Pick a Day

Music History Events: Odds And Ends

April 12, 1826 German composer Carl Maria von Weber travels to London to conduct the opening of his opera, Oberon.

September 13, 1814 Francis Scott Key is inspired to write "The Star Spangled Banner" during the British attack of Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814, and the courageous defense made by American force.

March 25, 2020 It's the 15,561st day since Elvis Presley died, the exact number of days he lived, making him now dead longer than he was alive.

January 10, 2019 In light of the Surviving R. Kelly miniseries, Lady Gaga pulls her 2013 R. Kelly collaboration, "Do What U Want," from streaming services and issues a statement supporting his accusers.

July 1, 2016 30-year-old Lady Gaga finally gets her driver's license.

December 15, 2015 In an interview with the London commuter freesheet Metro, Carol Decker of T'Pau is asked if her autobiography gave her any insights into her personality. She replies: "It did actually. I'm a bit of a c***."

November 28, 2015 After defeating heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko in a unanimous decision, Tyson Fury gets a turn on the mic and sings the Aerosmith hit "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" to his wife, who has joined him in the ring.

April 7, 2015 Don McLean's original manuscript to his lyric for "American Pie" sells at auction for $1.2 million. Says McLean: "I thought it would be interesting as I reach age 70 to release this work product on the song 'American Pie' so that anyone who might be interested will learn that this song was not a parlor game."

February 14, 2015 Lady Gaga gets engaged to actor Taylor Kinney. She confirms the news two days later by posting a photo of the heart-shaped diamond ring on Instagram with the caption, "He gave me his heart on Valentine's Day, and I said YES!"

December 31, 2014 Six months after divorcing salsa singer Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez officially drops her married name (Muñiz).

April 27, 2014 BBC 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.

December 30, 2012 The Birmingham Mail reports that Jim Simpson, the record industry A&R man who discovered and signed Black Sabbath, is launching a campaign to have the airport in Birmingham, England, renamed as "The Ozzy Osbourne International Airport." No word on whether the planes would play "Flying High Again" on takeoff and landing.

August 20, 2012 A Green Day version of the video game Angry Birds is released, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool as green pigs. Players can unlock a new Green Day song from the 10th level of the game.

June 15, 2012 The conservative radio and TV personality Glenn Beck announces plans for launching a competitor to the popular TV series Glee, which revolves around a high school glee club with many musical numbers. Beck, incensed at the show's liberal portrayal of issues such as homosexuality and bullying, tells a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington that the left "won't know what hit them" when he launches his own conservative version of the show. The show never materializes.

January 24, 2012 Pete Townshend sells the publishing rights to the songs he has written to the Spirit Music Group, which plans to place more of his music in TV shows, movies and commercials. Townshend's catalog includes about 400 songs, most of which he wrote for The Who.

November 30, 2011 Robin Thicke's dad, actor Alan Thicke, publishes an article in The Huffington Post titled "Boomerology 101: Gangster Father," where he discusses Robin's success despite his "life as the son of a White Canadian Sitcom Dad, aka 'Street Cred Death.'"

September 22, 2011 The world's most prolific songwriter, Paul McCartney, adds another string to his bow when his ballet Ocean's Kingdom is performed in New York.

January 26, 2011 Wilco announce the launch of their own label, dBpm Records. The band state the label will put out all future Wilco releases "and more."

September 13, 2010 John Mayer shuts down his Twitter account with 3.7 million followers. Once an avid Tweeter, Mayer has shied away from social media after oversharing in a Playboy interview. He does eventually return to Twitter, but in moderation. "It does rewire your brain," he says.

January 4, 2010 After a concert in Paris, Marilyn Manson (40) proposes to his girlfriend, the actress Evan Rachel Wood (22). She accepts but they never get married and Wood later alleges abuse.

September 13, 2009 Katy Perry and Russell Brand meet at the MTV Video Music Awards, which Brand is hosting. The pair begin dating soon after.

July 7, 2009 Lionel Richie got his first big break when The Commodores snagged 42 dates in the opening slot for The Jackson 5 in 1972. Thirty-seven years later on the same date, he performs The Commodores song "Jesus is Love" at a memorial service for the late Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

August 25, 2007 The Veronicas' fashion line for Target is released in Australia. "It's a bit punk princess, mixed with rock 'n' roll,'' says Lisa Origliasso.

August 10, 2007 Jon Foreman, frontman of Switchfoot, announces the band have left Columbia Records. Switchfoot goes on to create their own record label, lowercase people records.

June 30, 2006 US president George W. Bush and Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi visit Graceland in Memphis.

May 25, 2005 Garth Brooks proposes to Trisha Yearwood in front of 7,000 fans during a show at Buck Owens's Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. The pair marry in December.

December 13, 2004 The "love shack" where Kate Pierson of The B-52s used to live in Athens, Georgia is destroyed by fire, with only its chimney and tin roof still standing.

January 31, 2001 After Barry Mason, who co-wrote the Tom Jones hit "Delilah," tells The Sun that the song was inspired by a woman named Delia from Llandudno in North Wales, the UK newspaper asks readers to help track her down. The search is aborted when Mason's ex-wife - who co-wrote the song - calls in to explain that "Delia" does not exist, and that the name came from the story of Samson and Delilah.

October 26, 2000 The tree from U2's song "One Tree Hill" is taken down. Located in Auckland, New Zealand, the tree had been attacked by activists and had to be removed.

January 6, 1999 Photographed by Annie Liebowitz, the Backstreet Boys appear in a print campaign with milk mustaches to promote the beverage.