September 8th

 Musical birthdays today include Dokken drummer Mick Brown (70), Great White keyboardist Michael Lardie (68), Aimee Mann (66), ex-Fine Young Cannibals bassist David Steele (66), ex-Bad Religion drummer Jay Ziskrout (64), former Genesis guitarist Ray Wilson (58), singer-songwriter Neko Case (56), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (51) and Pink (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Antonin Dvořák, born on this day in 1841... for early country star Jimmie 'The Yodeling Brakeman' Rogers, born in 1897... for conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, born in 1929... for Patsy Cline, born in 1932... for Grateful Dead founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKiernan, who would have been 81... for former Cars bassist and singer Benjamin Orr, who would have been 79... and for composer Richard Strauss, who left us on this day in 1949. 

Also on September 8: Ray Charles has his first recording session for the Atlantic label (1952)... Eddie Cochran signs his first contract, with Liberty Records (1956)... The Beatles perform 'Hey Jude' on the TV show Frost on Sunday in front of an invited audience, many of whom will gather around the musicians to join in on the extended refrain that ends the song... The opening act for the nascent Led Zeppelin's latest Danish gig, at Raventlow Park in Nykobing, is The Ladybirds, an all-girl topless go-go dancing outfit (1968)... In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Mass, A Theater Piece (1971)...  Mott the Hoople release their breakthrough album All the Young Dudes (1972)... Marvin Gaye has the № 1 song in the US today with 'Let's Get It on' (1973)... Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y and the Beach Boys headline the 'Somersault '74' festival at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY... Recent RISD graduates and future Talking Heads David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz move into a loft together in Manhattan's SoHo (1974)... Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English leave Paul McCartney & Wings (1977)... Led Zeppelin score their 8th UK № 1 album when In through the Out Door tops the charts (1979)... Elton John delivers a vast collection of costumes and concert props to Sotheby's of London, who will eventually auction off the items ~ including the oversized boots that the singer wore in Ken Russell's film of The Who's Tommy ~ for some $6.2 million (1988)... To promote their reissued back catalogue, Led Zeppelin release 'Whole Lotta Love' as their first ever single in Britain (1997)... Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson starts a day job when he qualifies as an airline pilot. He lands a £35,000 a year job with Astreus, a small airline ferrying holiday makers from the UK to Egypt and Portugal (2002)... David Bowie performs the first interactive concert when his performance is beamed live into 21 cinemas from Edinburgh to Warsaw. Audience members talk to Bowie via microphones hooked up to ISDN lines and are asked by the singer to request songs (2003)... Jury selection begins for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors are required to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determine their level of knowledge of the case (2009)... Sir Paul McCartney is made a member of the Légion d'Honneur in a ceremony at the Elysée Palace by French president François Hollande for his contributions to music (2012).

September 7th

 

Musical birthdays today include country singer Ronnie Dove (91), composer Olly Wilson (88), R&B singer Benny Latimore (87), Gloria Gaynor (77), Chrissie Hynde (75), Benmont Tench (75), Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians co-founder Brad Houser (66), rapper Sean 'Slug' Daley (54), and 12 Stones frontman Paul McCoy (45).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for dixieland jazz trumpeter Max Kaminsky, born on this day in 1908... for session guitarist and arranger Al Caiola, born in 1920... for easy listening pianist Arthur Ferrante, born in 1921... for ex-Weavers vocalist Ronnie Gilbert, born in 1926... for Sonny Rollins, born in 1930... for Buddy Holly, who would have been 90... for Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who would have been 65... for Keith Moon, who died of a drug overdose today in 1978 at the age of 32... for former Beatles and Byrds publicist Derek Taylor, who passed away in 1997... for Warren Zevon, who died in 2004.... and for Mac Miller, who left us today in 2019.

Also on September 7: Mary Carr Moore's Narcissa, the first grand opera by an American woman, has its premiere in Seattle with Moore herself at the podium [since she was unable to find any conductor willing to take on an opera composed by a woman] (1925)... Already well established as an artist on the Billboard country chart, Hank Williams has his first crossover Top 40 hit with 'Lovesick Blues' (1949)... Tenor saxophonists Al Cohn and Zoot Sims join John Coltrane and his usual sidemen for a jam session at the Van Gelder Studio. The recordings will be released under the title Tenor Conclave (1956)... Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's single 'Positively 4th Street' (1965)... Hank Mobley, The Rolling Stones and Traffic are in the audience as the Doors make their London debut at the Playhouse Theatre. The sold out gig is also filmed by Granada TV (1968)... Led Zeppelin make their live debut [though still billed as the New Yardbirds] in the gymnasium of a Danish high school in the Copenhagen suburb of Gladsaxe. Teen Club president Lars Abel introduces the lead singer to the 1,200 spectators as 'Robert Platt'. The band receive rave reviews in the local press (1968)... At London's Trident Studios, David Bowie begins the sessions for what will become The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' album. The character of Ziggy was inspired by Bowie's meeting with British rock 'n' roll singer Vince Taylor, who after a breakdown believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien (1971)...  Topping the charts in the US is Abba's 'Dancing Queen', the group's only American № 1 single (1976)... Sid Vicious kicks off his solo career with a gig at Max's Kansas City in NYC (1978)... Siouxie and the Banshees release their second album, Join Hands (1979)... Berlin have the № 1  song in the US with 'Take My Breath Away' (1986)... Pink Floyd launch the Momentary Lapse of Reason world tour in Ottawa, CA, even though the absent Roger Waters has threatened to sue the promoters if the band perform under the Floyd name (1987)... Michael Jackson kicks off the HIStory tour with a concert in Letna Park, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The 82 shows will be attended by some 4.5 million fans worldwide... Tupac Shakur is shot on the Las Vegas strip (1996)... The Jackson Five are reunited with their brother at Madison Square Garden for a 30th anniversary show, as Michael performs live in the US for the first time in 11 years. Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Eminem, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child also join in the music-making (2001)... A World Health Organization study shows that rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as the rest of the population. The organization says the problem is so bad that the industry should be labelled a 'high risk profession' (2007). 

September 6th

Musical birthdays today include composer Joan Tower (88), country singer David Allan Coe (87), former Blood, Sweat & Tears horn player Dave Bergeron (84), Roger Waters (83), multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick O'Hearn (72), country singer Mark Chesnutt (63), House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers (63), Alice in Chains lead singer William DuVall (59), ex-Scissor Sisters drummer Paddy Boom (57), Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson (51) and Atomic Kitten vocalist Kerry Katona (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Jimmy Reed, born on this day in 1925... for Kool & the Gang co-founder Claydes Charles Smith, who would have been 78 today... for Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, who would have been 55.. for producer Tom Wilson, who died on this date in 1978... for Grand Ole Opry stalwart Ernest Tubb, who died in 1984... for Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, who passed away in 1990... for session pianist Nicky Hopkins, who died in 1994... and for Luciano Pavarotti, who left us today in 2007.

Also on September 6: Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito premieres in Prague (1791)... At the Municipal Auditorium in Montgomery, AL, 19-year-old Hank Williams, working as a roadie for country singer Hardrock Gunter, sings two numbers spontaneously when he goes on stage to retrieve the star's guitar. The impromptu performance brings the house down (1943)... Jerry Lee Lewis' contract with Sun Records expires. The star opts not to renew his deal, signing instead with Smash Records, a subsidiary of the Chicago-based Mercury label (1963)...  D.A. Pennebaker's Bob Dylan documentary 'Don't Look Back' has its New York premiere at the 34th Street East Theater (1967)... As the Beatles continue to work on the White Album, Eric Clapton adds the guitar solo to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and George lays down his lead vocal (1968)... Jimi Hendrix makes his final live appearance, at a festival on the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn (1970)... The album The Place I Love by the group Splinter becomes the first release on George Harrison's new label, Dark Horse Records. Harrison himself also contributed slide guitar work to the record (1974)... The Jam are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Start!' (1980)... № 1 in the US today is Bananarama's 'Venus' (1986)... The NFL's Steelers are forced to move practice to the University of Pittsburgh when The Rolling Stones take over Three Rivers Stadium to prepare for an upcoming concert (1989)... At Camden yards in Baltimore, Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis perform the Star Spangled Banner before the Orioles' game in which Cal Ripken appears in his 2,131st consecutive contest, eclipsing the record held by Lou Gehrig (1995)... Elton John performs a new version of 'Candle in the Wind' at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey. The broadcast of the event is seen by some 2.5 billion people worldwide, and the rewrite of the singer's 1973 tribute to Marilyn Monroe will go on to become the biggest-selling single of all time (1997)... Earth, Wind & Fire announce that Viagra will be sponsoring their upcoming 30th anniversary US tour (2001)... Morrisey causes controversy after claiming that the Chinese are a 'sub-species' because of the way they treat animals. In an interview with the Guardian, the former Smiths frontman says "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a sub-species" (2010).

September 5th

 

Musical birthdays today include Al Stewart (81), Loudon Wainwright III (80), King Crimson saxophone and winds player Mel Collins (79), ex-Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson (77), Racer X bassist Juan Alderete (63),Rage against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk (58), Dweezil Zappa (57), and Twiztid rapper Jamie Spaniolo (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Cage, born on this date in 1912... for former songwriter and Kingston Trio member John Stewart, who would have been 86 today... for Freddie Mercury, who would have been 80... for drummer Buddy Miles, who would have been 79... for bluesman Josh White, who died on this date in 1969... and for Nashville guitarist [and session player on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde] Joe South, who left us today in 2012.

Also on September 5: Verdi's first comic opera, Un giorno di regno [King for a Day] premieres at La Scala in Milan. The work is so poorly received that it will not be performed at the venue again until 2001 (1840)... Elvis Presley surprises his mother with the gift of a pink Cadillac. The car remained in the family and is on display at Graceland today (1956)... The Animals begin a 3 week run at № 1 the Billboard Top 40 with House of the Rising Sun. When the single was initially released, the record company printed the playing time on the label as 3 minutes rather than the actual 4 for fear that radio stations would be reluctant to play such a lengthy song (1964)... The Rolling Stones record 'Get Offa My Cloud' at RCA Studios in Los Angeles (1965)... In Almeria Province, Spain, John Lennon begins filming his role as Private Gripweed in the Richard Lester black comedy How I Won the War (1966)... At Abbey Road Studios, the Beatles begin work on I Am the Walrus, recording 16 takes of the basic backing track (1967)... In one of her final studio sessions, Janis Joplin records the version of Kris Kristofferson's 'Me and Bobby McGee' that will become a № 1 hit after her death (1970)... On their first ever visit to the UK, The Doors perform 'Hello I Love You' on Top of the Pops (1968)... Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is seriously injured in a car crash in Florida (1976)... Soft Cell hit № 1 on the UK singles charts with 'Tainted Love'. The song was originally a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. Jones, who became Marc Bolan's girlfriend in the 1970s, was the driver of the car that crashed and killed the T-Rex singer on the 15th of September, 1977. Jones survived the accident (1981)... ABC-TV announces that American Bandstand, on the air since 1957, has been cancelled (1987)... Aerosmith score the first US № 1 single of their 28-year career with 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' from the soundtrack of the film Armageddon... In Britain, the top single is Manic Street Preachers' 'If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next'. They are the first Welsh act to go to № 1 on the British charts since Shakin' Stevens in 1985. The song is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest title for a № 1 hit without parentheses (1998)... Arctic Monkeys win this year's UK Mercury Prize for their album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The Sheffield-based band's album sets a new record for fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release in February (2006)... A study of more than 36,000 people from around the world concludes that musical tastes and personality type are closely related. The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, suggests classical music fans are shy, while heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves. Fans of Indie music have low self-esteem and are not hard working, fans of rap and hip-hop have high self-esteem and are outgoing. Country & Western fans are hardworking and outgoing, Reggae fans are creative but not hardworking, and fans of chart pop have high self-esteem, are not creative, but are hardworking and outgoing.

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).