2001 – BBC producer John Walters died aged 63. Walters produced and worked with Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who teamed up with Walters to broadcast some of the most groundbreaking music of an era. He joined the BBC in 1967, and became producer on John Peel’s Top Gear show two years later. Walters played […]
2003 – The Dixie Chicks’ tour bus is accidentally rear-ended by a pick-up truck near Babcock, Texas. The only Chick on board, Emily Robison, escapes unscathed.
2003 – Death Row founder Suge Knight is sentenced to 10 months in prison after being found guilty by his parole board of punching a parking valet.
2003 – The Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson reprises his role as Billy Flynn in the stage production of “Chicago” when he joins the show’s U.S. touring company for its Aug. 5-24 stay at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre. Richardson first played the part earlier this year as a member of the Broadway cast.
2003 – Pioneering producer and indie-label operator Sam Phillips dies in Memphis of respiratory failure. He is 80. In the early ’50s, Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service (later known as Sun Studio) cut and leased major blues and R&B recordings by Elvis Presley, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Ike Turner and others.
2003 – More than 450,000 fans turned out in Toronto for the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto benefit at Downsview Park, aimed at boosting the city’s sagging economy in the wake of the SARS virus. “I think it’s the biggest crowd we’ve ever played to, so it is a fantastic buzz,” Rolling Stones frontman Mick […]
2003 – Iron Maiden drummer Michael “Nicko” McBrain is arrested and charged with assault after hitting a parking attendant with his car, according to reports. The incident occurs backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y., where the band is performing that night.
2003 – French singer Bertrand Cantat, frontman of rock band Noir Desir, is named as a suspect following an injury to his partner, actress Marie Trintignant. Cantat, 36, is alleged to have assaulted Trintignant, 41, during an argument while he is under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. During the dispute, Trintignant reportedly fell […]
2003 – The Rolling Stones headline a one-day festival in Toronto to revive the city’s tourism industry following an outbreak of the SARS virus. Other performers include AC/DC, Rush and Justin Timberlake. An estimated 450,000 people attend.
2003 – BMG’s parent company Bertelsmann approaches the European Commission to seek approval for a merger with Warners. If okayed, the new conglomerate would be the largest record company in the world, with a roster including Madonna, Dave Matthews and Justin Timberlake.
2003 – The Strokes-mania hits Japan as the New York band arrive for their “comeback” at the Summer Sonic festival. Fans eagerly await hearing the first new material since the acclaimed Is This It debut.
2003 – Police issue a warrant for Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s arrest after he allegedly attacks a prostitute at Nevada’s Moonlite Bunny Ranch.
