9 MAY
In Music History
1989 In an interview with The Washington Times, Public Enemy's "Minister of Information," Professor Griff, blames Jews for "the majority of wickedness that goes on across the globe."More
1979 Pierre Bouvier (lead singer, guitarist for Simple Plan) is born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1979 Rock singer and party starter Andrew W.K. is born Andrew Wilkes-Krier in Stanford, California. He defines his style and image with songs like "Party Hard," "It's Time To Party" and "Big Party," which he says encourage an active and thoughtful lifestyle. He expounds on the meaning of party culture in interviews, speaking engagements, and even an advice column in The Village Voice.
1979 Jazz singer Eddie Jefferson dies at age 60 when a dancer he once hired and fired shoots him outside of Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit.
1971 Oasis bass player Paul McGuigan is born in Manchester, England.
1967 "Damita Jo Day" is held in the singer's hometown of Austin, Texas.
1964 Chuck Berry makes his UK stage debut at London's Astoria Theatre, with The Animals, The Nashville Teens, and The Swinging Blue Jeans opening for him.
1963 The Rolling Stones sign their first management contract with Andrew Loog Oldham's management company Impact, agreeing to license their UK output to Decca.
1962 David Gahan (lead singer for Depeche Mode) is born in Epping, Essex, England.
1962 Pop singer Paul Heaton (of The Housemartins) is born in Machynlleth, Powys, Wales.
1953 Jenny Haan (later Janita Haan Morris) is born Janita Haan at Edgware, England.
1953 John "Rhino" Edwards (bass guitarist for Status Quo) is born in Chiswick, London, England.
1950 Tom Petersson (bass guitarist for Cheap Trick) is born in Rockford, Illinois.
1949 Electric blues guitarist Bob Margolin is born in Brookline, Massachusetts.
1946 Las Vegas entertainer Clint Holmes, known for the 1972 hit "Playground In My Mind," is born in Bournemouth, England.
Billy Joel Is Born
1949Billy Joel is born in The Bronx, New York, raised in Hicksville on Long Island.
Read more9 MAY
Featured Events
2005 Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger get married. Their union lasts just four months, but provides inspiration for Chesney's song "I'm Alive."
1992 Bruce Springsteen performs on US TV for the first time when he finally accepts a longstanding offer to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. He plays three songs from Human Touch and Lucky Town, the albums he released simultaneously five weeks earlier.
1987 The Grateful Dead shoot the video for "Touch Of Grey" after a concert in Monterey, California. After the show, the shoot is set up and the audience brought back in to watch two different performances of the song: one by the band and another by their skeleton likenesses - the "Dead Ringers." It's the first music video by the band, and it goes into rotation on MTV, giving the group their first hit single.
1974 Bruce Springsteen gets a huge career boost when he opens for Bonnie Raitt at her Boston Arena show. Playing his full two-hour set at Raitt's insistence (rare for an opening act), Bruce is so impressive that Rolling Stone's Jon Landau writes in Boston's The Real Paper, "I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." Landau went on to become Springsteen's manager and producer.
1970 The Canadian band The Guess Who hit #1 in America with "American Woman." The song is actually a tribute to the women of Canada.
1964 Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" hits #1 in the US, making him the first artist to displace The Beatles, who held the top spot the previous 14 weeks with "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love."
1960 The birth control pill is introduced in the US, inspiring Loretta Lynn to sing a song about it.More
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