As we head toward the finish line of 2013, here are a few fun facts about some of your favorite recording artists you might not have known.  Here’s to having a fun and profitable 2014!

Although The Beatles broke up 25 years ago, they continue to sell more records each year than the Rolling Stones.

Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain were all 27 years old when they died.

When Crosby, Stills and Nash started out, they were initially known as ’’The Frozen Noses’’, a vague reference to their drug habits.

When a record company executive first met the band Pink Floyd he asked them ’’Which one’s Pink?’’

Jimi Hendrix was thrown out of high school for holding the hand of a white girl in class.

Jethro Tull is the name of the band and not the name of the rock singer responsible for such songs as ’’Aqualung’’ and ’’Thick as a Brick.’’ The original Jethro Tull was an English horticulturalist who invented the seed drill. The singer is Ian Anderson.

David Bowie proposed to his first wife Angie by saying ’’Can you handle the fact that I don’t love you?’’

John Denver was killed when his light plane crashed. The plane simply ran out of fuel.

The band ’’Lynyrd Skynyrd’’ took their name from their Physical Education teacher, Leonard Skinner. Skinner had given some of the band members a hard time in school because of their long hair.

In 1978, Sweden’s most profitable export was the band ABBA. Car maker Volvo was number two.

In 1999, Janis Joplin’s former residence in San Francisco’s Haight district was converted into a drug re-hab center.

Eric Clapton was born to an unwed mother. To shield him from the shame, Eric grew up believing that his grandparents were his parents and his mother was his sister.

When Pink Floyd played in front of a large lake at the Crystal Palace Bowl in London in 1970, they played so loud that a number of fish were killed.

Cher ended her marriage to Gregg Allman in 1979 after he had passed out in an Italian restaurant, face first in a bowl of spaghetti.

The Yardbirds have given rise to three of Britain’s greatest guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

When Pink Floyd’s ’’Dark Side Of The Moon’’ finally fell off of Billboard’s Hot 200 Album list in October 1988, it had set a record of 741 weeks on the chart.

Another Brick In The Wall II, the famous Pink Floyd number with its chorus of kids chanting ’’We Don’t Need No Education’’ was banned by the South African government since black children, upset about inferior education, adopted the song as their anthem. The government said in a statement that the song was ’’prejudicial to the safety of the state.’’

In a Guns N’ Roses video( Patience ),Slash is seen playin with a huge snake. In fact, it was his pet snake. He collected snakes for pets.

Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died of alcohol overdose. It is said that he downed 18 bottles of whisky before he passed away in his sleep.

Robbie Williams was scared to death one night of a prowler and had to call the police. The prowler was Courtney Love, drunk and banging on the door.

Justin Bieber’s YouTube Play Count is Greater than the combined Population of China and India.

American composer John Cage (1912–1992) composed a work in 1952 titled 4′ 33″, which consists of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence.

Frank Sinatra, an American singer, was named Entertainer of the Century in 2000. His tombstone reads “The best is yet to come“.

The name of the only member of ZZ Top without a beard is Frank Beard.

John Lennon’s eyesight was so poor that he was legally blind without his glasses.

Wham! was the first pop group to perform in China.

Before composing Beethoven often dipped his head in cold water.

Guns N’ Roses has had 21 full-time band members since their inception.

No one knows where Mozart is buried.

Snow Patrol was originally called Polar Bear. They changed their name in 1995.

Michael Jackson is said to have spent three weeks working on the bassline for Billie Jean. He also had a great guitarist on his hit, ’’Beat It’’ – Eddie Van Halen.

Elvis Presley’s house Graceland was named after original owner SE Toof’s daughter, Grace. It is the second most visited private residence in the United States outside the White House.

Johnny Cash’s estate was approached by an advertising company asking for permission to use Ring Of Fire on an ad for hemorrhoid cream. The request was refused.

Axl Rose used to earn $8 an hour for smoking cigarettes, for a science experiment at California’s UCLA.

Prince played 27 different instruments on his debut album For You.

Keith Richards’ preferred tipple is vodka (2 measures) with Sunkist orange soda (1 measure), plus ice. He calls this refreshing drink Nuclear Waste.

In 1996, Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for apple sauce, which is what “Ringo” means in Japanese.

When The Offspring’s early drummer James Lilja left the band, he retrained as a gynecologist.

Pete Townshend has smashed more than 90 guitars in his Who career, including at least 23 Fender Stratocasters, 12 Gibson Les Pauls and 21 Gibson SGs.

The Beastie Boys is an acronym for Boys Entering Anarchistic Stages Toward’s Internal Excellence.

Hip-hop mega-producer Dr Dre, born Andre Young, was a diver in his school swimming team.

And finally!

According to all-known recorded sales data, the harmonica is the world’s best-selling musical instrument.

Tami Freeman is the Media Director of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com