2001 – Country legend Chet Atkins, one of the most influential and widely recorded instrumentalists ever, dies of cancer at his home in Nashville. He is 77.
2001 – Tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson dies after a long bout with emphysema. He is 64.
1998 – Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a.k.a. Big Baby Jesus, a.k.a. Russel Jones is shot in the back while at his girlfriend’s apartment during an attempted robbery. The wounds are deemed superficial, and the Wu-Tang Clan member checks himself out of the hospital a few days later.
1996 – Neil Young premieres his album, “Broken Arrow” via the Internet. The album is slated for release on July 2, two days after its technologically advanced premiere.
1985 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Sussudio,” Phil Collins.
1974 – Greg Allman marries Cher four days after her divorce from Sonny Bono. After nine days, Cher announces she wants another divorce. They separate and divorce about 3 1/2 years later.
1974 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Rock the Boat,” The Hues Corporation.
1966 – The Supremes make the studio recording of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” The song tops Billboard’s Hot 100 for two weeks and R&B singles chart for four weeks.
1952 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Delicado,” Percy Faith Orchestra.
1944 – Vocalist Glenn Shorrock of the Little River Band is born in Rochester, England. LRB has six top 10 hits, the biggest of which is “Reminiscing,” which reaches No. 3 in 1978. Two of the group’s albums, “Sleeper Catcher” and “First Under the Wire,” sell more than 1 million copies.
1943 – Florence Ballard of the Supremes is born in Detroit. She is cut from the group in 1967 following such No. 1 hits as “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.”
1917 – Singer Lena Horne is born in Brooklyn, N.Y. She begins her career as a dancer at Harlem’s Cotton Club. She wins a Grammy as best pop vocal performance (female) for the 1981 album “Lena Horne: The Lady and her Music Live on Broadway.”
This Day in Music
2001 - Country legend Chet Atkins, one of the most influential and widely recorded instrumentalists ever, dies of cancer at his home in Nashville. He is 77.