This Day in Music: May 25th

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Born on this day:
1921, Hal David, songwriter
1926, Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter and composer
1958, Paul Weller, The Jam, Style Council,
1975, Lauryn Hill, The Fugees

1965, blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, Sonny Boy Williamson died in his sleep. Van Morrison, Aerosmith, The Who, The Animals, Yardbirds and Moody Blues all covered his songs. According to the Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods, touring the UK in the 60's, Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.

1969, a benefit concert was held for Fairport Convention at The Roundhouse, London to raise money for the families of the bands drummer Martin Lambleand  Richard Thompson's girlfriend who werel killed in an accident. Also on the bill, Family, Pretty Things, Soft Machine and John Peel. For more on this, see This Day in Music Spotlight.

1973, Carole King played a concert in New York's Central Park, which attracted an audience of 100,000.

1985, Dire Straits scored their second U.K. #1 album with Brothers In Arms, it was also #1 in the U.S. and 24 other countries. It went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

1990, Fleetwood Mac played the first of 42 North American dates on their Behind The Mask world tour at the PNE Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. Squeeze were the opening act.

1995, the earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, from 1961, was sold at Christies in London for ?50,250 ($85,425).

1997, a report showed that Elvis Presley was now the world’s bestselling posthumous entertainer with worldwide sales of over one billion, over 480 active fanclubs and an estimated 250,000 U.K. fans who still buy his records.

2007, sixties pop star Wayne Fontana was remanded in custody after admitting pouring petrol over a bailiff's car and setting fire to it. The judge criticised the former lead singer of the Mindbenders, for arriving at Derby Crown court dressed as the Lady of Justice. He had to hand a sword and scales to guards but still wore a crown, cape and dark glasses, claiming "justice is blind".

2009, a former member of Wilco, died at his home in Illinois at the age of 45. Jay Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for the band between 1994 and 2001

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