February 27, 2005 Jamie Foxx wins a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the movie Ray.More
February 17, 2005 With Tommy Lee back in the band for the first time in five years, Mötley Crüe begin their Red, White & Crüe tour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's a circus theme, with clowns, fire-eaters and acrobats. For his drum solo, Tommy Lee and his rig go up on a trapeze and he performs from 30 feet in the air.
February 13, 2005 Ray Charles, who died eight months earlier, wins five Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for Genius Loves Company (beating out Green Day's American Idiot and Usher's Confessions). Also on the show, Wilco win Best Alternative Music Album for A Ghost Is Born, and Melissa Etheridge, bald from breast cancer treatments, performs an inspirational tribute to Janis Joplin.
January 28, 2005 Members of the "Free Fiona" movement protest outside Sony headquarters in New York City, encouraging the label to release Fiona Apple's long-delayed third album, which shows up in October. As part of the campaign, members also mailed apple-related items (foam apples, pictures of apples) to Sony.
January 15, 2005 Sheryl Crow, Christina Aguilera and Tim McGraw participate in a benefit for victims of the tsunami in Southern Asia.
January 9, 2005 Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil marries Lia Gerardini at a ceremony in Las Vegas officiated by MC Hammer, who shared a house with Neil on the reality show The Surreal Life. Among the guests are his bandmates Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx, and basketball star Dennis Rodman. It's Neil's fourth marriage.
January 1, 2005 Ne-Yo earns his first #1 hit as a songwriter when "Let Me Love You," performed by Mario, seizes the top spot for the first of nine weeks. Billboard ranks the song as the eighth most successful single of the decade.
January 1, 2005 Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want To Be," the theme song to the popular teen drama One Tree Hill, peaks at #10 on the Hot 100 in the midst of the show's second season.More
December 30, 2004 Levon Helm of The Band sues the ad agency BBDO for using the song "The Weight" in a commercial without his permission.More
December 29, 2004 Beyond the Sea, a musical about the life of Bobby Darin, debuts in US theaters. Darin superfan Kevin Spacey - who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film - does his own singing. 45-year-old Spacey is a little old to be playing Darin, who was only 37 when he died.
December 28, 2004 On his 26th birthday, John Legend releases his debut solo album, Get Lifted. The lead single is the kiss-off song "Used to Love U," but the second single, the tender ballad "Ordinary People," is the most enduring song. The album is the first released on Kanye West's GOOD Music label.
December 8, 2004 Dimebag Darrell is shot dead on stage while performing with his band Damageplan at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. The murderer, Nathan Gale, kills three others before being shot dead by a police officer.More
December 6, 2004 Mötley Crüe announce their "reunion/farewell tour," with drummer Tommy Lee returning to the fold after a five-year absence. It is not their farewell: They tour every year until 2015, when they sign a "cessation of touring agreement." That one doesn't stick either - they go back on the road in 2022.
November 30, 2004 Linkin Park and Jay-Z release the collaborative EP Collision Course, which features mash-ups of the artists' songs. "Numb," from the nu-metal band's sophomore album, Meteora, is mixed with the rapper's Black Album track "Encore." The result, "Numb/Encore," wins the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2006 ceremony.
November 30, 2004 Kelly Clarkson releases her second album, Breakaway. With a string of hits ("Since U Been Gone," "Behind These Hazel Eyes," "Because Of You"), it cements her as superstar and proves American Idol voters were right in choosing her over Justin Guarini.
November 29, 2004 Green Day release "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." The title comes from a painting by Gottfried Helnwein depicting James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Elvis Presley at a corner bar.
November 23, 2004 Robert Downey, Jr. releases his debut studio album, The Futurist.
November 19, 2004 The Vines frontman Craig Nicholls reveals that he has Asperger syndrome, a neurobiologcal disorder that causes autistic-like episodes and severe communication difficulties. This helps explain his wildly erratic behavior and belligerent outbursts; the diagnosis is revealed in a court case where he's charged with assaulting a photographer (Nicholls is cleared of the charges).
November 15, 2004 Shania Twain's album Come On Over is certified double diamond by the RIAA, with over 20 million copies sold in the US. It's just the seventh album to do so, and the only one by a female artist.
November 14, 2004 Gwen Stefani performs on TV as a solo artist (no No Doubt) for the first time when she takes the stage at the American Music Awards to sing "What You Waiting For."
November 13, 2004 After several years of feuding, the rap group A Tribe Called Quest get back together for a reunion show at the Rock the Bells festival. It's also the night when their friend and fellow rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard from the Wu-Tang Clan dies. A Tribe Called Quest open their show with a tribute to ODB and perform some of Wu Tang's songs to start the set.
November 12, 2004 The funeral of longtime (and highly influential) British DJ John Peel is held in Suffolk, England, with attendees including Robert Plant, The White Stripes, and members of Underworld, Pulp, and The Undertones. Peel died of a heart attack on October 25.
November 9, 2004 Kenny Chesney is the big winner at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, held at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Chesney, who had never won a CMA award, scores both the Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year trophies. The latter is for his No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems set.
November 8, 2004 Brad Paisley, Chris DuBois, Neil Thrasher, and Emmylou Harris and EMI Music Publishing are the top honorees at the 42nd Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards, held at Nashville's Opryland Hotel.
November 1, 2004 Terry Knight, original manager and producer for Grand Funk Railroad, is murdered by his teenage daughter's boyfriend, Donald A. Fair. Knight, age 61, was stabbed to death when he tried to breakup an argument over Fair's drug use.
October 30, 2004 Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker marries Playboy model Shanna Moakler in a Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired ceremony with his bandmates serving as his groomsmen. The couple's romantic connection to the classic Tim Burton film gets a nod in the blink single "I Miss You."More
October 29, 2004 At a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio, George W. Bush unveils his new theme song in his presidential re-election campaign: "Still The One" by Orleans. The song's co-writer, John Hall, is watching on CNN and is mortified, as he actively opposes Bush's policies. Along with his band members and the song's co-writer (his ex-wife, Johanna), Hall demands that Bush stop using the song.More
October 26, 2004 Apple introduces the U2 iPod, the first available in a color other than white (it's black with a red click wheel). It's promoted in a commercial where the band performs their new single, "Vertigo." This is the first time U2 allow their music be used in commercials and the start of a cozy relationship with Apple, which features their music on the iTunes store.
October 23, 2004 Ashlee Simpson gets caught lip-synching on Saturday Night Live when her pre-recorded vocals come on but her mouth isn't moving. She does a little dance, then walks off stage as they go to commercial. Her career takes a tumble as she's ridiculed for not actually singing on the show.More
October 19, 2004 Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart are the lead performers on the Alfie soundtrack. Jagger sings lead on about one-third of the songs, including the first single "Old Habits Die Hard." Another version with Jagger, Stewart and Sheryl Crow is included as a bonus track.
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