August 3rd

Musical birthdays today include Tony Bennett (88), drummer Jimmy Nicol (75), Shirelles vocalist Beverly Lee (73), former Byrds bassist John York (68), Alan Parson Project saxophonist Ian Bairnson (61), Spear of Destiny guitarist Kirk Brandon (58), session drummer Martin Atkins (55), ex-Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker [né Leon Drucker](53), Metallica lead singer James Hetfield (51), Deftones lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter (44), Salt-n-Pepa rapper DJ Spindarella [née Deidra Roper](43), Bleeding Through lead singer Brandan Schiepatti (34), and Shiny Toy Guns vocalist Carah Faye Charnow (30).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for trumpeter & bandleader Les Elgart, born on this day in 1917... for Broadway musical lyricist & producer Richard Adler, born in 1921... for soul singer Syreeta Wright, who would have been 68 today... for South African reggae singer Lucky Dube, who would have been 50... and for Love frontman Arthur Lee and operatic soprano Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, both of whom left us today in 2006.

Also on August 3rd: The La Scala opera house in Milan is inaugurated with a performance of Antonio Salieri's 'Europa Riconosciuta' [Europe Rewarded] (1778)... The French National Revolutionary Convention creates the Conservatoire de Paris (1795)... 23-year-old Maria Callas makes her debut in Ponchielli's 'La Gioconda' at the Arena di Verona (1947)... The Beatles play their final show at the Cavern Club. Paid £5 for their first appearance at the venue in 1958, they receive £300 today... The Beach Boys release 'Surfer Girl', Brian Wilson's first song for the group as both writer and producer (1963)... The Rolling Stones go into RCA Studios in Los Angeles to begin nine days of sessions that will produce the Their Satanic Majesties Request album. Today's work will be devoted almost entirely to 'Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?'... The repercussions of John Lennon's 'bigger than Jesus' remark continue to spread, as the South African government ban the airplay of Beatles records (1966)... The two-day Newport Pop Festival in Costa Mesa, CA gets under way. Among the acts on the bill are Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, The Chambers Brothers, Country Joe and the Fish, The Electric Flag, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, and Tiny Tim. Over 100,000 fans attend (1968)... Carl Wilson is indicted in federal court in Los Angeles for taking an unauthorised leave of absence from his job as a hospital orderly, which the Beach Boy was doing as alternative civil service in order to avoid the military draft (1969)... Paul McCartney announces the formation of his new band Wings, which will include wife Linda on keyboards, and guitarist Denny Laine (1971)... In another unusual double bill, Bruce Springsteen opens for Anne Murray at the Schaefer Festival in NYC. It is also the final show that drummer Ernest 'Boom' Carter and pianist David Sancious play with the E Street Band... Bad Company go to № 1 on the US album chart with their self-titled debut. The band are made up of former members of Free [Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke], Mott the Hoople [Mick Ralphs], and King Crimson [Boz Burrell] (1974)... Madonna scores her first UK № 1 single with 'Into the Groove' from the soundtrack to the film 'Desperately Seeking Susan'... Topping the chart in the US are Tears for Fears with 'Shout' (1985)... The UK tabloid News of the World prints an exclusive interview with 16-year-old model Mandy Smith in which she reveals that she has been having an affair with Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman ~ now 52 ~ for the last two and a half years (1986)... To celebrate the release of their eponymous debut album, Metallica hold a playback party at Madison Square Garden. Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana are among those in attendance (1991)... Los Del Rio start a 14-week run at № 1 in the US with 'Macarena' (1996)... After an absence of 37 years, Bob Dylan returns to the Newport Folk Festival ~ now known as the 'Apple and Eve Newport Folk Festival' ~ where, after donning a wig and false beard, he plays a two-hour, 19-song set (2002)... Queen guitarist Brian May hands in this astronomy PhD thesis 36 years after abandoning it in order to join the band. Dr. May recently carried out observational research in Tenerife, where he studied the formation of 'zodiacal clouds' (2007).