Music History

A Florida man named Paul van Valkenburgh died of lung cancer. His obituary in a local newspaper was picked up by the Associated Press, which mistakenly used the name of the real Paul Vance, who was alive and living in Coral Springs, Florida. When he learned about his supposed death from television, he contacted local media and proved he was alive by showing, among other things, ASCAP royalty checks from his biggest hit, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini".

Victor Willis, singer of The Village People who performed in a police officer costume, received a three-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to drug offenses related to a March 2006 incident in which police found cocaine and drug paraphernalia in his car. The suspended sentence spared him several years in prison on the condition that he undergo long-term addiction treatment. Willis helped create some of the group's biggest hits, including "Y.M.C.A." and "In The Navy".

George Michael was arrested in London for possession of drugs.

Katie Melua entered the Guinness Book of Records with a concert performed 303 meters below sea level on the Norwegian Statoil Troll A platform in the North Sea. Before the performance, she and her band underwent extensive medical examinations and survival training in Norway.

Snoop Dogg guest-starred in an episode of the Showtime series Weeds, where he helped Mary-Louise Parker get her marijuana-growing business off the ground with a large order and an improvised rap on the subject.

British alternative rock group Muse and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke were the major winners at the fifth annual BT Digital Music Awards in London. Each received two awards.

The song “Listen to Your Heart,” written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, received several prestigious honors at the 2006 BMI London Awards, held at the Dorchester Hotel. Among them was the organization's highest honor, the Robert S. Musel Award, given for the most-played song of the year.

Skillet released their sixth studio album Comatose. For the Christian rock band, it was their first album to receive RIAA gold certification; the certification was awarded for 500,000 units. In 2016, the album received RIAA platinum certification for one million certified units.

The opening concert of the Barbra Streisand tour at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center set a record for the highest one-day gross in the arena's ten-year history: $5,265,600 from an attendance of 16,510.

Former R. Kelly employee Henry Vaughn filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of assault, unlawful restraint, and breach of contract concerning royalties. He also claimed that Kelly and his associates dragged him into the basement of his home and repeatedly beat him.

Bob Marley was posthumously honored with a commemorative plaque at his former home at 34 Ridgmount Gardens in London's Camden. The event was part of Black History Month.

Jeffrey Borer, owner of XtraJet, which sold Michael Jackson his private Gulfstream jet, was sentenced for secretly filming Michael Jackson on the aircraft. He had two video cameras installed in the plane in an attempt to obtain material with which Jackson could be blackmailed; according to sources, he was sentenced to six months of house arrest and fined $10,000.

John Greek, an outstanding guitarist and trumpeter with The Wailers, died.

EMI Virgin India announced the withdrawal of all copies of Slayer's latest album Christ Illusion after the Christian organization Catholic Secular Forum from Mumbai protested against it.

The Four Tops sang the U.S. national anthem at Comerica Park before Game 3 of the American League Division Series between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. In honor of the local sports teams, they wore Detroit Tigers, Lions, Pistons and Red Wings jerseys. The Detroit Tigers subsequently defeated the New York Yankees 6–0.

Babyshambles postponed the remaining five concerts of their UK tour to give singer Pete Doherty more time to recover from drug addiction treatment.

The Killers reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their second studio album, “Sam's Town,” beginning a three-week run at the top. In the US, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than five million copies worldwide.

The Bad Brains kicked off a three-night residency at CBGB's during the legendary venue's final week of operation. Celebrities spotted in the audience included Ric Ocasek, Paulina Porizkova, Richard Hell and Elijah Wood.

During a concert at Madison Square Garden, Barbra Streisand had a heated confrontation with a dissatisfied audience member who objected to her political remarks about President George W. Bush.

Twenty-one-year-old Lily Allen, who had already become famous in her native England, performed in the United States for the first time, giving a concert at Hiro Ballroom in New York City.

The parole board informed Mark David Chapman that he would have to spend at least another two years at Attica Correctional Facility for the murder of John Lennon. Although the board acknowledged his satisfactory behavior in prison, it concluded that, given the extraordinary violence of his crime, his release would not be in the public interest.

Sting released the album Songs from the Labyrinth, featuring 16th-century lute songs.

Justin Hawkins, singer for the British band The Darkness, announced that he was leaving the group to continue treatment for drug addiction. The band went on hiatus until Hawkins returned in 2011.

Madonna adopted a one-year-old boy, David Banda, from Malawi. His father, Yohane Banda, told reporters that he believed the boy would do well in the United States. The child's mother had died one week after his birth.