January 1, 2002 56-year-old Eric Clapton marries the 25-year-old American graphic designer Melia McEnery, who will be the mother to three of his children: Julie Rose, Ella, and Sophie. It's a surprise wedding that takes place at St. Mary Magdalen church near London, where his 16-year-old daughter Ruth and 6-month-old Julie Rose are getting baptized. After the baptism, the vicar turns around and marries the couple to the astonishment of the 20 guests.
December 21, 2001 Enrique Iglesias meets Anna Kournikova, a tennis player who is burning up the internet, at the shoot for his "Escape" video, where she plays his love interest. Their on-screen romance turns real; they begin dating and become partners, raising three kids together.
December 18, 2001 Billie Eilish is born in Los Angeles. Working with her brother, Finneas, she composes her Grammy-gobbling debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which is released in 2019 when she's 17.
December 16, 2001 Big Country lead singer Stuart Adamson commits suicide by hanging himself in his Honolulu hotel room. He was 43.
November 29, 2001 George Harrison succumbs to lung cancer at age 58. His final hours are spent with his wife, son, and musician Ravi Shankar at his side.More
November 20, 2001 Pink releases her breakthrough second album, M!ssundaztood, which includes the hits "Get The Party Started" and "Family Portrait."More
November 20, 2001 Creed release their third album, Weathered. The lead single, "My Sacrifice," finds frontman Scott Stapp reconnecting with his better self, but he continues to battle mental health issues and depression, and the band breaks up in 2004. They return in 2009 to make one last album, Full Circle.
November 16, 2001 Havana's National Theatre debuts Se Seco el Arroyito (The Brooklet Dried Up), a musical written by Cuba's veteran "sonero," Compay Segundo.
November 16, 2001 The city of Palm Springs, California, unveils a statue in its downtown area honoring the late Sonny Bono, half of Sonny and Cher and mayor of the city for a time in the '80s.
November 13, 2001 With the help of Gloria Estefan, Colombian-born songstress Shakira releases her first English-language album, Laundry Service. It features the Top 10 hit "Whenever, Wherever."More
November 7, 2001 Tim McGraw is named Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards held at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House. Toby Keith wins Male Vocalist of the Year and Lee Ann Womack nabs Female Vocalist of the Year.
November 6, 2001 In an early effort at online try-before-you-buy, Virgin Records posts 90-second clips of the songs from Mick Jagger's upcoming album Goddess in the Doorway.
October 31, 2001 Having fully recovered from the flu that forced her to restructure the North American tour in support of her third Jive album, Britney, Britney Spears' tour kicks off in Washington, D.C.
October 29, 2001 Musician/poet Gil Scott-Heron is sentenced to 1-3 years in state prison in a New York court, after failing to appear at an Oct. 1 hearing regarding the mandatory drug rehabilitation required by his plea bargain on an earlier drug possession charge.
October 26, 2001 The science fiction film Donnie Darko, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teen who suffers from hallucinations, premieres in US theaters. The movie features Gary Jules' haunting cover of Tears For Fears' 1982 song "Mad World."More
October 23, 2001 Apple introduces the iPod, an MP3 player that can hold about 1000 songs, making digital music portable. Most users fill their devices with songs ripped from their CD collections or downloaded from file-sharing sites like Napster.
October 23, 2001 Incubus release their fourth album, Morning View, named for Morning View Drive, the road they lived on in Malibu while making it. The lead single is "Wish You Were Here," inspired when lead singer Brandon Boyd was looking out on the Pacific Ocean.
October 23, 2001 Bush release Golden State, a commercially disappointing album. The group goes on hiatus in 2002, returning with the album The Sea of Memories in 2011.
October 20, 2001 Raising money for victims of the September 11th attacks, Paul McCartney leads "The Concert For New York" in Madison Square Garden. Elton John, Billy Joel, David Bowie, The Who, and Eric Clapton all participate.
October 17, 2001 Composer Jay Livingston dies in Los Angeles, California, at age 86. Known for his work with songwriting partner Ray Evans, including the Doris Day hit "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)."
October 16, 2001 Bob Dylan is turned away by security guards at his concert at the Jackson County Exposition Center in Oregon because he doesn't have a credential. The guards are under orders from Dylan's security director not to let anyone through without a pass. "He said no exceptions," explained the venue manager.
October 10, 2001 Under pressure to change their name because of letter attacks using anthrax germs, the metal band Anthrax issues a press release explaining they will not. "In light of current events, we are changing the name of the band to something more friendly, 'Basket Full Of Puppies,'" they state. "Actually, just the fact that we are making jokes about our name sucks."More
September 27, 2001 Singer Jonathan King, best known for his 1965 hit "Everyone's Gone To The Moon," is found guilty of molesting several young boys and sentenced to seven years in prison.
September 25, 2001 The voice of Bob Marley ushers satellite radio onto the air, promising listeners greater variety on the dial - for a price - with the launch of XM Satellite Radio. It is the first worldwide broadcast of a satellite radio station.
September 21, 2001 The benefit concert America: A Tribute To Heroes airs on most major TV networks, raising over $128 million for victims of the September 11 attacks. Performers include Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Tom Petty and Willie Nelson.
September 21, 2001 The film Glitter, starring Mariah Carey as a singer looking to make it big, is released in theaters. Carey earns a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress; her appearances in Precious (2009) and The Butler (2013) get much better receptions.
September 18, 2001 Tori Amos releases Strange Little Girls, a concept album where she sings from the perspective of the female characters in songs written by males, including Eminem's "'97 Bonnie And Clyde," Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold," The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," and The Stranglers' "Strange Little Girl."
September 17, 2001 Lou Dog, beloved mascot of the band Sublime (you can hear him on "Doin' Time"), passes away from old age. After the untimely death of frontman Brad Nowell, who rescued Lou Dog from being chained to a toilet in a yard, he'd spent his remaining years living with Sublime's manager, Miguel Happoldt.
September 14, 2001 Program directors at Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, begin circulating a list of songs that might be considered offensive in light of the September 11 attacks.More
September 11, 2001 Most radio stations simulcast news after terrorists attacks in America bring down the World Trade Center. Music proves vital when the healing begins.More
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