On this day today:
1910 - Jazz clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw is born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky in New York City. Shaw would go on to become one of the most famous and innovative musicians of the swing era, known for his virtuosic playing and popular recordings like "Begin the Beguine" and "Stardust."
1928 - Rosemary Clooney is born in Maysville, Kentucky.
1947 - Bill Hunt (keyboardist and horn player for Electric Light Orchestra) is born in Birmingham, England.
1952 - Rock guitarist Jim Mankey (of Concrete Blonde) is born in Washington.
1953 - Rick Fenn (guitarist for 10cc) is born in England.
1964 - Ella Fitzgerald's cover of The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" enters the UK chart, making her the first artist outside the band to have a hit with a Beatles song. This milestone showcases Fitzgerald's versatility and the widespread appeal of The Beatles' music.
1967 - Phil Selway (drummer for Radiohead) is born in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England.
1969 - The Who release their groundbreaking album "Tommy," a rock opera centered around the story of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who becomes a pinball wizard.
1970 - Grateful Dead play their first show outside North America with a 4-hour set at the Hollywood Music Festival in England.
1970 - Paul McCartney's first solo album, the back-to-basics McCartney, hits #1 in America, achieving success despite containing no singles. This album marks McCartney's initial venture as a solo artist after the Beatles' breakup, featuring a more personal and homemade sound.
1971 - Iron Butterfly breaks up.
1973 - Neo-soul singer Maxwell is born Gerald Maxwell Rivera in Brooklyn, New York.
1974 - Jewel Kilcher enters the world in Payson, Utah, but grows up in Homer, Alaska. She achieves fame under the moniker Jewel.
1977 - When San Francisco outlaws "electronic instruments" in public, a free Jefferson Airplane concert in Golden Gate Park is canceled. This ban reflects the city's struggle with the growing counterculture movement and its music scene, which often clashed with local authorities.
1979 - The Who's acclaimed documentary The Kids Are Alright debuts in New York City.
1979 - Amid a wave of lawsuits for refusing to transfer his contract to MCA Records, Tom Petty takes a bold step by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This strategic move halts the legal proceedings and compels MCA to enter negotiations.
1979 - Sister Sledge's We Are Family is certified Platinum.
1992 - The teenage rap duo Kriss Kross reaches the top spot in the US charts with their album Totally Krossed Out. Produced by Jermaine Dupri, the album's title reflects their distinctive style of wearing clothes backward, a look they call "krossed out."
1996 - The video for Metallica's "Until It Sleeps" premieres, marking the first time the band is seen with short hair.
1997 - Country singers LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood each release their own versions of the Diane Warren-penned ballad "How Do I Live" on the same day.
1998 - Steve Lacy is born in Compton, California.
2000 - Coldplay films the video for "Yellow" on a beach in Studland Bay, Dorset, England. Despite the original plan for a beach party vibe with extras, the cold and wet weather forces them to send everyone home. Lead singer Chris Martin ends up walking around singing the song in one take. The simplicity of the video proves to be very effective, ultimately becoming a classic.
2000 - Billy Corgan announces that The Smashing Pumpkins will disband at the end of the year, citing exhaustion from "fighting the good fight against the Britneys of the world."
2000 - A Perfect Circle release their debut album, Mer de Noms.
2000 - Eminem released his third studio album the Marshall Mathers LP. It debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, staying atop for eight consecutive weeks and went on to sell over 25 million copies worldwide.
2002 - 'Up For Grabs' premiered at London's Wyndham's Theatre, with Madonna in the lead role. However, some attendees of the first night performance complained about the singer's vocal delivery, noting a lack of power and difficulty in hearing her lines.
2006 - Dixie Chicks release Taking the Long Way, their seventh studio album. It goes on to win five Grammy Awards.
2012 - Following Donna Summer's death on May 17 after a battle with cancer, Billboard reports that sales of her albums skyrocket by over 3000% in the week following her passing.
2015 - Australia makes its debut entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Vienna, Austria. Represented by singer and songwriter Guy Sebastian, the country's invitation to compete follows a successful guest appearance from Jessica Mauboy in 2014. Sebastian finishes fifth in the competition, with the victory ultimately going to Sweden's Måns Zelmerlöw.
2019 - Richard Ashcroft regained rights to his song ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ after more than two decades.
2021 - Drake wins Artist of the Decade at the Billboard Music Awards.
