This Day In Music - May 14

 This Day In Music - May 14

1936 - Bobby Darin is born Walden Robert Cassotto in East Harlem, New York City. Teenage Nina Cassotto became pregnant out of wedlock and, to avoid scandal, had her mother raise the baby as her own while Nina passed him off as her younger brother. Bobby finds out years later that the woman he knew as his beloved mother was actually his grandmother.

1943 - Derek Leckenby (lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits) is born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

1943 - Jack Bruce (bassist, singer for Cream, Manfred Mann, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) is born in Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

1945 - Gene Cornish (guitarist for The Rascals) is born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

1947 - Al Ciner (guitarist for The American Breed) is born in Chicago, Illinois.

1952 - Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is born in Dumbarton, Scotland.

1956 - Buddy Holly visits his optometrist's office to correct his horrible 20/800 vision with primitive contact lenses, but Buddy hates them, and decides to keep his signature glasses.

1956 - The Platters released their self-titled debut album on Mecury Records.

1959 - David Reyne (Australian Crawl, Chantoozies) was born in Nigeria. https://youtu.be/Avw1ddNHKmE

1959 - Jazz musician Sidney Bechet dies of lung cancer in Garches, France, on his 62nd birthday.

1962 - Ian Astbury (lead vocalist for The Cult) is born in Heswall, Cheshire, England.

1962 - C.C. DeVille (of Poison) is born Bruce Anthony Johannesson in Brooklyn, New York.

1964 - Jan & Dean record "Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)."

1966 - Mike Inez, bass player for Alice In Chains, is born in San Fernando, California.

1966 - Fabrice Morvan is born in Paris, France. Along with Rob Pilatus, he is the face of Milli Vanilli, a duo that is busted for not actually singing on their recordings.

1969 - Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block is born in Boston, Massachusetts.

1971 - Rapper Freaky Tah (of Lost Boyz) is born Raymond Rogers in Queens, New York.

1973 - R&B singer-songwriter Shanice is born Shanice Lorraine Wilson in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1973 - Pop singer Natalie Appleton (of All Saints) is born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

1976 - Keith Relf (lead vocalist for The Yardbirds) dies at age 33 after being electrocuted while playing an improperly grounded guitar in his basement.

1977 - Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" hits #1 in the US.

1998 - Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack in West Hollywood, California, at age 82.

1998 - George Michael pled no contest in the Beverly Hills Municipal Court to committing a lewd act in a park restroom. He was fined $810, given 80 hours of community service, and ordered to undergo counselling.

2015 - B.B. King dies at age 89. Bonnie Raitt says, "Without a doubt, B.B. King has influenced more rock and blues musicians than anyone else in history."

2017 - Johnny Mathis confirms he is gay during an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, saying, "I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco.

2020 - Keith Urban becomes the first major artist to play a drive-in concert in America during the coronavirus pandemic, performing to an audience of health care workers at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee.