Suge Skirmish Violated Parole

Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight allegedly assaulted a parking lot attendant near the White Lotus nightclub last month, resulting in his arrest last week. The incident could cost Knight his parole, possibly resulting in a year-long prison term.

If the charges are pursued, it would be Knight's second parole violation in the past year. Knight, 37, was arrested on December 23, 2002, on charges of associating with gang members. Four of five charges were dropped, with one resulting in a 200-hour community service sentence.

Knight's parole follows a 1996 conviction for violating the terms of his probation. In 1992, he was convicted of assault and federal weapons violations and given probation, which he violated four years later when he and some associates were videotaped beating a rival gang member in a Las Vegas hotel. The incident earned Knight a five-year prison sentence; he was paroled in August 2001.

No new charges have been filed against Knight. State officials have a month to determine whether or not he violated his parole.

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Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »

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