Eagle Classic Hitstory May 8 on birminghamseagle.com

On This Day in Eagle Classic Hitstory...

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May 8

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1940
Ricky Nelson is born Eric Hillard Nelson in Teaneck, N.J.
What's My Line?

1943
Paul Samwell-Smith, bass player for the Yardbirds, is born.
The Yardbirds "Shapes of Things"

1944
Gary Glitter is born. Since it's his birthday and all, we'll just leave it at that.

1951
Chris Frantz, drummer with the Talking Heads, is born.
Talking Heads "Swamp" Live 1982

1953
Alex Van Halen, drummer for Van Halen, is born.
Alex Van Halen flexing in 1989

1972
Keyboardist and singer Billy Preston becomes the first rock performer to headline at Radio City Music Hall. Others to soon follow will include David Bowie and Mountain.
Billy Preston "Nothing from Nothing"

1975
Straight Shooter, the second album by British hard rock band Bad Company, goes gold. The band's first album, called Bad Company went gold a year earlier.
Bad Co. "Feel Like Makin' Love"

1976
Bob Dylan and his entourage return to Houston, the city where the not so good Benefit II for Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was held just five months earlier. For the concert, Dylan requests Willie Nelson to join him and the two croon "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Meanwhile backstage, Nelson is given a subpoena for an upcoming grand jury investigation on drug trafficking.

1976
The Steve Miller Band's "Take The Money And Run" is released.
Steve Miller Band "Take the Money and Run"

1977
Olivia Newton-John makes her New York City debut with a concert at the Metropolitan Opera House.

1979
Supertramp's LP, Breakfast in America, turns platinum and eventually goes to Number One. The group has three Top Fifteen singles: "The Logical Song," "Goodbye Stranger," and "Take the Long Way Home."

1981
Loverboy earns a gold record for their debut album.
Loverboy "Turn Me Loose"

1981
Sheena Easton, a singer from Scotland, hits gold the first time out with "Morning Train." It's a Number One smash and she has three more before the year is out.

1982
Veteran record executive Neil Bogart, a big mover of the disco era with his Casablanca Records, dies of cancer. He got the careers of Donna Summer, KISS, and Joan Jett going. He was 39 years old.
Interview with Neil Bogart 1979

1990
Tom Waits wins $2.5 million when a Los Angeles court rules that Frito-Lay unlawfully used a Waits sound alike in its Doritos ads.

1996
A Los Angeles judge rules against drummer Tommy Lee and wife Pamela Anderson Lee in their bid to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home.

1998
A British court rules in favor of the former Beatles and Yoko Ono to stop the release of another "Star-Club Tape" recording. The judge orders all copies of the new recording and the original tape be rewarded to the Beatles. The Fab Four are also awarded damages and legal costs.

2000
The Elton John and Tim Rice musical for Disney, Aida, receives four Tony nominations including one for best original score.

2000
Elton John is the main feature in the world's largest photo unveiled at the Selfridges department store in London. The photo, entitled XV Seconds, includes images of other celebrities, and is used to cover scaffolding surrounding the store during remodeling.

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