8 MARCH
In Music History
2016 Beatles producer George Martin dies at age 90. Paul McCartney says in a statement: "From the day that he gave The Beatles our first recording contract, to the last time I saw him, he was the most generous, intelligent and musical person I've ever had the pleasure to know."
2014 Jerry Corbitt of The Youngbloods dies of lung cancer at age 71.
2011 Alice in Chains bass player Mike Starr dies of a prescription drug overdose at age 44. Starr was the last person to see the group's lead singer, Layne Staley, before he died in 2002.
2011 St. Clair Lee (of The Hues Corporation) dies at age 66.
2010 After an array of court hearings and postponements (some so he can get dental work), Lil Wayne finally begins serving a one-year sentence on firearms charges stemming from a 2007 incident when police found a gun on his tour bus. He serves eight months at Rikers Island.
2009 Blues singer/guitarist Willie King dies of a heart attack less than two weeks before his 66th birthday.
2009 Country singer/songwriter Hank Locklin dies at age 91.
2003 British pop star Adam Faith dies at age 62 of a heart attack following heart surgery.
2003 It's like American Idol, but country: The singing competition show Nashville Star debuts on the USA network. It lasts six seasons; Miranda Lambert comes in third on Season 1.
1997 Raymond Edwards of The Silhouettes ("Get A Job") dies at age 72.
1996 Sting releases his fifth solo album, Mercury Falling.
1995 Ingo Schwichtenberg (drummer for Helloween), suffering from drug addiction and schizophrenia, commits suicide by jumping in front of a train.
1993 Jazz singer Billy Eckstein, whose rendition of "I Apologize" was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, dies at age 78, a few months after suffering a heart attack.
1993 Beavis and Butt-Head, a show about two animated idiots who watch MTV, debuts on MTV.
1990 Rolling Stone calls Jefferson Airplane's disastrous new comeback album Most Unwanted Comeback of the Year.
Superunknown And The Downward Spiral Released The Same Day
1994Two seminal albums from the '90s are released: Soundgarden's Superunknown and Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral. They enter the albums chart at #1 and #2, respectively.
Read more8 MARCH
Featured Events
2003 50 Cent's first single, "In Da Club," tops the Hot 100 for the first of nine weeks. The bumpin' beat comes from 50's producer, Dr. Dre, who is also his label boss.
1973 Grateful Dead keyboard player Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, a founding member of the band, dies at age 27.More
1970 Diana Ross performs for the first time as a solo artist, starting an 11-night engagement at the Monticello in Framingham, Massachusetts, where she hones her act for her Las Vegas debut in May. She left The Supremes two months earlier.
1969 The Small Faces break up when lead singer Steve Marriott leaves the band. Marriott forms Humble Pie, and the remaining members rechristen themselves The Faces after adding new lead singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood.
1969 "Happy Birthday" becomes the first song to be performed in outer space when the astronauts on Apollo IX sing it to celebrate the birthday of the director of NASA space operations, Christopher Kraft.
1963 The Four Tops get a $400 advance to sign with Motown. They spend the rest of the year singing backup for other acts, including The Supremes.
©2024 Songfacts®, LLC