can induce a collapsed lung in the listener.  A 19-year-old had been treated in Bristol for the condition after repeatedly subjecting himself to the 1,000-watt bass box in his Fiat Panda (2004)... Blondie and Public Enemy perform at a rally in front of CBGB to save the landmark club, whose lease expires today (2005)... The New York Times runs a story about the contractual demands of rock stars when on tour. Ozzy Osbourne insists that there a be an eye, ear, nose & throat doctor on call at every venue. The Beach Boys require a licensed masseur, Meatloaf a mask and an oxygen tank. David Bowie requires that the temperature of his dressing room be between 14º  and 18º C at all times, and Paul McCartney must have arrangements of white Casablanca lilies. Mick Jagger has to have an onstage auto-cue with the lyrics to all the songs, and a reminder of the name of the city in which he is performing (2006)... The Verve hit № 1 in the UK with their final album, entitled Forth (2008).

August 30th

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Jewel Brown (89), Specials bassist Horace Panter (73), ex-Swing Out Sister and Magazine drummer Martin Jackson (68), classical pianist Dimitris Sgouros (557, Rancid frontman Lars Frederiksen (55), Edguy lead guitarist Jen Ludwig (49), former Panic! at the Disco lead guitarist Ryan Ross (40), and classical pianist Emily Bear (25).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country music legend Kitty Wells [née Ellen Deason] born on this day in 1919... for bebop trumpeter Kenny Dorham, born in 1926... for John Phillips, who would have been 90... for British DJ John Peel, who would have been 86... and for the Velvet Underground's Sterling Morrison, who left us today in 1995 two days after his 48th birthday.

Also on August 30: Handel completes his final oratorio Jephtha (1751)... Hank Williams goes into the studio in Cincinnati, OH to record 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', a song about his troubled marriage (1949)... Bob Dylan releases Highway 61 Revisited (1965)... The Byrds release the pioneering country rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)... Two weeks after Woodstock ends, the second Isle of Wight festival begins. Bob Dylan, The Band, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and The Who are the headliners playing for some 150,000 fans who have paid 25 shillings ($3) per ticket. Among those spotted in the crowd are John & Yoko, George, Ringo, Jane Fonda, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor... The Texas International Pop Festival opens in Lewisville, TX with Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Santana and Grand Funk Railroad headlining (1969)... Backed by Elephant's Memory, John & Yoko play Madison Square Garden to raise money for the One to One charity. The performance is recorded, and partially released on the Sometime in New York City album (1972)... The remaining Doors announce the official dissolution of the band, who have released two albums with dismal sales since the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in 1971 (1973)... The № 1 single in the US is Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love' (1986)... Bruce Springsteen's wife Julianne Phillips files for divorce after salacious pictures of her husband and his backup singer Patti Scialfa  are published worldwide (1988)... James Taylor and Carly Simon perform live together before a crowd of 10,000 at Martha's Vineyard. It is the first time the pair have appeared on the same stage since 1979. The former couple play their own solo sets before joining forces in the concert to raise money for the local agricultural society (1995)... Stella McCartney marries publisher Alasdhiar Willis on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. Guests include dad Sir Paul, Madonna, Chrissie Hynde and Chris Martin (2003)... Kris Kristofferson is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN (2004)

August 29th

 

Musical birthdays today include Blood, Sweat & Tears multi-instrumentalist Dick Halligan (83), Radiators guitarist Dave Malone (74), Fairground Attraction singer & multi-instrumentalist Eddi Reader (67), Planet X guitarist Tony McAlpine (66), former Cocteau Twins lead singer Liz Fraser (63), Brian Jonestown Massacre founder Anton Newcombe (59), Ned's Atomic Dustbin bassist Alex Griffin (55), Simple Plan bassist David Desrosiers (55), and One Direction vocalist Liam Payne (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Charlie Parker, born on this day in 1920... for Dinah Washington, born in 1924... for punk rocker GG Allin, who would have been 69... for Michael Jackson, who would have been 68... for bluesman Jimmy Reed, died on this day in 1976... and for producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who left us four years ago today.  

Also on August 29: Seated at a grand piano, John Cage gives the first public 'performance' of Four Minutes and Thirty Three Seconds of Silence for Any Instrument in Woodstock, NY (1952)... Roy Orbison's 'Oh, Pretty Woman' is released in the US. The lyric was inspired by a remark that Orbison's songwriting partner Bill Dees made when his [Orbison's] wife Claudette interrupted their conversation to say that she was going out. When Orbison asked if she was okay for money, Dees interjected "A pretty woman never needs any money" (1964)... The Beatles play their last scheduled concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA. They do not play any songs from Revolver, their most recent release, and close the show with 'Long Tall Sally' (1966)... Edwin Starr tops the US singles charts with 'War' (1970)...Paul and Linda McCartney are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'. Macca would later explain that the Uncle Albert in the title was his father's older brother, who would quote the Bible from memory every time he got drunk (1971)... Iggy Pop releases the album Lust for Life (1977)... The № 1 single in the UK today is Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You up' (1987)... U2 play the second rock concert in the history of Yankee Stadium [Billy Joel's in 1990 was the first] (1992)... Oasis release their debut album Definitely Maybe, which will become the fastest-selling debut of all time (1994)... Detroit police officials call for an indefinite ban on rap concerts in the city after numerous brawls broke out at a Master P and Scarface show over the weekend (1998)... During the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, Madonna stuns a packed house by passionately kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while performing a racy version of 'Like a Virgin'... During an appearance as a guest DJ on the NYC radio station Q104.3, Mets catcher Mike Piazza plays 'IRS', a track that has been leaked from the forthcoming Guns N' Roses album Chinese democracy. The band's management immediately demands that the sound file be retrieved (2003)... 77-year-old Fats Domino is rescued by helicopter from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. He had earlier told his agent that he planned to remain in his home despite the order to evacuate (2005).