1930 Rolf Harris ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") is born in Perth, Australia.
1914 Blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson is born John Lee Williamson in Jackson, Tennessee. An influential musician known for playing the harmonica as the lead instrument, he becomes an early victim of identity theft when another bluesman impersonates him and assumes his name. That musician, often referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II, becomes more famous, known for writing blues standards like "Help Me" and "One Way Out."
1913 Frankie Laine is born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio in Chicago.
2002Ashanti dominates the American Top 10, with her Ja Rule collaboration "Always On Time" at #4, her Fat Joe duet "What's Luv?" at #5, and her solo track "Foolish" at #9. The #1 song, "Ain't It Funny" by Jennifer Lopez, contains some lyrics written by Ashanti.
Read more2005 Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica ends its three-season run on MTV as its subjects, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, are on the brink of divorce. The marriage is officially over the following June.
2001 The Detroit Free Press breaks the news that Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes are not siblings as they claim, but former husband and wife. Court records show they were married in 1996 and divorced in 2000. Rolling Stone and the New York Times are among the publications previously reporting them as brother and sister, a believable claim because they look alike.
1995 Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard takes an MTV news crew along for a ride in a stretch limo, where he stops to pick up food stamps, proving that the ID card on the cover of his solo album is real.More
1968 Celine Dion is born in Charlemagne, Quebec, the youngest of 14. She releases music in her native French throughout the '80s, building a huge following in Canada and France. In 1990, she sets her sights on America with her first English album, Unison, and she quickly becomes a star there as well.
1962 MC Hammer is born in Oakland, California. His birth name is Stanley Burrell, but he is dubbed "Hammer" when he becomes a batboy for the Oakland A's, since he looks like hall-of-famer "Hammerin'" Hank Aaron.
1945 Eric Clapton is born in Ripley, England. He forms the bands Cream, Blind Faith and Derek & the Dominos. His birth name is often erroneously reported as "Eric Clapp," as Clapp is the surname of his grandparents who raised him.
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC