13 OCTOBER
In Music History
1979 "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson tops the Hot 100.
1977 R&B singer Shirley Brickley (of The Orlons) is shot to death by an intruder in her home, at age 32.
1974 Renowned television host Ed Sullivan dies of esophageal cancer in New York City, at age 73. One of the biggest events in music history unfolded on his program, The Ed Sullivan Show, when a new group from Liverpool called The Beatles made their live US debut.
1971 The Velvet Vampire is released in the US; the soundtrack includes "Evil Hearted Woman Blues" performed live by its composer Johnny Shines.
1968 Florence Ballard (of The Supremes) gives birth to twin daughters, born two months premature.
1963 The largest audience in British television history watch The Beatles perform on "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium."
1960 Anthrax lead singer Joey BellaDonna is born Joseph Bellardini in Oswego, New York. He joins the band in 1984 and sings on their classic albums Among the Living (1987) and State of Euphoria (1988), but over the next few years he butts heads with his bandmates and is fired in 1992. He returns to the lineup in 2005.
1959 Marie Osmond is born Olive Marie Osmond in Ogden, Utah. Known for her 1973 country cover of "Paper Roses" and her collaboration with brother Donny for a TV variety show.
1957 The Four Preps, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby all appear on a CBS television special to introduce the brand new Edsel automobile.
1956 The Bill Haley film Don't Knock The Rock starts filming.
1948 John Ford Coley, folk rock/country singer and instrumentalist, is born in Dallas, Texas.
1947 Sammy Hagar is born in Salinas, California. After fronting the band Montrose and establishing himself as a solo artist with songs like "There's Only One Way To Rock" and "I Can't Drive 55," he replaces David Lee Roth as lead singer of Van Halen in 1985.
1944 Robert Lamm (keyboardist and songwriter for Chicago) is born in Brooklyn, New York.
1927 Country singer Anita Kerr, leader of The Anita Kerr Singers, is born Anita Jean Grilli in Memphis, Tennessee. Her group will perform backing vocals for Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, Roy Orbison, and Willie Nelson, among others.
Neil Young Hosts First Bridge School Benefit
1986Neil Young headlines the first Bridge School benefit concert in support of the non-profit institution that provides education for children with verbal and physical disabilities. Young and his wife Pegi co-founded the school when their son, Ben, was born with cerebral palsy. The all-acoustic concert - featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, and a reunited Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - turns into an annual event that adds many more big-name acts to the roster, including regular guests Pearl Jam.
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Featured Events
2023 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opens in theaters, blowing away box office records to become the top-grossing concert film of all time. The film documents her wildly popular Eras Tour using footage shot during three Los Angeles shows in August.More
2000 Eddie Vedder, Ani DiFranco, Ben Harper and Patti Smith all take part in a Madison Square Garden rally for US presidential candidate Ralph Nader. George Bush eventually wins the election, with Nader taking key votes from his Democratic challenger Al Gore.
1998 The Frasier Fair, a male version of the Lilith Fair, begins in San Diego. The tour is organized by Rugburns member Steve Poltz, and features John Doe and Pete Droge. The festival is named after the character Frasier Crane from the shows Cheers and Frasier. The character spent a lot of time on the shows involved with a frigid woman named Lilith.
1992 Prince releases an album with a symbol on the cover that later becomes his name.More
1984 Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You" tops the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, R&B and UK Singles charts.More
1978 Queen release their "Fat Bottomed Girls"/"Bicycle Race" single, featuring a cover photo that combines imagery from both songs.More
1941 Paul Simon is born in Newark, New Jersey. He meets his longtime music partner, Art Garfunkel, when they both perform in a school production of Alice in Wonderland for their sixth grade graduation. They would become Simon & Garfunkel.
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