| 86 years ago (1933) | Tossin’ and Turnin’ singer Bobby Lewis is born. |
| 77 years ago (1942) | Singer Gene Pitney is born. |
| 59 years ago (1960) | Elvis Presley receives his first gold album, for Elvis. The LP includes Rip it Up, Old Shep, When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again, Paralyzed and Ready Teddy. |
| 53 years ago (1966) | Sergeant Barry Sadler receives two gold-record awards on this day: for the single The Ballad of the Green Berets and the album Ballads of the Green Berets. The single won't hit #1 on the pop chart until the first part of next month. |
| 49 years ago (1970) | Timothy Mahoney of 311 is born. |
| 49 years ago (1970) | Joni Mitchell announces her retirement from live performances after her show at London's Royal Albert Hall. It is premature as within a year she is back on stage. |
| 48 years ago (1971) | James Taylor makes his prime-time television debut on the Johnny Cash Show, singing Fire and Rain and Carolina on My Mind. |
| 48 years ago (1971) | Elton John's self-titled U.S. debut goes gold. His first U.K. LP, Empty Sky is not issued in the States until 1975, by which time John has become a rock star of the first magnitude. He arrived in the States under much publicity in the summer of '70 and was hailed by Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times as the first Superstar of the Seventies. Elton John hit #4. |
| 47 years ago (1972) | Green Day singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong is born. |
| 47 years ago (1972) | Jonathan Edwards is awarded a gold record for Sunshine, the lone hit for the Virginia folkie. He handles his brief fame in typical laid-back fashion. Instead of buying himself a fancy Porsche, he got himself a fancy truck. |
| 47 years ago (1972) | Pink Floyd begins a 4-night stand at London's Rainbow Theater during which they premiere The Dark Side of the Moon a full year before it's released as an album. |
| 44 years ago (1975) | John Lennon releases Rock n' Roll, his final record before a self-imposed five year exile from the music business. It reaches #6 on the chart and doesn't stay for long, falling fast. |
| 43 years ago (1976) | Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatrical society gives its annual Women of the Year award to Bette Midler. Upon accepting, she comments: “This award characterizes what the American male wants in a woman--brains, talents, and gorgeous tits.” |
| 43 years ago (1976) | The Eagles release their Greatest Hits album. |
| 37 years ago (1982) | Jazz great Thelonious Monk dies after a long illness. He was 64 years old. |
| 37 years ago (1982) | Today is the 29th anniversary of talk show The Joe Franklin Show being on the air in New York City. The J. Geils Band make an appearance on the show to celebrate their #1 single Centerfold and #1 LP Freeze Frame. |
| 31 years ago (1988) | A 12-year old Mötley Crüe fan from Hollywood, Florida set his legs on fire while trying to imitate a stunt in the group's Live Wire video. The boy suffered burns over ten percent of his body. Mötley Crüe issued a statement saying the band’s stunts should not be tried at home. |
| 30 years ago (1989) | Whitesnake’s David Coverdale marries Tawny Kitaen in Bel Air. |
| 29 years ago (1990) | Aerosmith appears on Saturday Night Live where they perform a version of the Wayne’s World theme song during a skit in which they appeared as themselves. |
| 14 years ago (2005) | Tonight Show host Jay Leno is subpoenaed to appear as a witness in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. The jury acquits Michael of all charges nearly four months later. |
| 13 years ago (2006) | Techno music pioneer Kevin Saunderson says he's still about $2,650,000 in debt from last year’s Detroit electronic music festival, and he won't be back this Memorial Day to produce it again. |