More About Music History On This Day
20 May 1995
Don Henley from the Eagles married model Sharon Summerall. Guests included Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, David Crosby, Randy Newman, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Sting and Sheryl Crow.
20 May 1997
Foo Fighters released their second album 'The Colour And The Shape', the album was a Grammy nominee for Best Rock Album in 1998. Even though Foo Fighters are an American band, the word 'Colour' in the album title is always spelled with the British spelling. This was a nod to producer Gil Norton, who is British.
20 May 1997
U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for 'Last Night On Earth'. Apart from major traffic jams, a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.
20 May 1998
The funeral of Frank Sinatra was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Mourners in attendance included Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.
20 May 1998
Tommy Lee from Motley Crue was sentenced to six months jail after being found guilty of spousal abuse.
20 May 1998
Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during a band rehearsal.
20 May 2003
Soul singer James Brown was pardoned for his past crimes in the US state of South Carolina. Brown had served a two-and-a-half-year prison term after an arrest on drug and assault charges in 1988 was granted a pardon by the State Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. Brown, who appeared before the board, sang 'God Bless America' after the decision.
20 May 2005
Kylie Minogue had a cancerous lump removed from her breast at St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The singer had been due to begin the 20-date Australian leg of her current worldwide Showgirl tour in Sydney.
20 May 2006
Heavy metal monsters Lordi became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song Hard Rock Hallelujah won in Athens. The band won the Eurovision public vote after singing their heavy rock anthem dressed in horror costumes.
20 May 2007
Rihanna featuring Jay-Z started a 10 week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Umbrella' which spent 10 consecutive weeks at No.1 in the UK making it the longest running No.1 single since Wet Wet Wet's ‘Love Is All Around'. Rihanna and Jay-Z won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the track.
20 May 2009
Michael Jackson delayed the opening four nights of his 'This Is It' UK tour at London's O2 arena. Concert promoters AEG Live said the delay was necessary because the singer needed more time for dress rehearsals. The first show, on 8 July, was pushed back by five nights. Three other July dates would now not take place until March 2010.
20 May 2011
Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was jailed for six months after being filmed taking crack cocaine by documentary-maker Robyn Whitehead the day before she died of heroin poisoning. A judge told the court that Doherty had an "appalling record" of committing offences, having made 13 other court appearances. Doherty, 32, had pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine.
20 May 2012
Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees and a singer-songwriter who helped to turn disco into a global phenomenon by providing the core of the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, died from cancer aged 62. Bee Gees hits including Massachusetts, I've Gotta Get a Message to You, How Deep Is Your Love and Stayin' Alive, established their pop legacy by placing their falsetto harmonies at the center of the 70s disco boom.
20 May 2013
Ray Manzarek, keyboard player and founder member of the The Doors died aged 74. Manzarek, who had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, with his wife and brothers at his bedside. He formed The Doors with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
20 May 2014
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Bavarian banker credited with turning The Rolling Stones into the world's richest rock band, died at the age of 80. It was on Loewenstein's advice that the Stones became tax exiles, decamping to the South of France in the 1970s. He famously wrote he was "never a fan of the Stones' music".
20 May 2015
The Rolling Stones played a surprise gig at the 1,300-capacity Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles during which they performed the entire Sticky Fingers album. The audience included Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Harry Styles, Leonard Cohen and Patricia Arquette.
20 May 2016
The BPI reported that due to the huge success of artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, One Direction and Adele British artists accounted for one in every six albums sold worldwide in 2015. Adele was the driving force, selling 17.4 million copies of her third album, 25, in just six weeks.
20 May 2021
American drummer Roger Hawkins died age 75. He was best known for playing as part of the studio band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His drumming can be heard on dozens of hit singles, including tracks by Percy Sledge (‘When a Man Loves a Woman’), Aretha Franklin (‘Respect’), Wilson Pickett (‘Mustang Sally’. Hawkins also worked with Duane Allman, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Bonnie Bramlett, Boz Scaggs, Albert King, Traffic, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson.
Don Henley from the Eagles married model Sharon Summerall. Guests included Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, David Crosby, Randy Newman, Jimmy Buffett, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Sting and Sheryl Crow.
20 May 1997
Foo Fighters released their second album 'The Colour And The Shape', the album was a Grammy nominee for Best Rock Album in 1998. Even though Foo Fighters are an American band, the word 'Colour' in the album title is always spelled with the British spelling. This was a nod to producer Gil Norton, who is British.
20 May 1997
U2 caused traffic chaos in Kansas City, Missouri after they paid for traffic control to close down five lanes so they could shoot the video for 'Last Night On Earth'. Apart from major traffic jams, a passing Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window trying to avoid a cameraman.
20 May 1998
The funeral of Frank Sinatra was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Mourners in attendance included Tony Bennett, Faye Dunaway, Tony Curtis, Liza Minnelli, Kirk Douglas, Angie Dickinson, Sophia Loren, Bob Newhart, Mia Farrow and Jack Nicholson.
20 May 1998
Tommy Lee from Motley Crue was sentenced to six months jail after being found guilty of spousal abuse.
20 May 1998
Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward was taken to hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during a band rehearsal.
20 May 2003
Soul singer James Brown was pardoned for his past crimes in the US state of South Carolina. Brown had served a two-and-a-half-year prison term after an arrest on drug and assault charges in 1988 was granted a pardon by the State Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. Brown, who appeared before the board, sang 'God Bless America' after the decision.
20 May 2005
Kylie Minogue had a cancerous lump removed from her breast at St Frances Xavier Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The singer had been due to begin the 20-date Australian leg of her current worldwide Showgirl tour in Sydney.
20 May 2006
Heavy metal monsters Lordi became Finland's first ever Eurovision Song Contest winners after their song Hard Rock Hallelujah won in Athens. The band won the Eurovision public vote after singing their heavy rock anthem dressed in horror costumes.
20 May 2007
Rihanna featuring Jay-Z started a 10 week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Umbrella' which spent 10 consecutive weeks at No.1 in the UK making it the longest running No.1 single since Wet Wet Wet's ‘Love Is All Around'. Rihanna and Jay-Z won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for the track.
20 May 2009
Michael Jackson delayed the opening four nights of his 'This Is It' UK tour at London's O2 arena. Concert promoters AEG Live said the delay was necessary because the singer needed more time for dress rehearsals. The first show, on 8 July, was pushed back by five nights. Three other July dates would now not take place until March 2010.
20 May 2011
Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was jailed for six months after being filmed taking crack cocaine by documentary-maker Robyn Whitehead the day before she died of heroin poisoning. A judge told the court that Doherty had an "appalling record" of committing offences, having made 13 other court appearances. Doherty, 32, had pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine.
20 May 2012
Robin Gibb, one-third of the Bee Gees and a singer-songwriter who helped to turn disco into a global phenomenon by providing the core of the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever, died from cancer aged 62. Bee Gees hits including Massachusetts, I've Gotta Get a Message to You, How Deep Is Your Love and Stayin' Alive, established their pop legacy by placing their falsetto harmonies at the center of the 70s disco boom.
20 May 2013
Ray Manzarek, keyboard player and founder member of the The Doors died aged 74. Manzarek, who had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years, died in a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, with his wife and brothers at his bedside. He formed The Doors with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
20 May 2014
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Bavarian banker credited with turning The Rolling Stones into the world's richest rock band, died at the age of 80. It was on Loewenstein's advice that the Stones became tax exiles, decamping to the South of France in the 1970s. He famously wrote he was "never a fan of the Stones' music".
20 May 2015
The Rolling Stones played a surprise gig at the 1,300-capacity Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles during which they performed the entire Sticky Fingers album. The audience included Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Harry Styles, Leonard Cohen and Patricia Arquette.
20 May 2016
The BPI reported that due to the huge success of artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, One Direction and Adele British artists accounted for one in every six albums sold worldwide in 2015. Adele was the driving force, selling 17.4 million copies of her third album, 25, in just six weeks.
20 May 2021
American drummer Roger Hawkins died age 75. He was best known for playing as part of the studio band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His drumming can be heard on dozens of hit singles, including tracks by Percy Sledge (‘When a Man Loves a Woman’), Aretha Franklin (‘Respect’), Wilson Pickett (‘Mustang Sally’. Hawkins also worked with Duane Allman, Joe Cocker, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Bonnie Bramlett, Boz Scaggs, Albert King, Traffic, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson.
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