Music Almanac: March 20
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| Carl Palmer |
- 1915 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe (d. 1973)
- 1917 - Vera Lynn (95)
- 1936 - Lee “Scratch” Perry (76)
- 1937 - Tommy Hunter (75)
- 1937 - Jerry Reed (d. 2008)
- 1937 - Joe Rivers (Johnny &Joe) (75)
- 1946 - Douglas Green (Riders in the Sky) (66)
- 1949 - Marcia Ball (63)
- 1950 - Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster, Emerson Lake &Palmer, Asia) (62)
- 1951 - Guy Perry (Motels) (61)
- 1951 - Jimmy Vaughan (61)
- 1954 - Jim Seales (Shenandoah) (58)
- 1956 - Alphonso Martin (Steel Pulse) (56)
- 1959 - Richard Drummie (Go West) (53)
- 1959 - Ian Frederick Rossiter (Stereo MCs) (53)
- 1961 - Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) (51)
- 1967 - David Shuttleworth (Terrorvision) (45)
- 1972 - Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) (40)
- 1976 - Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) (36)
- 1982 - Nick Wheeler (All American Rejects) (40)
Deaths
- 1987 - Norman Harris (O'Jays) - Heart Failure (39)
- 1991 - Eric Clapton's son, Conor - Fall from 53rd story apartment (4)
- 2009 - Mel Brown - Complications from emphysema (69)
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| Gloria Estefan's Tour Bus |
- 1954 - Tommy Evans became the bass singer for the Ravens.
- 1964 - The Beatles were given a special award by Billboard magazine in recognition of their holding the top three positions on the charts.
- 1965 - The first Motown tour of the U.K. opens with Martha & the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes and the Temptations.
- 1968 - Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Richie Furay and Jim Messina were arrested for suspicion of marijuana use. Clapton was found innocent. The rest paid a small fine.
- 1971 - The Rolling Stones took out a full page ad in the U.K.'s music papers denouncing the release of the album Stone Age.
- 1977 - Lou Reed was banned from playing The London Palladium.
- 1977 - T Rex played their final show.
- 1980 - A 28-year-old man held up the Asylum Records office demanding to talk to Jackson Browne or the Eagles. Neither was there and he gave himself up.
- 1990 - Gloria Estefan's tour bus was hit by a tractor-trailer. Her husband and son were injured and she required back surgery two days later.
- 1991 - Michael Jackson signed a $1 billion contract with Sony.
- 1999 - The Radiohead documentary, Meeting People is Easy, premiered at SXSW.
- 2000 - Madonna announced she was pregnant with her second child.
- 2001 - Loretta Lynn was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.
- 2001 - Three members of the British Group S Club 7 were arrested while openly smoking marijuana in Covent Garden, London.
- 2002 - EMI announced they would be ridding their roster of 400 acts in an attempt to save $140 million.
- 2003 - On the day war breaks out in Iraq, Bruce Springsteen opens his Australian concert with Born in the U.S.A. and War.
- 2003 - The South Carolina House of Representatives passed a resolution asking the Dixie Chicks to apologize for statements made about then president Bush and put on a concert for returning troops.
Marriages
- 1969 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- 1970 - David Bowie & Angela Barnett
- 1976 - Alice Cooper & Sheryl Goddard
- 1984 - Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) & Britt Eckland
Recorded
- 1960 - Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
- 1961 - Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson
- 1963 - Abilene - George Hamilton IV
Released
- 1964 - Can't Buy Me Love - Beatles (U.K. single release)
- 1971 - The Yes Album - Yes (U.K. release)
- 1972 - Back Off Boogaloo - Ringo Starr (single)
- 1976 - Youngblood - Bad Company (single)
Broadcasts
- 1959 - American Bandstand (ABC) - Bobby Rydell (debut performance)
- 1964 - Ready, Steady, Go (U.K.) - Beatles
- 1982 - American Bandstand - Buckner & Garcia
- 1943 - I've Heard That Song Before - Harry James (12 weeks)
- 1954 - Secret Love - Doris Day (1 week (2 previous weeks))
- 1961 - Surrender - Elvis Presley (2 weeks)
- 1971 - Me & Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin (2 weeks)
- 1982 - I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett &the Blackhearts (7 weeks)
Number Ones – U.K. Singles
- 1959 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Platters (1 week)
- 1971 - Hot Love - T.Rex (6 weeks)
- 2005 - Is This the Way to Amarillo - Tony Christie Featuring Peter Kay (7 weeks)
