August 31st

 

Musical birthdays today include Van Morrison (78), violinist Yitzhak Perlman (78), Scorpions guitarist Rudolf Schenker (75), violist Kim Kashkashian (71), Waterboys multi-instrumentalist Anthony Thistlethwaite (68), Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock (66), Squeeze lead singer Glenn Tilbrook (66), Debbie Gibson (53), and Biffy Clyro guitarist Simon Neil (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter and Broadway composer Alan Jay Lerner, born on this day in 1918... for Crickets drummer Jerry Allison, who would have been 84... for composer and guitarist Robbie Basho, and for studio musician and Jazz Crusaders founding member Wilton Felder, both of whom would have been 83... for one-time Fleetwood Mac member and solo artist Bob Welch, who would have been 78... for singer-songwriter and session guitarist Chris Whitley, who would have been 63.... and for jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, who left us today in 2002. 

Also on August 31: In Paris, Rossini's opera William Tell has its premiere (1829)... In Berlin, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera is performed for the first time (1928)... Elvis Presley plays for the last time outside of the US, at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, BC. Some 26,000 are in attendance (1957)... The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby', which will be the group's only stateside top 10 hit, enters the US charts. Lead singer Veronica Bennett will soon shorten her first name to Ronnie, and change her last name to Spector (1963)... After two previous LPs which attracted minimal notice, Dionne Warwick releases Make Way for Dionne Warwick, which will live up to its name by becoming her first album to hit the Billboard chart (1964)... Four days after the death of their manager Brian Epstein, The Beatles convene a press conference in London to announce that henceforth they shall be conducting their own financial affairs (1967)... Decca Records release what has often been called the Rolling Stones' most political song, Street Fighting Man, written after Mick Jagger attended a March, 1968 anti-war demonstration outside the US embassy in London, during which mounted police repeatedly charged the crowd of 25,000. The single will fail to crack the US top 40, as many radio stations will refuse to play it for its 'subversive content' (1969)... Neil Young releases After the Gold Rush (1970)... John Lennon testifies before an INS investigative committee that former president Richard Nixon initiated steps to have him deported for leading protests outside the Republic National Convention in Miami in 1972... Traffic play their last live show, at England's annual Reading Festival (1974)... George Harrison is found guilty of 'subconscious plagiarism' of the Ronnie Mack Song 'He's So Fine' when writing 'My Sweet Lord'. After earnings from the song have been paid to Mack's estate, the Chiffons reunite to record their own version of Harrison's 1970 worldwide hit (1976)... Prince's film Purple Rain opens nationwide in the UK (1984)... The № 1 album in the US is Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (1985)... The largest pre-order of albums in the history of Columbia Records occurs when 2.5 million advance copies of Michael Jackson's 'Bad' are shipped to record shops across the US. The album will go on to sell over 13 million copies (1987)... Oasis are at № 1 on the UK charts with their third release, Be Here Now. The album sold 1.2 million copies on its first day of release (1997)... Dixie Chicks release the album Fly, which debuts at № 1 on the Billboard chart. It will go on to sell some 12 million copies, making the Chicks the only country band to date, and the only all-female group in any genre, to have back-to-back RIAA-certified Diamond albums (1999)... The British medical magazine Thorax issues a warning to music fans saying that playing loud music in the car can induce a collapsed lung in the listener.  A 19-year-old had been treated in Bristol for the condition after repeatedly subjecting himself to the 1,000-watt bass box in his Fiat Panda (2004)... Blondie and Public Enemy perform at a rally in front of CBGB to save the landmark club, whose lease expires today (2005)... The New York Times runs a story about the contractual demands of rock stars when on tour. Ozzy Osbourne insists that there a be an eye, ear, nose & throat doctor on call at every venue. The Beach Boys require a licensed masseur, Meatloaf a mask and an oxygen tank. David Bowie requires that the temperature of his dressing room be between 14º  and 18º C at all times, and Paul McCartney must have arrangements of white Casablanca lilies. Mick Jagger has to have an onstage auto-cue with the lyrics to all the songs, and a reminder of the name of the city in which he is performing (2006)... The Verve hit № 1 in the UK with their final album, entitled Forth (2008).

August 30th

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Jewel Brown (86), Specials bassist Horace Panter (70), ex-Swing Out Sister and Magazine drummer Martin Jackson (65), classical pianist Dimitris Sgouros (54), Rancid frontman Lars Frederiksen (52), Edguy lead guitarist Jen Ludwig (46), former Panic! at the Disco lead guitarist Ryan Ross (37), and classical pianist Emily Bear (22).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country music legend Kitty Wells [née Ellen Deason] born on this day in 1919... for bebop trumpeter Kenny Dorham, born in 1926... for John Phillips, who would have been 87... for British DJ John Peel, who would have been 83... and for the Velvet Underground's Sterling Morrison, who left us today in 1995 two days after his 48th birthday.

Also on August 30: Handel completes his final oratorio Jephtha (1751)... Hank Williams goes into the studio in Cincinnati, OH to record 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry', a song about his troubled marriage (1949)... Bob Dylan releases Highway 61 Revisited (1965)... The Byrds release the pioneering country rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)... Two weeks after Woodstock ends, the second Isle of Wight festival begins. Bob Dylan, The Band, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and The Who are the headliners playing for some 150,000 fans who have paid 25 shillings ($3) per ticket. Among those spotted in the crowd are John & Yoko, George, Ringo, Jane Fonda, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor... The Texas International Pop Festival opens in Lewisville, TX with Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Santana and Grand Funk Railroad headlining (1969)... Backed by Elephant's Memory, John & Yoko play Madison Square Garden to raise money for the One to One charity. The performance is recorded, and partially released on the Sometime in New York City album (1972)... The remaining Doors announce the official dissolution of the band, who have released two albums with dismal sales since the death of lead singer Jim Morrison in 1971 (1973)... The № 1 single in the US is Steve Winwood's 'Higher Love' (1986)... Bruce Springsteen's wife Julianne Phillips files for divorce after salacious pictures of her husband and his backup singer Patti Scialfa  are published worldwide (1988)... James Taylor and Carly Simon perform live together before a crowd of 10,000 at Martha's Vineyard. It is the first time the pair have appeared on the same stage since 1979. The former couple play their own solo sets before joining forces in the concert to raise money for the local agricultural society (1995)... Stella McCartney marries publisher Alasdhiar Willis on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. Guests include dad Sir Paul, Madonna, Chrissie Hynde and Chris Martin (2003)... Kris Kristofferson is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN (2004)

August 29th

 

Musical birthdays today include Blood, Sweat & Tears multi-instrumentalist Dick Halligan (80), Radiators guitarist Dave Malone (71), Fairground Attraction singer & multi-instrumentalist Eddi Reader (64), Planet X guitarist Tony McAlpine (63), former Cocteau Twins lead singer Liz Fraser (60), Brian Jonestown Massacre founder Anton Newcombe (56), Ned's Atomic Dustbin bassist Alex Griffin (52), Simple Plan bassist David Desrosiers (43), and One Direction vocalist Liam Payne (30). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Charlie Parker, born on this day in 1920... for Dinah Washington, born in 1924... for punk rocker GG Allin, who would have been 66... for Michael Jackson, who would have been 65... for bluesman Jimmy Reed, died on this day in 1976... and for producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who left us one year ago today.  

Also on August 29: Seated at a grand piano, John Cage gives the first public 'performance' of Four Minutes and Thirty Three Seconds of Silence for Any Instrument in Woodstock, NY (1952)... Roy Orbison's 'Oh, Pretty Woman' is released in the US. The lyric was inspired by a remark that Orbison's songwriting partner Bill Dees made when his [Orbison's] wife Claudette interrupted their conversation to say that she was going out. When Orbison asked if she was okay for money, Dees interjected "A pretty woman never needs any money" (1964)... The Beatles play their last scheduled concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA. They do not play any songs from Revolver, their most recent release, and close the show with 'Long Tall Sally' (1966)... Edwin Starr tops the US singles charts with 'War' (1970)...Paul and Linda McCartney are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'. Macca would later explain that the Uncle Albert in the title was his father's older brother, who would quote the Bible from memory every time he got drunk (1971)... Iggy Pop releases the album Lust for Life (1977)... The № 1 single in the UK today is Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You up' (1987)... U2 play the second rock concert in the history of Yankee Stadium [Billy Joel's in 1990 was the first] (1992)... Oasis release their debut album Definitely Maybe, which will become the fastest-selling debut of all time (1994)... Detroit police officials call for an indefinite ban on rap concerts in the city after numerous brawls broke out at a Master P and Scarface show over the weekend (1998)... During the VMAs at Radio City Music Hall, Madonna stuns a packed house by passionately kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while performing a racy version of 'Like a Virgin'... During an appearance as a guest DJ on the NYC radio station Q104.3, Mets catcher Mike Piazza plays 'IRS', a track that has been leaked from the forthcoming Guns N' Roses album Chinese democracy. The band's management immediately demands that the sound file be retrieved (2003)... 77-year-old Fats Domino is rescued by helicopter from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. He had earlier told his agent that he planned to remain in his home despite the order to evacuate (2005).

August 28th

 

Musical birthdays today include operatic bass Paul Plishka (82), former Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine (75), ex-Stranglers lead guitarist Hugh Cornwell (74), Shania Twain (58), CKY drummer Jess Margera (45), country singer Jake Owen (42), LeAnn Rimes (41) and Florence + the Machine lead singer Florence Welch (37).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for song and dance man Donald O'Connor, born on this day in 1925... for Velvet Underground founding member Sterling Morrison, who would have been 81... for Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, who died on this day in 1959... and for Hilly Krystal, founder and owner of CBGB, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on August 28: Richard Wagner's Lohengrin has its premiere in Weimar (1850)... Bob Dylan is one of the performers at the Washington Civil Rights March. In addition to performing duets with Joan Baez and folk revivalist Len Chandler [with the latter on the traditional 'Hold On'], Dylan solos on Blowin' in the Wind and Only a Pawn in Their Game (1963)... After playing a show at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in Queens, NYC, the Beatles meet Bob Dylan for the first time, at the Delmonico Hotel in Manhattan. Dylan and mutual journalist friend Al Aronovitz introduce the Beatles to marijuana (1964)... Bob Dylan kicks off his now legendary 1965-66 world tour with a show at the Forest Hills Stadium. The format presented at this show is to remain constant throughout the next nine months on the road. The 45-minute opening set features Dylan solo, just guitar and harmonica, followed by a similar-length electric set with the band. A large contingent in the audience boo continually during the second half, something else that will be a constant throughout the tour (1965)... Nearing the end of their final American tour, the Beatles play Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles before a crowd of 45,000. The group's attempt to escape from the stadium in an armored truck is thwarted when the main gate is found to be locked. and the Beatles have to spend two hours in the back of the vehicle before they can leave (1966)... Merle Haggard releases the classic country album Branded Man (1967)... Simon & Garfunkel's fourth studio album Bookends is at the top of the LP charts on both sides of the Atlantic... Working at London's Trident Studios, the Beatles begin recording John's new song Dear Prudence. They build the song instrument by instrument using 8-track equipment more advanced than anything at Abbey Road. Paul plays drums in place of Ringo, who has been AWOL from the group since the 22nd (1968)... David Bowie and his Spiders from Mars make their Carnegie Hall debut. Bowie soldiers through with a well-received performance in spite of suffering from the flu (1972)... Devo release their debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo (1978)... Tina Turner is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1986)... Billy Joel is at № 1 on the US album charts with River of Dreams. According to the singer, he chose the title because most of the songs in the collection came to him in his sleep. Then-wife Christie Brinkley painted the cover, later voted worst album cover of the year by the readers of Rolling Stone (1993)... Isaac Hayes, co-author of the Sam & Dave classic 'Soul Man', writes a letter of protest to Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, demanding that the Senator stop using his song, which supporters had changed to 'I'm a Dole Man' (1996)... Noel Gallagher quits Oasis, saying that he can no longer work with his brother Liam (2009). 

August 27th

Musical birthdays today include Alabama founding member Jeff Cook (74), Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson (70), original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock (67), Yolanda Adams (62), No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal (53), Bloodhound Gang guitarist Jimmy Pop (51) and Arcade Fire violinist Sarah Neufeld (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz great Lester 'Pres' Young, born on this day in 1909... for Cajun singer Jimmy C. Newman, born in 1927... for Alice Coltrane, who would have been 86... for Daryl Dragon, who would have been 81... for Beatles discoverer and manager Brian Epstein, who died on this date in 1967 at age 32... for Stevie Ray Vaughn, who was killed in a helicopter crash today in 1990 at the age of 45... and for pioneering British rocker Vince Taylor, who left us today in 1991. 

Also on August 27: The 9-year-old Metropolitan Opera House in NYC is gutted by fire. The 1892-93 season will be cancelled while the structure is rebuilt along its original lines (1892)... The final 'Louisiana Hayride' show is broadcast. What started as a radio program and later became a TV show made its debut in 1948, and was transmitted live from Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium, helping to launch the careers of numerous legends in country and early rock and roll (1960)... On the last day of a 5-day break during their current American tour, the Beatles visit a Byrds recording session in L.A., then in the evening meet Elvis for the first time, at his mansion in Beverly Hills. The encounter is an awkward one, leading John Lennon to conclude that the King's personality is "unmagnetic". Asked what it was like meeting Elvis, Lennon replies "It was like meeting Engelbert Humperdinck" (1965)... The Beach Boys' 'God Only Knows' peaks at № 2 on the UK singles chart. In addition to being one of the first pop hits to use 'God' in its title, producer Brian Wilson used many unorthodox instruments, including the French horns used in the song's introduction. Paul McCartney later calls the tune 'the greatest pop song ever written' (1966)... In response to pressure from the British media, Bob Dylan agrees to a press conference at a hotel on the Isle of Wight in anticipation of his appearance at the festival three days hence. At one point, Dylan claims that his 1966 stage act "...was all for publicity. I don't do that kind of thing anymore". After the Q&A, which Dylan cuts short by standing up and announcing "I think I've answered enough questions", there is a brief photo session on the seafront before the singer is whisked back to his rehearsals with the Band (1969)... Louis Armstrong's ex-wife Lil, a pianist and bandleader in her own right, dies of a heart attack on stage whist performing 'St. Louis Blues' during a tribute concert in Chicago to her former husband (1971)... At Townhouse Studios in London, Bob Dylan finishes recording the soundtrack to 'Hearts of Fire', the upcoming film in which he plays his first dramatic role since Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1986)...  Pearl Jam release their debut album Ten (1991)... Singer-songwriter Janis Ian marries her partner Patricia Snyder in Toronto. It is the second marriage for both (2003). 

August 26th

 

Musical birthdays today include former Hawkwind sax & winds player Nik Turner (83), Velvet Underground drummer Maureen Tucker (79), Valerie Simpson (77), film & TV score composer Mark  Snow (77), Leon Redbone (74), Branford Marsalis (63), Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson (57), The Donnas guitarist Allison Robertson (44), and rapper Big K.R.I.T. [né Justin Scott] (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz vibraphonist Peter Appleyard, born on this day in 1929... for original Deep Purple drummer Chris Curtis, who would have been 82... for English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams, who died on this date in 1958.... for operatic soprano Lotte Lehmann, who died in 1976... for Lee Hays of The Weavers, who passed away in 1981... and for Laura Branigan, who left us today in 2004 at the age of 47. 

Also on August 26: With the composer himself conducting, Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah is performed for the first time at the Birmingham Festival in England (1846)... At the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ [but with Bob Thiele in the producer's chair], the John Coltrane 'Classic Quartet' have their final session. The tracks will be shelved temporarily, but will be released after Coltrane's death as the album Sun Ship (1965)... The Beatles hold a press conference with the Maharishi Mashesh Yogi at University College in Bangor, north Wales. The Fab Four announce that they have become disciples of the guru and that they renounce the use of drugs. Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, who have arrived to take part in the Maharishi's 'Spiritual Regeneration Movement', are also present (1967)... Bob Dylan and his wife Sara fly from New York to Heathrow Airport. Their ultimate destination is the second annual Isle of Wight festival, where the singer will arrive in the early hours of the next day to begin rehearsals with the Band (1969)... Glen Campbell has the № 1 song in America with 'Rhinestone Cowboy' (1975)... Uriah Heep, Thin Lizzy, Golden Earring, Aerosmith, The Doobie Brothers, Hawkwind and Graham Parker are among those scheduled to appear as the Reading Festival gets underway in Berks. A ticket for the full three days costs £7.95 (1977)... The Japanese prison camp drama 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' starring David Bowie and Japanese pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto, goes on general release in US cinemas (1983)... The Cure release the album The Head in the Door (1985)... Sonny Bono, who once said that he never voted until he was 53, announces that he is running for mayor of Palm Springs, CA. He will carry the election in 1988, and go on to win a seat in Congress in 1996 (1987)... Boyzone kick off an Indian and southeast Asian tour, the first of its kind by western act, in Bangalore (1997)... Rolling Stone Magazine names Jimi Hendrix the greatest guitarist in rock history (2003)... A plaque was unveiled by former Quarrymen John Duff Lowe and Colin Hantonat at the site where the band that was to become the Beatles made their first recordings. John, Paul and George recorded a version of Buddy Holly's That'll Be the Day and  Lennon-Harrison song called 'In Spite of All the Danger' at Liverpool's Percy Studio in 1958... A post office on the same street as the Los Angeles studio where Ray Charles recorded many of his classic sides is renamed after the R&B legend. A federal bill is signed by president George W. Bush to effect the name change (2005).

 

August 25th

 

Musical birthdays today include Gene Simmons (74), Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford (72), former Yes & Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes (71), Elvis Costello (69), Billy Ray Cyrus (62), Def Leppard guitarist Viv Campbell (61), Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy (56), Belle & Sebastian lead singer Stuart Murdoch (55), country singer Jo Dee Messina (53) and Amy Macdonald (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Leonard Bernstein, born on this day in 1918... for jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, who would have been 90 today... for former Siouxie and the Banshees and PiL guitarist John McGeoch, who would have been 67... for Mia Zapata of The Gits, who would have been 57... for jazz legend Stan Kenton, who died on this date in 1979... for film score composer and longtime Neil Young sideman Jack Nitzsche, who left us today in 2000... and for Aaliyah, who was killed in a plane crash today in 2001 at the age of 22. 

Also on August 25: Little Eva, babysitter to the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, takes the couple's tune The Loco-motion to № 1 on the US charts (1962)... Two female Beatles fans hire a helicopter to fly them over the house in Beverly Hills that the group are renting. They jump from a height of approximately 50 feet and land unhurt in the swimming pool (1965)... The Beatles depart for Bangor in North Wales by train for a bank holiday weekend of study and meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi...  The № 1 song in the US today: Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billy Joe'. The song will stay in the top spot for the next month... In Honolulu, Brian Wilson plays live with the Beach Boys for the first time in two years, as the group promote the recently released Heroes and Villains album (1967)... A party to celebrate the grand opening of Electric Ladyland Studios is held in NYC... Elton John makes his live debut in America as he opens a 17-date tour with a show at the Troubador in Los Angeles. Also making their live debut, in the UK, are Emerson, Lake and Palmer, who are performing in Plymouth (1970)... At the Las Vegas Hilton, Bobby Darin gives his final live performance (1973)... Bruce Springsteen releases Born to Run (1975)... R.E.M. appear at the Scorpio in Charlotte, NC. The gig is billed as 'Charlotte's first gay new wave disco and costume party.' Admission is $3, with all funds raised to go to local lesbian and gay charities (1981)... Snoop Doggy Dogg is released on $1 million bail after being accused of involvement in the murder of a member of the By Yerself Gang in L.A. He will be acquitted of the charges in 1996 (1993)... Jimmy Page and Robert Plant record their MTV Unplugged set in London... Jimmy Buffett crashes his Grumman G-44 Wigeon seaplane on takeoff from Martha's Vineyard, MA. He swims away from the wreckage uninjured... An escaped mental patient attempts to set fire to the stage on which Michael Jackson is performing in Helsinki, Finland. The man splashes gasoline on the stage from a jerry can, but is subdued by security before he can light it... The marriage of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley is dissolved (1994)... Bob Dylan reveals on his weekly radio show that he is speaking to a number of car companies about becoming the voice for their satellite navigation systems. The 68-year-old singer says he thinks that drivers might enjoy hearing his distinctive voice say such things as "Take a left at the next street... No,  right... You know what? Just go straight" (2009). 

August 24th

 

Musical birthdays today include Quicksilver Messenger Service founding member David Freiberg (85), former Bob Dylan backup singer Ronee Blakely (78), Average White Band saxophonist Malcom Duncan (78), Jean-Michel Jarre (75), Madness bassist Mark Bedford (62), former Anthrax lead singer John Bush (60), Phantom Planet lead guitarist Darren Robinson (45), and King Krule (29).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman and songwriter Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup, born on this day in 1905... for Quicksilver messenger Service co-founder John Cippolino, who would have been 80... for saxophonist and Dizzy Gillespie sideman Don Byas, who died on this date in 1972... and for big band leader and pop singer Louis Prima, who left us today in 1978. 

Also on August 24: At the Royal Albert Hall, Elgar's March № 4 in D ~ better known to generations of US high school and college graduates as 'Pomp and Circumstance' ~ is performed for the first time (1904)...  Stevie Wonder becomes the first artist since the inception of the Billboard charts to have the № 1 single ['Fingertips part 2', also the first live recording to reach the ranking] and album [Little Stevie Wonder, the 12-Year-Old Genius] in the same week (1963)... The Doors go into Sunset Sound Recording Studios in Los Angeles to begin recording their debut album (1966)... The film based on Arlo Guthrie's song 'Alice's Restaurant' and co-starring the singer goes into general release in US cinemas (1969)... Queen begin recording Bohemian Rhapsody at a studio in south Wales. The sessions will continue for 10 to 12 hours a day for 3 weeks as Freddie Mercury pursues the sound that he wants. There are 180 vocal overdubs in the finished version of the song (1975)... One week after being named an honorary police chief in his hometown of Luckenbach, Texas, Waylon Jennings is arrested for cocaine possession (1977)... Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life (1981)... R.E.M.'s debut EP Chronic Town is released by IRS Records (1982)... Jerry Lee Lewis' fifth wife [0f 77 days], 25-year-old Shawn Stevens, is found dead  of a Methadone overdose at the couple's Mississippi home (1983)... Folkways Records releases A Vision Shared, an album-length tribute to Woody Guthrie (1988)... The Who perform Tommy at the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A. with the help of Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, Elton John, Patti LaBelle and Billy Idol (1989)... Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher fails to turn up for the recording of the band's MTV Unplugged session at the Royal Albert Hall. The band go on with Liam's brother Noel taking over the vocals. In fact, Liam is sitting in the audience in disguise for the entire show (1996)... Christina Aguilera releases her self-title debut album (1999)... The Los Angeles county coroner rules Michael Jackson's death a homicide, caused by a mix of drugs intended to treat insomnia. Proceedings begin to indict the singer's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray (2009). 

August 23rd

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist & film score composer [best remembered for the soundtrack to Godard's 'Breathless'] Martial Solal (96), satirist Mark Russell (91), South African jazz singer Letta Mbulu (81), Rick Springfield (74), Survivor frontman Jimi Jamison (72), Bucks Fizz singer Bobby G (70), ex-Orange Juice frontman Edwin Collins (64), Stone Temple Pilots guitarist Dean DeLeo (61), Happy Mondays lead singer Shaun Ryder (60), jazz pianist Brad Mehldau (53), folk singer Eliza Carthy (48), Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas (45) and Lianne La Havas (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for singer-songwriter and activist Malvina Reynolds, born on this day in 1900... for song & dance man Gene Kelly, born in 1912... for Keith Moon, who would have been 77 today... and for jazz trumpeter and bandleader Maynard Ferguson, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on August 23: President Harry Truman's daughter Margaret, an aspiring classical singer, presents her first concert before a crowd of 15,000 at the Hollywood Bowl. Reviews are generally negative, prompting a famously scathing letter from dad to Paul Hume, music critic for the Washington Post. Hume will keep the letter framed in his office for the rest of his career (1947)... John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant registry office in Liverpool. He then plays  gig with the Beatles that night at the Riverpark Ballroom (1962)... The Rolling Stones make their first of 20 appearances on the pop music show Ready, Steady, Go!... 'She Loves You' enters the British singles charts at no. 1 (1963)... In Jerusalem, Stravinsky's oratorio Abraham and Isaac is performed for the first time. Dedicated to the people of Israel, the Israel Festival Orchestra play under the baton of Robert Kraft (1964)... The Beatles play Shea Stadium for the last time, with some 11,000 seats unsold... At home, the group are atop the British singles charts again with the double A-side Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby. According to Paul, he came up with the name of the latter song after working with actress Eleanor Bron in the film Help!, and from frequent patronage of a wine & spirits shop in Bristol called Rigby & Evens Ltd. (1966)...  In the course of a wild 21st birthday party during the Who's current US tour, Keith Moon drives a Lincoln Continental limousine into the swimming pool of the Holiday Inn in Flint, Michigan... Joni Mitchell plays live in the UK for the first time when she opens for folk rockers The Piccadilly Line at the Marquee Club in London (1967)... Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis marries high school sweetheart Deborah Woodruff ~ they are 19 and 18, respectively (1975)... The Heatwave Festival takes place in Toronto, Talking Heads, the B-52s, the Pretenders and Elvis Costello are among those on the bill. Tickets cost $30, and with only 50,000 attending, the event loses over $1 million... David Bowie goes to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Ashes to Ashes'. The release of the song was also accompanied by a video costing some £250,000 [a record at the time], but which will be seen only sporadically until the launch of MTV the following year (1980)... Bob Dylan's childhood home at 2425 7th Avenue East in Hibbing, MN is sold to an anonymous buyer (1990)... 'The Bigger They Come', a previously unreleased track by Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott, is heard for the first time on the soundtrack of the Don Johnson vehicle 'Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man' at the film's Los Angeles premiere (1991)... Queen become the first western rock group to receive official approval in Iran since the Khomeini revolution in 1979. Freddy Mercury was of Iranian ancestry, and bootleg CDs and tapes had been available for years (2004). 

August 22nd

 

Musical birthdays today include Ron Dante, lead singer of The Archies (78), former Grateful Dead vocalist Donna Godchaux (76), Beach Boys founding member David Marks (75), Bangles drummer Debbi Peterson (62), Tori Amos (60), Gary 'GZA' Grice (57), The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn (52), Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough (50) and Simple Plan lead guitarist Jeff Stinco (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Claude Debussy, born on this day in 1862... for John Lee Hooker, born in 1917... for avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, born in 1927... for Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-go, and rock 'n' roll pioneer Dale Hawkins, both of whom would have been 85... for Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who would have been 55... for announcer Al Dvorin, who coined the phrase 'Elvis has left the building' [At a Las Vegas gig in the early '70s, Colonel Tom Parker asked him to inform the audience that Elvis would not be doing an encore ~ Dvorin took the stage and announced "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building ~ thank you and goodnight"], and who passed away on this date in 2004... for The Knack drummer Bruce Gary, who died today in 2006... and for Jerry Lieber and Nick Ashford, two great songwriters who both left us today in 2012.

Also on August 22: Handel begins work on The Messiah. Working in the white heat of inspiration [many musical biographers and historians today believe that the composer was bipolar], he will finish the oratorio in three weeks (1741)... Elvis Presley begins work on his first film, Love Me Tender (1956)... The first television appearance of the Beatles is recorded by Manchester-based Granada TV, who film a lunchtime session at the Cavern Club [the episode will be broadcast on the 17th of October] (1962)... Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas are at no. 1 on the UK charts with 'Bad to Me', which John Lennon wrote while on holiday in Spain with Brian Epstein. It is the first Lennon-McCartney composition to be a hit for an act other than the Beatles themselves (1963)... The Supremes go to № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Where Did Our Love Go?' The Holland-Dozier-Holland team originally offered the song to The Marvelettes, who rejected it as 'childish' (1964)... Jimi Hendrix is part of another curious lineup as he appears on the BBC's Simon Dee Show following Kiki Dee and Cat Stevens (1967)... Ringo storms out of the White Album sessions, saying that he can't take the bickering and tension in the group anymore and announcing that he's quitting. The news of the drummer's departure is kept secret, and he will rejoin the group on the 3rd of September. In the meantime, the remaining Beatles record 'Back in the USSR' with John on bass and Paul on drums (1968)... The Beatles meet at John's Tittenhurst Park estate for what will be their final photo session together. Two of photographer Ethan Russell's shots will form the front and back of the US compilation album Hey Jude. Yoko Ono and a heavily pregnant Linda McCartney [she will give birth to daughter Mary 6 days later] also appear in some of the pictures... Ornette Coleman's drummer Don Blackwell teams up with Don Cherry for the first time, as the two begin the sessions that will produce the album Mu (1969)... Creedence Clearwater Revival start a 9-week run at the top of the US album charts with Cosmo's Factory. The name of the album came from the Berkeley, CA warehouse where the band rehearsed ~ drummer Doug Clifford, nicknamed Cosmo, had begun calling the space 'the Factory' owing to John Fogerty's insistence on long daily practices (1970)... Sid Vicious makes his last live stage appearance, at London's Electric Ballroom with Rat Scabies of the Damned, former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and Nancy Spungen. In the audience are Elvis Costello, Debbie Harry and Joan Jett, among others (1978)... In through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin's final album with all 4 original members, is released. 'Fool in the Rain' is issued simultaneously as the first single from the album (1979)... Levon Helm discovers the perils of playing the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, when Bruce Springsteen spontaneously jumps on stage after the opening riff of 'Up on Cripple Creek' and commandeers lead vocals (1987)... Sting and longtime girlfriend Trudie Styler are married. The band at the reception is The Troggs, who will be joined by the former Policemen themselves for two numbers (1992)... At a Lilith Fair stop in Toronto, Prince appears during Sheryl Crow's set to jam on 'Every Day Is a Winding Road' (1999)... The Times of London publishes an open letter from Pink to Prince William urging the future monarch to stop hunting on behalf of furry animals everywhere (2003). 

August 21st

 

Musical birthdays today include former Statler Brothers bass vocalist Harold Reid (84), Jackie DeShannon (79), ex-Journey drummer Steve Smith (69), System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian (56), Prodigy founder Liam Howlett (52), Kelis Rogers AKA Kelis (44), and former Burning the Masses lead singer Cameron 'Big Chocolate' Argon (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Count Basie, born on this day in 1904... for bebop trumpeter Art Farmer, born in 1928... for Kenny Rogers, who would have been 84 today... for Joe Strummer, who would have been 71... for Robert Moog, inventor of the synthesizer that bears his name, who died on this date in 2005... for Nashville session drummer Buddy Harman, who played on Patsy Cline's 'Crazy' [see below] and Tammy Wynette's 'Stand by Your Man', and passed away in 2008... and for Don Everly, who left us two years ago today.  

Also on August 21: The US Marine Corps Band gives its first performance for the general public in Washington, DC (1800)... Motown release The Marvelettes' 'Please Mr. Postman', which will become the label's first № 1 single (1961)... Patsy Cline records the classic Willie Nelson song, ‘Crazy’. Cline is still on crutches after going through a car windshield in a head-on collision two months earlier and has difficulty reaching the high notes of the song at first due to her broken ribs. 'Crazy'will spend 21 weeks on the charts and eventually become one of her signature tunes.(1962)... During today's Beatles concert in Las Vegas, the band stop the show twice to plead with the fans to stop pelting the stage with jellybeans. This has become a regular occurrence at the group's gigs ever since they revealed that the spherical snacks are among their favourite treats (1964)... The Rolling Stones top the US album charts for the first time with their LP 'Out of Our Heads' (1965)... On their final US tour, the Beatles perform in two cities because of a cancellation due to rain the previous day. First they play at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. They then fly to St. Louis for a concert at Busch Stadium, where they perform under a tarpaulin due to a downpour. Paul McCartney will later say it was this gig that convinced him that the Beatles should stop performing live (1966)... The Doors go into the studio in Los Angeles to begin recording their second album (1967)... Linda Ronstadt makes her Broadway debut in a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance' (1980)... Bono marries longtime girlfriend Alison Stewart at All Saints Church in the Dublin suburb of Raheny. Adam Clayton is best man (1982)... Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone has a four-hour neurosurgical operation at Bellevue Hospital after being found unconscious on a Lower East Side street where he had been involved in a brawl (1983)... In Columbus, OH, Bob Dylan plays the 600th show on his so-called 'Never-ending Tour' (1994)... David Byrne's lawyers file for an injunction to keep the other members of the band from touring as The Heads. The lawsuit will be settled out of court (1996)... Oasis' third album 'Be Here Now', becomes one of the fastest selling albums ever, shifting over 350,000 units on the first day of release (1997)... A Beatles fan in America foils three men breaking into a shop in Liverpool, England. The man, who had logged onto a site streaming live footage of Mathew Street and a forthcoming Beatles festival, saw the men smash the window of a shop and climb inside. He phoned Merseyside Police, who arrested the perpetrators at the scene (2006)... Paedophile and ex-pop star Gary Glitter returns to Thailand after being refused entry to Hong Kong. Chinese authorities inform the UK Foreign Office that they barred Glitter from entry. He was earlier deported from Vietnam after spending almost three years in jail for sexually abusing two pre-teen girls. He flew to Hong Kong from Bangkok after refusing to fly to the UK, and had made a plea for medical treatment after saying he was suffering a heart attack (2008).

August 20th

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz drummer Milford Graves (82), Hawkwind guitarist Dave Brock (82), Kraftwerk founder and leader Ralf Hütter (77), Chicago [the group, that is] trombonist and horn arranger James Pankow (76), Robert Plant (75), John Hiatt (71), Limp Bizkit lead singer Fred Durst (53), singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum (44), and Demi Lovato (31). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Jack Teagarden, born on this day in 1905... for country singer Jim Reeves, born in 1923... for original Flying Burrito Brother and country rock pioneer Sneaky Pete Kleinow, who would have been 89... for The Seeds frontman Sky Saxon, who would have been 85... for Isaac Hayes, who would have been 81... for Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, who would have been 74... for The Knack lead singer Doug Fieger, who would have been 71... for Joe Dassin, who died today in 1980... and for Bread member and widely employed session man Larry Knechtel, who left us today in 2009. 


Also on August 20: Tchaikovsky conducts the orchestra in the premiere performance of his 1812 Overture in Moscow (1882)... Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner found Immediate Records. The launch party is attended by Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Nico, among others. The new label's first release will be the McCoys' 'Hang on Sloopy', and will go on to become the home of the Small Faces and the Nice, as well as the place where Jimmy Page will serve his apprenticeship as a producer... The Rolling Stones release (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction in the UK, some 2 1/2 months after its American debut (1965)... Dr. David R. Lipscomb, director of the audio lab at the University of Tennessee, reports that guinea pigs subjected over a 3-month period to 90 hours of rock music recorded at 120 decibels at a Knoxville club have suffered acute inner ear damage. NYC disco owner Steve Paul is quoted as saying "In the event that we notice a rise in guinea pig attendance at The Scene, we will bear their comfort in mind" (1968)... Frank Zappa announces that he has disbanded The Mothers of Invention. he will form a new lineup the following year... After finishing 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)', The Beatles begin working on the running order for the Abbey Road album. The medley is initially slated for side 1 of the record, and Octopus' Garden and Oh! Darling are in reverse order from the final version. This day also marks the last time all four Beatles are together in the Abbey Road studio (1969)... The Stones release the single 'Angie' (1973)... Bob Dylan visits Michael Bloomfield at the guitarist's home in Marin Co., CA to play him some of the material from the yet-to-be-recorded Blood on the Tracks. He is considering using Bloomfield on some of the sessions. The visit does not go well, however, and the atmosphere is tense as Dylan runs through song after song without a pause. Bloomfield is unable to follow the chord changes, and Dylan seems uninterested in helping him learn the songs (1974)... Dylan releases Slow Train Coming, his first album following his conversion to Christianity (1979)... Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen makes his first live appearance with the band since losing his left arm in a car accident (1986)... A doctor in Phoenix, AZ files a $35 million lawsuit against the Southwest Bell phone company. He alleges that his wife died because he could not get through to 911, all lines being jammed by callers trying to purchase Garth Brooks concert tickets (1992)... Madame Tussaud's opens an interactive Pop Idol display with a speaking waxwork of judge Simon Cowell. The waxwork makes such comments as "That was extraordinary... Unfortunately, I mean extraordinarily bad", and "Thank you, goodbye, and that was the worst performance I have ever heard" (2003)... A man in Stoke-on-Trent, England names Bryan Adams as the 'other man' in a divorce action after years spent trying to cope with his wife's obsession with the singer. Rob Tinsley says that he has been living for years with a life-size cutout standing at the foot of the marital bed, and posters of the Canadian rocker covering most of the wall surfaces of the house (2004).

 

 

August 19th

 

Musical birthdays today Billy J. Kramer (80), country singer Eddy Raven (79), Ian Gillan (78), Queen bassist John Deacon (72), Europe lead singer Joey Tempest [né Rolf Larsson (60), country singer Lee Ann Womack (56), rapper Fat Joe [né Joseph Cartagena] (53), stage musical singer Darius Campbell (42), and rapper Romeo Miller [AKA Romeo] (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz pianist & longtime Billie Holiday accompanist Jimmy Rowles, born on this day in 1918... for Ginger Baker, who would have been 84 today... for Johnny Nash, who would have been 83... for rapper Nate Dogg [né Nathaniel Hale], who would have been 54... for Blind Willie McTell, who died on this date in 1959... for rockabilly pioneer Dorsey Burnette, who passed away in 1979... for soul singer Betty Everett, who died in 2001... and for R&B singer Donna Hightower and jazz pianist & Art Blakey sideman Cedar Walton, both of whom left us ftoday in 2014.
 

Also on August 19: Monteverdi becomes musical director of St. Mark's in Venice (1613)... In Washington, D.C., West Side Story premieres in its pre-Broadway run (1957)... The Beatles kick off their latest North American tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with The Righteous Brother, The Exciters and Jackie DeShannon as opening acts (1964)... 'All You Need is Love' goes to the top of the US charts, giving The Beatles their 14th stateside № 1  (1967)... After 58 episodes, The Monkees' TV show airs on NBC for the last time (1968)... Joni Mitchell, Steven Stills, David Crosby and Jefferson Airplane all appear on the Dick Cavett Show from Television Center in NYC... Miles Davis begins three days of sessions that will yield the landmark fusion album Bitches Brew (1969)... Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge are married in Malibu, CA. The couple will divorce in 1979 (1973)... The Three Degrees score their only UK № 1 with When Will I See You Again. The girl group were reportedly Prince Charles' favourite band of the '70s (1975)... The Sex Pistols began an incognito tour under the name The Spots [an acronym for Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly] (1977)... On the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the first jukebox, Patsy Cline's 'Crazy' and Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog' are announced by the Record Industry of America as the most selected songs of the 20th century (1988)... At the Tanglewood Festival, Leonard Bernstein makes his final concert appearance, conducting the Boston Symphony in a performance of Beethoven's 7th (1990)... James Brown, a man with a history of domestic violence, offers to turn over all of the proceeds from a Montauk, NY concert to a local shelter for battered women, but his contribution is refused (1996)... The Fleetwood Mac reunion album The Dance is released (1997)... A life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott is unveiled on Harry Street in Dublin. The ceremony is attended by the singer/guitarist's former Thin Lizzy bandmates Gary Moore, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham (2005).

August 18th

 

Musical birthdays today include Hugues Aufray [known in France for his translations and performances of Bob Dylan's songs] (94), Northern Irish singer Ronnie Carroll [the only performer to date to have represented the UK in the Eurovision song contest two years in a row] (87), Barbara Harris, formerly of The Toys (78), Split Enz bassist Nigel Griggs (74), ex-Foreigner drummer Dennis Elliott (73), Men at Work lead guitarist Ron Strykert (66), House of Pain frontman Erik 'Everlast' Schrody (54) and Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Antonio Salieri, born on this date in 1750... for folk singer and Woody Guthrie collaborator Cisco Houston, born in 1918... for pioneering Dixieland jazz trumpeter Paul Mares, who died on this date in 1949... for Searchers bassist Tony Jackson, who passed away in 2003... for film score composer Elmer Bernstein, who died in 2004... and for Scott McKenzie [best remembered for 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair')], who left us today in 2012. 

Also on August 18th: As this year's Mozart Festival in Salzburg gets underway, Mahler conducts the orchestra in a performance of The Marriage of Figaro. Richard Strauss is billed to conduct Cosi Fan Tutte tomorrow (1906)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Dave Brubeck and sidemen finish the sessions for the Time Out album (1959)... Ringo Starr makes his debut with the Beatles at the Horticultural Society Dance at Birkenhead, Merseyside, after a single 2-hour rehearsal with the band (1962)... Nearly 10,000 frenzied fans meet the Beatles as they arrive in America to begin another tour. The band are taken into a fenced-off enclosure so that photographers can take pictures of them. As fans press against the barrier, it comes crashing down just seconds after the Fab Four have managed to make their escape (1964)... Mick Jagger is accidentally shot in the hand during the filming of the movie 'Ned Kelly' in Australia. The film has been dogged by problems since the start of production, including the attempted suicide by leading lady Marianne Faithfull shortly after arrival in Sydney (1969)... Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa play together in public for the last time, in a concert at the New School, NYC... Jethro Tull have the № 1 album in the US with A Passion Play (1973)... Patrick Moraz offcially replaces Rick Wakeman on keyboards in Yes (1974)... The Police make their live debut at Rebecca's in Birmingham, England (1977)... The Who release Who Are You, their final album with Keith Moon (1978)... Nick Lowe marries Johnny Cash's stepdaughter Carlene in Los Angeles (1979)... The city of Liverpool names four streets after the Fab Four: John Lennon Drive, Paul McCartney Way, George Harrison Close and Ringo Starr Drive (1982)... R.E.M. play before their biggest audience to date as they open for the Police at Shea Stadium. Following the Athens, GA quartet on the bill are Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1983)... Bon Jovi release the album Slippery When Wet, which will go on to sell more than 28 million copies worldwide (1986)... Kurt Cobain becomes a father when his wife Courtney Love gives birth to their daughter Frances (1992)... Kanye West calls for an end to homophobia in the hip-hop community during an MTV interview (2005)... French perfume makers Etat Libre d'Orange announce that they have teamed up with The Sex Pistols to bottle the scent of the punk era by launching the band's first fragrance. The press kit says: 'To wear this scent, you must resist tradition, fight conformity, and disregard aromatic conventions' (2010). 

August 17th

 

Musical birthdays today include bossa nova pianist & composer João Donato (89), Box Tops guitarist Gary Talley (76), Dexys Midnight Runners frontman Kevin Rowland (70), Belinda Carlisle (65), ex-Lone Justice lead singer Maria McKee (59), Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman (57), jazz singer Maysa Leak (55), Donnie Wahlberg (53), and Cage the Elephant lead singer Matthew Shultz (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz and popular singer Georgia Gibbs, born on this day in 1919... for Native American activist and country singer Floyd Red Crow Westerman, and Bahamian calypso singer Ronnie Butler, both of whom would have been 8 today... for guitarist and longtime Howlin' Wolf sideman Luther Allison, who would have been 83... for Boston drummer Sib Hashian, who would have been 74... for lyricist Ira Gershwin, who died on this date in 1983... and for Pearl Bailey, who left us today in 1990. 

Also on August 17: The London newspaper The General Advertiser reports that Handel is now blind (1752)... In Bayreuth, the first complete performance of Wagner's Ring concludes with Die Götterdämmerung [Twilight of the Gods] (1876)...  Elvis Presley releases his first № 1 hit, 'I Forgot to Remember to Forget', with a version of Mystery Train on the B side (1955)... Columbia releases Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959)... The Beatles begin their first Hamburg engagement, at the Indra Club, where they are booked for 48 nights (1960)... Glasgow council in Scotland announces that all men with Beatles moptops will be required to wear bathing caps in public swimming pools henceforth, as hair from 'Beatle-cuts' is clogging the filters (1964)... The Byrds are forced to cancel a concert on their UK tour when only 250 out of 4,000 tickets to their show at The Guildhall, Portsmouth are sold (1965)... The Doors have the № 1 album in the US with Waiting for the Sun. The top spot on the singles chart is held by the Rascals with 'People Got to Be Free' (1968)... The final day of the Woodstock Festival is held on Max Yasgur's farm (1969)... Eric Clapton starts a four week-run at № 1 on the US album chart with 461 Ocean Boulevard. The house featured on the album cover is 461 Ocean Blvd. in the Miami, FL suburb of Golden Beach, where Clapton lived while making the record (1974)... Bob Dylan is interviewed by Neil Hickey of TV Guide for a cover story the magazine is doing to promote the singer's upcoming 'Hard Rain' television special. Dylan is generally forthcoming, though he bristles slightly when the journalist asks him how he imagines God, replying "How come no one ever asks Kris Kristofferson questions like that?" (1976)... A Run DMC concert in Long Beach, CA becomes a battleground for two rival gangs, with 42 injuries resulting (1986)... Nirvana shoot the video for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in a Culver City, CA studio for under $50,000, and using Nirvana fans recruited through classified ads as audience members (1991)... Jackson Browne files a copyright infringement lawsuit against Republican Party US presidential candidate John McCain for using the song 'Running on Empty' in a campaign ad without the singer's permission. Browne is seeking $75,000 in damages (2008)... Three members of the Russian punk group Pussy Riot are sentenced to two years' imprisonment after they staged a performance inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior in a protest directed at the open support of the Orthodox Church patriarchate for Vladimir Putin during his recent election campaign (2012).  

August 16th

 

Musical birthdays today include outlaw country singer Billy Joe Shaver (85), Golden Earring frontman Barry Hay (76), Stooges drummer Scott 'Rock Action' Asheton (74), Tubes founding member Bill Spooner (74), INXS guitarist Tim Farriss (66), Madonna (65), The Chicks multi-instrumentalist Emily Strayer (51), and singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Nadia Boulanger, the first woman to conduct a major metropolitan orchestra [the Boston Symphony], born on this date in 1887... for jazz pianist Bill Evans, born in 1930... for Soft Machine guitarist Kevin Ayers, who would have been 79... for bluesman Robert Johnson, who died today in 1938 at the age of 28... for Elvis Presley, who died in 1977... and for Alan Caddy, lead guitarist of The Tornadoes [their 1962 hit 'Telstar' was the first single by a British act to hit the top 5 on the US Billboard chart], who passed away today in 2000... and for Aretha Franklin, who left us three years ago today.

Also on August 16: Beethoven completes his Piano sonata in e minor, op. 90 (1814)... At the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, NJ, John Coltrane and sideman record the tracks that the Prestige label will release as the album Lush Life after the saxophonist's departure for Atlantic in 1961 (1957)...  12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder releases his first Motown single, entitled 'I Call It Pretty Music (But the Old People Call It the Blues)'. The session musicians include Marvin Gaye on drums... Brian Epstein informs Pete Best of his firing, but still asks the drummer to play with the Beatles tonight at the Riverpark Ballroom in Chester. When Best refuses, Johnny Hutchinson of local act The Big Three takes his place in the drummer's chair (1962)... The Byrds play the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for the first time... The Monkees release their first single, 'Last Train to Clarksville' (1966)... The Jackson Five make their debut before the general public, opening for The Supremes at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles... The Beatles spend most of the day in the studio working on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', going through 14 takes... Bruce Springsteen's new band Earth make their debut at the Off Broad Street Coffee House in Red Bank, NJ ~ admission is 75 cents. The group will last for six months before breaking up (1968)... On day two of Woodstock, Hippie leader Abbie Hoffmann is bodily thrown offstage by Pete Townshend during The Who's set. Townshend will later say that he didn't recognize the activist at the time (1969)... 'Lola' by The Kinks reaches № 2 on the UK singles chart, its peak position. It is kept out of the top spot only by Elvis Presley's 'The Wonder of You', the singer 16th British № 1 (1970)...  The Ramones play their first public gig, at a recently opened club on the Bowery called CBGB (1974)... Peter Gabriel announces that he is leaving Genesis. The group will audition more than 400 singers over the next 18 months before promoting from within, deciding that long-time drummer Phil Collins could front the band (1975)... The Knack's 'My Sharona' is awarded a gold record (1979)... Paul Simon marries Carrie Fisher (1983)... Madonna marries Sean Penn (1985)... On the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, over 30,000 fans descend on Memphis, TN to complete a 10-minute mourning circuit circling the King's grave. A poll shows that approximately a third of those present are keeping an eye out for Elvis in the crowd (1997)... Madonna's 47th birthday turns less than happy when the singer suffers three cracked ribs, a broken collarbone and a fractured hand in a horse-riding accident on her country estate in Wiltshire. The singer is treated at hospital in Salisbury (2005).  

 

August 15th

 

Musical birthdays today include ex-Spencer Davis Group drummer Pete York (81), Sylvie Vartan (79), songwriter Jimmy Webb [who gave us 'Up, up and away' and 'MacArthur Park' among many others] (77), former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning (54), and Jonas Brother Joe (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Leon Theremin, inventor of the eerie-sounding instrument that bears his name, and who was born on this date in 1896... for Joe Garland, composer of the standards 'In the Mood' and 'Leapfrog', born in 1907...  for Rose Marie, born in 1923... for jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, born in 1925... for Bill Pinkney, the last surviving member of the original Drifters, born on the same day... for Bobby Helms of 'Jingle Bell Rock' fame, who would have been 89... for coloratura soprano Rita Shane, who would have been 87... for legendary producer Jerry Wexler, who died on this date in 2008... and for the great Brazilian choro flautist Altamiro Carrilho, who left us today in 2014.

Also on August 15: Elvis Presley attends a meeting in Memphis with his current manager Bob Neal, his father Vernon and Colonel Tom Parker [not a real colonel at all, but rather a Dutch immigrant named Andreas Cornelius van Kujik, whose honorary title was given to him in 1948 by the governor of Louisiana]. Elvis signs a contract naming the latter a 'special advisor' and giving him control over virtually every aspect of the singer's career (1955)... Elvis scores his first post-US Army US № 1 with 'It's Now or Never' (1960)... The Kinks go to № 1 in the UK for the first time with 'You Really Got Me'; topping the US  chart is Dean Martin's 'Everybody Loves Somebody' (1964)... The Beatles set  new world record for largest attendance at a pop concert when they play before 55,600 screaming fans at Shea Stadium. Bob Dylan visits them at their hotel after the show (1965)... Five members of the Ku Klux Klan led by the Grand Wizard of Maryland picket the Beatles concert at DC Stadium (1966)... The three-day Woodstock Music & Art Fair ['3 Days of Peace & Music'] opens on Max Yasgur's farm near Bethel, NY (1969)... George Harrison publishes his first book, 'I Me Mine', a collection of song lyrics and spiritual reflections (1980)... Diana Ross & Lionel Richie begin a nine-week run at the top of the US singles chart with 'Endless Love' (1981)... Paul Simon plays a free concert in NYC's Central Park for an estimated audience of three-quarters of a million (1991)... Boyz II Men begin their record-setting 13-week run at the top of the US charts with 'End of the Road' (1992)... Boyzone become the first Irish act to have four no. 1 singles in the UK, as 'No Matter What' tops the charts. They also become the first band in British chart history to hit the top 5 with their first 12 releases (1998)... David Bowie and his wife Iman welcome their first child, a daughter named Alexandria Zahra Jones (2000)... A memorial to John Lennon is unveiled in the remote Scottish village of Durness, where the future Beatle spent his summer holidays from the ages of 7 to 15. The lyrics to 'In My Life' are engraved on three stones (2002)... George Michael/Wham! superfan Brian Turner of Newcastle is ordered by a judge to pay a fine of £200 and further court costs of £215 for disturbing the peace. Neighbours brought the action against him, calling the police after Turner played 'Last Christmas' more than a hundred times in a row in the middle of the night at peak volume (2007)... U2's first gig on their current tour breaks the attendance record for a concert at Wembley Stadium, as more than 88,000 attend the show (2009).

 

August 14th

 

Musical birthdays today include country singer Connie Smith (82), former Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham (77), ex-Steeleye Span lead singer Maddy Prior (76), Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap (72), Sarah Brightman (63), Charlatans guitarist Mark Collins (57), Scissor Sisters lead singer Ana Matronic (49), and rapper & producer Black Milk [né Curtis Cross] (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pioneering American jazz violinist Stuff Smith, born on this date in 1900...  for avant-garde composer & acoustician Pierre Schaeffer, born in 1910... for  jazz singer & pianist Buddy Greco, born in 1926... for David Crosby, who would have been 82 today... for Augustus Montague Toplady, composer of the hymn 'Rock of Ages', who died on this day in 1778... for bluesman Big Bill Broonzy, who passed away in 1958... for singer Johnny Burnette (best known for the top 10 hit 'You're Sixteen'), who was killed in a boating accident in California at the age of 30 today in 1964... for guitarist Roy Buchanan, who hanged himself in his cell in the Fairfax Co., VA jail with his own shirt on this day after being arrested for public drunkenness. Buchanan released 15 solo albums and was a sometime collaborator with Jeff Beck (1988)... for The Platters' lead singer Tony Williams, who died in 1992... and for Lita Roza, the first woman to have a № 1 single in the UK [with a version of 'How Much Is That Doggie in the Window' in 1953] who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 14: The first performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle in its entirety in one location begins at the Bayreuth Festival (1876)... Unhappy with Pete Best's role in The Beatles, Brian Epstein and the other three members of the group decide to sack him. John Lennon places a call to Ringo Starr, nearing the end of a 3-month engagement with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes at a Butlin's Holiday Camp in north Wales, to offer him the job. Best will play his final show with the group at the Cavern tomorrow night (1962)... Sonny and Cher top the US charts with 'I Got You, Babe'. Bono is said to have been inspired to write the song by Bob Dylan's use of the term of endearment in 'It Ain't Me, Babe' (1965)... 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen plays his first public show, as lead singer of The Castiles at a gig at the Surf 'n' See Club in Seaside, NJ. Also on the bill are Little Anthony and the Imperials, with lead guitarist Steve van Zandt (1966)... The № 1 song in the UK today is 'Fire' by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Brown frequently performs the number live whilst wearing a top hat set alight (1968)... The 3-day Yorkshire Folk, Blues and Jazz festival opens in Calderton, W. Yorks. Atomic Rooster, Yes, The Kinks and Elton John are among those performing. Headliners Pink Floyd will miss their spot on the first day because they are fogbound at Orly Airport in Paris, and will not appear (1970)... In a peculiar case of life imitating art, a woman calling herself Billie jean Jackson files a $150 million paternity suit in a Los Angeles court, naming Michael Jackson (1987)... Foo Fighters make their US network television debut, performing 'This Is a Call' on the Late Show with David Letterman (1995)... An oil-stained pizza menu signed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison goes for $48,000 to an anonymous collector bidding by phone at an auction in Melbourne, Australia. Ringo Starr, suffering from laryngitis, was not on the tour (2001)... Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts announces that he is being treated for throat cancer (2004)... Boy George is spotted sweeping streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as part of a five-day community service sentence. He will be moved into a fenced-off area only 30 minutes later after being mobbed by the media and fans. The 45-year-old former Culture Club frontman was found guilty earlier in the year of cocaine possession and filing a false burglary report (2006).

August 13th

 

Musical birthdays today include R&B keyboardist Dave 'Baby' Cortez (85), operatic soprano Sheila Armstrong (81), Sha Na Na vocalist Scott Powell (75), former Undertones lead singer Feargal Sharkey (65), his bandmate, bassist Michael Bradley (64), Danny Bonaduce [of the Partridge Family] (64), Tal Bachman (55), The Bravery guitarist Sam Endicott (49), and singer-songwriter James Morrison (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Ireland, born on this date in 1879... for Anna Mae Winburn, leader of the Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first known racially integrated all-female orchestra in jazz history, and who was born today in 1914... for British jazz pioneer George Shearing, born in 1919... for Don Ho, born in 1930... for Dan Fogelberg, who would have been 72... for French composer Jules Massenet, who died on this date in 1912... for saxophonist Curtis Ousley AKA King Curtis [who played on the Coasters' 'Yakety Yak' as well as sessions for John Lennon], fatally stabbed by a vagrant on the steps of his Harlem brownstone today in 1971... and for singer and electric guitar pioneer Les Paul, who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 13: Handel departs Dublin for England to organize the London premiere of The Messiah (1742)... The original version of 'Hound Dog' is recorded by Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton (1952)... Gerry Mulligan plays his first session with Thelonious Monk (1957)... Manfred Mann hits № 1 in the UK with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'. The song was originally recorded in 1963 by the American girl group The Exciters... The Supremes release 'Baby Love'. The song will go on to be the group's first UK № 1, and the second of five straight chart-toppers stateside [where it would be the № 1 song the day I was born - editor's note] (1964)... Jefferson Airplane make their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club. The cover shot of the group's biggest selling album, Surrealistic Pillow, was taken at the Matrix after a 1967 show there... The Beatles arrive at JFK airport for their second extended US visit. John Lennon, who has already grown disenchanted with the touring process, will take to screaming off-mike obscenities at the audiences (1965)... Starting a 3-week run at the top of the US charts today: 'Summer in the City' by the Lovin' Spoonful (1966)... Fleetwood Mac make their live debut at the British National Jazz and Blues Festival at Windsor. Also on the bill are Jeff Beck, Cream, Donovan and Pink Floyd (1967)... Buffalo Springfield release their final album, Last Time around (1968)... John Lennon flies from Heathrow to JFK ~ the former Beatle will never set foot on British soil again (1971)... Pink Floyd play their first ever Australian date when they appear at Melbourne's Festival Hall. The group, who just completed an Asian tour, conclude their only visit Down Under with a show in Sydney two days later (1971)... Two years after his death, Duke Ellington's bllet Three Black Kings has its premiere at Lincoln Center, with the Duke's son Mercer conducting the orchestra (1976)... Yes score their second UK № 1 album with Going for the One, which also marks the return of keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman, who had quit the band in 1974 because of creative differences.. Bachman Turner Overdrive announce that they are disbanding (1977)... On the 25th anniversary of the original festival, Woodstock '94 is held in Saugerties, New York. Headliners include Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1994)... Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's marriage is annulled by the High Court in London, forestalling what had been expected to be a lengthy court battle (1999)... Adam Ant pleads guilty to endangering patrons at the Prince of Wales pub in London earlier this year. The former '80s pop star returned to the establishment with a starter's pistol and discharged it after being refused entry. He also threw the alternator from his car engine through a window, showering several customers with broken glass (2002). 

August 12th

 

Musical birthdays today include Mark Knopfler (74), August Darnell, AKA Kid Creole (73), Pat Metheny (69), Culture Club multi-instrumentalist Roy Hay (62), Felt and Go Kart Mozart frontman Lawrence Hawyward (61), Anthony 'Sir Mix-a-Lot' Ray (60), Tanita Tikaram (54), hip hop MC Del the Funky Homosapien [né Terence Delvon Jones] (51), ex-Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 [né Joseph Poole] (47), and former Sweetbox lead singer Jade Villalon (43). 

Shoutouts to the Great Beyond for country legend Porter Waggoner, born on this day in 1928... for Buck Owens, born in 1930... for Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who died on this date in 1928... and for American avant-garde composer John Cage, who left us today in 1992.


Also on August 12: Thomas Edison receives the patent for the phonograph (1877)... A live concert is broadcast on radio for the first time, as WJZ in NYC transmits the New York Philharmonic playing a program of Mendelssohn, Brahms, Gluck and Saint-Saens from the Lewisohn Stadium as part of the orchestra's summer series (1922)... Art Kane photographs 57 notable jazz musicians in the black and white group portrait 'A Great Day in Harlem' in front of a brownstone at 17 E. 126th St. in Manhattan (1958)... Pete Best auditions to become the Silver Beatles drummer. He passes and is asked if he would be available to accompany the band to Hamburg for its next set of dates. Before departing, the group will shorten its name to The Beatles (1960)... A Hard Day's Night opens in America on general release to rave reviews (1964)... Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham play together for the first time when they rehearse at a Gerrard Street studio in London's West End. The first song they play is 'The Train Kept A-rollin'. They also work up an early version of Dazed and Confused called 'I'm Confused'. At this point, the group are still known as The New Yardbirds, a name which they will keep through the first few live dates before changing to Led Zeppelin next month (1968)... No. 1 on the UK singles chart today is Alice Cooper's School's out for the Summer (1972)... Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and The Eagles are on the bill at the Corral Club in Topanga Canyon (1973)... The Commodores hit no. 1 on the US and UK singles charts simultaneously with Three Times a Lady. Reportedly, Lionel Ritchie came up with the tune first, and then was unable to decide whether he wanted to write a lyric to his wife, his mother or his grandmother ~ hence the 'Once, twice, three times a lady' written to one unnamed woman (1978)...  The two day Moscow Music Peace Festival is held at the city's Lenin Stadium. Western headliners include Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions and Bon Jovi. For the first time, fans are permitted to stand up and dance at a stadium rock concert in the USSR ~ previously, all concertgoers were required to remain seated (1989)... A mass wake is held for Jerry Garcia in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park (1995)... Alanis Morissette plays the Darien Lake Performing Arts center in Buffalo, NY with Radiohead as her opening act (1996)... Members of the NY state chapter of the National Organization for Women demonstrate outside the office of Woodstock '99 promoter John Scher to protest the violence against women that allegedly occurred at the July 23-25 event. Several rapes and numerous incidents of sexual harassment and assault were reported after the event... A record-setting 15-night sold out stand by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at the Continental Airlines Arena in E. Rutherford, NJ comes to a close (1999)... eBay auctioneer Anthony DeFontes says that he will sell one of Elvis' teeth separately, after the molar combined with a lock of the King's hair fails to attract a high enough initial bid (2003). 

August 11th

 

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Támas Vásáry (90), Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hugg (81), The Guess Who bassist Jim Kale (80), Eric Carmen (74), Devo lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh (71), Joe Jackson (69), original PiL bassist Jah Wobble [né John Wardle] (65), Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (47), and singer-songwriter Sandi Thom (42).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Russell Procope, one of the longest-serving members of the Duke Ellington orchestra [alto sax from 1946 until Ellington's death in 1974], born on this date in 1908... for rockabilly singer Ronnie Dawson, who would have been 84 today... for original Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who would have been 73... and to Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who left us today in 1996. 

Also on August 11: Hank Williams is fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. Since being shot in a hunting accident early this year, the singer has been ingesting opiates and drinking heavily to dull the ongoing pain (1952)... Elvis releases the Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog double A-side single. The 45 will reach № 1 on the US charts and stay there for 11 weeks, setting a record that will last 36 years (1956)... Paul Hindemith's opera Harmonie der Welt has its world premiere in Munich (1957)... Neil Sedaka goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Breaking up Is Hard to Do' (1962)... The Beatles begin recording their as yet untitled fourth album ~ it will eventually become Beatles for Sale ~ at EMI Studios (1964)... The High Numbers [who will soon change their name to The Who] play at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, NW London. Just before the band are to go on, Roger Daltrey's father-in-law arrives backstage and drags the singer outside, punching him several times before bouncers separate the pair. The group begin their opening number and Daltrey joins them on stage just in time for the first verse (1964)... The Beatles land at O'Hare Airport. At a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago preceding the opening show of what will turn out to be his band's final US tour, John Lennon apologizes for his remarks to the effect 'the Beatles are more popular than Jesus'. Lennon tells reporters "Look, I wasn't saying the Beatles are better than God or Jesus. I said 'Beatles' because it's easy for me to talk about the Beatles. I could have said 'TV' or 'cinema' or 'motorcars' or anything popular and I would have got away with it" (1966)... The Small Faces, The Move, Marmalade, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, Donovan, Cream, Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are all on the bill as the 3-day Reading Festival gets underway in England. During his performance, Arthur Brown's trademark flaming helmet burns out of control, and organiser Harold Pendleton's father-in-law has to douse the flames with a pitcher of beer (1967)... 350 guests personally invited by Berry Gordy come to the Daisy Club in Beverly Hills, CA to hear the debut performance of Motown's latest signing, the Jackson Five (1968)... At Knebworth House, Herts., Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their last UK show (1979)... Ray Parker Jr. has the № 1 song in the US with the 'Theme from Ghostbusters'. On this day, Huey Lewis files suit against him, alleging that Parker plagiarised the melody from his [Lewis'] hit 'I Want a New Drug'. The two will settle out of court in 1985 (1984)... At Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, Madonna gives birth to a son, Rocco (2000)... Steve Earle marries Allison Moorer at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, TN (2005).