Pick a Day

Music History Events: Good Deeds

April 24, 1970 Chicago blues pianist Otis Spann dies at age 40 of liver cancer. His grave will go unmarked for nearly 30 years until blues enthusiasts unite to raise money for a headstone. Unveiled in 1999, it reads: "Otis played the deepest blues we ever heard – He'll play forever in our hearts."

January 13, 1970 John Lennon and Yoko Ono have their hair cut and donate it to a charity auction.

March 24, 1965 Bobby Darin, Harry Belafonte, and Peter, Paul & Mary take part in a protest against voter discrimination in Montgomery, Alabama.

February 25, 1961 Elvis Presley plays the first of two charity shows in Memphis. It's his first concert since entering the army in 1958.

December 26, 1958 Stan Freberg presents a check for $1,000 to the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California as his royalties from the first year's release of "Green Chri$tma$" (he gives all proceeds from the single charity).

November 26, 1954 On tour, Elvis Presley sends a telegram to his parents: "Hi babies, here's the money to pay the bills, don't tell no one how much I sent I will send more next week. There is a card in the mail. Love Elvis."

May 14, 2020 Keith Urban becomes the first major artist to play a drive-in concert in America during the coronavirus pandemic, performing to an audience of health care workers at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee.More

April 22, 2020 At the Jersey 4 Jersey virtual benefit concert, surviving members of Fountains of Wayne reunite (from their homes) with Sharon Van Etten to pay tribute to Adam Schlesinger, who died of coronavirus three weeks earlier. Bruce Springsteen also performs, and Bon Jovi debut a new song called "Do What You Can." The event raises nearly $6 million for coronavirus relief.

April 18, 2020 Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and several other stars perform from their homes on the One World: Together At Home concert to support frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

March 29, 2020 With most of the world homebound as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, Elton John hosts the "Living Room Concert For America" from his home, featuring virtual performances by Mariah Carey, H.E.R., Backstreet Boys, and Tim McGraw. The concert raises money to help local food banks and support first responders during the crisis.More

March 28, 2020 The 12-hour "Twitch Aid" concert raises nearly $3 million to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Over 70 quarantined performers take part from their homes, including John Legend, Rita Ora, Cole Swindell, Garth Brooks and Diplo.

March 16, 2020 Chris Martin takes to Instagram to perform a virtual concert in support of the World Health Organization as the coronavirus pandemic takes hold. It's the first of a series of "Together At Home" concerts done by a variety of artists.

March 14, 2019 George Michael's art collection is auctioned at Christie's in London, raising about $12 million to continue his charity work.

July 28, 2018 Neil Diamond stops by the command post near his home in Basalt, Colorado, to play for firefighters and rescue personnel who have been battling wildfires in the area.

October 13, 2017 Dolly Parton donates $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital in Nashville, which helped her niece battle leukemia. She announces the donation on a visit to the facility, where she performs songs from her children's album I Believe in You.

September 12, 2017 Stevie Wonder, Demi Lovato and Dave Matthews are among the performers at the "Hand in Hand" telethon, which benefits victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.More

December 20, 2016 On a flight from Vietnam to South Korea, Richard Marx helps subdue a mentally unhinged passenger who starts attacking flight attendants and fellow passengers. Marx and wife Daisy Fuentes had been vacationing in Hanoi all week before boarding the chaotic four-hour flight.

November 17, 2016 Peter Gabriel launches the "Imprisoned For Art" campaign, an effort to free prisoners around the world who have been sent to jail for opposing their governments. More

May 20, 2016 The National release an anthology album of 59 Grateful Dead covers called Day of the Dead, with appearances by Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby, Courtney Barnett and Wayne Coyne. Proceeds go to the Red Hot Organization, which helps fight AIDS.

December 4, 2013 REO Speedwagon, Styx, Richard Marx and Survivor play a "Rock to the Rescue" concert in Bloomington, Illinois to benefit victims of a November 17 tornado in the area. Longtime REO guitarist Gary Richrath joins the band for "Ridin' the Storm Out," his first appearance with the group since he left in 1989. It's the last time he plays with the band, as he dies in 2015.

January 11, 2013 Re/Create, a charity event to aid victims of 2012's Hurricane Sandy, holds a celebrity clothing auction. Among the items auctioned off are duds donated by music celebrities, including an autographed pair of Yeezy II sunglasses from Kanye West, a WeSC jacket Skrillex wore to the 2012 Grammys, a Mugler bag donated by Lady Gaga, and a Sue Wong evening gown from Kelly Osbourne.

August 7, 2012 Madonna plays a concert in Moscow during which she expresses support for the group Pussy Riot, who have been jailed for performing their song "Mother Of God, Putin's Run" in a Moscow cathedral.

February 7, 2012 Alicia Keys and Nas join Jay-Z at the second of two charity concerts he holds at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The concerts raise $3.5 million for the United Way and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.

December 16, 2011 Yeah Yeah Yeahs host a special benefit concert for New York DJ and good friend Jonathan Toubin, who a week earlier was seriously injured in a car accident in Portland, Oregon.

December 12, 2011 Two students at Evanston Township High School in Illinois orchestrate a fundraiser where "Baby" by Justin Bieber is played between classes until $1,000 is raised. The "Stop The Bieber" campaign ends two days later when the goal is met.

March 9, 2011 Eric Clapton auctions off 75 guitars and 55 amplifiers, with proceeds going to his Crossroads rehab center in Antigua. Items sold include a vintage 1948 Gibson L-5P guitar and a Fender Twin amp.

November 3, 2010 UB40 performs a gig at the Rainbow pub in Digbeth, Birmingham, helping the club raise money to soundproof their roof after a series of noise complaints. Five hundred fans are given a rare chance to see the band play up close and personal in this intimate setting.

October 23, 2010 Buffalo Springfield reunite after a 43-year stage absence for Neil Young's annual Bridge School benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Other acts on the roster include Jackson Browne, Elton John, Lucinda Williams, Kris Kristofferson (subbing for an ailing Merle Haggard), and Bridge veterans Pearl Jam.

May 10, 2010 In tribute to the recently deceased Detroit Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, Jose Feliciano performs the US national anthem before the Tigers/Yankees game at Tiger Stadium. In 1968, Harwell had Feliciano sing the anthem before a Tigers World Series game, and the 23-year-old blind Puerto Rican singer responded by playing the first non-traditional rendition of the song at a major sporting event. He and Harwell took a lot of heat, but in later years, it became common for singers to put their own spin on the song.

June 22, 2008 For his 60th birthday, Todd Rundgren hosts Toddstock, a gathering of his fans at his home in Hawaii. Toddstock returns every five years, with more locations added.