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1948
Bill Bruford, drummer with Yes, is born.
Yes "Starship Trooper" 1973

1963
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez team up with Pete Seeger at the first Monterey Folk Festival.

1967
"Don't Look Back," D.A. Pennebaker's film documentary on Bob Dylan's 1965 British tour, debuts at the Presidio Theater in San Francisco. Dylan will later denounce the movie and file a court injunction to bar it being shown.

1969
The Chicago Transit Authority release their self-titled debut double album. The band was later sued by the real Chicago Transit Authority and had to shorten their name to Chicago.
Chicago Transit Authority "I'm a Man"

1969
The New Musical Express announces for the the first time ever, album production and sales outdid production and sales of singles in Great Britain, in 1968.

1969
Associated Television fails in its bid to take over Beatles music company Northern Songs' offer for all shares expiring with only 47-percent of stock committed.

1973
Yes receive gold records for both "Yessongs" their triple-record live set and "The Yes Album."

1975
Elton John was awarded a platinum record for his album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was the first album to sell one million copies on its first day of release.

1975
Just two weeks before the start of the Rolling Stones' long Tour of the Americas '75, Mick Jagger puts his right hand through a window at Gorman's restaurant in Montauk, on Long Island. It takes 20 stitches to make it like new. No real damage is done and the tour goes on as scheduled.

1978
Lou Reed starts a week long series of shows at the Bottom Line club in New York City. He uses portions of the recordings for his upcoming live album, "Take No Prisoners."

1978
Thank God It's Friday, a movie celebration of disco which is Casablanca Records chief Neil Bogart's response to Saturday Night Fever, premieres in Los Angeles. It stars Donna Summer as a singer looking for her big break in a "typical" Hollywood disco on a "typical" Friday night. Summer's song "The Last Dance" is introduced and it goes on to top the pop charts and wins the 1978 Academy Award for Best Song. The film meantime, is a flop.

1980
Kiss drummer Peter Criss, the one who wore the catlike makeup, leaves the group for a solo career.

1980
Joe Walsh releases "All Night Long" from the "Urban Cowboy" movie soundtrack. The film starred John Travolta.
Joe Walsh "All Night Long"

1987
A fire destroys Tom Petty's Los Angeles home and causes $800,000 worth of damage. It was later discovered to be the work of an arsonist.

1989
At the Cannes Film Festival, Who lead singer Roger Daltrey said he wanted to become a doctor of Chinese medicine. He said he never felt that singing and acting were proper careers and that he wanted to study herbal medicine and acupuncture.

1992
Lawrence Welk dies of complications from pneumonia. He was 89 years old.

1992
Genesis has to end a show after two songs during a stop in Tampa, Florida for their "We Can't Dance" tour after Phil Collins comes down with a sore throat. Police arrest several concert-goers who got upset when the show stopped.

1999
Producer Bruce Fairbairn, who worked with Aerosmith, Van Halen, AC/DC, and more, dies in his Vancouver home at age 49 of unknown causes.

May 17 Birthdays

• Sandro Botticelli 1444
• Edward Jenner 1749
• Joseph Norman Lockyer 1836
• Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini 1900
• James Bell 1903
• Carl McIntire 1906
• Maureen O'Sullivan 1911
• Archibold Cox 1912
• Stewart Alsop 1914
• Carl Lipscombe 1915
• Brigit Nilsson 1918
• Bob Merrill 1921
• Kanid Burruss (Xscape) 1921
• Dix Hixson 1924
• Jackie McLean 1932
• Dennis Hopper 1936
• Pervis Jackson (The Spinners) 1938
• Taj Mahal 1942
• Jesse Winchester 1944
• Bill Bruford 1948
• Bill Paxton 1955
• Bob Saget 1956
• Sugar Ray Leonard 1956
• Audie Desbrow (Great White) 1957
• Enya 1961
• O'Dell (Mint Condition) 1965
• Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) 1965
• Darnell Van Rensalier (Shai) 1970
• Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) 1970
• Tahj Mowry 1986

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