1 January

Pick a Day

Music History Events: Legal Issues

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April 16, 1992 David Milgaard is released from jail in Canada after serving 23 years for a crime he didn't commit. The Tragically Hip, who have helped in his fight for justice, write the song "Wheat Kings" about the ordeal.

July 16, 1990 Trial begins for Judas Priest after they are accused of implanting subliminal messages in their song "Better By You, Better Than Me." The suit alleges that the messages caused two teenage boys to enter a suicide pact (one of the boys killed himself instantly; the other died three years later from complications related to the suicide attempt). The case is dismissed August 24 after the judge determines that the supposed subliminal message is just an accidental recording oddity.

August 6, 1989 With their song "F--k tha Police" causing an uproar, Detroit police stop N.W.A's performance before they can perform the song, and escort them back to their hotel. No charges are filed, and officers tell the rappers that they just "wanted to show the kids that you can't say 'F--k the police' in Detroit."

October 18, 1988 Stephen M. Love, brother of Beach Boys singer Mike Love, pleads guilty in LA Municipal Court to one count of grand theft. He had embezzled $900,000 from the band he formerly managed. God only knows why.

November 8, 1987 Generating footage for their Rattle and Hum documentary, U2 play a free "Save the Yuppie" concert at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco. An arrest warrant is issued for Bono after he spray paints "Rock n Roll Stops Traffic" on a fountain sculpture.

August 27, 1987 With the jury deadlocked, a judge declares a mistrial in the case against Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, who was charged with distributing harmful material to minors because he included a surreal poster of penis art in the band's 1985 album Frankenchrist - the first time a musician has been prosecuted for album art. The trial is a costly one for the Dead Kennedys, who break up soon after.

December 12, 1985 After missing a bond revocation hearing in November, David Crosby turns himself in to the FBI and begins serving time for drug and firearms possession. Crosby considered fleeing the country to avoid jail time, but decided to bite the bullet and serve his sentence.

June 7, 1984 The film Ghostbusters is released. Its theme song bears similarities to Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug." Ghostbusters theme writer Ray Parker, Jr. and Huey settle out of court.

December 3, 1981 At a show in Hartford, Connecticut, AC/DC is prohibited from firing their cannons during "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)," as police enforce an ordinance banning stage weaponry.

August 20, 1981 Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott appears at Kingston Crown Court where he is fined £200 for possessing cocaine.

April 14, 1980 A New Jersey State assemblyman introduces a resolution to make Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" the official state song of New Jersey.

January 31, 1977 Claudine Longet is convicted of misdemeanor criminal negligence in relation to her shooting and killing Vladmir Sabich in March the previous year; she is given a slap on the wrist.

June 19, 1972 The United States Supreme Court rules in favor of MC5 manager John Sinclair and his White Panther associates in a landmark case that makes it illegal for the government to use wiretapping without a warrant. The White Panthers were accused of bombing the CIA agency in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

March 14, 1972 California Governor Ronald Reagan grants a pardon to Merle Haggard, absolving him of his 1957 burglary that sent him to prison for three years.

January 19, 1971 Alan Passaro, a member of the Hells Angels biker gang who stabbed 18-year-old Meredith Hunter to death during a concert by The Rolling Stones at their Altamont Speedway concert in Livermore, California on December 6, 1969, is acquitted of murder after 17 days of testimony in which the jury sees footage of the documentary Gimme Shelter that shows the stabbing. The Hells Angels were hired as security at the concert, and when Hunter brandished a gun, Passaro killed him. The Stones kept playing, unaware that a fan had been killed.

December 8, 1969 Testifying at his trial for possesion of hashish and heroin in the Toronto Supreme Court, Jimi Hendrix claims that he has now "outgrown" drugs. The jury finds him not guilty after eight hours of deliberations.

January 4, 1968 Jimi Hendrix spends the night in a Swedish jail after trashing a hotel room, reportedly during a fight with his bandmate Noel Redding.

December 20, 1967 Joan Baez and her mother are sentenced to 45 days in prison for the singer's part in the Oakland Demonstration, where she protested the draft. They're abruptly released after serving 31 days.

June 17, 1959 Liberace wins his libel case against the Daily Mirror at the High Court in London, and says afterwards "I cried all the way to the bank." The paper published an article claiming the pianist was homosexual.

March 7, 1953 Circuit Judge Vincent M. Brennan sings "April Showers" to prove he is musically qualified after giving his decision in a contract suit.

January 28, 1953 Derek Bentley is hanged for the murder of Police Constable Sidney Miles, who on November 2, 1952, was shot dead on a Croydon rooftop by 16-year-old Christopher Craig. Christopher Craig, too young to be executed, was paroled in 1963. The murder and trial later become the topic of the Ewan MacColl song "Ballad Of Derek Bentley."

April 24, 1944 Welsh composer Ivor Novello is convicted at Bow Street, London, of conspiracy to misuse petrol coupons; he is given an eight week jail sentence.

March 25, 1931 Nine young black males are arrested in Paint Rock, Alabama, and accused of raping two white women. The ensuing years' long legal case inspires a song by Leadbelly and a musical, The Scottsboro Boys.

August 10, 1899 Scott Joplin signs a contract for a royalty of 1% per copy, with a minimum sales price of $.25, for "The Maple Leaf Rag."

May 26, 1868 The Fenian terrorist, Michael Barrett, is hanged outside Newgate Prison in what is the last public execution in England. The crowd sings "Champagne Charlie" and "Rule, Britannia!"

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