September 30

Musical birthdays today include soul singer Cissy Houston (80), 5th Dimension vocalist Marilyn McCoo (70), Québecoise pop singer Diane Dufresne (69), 10,000 Maniacs founding member John Lombardo (61), Gov't Mule drummer Matt Abts (60), singer & multi-instrumentalist Patrice Rushen (59), country singer Marty Stuart (55), Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio (49), Goo Goo Dolls original lead singer Robby Takacs (49), ex-Sugababes vocalist Keisha Buchanan (29), and rapper T-Pain (29).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Buddy Rich, who would have been 96 today... for English songwriter & pianist Donald Swann [of Flanders & Swann], who would have been 90... for former Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin, who would have been 73... for Frankie Lymon, who would hve been 71... for Marc Bolan, who would have been 66... for Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Nick Curran, who would have been 36... for Mary Ford, who died on this date in 1977... for American composer Virgil Thomson, who died in 1989... and for songwriter [and sometime Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn collaborator] Jacques Levy, who left us today in 2004. 

Also on September 30: Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte [The Magic Flute] has its premiere in Vienna (1791)... Donovan makes his US television debut on Shindig! (1965)... The UK's first national pop radio station, BBC Radio 1, is launched to take over from the pirate radio stations, which had been shut down by the Home Office. The first record played by former pirate DJ Tony Blackburn is The Move's 'Flowers in the Rain' (1967)... David Crosby's girlfriend Christine Hinton is killed in a head-on collision just north of San Francisco (1969)... Steve Earle is arrested in Nashville for failing to report for jury duty (1992)... Kate Pierson of the B-52's is charged with criminal mischief and trespassing after being arrested during an anti-fur demonstration outside Vogue Magazine's New York offices (1993)... Mariah Carey becomes the first female act to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at no.1, with her latest single 'Fantasy' (1995)... Chris De Burgh's website is closed down after its guestbook is flooded with obscene messages. One of the posts consisted of two four-letter words repeated 3500 times (1999).

September 29

Musical birthdays today include Jerry Lee Lewis (78), bluegrass flatpicker Dan Crary (74), jazz-rock violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (71), ex-Grand Funk Railroad frontman Mark Farner (65), Suzzy Roche (57), record label owner & impresario Alan McGee [manager of Oasis and The Jesus and Mary Chain, among others] (53), Primus lead singer & bassist Les Claypool (50), Suede lead singer Brett Anderson (46), jazz and metal guitarist Alex Skolnick (45), television theme composer Mike Post (69), rapper AMG (43), and former Much the Same frontman Chris 'Gunner' McGrath (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Gene Autry, born on this date in 1907... for Czech conductor and violinist Václav Neumann, born in 1920... for Tommy Boyce [of the songwriting duo Boyce & Hart), who would have been 74 today... for session drummer and former King Crimson member Ian Wallace, who would have been 67... and for songwriter Paul Jabara [Donna Summer's 'Last Dance' and 'It's Raining Men' for the Weather Girls), who left us today in 1992.  

Also on September 29: Berry Gordy's new label Motown Records releases its first single, 'Bad Girl' by the Miracles (1959)... Robert Shelton's glowing review of Bob Dylan's support slot at Gerde's Folk City is published in the New York Times. On the same day, Dylan has his first audition with legendary CBS Records scout John Hammond (1961)... At Abbey Road Studios, the Beatles do the final mix of I Am the Walrus, which includes the sound of a radio being tuned through numerous stations and coming to rest on a BBC production of King Lear. John Lennon composed the song by combining three separate fragments that he had been working on, and reportedly made the words as nonsensical as possible when he learnt that a former English teacher of his was giving students Beatles lyrics to analyse (1967)... Led Zeppelin close their triumphant first Japanese tour with a show at Osaka's Festival Hall (1971)... Celebrating his birthday somewhat excessively, Jerry Lee Lewis nearly lives up to his nickname of 'the Killer' when he accidentally shoots his bass player Norman Owens in the chest. The piano-pounder had been using an office door for target practice. Owens survives, but sues his boss (1976)... Prince has his second US no. 1 with 'Let's Go Crazy' (1984)... While travelling cross country on his motorbike from Los Angeles, Bruce Springsteen calls in at Matt's Saloon in Prescott, AZ and jams with the house band. He also writes a cheque for $10,000 to pay the medical expenses of one of the barmaids who has just returned to work after a long stay in hospital (1989)... Keith Moon's five-piece drum kit, custom made for him in 1968, sells for £125,000 at auction in London to an American collector (1992).

September 28

Musical birthdays today include guitarist Emmett Chapman [inventor of the Chapman Stick] (77), Ben E. King (75), original Steppenwolf bassist Nick St. Nicolas (70), Helen Shapiro (67), guitarist George Lynch (59), Jennifer Rush (53), Moon Zappa (46), singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur (42), A.J. Croce (42), Pussycat Dolls vocalist Melody Thornton (29), Hilary Duff (26), and classical violinist Chloë Hanslip (26). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for variety show host Ed Sullivan, born on this date in 1901... for Fugs co-founder Naphtali 'Tuli' Kupferberg, who would have been 90 today... for Koko Taylor, who would have been 85... for Johnny Mathis, who would have been 80... for Temptations vocalist Elbridge Bryant, who would have been 74... for harmonica virtuoso Phillip 'Norton Buffalo' Jackson, who would have been 62... for jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland, who would have been 58... for Miles Davis, who left us today in 1991... and for Lucy Vodden, the childhood friend of Julian Lennon who was the subject of his drawing that inspired one of his father to write 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. She lost a long battle with lupus today in 2009 at the age of 46. 

Also on September 28: The Beatles start a 9-week run at no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Hey Jude' (1968)... Bad Company's eponymous debut is the no.1 album in the US (1974)... A&M Records sue George Harrison for $6 million for being two months late in delivering a new album (1976)... Tina Turner's hometown, made famous in her song 'Nutbush City Limits', names a section of Tennessee State Highway 19 the Tina Turner Highway. Turner was born in Nutbush, a small town some 50 miles northeast of Memphis, and lived there until she was 17 (2002)... The first John Lennon Northern Lights Festival is held in Durness, Scotland, one of the most northwesterly and remote villages in mainland Britain. Lennon spent his childhood holidays between the ages of 9 in 13 in the village, and also returned there in 1969 with Yoko and Julian (2007). 

September 27

Musical birthdays today include Austrian balladeer Freddy Quinn (82), Stax session player Don Nix (72), Randy Bachman (70), Meat Loaf (66), classical guitarist David Starobin (62), session bassist Robbie Shakespeare (60), Shaun Cassidy (55), Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins (49), Wild Flag guitarist & singer Carrie Brownstein (39), Lil Wayne (31), Avril Lavigne (29), and Of Mice & Men lead singer Austin Carlile (26). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Bud Powell, who would have been 89 today... for bop trumpeter Red Rodney, who would have been 86... for Soul Train host and producer Don Cornelius, who would have been 77... for Men at Work multi-instrumentalist Greg Ham, who would have been 60... for former Wings guitarist Jimmy McCullough, who died of a drug overdose on this date in 1979... for Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed in an accident involving the band's tour bus in 1986... and for Johnny Mathis, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on September 27: The Beach Boys make their debut appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, performing 'I Get around' and 'Wendy' (1964)... Bob Dylan is among the guests at a party at Miles Davis' home in Manhattan given for Robert Kennedy, candidate for the US Senate from NY (1964)... The Beatles complete work on 'Fool on the Hill' and begin recording 'I Am the Walrus' (1967)... Pink Floyd appear at Queen's Hall on the Isle of Dunoon in Scotland. All regularly scheduled ferry services to the island having been cancelled because of bad weather, the group hire a small boat on their own and risk the rough seas to make the crossing. They eventually appear in front of 400 fans (1968)... The no.1 album in Britain today is David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes (1980)... U2 play a show from the rooftop of Dublin's Clarence Hotel [which they own] to more than 4,000 listeners in the streets below (2000)... Phil Spector is formally charged with murder in the February 3, 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson (2004)... Metallica have the no.1 album in the US with Death Magnetic, the group's ninth studio release (2008)... At the age of 85 Tony Bennett becomes the oldest living person to top the US album chart, with Duets II. Featuring collaborations with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, among others, it is also the singer's first US no.1 (2011). 

September 26

Musical birthdays today include Georgie Fame (70), Brian Ferry (68), country singer Lynn Anderson (66), Olivia Newton-John (65), ex-10cc drummer Stuart Tosh (62), ex-Jefferson Starship guitarist Craig Chaquico (59), Carlene Carter (58), former Everything But the Girl lead singer Tracey Thorn (51), heavy metal guitarist Al Pitrelli (51), Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman (41), Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth (37), and British composer & clarinet virtuoso Mark Simpson (25). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for George Gershwin, born on this day in 1898... for country star Marty Robbins, who would have been 88... for pop singer Julie London, who would have been 87... for punk rocker Darby Crash, who would have been 55... for former Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon, who would have been 46... for Bessie Smith, who died in an auto accident today in 1937 at the age of 43... and for Robert Palmer, who left us ten years ago today. 

Also on September 26: Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor premieres at La Scala (1835)... West Side Story premieres on Broadway (1957)... The Greenbriar Boys begin  2 week residency at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Their opening act, Bob Dylan, receives a rave review from New York Times music critic Robert Shelton ~ the piece will be instrumental in bringing the virtually unknown Dylan to prominence on the Village scene (1961)... In Copenhagen, at the end of the Who's current European tour, a disagreement between Roger Daltrey and Keith Moon turns ugly, and the lead singer knocks the drummer unconscious. Daltrey is sacked from the band, but is reinstated the following day after tempers cool (1965)... Pink Floyd play their first live show in the US, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco (1967)... The Beatles release the album Abbey Road (1969)... The Go-Gos have the no.1 album in the US today with Beauty and the Beat (1981)... Michael Jackson's Bad tops the American album chart. It will eventually yield 5 Stateside no.1 singles, the first album ever to do so (1987)... Paul McCartney kicks off his first major tour in 10 years in Drammen, Norway. The world tour that follows will also include the former Beatle's first US dates since 1976 (1989).

September 25

Musical birthdays today include Ian Tyson (80), ex-Iron Butterfly bassist Jerry Penrod (67), Siouxie and the Banshees bassist Steven Severin (58), heavy metal guitarist Chris Impellitteri (49), Commitments singer Maria Doyle Kennedy (49), Guns N' Roses led guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (44), Douglas September (41), Interpol guitarist Daniel Kessler (39) and Dolour founder Shane Tutmarc (32).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, born on this day in 1683... for Dmitri Shostakovich, born in 1906... for Glenn Gould, who would have been 81 today... for Cecil Womack, who would have been 66... for Johann Strauss the Elder [composer of 'The Radetzky March'], who died today in 1809... for Bela Bartok, who died in 1945... for John 'Bonzo' Bonham, who left us today in 1980... and for Andy Williams, who passed away a year go today. 

Also on September 25: Elvis releases his second single on Sun Records, 'Good Rockin' Tonight' (1954)... The Temptations go into the studio to record 'My Girl' (1964)... The Beatles cartoon series premieres on the ABC Network. The first adventure is entitled 'I Want to Hold Your Hands', and has the group in a diving bell exploring the ocean floor, where they meet a lovesick octopus (1965)... The Beatles begin recording Paul's new song 'Fool on the Hill' (1967)... Welsh singer Mary Hopkin is at no. 1 on the UK charts with 
'Those Were the Days'. Hopkin was one of the first cts signed by the Beatles to their new Apple label (1968)... John Lennon records 'Cold Turkey' with Yoko, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann and Ringo. Paul vetoed the tune as a potential Beatles track, and John's name alone will be listed as writer on the single, the first time that either of the duo takes sole credit for authorship of a song (1969)... The Partridge Family premieres on ABC (1970)... Larry Mullen Jr., a 14-year-old student at Mount Temple Comprehensive in Dublin, posts a note on the school's notice board announcing that he is searching for musicians to form a new band. Three of the six students who turn up for the audition ~ Paul Hewson, David Evans, and Adam Clayton ~ will become long-term members of the group, who initially call themselves Feedback. It will not be until March 1978 that they settle on the name U2 (1976)... Queen perform 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' and 'Under Pressure' on Saturday night Live (1982)... Dave Grohl auditions for Nirvana and is offered the drummer's chair on the spot (1990)... Courtney Love is sentenced to a year in prison with two years suspended and ordered to take an anger management course as  result of her assault on Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna (1995)... Former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman is the first major artist to release an album on his own personalised digital MP3 player. The matchbox-sized device with no moving parts is one of the smallest of its kind in the world, and has encryption software designed to prevent piracy (1999)... Ozzy Osbourne formally requests that Black Sabbath be removed from the nomination list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, calling the inclusion "meaningless" (2000)... The New York Post reports that Sly Stone is living in a van parked the notorious South Central L.A. district of Crenshaw. "I like my small camper. I just do not want to return to a fixed home. I cannot stand being in one place. I must keep moving", the singer is quoted as saying (2011).  

September 24

Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Herb Jeffries (100), percussionist Jack Costanzo (94), bluesman Chick Wiilis (79), Crusaders trombonist Wayne Henderson (74), Gerry & the Pacemakers frontman Gerry Marsden (71), choral composer John Rutter (68), ex-Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue (67), jazz guitarist Bill Connors (64), Dokken bassist Sean McNabb (48), former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss (48), Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan (44), and Verve drummer Peter Salisbury (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Blind Lemon Jefferson, born on this date in 1893... for songwriter and film score composer Ben Oakland, born in 1907... for jazz trumpeter Fats Navarro, born in 1923... for Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who would have been 80 today... L.A. session saxophonist Steve Douglas [played on Pet Sounds and Bob Dylan's Street Legal, among many other albums], who would have been 75... for Linda McCartney, who would have been 72... and for singer-songwriter Matthew Jay [collaborated with the Doves, the Stereophonics and Dido] who fell to his death from a 7th storey window in London at the age of 24 today in 2003. 

Also on September 24: Elvis Presley releases 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)... Elvis receives an invitation to appear at the Royal Variety Command Performance in London, but Colonel Tom Parker graciously declines, citing motion picture commitments. The real reason for his refusal, however, is that the Colonel is a Dutch immigrant residing in the US illegally, and fears that he might not be allowed to return if he leaves the country (1962)... Jimi Hendrix arrives in England for the first time with manager Chas Chandler. The guitarist has with him only the clothes he is wearing, having sold all of his other belongings to pay his hotel bill in New York. One of the first things he does in London is to legally change his name from James to Jimi (1966)... The no. 1 single in the US is 'Cherish' by The Association (1966)... Traffic make their live debut, at the Saville Theatre in London (1967)... Filming of the Magical Mystery Tour continues, in a hangar at the RAF West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent. The cavernous indoor space is needed to shoot the 'Your Mother Should Know' ballroom finale. With the Beatles dressed in white suits and shoes, they glide down a glittery staircase as 160 members of the Peggy Spencer Dance Company swirl round about (1967)... John and Yoko move the mixing of the Double Fantasy album from the Hit Factory in NYC to the Record Plant East. After the session, Lennon gives one of his final recorded interviews, to Lisa Robinson of 97-FM in Buffalo, NY (1980)... Culture Club score their second UK no. 1 hit with 'Karma Chameleon', the biggest selling single of the year (1983)... Bobby McFerrin's 'Don't Worry' Be Happy' becomes the first a capella song to reach no.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1988)... Nirvana's album Nevermind is released in the US, entering the chart at no. 144 (1991). 

September 23

Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Norma Winstone (72), Julio Iglesias (70), Iron Butterfly drummer Ron Bushy (68), original Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith (66), Bruce Springsteen (64), former Lemon Kitten and experimental musician Danielle Dax (55), session bassist and songwriter Martin Page (54), industrial metal rocker Lucia Cifarelli (43), Ani DiFranco (43), and rapper Layzie Bone (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for folk song collector and ethnomusicologist John Lomax, born on this day in 1870... for early R&B singer Tiny Bradshaw, born on this day in 1907... for John Coltrane, who would have been 87 today... for bluesman Mighty Joe Young, who would have been 86... for Ray Charles, who would have been 83...  for choreographer Bob Fosse, who died today in 1987... and for blueswoman Etta Baker, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on September 23: Wagner's opera Das Rheingold has its world premiere in Frankfurt (1869)... Buddy Holly & the Crickets hit no.1 in the US with 'That'll Be the Day' (1957)... The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts opens in NYC (1962)... The Beatles record 'Happiness is a Warm Gun' at Abbey Road. John Lennon took the title for the song from an American gun magazine that George Martin showed him. Jim Morrison drops by the studio and watches the Fab Four at work for just over an hour (1968)... Mick Jagger meets Bianca Macias for the first time, backstage after a Stones concert at L'Olympia in Paris (1970)... Against his doctors' advice, Bob Marley goes on with a scheduled concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh two days after collapsing in Central Park in NYC. The singer passes out in mid-performance and is rushed to the University of Pittsburgh Hospital. It is Marley's last public show before his death from cancer the following May (1980)... Neil Young is named artist of the year at the annual Americana Honors and Awards in Nashville (2006).

September 22

   Musical birthdays today include traditional pop singer Joni James (83), jazz singer Marlena Shaw (71), Lighthouse co-founder Paul Hoffert (70), King Sunny Adé (67), David Coverdale (62), Right Said Fred frontmen Fred & Richard Fairbrass (60), Debby Boone (57), Nick Cave (56), Joan Jett (55), ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp (44), Rilo Kiley lead guitarist Blake Sennett (37), violinist Emilie Autumn (34), and Cribs drummer Ross Jarman (29). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for American composer and bandleader Arthur Pryor, born on this date in 1870... for songwriter Harry Warren ['That's Amore', 'Chatanooga Choo Choo'], who died on this day in 1981... for Irving Berlin, who died in 1989 at the age of 101... and for violin virtuoso Isaac Stern, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on September 22: Elvis Presley gives a final press conference at the Military Ocean Terminal in Brooklyn, NY before shipping out to Germany with the US 3rd Armored Division on the USS General Randall (1958)... Herman's Hermits have their first and only UK no.1 with 'I'm into Something Good' (1964)... San Francisco band The Great Society, with then husband and wife Jerry and Grace Slick on drums and lead vocals, respectively, make their live debut at The Coffee Gallery in North Beach (1965)... The Doors perform 'Light My Fire' and 'People Are Strange' on The Murray the K Show on WPIX-TV in New York (1967)... The Band release their eponymous second album, which will yield the hit singles 'Up on on Cripple Creek', 'Rag Mama Rag' and 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down' (1969)... David Bowie kicks off the North American leg of the Ziggy Stardust world tour at The Music Hall in Cleveland, OH (1972)... The Rolling Stones have the no. 1 album in Britain today with Goats Head Soup (1973)... Def Leppard receive their first major press notice when Melody Maker reviews a gig the band had recently played in Wolverhampton (1979)... Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell and Tom Petty headline the first Farm Aid concert at the stadium of the University of Illinois-Champaign  (1985)... Nirvana play their largest gig to date, at Seattle's Motor Sports International Garage. Dave Grohl, who will audition for the band two days from now, is in the audience of 15,000 (1990)... Bryan Adams makes British chart history when '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You' comes in at no.1 for the 12th consecutive week (1991)... Diana Ross is arrested on the Concorde after an incident at Heathrow Airport. The singer claimed that a female security guard had fondled her breasts when frisking her; Ross retaliated by grabbing the guard's genital area (1999)... 'A Tribute to Heroes' is aired commercial-free on most of the major US TV networks. The live program was organized to raise money for 9/11 charities. Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, U2, Billy Joel, Pearl Jam and Limp Bizkit all perform (2001)... Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is escorted off a diverted transatlantic flight and refused entry into the US by FBI agents. His name showed up on a State Department watch list after the plane had taken off from London. The flight lands in Portland, ME, where Islam, travelling with his 21-year-old-daughter, is detained and questioned (2004)... Jimmy Page is made an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro for his work raising money to help the city's street children (2005)... Research conducted by UK car maker SEAT shows that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is the song most likely to be found on British iPods, with 40% of owners of the device having the Queen hit on their playlists (2011). 

September 21

Musical birthdays today include jazz vocalist Ward Swingle (86), saxophonist and Mingus sideman Shafi Hadi (84), Leonard Cohen (79), free jazz drummer Sunny Murray (77), rock guitarist Bobby Tench (69), Spinners lead singer G.C. Cameron (68), ex-Eagles lead guitarist Don Felder (66), former XTC lead guitarist Dave Gregory (61), ex-Motörhead drummer Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor (59), Swing Out Sister lead singer Corinne Drewery (54), Faith Hill (46), Barenaked Ladies drummer Tyler Stewart (46), De La Soul's David Jude Jolicoeur AKA Dave (45), Liam Gallagher (41) former Korn drummer David Silveria (41), Glasvegas frontman James Allan 34), and Horrors lead singer Faris Badwan (27). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Gustav Holst, born on this day in 1874... for classical pianist György Sándor, born in 1912... for jazz bassist Leroy 'Slam' Stewart, born in 1914... for Liverpool band leader Rory Storm, who would have been 74 today... for jazz bassist Jaco Pastorious, who died today in 1987 at the age of 36... and for ex-King Crimson singer and Bad Company founding member Boz Burrell, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on September 21: Bessie Smith records 'Jailhouse Blues' (1923)... The no. 1 song in the US today is Bobby Vinton's 'Blue Velvet' (1963)... Madame Tussaud's Waxworks gives the Beatles their fifth image change of clothes and hair in 4 years (1968)... The BBC TV music show The Old Grey Whistle Test premieres. In addition to live acts, clips of Jimi Hendrix performing at Monterey and Bob Dylan singing 'Maggie's Farm' at Newport in 1965 are show on television for the first time. According to presenter Bob Harris, the program [which will run until 1987] derived its name from an old Tin Pan Alley expression ~ when a music publishing company received the first test pressing of a record, they would play it for the people they called 'the old greys', i.e. uniformed doormen. The songs they could remember and whistle after the first hearing were said to have 'passed the old grey whistle test' (1971)... Barry White has his only US no. 1 with 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Baby' (1974)... During a North American tour, Bob Marley collapses while jogging in NYC's Central Park. Hospital tests will show that the singer is suffering from cancer in an advanced stage (1980)...  The National Enquirer runs a cover photo of Michael Jackson in an oxygen chamber for a story claiming that the singer has a 'bizarre plan' to live until he is 150 years old (1986)... Status Quo put themselves in the Guinness Book of World Record by playing 4 gigs in 4 cities [Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham and London] within a 12-hour period (1991)... A contract revealing that the Beatles refused to perform for a segregated audience at the Cow Palace in San Francisco on August 31, 1965 sells for $23,033 at an auction in L.A. (2011). 

September 20

Musical birthdays today include jazz drummer Chico Hamilton (92), pop singer Gogi Grant (89), Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo (65), jazzman Steve Coleman (57), Thompson Twins co-founder Alannah Currie (56), former Housemartins and Beautiful South lead singer Dave Hemingway (53), Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd (45), The Feeling frontman Dan Gillespie Sells (34), and Québécoise pop singer Marilou (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz guitarist John Collins, born 100 years ago today... for classical pianist William Kappell, born in 1922... for jazz singer & guitarist Jackie Paris, who would have been 89 today... for original Coasters member Bobby Nunn, who would have been 88... for former Styx drummer John Panozzo, who would have been 65... for Spanish violin virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, who died today in 1908... for singer-songwriter Jim Croce, who was killed in an airplane crash today in 1973 at the age of 30... and for Leonard Skinner, the high school gym teacher who was the namesake of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on September 20: Dimitri Shostakovich's Suite for Jazz Orchestra premieres in Leningrad (1938)... Led Zeppelin, still under the name The New Yardbirds, enter Olympic Studios in London to begin recording their first album. The album will take only 36 hours to complete, at a reported cost of £1,780. Almost all of the tracks are recorded live off the floor with no overdubs (1968)... During a group meeting at Abbey Road Studios, John Lennon tells the other Beatles "I want  divorce" and announces that he is leaving the band (1969)... 'Sugar Sugar' by the Archies starts a 4-week run at no.1 in the US. It's 8-week stay at the top in Britain will set a longevity record in the spot for a one-hit wonder (1969)... Jim Morrison is acquitted on charges of lewd and lascivious behaviour, but is found guilty of exposing himself during a concert at the Dinner Key Auditorium in Coconut Grove, FL 18 months earlier. After his trial at the Dade County Courthouse in Miami, Judge Henry Goodman sentences the Doors vocalist to six months plus sixty days hard labour for public self-exposure and profanity, and a $500 fine. The sentence will still be on appeal when Morrison dies in Paris the following summer (1970)... Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested for possession of cannabis for the second time this month, this time at their farmhouse in Campbeltown, Scotland (1972)... David Bowie has his first US no.1 single with 'Fame', which he co-wrote with John Lennon (1975)... The four former Beatles turn down a £230 million offer from promoter Sid Bernstein to do a one-off reunion concert for charity (1976)... AC/DC release 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' (1976)... Kate Bush becomes the first female solo artist to have a no.1 album in Britain, with Never For Ever. Meanwhile, Queen score their only US no. 1 album with The Game (1980)... The musical Miss Saigon has its world premiere in the West End in London (1989)... The Dave Matthews Band release the album Under the Table and Dreaming, which features their first widely heard singles including 'What Would You Say' and 'Ants Marching' (1994)... Pearl Jam's video for 'Jeremy' is cited as one of the reasons that school shooter Barry Loukaitis snapped and killed his algebra teacher and two fellow students in Washington state. The defendant's attorneys take the unprecedented step of playing the video in the courtroom (1997)... The former north London home of the original members of Pink Floyd is bought by a Singaporean developer named Sham Masterman. The businessman, who admits that he is not a fan of the group, purchases the Highgate house and the one next door for £1.2 million. Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason all lived in the house in the late '60s. The previous owner, lighting technician Mike Leonard, was landlord and friend to the musicians, and even inspired their group's first name, 'Leonard's Lodgers' (2012). 

September 19

Musical birthdays today include Bill Medley (73), Sylvia Tyson (73), Freda Payne (71), David Bromberg (68), ex-10cc lead singer Lol Creme (66), Daniel Lanois (62), free jazz guitarist Henry Kaiser (61), Nile Rogers (61), Rex Smith (58), former Runaways lead guitarist Lita Ford (55), Jarvis Cocker (50), Trisha Yearwood (49), heavy metal guitarist & drummer Jimmy Bower (45), Amil (35), Tegan and Sara Quinn (33), and Eamon (30). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Brian Epstein, who would have been 79 today... for former Chieftains fiddler Martin Fay, who would have been 77... for Cass Elliot, who would have been 72... for country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, who died today in 1973 at the age of 26... and for session drummer Earl Palmer [played on the original studio recordings of 'Tutti Frutti', 'You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin' and 'River Deep, Mountain High' among many others], who left us today in 2008. 

Also on September 19: 16-year-old English singer Cliff Richard joins his first band, The Dick Teague Skiffle Group (1957)... Chubby Checker hits no.1 on the Billboard chart with 'The Twist' (1960)... Creedence Clearwater Revival score their only British no.1 singled with 'Bad Moon Rising' (1969)... The first Glastonbury Festival opens with T Rex and Jethro Tull among the headliners (1970)... The no. 1 album in the US today is the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You ~ it will stay atop the charts for the next two months (1981)... Tipper Gore and other US political wives form the PMRC [Parents Music Resource Center] as Frank Zappa, Dee Snider and other musicians testify at Congressional hearings on obscenity in popular music (1985)... Pearl Jam release their second album, Vs. It sets a record for most copies sold in its first week in shops that will stand for 5 years, despite the group's refusal to produce any videos for the album's singles (1993)... James Brown is sued by his own daughters for nearly one million dollars of song royalties they say they are owed. The suit brought by Deanna Brown Thomas and Dr. Yamma Brown Lummar, a Houston physician, alleges that Brown is withholding the money because of family grudges (2002).  

September 18

Musical birthdays today include Frankie Avalon (74), singer-songwriter P.F. Sloan (68), former Kansas frontman Kerry Livgren (64), ex-Black Flag lead singer Keith Morris (58), Jayhawks frontman Mark Olson (52), Cutting Crew drummer Martin Beedle (52), Human League vocalist Joanne Catherall (51), legendary college DJ and all-around musical trendsetter Sharon 'Sherri' Wallach (45), Wu-Tang Clan rapper Darryl 'Cappadonna' Hill (44), operatic soprano Anna Netrebko (42), and Mobb Deep rapper Albert 'Prodigy' Johnson (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Dee Dee Ramone, who would have been 62 today... for jazz guitarist Emily Remler, who would have been 56... for bluesman Blind Willie Johnson, who died on this date in 1945... and for Jimi Hendrix, who left us today in 1970. 

Also on September 18: The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden opens for the first time (1809)... The Beatles continue work on the White Album, recording 'Birthday' today. Mal Evans, Yoko Ono and Pattie Harrison contribute backing vocals and handclaps (1968)... The Who score their first and only UK no. 1 album with Who's Next. The cover photo, taken at Easington Colliery, Co. Durham, shows the members of the band having apparently just relieved themselves on a large concrete piling. According to photographer Ethan Russell, only Pete Townshend was actually able to urinate on cue, so rainwater was tipped from an empty film canister to achieve the desired affect (1971)... The no. 1 single in the US today is 'Play That Funky Music' by one-hit wonders Wild Cherry (1976)... Gary Numan takes off on a round the world trip in a single-engine Cessna aircraft. The attempt ends after he is forced down by the Indian air force over Mumbai and arrested when he lands (1981)... Kiss appear for the first time in public without their famous make-up, in an interview with MTV to promote their latest album, Lick It Up (1983)... At Sotheby's in London, Julian Lennon is the top bidder for Paul McCartney's recording notes for 'Hey Jude', as well as for a copy of his father's handwritten lyrics to 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'. The two purchases will cost the younger Lennon £21,000 and £57,500 respectively (1996)... Britney Spears marries Kevin Federline in a private ceremony in Los Angeles (2004)... 73-year-old Willie Nelson and four members of his band are charged with drug possession after cannabis and magic mushrooms are found by Louisiana state troopers after the singer's tour bus is pulled over outside Lafayette (2006)... Leonard Cohen collapses on stage while singing his song 'Bird on a Wire' during a concert in Valencia, Spain and is taken to hospital. The 75-year-old tunesmith will be found to be suffering from food poisoning (2009). 

September 17

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Ralph Sharon  (90), Fifth Dimension founding member Lamonte McLemore (74), Five Man Electrical Band guitarist Les Emmerson (69), Tubes frontman Fee Waybill (63), Budgie drummer Steve Williams (60), Ned's Atomic Dustbin lead singer Jonn Penney (45), Prodigy singer Keith Flint (44), Simple Plan drummer Chuck Comeau (34), and ex-Panic! At the Disco bassist Jon Walker (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Hank Williams on the 90th anniversary of his birth... for Jeanine Deckers, AKA the Singing Nun, who would have been 80 today... for original Steely Dan drummer Jim Hodder, who would have been 66... for pioneering boogie-woogie pianist Jimmy Yancey, who died on this day in 1951... for former MC5 lead singer Rob Tyner, who passed away in 1991 at the age of 47... and for British cabaret singer Frankie Vaughn, who left us in 1999. 

Also on September 17: The first 33 1/3 RPM vinyl LP, a recording of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, is demonstrated at the Savoy Plaza Hotel in NYC by RCA Victor. The venture proves impractical owing to the high cost of the record players ($95, or approximately $1150 in today's dollars). The project is shelved, and will not be revived until 1948 (1931)... The Beatles set a new American record for payment for a single show when they receive $150,000 to play Kansas City's Municipal Stadium (1964)... The Doors are banned from the Ed Sullivan Show after Jim Morrison breaks his promise to the producers to drop 'Girl, we couldn't get much higher' from 'Light My Fire' by singing the offending line anyway. The group also perform their new single 'People Are Strange' (1967)... Newspaper on both sides of the Atlantic run headline stories of Paul McCartney's reported demise. The Beatles bassist was supposedly killed in a car accident in Scotland on the 9th of November, 1966, and a double has been taking his place for public appearances ever since. McCartney tells journalists "Believe me, if I were dead, I'd be the last to know" and that he and Jane Asher were in Kenya at the time of the alleged mishap (1969)... The Sex Pistols play a show for the inmates at Chelmsford Prison, Essex (1976)... The video for Queen's single 'Bicycle Race' is filmed at Wimbledon Stadium, London. It features 65 female models pedalling around the track in the nude on bicycles that were hired for the day. The rental company will reportedly demand payment for all the saddles when they learn how the cycles were used (1978)... Over 4 million copies of the Guns N' Roses albums use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II are simultaneously released for retail sale, making it the largest ship-out in US pop history (1991)... An inebriated 19-year-old man is taken off  plane in Denver, CO after harassing members of Hootie and the Blowfish, who are travelling in the first class section (1991)... Barry Manilow cancels his appearance on The View because he refuses to be interviewed by conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Manilow says that he will speak only to co-hosts Joy Behar, Barbara Walters or Whoopi Gioldberg, a demand that the show's producers reject as 'completely disrespectful' (2007). 

September 16

Musical birthdays today include scat singer Jon Hendricks (92), B.B. King (88), George Chakiris [leader of the Sharks in the film version of West Side Story] (79), blues harmonica player Billy Boy Arnold (78), World Saxophone Quartet founding member Hamiet Bluiett (73), Lovin' Spoonful drummer Joe Butler (72), ex-Hollies bassist Bernie Calvert (71), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers bassist Ron Blair (65), former Small Faces and The Who drummer Kenney Jones (65), singer-songwriter Vince Bell (62), jazz guitarist Earl Klugh (60), Wire frontman Colin Newman (59), ex-Runaways bassist Victory Tischler-Blue (59), My Bloody Valentine singer & guitarist Bilinda Butcher (52), former Elastica lead singer Justine Frischmann (44), Katie Melua (29), and Nick Jonas (21). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd, who would have been 88 today... for boogie-woogie pianist Little Willie Littlefield, who would have been 82... for blues sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith, who would have been 79... for Jamaican session drummer Winston Grennan, who would have been 69... for Dead Milkmen bassist Dave Schulthise, who would have been 57... for Marc Bolan, who was killed in an automobile accident at the age of 29 today in 1977, and for opera singer Maria Callas who died on the same day... for Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield, who passed away in 2008... and for Mary Travers, who left us today in 2009. 

Also on September 16: She Loves You is released in the US on the Swan label. Although the song is currently no.1 in the UK, it will be dormant on the US charts until the Beatles visit America for the first time in February of the following year (1963)... The new Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center opens with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1966)... MP Tom Drilberg asks the House of Commons to officially deplore the actions of a London magistrate who the day before called the Rolling Stones "...complete morons who wear filthy clothes" (1966)... The Beatles continue to work on 'Your Mother Should Know' at Abbey Road Studios (1967)... Led Zeppelin are voted group of the year in a Melody Maker readers' poll. For the first time in 8 years, the honour goes to a band other than the Beatles (1970)... Jimi Hendrix joins Eric Burdon on stage at Ronnie Scott's in London for what would prove to be the guitarist's final public appearance (1970)... The Sugar Hill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight', often considered the song that first popularized hip-hop in the US and subsequently around the world, is released (1979)... U2 jam with B.B. King on a yacht in Sydney Harbour rented for the blues legend's 64th birthday (1989)... Pearl Jam kick off their 'No Code' tour at the Key Arena in Seattle, WA. Because of the band's refusal to play in Ticketmaster's venue areas, they are forced to use alternate ticketing companies, wh0 book the shows in halls which fans complain are remote and hard to get to (1996)... For the first time in 30 years, Bob Dylan has the no. 1 album in the US, with 'Modern Times'. The last time the singer achieved the feat was in 1976, with 'Desire'. Dylan also sets a record as the oldest performer to date to top the Billboard album chart, at the age of 65 (2006). 

September 15

Musical birthdays today include original Jefferson Airplane lead singer Signe Toly Anderson (72), ex-Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy (61), Bad Brains guitarist Gary 'Dr. Know' Miller (55), Super Furry Animals lead guitarist Huw Bunford (46), Franz Ferdinnd drummer Paul Thomson (37), and Clare Maguire (26). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early country star Roy Acuff, born 110 years ago today... for Preservation Hall Jazz Band trumpeter George 'Kid Sheik' Colar, born in 1908... for cabaret singer Bobby Short, who would have been 89 today... for jazz legend Cannonball Adderley, who would have been 85... for Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman, who would have been 71... for ABBA drummer Ola Brunkert, who would have been 67... for composer Anton Webern, who died on this date in 1945... for Miles Davis collaborator and pianist Bill Evans, who passed away in 1980... for Johnny Ramone, who died of cancer in 2004... and for Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright, who left us 5 years ago today. 

Also on September 15: Elvis hits no. 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Don't Be Cruel' (1956)... John Coltrane goes into the studio to begin recording 'Blue Train', his only album for the Blue Note label (1957)... A group from Hawthorne, California calling themselves The Pendletones go into the Hite Morgan Studio in L.A. to record the single 'Surfin'. Leader Brian Wilson decides soon after that The Beach Boys is a more suitable name for the outfit (1961)... The Four Seasons become the first American act to have three no.1 singles in succession when 'Sherry' tops the charts (1963)... A Beatles concert at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH is halted when fans engulf the stage midway through the performance. After police succeed in getting the group safely back to their dressing room, publicist Derek Taylor goes on the PA system and pleads for order to be restored so that the show does not have to be cancelled (1964)... The Ford Motor Company become the first automakers to offer an 8-track tape player as an option for the entire line of vehicles on sale in the US (1965)... Shooting for the Magical Mystery Tour today consists of filming the Beatles having lunch at James and Amy Smedley's fish & chips shop in Taunton, Somerset (1967)... The Doors are forced to play as an instrumental trio in Amsterdam after Jim Morrison collapses while dancing during the Jefferson Airplane's opening set (1968)... Pink Floyd release 'Wish You Were Here' in the US (1975)... Bob Dylan kicks off the longest US tour of his career thus far in Augusta, Maine, playing the first of 65 gigs in 62 cities (1978)... Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Relax' enters its 40th week on the UK singles charts (1984)... A reel to reel tape of the Quarrymen performing at a St. Peter's Parish Church garden party in Liverpool in 1957 sells for £69,000 at auction in London (1994).

September 14

Musical birthdays today include saxophonist Oliver Lake (71), Nazareth bassist Pete Agnew (67), Strawberry Alarm Clock founding member and guitarist Ed King (64), producer Steve Berlin (58), John Berry (54), former A-Ha lead singer Morten Harket (54), ex-La's bassist John Power (46), former Everclear bassist Craig Montoya (43), Nas (40), ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts (32), and Big Time Rush's Logan Henderson (24). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic singer and philanthropist Alice Tully, born on this day in 1902... for Captain Beefheart sideman Alex St. Clair, who would have been 72 today... for Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines, who would have been 64... for Free lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, who would have been 63... for avant-garde cellist Tom Cora, who would have been 60... for Amy Winehouse, who would have been 30... and for blues great Furry Lewis, who passed away today in 1981. 

Also on September 14: Little Richard enters a New Orleans studio to begin two days of recording. Things are going badly when the singer and producer Bumps Blackwell go to a bar & grill across the street for lunch. Little Richard spots an upright piano in the corner and improvises what will become 'Tutti Frutti' on the spot. The song takes 15 minutes to record when work resumes (1955)... The filming of The Magical Mystery Tour continues. The Beatles' attempts to find quiet, secluded fields in which to shoot are repeatedly frustrated by hordes of pursuing fans who track them down (1967)... Roy Orbison's house in Nashville burns down. The two elder sons of the singer, who is currently on tour in the UK, die in the blaze (1968)... The first episode of the adventure of the musical comic strip band The Archies airs on US TV (1968)... The no.1 single in the US today is Eric Clapton's cover of 'I Shot the Sheriff' (1974)... The Rolling Stones play an incognito pre-tour warm-up show at Sir Morgan's Cove Club in Worcester, MA. They are billed as Little Boy Blue & the Cockroaches, but their identity is leaked by a local radio station, and a riot develops outside the club as 4,000 fans try to get into the 350-seat venue. Police will make a dozen arrests (1981)... The first MTV Video Music Awards are held, with Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd handling MC duties. David Bowie wins Video of the Year for China Girl (1984)... Steve Earle is sentenced to 1 year in prison for possession of crack (1994)... Paul McCartney's original handwritten first draft of the lyrics to 'Getting Better' sells for £161,000 at auction at Sotheby's, London (1995)... A crowd of over 2,000 gather to watch Pete Townshend unveil an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair, London, to mark the townhouse where Jimi Hendrix lived in 1968-69 (1997)... HMV stores in Canada remove all Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer's signing of a deal with Starbucks to make the coffee giant the exclusive sellers of his latest release (2005)... The Grateful Dead's original tour bus, newly refurbished, goes on display in an auto museum in the town of Volo, Illinois. The 1965 Gillig bus, dubbed 'Sugar Magnolia' by Jerry Garcia, was used by the band on their frequent cross-country tours between 1967 and 1985 (2005)... Whitney Houston files for divorce from Bobby Brown after 14 years of marriage (2006). 

September 13

Musical birthdays today include Blood Sweat & Tears frontman David Clayton-Thomas (72), Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera (69), Randy 'The Cowboy' Jones of the Village People (61), Don Was (61), The Church lead singer Steve Kilbey (59), drummer Vinny Appice (56), Megadeath and ex-Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine (52), Zak Starkey (48), Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins (46), Rascal Flatts lead guitarist Joe Don Rooney (38), and Fiona Apple (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer and pianist Clara Schumann, born on this date in 1819... for composer Arnold Schoenberg, born in 1874... for film score composer Maurice Jarre, who would have been 89 today... for jazz singer Mel Tormé, who would have been 88... for former Stone the Crows guitarist Les Harvey, who would have been 69... for conductor Leopold Stokowski, who died today in 1977... and for Tupac Shakur, shot to death today in 1996 at the age of 25. 

Also on September 13: Cliff Richard makes his UK television debut on the variety show 'Oh Boy'. Before he is allowed to appear on the program, Richard is told he must shave his sideburns (1958)... The Federal Communications Act in the US is amended to outlaw payments of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay of records (1960)... After a Hollies gig in Scotland, Graham Nash checks to see if the side door of the group's van is locked properly as they drive along the motorway. It isn't, and Nash falls out as the vehicle is travelling at around 40 MPH. Miraculously, the future CSN&Y superstar has only minor bruises and abrasions (1963)... The Paul McCartney-penned 'Yesterday' comes out as a single in the US. The other 3 Beatles consider the final version so uncharacteristic of the rest of their work hitherto that they veto a UK release [which eventually happens in 1976] (1965)... The Beatles form an electronics company called Fiftyshapes, Ltd, with John Alexis 'Magic Alex' Mardas as director. Alex claims that he is close to perfecting a 72-track tape machine ~ it never materialises ~ and proposes replacing the acoustic baffles around Ringo's drums with an invisible sonic force field. George will later call employing Mardas 'the greatest disaster of all time' (1967)... John and Yoko fly to Canada to perform at the Rock 'n' Roll Revival show in Toronto. Eric Clapton and drummer Alan White were recruited so late that the ensemble have their first rehearsal on the airplane (1969)... The no. 1 single in the US today is Berlin's 'Take My Breath Away' (1986)... Geffen Records give a party at a lower Manhattan hotel to launch Nirvana's single 'Smells like Teen Spirit'. The band members are thrown out of the affair after starting a food fight (1991)... Elton John throws a tantrum when he is set to appear at a sold out show at a casino near Lisbon. Unhappy because the audience are slow in leaving a VIP dinner before the concert and taking their seats, Elton leaves the building and flies back to the UK on his private jet without playing a note (2000)... WalMart refuses to stock the album 'Permission to Land' by the British group Darkness [who sent the disc to the top of the charts in their home country] because the cover contains a shot of a woman's bare bottom (2003)... The childhood home of Jimi Hendrix in Seattle, WA is saved from demolition after a settlement with the city to relocate the structure is reached at the last minute. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation and the City of Seattle agree to renovate the house into a community centre opposite the cemetery where the guitarist is buried (2005)... The no. 1 album in the UK today is Vera Lynn's career retrospective 'We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn'. The 92-year-old singer sets a record as the oldest person ever to achieve this feat with an album. The previous mark was set by Bob Dylan when he topped the British charts with 'Together through Life' earlier this year at the comparatively youthful age of 67 (2009). 

September 12

Musical birthdays today include Maria Muldaur (70), Rush drummer Neil Peart (61), former XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews (57), ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson (57), Mylène Farmer (52), Ben Folds (47), Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde (45), Bizzy Bone (37), James McCartney (36), Jennifer Hudson (32), and Emmy Rossum (27). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for George Jones, who would have been 82 today... for Barry White, who would have been 69... for French composer François Couperin, who died on this date in 1733... for Johnny Cash, who left us 10 years ago today... and for Nashville session drummer Kenny Buttrey [noted for his work with Bob Dylan and Neil Young, among many others] who passed away today in 2004. 

Also on September 12th: Mahler's 8th symphony ~ his last to premiere in his lifetime ~ is performed for the first time, in Munich, with 1,028 instrumentalists and singers (1910)... Frank Sinatra has his first no.1 song in the UK with 'Three Coins in a Fountain' (1954)... NBC airs the premiere of The Monkees' TV show. The series will run for a total of 58 episodes (1966)... Filming continues for the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. The bus heads for Widecombe on the Moor, in Devon, where a local fair is being held, but driver Alf Manders takes a shortcut to bypass heavy traffic and gets stuck on a bridge. The coach ends up having to drive in reverse for half a mile before it can turn around. It then heads for Plymouth, followed by a 20-car convoy of photographers and journalists (1967)... The no.1 song in the UK is Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' 'Tears of a Clown' (1970)... Public Image Ltd guitarist John McGeoch will need 40 stitches after being struck in the face by a 2-litre wine bottle hurled from the crowd during a show in Vienna (1986)... The soundtrack album to the Richie Valens biopic 'La Bamba' by Los Lobos is at no. 1 on the Billboard chart (1987)... Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie announce that they are leaving Fleetwood Mac at the end of the band's current tour (1990)... Christina Aguilera releases her first Spanish-language album, 'Mi Reflejo' (2000)... The surviving members of Led Zeppelin announce that they will reform for a one-off concert with the late John Bonham's son Jason in the drummer's chair. The show, the first for the group in 18 years, is to honour Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died last year. All profits from the concert, which will take place at London's O2 arena on the 26th of November and cost £125 per ticket, will go to establishing scholarships in Ertegun's name in the UK, the USA, and his native Turkey (2007). 

September 11

Musical birthdays today include composer Arvo Pärt (78), Lola Falana (71), Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart (71), Leo Kottke (68), former Buckinghams lead singer Dennis Tufano (67), Styx singer/songwriter Tommy Shaw (60), ex-Culture Club drummer Jon Moss (56), Moby (48), Harry Connick, Jr. (46), former Letters to Cleo lead singer Kay Hanley (45), Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft (42), and Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer William Boyce, born on this date in 1711... for bluesman Robert 'Barbecue Bob' Hicks, born in 1902... for British guitarist John Martyn, who would have been 65 today... for composer Anton Bruckner, who died on this date in 1896... for reggae star Peter Tosh, who was murdered in his home during a robbery in 1987... and for Weather Report keyboardist Joe Zawinul, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on September 11: W.C. Handy publishes 'St. Louis Blues' (1914)... Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun takes over as producer of his label's latest signing, 21-year-old Ray Charles, at Atlantic Studios on W. 56th St. in Manhattan (1952)... With session drummer Andy White replacing Ringo at George Martin's insistence, the Beatles make another attempt at recording their first single, 'Love Me Do', at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. The 45 RPM that is released on the 5th of October will be a version including Ringo, the Andy White take ending up on the 'Please Please Me' album (1962)... 'Help!' is the no.1 US album, the 6th time the Beatles have topped the chart (1965)... The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (1966)... Filming for 'The Magical Mystery Tour' begins. The Beatles have no shooting script or storyboards of any kind, nor even any clear idea of what they wish to accomplish. The tour bus sets off for the West Country of England with no particular destination, eventually stopping for the night at Teignmouth, Devon, where the Fab Four are greeted by hundreds of fans (1967)... Donny Osmond has his only American no.1 with 'Go Away, Little Girl'. The song was also a chart-topper for Steve Lawrence in 1963 (1971)... The no. 1 single in the US today is KC and the Sunshine Band's '(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty' (1976)... John Cougar Mellencamp becomes the only male artist in American chart history to simultaneously have two singles in the top 10 ['Jack and Diane' and 'Hurts So Good'] and the no.1 album [American Fool] (1982)... Michael Jackson appears at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. Over 3000 fans were treated by Merseyside EMTs for fainting, hysteria, and minor injuries from the crush of the crowd of some 125,000, the largest audience of the 123-date 'Bad' world tour (1988)... Walking to his job in lower Manhattan as a comic book illustrator, Gerard Way witnesses the 9/11 attacks on the WTC. The day's events inspire him to start a band, which will become My Chemical Romance. Meanwhile, Sir Paul McCartney, in an airplane awaiting takeoff at JFK, composes the single 'Freedom' after seeing the burning towers in the distance. All profits from the song will go to the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity set up to aid the families of NYC police and firemen (2001)... Leicester University in the UK releases the results of a study showing that more than a quarter of classical music listeners have tried cannabis. Researchers at the institution have been trying to find out what people's musical tastes reveal about their lifestyles. They find that blues buffs are the most likely to have received a traffic ticket, Hip-hop fans are more likely to have had multiple sex partners and are the biggest drug consumers among the 2,500 people surveyed. The study will be published next month in the journal Psychology of Music (2006). 

September 10

Musical birthdays today include Cynthia Lennon (74), jazz-funk pioneer Roy Ayers (73), Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton (71), Jose Feliciano (68), Slade drummer Don Powell (67), ex-Jethro Tull drummer Barrie Barlow (64), Joe Perry (63), Tex-Mex musician Rosie Flores (63), King Crimson percussionist Pat Mastelloto (58), Boomtown Rats pianist John 'Johnnie Fingers' Moylett (57), Bananarama's Siobhan Fahey (55), Bush drummer Robin Goodridge (48) and former Drop Nineteens multi-instrumentalist Paula Kelley (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer Henry Purcell, born today in 1659... and for bluesman Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on September 10: Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt Kickers' single 'Monster Mash' is banned by the BBC as offensive. Re-released 10 years later, it will peak at no. 3 on the UK charts (1962)... Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meet John Lennon and Paul McCartney by chance at the London jazz club Studio 51. Paul plays a partly finished song entitled 'I Wanna Be Your Man' for the Glimmer Twins, who will soon record it themselves (1963)... The Byrds begin recording Turn! Turn! Turn! at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles (1965)... No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart today is 'You Can't Hurry Love' by the Supremes (1966)... Elvis records Jerry Reed's 'Guitar Man' at RCA Studios in Nashville. It will be the last of the King's 11 number ones on the Billboard country chart (1967)... 'Hey Jude', the longest no. 1 song in chart history, is on top on both sides of the Atlantic (1968)... The BBC bans the Rolling Stones' single 'Star Star' from the Goat's Head Soup LP because it contains the word 'starfucker' in the chorus a dozen times (1973)... The New York Dolls announce that the group is disbanding (1974)... The no. 1 song in America is Michael Sembello's 'Maniac' from the Flashdance soundtrack (1983)... Nirvana's single 'Smells like Teen Spirit' is released in the US. Its rapid ascent to the top of the charts is often considered the point at which alternative rock entered the mainstream (1991)... An electric chair which was used in Alcatraz and was once owned by Andy Warhol sells for £4,800 at an auction in Bristol, England. Warhol reportedly often sat in the chair when watching horror films, and when listening to the recordings in progress of his protegés The Velvet Underground (1997)... Paul McCartney makes the front page of tabloids after being photographed at an NYC party minus one of his front teeth after a crown broke off when he was eating. he hd lost the tooth in a motorcycle accident in 1967 (1999)...  A harmonica once owned by Bob Dylan sells for £2,700 at an auction in Norfolk, England, more than four times the initial suggested price. The singer had presented the Hohner instrument to a member of the wardrobe department on his 1974 US tour. Lifelong Dylan connoisseur and Norfolk resident John Fellas wears RayBans while outbidding fans from across the world. The inside of the harmonica case is signed and dedicated by Dylan. After the auction, Fellas tells reporters that he is on his way to a pub in order to get up the courage to tell his wife what he has done (2009). 

September 9

Musical birthdays today include former Blues Project guitarist Danny Kalb (71), Dee Dee Sharp (68), ex-Iron Butterfly keyboardist Doug Ingle (67), ex-Paul Revere & the Raiders guitarist Freddy Weller (66), groupie Pamela Des Barres (65), Doobie Brothers guitarist John McFee (63), Dave Stewart (61), Michael Bublé (38) and Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Elvin Jones, who would have been 86 today... for Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers founding member Joe Negroni, who would have been 73... for Otis Redding, who would have been 72... for Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer, who would have been 67... for bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, who passed away on this date in 1996... and for guitar maker Ernie Ball, who left us in 2004. 

Also on September 9: Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash meet for the first time, after a show given by the former at a shopping center opening in Memphis (1954)... 'She Loves You', which will remain the Beatles' biggest-selling single in the UK, is at no. 1 on the British charts today. 'Please Please Me' is also the no. 1 album (1963)... The Rolling Stones top the UK charts with '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'. As Keith Richards later told the story, he recorded a rough version of the song's famous riff in a Florida hotel room. He ran through it once before falling asleep. He said "When I listened back to it in the morning, there was about 2 minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear me drop the pick, and then 40 minutes of me snoring" (1965)... The Beatles record 'Helter Skelter' at Abbey Road studios. John plays bass and honks on a saxophone, roadie Mal Evans tries his hand at the trumpet, and George runs around the studio with a flaming ashtray on his head as Paul records the lead vocal (1968)... David Bowie appears on Marc Bolan's ITV show 'Marc' performing 'Heroes' as well as a duet with Bolan on 'Standing Next to You', which is prematurely terminated when Bolan falls from the stage, much to Bowie's amusement. After the show the pair record demos together that will never be finished, as Bolan is killed in a car crash a week later (1977)... New Kids on the Block have the no. 1 album in America today with 'Hangin' Tough' (1989)... Krist Novoselic of Nirvana knocks himself unconscious during the VMAs when he is hit on the head with his guitar after throwing it up in the air (1992)... Liverpool City Council announce plans to demolish Ringo Starr's birthplace because it has 'no historical significance'. The house in the Dingle is one of 460 dwellings scheduled for demolition as part of an urban regeneration project. A spokesman for the council says the members decided that Madryn Street had no significance because Ringo spent only the first three months of his life there (2005)... A 3-day international conference on the life, work and influence of Bruce Springsteen opens at Monmouth University in New Jersey. The proceedings include live acts as well address by rock critics and music industry representatives. Among the 150 papers presented are 'Bruce Springsteen and American Folklore', 'Springsteen and Dylan's Dreamscapes', 'Born to Run at 30' and 'New Jersey and the Boss and the Bible' (2005). 

September 8

Musical birthdays today include conductor Christoph von Dohnányi (84), Dokken drummer Mick Brown (57), Great White keyboardist Michael Lardie (55), Aimee Mann (53), ex-Fine Young Cannibals bassist David Steele (53), ex-Bad Religion drummer Jay Ziskrout (51), former Genesis guitarist Ray Wilson (45), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (38) and Pink (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Antonin Dvořák, born on this day in 1841... for early country star Jimmie 'The Yodeling Brakeman' Rogers, born in 1897... for Patsy Cline, who would have been 81... for Grateful Dead founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKiernan, who would have been 68... for former Cars bassist and singer Benjamin Orr, who would have been 66... and for composer Richard Strauss, who died on this day in 1949. 

Also on September 8: Ray Charles records his first sides for the Atlantic label (1952)... Eddie Cochran signs his first contract, with Liberty Records (1956)... The Beatles perform 'Hey Jude' on the TV show Frost on Sunday in front of an invited audience, many of whom will gather around the musicians to join in on the extended refrain that ends the song (1968)... The opening act for the nascent Led Zeppelin's latest Danish gig, at Raventlow Park in Nykobing, is The Ladybirds, an all-girl topless go-go dancing outfit (1968)... Marvin Gaye has the no. 1 song in the US today with 'Let's Get It on' (1973)... Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y and the Beach Boys headline the 'Somersault '74' festival at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY (1974)... Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English leave Paul McCartney & Wings (1977)... Led Zeppelin score their 8th UK no. 1 album when In through the Out Door tops the charts (1979)... To promote their reissued back catalogue, Led Zeppelin release Whole Lotta Love as their first ever single in Britain (1997)... Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson starts a day job when he qualifies as an airline pilot. He lands a £35,000 a year job with Astreus, a small airline ferrying holiday makers from the UK to Egypt and Portugal (2002)... David Bowie performs the first interactive concert when his performance is beamed live into 21 cinemas from Edinburgh to Warsaw. Audience members talk to Bowie via microphones hooked up to ISDN lines and are asked by the singer to request songs (2003)... Jury selection begins for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors are required to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determine their level of knowledge of the case (2009). 

September 7

Musical birthdays today include guitarist and arranger Al Caiola (93), ex-Weavers singer Ronnie Gilbert (87), Sonny Rollins (83), country singer Ronnie Dove (78), composer Olly Wilson (76), R&B singer Latimore (74), Gloria Gaynor (64), Chrissie Hynde (62), Benmont Tench (62), Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians co-founder Brad Houser (53) and rapper Sean 'Slug' Daley (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for dixieland jazz trumpeter Max Kaminsky, born on this day in 1908... for easy listening pianist Arthur Ferrante, born in 1921... for Buddy Holly, who would have been 77 today... for former Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who would have been 52... for Keith Moon, who died of a drug overdose today in 1978 at the age of 31... for former Beatles and Byrds publicist Derek Taylor, who passed away in 1997... and for Warren Zevon, who left us 10 years ago today. 

Also on September 7: The Rolling Stones and Traffic are in the audience as the Doors make their London debut at the Playhouse Theatre. The sold out gig is also filmed by Granada TV (1968)... Led Zeppelin make their live debut [though still billed as the New Yardbirds] in the gymnasium of a Danish high school in the Copenhagen suburb of Gladsaxe. Teen Club president Lars Abel introduces the lead singer to the 1,200 spectators as 'Robert Platt'. The band receive rave reviews in the local press (1968)... At London's Trident Studios, David Bowie begins the sessions for what will become The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' album. The character of Ziggy was inspired by Bowie's meeting with British rock 'n' roll singer Vince Taylor, who after a breakdown believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien (1971)... Topping the charts in the US is Abba's 'Dancing Queen', the group's only American no.1 (1976)... Michael Jackson kicks off the HIStory tour with a concert in Letna Park, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The 82 shows will be attended by some 4.5 million fans worldwide (1996)... The Jackson Five are reunited with their brother at Madison Square Garden for a 30th anniversary show, as Michael performs live in the US for the first time in 11 years. Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Eminem, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child also join in the music-making (2001)... A World Health Organization study shows that rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as the rest of the population. The organization says the problem is so bad that the industry should be labelled a 'high risk profession' (2007). 

September 6

Musical birthdays today include composer Joan Tower (75), country singer David Allan Coe (74), former Blood, Sweat & Tears horn player Dave Bergeron (71), Roger Waters (70), multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick O'Hearn (59), country singer Mark Chesnutt (50), House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers (50), Alice in Chains lead singer William DuVall (46), ex-Scissor Sisters drummer Paddy Boom (45), Dolores O'Riordan (42), Nina Persson (39) and Kerry Katona (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Jimmy Reed, who would have been 88 today... for Kool & the Gang co-founder Claydes Charles Smith, who would have been 65... for producer Tom Wilson, who died on this day in 1978... for Grand Ole Opry stalwart Ernest Tubb, who died in 1984... for Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, who passed away in 1990... and for session pianist Nicky Hopkins, who left us in 1994. 

Also on September 6: Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito premieres in Prague (1791)... As the Beatles continue to work on the White Album, Eric Clapton adds the guitar solo to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and George lays down his lead vocal (1968)... Jimi Hendrix makes his final live appearance, at a festival on the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn (1970)... The Jam are at no. 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Start!' (1980)... No. 1 in the US today is Bananarama's 'Venus' (1986)... Elton John performs a new version of 'Candle in the Wind' at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey. The broadcast of the event is seen by some 2.5 billion people worldwide, and the rewrite of the singer's 1973 tribute to Marilyn Monroe will go on to become the biggest-selling single of all time (1997)... Earth, Wind & Fire announce that Viagra will be sponsoring their upcoming 30th anniversary US tour (2001)... Morrisey causes controversy after claiming that the Chinese are a 'sub-species' because of the way they treat animals. In an interview with the Guardian, the former Smiths frontman says "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a sub-species" (2010).

September 5

Musical birthdays today include Al Stewart (68), Loudon Wainwright III (67), former King Crimson saxophone and winds player Mel Collins (66), ex-Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson (64), Racer X bassist Juan Alderete (50),Rage against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk (45), Dweezil Zappa (44), and Twiztid rapper Jamie Spaniolo (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Cage, born on this date 101 years ago... for former songwriter and Kingston Trio member John Stewart, who would have been 74 today... for Freddie Mercury and drummer Buddy Miles, both of whom would have been 67... and for Nashville guitarist [and session player on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde] Joe South, who left us a year ago today. 

Also on September 5: Elvis Presley surprises his mother with the gift of a pink Cadillac. The car remained in the family and is on display at Graceland today (1956)... The Animals begin a 3 week run at no. 1 on the Billboard Top 40 with House of the Rising Sun. When the single was initially released, the record company printed the playing time on the label as 3 minutes rather than the actual 4 for fear that radio stations would be reluctant to play such a lengthy song (1964)... The Rolling Stones record 'Get Offa My Cloud' at RCA Studios in Los Angeles (1965)... In Almeria Province, Spain, John Lennon begins filming his role as Private Gripweed in the Richard Lester black comedy How I Won the War (1966)... At Abbey Road Sudios, the Beatles begin work on I Am the Walrus, recording 16 takes of the basic backing track (1967)... On their first ever visit to the UK, the Doors perform 'Hello I Love You' on Top of the Pops (1968)... Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is seriously injured in a car crash in Florida (1976)... Soft Cell hit no. 1 on the UK singles charts with 'Tainted Love'. The song was originally a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. Jones, who became Marc Bolan's girlfriend in the 1970s, was the driver of the car that crashed and killed the T-Rex singer on the 15th of September, 1977. Jones survived the accident (1981)... Aerosmith score the first US no. 1 single of their 28-year career with 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' from the soundtrack of the film Armageddon... In Britain, the no. 1 single is Manic Street Preachers' 'If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next'. They are the first Welsh act to top the British charts since Shakin' Stevens in 1985. The song is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest title for a no. 1 hit without parentheses (1998)... 

Arctic Monkeys win this year's UK Mercury Prize for their album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The Sheffield-based band's album sets a new record for fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release in February (2006)... A study of more than 36,000 people from around the world concludes that musical tastes and personality type are closely related. The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, suggests classical music fans are shy, while heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves. Fans of Indie music have low self-esteem and are not hard working, fans of rap and hip-hop have high self-esteem and are outgoing. Country & Western fans are hardworking and outgoing, Reggae fans are creative but not hardworking, and fans of chart pop have high self-esteem, are not creative, but are hardworking and outgoing.

September 4

Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter and band leader Gerald Wilson (95), song & dance lady Mitzi Gaynor (82), Merald 'Bubba' Knight [elder brother of Gladys and member of the Pips] (71), ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Gary Duncan (67), fusion saxophonist Dave Liebman (67), Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers (62), W.A.S.P. guitarist Blackie Lawless (57), Soundgarden lead guitarist Kim Thayil (53), ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Carmit Bachar (39), Beyoncé (32) and Asking Alexandria lead singer Danny Worsnop (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Anton Bruckner (b. 1824) and Darius Milhaud (b. 1892)... for guitarist Danny Gatton, who would have been 68 today... for Russian punk rock pioneer Yanka Dyagileva, who would have been 47... for composer Edvard Grieg, who died on this date in 1907... for jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Barnet, who left us in 1991... for country singer Dottie West, who was killed in a road accident at the age of 59 on the same day.... and for former Badfinger drummer Charlie Gibbin, who died in his sleep at the age of 56 in 2006. 

Also on September 4: To coincide with the release of his second single 'Good Rockin' Tonight', Elvis Presley makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Audience reaction is so poor that Opry manager Jim Denny advises Elvis to go back to driving  truck (1954)... The Beatles' first formal recording session at Abbey Road Studios takes place. They record six tracks, including 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' (1962)... While the group are at the Battersea Dogs Home to buy a guard dog, the Who have their van stolen. The vehicle, which is carrying £5000 worth of equipment, will be recovered in a few days (1965)... The Bee Gees top the British charts for the second time with 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You'. The song is about a man who, while awaiting execution in the electric chair, begs the prison chaplain to pass along a final message to his wife (1968)... The Beatles record promotional videos for 'Hey Jude' and 'Revolution' at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals are recorded live over pre-recorded instrumental tracks in order to get around the current British Musicians Union ban on lip-synch performances. For 'Hey Jude', the group are accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and some 300 fans and extras on the refrain (1968)... The film Easy Rider has its UK premiere at London's Classic Cinema (1969)... Paul McCartney has his first stateside no. 1 as a solo artist with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' (1971)... At a Wishbone Ash concert in Houston, TX, a concessionaire named Francisco Caruso is stabbed to death by a fan whom he refused a free sandwich (1972)... John and Yoko appear on Jerry Lewis' annual muscular dystrophy telethon (1972)... The Bee Gees go to no. 1 on the US charts with 'You Should Be Dancing'. It is the group's first foray into the disco form, and their first song in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto (1976)... The Sex Pistols make their television debut when they appear on the Manchester-based Granada TV program So It Goes (1976)... Fela Kuti is jailed by the Nigerian government on a currency smuggling charge and sentenced to 2 years. Amnesty International designates him a prisoner of conscience, and begin a campaign for his release, which will come after 20 months. (1984)... The day after getting his driving license back after a 5-year suspension, Gregg Allman is arrested in Florida on a DUI charge (1986)... The departure of drummer Mike Joyce marks the official end of The Smiths. The group had been heading for a split ever since the July departure of guitarist Johnny Marr, whose replacement had proved unsatisfactory (1987)... Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and the Stone Roses all record tracks for the War Child charity album, proceeds from which will go to children caught up in the current war in the former Yugoslavia (1995)... Kelly Clarkson is voted the first American Idol winner (2004)... The first guitar torched by Jimi Hendrix on stage, a Fender Stratocaster which he set on fire at the end of  show at the Astoria, Finsbury, N. London in 1967, goes for £280,000 at an auction of rock memorabilia. Also on the block is a copy of the Beatles' frist management contract from 1962, signed by all four members of the group ~ it goes for £240,000 (2008)... The friends and family of Michael Jackson pay their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles (2008).