2012Bob Dylan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US president Barack Obama, which is the highest honor awarded to a United States civilian citizen. Dylan is only the 29th musician to receive the award. Previous recipients include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Irving Berlin.
2008A nearly naked photo of 15-year-old Miley Cyrus makes the entertainment news when it appears in Vanity Fair. Shot by Annie Leibovitz, the photo is more tasteful than scandalous, revealing Miley's back but not much else. Cyrus, under contract with Disney, later claims she was coerced into taking the photo.
2003Iggy Pop reunites with The Stooges for the first time in 30 years to close out the Coachella festival. In 2010, the Stooges enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1976After a trip to Moscow, David Bowie is detained in vain on a train at the Poland-Russian border by customs officers who don't appreciate his collection of Nazi books and mementos. Bowie claims he is researching a film on Joseph Goebbels, and is released after a few hours.
2016Beyoncé kicks off her Formation tour with a show in Miami. Her first solo stadium tour, it features new tracks from her album Lemonade and new takes on many of her old hits.
2015Journey keyboard player Jonathan Cain marries celebrity preacher Paula White and begins recording worship music, releasing the album What God Wants To Hear in 2016. It's the third marriage for both.More
2014BBC Radio Devon DJ David Lowe (not to be confused with the composer of the same name), plays an early version of "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" on his program, which results in his resignation due to the racial slurs in the lyrics.
2009Pearl Jam bass player Jeff Ament is robbed outside the Atlanta studio where the band is recording. Thieves steal cash and equipment in the attack, which is reported by Rolling Stone.
2008Prince makes the crowd go crazy by covering Radiohead during an epic headlining set after being a last-minute addition to the Coachella Festival.
2007Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich dies at age 80 of intestinal cancer.
200662-year-old Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones falls out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji and goes to the hospital with a concussion, creating a rare news event on the island.
2004Elton John publicly responds to American Idol's snub of Jennifer Hudson by declaring the call-in voters "incredibly racist."
2002Hillous Butrum (bass player for Hank Williams' backing band, Drifting Cowboys) dies at age 74.
2000Vicki Sue Robinson, who had a disco hit with "Turn The Beat Around," dies of cancer at age 45.
1999Jazz trumpeter Al Hirt dies at age 76 of liver failure.
1999The Lollapalooza festival tour is cancelled for the second consecutive year.
1994Ace of Base's Jenny Berggren is attacked in her parents' home by Manuela Behrendt, a 21-year-old German "fan" wielding a hunting knife. After stabbing Berggren's mother in the hands during a scuffle, Behrendt is arrested and banned from returning to Sweden.
1994San Francisco's legendary rock venue the Fillmore Auditorium reopens, with performances by The Smashing Pumpkins and American Music Club.
British Acts Vanish From American Chart
2002
For the first time since 1963, there are no British acts in the US Hot 100, as Americans reject acts like Blur, Oasis and Robbie Williams.
As Craig David's "Seven Days" drops out of the chart, it marks the end of a steady stream of British hits that has lasted 38 years.
The failure of the UK's biggest current pop star, Robbie Williams, to break America highlights the current struggles for UK acts. After conquering Europe and Australia, Williams signed to Capitol in 1999 in search of Stateside success. However, despite the best efforts of the label, including a nationwide promotional tour and significant airplay for his single "Millennium," he makes virtually no impact on the US Hot 100, where his biggest hit is "Angels" at an underwhelming #53 in 2000.
By contrast, Williams has enjoyed four #1 albums and a string of hit singles over the last five years in his native Britain, most recently hitting the top spot at home with his cover of "Somethin' Stupid." The duet with Hollywood star Nicole Kidman is widely seen as a move to appeal to an American audience, but ultimately proves futile as plans to launch his Swing When You're Winning covers album in the States are shelved due to lack of interest.
The last chart drought for the UK, back in October 1963, lasted just one week before being broken by the Caravelles' "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" entering at #64. The following April, the Beatles held all of the top five chart positions, and 20 years later in April 1984, the chart was dominated by Brits, with Phil Collins, Eurythmics and Culture Club among the acts taking up 40 places in the Hot 100.
The failure of the UK's biggest current pop star, Robbie Williams, to break America highlights the current struggles for UK acts. After conquering Europe and Australia, Williams signed to Capitol in 1999 in search of Stateside success. However, despite the best efforts of the label, including a nationwide promotional tour and significant airplay for his single "Millennium," he makes virtually no impact on the US Hot 100, where his biggest hit is "Angels" at an underwhelming #53 in 2000.
By contrast, Williams has enjoyed four #1 albums and a string of hit singles over the last five years in his native Britain, most recently hitting the top spot at home with his cover of "Somethin' Stupid." The duet with Hollywood star Nicole Kidman is widely seen as a move to appeal to an American audience, but ultimately proves futile as plans to launch his Swing When You're Winning covers album in the States are shelved due to lack of interest.
The last chart drought for the UK, back in October 1963, lasted just one week before being broken by the Caravelles' "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" entering at #64. The following April, the Beatles held all of the top five chart positions, and 20 years later in April 1984, the chart was dominated by Brits, with Phil Collins, Eurythmics and Culture Club among the acts taking up 40 places in the Hot 100.
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