September 4, 2012 Imagine Dragons release their debut album, Night Visions, which takes off thanks to bombastic rockers like "Radioactive" and "Demons."
September 1, 2012 Geoff Tate, late of the band Queensryche, announces plans to get a "new Queensryche" together. Pledging their support are Rudy Sarzo (formerly of Quiet Riot), Bobby Blotzer (formerly of Ratt), Glen Drover (formerly of Megadeth), Kelly Gray and Randy Gane (formerly of Myth). There's still some question as to whether they'll actually be able to call the band Queensryche, since Tate is still wrapped up in lawsuits with the other three members over his firing in the same year and the use of the name.
September 1, 2012 Lyricist Hal David dies of a stroke in Los Angeles, California, at age 91. Known for collaborations with Burt Bacharach, including "What the World Needs Now is Love" (1965) and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (1969).
August 31, 2012 Eddie Van Halen, of Van Halen lead-guitar fame, is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery on his digestive system to correct a severe bout of diverticulitis. Tour dates with Van Halen are rescheduled as he recovers.
August 24, 2012 Country singer Randy Travis continues his string of calamitous arrests, this time for a brawl at a church in Texas where he was purportedly fighting over a woman. The incident leads to him being cited for assault, giving him another citation to add to his collection. It's still a cheaper hobby than baseball cards.
August 22, 2012 Rap star LL Cool J hears his alarm go off in his Los Angeles home and rushes downstairs to confront an alleged burglar named Jonathan Kirby. One broken nose, jaw, and rib later, Cool J has subdued the intruder and police are on their way to take the suspect into custody. No word on whether LL quoted one of his own songs, "Mama Said Knock You Out," during the altercation.
August 22, 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney becomes yet another Republican candidate admonished for misappropriating music at his events, after Dee Snider of Twisted Sister protests his use of the band's songs. There is a long history of bands squaring off against Republican campaigns appropriating their music.
August 21, 2012 With 623,000 digital copies sold, Taylor Swift's hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" becomes the single with the most digital sales for a female artist.
August 21, 2012 Lynyrd Skynyrd release Last of a Dyin' Breed, their 14th studio album. Guitarist John Lowery, better known by stage name "John 5," contributes to a couple of the tracks.
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.
August 17, 2012 Sparkle, starring the aptly named Jordin Sparks as an aspiring singer, opens in theaters. It's the last film for Whitney Houston, who plays her mom.
August 17, 2012 The first Knotfest goes down in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Curated by the band Slipknot, it features amusement park entertainment and lots of music, including performances by Deftones and Lamb Of God.
August 15, 2012 Members of the metal band Baroness are injured when their tour bus falls off the road while traveling in England. Lead singer John Baizley's left arm is shattered and his left leg broken; drummer Allen Blickle and bass player Matt Maggioni each suffer spinal fractures. Baizley manages to keep his arm and resume his duties as frontman/guitarist, but Blickle and Maggioni leave the band.
August 14, 2012 John Geils, former guitarist for the semi-retired J. Geils Band, files suit against the other band members to stop them from touring under his name... since he's left the band. The irony stings like bleach in a wound! Despite this move, the remaining members of the band say they'll tour anyway.
August 10, 2012 Insane Clown Posse takes exception to the FBI naming their fans, collectively known as "Juggalos," as a criminal gang in the FBI's "2011 National Gang Threat Assessment Report." At the annual Gathering of the Juggalos event in Illinois, they announce intentions to sue the FBI. Despite this, the FBI continues to list Juggalos as an organized gang in later years.
August 10, 2012 The bands Kiss and Motley Crue donate $100,000 together to the families of the victims of the Aurora, Colorado, "Dark Knight" shooting. The massacre occurred Friday, July 20 at a movie theater showing The Dark Knight Rises. James Eagan Holmes burst into the theater with guns blazing, killing 12 and wounding 58. The story rocks the United States and the ensuing trial of shooter Holmes, who was inspired by the actions of The Joker, a famed villain in the Batman franchise played by Heath Ledger, is to generate top headlines for many months yet.
August 7, 2012 Madonna plays a concert in Moscow during which she expresses support for the group Pussy Riot, who have been jailed for performing their song "Mother Of God, Putin's Run" in a Moscow cathedral.
August 7, 2012 Grayson County, Texas, police respond to a call and discover country singer Randy Travis lying naked in the road and smelling of alcohol. Travis had crashed his vehicle into a construction zone just previously. In fact, there was an earlier call the same day from a convenience store owner, who said Travis had entered his store - still naked - and tried to buy cigarettes, but left when he realized he had no money. Travis is booked for DWI and resisting arrest, tying on another in a string of run-ins with the law.
August 6, 2012 Composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch dies from complications after a kidney transplant at age 68 in Los Angeles, California. He wrote the music for "The Way We Were."
August 6, 2012 Forbes declares Beyoncé and Jay-Z the highest-paid celebrity couple, with earnings of $78 million ($40 million for her, $38 for him). At #2 is Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady with $72 million.
August 3, 2012 Stevie Wonder announces that he will be divorcing Kai Millard Morris, his second wife of eleven years. The couple reveal that they've been living separately for two years and cite the boring "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.
July 28, 2012 At a show in Gothenburg, Sweden, Bruce Springsteen plays "Jungleland" for the first time since the death of Clarence Clemons a year earlier. He dedicates the song to Clemons, whose nephew Jake earns rapturous applause after playing the famous saxophone solo.
July 25, 2012 MGA Entertainment, the toy corporation behind the "Bratz" line of dolls, files a lawsuit against Lady Gaga, alleging that she and her managers delayed approval on marketing a Lady Gaga doll. MGA calls it "breach of contract" and is asking for $10 million - this, only eight months after the deal was struck.
July 18, 2012 The Who announce of a tour to revive their rock opera Quadrophenia. The original run of the film of Quadrophenia debuted in 1979; the album in 1973. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, as the surviving members of the group, are also tapped to perform the ending song for the 2012 Olympic games in London.
July 17, 2012 The soundtrack album to the film The Dark Knight Rises is released, destined to debut at #8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also scores #10 on the Canadian albums chart. Composer Hans Zimmer becomes an overnight sensation, frequently compared with former golden soundtrack star John Williams.
July 15, 2012 The "Gangnam Style" video is posted to YouTube; we are powerless to resist.More
July 11, 2012 Florence Welch, lead woman for Florence + the Machine, faces ill health and a failing voice, causing the group to cancel two European concerts. She's forced to cancel on doctor's orders to avoid permanent damage to her famous contralto voice.
July 10, 2012 Slash, who left Guns N' Roses in 1996, gets his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Charlie Sheen, who is master of ceremonies at the event, comments, "It seems quite fitting that Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl Rose will one day be sleeping on."
July 10, 2012 Frank Ocean releases his highly acclaimed debut album, Channel Orange, which goes on to win the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Standout tracks include "Lost" and "Thinkin About You."
July 3, 2012 Frank Ocean posts a letter on his Tumblr detailing an unrequited love for a man when he was 19, inspiration for his song "Bad Religion." It's an early example of a high-profile hip-hop artist addressing a same-sex relationship.
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