21 MARCH
In Music History
1951 Soul singer Russell Thompkins, Jr. (of The Stylistics) is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1951 Conrad Lozano (bass player for Los Lobos) is born in Los Angeles, California.
1950 Roger Hodgson of Supertramp is born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. He writes and sings many of their hits, including "The Logical Song" and "Dreamer," but in 1983 he leaves the group after a falling out with Rick Davies and never returns.
1949 Eddie Money is born Joseph Mahoney in Brooklyn, New York.
1946 Ray Dorset (frontman for Mungo Jerry) is born in Ashford, Middlesex, England.
1945 Rose Stone (singer, keyboardist for Sly & the Family Stone) is born Rosemary Stewart in Dallas, Texas.
1943 Viv Stanshall of Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band is born in Oxford, England.
1941 Record producer/songwriter John Boylan is born in New York City. He manages Linda Ronstadt and co-produces Boston's first album.
1940 Solomon Burke is born James Solomon McDonald in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1939 Kate Smith records "God Bless America."
1930 Chicago blues pianist Otis Spann is born in Mississippi.
1923 Composer Mort Lindsey, longtime bandleader for The Merv Griffin Show, is born Morton Lippman in Newark, New Jersey.
1919 Music executive Lew Bedell, also known by the pseudonym Billy Joe Hunter, is born in El Paso, Texas. He establishes Doré Records, later known as Era Records, in 1958. The label's first hit is the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him."
1918 Jazz pianist Charles Thompson is born in Springfield, Ohio.
1902 Son House is born Eddie James House Jr. in Lyon, Mississippi.
Man In Motion Tour Inspires A #1 Hit
1985In Vancouver, the Canadian wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen begins his "Man In Motion" tour to raise money for spinal cord research. Inspired by his quest, fellow Canadian David Foster works with John Parr to write a tribute song to Hansen for the film St. Elmo's Fire.
Read more21 MARCH
Featured Events
2008 Beach Boys founding members Mike Love and Al Jardine settle a lawsuit Love filed in 2003, claiming Jardine was touring under variations of the group name, to which Love owns the rights. The settlement leads to a reunion of the group in 2012 for their 50th anniversary.
2000 With the release of their third album, No Strings Attached, 'N Sync smashes the Backstreet Boys' record for first-week sales with 2.4 million copies sold - almost double the amount BSB garnered with their 1999 album, Millennium. 'N Sync's record holds for 15 years until Adele pushes more than 3 million units of 25.More
1997 The movie Selena debuts in theaters, chronicling the life of the late Tejano singer, who was murdered two years earlier by the former president of her fan club. Jennifer Lopez is lauded for her breakout performance in the title role, which inspires her to pursue a singing career of her own.
1994 Bruce Springsteen wins an Oscar for the song "Streets of Philadelphia" from the Tom Hanks movie Philadelphia.
1952 Cleveland stakes a claim on rock history when the Moondog Coronation Ball is held at the Cleveland Arena. Organized by the WJW DJ Alan Freed ("Moondog" on the air), it is widely considered the first rock concert. It may also be one of the shortest, as it is shut down after one song.More
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