Pick a Day

Music History Events: Odds And Ends

December 8, 1998 Yoko Ono spreads some Christmas cheer via a billboard in New York's Times Square, reprising her 1969 campaign with the message "War is Over! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John & Yoko."

May 19, 1998 Jewel releases a book of poetry, A Night Without Armor.

May 26, 1994 Alanis Morissette and her producer Glen Ballard write "Ironic" for her forthcoming breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill.

October 15, 1992 Madonna holds a "Sex" party at Industria Superstudio in Manhattan to promote her upcoming book Sex. She shows up dressed like Little Bo Peep, carrying a stuffed lamb.

October 13, 1992 Linda McCartney releases Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portrait of an Era, a collection of her most memorable works as a rock photographer. The book includes photos of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles (including husband Paul McCartney), The Who, the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison (The Doors), Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding.

July 31, 1992 While performing his song "Don Henley Must Die" at the Austin nightclub Hole In The Wall, the psychobilly singer Mojo Nixon is surprised when Henley, who happened to be in the neighborhood, climbs up on stage and joins him on the song. In doing so, Henley shows he's not as earnestly arrogant as he's depicted in the song (sample lyric: "Poet of despair! Pumped up with hot air!").

April 16, 1992 Nirvana appear on the cover of Rolling Stone with Kurt Cobain wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Corporate Magazines Still Suck."

December 23, 1989 Ice Cube is fired from N.W.A, who had just rose to fame with their multi-platinum record Straight Outta Compton. Cube eventually goes solo.

September 6, 1988 Elton John cleans house in what amounts to the greatest garage sale ever. A hoard of his belongings - over 2,000 pieces - are auctioned off at Sotheby's in London, bringing in $6.2 million. The giant boots he wore in the film Tommy go for $20,000.

March 17, 1985 Richard Ramirez kills a man and attacks a woman at a house in Rosemead, California, leaving an AC/DC hat behind at the crime scene. Ramirez continues his killing spree and becomes known as the "Night Stalker." When it becomes clear that AC/DC is his favorite band, the group is accused of encouraging crime and devil worship in their music.

March 19, 1984 Backstage after the Duran Duran show at Madison Square Garden, producer Nile Rodgers introduces the band to a young artist he's working with: Madonna.

December 8, 1980 Annie Leibovitz photographs John Lennon and Yoko Ono at their apartment in New York City for a feature in Rolling Stone. Lennon is shot and killed hours later.

March 23, 1980 U2 sign a worldwide deal with Island Records. They get about $100,000 for their first album.

December 22, 1972 Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter writes "All The Way From Memphis" and dedicates it to two of their crew, Leee Childers and Tony Zanetta. And Memphis, Tennessee.

December 3, 1971 Deep Purple arrive in Montreux, Switzerland to record their Machine Head album at the Montreux Casino. It doesn't go as planned: The casino burns down the next day and they end up recording in a hotel using the Rolling Stones' mobile unit. They tell the tale in the song "Smoke On The Water."

May 4, 1969 Al Stewart and his girlfriend Mandi attend a party at the Putney home of John Martyn which inspires the song "Night Of The 4th Of May."

April 21, 1969 Mick Jagger sends a letter to Andy Warhol, who has agreed to design the artwork for the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers. Jagger writes: "In my short sweet experience, the more complicated the format of the album... the more f--ked up the reproduction and agonising delays." Warhol eventually delivers a design with a working zipper, which becomes one of the most memorable album covers ever made, but is very difficult to mass produce.

January 1, 1968 Al Stewart moves into a basement flat, number 10 Elvaston Place. One of his visitors is Yoko Ono, who records "The Snow Is Falling" there.

October 22, 1966 Seven-year-old Weird Al Yankovic has his first accordion lesson. His parents rented the instrument from a door-to-door salesman.

February 18, 1965 The Beatles' publishing company, Northern Songs, is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

November 12, 1964 On his 19th birthday, Neil Young writes "Sugar Mountain," where he reflects on his fleeting youth ("You can't be 20 on Sugar Mountain").

October 28, 1964 Details of Lawrence Wright's will are published in the London Times; he leaves an estate of £348,117 net. Wright was best known for founding Melody Maker.

July 5, 1955 Chuck Berry's song "Maybellene" is copyrighted in Berry's name alone, but Alan Freed's name is added as a form of payola.

January 27, 1944 The Siege of Leningrad ends, a harsh military operation undertaken by Germany under Hitler's command to attempt to seize the Russian city. The Decemberists would later commemorate this event with their song "When The War Came."

August 1, 1934 Leadbelly is released from prison after a four-year stint for attempted homicide.

June 30, 1934 Adolf Hitler begins Operation Hummingbird, the Röhm Putsch, or the Night of the Long Knives which culminates in the murder of Ernst Röhm on July 2. Al Stewart later writes a song about it called "The Last Day Of June 1934."

November 2, 1922 The Irving Berlin song "Crinoline Days" is copyrighted.

May 14, 1921 Noël Coward sets sail for New York aboard the S.S. Aquitania.

October 28, 1919 Irving Berlin copyrights "You'd Be Surprised."

August 12, 1913 The Irving Berlin song "That International Rag" is copyrighted.