November 29, 2003 In front of a crowd of 40,000+ at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, The Corrs make their first concert appearance as part of Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign to raise AIDS awareness in Africa. Alongside artists like Bono, Beyonce, and Peter Gabriel, they help raise money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation for AIDS.
November 22, 2003 The Compaq Center in Houston closes with a final concert by ZZ Top, who performed there when it was known as The Summit. The venue is acquired by Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church.
November 21, 2003 The acoustic guitar on which George Harrison learned how to play is sold at a London auction for 276,000 pounds. The original price of the guitar: three and one-half pounds.
November 20, 2003 After returning to his Neverland home following a raid on it a few days before, and in response to an arrest warrant, Michael Jackson is charged with child molestation in Santa Barbara, California. The singer is immediately released after posting three million dollars' bail.
November 20, 2003 The first ever Vibe Awards takes place in Santa Monica, California, with 50 Cent winning for Artist of the Year, Dopest Album (Get Rich or Die Tryin') and Hottest Hook ("In Da Club").
November 19, 2003 An arrest warrant is issued in Los Angeles for Michael Jackson, due to recent charges of child molestation. The singer, phoning from Vegas where he is filming a video, convinces authorities to wait for his return to stand trial.
November 18, 2003 Composer, songwriter Michael Kamen dies of a suspected heart attack in London, England, at age 55. Known for his innovative arrangements in pop music ("Here Comes the Rain Again") and film scores and songs (with Bryan Adams: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?").
November 18, 2003 Acting on the sexual abuse allegations of a 12-year-old boy who had visited the home, approximately 70 members of California's Santa Barbara County sheriff's and district attorney's offices raid Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The singer is in Vegas filming a video at the time.
November 18, 2003 Blink-182, the pop-punk purveyors of gross puns with album titles like Enema Of The State and Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, prove they're all grown up when they choose to leave their fifth album, an experimental art project, untitled.More
November 17, 2003 Songwriter and country musician Don Gibson dies of natural causes at age 75. Wrote the country standards "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You."
November 17, 2003 Soul singer Arthur Conley dies of intestinal cancer in Ruurlo, Netherlands, at age 57.
November 17, 2003 After collapsing on stage during a concert in London, Meat Loaf is rushed to a nearby hospital with what a publicist terms "exhaustion due to a prolonged viral infection" but what is actually an irregular heartbeat requiring emergency surgery.
November 17, 2003 Let It Be... Naked, a stripped-down version of The Beatles' Let It Be album, is released. Phil Spector produced the original, and the new release removed his lavish strings and other accoutrements.
November 15, 2003 Alejandro Fernandez, Bacilos and Mana are the big winners at Mexico's second Premios Oye! in Mexico City, taking home two awards each. Fernandez is named Best Ranchero Act, and his "Nina Amada Mia" wins Best Popular (regional Mexican) Song. Bacilos wins Best Pop Group and Best Pop Song for "Caraluna." Mana wins Best Rock Group; its Revolucion de Amor is voted Album of the Year.
November 14, 2003 Jay-Z releases The Black Album, with the classics "99 Problems" and "Dirt off Your Shoulder." He says it will be his last album, but reneges in 2006 when he issues Kingdom Come.
November 14, 2003 Love Actually opens in the theaters. Among its musical moments: Hugh Grant dancing to the Pointer Sisters' "Jump (For My Love)" and Emma Thompson having a breakdown to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."More
November 12, 2003 Session drummer Tony Thompson (of The Power Station and Chic) dies of kidney cancer in Los Angeles, California, at age 48, two months after Power Station bandmate Robert Palmer died from a heart attack.
November 11, 2003 The owner of a pub in Wiltshire, England, is awarded £40,000 in damages after suing Van Morrison for pulling out of a scheduled performance at the pub in the summer of 2002 at the last moment.
November 10, 2003 An emotional tribute to the recently deceased Johnny Cash is held at Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium, featuring classic Cash songs performed by Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, and Steve Earle.
November 10, 2003 David Bowie is forced to cancel the remainder of his gig in Nice, France, when laryngitis causes his voice to give out in the middle of "Ziggy Stardust." Doctors assign Bowie three days rest.
November 7, 2003 With tourism suffering because of the SARS outbreak, the Hong Kong government hires The Rolling Stones to perform a concert there to assure people it is safe. The rockers play to 13,000 people at the city's Harbourfest.
November 5, 2003 Jimmy Buffett wins his first Country Music Association Award when "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," a duet with Alan Jackson, is named Vocal Event of the Year.
October 28, 2003 The Strokes follow up their critically acclaimed debut, Is This It, with the album Room On Fire. The title is taken from the single "Reptilia," which features the lyric: "The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair."
October 28, 2003 Tonight's The Night, a musical play written around the hits of Rod Stewart, opens in London's West End.
October 25, 2003 Ludacris becomes the first "Dirty South" rapper to land a #1 album when Chicken-N-Beer hits the top spot, powered by the #1 hit "Stand Up."
October 22, 2003 In the middle of their first world tour and flush with fame from their debut album, Evanescence founder Ben Moody abruptly quits the band.More
October 15, 2003 The Louis Armstrong House Museum opens its doors to the public. Located in the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York, the home was the longtime residence of the late singer. He and wife Lucille Wilson moved in as newlyweds in 1943 and stayed until Armstrong's death in 1971.
October 12, 2003 Rapper 50 Cent takes home all five trophies for which he is nominated at the World Music Awards, held in Monaco. Russian teen duo t.A.T.u. picks up three awards, while Norah Jones and Eminem win two.
October 12, 2003 The blind Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano performs the "The Star Spangled Banner" for the first time since his flavorful rendition at a Tigers/Cardinals World Series game in 1968. His performance in Miami at the Marlins/Cubs playoff goes off without incident.
October 11, 2003 Justin Timberlake makes his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, doing double-duty as host and musical guest. It's the first of many appearances he makes on the show through the coming years; his sketches eventually grow to include a Bee Gees parody, a sketch about dating Lady Gaga, a bailiff in a courtroom trial of an alligator, "the Target lady," appearing in drag onstage with Beyoncé, and the infamous "Dick in a Box" bit.
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