Trombonist and composer Eddie Edwards was born (Edwin Branford Edwards) in New Orleans on May 22, 1891. Edwards was a founding member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. His writing credits & co-writing credits include "Tiger Rag", "Fidgety Feet" and "Sensation Rag". Edwards passed away at his home in New York City on April 9, 1963. He was 71.
1948
"Tomorrow Night" by Lonnie Johnson reached #1 on the R&B Chart on May 22, 1948. It remained at the top of the chart for 7 weeks, and it became Johnson's theme song.
1954
"Cry, Cry, Darling" by Jimmy C. Newman entered the Billboard Country Chart on May 22, 1954. It eventually reached the No. 5 position. This was Newman's first hit, and the chart success prompted the Louisiana Hayride to hire him as a regular performer.
1955
Club owners in Bridgeport, CT canceled a dance scheduled to be held at the Ritz Ballroom and headlined by Fats Domino on May 22, 1955. Authorities found out that "rock and roll dances might be featured" and justified the action by referring to "a recent near riot at the New Haven Arena," where rock & roll dances were featured. See June 4, 1955 issue of Billboard magazine.
1958
Rocker Jerry Lee Lewis announced his marriage to his 13-year-old second cousin, Myra, as he arrived in London on May 22, 1958 to begin his first British tour. The public's shock over his marriage caused Lewis to be booed off stage and forced the cancellation of all but 3 of the 37 scheduled concerts on the tour. It would take years for Lewis's career to recover from the controversy.
1961
"Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe reached #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart on May 22, 1961. Allen Toussaint wrote, produced and played piano on the tune, which featured bass singer Benny Spellman (who repeats the "mother-in-law" refrain). "Mother-In-Law" hit #1 on the R&B Chart on April 24, 1961.
1992
Members of the group N.W.A. (including Dr. Dre) were arrested after a melee broke out at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans on May 22, 1992. Police on horseback were brought into the lobby to control the fighting, which involved about 50 people. Police said the battle started when some of the rappers and their entourage were denied entry to the hotel because they didn't have passes. Dr. Dre (Andre Young) was later convicted of three misdemeanor charges, including battery on a police officer. Read more here.
1999
Country singer Tim McGraw's fifth album "A Place in the Sun" debuted at #1 on both the Billboard 200 Albums chart and the Billboard Country Albums chart in 1999. The album sold more than 250,000 copies in it's first week of release. It was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA on February 7, 2023. A track from the album, "Please Remember Me", was nominated for "Best Male Country Vocal Performance" at the 2000 Grammy Awards.
2007
Syndicated morning talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly" began a 4 day run of shows in New Orleans on May 22, 2007. Guests during the week of shows filmed on Fulton Street included Emeril Lagasse, Pete Fountain (video 1, video 2), Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cowboy Mouth (video), and Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters.
2011
The 2011 Billboard Music Awards took place in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 22, 2011. Performers included Mary J. Blige with Lil Wayne ("Someone to Love Me"), Rihanna with Britney Spears ("S&M"), and Nicki Minaj with
Britney Spears ("Super Bass" & "Till the World Ends").
