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Featured Events
2009At the American Music Awards, Adam Lambert makes a statement with a lascivious performance of his debut single, "For Your Entertainment," where he drops a smooch on his (male) keyboard player.More
1975"That's The Way (I Like It)" by KC & the Sunshine Band goes to #1 in America.
1968The Beatles release The White Album, a double album that contains both the soothing "Blackbird" and discomfiting "Helter Skelter."
1965Bob Dylan marries his first wife, Sara Lownds, in Nassau County, New York; as she is already pregnant with his first child, the marriage is kept a secret for the next two months. The couple would divorce in 1977.
1963US president John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The incident inspires several songs, including Connie Francis' "In The Summer Of His Years" and The Beach Boys' "Warmth Of The Sun."
22
In Music History
2010On their fourth and final album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, My Chemical Romance cast themselves as post-apocalyptic outlaws fighting corruption on the mean streets of California.More
2008Songwriter Alan Gordon (The Turtles' "Happy Together," Three Dog Night's "Celebrate") dies of cancer at age 64.
2006After decades of living in California, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood is finally naturalized as a citizen of the United States.
2005A collection of poems written by Bob Dylan in 1959 and 1960 when he was a student at the University of Minnesota sells for $78,000 at auction. The poems are the first known time he used the name Bob Dylan - he was born Robert Zimmerman.
2005Ne-Yo releases "So Sick," his first #1 single (as a singer) in both the US and UK.
2003The Compaq Center in Houston closes with a final concert by ZZ Top, who performed there when it was known as The Summit. The venue is acquired by Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.
2002Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors announce plans to re-form with The Cult lead singer, Ian Astbury, and The Police drummer, Stewart Copeland. They initially tour as "The Doors of the 21st Century," but a lawsuit by original drummer, John Densmore (who declined to tour citing hearing loss), forces them to stop using the "Doors" moniker. They change their name to "Riders on the Storm" as a result of the litigation.
2001Jazz musician Norman Granz, producer for Ella Fitzgerald, among others, dies at age 83.
2000Ted Gardner, former manager of Tool, sues the members of the LA band, their corporation, and their publishing company, alleging breach of contract and fraud.
1994Pearl Jam's third album, Vitalogy, is released, but only on vinyl. Two weeks later it is issued on CD.
1990Two members of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, Ruben Gomez (16) and Sergio Gonzalez (18), are arrested for possession of marijuana at Miami International Airport and fired from the group. This does little to change the band dynamic, as Menudo regularly brings in younger members as others age out.
1989In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly spies on his future self, who is foolishly led into a shady business deal by his co-worker Douglas J. Needles, played by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
1988Pop singer Janet Ertel (of The Chordettes) dies of cancer at age 75.
1982The British rock group Japan announces it is breaking up.
INXS Frontman Michael Hutchence Dies
1997
Michael Hutchence of INXS dies in a Sydney hotel room in what the coroner rules a suicide. The famous frontman was just 37.
Hutchence's friends have been trying to reach him all morning after the singer leaves several distraught messages indicating he is at an emotional brink. But they're too late. At 11:50 am, a maid at the Ritz-Carlton in Sydney's Double Bay discovers Hutchence hanging by a snake skin belt from his suite's door.
The INXS frontman was struggling with depression, taking Prozac and a range of illegal drugs to help cope, made worse by constant media scrutiny over his relationship with British TV host Paula Yates and her contentious custody battle with ex-husband Bob Geldof (The Boomtown Rats). Meanwhile, INXS was in their native Australia preparing for the last leg of a world tour in support of their tenth studio album, Elegantly Wasted. Yates was supposed to visit with her daughters, including hers and Hutchence's 16-month-old baby girl, Tiger Lily. At the last minute, Geldof put the brakes on the plan, and Hutchence, lonely for his daughter, was beside himself. Yates recalled in her police statement that the singer was "frightened and couldn't stand a minute more without his baby." Coroner Derrick Hand rules the death a suicide as a result of Hutchence's depression coupled with drug and alcohol use.
INXS became an international success with their smash 1984 single "Original Sin." With Hutchence as their charismatic leader with enough sex appeal to bag Australia's darling Kylie Minogue, the band entertained a diverse fan base with a blend of rock and pop, touched by elements of funk and new wave. In 1987, their Kick album landed at #3 on the Billboard 200, bolstered by a string of hit singles, including "New Sensation" and "Need You Tonight." Hutchence branched out with a solo career, acting as a drug-addicted rock star in the film Dogs in Space and forming the electronic duo Max Q with Aussie composer Ollie Olsen. INXS are about to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the time of Hutchence's death.
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