2006 – Diddy scores his first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 since 1997 with “Press Play.”
2004 – For his enduring influence and contributions to music, Stevie Wonder is named the 2004 recipient of the Billboard Century Award. Wonder follows George Harrison (who received the inaugural award in 1992), Buddy Guy, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana, Chet Atkins, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Randy Newman, John Mellencamp, Annie Lennox and Sting.
2000 – Billy Ray Cyrus lends his support to two causes when his tour bus stops in 16 different locations on Nashville’s Music Row throughout the day to collect food for Second Harvest Food Bank’s Harvest 2000; and later the same night, headlines a concert benefiting the charity.
2000 – Mounds of pending litigation against it notwithstanding, embattled music file-swapping service Napster continues to expand with the release of a Macintosh-friendly version available for download. The new Mac version comes complete with exclusive features such as file search logs, “drag and drop” capability, and a color scheme that matches the hues on Apple’s new iMac models.
1999 – Los Angeles sheriff’s investigators search for Sandra Ann Rosas, the wife of Los Lobos singer-guitarist Cesar Rosas, after finding her van abandoned in La Puente, Calif., and arresting her half-brother, parolee Gabriel Gomez, for investigation of kidnapping.
1998 – R.E.M. plays an exclusive concert for BBC Radio 1 at the Radio Theater at Broadcasting House in London for an audience primarily consisting of fan club members and contest winners.
1995 – British rocker Cliff Richard receives a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. Sir Cliff is reputed to be the favorite singer of the 95-year-old Queen Mother.
1992 – Singer-songwriter Roger Miller dies in Los Angeles of cancer at age 56. The Grammy Award winner had a string of hits, including “England Swings,” “Little Green Apples” and “King of the Road.”
1991 – Rock promoter Bill Graham dies in a helicopter crash after a Huey Lewis concert in Concord, Calif. He was 60. Among the events produced by Graham were the Live Aid concert, Amnesty International tour and US Festival. At times he managed the careers of the Grateful Dead, Van Morrison and Santana.
1988 – Chico and Bobby DeBarge are convicted in Michigan of trafficking cocaine.
1983 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Islands in the Stream,” Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton. The song wins an American Music Award for best country single and is named vocal duet of the year and single record of the year by the Academy of Country Music.
1974 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Then Came You,” Dionne Warwick & the Spinners. The song is the first No. 1 single for both Warwick and the Spinners.
1961 – No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “Runaround Sue,” Dion. The song is the performer’s biggest hit.
1944 – Vocalist Jon Anderson of Yes is born in Lancashire, England.
1941 – Singer Helen Reddy (“Delta Dawn”) is born in Melbourne, Australia.
1912 – Country singer and comedian, Minnie Pearl is born Sarah Ophelia Colley in Centerville, Tenn.
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