Entertainment History
On August 8, 1960, Decca Records in Britain destroyed 25,000 copies of
the song "Tell Laura I Love Her" by Ray Peterson. The company said the
song was "too tasteless and vulgar for the English sensibility. In
1970, singer Bessie Smith finally received a marker for her grave in
Philadelphia, 33 years after her death. Janis Joplin cited Smith as one
of her influences and bought the marker for the grave. In 1975, singer
Hank Williams Jr. suffered severe head injuries when he fell while
mountain climbing in Montana. He returned to performing months later.
In 1982, singer Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship married Sara
Kendrick in San Francisco. In 1986, singer David Crosby was paroled
from a Texas prison. He had been serving time for drug and weapons
charges. In 1992, Metallica singer James Hetfield was injured by a
stage explosion at a concert in Montreal. At that same show, Guns N'
Roses singer Axl Rose lost his voice and cut short their set. Fans
rioted when the concert ended early. In 1996, singer Mel Torme
(tor-MAY') was hospitalized after a stroke that left his left side
weakened and affected his speech. In 1999, violence broke out for the
second night in a row in the parking lot outside a Dave Matthews Band
concert in Hartford, Connecticut. Police say people outside the show
threw bottles and rocks. In 2001, actor Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
were divorced after eleven years of marriage. In 2004, a bus driver for
the Dave Matthews Band dumped human waste from the bus into the Chicago
River and onto a tour boat carrying more than 100 passengers. The band
later settled with the state of Illinois, and the driver pleaded guilty
to reckless conduct and pollution charges. Today's Birthdays: Actor
Richard Anderson ("The Six Million Dollar Man," 'The Bionic Woman") is
90. Actress Nita Talbot is 86. Country singer Mel Tillis is 84. Actor
Dustin Hoffman is 79. Actress Connie Stevens is 78. Country singer Phil
Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 77. Actor Larry Wilcox ("CHiPS") is
69. Actor Keith Carradine is 67. Actor Donny Most ("Happy Days") is 63.
Keyboardist Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs is 59. News anchor Deborah
Norville is 58. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 55. Drummer Rikki Rockett
of Poison is 55. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 54. Singer Scott Stapp of Creed
is 43. Country singer Mark Wills is 43. Guitarist Tom Linton of Jimmy
Eat World is 41. Singer J.C. Chasez (shah-ZAY') of 'N Sync is 40.
Singer Drew Lachey (lah-SHAY') of 98 Degrees is 40. Actress Tawny
Cypress ("Heroes") is 40. Singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 39.
Actress Lindsay Sloane ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch") is 39. Actress
Countess Vaughn ("The Parkers," 'Moesha") is 38. Actor Michael Urie
("Ugly Betty") is 36. Actress Meagan Good ("Think Like A Man") is 35.
Singer Shawn Mendes is 18.
