1 January

Pick a Day

Music History Events: New Looks

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March 7, 2014 After completing treatment for an eating disorder, Ke$ha drops the $ from her stage name and changes her Twitter handle from @Ke$haSuxx to @KeshaRose ("Rose" is her middle name).More

December 12, 2011 The Jewish reggae star Matisyahu shaves his beard, which he has had for 16 years. He gets the shave at a Manhattan Supercuts, as he doesn't own a razor. Many of his fans are thrown for a loop, but he explains that losing the beard does not mean he is abandoning Judaism.

February 16, 2007 Britney Spears shaves her head at a hair salon, then gets some fresh ink at a tattoo parlor. It's the beginning of a public meltdown for Spears, who filed for divorce from Kevin Federline months earlier and is negotiating custody arrangements for their two children.

October 7, 1999 Garth Brooks releases an album as "Chris Gaines," a character he created that was intended for a movie. The ruse turns off many fans, and the album is Brooks' first since 1995 that fails to debut at #1, charting behind Creed's Human Clay.

June 7, 1993 On his 35th birthday, Prince changes his name to an unpronounceable symbol, making him, literally, an icon.More

October 21, 1992 Madonna's book Sex is released. Everything about it is shocking: the $50 price, the Mylar wrapping, the metal covers, and especially the images inside.More

August 20, 1992 Embroiled in controversy over his song "Cop Killer," Ice-T doubles down by appearing in a police uniform on the cover of Rolling Stone.More

May 10, 1991 Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys gets a signature look when he loses his right eye after being shot by his girlfriend.

September 18, 1983 Kiss make their first public appearance without their trademark make-up when they show up on MTV to promote their new album - and single - "Lick It Up."

February 27, 1981 The Who release "You Better You Bet," their first single since the death of their drummer, Keith Moon, in 1978. Their new stickman is Kenney Jones, formerly of the Faces.

December 23, 1977 Cat Stevens converts to Islam and changes his name to Yusuf Islam.More

February 3, 1976 David Bowie opens his US tour with a new persona: The Thin White Duke. He's dressed in a black-vested suit with slicked-back hair. Bowie later described the persona as "a nasty character indeed."

March 26, 1971 The Rolling Stones' lips and tongue logo appears for the first time when it is used on VIP passes for their show at the Marquee Club in London.More

September 29, 1968 The Supremes eschew their elegant dresses and go casual to perform "Love Child" on The Ed Sullivan Show. Diana Ross wears a sweatshirt, which is in line with the character in the song.More

August 2, 1962 Bob Dylan makes his name change official, legally saying adieu to his birth name, Robert Zimmerman.

December 9, 2022 The British rock band Slaves change their name to Soft Play. Meant to reference "the grind of day-to-day life," they say the name "doesn't represent who we are as people or what our music stands for any longer."

November 2, 2016 Beyoncé goes country, performing her song "Daddy Lessons" with the Dixie Chicks at the CMA Awards. Eight years later, she becomes the first Black woman to top the Country chart when "Texas Hold 'Em" goes to #1.

September 21, 2016 The day before dropping his single "Starboy," The Weeknd releases a photo showing his new haircut.More

May 16, 2000 With his Warner Bros. contract terminated, Prince starts using that name again. He changed it to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 after a dispute with the label.

August 29, 1990 After soundcheck for her concert in Saratoga Springs, New York, Sinead O'Connor dons a disguise and joins protesters outside the venue. The hubbub is over her concert from a week earlier when she asked that the National Anthem not be played before her performance.

December 24, 1988 Ricky Martin turns 17, aging him out of the boy band Menudo. He moves to New York City and starts a solo career, releasing his first album in 1991.

May 29, 1983 Kiss play their last concert in their famous makeup; at least until 1996 when they re-form with all original members and painted faces once again.

August 15, 1980 An unknown rock band called Black Rose open for Hall & Oates at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland. Audience members slowly realize that the lead singer is, in fact, Cher. Black Rose play a few more shows and release an album, but call it quits by the end of the year.

March 11, 1975 Alice Cooper releases Welcome To My Nightmare, the first album where he's considered a solo artist and not part of the band Alice Cooper. The ensuing tour is an elaborate production with dancers, video screens, and giant spiders.

April 2, 1970 Janis Joplin get tattoos on her wrist and heart, the one on her chest reading "One For The Boys."

October 25, 1968 The New Yardbirds perform for the first time under their new name Led Zeppelin at a gig at Surrey University, England.

October 18, 2021 Kanye West legally changes his name to the mononym Ye, his longtime nickname.

June 25, 2020 The Dixie Chicks change their name to "The Chicks" in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement ("Dixie" is associated with the American South during a time of slavery). Their name was a play on the Little Feat song "Dixie Chicken." The rebranding comes two weeks after another country trio, Lady Antebellum, changed their name to Lady A.

June 11, 2020 Country trio Lady Antebellum change their name to Lady A to avoid connotations with slavery. "Antebellum" refers to the period before the Civil War in America; the band name referred to the architectural style of Southern homes built during this period.

February 27, 2019 T-Pain, costumed as a one-eyed monster, wins the first season of The Masked Singer, defeating Donny Osmond (peacock) and Gladys Knight (bee).

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