Today in rock history 8th May

1940 – Ricky Nelson (Eric Hilliard Nelson) is born in Teaneck, N.J. 1943 – Paul Samwell-Smith (The Yardbirds) is born this day 1953 – Billy Burnette (Fleetwood Mac) is born 1955 – Alex Van Halen (Van Halen) is born this day 1968 – T. Rex debut on UK chart with Deborah. 1969 – John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr signed a business management contract with Allen Klein and his company ABKCO, but Paul McCartney refused to sign, continuing to let the Eastmans represent his interests. 1970 – The Let It Be album is released 1971 – Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers UK LP is no. 1 chart topper 1976 – BBC Radio 1 DJ Johnny Walker announced he was quitting the station after being told he must pretend to like The Bay City Rollers. 1976 – Rolling Stones’ Black and Blue hits UK LP chart. 1993 – Aerosmith’s “Get a Grip” enters The Chart Toppers 200 top pop album chart at No. 1., becoming the group’s highest-debuting album and highest-charting album ever. 1993 – Mark Knopfler received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. 1996 – A Los Angeles judge ruled against Tommy Lee and wife Pamela Anderson in their bid to keep Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from an X-rated home movie that was stolen from their home. 1996 – Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has spousal battery charges refiled against him in Los Angeles. He had failed to finish a substance abuse counseling program, one of the conditions of the 1995 charges being dropped. 2005 – Bruce Springsteen was at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Devils and Dust’ his 13th No.1 studio album. 2006 – A British judge rules that Apple Computers did not break an agreement with The Beatles – who own the Apple label – not to enter the music with their iPod and iTunes stores. 2006 – Eric Clapton kicked off a 12 date UK tour at the SECC in Glasgow, Scotland. 2006 – The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered “mild concussion” when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.