Today in Music: a look back at pop music

(April 12)

Today's birthdays include Tiny Tim (real name: Herbert Khaury), believed born in 1922; Herbie Hancock in 1940 (age 63); John Kay of Steppenwolf in 1944 (age 59); David Cassidy in 1950 (age 53); Pat Travers in 1954 (age 49); Alexander Briley of the Village People in 1956 (age 47); country singer Vince Gill in 1957 (age 46); and Echo and the Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant in 1958 (age 45).

Today's musical milestones:

In 1954, Bill Haley and the Comets recorded "Rock Around The Clock."

In 1966, Jan Berry of Jan and Dean fame was severely injured when his Corvette crashed into a truck in Los Angeles.

In 1978, Aretha Franklin married actor Glynn Turman. Her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, officiated at the ceremony.

In 1987, a rock record smashing at a Dallas church turned into a confrontation when rock music fans started shouting "Jesus loves rock 'n' roll."

In 1992, singer/songwriter Don Henley was joined by other celebrities and 6,000 people on a six-mile "Walk for Walden Woods" to save the area in Concord, Mass., from commercial development.

In 1993, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album was back on the charts after Capitol Records released the 20th anniversary limited edition CD.

In 1994, Entertainment Weekly quoted music industry sources saying Barbra Streisand would get up to 90 percent of the $45 million in ticket sales for her first concert tour in 28 years.

And in 1994, Chicago artist Dwight Kalb carved a 180-lb. ham into a statue of Madonna, to be sent to David Letterman.

Also in 1994, a British-born Michael Jackson fan, Denise Pfeiffer, was charged with making obscene calls to the father of the boy who accused the pop star of molesting him.

In 1996, surf-rock groups the Ventures, Jan and Dean, the Surfaris and the Chantays were honored at the Hollywood Rock Walk.

Also in 1996, Jamaican pop singer Shaggy was slightly hurt -- and six other musicians injured, three seriously -- when a light panel fell on them during rehearsal for a concert in Poznan, Poland.

In 1997, the Fugees performed a benefit concert in Port-au-Prince in their homeland of Haiti.

In 1999, a judge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., gave Bobby Brown a 90-day suspended sentence for showing up drunk to serve his jail time for a 1996 one-car accident that allegedly occurred when he was "under the influence."

In 2000, former Eagle Joe Walsh and his new band performed at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

Today's musical quiz:

Besides being the song that many consider as having ushered in the rock 'n' roll era, "Rock Around The Clock" is also noteworthy for this feat. What? Answer: "Rock Around The Clock" was the first rock 'n' roll song to be featured in a motion picture. It was used during the opening and closing credits of "Blackboard Jungle" in 1955, after which record sales skyrocketed with six million copies sold by the end of that year.

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