March 1st.

1927. Harry Belafonte born Harold George Belafonte in Harlem, New York.

1944. Mike D'Abo born.

1945. Roger Harold Daltrey born in Hammersmith, London.

1946. Tony Ashton (Ashton, Gardner & Dyke / P.A.L.) born in Blackburn, Lancashire.

1958. Nik Kershaw born in Bristol.

1969. Jim Morrison exposes himself on-stage at Dinner Key Auditorium, Miami.It takes several weeks for the police to charge Jim with lewd and lascivious behaviour. When he comes to trial in 1970, he's found guilty and sentenced to six months hard labour. Released pending an appeal, he dies before that comes to court.

1974. Queen open their first headlining tour in Blackpool.

1978. Guitarist, Steve Shears, quits Ultravox!.

1980. Patti Smith marries Fred "Sonic" Smith in Detroit.

1986. Mr. Mister hit the top of the US singles and album charts with "Kyrie" and "Welcome To The Real World".

1993. Tom Waits gets miffed when his classic "Heartattack And Vine" is released as the theme to a jeans ad for Levi's.

1995. R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry collapses during a show at the Patinoire De Malley Auditorium in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is taken to hospital and diagnosed as suffering from a brain haemorrhage.


March 2nd.

1938. Willie Chambers (Chambers Brothers) born in Lee County, Mississippi.

1943. Lou Reed born Louis Firbank in Brooklyn, New York.

1949. Rory Gallagher born in Ballyshannon, Northern Ireland.

1949. Eddie Money born.

1950. Karen Carpenter born in New Haven, Connecticut.

1955. Dale Bozzio (Missing Persons) born.

1962. Jon Bon Jovi born.

1967. Dennis Seaton (Musical Youth) born.

1968. Syd Barrett leaves Pink Floyd only weeks after Dave Gilmour joins.

1969. John Lennon and Yoko Ono take part in an avant-garde jazz concert at Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge.

1974. Television play their first live show at New York's Townhouse Theatre.

1982. David Bowie makes his first appearance as a television actor, starring in "Baal" on BBC-1.

1983. Sony, Philips and Phonogram team up to launch a new recording medium - the Compact Disc.

1996. All five members of Brazil's biggest pop group, Mamonas Assassinas, are killed in a plane crash near Sao Paolo. They had sold nearly 2 million copies of their debut album. Over the next two days more than 100,000 fans visit their hometown of Guarulhos.


March 3rd.

1927. Little Junior Parker born in Arkansas.

1928. Dave Dudley, who wrote "Six Days On The Road", born.

1942. Mike Pender (Searchers) born Mike Prendergast.

1952. Robyn Hitchcock born in East Grinstead, England.

1960. Elvis Presley sets foot on British soil for the only time during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport on his return from two years army service in Germany.

1966. Buffalo Sprigfield formed in Los Angeles. They took their name from a steam roller working on the road outside their communal flat.

1967. The Jeff Beck group play their first live gig at Finsbury Park Astoria, London.

1971. Simon Scott (Slowdive) born in Cambridge, England.

1971. South Africa lifts a five year ban on The Beatles.

1972. Gary Glitter releases his debut single under that name.

1980. The first rock and pop memorabilia sale is held at Sotheby's in London.

1983. A Hell's Angel appearing before a Senate Judiciary Panel reveals that the California Chapter have had a contract out on Mick Jagger since Altamont in 1969. During the fourteen years the Angels have failed at two attempts to kill ol' rubberlips.

1995. R.E.M. drummer, Bill Berry, has emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage in Lausanne, Switzerland. Doctors said that he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm. Surgery to clip the aneurysm was succesful.


March 4th.

1944. Michael Wilson (Mick of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich) born in Salisbury.

1944. Bobby Womack born in Cleveland, Ohio.

1948. Billy Gibbons (Z.Z. Top) born.

1948. Chris Squire (Yes) born in Colindale, London.

1948. Shakin' Stevens born Michael Barrett in Ely, Cardiff.

1950. Emilio Estefan (Miami Sound Machine) born.

1951. Chris Rea born in Middlesburgh, England.

1966. Patrick "Patch" Hannan (Sundays) born.

1968. Patsy Kensit born.

1971. The Rolling Stones announce they're becoming tax exiles and moving to the South of France.

1978. Adrian Wright joins The Human League while keeping up his day job driving an ice cream van round Wakefield.

1979. Mike Patto (Spooky Tooth, Boxer) dies of lymph cancer.

1983. Karen Carpenter dies in Los Angeles aged 32.

1986. Richard Manuel (The Band) hangs himself in a hotel room in Florida.

1989. Debbie Gibson gets her second US number 1. This one's a first - the first time a teenager has ever written, performed and produced a chart topper.

1993. Raga star Shaba Ranks gets that evening's appearance on the US TV "Tonight" show cancelled after making anti-gay statements on Channel 4's "The Word".

1994. Kurt Cobain is rushed to a hospital in Rome. A slight binge on booze and drugs has put him into a coma.

1995. Pantera front-man Phil Anselmo tells an audience at Montreal's Verdun Auditorium that rap music advocates the killing of white people.


March 5th.

1929. Blues singer J.B. Lenoir (J.B. weren't initials but his real name) born in Montecello, Mississippi.

1939. Tommy Tucker, the R+B man who wrote "High Heel Sneekers", born Robert Higgenbottom in Springfield, Ohio.

1945. James Lowe (Electric Prunes) born in San Luis Obispo, U.S.A.

1948. Eddy Grant (Equals) born Edmond Montague Grant in Plaisance, Guyana.

1952. Alan Clark (Dire Straits) born in Durham.

1957. Mark Smith (The Fall) born Salford, Manchester.

1960. Elvis Presley is discharged from his two years army service at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

1963. Country singer, Patsy Cline dies in a plane crash at Dyersburg, Virginia with fellow stars Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins. They were travelling to Nashville to appear at a benefit concert for DJ "Cactus" Jack Call, who'd died in a car crash.

1965. David Bowie brings out his second single, "I Pity The Fool", under the name of The Mannish Boys.

1995. Vivian Stanshall dies, in a fire at his Muswell Hill flat, aged 52.


March 6th.

1936. Sylvia Robinson born Sylvia Vanderpool in New York. She had a series of hits in the 'fifties with Micky Baker as Mikie and Sylvia before forming All Platinum Records in the 'sixties and Sugarhill in the 'seventies.

1944. Micky Jupp born in Worthing, Sussex.

1944. Mary Wilson (Supremes) born in Greenville, Missouri.

1947. Kiki Dee born Pauline Matthews in Bradford, Yorkshire.

1947. David Gilmour born in Cambridge.

1968. Sandie Shaw marries fashion designer Jeff Banks.

1970. Charles Manson, serving life in prison, releases his much bootlegged "cult" album "The Lie" to help pay legal expenses.

1972. John Lennon has his visa extension for the U.S. revoked. It had been granted only five days before.


March 7th.

1934. Sax player, King Curtis born Curtis Ousley in Fort Worth, Texas.

1943. Producer and ex-Zombie, Chris White born.

1946. Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) born Croydon, Surrey.

1946. Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band) born Peter Blankfield in New York.

1952. First edition of New Musical Express published.

1963. Country singer, Jack Anglin, dies in a car crash on his way to Patsy Cline's funeral.

1973. John Hammond, the CBS executive creditted with "discovering" Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen has his third heart attack at a showcase for Bruce.

1976. Elton John has a wax dummy unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in London.

1986. Superstar pop duo, Wham! announce they are to split.

1995. Producer Dave Jordan dies of a heart attack in a Paris hotel. He started as an engineer in the seventies working for act like Bob Marley and the Rolling Stones and went on to produce The Specials and The Pogues.


March 8th.

1945. Mickey Dolenz (ex Circus Boy star and Monkees' drummer) born in Los Angeles.

1947. Randy Meisner (Eagles) born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

1948. Mel Galley (Whitesnake) born.

1948. Little Peggy March who had a hit with 'sixties teen anthem "I Will Follow Him" born.

1955. Cheryl Baker (Bucks Fizz) born in Bethnal Green, London.

1958. Pauline Murray (Penetration) born in Durham.

1958. Gary Numan born Gary Webb in Hammersmith, London.

1963. A son, Julian, is born to John and Cynthia Lennon.

1963. Patsy Cline's funeral.

1965. During a Rolling Stones concert at Manchester's Palace Theatre, a girl falls from the dress circle. Her fall is broken by fans below and she escapes with a few broken teeth.

1973. Rod "Pigpen" McKernan, (Grateful Dead) dies of alcohol poisoning at his home in Corte Madera, California.

1973. Paul McCartney is fined £ 100 for growing marijuana at his farm on the Mull of Kintyre.

1974. Bad Company start their first UK tour at Newcastle City Hall.

1995. A mass brawl breaks out after Shampoo's gig at London's Hanover Grand. Menswear, Pulp and Carrie from Shampoo are all involved. The fracas seems to have been started by Menswear singer Chris who was described as being "pissed and lippy".


March 9th.

1933. R&B singer, Lloyd Price (best known for his rendering of "Stagerlee") born in New Orleans.

1942. John Cale born in Garnant, Wales.

1942. Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere of Paul Revere and The Raiders) born in Eugene, Oregon.

1945. Robin Trower born in London.

1946. Jim Cregan (Cockney Rebel, Rod Stewart band) born Yeovil, Somerset.

1949. Trevor Burton (Move, Balls) born in Birmingham, England.

1958. Martin Fry (ABC) born.

1967. Brian Jones enters hospital with a respiratory complaint.

1972. A benefit concert is held for beaten presidential candidate George McGovern to help pay his campaign debts after being beaten by Richard Nixon. Quincy Jones, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand and James Taylor play while Carly Simon, Mama Cass and other stars act as ushers.

1972. Allen Klein presents UNICEF with a cheque for more than a million dollars raised by royalty payments from "The Concert For Bangladesh" album. A shortfall of millions leads to Klein being investigated.

1977. The Sex Pistols sign to A&M Records at the offices of Rondor Music in London prior to their publicity stunt contract signing of the next day.


March 10th.

1929. Tex Mex legend, Huey Meaux, born in Kaplan, Louisiana.

1940. Dean Torrance (Jan And Dean) born in Los Angeles.

1947. Tom Scholtz (Boston) born in Toledo, Ohio.

1960. Record Retailer (later to become Music Week) publishes the first UK album chart.

1971. At a High Court hearing in London, a receiver is appointed to handle the affairs of the Beatles and their ailing company, Apple.

1977. The Sex Pistols sign to A&M Records at a table outside Buckingham Palace. The real signing had taken place the previous day but was repeated here for the cameras.


March 11th.

1940. Mike Hugg (Manfred Mann) born in Andover, Hampshire.

1947. Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) born in New Jersey.

1955. Flinto (Jimmy The Hoover) born.

1961. Mike Percy (Dead Or Alive) born.

1961. Bruce Watson (Big Country) born in Ontario, Canada.

1967. Beatles' music publisher, Dick James, announces that 446 different versions of "Yesterday" have been recorded so far.

1970. Jean-Luc Goddard's film, "One Plus One" opens in the U.S. It features snippets of the Stones recording "Sympathy For The Devil" but producers soon add more recording footage and change the film's name to that of the song against Goddard's wishes.

1977. All-girl punk band, The Slits, play their first live gig supporting The Clash at London's Harlesden Coliseum.

1977. Bob Andrews, bass player with Generation X, is taken to hospital to have his head stitched after being hit by a beer glass at a gig in Leicester University.


March 12th.

1933. Mike Stoller, the musical half of the Leeber and Stoller partnership, born in Belle Harbour, Long Island.

1939. Neil Sedaka born in Brooklyn, New York.

1942. Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane) born in San Francisco.

1948. Les Holroyd (Barclay James Harvest) born in Oldham, Manchester.

1949. Bill Payne (Little Feat) born in Waco, Texas.

1953. Rufus Thomas signs to Sun Records and goes straight into the studio to record "Bear Cat", his reply to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog".

1957. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) born.

1957. Marlon Jackson (Jackson 5, The Jacksons) born.

1966. Coleen Nolan (The Nolans) born.

1969. Graham Coxon (Blur) born in West Germany.


March 13th.

1926. The Savoy Ballroom opens at 596 Lennox Avenue, Harlem. Dance crazes like The Lindy Hop and The Jive all started there.

1948. James Taylor born in Boston, Mass.

1955. Jazz saxaphone legend, Charlie "Bird" Parker dies in New York, aged 33. The death certificate gave lobar pneumonia as the cause of death. The post mortem gave four possible causes - pneumonia, a heart attack, burst stomach ulcers and cirrhosis of the liver

1960. Adam Clayton (U2) born in Chinnor, Oxfordshire.

1969. Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman at Marylebone Registry Office in London. While that was happening, police were raiding George Harrison's house. They found 120 cannabis joints and arrested George and his wife, Patti.

1974. John Lennon and Harry Nilsson are thrown out of the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles after creating a disturbance during the Smothers Brothers performance.

1993. Radio One's "Top 40 Chart Show" fouls up. Gallup, who compile the chart get 20 of the forty placings wrong.


March 14th.

1931. Phil Philips, singer of the 1959 cajun hit, "Sea Of Love", born Philip John Baptiste in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

1933. Quincy Jones born.

1947. Jona Lewie born in Southampton.

1947. Peter Skellern born.

1949. Ollie Halsall (Patto, Kevin Ayers) born in Southport, Merseyside.

1971. The Rolling Stones play the first of two farewell shows at London's Chalk Farm Roundhouse prior to going into tax exile in the South of France.

1972. Soul singer, Linda Jones, dies in New York after collapsing into a diabetic coma following a performance at Harlem's Apollo Thetare.


March 15th.

1912. Bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins born in Leon County, Texas.

1940. Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) born Philip Chapman in Berkeley, California.

1941. Mike Love (Beach Boys) born in Baldwin Hills, California.

1944. Sly Stone born Sylvester Stewart in Dallas, Texas.

1946. Howard Scott (War) born in San Pedro, California.

1947. Ry Cooder born Ryland Peter Cooder in Los Angeles.

1947. Hernandez Lugo (? & The Mysterians) born in Weslaco, Texas.

1955. Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) born Daniel Snider in Long Island, New York.

1962. Terence Trent D'Arby born in Manhattan, New York.

1968. The Beatles release "Lady Madonna".

1980. The Clash movie, "Rude Boy" opens at London's Prince Charles Cinema.


March 16th.

1964. The Beatles set a new record for advance sales in the U.S. with 2,100,000 copies of "Can't Buy Me Love".

1968. Tammi Terrell (Montgomery) dies of a brain tumour after collapsing into Marvin Gaye's arms onstage during a duet of "That's All You Need To Get By".

1975. T-Bone Walker, the R&B guitarist, dies in Los Angeles, aged 65.

1976. R&B singer, Arthur Gunter (writer of "Let's Play House") dies.

1977. A week after signing for A&M Records, The Sex Pistols are dropped with £ 40,000 severance pay. Next stop - Virgin Records.

1979. Elvis Costello gets involved in a brawl at The Holiday Inn, Columbus, Ohio. Young Elvis makes some off-the-cuff remark while having a drink with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett. Bramlett slaps Elvis and then leaks the story that E.C. had made some racist remark. An outcry follows. A New York press conference, later, does little to clear up what actually happened.

1989. Happy Mondays percussionist, Bez, is arrested on the tarmac at Manchester Airport moments before boarding a flight to Belfast for a gig at the Limelight Club. He is arrested for trying to leave the country, breaking bail conditions set after a previous arrest. He appears in court the following week.

1995. Rapper T-Bone of Da Lench Mob is aquitted of murder charges in a Los Angeles court. He has protested throughout that he was a victim of mistaken identity in the shooting of two people in a bowling alley in February 1994.


March 17th.

1944. John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful) born in New York.

1946. Harold Brown (War) born in Long Beach, California.

1947. Ian Gomm (Brinsley Schwarz) born Ealing, West London.

1948. Pat Lloyd (Equals) born in London.

1950. WDIA-Memphis becomes the first black radio station in the southern U.S.

1951. Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy) born.

1954. Wally Stocker (The Babys) born.

1959. Mike Lindup (Level 42) born.

1962. Blues Incorporated open their own club - The Ealing Club.

1962. Claire Patricia Grogan (Altered Images) born.

1967. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) born.

1972. Irish band, Horslips, celebrate St. Patick's Day by turning professional.

1979. Zenon Le Fleur (Hierowski), guitarist with The Bishops, dies of injuries received in a car crash on March 9th.

1979. Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass crashes his Rolls Royce into a tree and is hospitalised. He is described as being in a "paralysed and critical" condition.

1979. Bill Tinsley of WATN Radio, Watertown, New York starts the longest ever non-DJ continuous radio broadcast. He doesn't finish until March 31st, 336 hours later.


March 18th.

1941. Soul singer Wilson Pickett born in Pratville, Alabama.

1950. John Hartman (Doobie Brothers) born in Falls Church, Virginia.

1965. After a show at the ABC, Romford, The Rolling Stones are taken short and are caught urinating against the wall of filling station in Statford. They eventually appear in court and are each fined £ 5. Keith later says that if it hadn't been for Bill, they would never have been caught but once Bill starts, he can't stop.

1968. Charlie Watts' daughter, Serafina is born.

1970. Country Joe McDonald is fined $ 350 dollars after shouting "Fuck!" at the end of "The Fish Cheer" at a gig in Massachusetts. The statute used to convict him dates from 1783.

1970. Ex-Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, starts Immediate Records.

1972. T. Rex and their fans are filmed (at Wembley during the height of Marc mania) by Ringo Starr for the film 'Born To Boogie'.

1973. Paul McCartney and Wings play a benefit gig for the drug charity, Release at London's Hard Rock Cafe.

1976. "The Man Who Fell To Earth" is premiered at London's Leicester Square Theatre. Although many stars and Angie appear, David Bowie is struggling with a U.S. tour and severe flu.

1977. The Clash release their first single on an unsuspecting world - "White Riot".


March 19th.

1937. Clarence "Frogman" Henry born in Algiers, New Orleans.

1946. Paul Atkinson (Zombies) born Cuffley, Herts.

1952. Derek Longmuir (Bay City Rollers) born in Edinburgh.

1953. Ricky Wilson (The B-52s) born.

1959. Terry Hall (Specials, Fun Boy Three) born in Coventry.

1974. Harry Womack, co-writer of "It's All Over Now" is stabbed to death in his brother Bobby's apartment.

1976. Paul Kossoff suffers a heart attack on a plane from Los Angeles to New York. He'd had one before that had "killed" him but been brought back to life. This time there was no such luck.

1980. Shelby County Court issues a subpoenae for Elvis Presley's autopsy report during an investigation into Dr. George Nichopoulos.

1982. Randy Rhoads gets himself killed after "borrowing" a plane to buzz the tour bus while on the road with Ozzie Osbourne. En-route for a gig in Florida, he clips the bus with a wing and crashes into a house.


March 20th.

1937. Jerry Reid born in Atlanta, Georgia.

1951. Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster, E.L.P.) born in Birmingham.

1951. Jimmy Vaughan (Fabulous Thunderbirds) born.

1960. Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) born Jim McDonnell.

1960. Elvis Presley gets back into a recording studio for the first time since leaving the U.S. Army. Among the six tracks he cuts over two days is "Mess Of Blues".

1963. Brian Nash (Frankie Goes To Hollywood) born.

1969. John Lennon and Yoko Ono get married in Gibraltar.

1970. David Bowie marries Angela Barnett at Bromley Registry Office.

1971. Janis Joplin has a posthumous number one in the U.S. with "Me And Bobby McGhee".

1973. The New York Dolls are signed to Mercury Records by A&R maan, Paul Nelson. He has seen the band live more than eighty times and decides to take a chance with them.

1982. Mari Wilson has to alter her backing group's name from Imagination to the Wilsations to avoid confusion with the soul group, Imagination.

1993. Dinosaur Jnr. front man, J. Mascis, announces a sabbatical from the band while he tries to recover from tendonitis.

1993. Harry Connick Jnr. releases an album called 11, recorded in 1978 when he was actually 11.


March 21st.

1912. Lightning Hopkins, the legendary blues man, born in Leon County, Texas.

1943. Vivian Stanshall born Shillingford, Oxfordshire.

1945. Rosemary Stone (Sly & the Family Stone) born Rosemary Stewart.

1946. Mungo Jerry born Ray Dorset in Ashford, Kent.

1950. Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) born in Portsmouth.

1961. The Beatles play Liverpool's Cavern Club for the first time as guests of the Bluegenes (later to become The Swinging Blue Jeans).

1962. Janet Gardner (Vixen) born in Alaska.

1969. John and Yoko start their "Bed-In For Peace" at the Amsterdam Hilton.

1970. The Beatles break all records when "Let It Be" enters Billboard's Hot 100 at number 6, the highest new entry ever.

1970. Blues pianist Otis Spann dies in Chicago, Illinois, aged 40.

1976. David Bowie, Iggy Pop and two friends are arrested and charged with possession of eight ounces of marijuana found in Bowie's room at the Americana Hotel in Rochester, New York. They are released on bail of $ 2,000 each, which Bowie pays.

1980. The Jam's "Going Underground" enters the UK chart at number one. The first record to do so since Gary Glitter's "I Love You Love" in November 1973.

1980. Hugh Cornwell (the Stranglers) loses his appeal against a drug conviction and is sent to Pentonville prison.

1994. A giant orange fish flying over London turns out to be a painted airship involved in a promo stunt to publicise Pink Floyd's new album "The Division Bell".

1997. Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) is cleared of possessing an offensive weapon at Uxbridge magistrates court. The case follows a charge that she tried to board a jet at London's Heathrow Airport with a banned butterfly knife, on November 15th 1996.

1997. Phil Spector wins a legal battle over the U.K. copyright to the music and lyrics of his first number one hit, "To Know Him Is To Love Him". Copyright had been assigned to a British company, Bourne Music Ltd. but Spector claimed that the assignment had expired in 1986. The High Court in London agreed.


March 22nd.

1943. Keith Relf (The Yardbirds) born in Richmond, Surrey.

1944. Jeremy Clyde (Chad and Jeremy) born.

1944. Tony McPhee (Groundhogs) born in Lincolnshire, England.

1947. Patrick Olive (Hot Chocolate) born.

1947. Harry Vanda (Easybeats) born Harold Vandan in Holland.

1956. Carl Perkins is involved in a car crash on his way from a recording session in Memphis to a TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan show to promote "Blue Suede Shoes". His brother, Jay is killed in the crash but although Carl receives only minor injuries he never seems to recover his momentum and his career which was at its peak, with "Blue Suede Shoes", slumps.

1958. Pete Wylie (Wah!) born in Liverpool.


March 23rd.

1943. George Benson born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1949. Ric Ocasek (The Cars) born Richard Otcasek in Baltimore.

1953. Chaka Khan born Yvette Marie Stevens in Great Lakes, Illinois.

1961. Mik Sweeney (Classix Nouveau) born.

1964. John Lennon wins Foyle's literary prize for his debut book, "In His Own Write" published that day. His acceptance speech is "Thank You Very Much, You've Got A Lucky Face".

1964. The Beatles are voted "Most Outstanding Beat Group" in the dance industry's Carl Allan awards.

1964. Julian Swales (Kitchens Of Distinction) born in Gwent, Wales.

1966. Marti Pellow (Wet Wet Wet) born Mark McLoughlin in Clydebank, Scotland.

1968. Damon Albarn (Blur) born in Whitechapel, London.

1980. A gunman holds up the New York offices of Elektra/Asylum Records, demanding to speak to Jackson Browne and The Eagles. When it's explained to him that both acts live in Calafornia, he surrenders.


March 24th.

1946. Lee Oskar (War) born in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1947. Mike Kellie (Spooky Tooth) born in Birmingham.

1951. Dougie Thompson (Supertramp) born in Glasgow.

1958. Elvis Presley is inducted into the U.S. army in Memphis.

1964. For the first time, The New Musical Express chart features an all British top 10.

1970. Pacemaster Mace (De La Soul) born Vincent Mason.

1973. Judge Ira Fieldsteel rules that John Lennon has 60 days to leave the U.S.A. or face deportation. Lennon appeals.

1973. Lou Reed is bitten on the backside by a fan who attacks him onstage during a concert in Buffalo.


March 25th.

1932. Hoyt Axton born in Comanche, Oklahaoma.

1942. Aretha Franklin born in Memphis.

1947. Elton John born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex.

1949. Nick Lowe born Woodbridge, Suffolk.

1960. Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet) born.

1976. Duster Bennett dies in a car crash.

1976. David Bowie appears in court in Rochester, New York following his arrest on 21st March. The case is adjourned, only to be dropped a year later.

1980. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" has its 303rd week on the Billboard charts beating the previous record holder, Carole King's "Tapestry" by one week.

1980. The Police play the first rock concert in India for ten years.


March 26th.

1936. Fred Parris (The Five Satins) born in New Haven, Connecticut.

1944. Diana Ross born in Detroit.

1948. Steve Tyler (Aerosmith) born Steven Tallarico in New York.

1949. Fran Sheehan (Boston) born in Boston.

1950. Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass born in Philadelphia.

1953. William Lyall (Pilot) born in Edinburgh.

1955. Martin Price (808 State) born.

1968. Little Willie John, the R&B star of the 'fifties dies in Walla Walla Prison, Washington, seven years into a sentence for killing a man in a street fight.

1970. Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary admits "taking immoral liberties" with a fourteen year old girl in Washington D.C.

1972. Mott The Hoople announce they're splitting up. On hearing the news, David Bowie lends a hand with "All The Young Dudes" and their career takes off.

1994. MC Fusion of Credit To The Nation receives death threats on the eve of the band's debut album. Probably just a publicity stunt.


March 27th.

1950. Tony Banks (Genesis) born East Heathley, Sussex.

1952. Sun Records releases its first single, "Drivin' Slow" by Johnny London.

1957. Billy MacKenzie (The Associates) born in Dundee, Scotland.

1959. Andrew Farriss (INXS) born.

1964. Clark Datchler (Johnny Hates Jazz) born Sutton, Surrey.

1964. Six Beatles singles in the Australian Top 10.

1966. P.J. Proby is ordered offstage in Hereford after being described as "disgusting and obscene".

1972. Elvis Presley records "Burning Love" at his first studio session with his seventies stage band.

1979. Eric Clapton marries Patti Harrison (nee Boyd) in Tucson, Arizona.

1979. Toyah's first gig at Dingwalls, London.

1995. Eazy-E dies from Aids. Shortly before his death he marries Tomika Woods and changes his will to pass his estate to her.


March 28th.

1934. Johnny Burnette born in Memphis, Tennessee.

1945. Chuck Portz (Turtles) born in Santa Monica, California.

1948. John Evan (Jethro Tull) born.

1964. Radio Caroline, the UK's first offshore pirate radio station goes on air.

1974. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup dies, aged 69, in poverty at North Hampton Accomac Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox, Virginia.

1986. Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) is hit by a taxi while getting into a car in London's Westbourne Grove. He is thrown into the air and left unconscious on the pavement. At hospital he's found to have a broken arm, facial cuts that required stitches and damaged ligaments in one leg. He is operated on that weekend and has his arm and leg plastered for ten weeks. Tours of Germany and France are cancelled.

1995. Mike Kline, business director, and co-owner, of Ruthless Records files a suit against Tomika Woods, wife of Eazy-E and two lawyers claiming that Eazy-E was forced into signing over his share of Ruthless "while in a debilitated state and under medication" on his death-bed.


March 29th.

1943. Vangelis Papathanasiou born Valos, Greece.

1945. Speedy Keen (Thunderclap Newman) born Ealing, West London.

1947. Bobby Kimball (Toto) born Robert Toteaux in Vinton, Louisiana.

1978. David Bowie opens his "Low" tour in San Diego.

1980. Singer songwriter Ron Selle sues the Bee Gees claiming "How Deep Is Your Love" had been written by him.

1993. Suede release their debut album. It becomes the fastest selling debut since Frankie Goes To Hollywood's.


March 30th.

1914. Sonny Boy Williamson born John Lee Williamson in Jackson, Tennessee.

1933. Willie Nelson born in Texas.

1942. Graeme Edge (Moody Blues) born Rochester, Staffordshire.

1945. Eric Clapton born in Ripley, Surrey.

1948. Jim Dandy (Black Oak Arkansas) born James Mangrum in Black Oak, Arkansas ...where else!

1956. Elvis Presley's first UK single, "Heartbreak Hotel", released by HMV.

1968. David Bowie appears for the last time as a member of the Lindsay Kemp mime troupe in "Pierrot In Turquoise" at the Intimate Theatre, Palmers Green, London.

1974. The Ramones make their live debut at The Performance Studio on E.23rd Street in New York.

1976. The Sex Pistols make their debut at the 100 Club in London.

1978. Paul Simenon and Topper Headon of The Clash are arrested outside their London studio after they are spotted firing guns by a passing police helicopter. They were passing time by shooting pigeons with air guns.

1980 Bob Dylan gets a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocalist.


March 31th.

1912. Lightning Hopkins, the legendary blues man, born in Leon County, Texas.

1937. Herb Alpert, jazz trumpeter and co-founder of A&M Records, born in Los Angeles.

1944. Rod Allen (Fortunes) born in Leicester.

1946. Al Nichol (Turtles) born in Winston Salem, New Conneticut.

1948. Mick Ralphs (Mott The Hoople) born in Hereford.

1950. Dave Ball (Procol Harum) born.

1954. Tony Brock (The Babys) born.

1959. Angus Young (AC/DC) born in Glasgow.

1964. The Beatles hold the top 5 places in the Billboard singles chart.

1967. Jimi Hendrix sets fire to a guitar for the first time at Finsbury Park Astoria in London.

1969. George Harrison and his wife Patti are both fined £ 250 following a raid on their house earlier in the month.

1969. John and Yoko's film, "Rape" is given its world premiere on Austrian TV. They give a press conference that day in a bag at Vienna's Sacher Hotel.

1980. EMI Records reports a loss of £ 2,800,000 for the financial year.

1986. O'Kelly Isley, oldest of The Isley Brothers dies of a heart attack at his home in Alpine, New Jersey.

1995. Jimmy Page escapes being knifed when a fan rushes the stage at a Page and Plant gig at Auburn Hills, Michigan. Lance Cunningham (23) is stopped by two security guards, so he knifes them instead. After his arrest, he tells police that he "wanted to off Page" because of the "Satanic music" he was playing.

1995. Pop Will Eat Itself get carried away during a performance of "Ich Bin Ein Auslander" on Irish TV's "The Late Show" and cause £ 1,000 worth of damage to the studio and equipment. They claim it is the result of an afternoon of tension between the band and the show's production staff. At one point they are asked to leave the hospitality suite for making too much noise. Drag-comedy artiste, Lily Savage threatens to punch one band member if he doesn't shut up. A spokesman for the band later apologises to RTE.