7 MAY
In Music History
1956 Anne Dudley (of The Art of Noise) is born in Beckenham, Kent, England.
1955 Steve Diggle (guitarist, vocalist for Buzzcocks) is born in Manchester, England.
1950 Drummer Prairie Prince (of The Tubes, Journey, New Cars) is born Charles Lempriere Prince in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1946 Bill Kreutzmann, drummer for the Grateful Dead, is born in Palo Alto, California.
1946 Singer-songwriter Bill Danoff (of Starland Vocal Band) is born in Springfield, Massachusetts.
1946 Rock guitarist Ray Monette (of Rare Earth, Funkadelic) is born.
1946 Jerry Nolan (drummer for New York Dolls, Heartbreakers) is born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
1943 Rick West (lead guitarist for The Tremeloes) is born Richard Westwood in Dagenham, Essex, England.
1939 Johnny Maestro (original lead singer for The Crests, Brooklyn Bridge) is born John Mastrangelo in New York City.
1936 Soul singer Jimmy Ruffin is born in Collinsville, Mississippi, to a family that will later include younger brother David Ruffin (of The Temptations).
1931 '50s pop/jazz singer Teresa Brewer is born in Toledo, Ohio.
1927 '50s pop singer-songwriter Jim Lowe is born in Springfield, Missouri.
1840 The composer Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky is born in Votkinsk, Russia.
1833 Composer Johannes Brahms is born in Hamburg, Germany.
1824 Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is premiered in Vienna, Austria. Its final movement incorporates Friedrich Schiller "Ode to Joy" poem sung by four vocal soloists and a chorus. It represents the first time a major composer has used voices in a symphony.
"Hotel California" Checks In At #1
1977Running 6:08 and loaded with metaphor and guitars, "Hotel California" tops the Hot 100.
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Featured Events
2016 Following his unexpected death, Prince takes the top two spots on the Billboard albums chart with The Very Best of Prince at #1 and Purple Rain at #2. With his music unavailable on most streaming services and download distributors, physical albums are in many cases the best way to get his music.
1998 Steve Perry officially leaves Journey, honoring an agreement made with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain that they would reform the band without him if he was not able to tour. He is replaced with the similar-sounding Steve Augeri.
1992 John Frusciante quits the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the middle of their Japanese tour.More
1978 Goaded by an item in the magazine saying they are "more interested in finding a softball team they can beat," the Eagles take on Rolling Stone in a game the rock band wins 15-8 (Don Henley is the winning pitcher). In the crowd cheering on the Eagles are Joni Mitchell and Chevy Chase.
1968 On a plane ride returning home from his last gig with the band Bluesology, keyboard player Reginald Dwight looks for a stage name he can use for his burgeoning solo career. In the cabin, he comes across the band's horn player Elton Dean and lead singer Long John Baldry, and asks them if he can appropriate their names to concoct a new one for himself. They agree, and Elton John is born.
1966 "Monday Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas goes to #1 on the Hot 100, becoming the first song with a day of the week in the title to top the chart.
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