NEW YORK (AP) – Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Billy Squier and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir are among a long list of artists contributing to “Songs After Sandy.” Proceeds from the just completed three-volume CD compilation will go to grassroots community based charities working to restore neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey that were devastated by Superstorm Sandy. Other featured artists on the compilation include Jeff Lynne, Joan Osbourne, Eric Burdon and Dave Stewart. The CD is available on PledgeMusic.com.

NEW YORK (AP) – Even though he played the father in “Diff’rent Strokes,” Conrad Bain never was a father figure to Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges and Dana Plato.

As Bain told AP Radio in 1991, “they had parents of their own.” Coleman, Bridges and Plato later became infamous for their personal problems. Bridges and Plato each had arrest records and drug problems. Plato OD’d in 1999. Coleman had financial and legal troubles. He died in 2010. Bain blamed the business. He said “it would take an unusual circumstance for any child to survive unscathed.”

Before “Diff’rent Strokes,” Bain played Bea Arthur’s neighbor in “Maude.” Bain has now died. He was 89.

 

On January 16th, 1942, actress Carole Lombard, her mother and about 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas. They were returning from a war-bond promotion tour.

In 1957, the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England, opened. It became famous as the place where The Beatles were a house band.

In 1964, the musical “Hello, Dolly!” starring Carol Channing, opened on Broadway.

In 1970, The Who began a tour of European opera houses, performing excerpts from the rock opera “Tommy.”

In 1973, the last episode of “Bonanza” aired on NBC.

In 1976, the live album “Frampton Comes Alive!” was released.

In 1980, Paul McCartney was jailed in Tokyo after customs agents found marijuana in his luggage. Exactly four years later, he was arrested for marijuana possession in Barbados.

In 1990, actors Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers released a statement that said they were ending their three-year marriage.

In 1991, The Byrds and Wilson Pickett were among those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1996, Jamaican authorities opened fire on Jimmy Buffett’s seaplane, mistaking it for a drug trafficker’s plane. U2 singer Bono was with Buffett, but neither one was hurt.

Also in 1996, Wayne Newton performed his 25,000th Las Vegas show. Newton has performed more shows as a headliner in Las Vegas than any other entertainer.

Today’s birthdays: Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 79. Singer Barbara Lynn is 71. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 70. Country singer Jim Stafford is 69. Director John Carpenter is 65. Actress-dancer Debbie Allen is 63. Singer Sade is 54. Bassist Paul Webb of Talk Talk is 51. Singer Maxine Jones of En Vogue is 47. Actor David Chokachi (“Baywatch”) is 45. Actor Richard T. Jones (“Judging Amy”) is 41. Supermodel Kate Moss is 39. Guitarist Nick Valensi of The Strokes is 32. Actress Yvonne Zima is 24.

 

On January 15th, 1964, Johnny Rivers began a year-long stint as the spotlight artist at the Whisky A Go-Go in Los Angeles. He helped turn the club into a hot spot, and about six weeks later his hit album “Johnny Rivers At The Whisky A Go-Go” would be recorded.

In 1967, the Rolling Stones appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” to sing “Let’s Spend The Night Together.” To satisfy censors, Mick Jagger sang “Let’s spend some TIME together.”

In 1974, the TV sitcom “Happy Days” premiered on ABC.

Also in 1974, Brownsville Station got a gold record for their only hit, “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room.”

In 1982, singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band was seriously injured in a car accident in Miami. He spent most of the year recovering.

In 1987, actor Ray Bolger died. He was 83. He’s probably best known for playing the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz.”

In 1991, Sean Lennon’s remake of his father’s “Give Peace A Chance” was released to coincide with the United Nations’ midnight deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. The lyrics were updated to reflect concerns of the 1990s.

In 1992, Johnny Cash, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Isley Brothers were among those inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1994, singer Harry Nilsson died of heart disease in Agoura Hills, California. He was 52.

In 2005, NBC held an all-star telethon to raise money for victims of a tsunami in south Asia. Performers included Madonna, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Nelly and Eric Clapton.

Today’s birthdays: Actress Margaret O’Brien (“Meet Me In St. Louis”) is 76. Actress Andrea Martin is 66. Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 56. Actor James Nesbitt (“Waking Ned Devine”) is 48. Singer Lisa Lisa of Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam is 46. Actor Chad Lowe is 45. Actress Regina King is 42. Actor Eddie Cahill (“CSI: New York”) is 35. Rapper Pitbull is 32. Electronic musician Skrillex is 25.