04 Jan 2010
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music
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MP3 players given as presents helped boost UK single sales to an all-time high in the week after Christmas. According to Official Charts Company figures, 4.22m singles were sold in the last week of 2009, beating the previous record of 4.03m over Christmas 2008.
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07 Jan 2010
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music
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According to Nielsen SoundScan's final 2009 figures, Michael Jackson was the best selling artist of the year, moving 8,286,000 units. Forty years after their break-up, The Beatles were still the best selling group, thanks to their remastered catalog which sold 3,282,000 copies. Digital downloads however, were a different story. Lady Gaga was the queen of the downloads, selling 15,297,000 digital tracks. The Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson and Taylor Swift all finished in the vicinity of 12 million digital units.
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08 Jan 2010
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music
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Jimmy Page launched a new set of stamps in the UK which featured classic album covers from the last 40 years including Led Zeppelin IV, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay, Power, Corruption And Lies, New Order, Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones, London Calling, The Clash, Screamadelica, Primal Scream, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, David Bowie and Parklife by Blur.
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12 Jan 2010
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music
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Shakin' Stevens was found guilty of hitting a press photographer with a microphone stand during a concert at a hotel in Ballymena. The Welsh singer who scored No.1's in the 80's was fined £300 for assault and criminal damage and ordered to pay the photographer £479 to compensate for his damaged camera lens.
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13 Jan 2010
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music
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Soul singer Teddy Pendergrass died at the age of 59 following a difficult recovery from colon cancer surgery.
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13 Jan 2010
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music
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Beyonce and Jay-Z were named Hollywood's top-earning couple by Forbes magazine. The pair earned an estimated $122m (£75.1m) between June 2008 and June 2009 - more than any other couple married or unmarried.
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13 Jan 2010
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music
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A plaque of the Beatles' iconic yellow submarine, which was stolen six months ago from Liverpool's Albert Dock, was set to be replaced by a new creation. The 5ft (1.5m) design featured the faces of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison peering through its portholes. The new submarine would hang outside the museum dedicated to the band, The Beatles Story. The former plaque has never been found and the thieves had never been caught.
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14 Jan 2010
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music
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The BBC admitted coverage of the launch of U2's album 'No Line On The Horizon' in 2009 went too far - giving "undue prominence" to the band. RadioCentre, the trade body for commercial radio companies, had made a formal complaint over the coverage saying the BBC had given U2 "the sort of publicity money can't buy".
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14 Jan 2010
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music
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Guitarist Jimmy Page was honored with the United Nations' first ever Pathways To Peace Award. Pathways To Peace is an international peace building, educational and consulting organization which has consultative status with the United Nations.
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15 Jan 2010
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music
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N-Dubz were dropped as ambassadors of anti-bullying charity Beatbullying after band member Dappy sent a woman threatening text messages. Chloe Moody texted The Chris Moyles Radio 1 Show while the band were being interviewed, calling them "losers" and labelling Dappy "repulsive", Dappy had sent a text back to her the following day saying "Your gonna die".
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18 Jan 2010
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music
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Canadian folk singer Kate McGarrigle died of cancer at home in Montreal at the age of 63. Once married to folk singer Loudon Wainwright lll, Kate was the mother of singers Rufus and Martha Wainwright. She rose to prominence with sister Anna when they recorded together in the 1970s. Other artists who covered the pair's songs included Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl and Judy Collins.
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29 Jan 2010
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music
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Sly Stone filed a $50m (£30.9m) legal claim against his former manager, alleging fraud and 20 years of stolen royalties. The 66-year-old funk musician of the 1970s group Sly and the Family Stone, claimed in the Los Angeles Superior Court that Jerry Goldstein diverted millions in royalties to fund a lavish lifestyle.
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30 Jan 2010
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music
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Neil Young was named the Musicares person of the year for his "influential artistic accomplishments and philanthropic work". A string of artist including Elton John, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, John Forgarty, Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crowe performed his songs as he was honoured by the US Recording Academy at the Los Angeles Convention Centre.
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03 Feb 2010
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music
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AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, joined a growing group of critics of Bob Geldof and U2 singer Bono over their very public charity work, saying they should stop lecturing audiences about charity work and instead do their good deeds in private. Johnson said "When I was a working man I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa. I'm sorry mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry."
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09 Feb 2010
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music
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The White Stripes were taking on the US Air Force, complaining that it used one of the group's songs 'Fell In Love With A Girl' in a TV advert without permission. In a statement on their website, the duo said they took "strong insult and objection, with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support."
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14 Feb 2010
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music
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Doug Fieger singer, songwriter with The Knack died after a long battle with cancer. The Knack had the 1979 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'My Sharona' which he wrote for Sharona Alperin, who later became his girlfriend.
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14 Feb 2010
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music
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Everybody Hurts, recorded to help Haiti's earthquake victims went to No.1 on the UK singles chart. The REM cover featured Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Take That sold over 453,000 copies in its first week.
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20 Feb 2010
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music
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An event was staged at The Barbican in London where 40 zebra finches made music by landing on guitars and cymbals. The flock of finches would land on Gibson Les Paul guitars, which were plugged into amplifiers and land on upturned cymbals being used as bird feeders to make random sounds. A video clip of the installation, on YouTube had been watched more than 520,000 times.
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22 Feb 2010
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music
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Johnny Marr was said to be "ecstatic" after getting back one of his guitars which had been stolen in 2000 after a gig at the Scala nightclub in Kings Cross, London. Smiths fan Stephen White told a London court he was "disgusted" with himself for taking the £30,000 cherry red 1964 Gibson SG when he went backstage after the gig at The Scala.
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23 Feb 2010
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music
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London's Abbey Road studios was made a listed building, protecting it from plans to radically alter it. Culture Minister Margaret Hodge listed the studios on the advice of English Heritage saying it had "produced some of the very best music in the world". The Beatles used Abbey Road for 90% of their recordings, naming an album after the studios in 1969.
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24 Feb 2010
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music
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50 Cent was being sued over claims he unlawfully distributed a homemade sex video. Lastonia Leviston filed legal action in Manhattan, saying she made the private video with a lover in 2008 and alleged that 50 Cent posted the video on his website last year after blurring out the lover's face - and editing himself into it as narrator.
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24 Feb 2010
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music
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The personal assistant to former Ramones manager Linda Stein was convicted in a New York court of bludgeoning her boss to death at her Manhattan apartment on 30 October 2007. Prosecutors said Natavia Lowery, 28, stole more than $30,000 (£19,500) from Stein, then clubbed her with a piece of exercise equipment. Jurors spent less than a day reaching a second-degree murder verdict.
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24 Feb 2010
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music
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Promotions company MCD launched a $2.3 million lawsuit against Prince for pulling out of a concert in Dublin, Ireland in June, 2008, just ten days before it was to take place. The singer blamed the William Morris Agency for booking the event without permission, but the agency said the star cancelled the gig and gave "no reason of substance" for deciding to pull out.
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25 Feb 2010
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music
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Marie Osmond's teenaged son, Michael Blosil, was found dead on the ground below an apartment balcony in Los Angeles, California.
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27 Feb 2010
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music
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U2 raked in more money than any other music act in the US in 2009 making $109m (£71m) from touring, record sales and other royalties, almost twice as much as the second best, Bruce Springsteen who took home $58m (£38m), followed by Madonna with $47m (£31m) and AC/DC with $44m (£29m). Coldplay were the most successful British group, at number eight, with takings of $27m (£18m).
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28 Feb 2010
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music
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Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, who played bass for nearly 30 years with Daryl Hall And John Oates died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 58. He had also recorded with Carly Simon, Jellyfish, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Shawn Colvin and Billy Joel over the course of his career.
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03 Mar 2010
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music
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A woman claiming to be the wife of Sean 'P Diddy' Combs was freed on $5,000 (£3,326) bail after being arrested near the rappers home on Long Island, New York. Cemelia Green claimed to be married to the rapper and producer who was said to be worth around $350m (£233m). There was no official comment from Combs, who was unmarried.
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06 Mar 2010
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music
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R&B singer D'Angelo was arrested at the wheel of his Range Rover after trying to pay $40 (£27.50) for sex with an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute. The incident happened in New York City.
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06 Mar 2010
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music
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Mark Linkous, frontman with US band Sparklehorse committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart outside a friend's house in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1996 Linkous "died" for two minutes after ingesting a mix of Valium and antidepressants while supporting Radiohead on tour in the UK. He recovered, but the incident left him paralysed, after lying unconscious for 14 hours, with circulation to his legs cut off. He suffered a heart attack when doctors tried to straighten the limbs, and he had surgery seven times to save his legs.
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09 Mar 2010
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music
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Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex after pleading guilty to gun possession. The charges were linked to his arrest in 2007 when a gun was found on his tour bus. His sentencing came after several delays; the first date was postponed to allow the rapper to have dental work and the second had to be rearranged after a fire broke out in the New York court complex.
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10 Mar 2010
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music
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Pink Floyd won a court battle with EMI that prevented the record company from selling single downloads and ringtones on the Internet from the group's albums. Pink Floyd's back catalogue was second only in sales to the Beatles.
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11 Mar 2010
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music
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Pete Doherty was banned from driving for 12 months after admitting allowing his manager to use his Daimler car without insurance. Doherty's manager Andrew Boyd, admitted dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of an accident and was jailed for 12 months. The court was told how the victim Chris Corder suffered "catastrophic" brain injuries and was left in a coma after the crash, the court heard.
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12 Mar 2010
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music
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A 16-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with a break-in at singer Susan Boyle's home in West Lothian, Scotland. Boyle disturbed the intruder as she returned home from London after recording a charity single for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
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12 Mar 2010
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music
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Over 130 people were arrested and eight people were hospitalised as fans tried to gatecrash a Metallica show in Colombia. 1,500 police and four tanks were brought in to manage the crowds as property was vandalized and destroyed, as thousands of ticketless fans rioted during Metallica's first Colombian concert in eleven years.
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14 Mar 2010
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music
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Phil Blake of UK indie band Redtrack returned to his career as the bassist with the band after he underwent a pioneering operation to reattach his hand after it was hacked to the bone in a machete attack. Blake thought he would never play guitar again after a teenage robber hacked through his arm when he refused to hand over a mobile phone.
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15 Mar 2010
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music
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Sony Music announced the biggest recording deal in history with the estate of Michael Jackson worth more than $200m (£133m). The deal involved 10 album projects over seven year's including one of previously unreleased material. Sony had sold about 31 million copies of Jackson's albums worldwide since his death on 25 June, 2009.
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15 Mar 2010
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music
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PRS for Music announced that the royalties that UK songwriters received from online sales were growing faster than the decline from CDs and DVDs. It said UK online revenues for its members rose by 73% to £30.4m in 2009, at the same time, UK revenues from CD or DVD sales were down £8.7m.
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16 Mar 2010
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music
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Abba were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Genesis and The Hollies. Abba's Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad accepted their trophies, in New York.
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16 Mar 2010
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music
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A rare Led Zeppelin recording from the group's 1971 gig at St Matthew's Baths Hall in Ipswich, England was unearthed at a car boot sale. The bootleg copy of the audio from the group's gig on November 16th 1971 was picked up for just "two or three pounds" by music fan Vic Kemp. "I was going through a stand of CDs at the car boot at Portman Road and the guy who was selling them said, 'You might be interested in this,'" Vic Kemp told the Evening Star. "It must have been recorded by someone standing at the front with a microphone. You can hear Robert Plant talking to the audience quite clearly."
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17 Mar 2010
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music
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Alex Chilton singer and guitarist with Big Star died in hospital of heart problems in New Orleans aged 59. As a teenager Chilton had been a member of The Box Tops who had the 1967 hit 'The Letter'.
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25 Mar 2010
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music
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The manager of pop star Justin Bieber was arrested after police claimed he failed to warn fans on Twitter about overcrowding at a shopping centre event. Police said they asked Scott Braun to tell fans through Twitter that Bieber would not be appearing because of fears over safety after hundreds turned up - resulting in five people being taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police said Mr Braun refused to send the message until 90 minutes later. He pleaded not guilty to charges including reckless endangerment related to November's event in Roosevelt Field Mall in a New York suburb.
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31 Mar 2010
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music
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Cher's first child, Chaz Bono, asked a judge to formally change his name and gender following the sex change surgery he had last year. The 41-year-old, who was born Chastity Sun Bono, now wanted to be known as Chaz Salvatore according to a petition filed in Los Angeles. Salvatore was his father Sonny Bono's real first name.
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08 Apr 2010
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music
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Malcolm McLaren former manager of the Sex Pistols, the New York Dolls and Bow Wow Wow died from cancer aged 64. As a solo artist he scored the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Double Dutch'. He set up the fashion store Let It Rock in the late 60's with Vivienne Westwood selling rubber and fetish gear.
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12 Apr 2010
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music
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The Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Ramano published a story praising The Beatles and saying that it forgave John Lennon for his 1966 comment that the group was "bigger than Jesus." Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 - at the height of Beatlemania - that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll.
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13 Apr 2010
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music
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Brian May launched a major new campaign to try to prevent the return of legalised blood sports to the British Countryside. The 'SAVE-ME' campaign - named after May's song, called on the British public to consider how their vote will affect the welfare of animals; and in particular fox-hunting, stag hunting and hare-coursing. The first 'SAVE-ME campaign poster was unveiled by Brian at a prime advertising site on London's West Cromwell Road.
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15 Apr 2010
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music
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After receiving some bad reviews and even enduring some boos during her performance, Whitney Houston brushed off criticism of her first show in the UK in over eleven years by insisting she was playing to a "tough crowd". She had recently been hospitalized with chronic rhinopharyngitis, which is a swelling of the membranes in the nose and throat.
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19 Apr 2010
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music
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A week after Catholic Church officials published an article in the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper that said they forgive John Lennon's remarks about The Beatles being "bigger than Jesus", Ringo Starr rejected their forgiveness. The newspaper's editors had written, "The Beatles said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages, that were possibly even Satanic... (but) what would Pop music be like without the Beatles?" Ringo was unimpressed and replied "Didn't the Vatican say we were Satanic or possibly Satanic? And they've still forgiven us? I think the Vatican, they've got more to talk about than the Beatles."
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27 Apr 2010
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music
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Music sales in the UK had grown for the first time in six years, according to music industry body the British Phonographic Institute (BPI). Revenue increased by 1.4%, bringing the total income for 2009 to £928.8m. Download sales provided the shot in the arm, rising by more than 50% to earn £154m, compared with £101.5m in 2008.
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10 May 2010
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music
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New York City's Apollo Theatre began installing bronze plaques on the sidewalk outside the building of legends who had close ties to the theater. Among the first to be honored were James Brown, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald.
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16 May 2010
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music
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Ronnie James Dio, singer with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio died after a six-month battle with stomach cancer. He was 67 years old. Dios career began in 1957 with The Vegas Kings, which later changed to Ronnie and the Rumblers, then Ronnie and the Redcaps, then in 1961, Ronnie Dio and the Prophets. In 1967, Dio and Prophets guitarist Nick Pantas formed the Electric Elves, which shortened its name to Elf. The bands success eventually landed them an opening slot for Deep Purple, which exposed Dios voice to Deep Purples guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, who later recruited Dio and other members of Elf for his new band Rainbow.
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19 May 2010
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music
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Stairway To Heaven was named the UK's favourite rock song in a survey by listeners to radio station Absolute Classic Rock. The band had two other tracks in the top 10; Whole Lotta Love was voted at No. 4 and Rock 'n' Roll, from the groups fourth album, was at No. 7.
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21 May 2010
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music
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U2's lead singer Bono had emergency spinal surgery after suffering an injury while preparing for tour dates. The 50-year-old singer was treated at a specialist neurosurgery clinic in Munich and was expected to stay there for a number of days.
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23 May 2010
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music
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The Rolling Stones scored their first UK No.1 album for 16 years with the re-release of their classic 1972 double LP 'Exile On Main Street'. The album, which was first released in 1972, had been reissued with previously unheard tracks. Their last No.1 album was 1994's Voodoo Lounge.
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24 May 2010
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music
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Paul Gray, the bassist with US metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa. The body of the 38-year-old musician was found by an employee at the hotel in a suburb of the city. Police said foul play was not suspected, but an autopsy would be carried out. The nine members of Slipknot wore masks in public and referred to other bandmates by numbers; Gray was number two.
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27 May 2010
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music
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Dozens of AC/DC fans needed treatment after complaining of burning eyes during a concert on the runway of Wels Airport, Wels, Austria. Around 150 fans had to be treated. Doctors found that the fans showed allergic reactions to bark mulch spread at the venue - the runway of Wels Airport, to avoid the soil getting too muddy after hours of massive rainfall.
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29 May 2010
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music
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Sabrosa Park (at the small town of Sabrosa, north of Portugal) was renamed B.B. King Park in honor of King and the free concert he had played before 20,000 people.
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05 Jun 2010
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music
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Led Zeppelin were officially voted the nations favourite band by the BBCs Im In A Rock N` Roll Band, Zeppelin coming ahead of both The Beatles and Queen in a phone-in vote. The show also featured Best Singer, Guitarist, and Drummer live phone-in votes which saw Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham all nominated in their categories. John Bonham was crowned top drummer ahead of Dave Grohl and Keith Moon, whilst Jimmy and Robert were runners up to Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury respectively.
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06 Jun 2010
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music
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Marvin Isley, the youngest member of the American R&B band, the Isley Brothers, died, aged 56. Marvin Isley, who was the group's bass player, stopped performing in 1996 because of complications from diabetes, including the loss of his legs.
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07 Jun 2010
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music
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Former Stereophonics drummer and BBC Radio Wales presenter Stuart Cable, was found dead at him home near Aberdare in Wales aged 40. His new band Killing for Company had been due to appear at the Download rock festival at Donington Park in a few days time. Cable had also been presenting a Rock show on BBC Radio Wales.
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07 Jun 2010
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music
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Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh was granted a restraining order against an elderly neighbor who allegedly threatened to kill him. The man was also ordered to pay more than $1,500 in legal fees.
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15 Jun 2010
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music
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A case against a man accused of threatening Elton John's life was withdrawn just hours before his trial was due to begin. Neal Horsley had responded to Elton's suggestion that Jesus Christ was gay in a Parade magazine interview by writing an angry online response entitled "Why Elton John Must Die". After being held in an Atlanta, Georgia jail since last March, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams dismissed the case against Horsley because his actions did not warrant criminal charges.
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18 Jun 2010
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music
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John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to The Beatles song 'A Day In The Life' sold for $1.2m (£810,000) at an auction at Sotheby's in New York. The double-sided sheet of paper with notes written in felt marker and blue ink also contained some corrections and other notes penned in red ink.
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23 Jun 2010
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music
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62-year-old Gregg Allman underwent a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Allman had begun a series of treatments for Hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman said "I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn back time. Every day is a gift."
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24 Jun 2010
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music
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A rare oversized two-part poster featuring Led Zeppelin, The New Barbarians and others at Knebworth Park on August 4th & 11th August, 1971, sold for £5,000 ($7,480) at a Christies Rock & Roll auction held in South Kensington, London. At the same auction, a print of Led Zeppelin backstage in front of blackboard taken at Tampa Stadium, June 3rd, 1977 sold for £1,500, ($2,244).
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04 Jul 2010
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music
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George Michael was arrested after he crashed his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London. The singer was returning home from a Gay Pride parade when the incident was spotted on CCTV. He was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive and charged with possession of cannabis and with driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
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07 Jul 2010
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music
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Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer's 70th birthday. With Ringo's All Starr Band joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, Paul belted out "Birthday" and Ringo delivered "With A Little Help From My Friends".
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09 Jul 2010
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music
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During a Santana concert at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, guitarist Carlos Santana proposed to his girlfriend, Cindy Blackman who had just finished a drum solo during the band's set. The couple married in December 2010.
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19 Jul 2010
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music
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Ozzy Osbourne and his former Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi settled a long-running legal dispute over the use of the group's name. Ozzy had filed suit against the guitarist in May of last year, accusing Iommi of falsely proclaiming to be the sole owner of the Black Sabbath name by lodging an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The pair released a joint statement confirming they have settled the dispute "amicably".
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23 Jul 2010
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music
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Surgical instruments allegedly used to conduct Elvis Presley's autopsy were removed from an upcoming auction amid doubts about their authenticity. Forceps, needle injectors, rubber gloves and a toe tag were among the items that were expected to fetch about $14,000 at Chicago, Illinois' Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. The so-called "memorabilia" was supposedly kept by a senior embalmer at the Memphis Funeral Home where the singer's body was stored prior to his funeral, but the claims were questioned after another employee revealed that the equipment was sterilized and used again in other autopsies.
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25 Jul 2010
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music
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Paul McCartney's former wife, Heather Mills, told the press that the trauma and pain she went through after losing her leg in a traffic accident was nothing compared to the way she felt after she and the former Beatle split up. The two separated in 2006 after four years of marriage and went on to fight an bitter public divorce battle which saw her gain a $38.9 million settlement.
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04 Aug 2010
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music
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Don Henley reached an out-of-court settlement with Republican Senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore who used parodies of two Eagles' hits for an election campaign without permission. 'All She Wants To Do Is Dance' and 'The Boys of Summer' were used in campaign videos on YouTube as 'All She Wants To Do Is Tax' and 'Hope Of November'.
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18 Aug 2010
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music
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French beauty brand Etat Libre D'Orange announced that they have teamed up with The Sex Pistols to bottle the scent of the Punk era by launching the band's first fragrance. Company executives said "to wear this scent, you must resist tradition, fight conformity, and disregard aromatic conventions."
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24 Aug 2010
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music
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George Michael pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London to driving under the influence of drugs. The singer had been arrested in July when he was returning home from the London Gay Pride parade and crashed his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London.
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25 Aug 2010
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music
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A selection of previously unseen photographs of The Beatles went on display in Liverpool at the Victoria Gallery and Museum. The images were taken by Astrid Kirchherr the former girlfriend of original bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, who took pictures of the band's early years after meeting them in Hamburg in 1960. The exhibition included images of the Beatles on holiday in Tenerife and of the making of their film A Hard Day's Night in 1964 in Liverpool.
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03 Sep 2010
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music
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Mike Edwards a founding member of ELO was killed in a freak accident when a giant bale of hay tumbled down a hill and crashed into his van. The 62 year-old cellist died after the 600 kg (1,323 lb) bale rolled down a steep field in Devon, southern England, smashed through a hedge and careered on to the road. Edwards played cello with ELO, the seven-piece band led by Jeff Lynne, from their first live gig in 1972 until he left in January 1975. He quit the band in 1975 to become a Buddhist, changing his name to Deva Pramada and making his living by teaching the cello.
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06 Sep 2010
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music
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Morrissey caused controversy after he claimed that the Chinese were a "sub-species" because of the way they treat animals. In an interview with UK paper The Guardian, the former Smiths frontman said: "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a sub-species."
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07 Sep 2010
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music
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Queens Bohemian Rhapsody was voted the greatest lighter in the air song of all time by lighter company Zippo. Led Zeppelins Stairway To Heaven, was voted in at No. 2 and Meat Loafs I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That) was at No. 3 in the survey.
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13 Sep 2010
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music
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George Michael was sent to jail for eight weeks after being convicted of driving under the influence of drugs and possessing cannabis in Hampstead, north London last July. He smiled in disbelief as the sentence was passed and he was led away to the cells.
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19 Sep 2010
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music
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John Lennon's son Julian told the press that he has ended his long-running feud with his half-brother Sean and his step-mother Yoko Ono, which started after the former Beatle was murdered in December, 1980. The trio battled in court for a share of the singer's estate, but Julian now said "Things are good between us. Whenever I'm in New York, we all get together."
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28 Sep 2010
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music
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Souvenir hunters were being condemned for "wanton vandalism" after sections of masonry were hacked off the house of Ringo Starr's birthplace. Fans who are campaigning to halt town hall plans to demolish 9 Madryn Street found that chunks of brickwork had been removed from the house.
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06 Oct 2010
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music
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A set of John Lennon's fingerprints were seized by the FBI from a New York memorabilia dealer who intended to sell them for $100,000 (£62,621) minimum bid. The prints were taken at a New York police station in 1976 when Lennon applied for permanent US residence. The bureau believed the card was still government property and was investigating how it landed in private hands.
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11 Oct 2010
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George Michael was released from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, England after serving four of an eight week sentence for driving under the influence of drugs. The singer had been arrested after crashing his car into the front of a Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead, North London in July of this year.
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16 Oct 2010
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Auburn University graduate student Justin Havird named a new species of fish, Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because the fish's pectoral fin reminded him of the double-neck guitar used by Jimmy Page. 'I'm a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I was listening to them while I was working on the fish,' Havird said. 'The structure that makes this species unique just reminded me of the guitar that Jimmy Page played'.
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19 Oct 2010
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Elton John described today's songwriters as "pretty awful", Pop music as "uninspiring" and talent shows like American Idol as "boring" in an interview with UK Radio Times magazine.
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26 Oct 2010
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Forbes Magazine released its annual list of the Top Earning Dead Celebrities. Michael Jackson led the way at $275 million, Elvis Presley was second at $60 million and John Lennon was fifth at $17 million.
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26 Oct 2010
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Former Culture Club vocalist Boy George stunned an audience in London, England after reportedly flying into a rage and tossing his drink on a woman who was talking during his show. Before emptying his glass on her from the stage, George was heard shouting, "Why don't you shut the f**k up, you rude c**t!"
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05 Nov 2010
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Keith Richards' autobiography Life was at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller list. The book by The Rolling Stones guitarist went on to be a million seller.
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09 Dec 2010
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Eric Clapton announced he was to sell off part of his extensive guitar collection to raise money for his Crossroads rehab Centre in Antigua. Highlights of the sale would include a guitar Clapton played at the Cream reunion shows in 2005, estimated to sell for more than £13,000. The sale to be held by Bonhams in New York would also feature a vast collection of amps and speakers, including a pair of Marshall speaker cabinets.
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10 Dec 2010
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The original hand-written lyrics to Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin' sold at a New York auction for $422,500 (£267,400). Adam Sender, a hedge fund manager and art collector, outbid five others, placing telephone bids. The song, one of Dylan's most politically charged, was the title track of his 1964 album.
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15 Dec 2010
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Various Pink Floyd items were sold at an Entertainment Memorabilia auction by Bonhams in Knightsbridge London. A demo pressing of the single 'Point Me To The Sky/Careful With That Axe Eugene' sold for £720. Pink Floyd signatures, in various blue marker pens on four separate pieces of paper mounted and framed together with a copy of 'Dark Side Of The Moon' sold for £624.00 and a demo pressing of the single by Syd Barrett, 'Octopus' / 'Golden Hair' from 1969, misspelt 'Barratt' corrected in ink on A-side, sold for £300.
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17 Dec 2010
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Captain Beefheart died aged 69 from complications from multiple sclerosis. The American musician, singer-songwriter, artist and poet born Don Glen Vliet in Glendale, California recorded 13 studio albums.
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17 Dec 2010
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Sir Paul McCartney performed an intimate lunchtime gig at the 100 Club on London's Oxford Street, the historic music venue threatened with closure. Around 300 fans were treated to a set lasting almost two hours, in what was McCartneys smallest gig in the UK for nearly 10 years. A campaign to keep the 100 Club open had attracted support from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and Sir Mick Jagger.
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21 Dec 2010
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A concert by Kings of Leon was postponed after a fire broke out on two of their tour buses which were parked at The O2 arena in London. The blaze began on one coach before spreading to another tour bus in the loading bay of the venue in Greenwich. About 60 firefighters were at the scene and ambulance crews treated six people for smoke inhalation. An O2 spokesman said the fire meant there was not enough time to rig the arena for the sell-out concert.
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22 Dec 2010
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The Abbey Road zebra crossing in north London, made famous after appearing on a Beatles album cover was given Grade II listed status. The crossing, the first of its kind to be listed, was being recognised for its "cultural and historical importance" following advice from English Heritage. The Beatles were photographed on Abbey Road in Ian Macmillan's iconic cover shot for the 1969 album Abbey Road.
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29 Dec 2010
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Pollstar reported that Bon Jovi were the highest earning touring act of the year, taking in over $200 million (£130.7m). Australian rockers AC/DC landed at number two for the second year in a row, with tickets sales from their recent trek totaling $177m (£115m). U2, which was the top worldwide act in 2009, came in at third place, with ticket sales totaling $160.9m (£104.6m). Lady Gaga followed in fourth place, with Metallica at number five.
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