May in Music History This month in 1997, country diva Barbara Mandrell shocked the world by launching her own "Country Sentiments" jewelry line on QVC, which ranged in price from $25 to $125. During this month in 1998, Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page appeared together on "Saturday Night Live," performing their collaboration "Come to Me". In 1964, Chuck Berry started his first U.K. tour in London. In 1959"The Happy Organ" by Dave Cortez topped the charts this month. Ten years later the Turtles played the White House at Tricia Nixon's request. Also during this month in 1969, the 5th Dimension topped the Billboard charts with "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In". In1977, "Hotel California," by the Eagles hit number one. During this month in 1999, Garth Brooks was named artist of the decade by the Academy of Country Music. This month during the previous year, tens of thousands of young fans shut down central Tokyo to alltraffic in an outpouring of grief over the suicide of X-'Japan' guitarist, Hide Matsumoto. One fan followed him in suicide and two others fail in the attempt. In1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in LA. The album, "The Music from Peter Gunn" won a grammy for 'Album of the Year' in 1959. Bushwick Bill of the rap group, The Geto Boys, was shot in the face by his girlfriend this month in 1991. As a result, the four-and-a-half-foot-tall rapper lost one of his eye's, after threatening the woman's 3-month-old son, ...then handing her a loaded .22, and telling her that he wanted to die. In 1968, Jim Morrison incited an audience to riot during a concert in Chicago, then escaped backstage while fans battled with the police. In 1986, drummer Tommy Lee of Motley Crue was married to actress Heather Locklear. This month in 1955 marked the first ever recorded case of Elvis fan frenzy. It happened in Jacksonville, Florida, where Elvis got his clothes ripped off during the concert . Two years later,in 1957, the Everly Brothers made their debut on Grand Old Opry. Ritchie Valens was born this month in 1941. Before his death in a plane crash in 1 959, in which the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly also died, Valens had three hits: "Donna," "La Bamba," and "Come On Let's Go." "La Bamba" repeated as a hit in 1987 when it was covered by Los Lobos. In 1963, Bob Dylan was invited by Ed Sullivan to appear on the show, but refused when Sullivan would not allow him to sing "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues", perhaps because Ed was a member . Also in 1963, Jimmy Soul recorded "If You Wanna Be Happy." It hit No. 1 on the charts, and millions of not very attractive women took heart, In 1964, Motown nailed its first No. 1 Billboard hit with "My Guy" by Mary Wells. In 1967, Archie Bell of the Drells was drafted and sent to Vietnam. In 1968, when "The Tighten Up" hit the number one Billboard slot, Archie was in the hospital recovering from combat wounds. After that, nothing much happened until 1971 when Mick Jagger married Bianca, then everything shut down again until the '90s when Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra and fellow Rat Packer, Sammy Davis Jr. choose this mid month of May to bow out, Davis in 1990 and Sinatra in 1998. In 1999, MP3.com filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its initial public offering. This month in music during 1965, The Beatles went to the top of the pop charts with "Ticket to Ride". The hit is notable for the first appearance of Paul McCartney as lead guitarist on a Fab Four single. This month in 1969 they were there again, this time with "Get Back". In 1966 plum-throated soulman Percy Sledge went to the top with "When a Man Loves a Woman". Michael Bolton's whitebread cover replicated the feat decades later. Ernie K-Doe, a stalwart of the New Orleans R&B scene took his song "Mother-in-Law" to the top of the charts in 1961. In 1960 the number one position was held down by the Everly Brothers' teen angst tune "Cathy's Clown", and way back in 1955, Billboard's top slot went to Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White". The music of the Cuban band leader known as the King of Mambo enjoyed a resurgence with the recent Cuban music boom. It unfortunately arrived too late for him to enjoy. Perez died in Mexico City in 1989. In 1979 Eric Clapton married Patti Boyd, George Harrison's ex-wife,and Paul McCartney, and Mick Jagger performed at the wedding reception. This month two years ago, over twenty oldies acts such as Pat Boone, Jan and Dean, Freddy Fender, and The Grass Roots brought a suit against K-tel International alledging the record label failed to fork over royalties on 27 compilation albums. In 1979 Elton John played Leningrad. He was the first Western solo pop act to tour the USSR. In 1990 a Colorado judge threw out drug and assault charges against gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson following a police raid triggered by a visitor's charge that the writer had assaulted her. This month in 1979 Tom Petty went belly up filing for bankcruptcy protection, partially the result of a dispute with his label. In 1954 little Robert Allen Zimmerman, later to become famous as Bob Dylan, has his bar mitzvah in Brooklyn, New York. This month in 1999 a bomb threat forced the evacuation of the Albert Hall during a Kenny Rogers concert...no bomb was found. Rogers was predictably bummed saying, "I don't understand who benefits from this. It's an unpolitical gathering of people who are out for a night of good fun". In 1968 "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel hit the top of the charts. Beasty Boy Adam Horovitz was busted this month in 1987 for allegedly striking a female fan during a concert in Liverpool. In 1964 eleven boys got suspended from a Coventry, England, school for having hairstyles like Mick Jagger. Seven years later Jagger's band hit the top of the charts with "Brown Sugar." This month in 1962 "Twist and Shout" was released by the Isley Brothers. In 1972, a crowd of teenyboppers flipped out at a David Cassidy concert in London, and by the conclusion, more than 1,000 people required medical attention and a fourteen-year-old girl was killed. In 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (daughter of Elvis) secretly wed in the Dominican Republic. They made it twenty months before she filed for divorce. In 1959, the number one pop hit was "The Battle of New Orleans" performed by Johnny Horton, written by Jimmie Driftwood,and based on a folk fiddle tune, "The Eighth of January." It celebrated the defeat of the British at New Orleans in 1815. The song hit the charts twice more when released by Harpers Bizarre in 1968 and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1974. This month in 1999, British punk revivalist band Manic Street Preachers refused to play a concert marking the opening of Wales parliament because Queen Elizabeth II was present. The Welsh group vowed never to play for the monarchy. In 1968 R&B artist Little Willie John, of "Fever" fame died in prison after being convicted of stabbing a railroad worker two years earlier. BIRTHDAYS May 4: Ed Cassidy of Spirit (1931) Tammy Wynette (1932) Jackie Jackson of the Jackson Five (1951) May 5: Johnnie Taylor (1938) Bill Ward of Black Sabbath (1948) May 6: Peggy Lee (1920) Bob Seger (1945) Mark Ryan of Hootie and the Blowfish (1967) May 7: Theresa Brewer (1931), Janis Ian (1951) May 8: Ricky Nelson (1940) Paul Samwell-Smith of the Yardbirds (1943) Toni Tennille of the Captain and Tennille (1943) Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads (1951) Alex Van Halen (1955) Dave Rowntree of Blur (1964) May 9: Hank Snow (1914) Dave Prater of Sam and Dave (1937) Tommy Roe (1942) Ritchie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco (1944) Billy Joel (1949) Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode (1962) May 10: Donovan born Donovan Leith (1946) Dave Mason (1947) Sly Dunbar of Sly and Robbie (1952) Sid Vicious (1957) Bono (1960) Krist Novoselik of Nirvana (1965) May 11: Irving Berlin (1888) jazz pianist/composer Carla Bley (1938) Eric Burdon you animal (1941) heart throb Les Chadwick of Jerry and the Pacemakers (1943) May 12: Burt Bacharach (1928) singer/songwriter Billy Swan (1942) Ian McLagan of Small Faces (1945) Peter "Overend" Watts (1947) Steve Winwood (1948) May 13: Ritchie Valens (1941) Mary Wells (1943) "Magic" Dick Salwitz of J.Geils (1945) Bassist Danny Klein of J. Geils (1946) Stevie Wonder (1950) Danny Kirwan of Fleetwood Mac (1950) Darius Carlos Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish (1966) May 14: Bobby Darin (1936) Jack Bruce (1943) David Byrne (1952) Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli (1966) Danny Woods of New Kids on the Block (1969) May 15: Eddy Arnold (1918) Trini Lopez (1937) Graham Goble of The Little River Band (1947) Brian Eno (1948) May 16: Liberace (1919) Billy Cobham (1944) Barbara Lee of The Chiffons (1947) Janet Jackson (1966) May 17: Taj Mahal (1942) Jesse Winchester (1944) Bill Bruford of Yes (1948) George Johnson of the Brothers Johnson (1953) Paul Di'Anno of Iron Maiden (1959) new age vocalist Enya Brennan (1961) Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block (1970) May 18: Bluesman Joe Turner (1911) Perry Como (1912) Rick Wakeman (1949) May 19: AC/DC's Phil Rudd (1946) Joey Ramone aka Jeffrey Hyman (1951) May 20: Joe Cocker (1944) Cher aka Cherilyn Sarkesian LaPier (1946) Ultravox's Warren Cann (1952) Jane Weidlin of The Go Go's (1958) Nick Heyard of Haircut 100 (1961) Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Nasher aka Brian Nash (1963) May 21: Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers (1941) The Animals' Hilton Valentine (1943) Leo Sayer (1948) Stan Lynch of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (1955) May 22: Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin (1950) Jerry Dammers aka Gerald Dankin of The Specials (1954) Morrissey aka Steven Patrick Morrissey of The Smiths (1959) May 23: Robert "Bumps" Blackwell (1918) Rosemary Clooney (1928) Robert A. Moog of Moog synth fame (1934) May 24: Robert Allen Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan (1941) Patti LaBelle (1944) Roseanne Cash (1955) May 25: Hal David (1921) Miles Davis (1926) Tom T. Hall (1936) Jessi Colter born Mirriam Johnson (1943) May 26: Levon Helm (1942) Vernon Allen of Mott the Hoople (1944) Stevie Nicks (1948) May 27: Ramsey Lewis (1935) Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees (1957) May 28: T-Bone Walker born Aaron Thibeaux (1910) "Papa" John Creach (1917) Prince Buster (1938) Gladys Knight (1944) John Fogerty (1945) May 29: Gary Brooker (1949) Melissa Etheridge (1961) May 30: Lenny Davidson of the Dave Clark Five (1944) Nicky "Topper" Headon of the Clash (1955) May 31: Peter Yarrow (1938) Mick Ralphs of Bad Company (1944) John Bonham (1947) OBITUARIES: May 4: Paul Butterfield (1987) May 5: Reverend Gary Davis (1972) May 7: Eddie Rabbit (1998) May 8: Leon Thomas (1999), Graham Bond (1974) May 10: Shel Silverstein (1999) May 11: Robert Nesta Marley (1981) May 13: Bob Wills (1975) May 14: Keith Relf of the Yardbirds (1976) jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (1988) Frank Sinatra (1998) May 16: Sammy Davis Jr. (1990) May 17: Lawrence Welk (1992) May 18: Ian Curtis of Joy Division (suicide by hanging 1980) Dub producer/musician Augusto Pablo (1999) May 19: Jazz tenor titan Coleman Hawkins (1969) May 23: Chitlin' Circuit comedienne "Moms" Mabley born Loretta Mary Aiken (1975) May 24: Duke Ellington (1974) The Byrds' co-founder Gene Clark (1991) May 25: Roy Brown (1981) Sonny Boy Williamson II (1965) May 26: Little Willie John (1968) May 28: Mary Lou Williams (1981) May 29: Jeff Buckley (1997) Jimmy Rowles (1996) May 30: John Kahn (1996), Bob Stroup (1996), Sun Ra (1993)