2006 – In an upset, Three 6 Mafia takes home the best original song Academy Award at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Drawn from the film “Hustle & Flow,” the group’s It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp also made history as the first rap song ever performed at the event. Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” […]
2005 – Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is presented with his lifetime achievement Grammy award at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival and conference in Austin, Texas. Plant, who was unable to attend February’s Grammy ceremonies in Los Angeles, receives the trophy from Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, who is on hand to […]
2005 – A 24-year-old Los Angeles man is hospitalized after being shot at radio station WQHT’s West Village facility during a live interview with 50 Cent. The victim is said to be a member of the rapper’s entourage.
2003 – Ex-Van Halen wildman David Lee Roth begins a week filling in as a morning DJ on Arrow 93.1 in Los Angeles.
2003 – Hank Ballard, the R&B star who originated the dance hit “The Twist,” dies in L.A. of throat cancer. His age is variously reported as 66 and 75.
2002 – The night before the Grammys, four concerts featuring Don Henley, the Dixie Chicks, No Doubt and Beck are held around Los Angeles to benefit the Recording Artists Coalition. The RAC lobbies for artists’ rights.
2001 – Both R. Kelly and Jagged Edge are double winners at the 15th annual Soul Train Music Awards at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.
2000 – At the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Carlos Santana performs a record-tying sweep at the Grammy’s, winning eight of the ten awards for which he is nominated. Michael Jackson set the record back in 1984 when he won big for “Thriller.”
2000 – Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, and Stevie Wonder gather at a Los Angeles church to honor Curtis Mayfield. The politically conscious composer of “Move On Up” and “Superfly” died in December. Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer best known […]
1999 – Johnny Rotten emcees VH1’s live Grammy coverage – a two-hour pre-show and 30-minute post-show wrap at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
1998 – Stevie Wonder is honored as the 1999 MusiCares Person of the Year. He receives the honor at a special tribute dinner and concert at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
1997 – Bad Boy Entertainment rapper Notorious B.I.G. is killed in a drive-by shooting in the early morning hours outside a party in Los Angeles thrown by two prominent music industry magazines. Police have no suspects.
