THE WEEK AHEAD IN MUSIC
Events
In 1955, Savoy Records announced that those wanting to record "cover" versions of songs must obtain permission from the U.S. copyright office before doing so. This was in response to the vast amount of pop hits of the day which were remakes, particularly of R&B hits, which were being recorded with no permission at all.
In 1955, Bill Haley filed a lawsuit against David Miller of Essex Records claiming the recordings were of "inferior quality to the plaintiff's current releases".
In 1957, the Everly Brothers premiered "Wake Up Little Susie" during an appearance on the "Ed Sullivan Show."
In 1959, the beginning of the end of the Platters' career began when members Tony Williams, David Lynch, Alex Hodge and Paul Rabi were all arrested in a hotel in Cincinnati. Detectives found the four black men in various stages of undress with four nineteen year old women, three of whom were white, after a tip-off from an employee of the hotel.
The men were charged with aiding and abetting prostitution, lewdness and assignation. They were all acquitted in December of the same year but the episode, which many suggest was fueled by racism, took its toll on the Platters' career.
In 1961, the Beatles began their two-year, more than 300 show, residency at Liverpool's Cavern Club.
In 1963, Eric Clapton quit The Roosters and formed Casey Jones And The Engineers.
In 1963, the Beatles played their last gig at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool.
In 1966, John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ, actually made to a reporter several months earlier, was widely reported around the globe. The statement caused a public outcry and bonfires of Beatle records. Lennon later apologised for the comment.
In 1966, the Beatles' album "Revolver" was released in Britain.
In 1967, Pink Floyd's first album, "Piper at the Gates of Dawn," was released in Britain.
In 1969, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys was indicted for failure to report for civilian duty in lieu of serving two years in the army. Wilson did report to the L.A. County Hospital at his appointed date. However, he conducted music classes for handicapped patients rather than to act as an institutional helper.
In 1969, the famous cover shot of The Beatles Abbey Road album was taken outside Abbey Road Studios in London.
In 1969, Diana Ross invited 350 guests to a Beverly Hills club to see the newest Motown act, The Jackson 5.
In 1970, Janis Joplin bought a tombstone for blues singer Bessie Smith's unmarked grave in a Philadelphia cemetery. Less than two months later, Joplin herself was dead of a drug overdose. Smith had died following an auto accident in 1942 at the age of 37.
In 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Looking Out My Back Door" was released.
In 1970, Christine McVie became the first female member of the British rock band Fleetwood Mac. McVie was the wife of the group's bassist, John McVie, and had previously performed with the blues rock band Chicken Shack.
In 1972, Elvis and Priscilla Presley filed for divorce after just over three years of marriage.
In 1973, after seeing KISS play at a New York hotel, producer Bill Aucion offered to become their manager and promised the glam rockers a record deal.
In 1973, Stevie Wonder was seriously injured when the car he was riding in collided with a truck in Salisbury, North Carolina. Wonder spent four days in a coma, but recovered with only his sense of smell seriously damaged.
In 1974, actress Faye Dunaway married Peter Wolf, lead singer for the J. Geils Band, in Beverly Hills, California. The couple divorced in 1978.
In 1974, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder left their rock group Steely Dan. Members of the Steely Dan touring group, drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist Michael McDonald, replaced them.
In 1975, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and his family were taken to hospital in the back of an open fruit truck after being seriously injured when his wife Maureen drove their rental car over a cliff and into a tree. The Plants were vacationing on the Greek island of Rhodes.
In 1977, "Elvis - What Happened," an expose by two of Presley's former bodyguards, was published. It sat in bookstores almost unnoticed until Presley's death two weeks later. Then it sold more than three-million copies.
In 1980, Todd Rundgren's home in Woodstock, New York was invaded by four masked men. Rundgren, his girlfriend and three houseguests were bound and gagged while the masked men stripped the house of valuables. Reportedly, one of the thieves hummed Rundgren's "I Saw the Light" during the heist.
In 1983, rock singer David Crosby, reported to have slept through most of the trial, was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug and firearms possession. He was paroled in 1986.
In 1985, Michael Jackson paid US$47.5 million for the ATV music catalogue, which includes 251 Lennon/McCartney songs. Jackson is rumoured to have since signed over half of the catalogue to Sony Music to cover debts he'd incurred with the company.
In 1985, Duran Duran's lead singer Simon LeBon was rescued by the British Royal Navy after spending 40 minutes trapped in an underwater air pocket following the capsizing of his boat during a race off the English coast.
In 1986, a judge in Los Angeles dismissed a lawsuit against Ozzy Osbourne by the parents of a teenage suicide victim. The 19 year-old had killed himself while listening to Osbourne's "Suicide Solution."
In 1986, after serving his sentence for drug possession and weapons violations David Crosby was released from prison.
In 1989, Bon Jovi's "New Jersey" was the first album to be released legally in the Soviet Union.
In 1990, singer Curtis Mayfield was paralyzed after a tower fell on him before a concert in Brooklyn, New York.
In 1990, three bandits, armed with handguns and a replica hand grenade, robbed a New Kids On The Block concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium in Canada. US$300,000 worth of merchandising receipts were stolen during the hold-up.
In 1992, fans rioted at a Metallica/Guns 'N' Roses show in Montreal, Canada. Fans were displeased after both bands cut their sets short. Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield was injured by a pyrotechnic explosion and Axl W. Rose lost his voice.
In 1996, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen pleaded guilty to spousal battery for choking his wife and slamming her head into a wall at Los Angeles International Airport.
In 1996, a federal appeals court in New York ruled that two former members of the Teenagers waited too long to claim their rights as co-writers of the group's 1955 hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" A previous court ruling had found that Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago were entitled to royalties for co-writing the song with lead singer Frankie Lymon. Lymon died of a heroin overdose in 1968.
In 2002, police in Beverly Hills issued a warrant for the arrest of Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, who allegedly attacked a record producer in a nightclub parking lot. Neil's management issued a statement saying, "Vince Neil has fully cooperated with the L.A. County investigators. We believe that the charges against him are ridiculous and that he will be fully exonerated."
In 2002, rock 'n' roll memorabilia sunk to new depths when the tour bus Drowning Pool singer Dave Williams died on was offered for auction by it's owner on auction site eBay. Action was promptly taken and the offensive listing was removed.
In 2003, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic announced his retirement from commercial music, disillusioned by the industry. He made the following official statement on the web site of his band at the time, Eyes Adrift
Available @ 
(Thankyouthankyouthankyou)