March 5th

Musical birthdays today include early rocker Paul Evans (88), Irish pop singer Clodagh Rodgers (79), Eddy Grant (78), former Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark (74), Current 93 lead singer David Tibet (66), Proclaimers frontmen Charlie & Craig Reid (64), former Noir Désir lead singer Bertrand Cantat (62), rapper MC Solaar (57), ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers lead guitarist John Frusciante (55), and classical pianist Daniil Trifonov (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, born on this day in 1887... for French horn virtuoso Philip Farkas, born in 1914... for bluesman J.B. Lenoir, born in 1930... for singer-songwriter Tommy Tucker, born in 1934... for pianist and former Janis Joplin sideman Richard Bell, who would have been 80... for Teena Marie, ' the Ivory Queen of Soul', who would have been 70...  for The Fall frontman Mark E. Smith, who would have been 69... for Andy Gibb, who would have been 68... for composer Sergei Prokofiev, who died on this date in 1953... for Patsy Cline, killed in a plane crash today in 1963 at the age of 30 along with fellow musicians Lloyd 'Cowboy' Copas and Harold 'Hawkshaw' Hawkins... for Blues Brother John Belushi, who died of a drug overdose today in 1982 at the age of 33... and for Disney songwriter Robert B. Sherman [best remembered for 'It's a Small Word (after All)], who left us today in 2014.

Also on March 5th: Beethoven's 4th Symphony receives its premiere in Vienna (1807)... The Covent Garden opera house is destroyed in a fire (1856)... Arrigo Boito's opera Mefistofele premieres at La Scala (1887)... The first known transmission of music by radio occurs at Graz University in Austria when Dr. Siegfried Nussbaumer yodels a folk song from his native region into a transmitter whose signal is received in a neighbouring room and heard by his colleagues in the physics department (1904)... Elvis makes his debut television appearance when he performs on the weekend show 'Louisiana Hayride' on KWKH-TV in Shreveport, LA (1955)... The Beatles record their third single 'From Me to You' (1963)... Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler goes to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'The Ballad of the Green Berets' (1966)... Bob Dylan concludes the sessions at Columbia Studio B in NYC that will yield the Self Portrait album (1970)... Led Zeppelin launch a 12-date 'Thank you' tour, appearing at the same clubs that they played in their early days and charging the same admission prices as 1968. Opening night is at the Ulster Hall in Belfast, where the group play most of the songs from their forthcoming officially untitled album, including 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Going to California' (1971)... Rod Stewart meets Britt Ekland at a party in Los Angeles, sparking one of the most high-profile celebrity love affairs of the '70s (1975)... Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' is the № 1 single in the US, whilst the Thriller album tops the UK album chart for the first time... Wham! make their US television debut on American Bandstand (1983)... R.E.M. sweep the Rolling Stone Music Awards, winning Album of the Year for Out of Time, Best single for 'Losing My Religion' and best band (1992)... Grace Slick is arrested for pointing a loaded 12-gauge shotgun at Marin Co. sheriffs' deputies in her home in Tiburon, CA, just north of San Francisco (1994)... MC Hammer is ordained as a preacher at the Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose, CA (2000)... 'The Osbournes' premieres on MTV (2002)... Records by the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon are chosen for preservation by the US Library of Congress. The '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' single and the Graceland LP enter the National Recordings Registry, which preserves historic recordings for posterity. Other recordings chosen this year include Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes', The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby', 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke, and the eponymous The Velvet Underground and Nico album (2007).

March 4th

Musical birthdays today include Shakin' Stevens (78), former Harmonium frontman Serge Fiori (74), Emilio Estefan (73), ex-level 42 lead guitarist Boon Gould (71), jazz bassist Kermit Driscoll (70), former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted (63), Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando (59), country singer Jason Sellers (55), ex-beautiful South vocalist Alison Wheeler (54), producer & multi-instrumentalist Kevin 'Linus of Hollywood' Dotson (53), Star Fucking Hipsters frontman Scott 'Stza Crack' Sturgeon (50), Modest Mouse drummer Jeremiah Green (49), jazz drummer Jason Marsalis (49), Fratellis frontman John 'Jon Fratelli' Lawler (47), Towers of London lead singer Patrick 'Donny Tourette' Brannan (45), and singer-songwriter Raven Quinn (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Antonio Vivaldi, born on this day in 1678... for Avery Fisher, born in 1906... for electric blues guitarist Willie Johnson, born in 1923... for  jazz saxophonist & bandleader Don Rendell, born in 1925... for Miriam Makeba, born in 1932... for bluegrass musician John Duffey, born in 1934... for jazz trombonist Eric Allendale, who would have been 90... for original Velvet Underground drummer Angus MacLise, who would have been 88... for Bobby Womack, who would have been 82... for Yes bassist Chris Squire, who would have been 78... for former Climax Blues Band frontman Pete Haycock, who would have been 75... for ex-Spooky Tooth lead singer Mike Patto, who died on this date in 1978... for Richard Manuel of The Band, who took his own life today in 1986 at the age of 43... for Glenn 'The Biker' Hughes of the Village People, who passed away in 2001... for former Siouxie and the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch, who died in 2004... and for Alfredo José da Silva, AKA Johnny Alf, 'the Father of Boss Nova', who left us today in 2010. 

Also on March 4th: Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado premieres at Covent Garden (1885)... Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps release their self-titled second album (1957)... John Lennon's interview with Maureen Cleave containing the statement that the Beatles are "more popular than Jesus now" is published in the London Evening Standard (1966)... The Rolling Stones have the № 1 single in the US with 'Ruby Tuesday'. The song was originally the B side of the 'Let's Spend the Night Together' single, but became a hit when numerous US radio stations refused to play the latter song (1967)... The Stones announce that they are becoming the UK's first rock 'n' roll tax exiles, and have already purchased residences in the south of France (1971)... Pink Floyd kick off the 19-date US leg of the Dark Side of the Moon tour at the Dane County Memorial Coliseum in Madison, WI (1973)... CBS Records UK release the eponymous debut album by The Clash in the band's home country.  Since the parent company delay release in the US [continuing to do so until 1979, in fact], the album will go on to sell more than 100,o00 copies stateside as an import, one of the biggest such success stories ever (1977)... The IRS carries out a dawn raid on the home of Jerry Lee Lewis and seize nearly $200,000 worth of cars to help pay off the singer's tax debt... On tour in Japan, Bob Dylan records the concert that will become the Live at Budokan album (1978)... Frank Zappa's children Dweezil and Moon Unit form the band Fred Zeppelin. Their first single will be 'My Mother Is a Space Cadet' (1982)... Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown become parents when Whitney gives birth to their daughter Bobbi (1993)... Kurt Cobain is rushed to hospital after combining champagne and Rohypnol pills in a near-fatal combination in his Rome hotel room; rumours circulate widely on the Internet that the Nirvana frontman is dead (1994)... A noisy neighbour is banned from playing her music and has her stereo system impounded after playing Cliff Richard's music too loudly. 23 year-old Siân Davies is fined £1,000 plus court costs after environmental protection officers raided her flat in Porth, Rhondda, Wales and seized 15 amplifiers and speakers, plus 135 CDs and cassette tapes. The disc found in her CD player was the Cliff Richard single, 'Peace in Our Time'. A spokesman for the Cliff Richard Organization says that the singer is delighted to hear of somebody in their early 20s owning one of his recordings. He also adds that Sir Cliff would not want anyone to play his music so that it caused a nuisance (2003)... Brian Wilson performs 'Smile' for the first time in public at London's Royal Festival Hall, 37 years after it was first conceived. An 11-date UK tour will follow (2004)... In New Orleans, Britney Spears kicks off her first world tour in five years (2009).

March 3rd

Musical birthdays today include former Searchers lead singer Mike Pender (84), Jennifer Warnes (79), Roger Waters sideman and former Thin Lizzy guitarist Terry 'Snowy' White (78), Robyn Hitchcock (73), Hooters guitarist John Lilley (72), Ronan Keating (49), and rapper Wesley 'Lil' Flip' Weston, Jr. (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluegrass legend Doc Watson, born today in 1923... for double bassist and John Coltrane sideman Jimmy Garrison, born in 1934... for ex-Henry Cow woodwinds player Lindsay Cooper, who would have been 75... for composer Johann Pachelbel, who died on this date in 1706... for classical pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who died in 1961... for Danny Kaye, who passed away in 1987... for flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya, who died in 1993... for Beatles recording engineer Norman Smith, who passed away in 2008... for Ronnie Montrose, who lost a long battle with cancer in 2012... and for former Miracles vocalist Bobby Rogers, who left us today in 2013. 

Also on March 3rd: Bizet's Carmen receives its premiere at the Opéra Comique in Paris (1875)... Cab Calloway records 'Minnie the Moocher', which will become the first million-selling jazz single (1930)... President Herbert Hoover signs the bill making The Star-Spangled Banner the official US national anthem (1931)... Jackie Brenston, backed by Ike Turner and his band, records 'Rocket 88' [often cited as the first ever rock 'n' roll record] at Sam Phillips' studio in Memphis, TN (1951)... In Los Angeles, Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay form Buffalo Springfield (1966)... Led Zeppelin record their first BBC Radio 1 'Top Gear' session at the Playhouse Theatre in London (1969)... The South African Broadcasting Corporation lifts its ban on The Beatles (1971)... Slade debut on the UK single chart at № 1 with 'Com on Feel the Noize', making them the first act since the Beatles to achieve the feat... Robert Flack takes home the Grammy for Song of the Year for 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (1973)... Patti Smith's album Easter is released (1978)... The Bee Gees have the № 1 album in the US with Spirits Having Flown (1979)... Michael Jackson personally unveils his waxwork lookalike at Madame Tussaud's (1985)... The Smashing Pumpkins are banned from performing their new single 'Disarm' on the BBC's Top of the Pops because of the song's lyrical content (1994)... Foo Fighters make their live debut during a benefit show at the Satyricon in Portland, OR (1995)... Ray Jackson files suit against Rod Stewart over the latter's 1971 hit 'Maggie May'. Jackson claims that he came up with the tune's classic mandolin 'hook', and may have lost as much as £1 million because he did not receive credit for it. The musician, who later found fame with Lindisfarne, was payed just £15 for the session in 1971 (2003)... Elton John announces that he intends to marry his longtime partner David Furnish if a change in UK law will allow it (2004)... To celebrate the release of their new album No Line on the Horizon and their appearance every night for a week on the Late Show with David Letterman, NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg announces that part of 53rd street in Midtown Manhattan will temporarily be renamed U2 Way (2009).

March 2nd

Musical birthdays today include operatic bass Robert Lloyd (86), French chansonnier Alain Chamfort (77), former Missing Persons lead singer Dale Bozzio (71), Jay Osmond (71), ex-Cowsills drummer John Cowsill (70), original AC/DC bassist Mark Evans (70), Restless Heart lead singer Larry Stewart (67), Jon Bon Jovi (64), bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart (63), Wu-Tang Clan rapper Clifford 'Method Man' Smith (55), Chris Martin (49), and Hollywood Undead rapper Aron 'Deuce' Erlichman (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Bedřich Smetana, born on this day in 1824... for Kurt Weill, born in 1900... for jazz saxophonist Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, born in 1922... for Riverside Records producer Orrin Keepnews, born in 1923... for Four Tops vocalist Lawrence Payton, who would have been 88 today... for Lou Reed, who would have been 84... for former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan, who would have been 82... for Taste lead singer Rory Gallagher, who would have been 78... for Karen Carpenter, who would have been 76... for jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, who died on this date in 1942... for Serge Gainsbourg, who died in 1991... for Dusty Springfield, who passed away in 1999... for Hank Ballard, who died in 2003... and for Jeff Healey, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on March 2nd: The first ballet performed in Britain, The Loves of Mars and Venus, premieres at the Drury Lane Theatre in London (1717)... Bo Diddley has his first recording session at Universal Studios in Chicago (1955)... Miles Davis convenes the first of the two sessions that will produce Kind of Blue (1959)... After his discharge from the US Army, Elvis steps on British soil for the first and only time in his life when the plane carrying him back to America makes a refuelling stop at Prestwick, Scotland (1960)... The Four Seasons become the first group to have three consecutive № 1 singles in America when 'Walk like a Man' goes to the top of the charts (1963)... The Beatles begin filming 'A Hard Day's Night' at London's Marylebone train station, and George Harrison meets Patti Boyd for the first time (1964)... The film version of The Sound of Music has its world premiere in New York (1965)... Stevie Wonder takes home four Grammys, including Album of the Year for Innervisions... Terry Jacks has the № 1 song in both Britain and America with 'Seasons in the Sun' (1974)... An LAPD motorcycle officer who pulls over a Lincoln Continental for running a red light is surprised to find Paul McCartney at the wheel with his wife Linda beside him. Detecting an odour of marijuana, the officer searches the occupants and vehicle and finds eight ounces of cannabis on Mrs. McCartney, who is arrested for the offence (1975)... Gigs around the UK tonight include Black Sabbath at the Apollo in Glasgow, AC/DC at the Top Rank in Swansea, and David Bowie and Iggy Pop on a double bill at Newcastle City Hall (1977)... Compact discs and players are released in major markets outside of Japan for the first time... Bananarama release their debut album Deep Sea Skiving (1983)... The Smiths top the UK singles chart with 'How Soon Is Now' (1985)... Madonna's new single 'Rescue Me' enters the Billboard Hot 100 at № 15, the highest debut by a female artist in the history of the chart (1991)... Jimi Hendrix is crowned 'Wildest Guitar Hero of All Time' in poll amongst readers of Classic Rock Magazine. Hendrix beat out second place finisher Keith Richards, with Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy Page rounding out the top 4 (2007).

March 1st

Musical birthdays today include Cuban composer & guitarist Leo Brouwer (87), ex-Blood, Sweat & Tears lead singer Jerry Fisher (84), former Manfred Mann lead singer Mike d'Abo (82), Roger Daltrey (82), Winston Rodney, AKA Burning Spear (81), Nik Kershaw (68), Gin Blossoms bassist Bill Leen (64), Soulsystem drummer Rob Affuso (63), singer-songwriter Mary-Lou Lord (61), Super Furry Animals drummer Dafydd Ieuan (56), Ke$ha (39), and Justin Bieber (32).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Glenn Miller, born on this day in 1904... for Harry Belafonte, born in 1927... for record producer and manager Gerry Bron, born in 1933... for Québécois rocker Gerry Boulet, who would have been 80... for choral composer and poet Thomas Campion, who died on this date in 1621... for pianist and long-time Art Blakey sideman Bobby Timmons, who passed away today in 1974... and for original Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on March 1st: Buddy Holly kicks off what will be his only UK tour with a show at the Trocadero in London (1958)... Cellist Jacqueline du Pré makes her concert debut at London's Wigmore Hall... Elvis Presley signs a 5-year movie deal with Hal Wallis (1961)... At Abbey Road, the Beatles begin recording 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' (1967)... Elton John's first single 'I've Been Loving You Too Long' is released in Britain on the Phillips label... Johnny Cash and June Carter are married (1968)... Jim Morrison is charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour after allegedly exposing himself to the crowd during a gig in Miami (1969)... Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is released (1973)... Chris Difford places a handwritten advert in a shop window saying 'Lyricist seeks musician for co-writing. Glen Tillbrook is the first to answer the ad, and the two will go on to form Squeeze (1974)... The Eagles have their first US № 1 with 'Best of My Love' (1975)... Fred 'Sonic' Smith and Patti Smith are married (1980)... Janet Jackson opens her Rhythm Nation 1814 World Tour at the Miami Arena. As part of the show, Jackson has a live panther on stage, but after a widespread expression of concern for public safety, and several incidents of the panther urinating on the stage, the big cat is banished from the act after five shows (1990)... Nirvana play their final concert at the Terminal Eins in Munich. The venue, with a capacity of 3,000, is a disused airport hangar. When the power goes off halfway through the show, the band play an impromptu acoustic set, including a version of 'My Best Friend's Girl' by The Cars (1994)... Bruce Springsteen's 'Streets of Philadelphia' wins Song of the Year at the Grammys (1995)... Steely Dan release Two against Nature, their first studio album in 20 years (2000)... Kelly Clarkson becomes the only American Idol winner to date to have a UK № 1, when 'My Life Would Suck without You' tops the British chart (2009)

February 28th

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Mike Wofford (88), former Jaggerz and Wild Cherry lead singer Donnie Iris (83), film director, score composer and trumpeter Mike Figgis (78), Black Sabbath keyboardist Geoff Nichols (78), B-52s vocalist Cindy Wilson (69), Train lead singer Patrick Monahan (57), Jason Aldean (49), and Jake Bugg (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Guiomar Novaes, born on this day in 1895... for jazz violinist Svend Asmussen, born in 1916... for guitarist John Fahey, who would have been 87 today... for Nashville session guitarist Joe South, who would have been 86... for Brian Jones, who would have been 84.. for producer Brian Delph, who would have been 69... for one-hit wonder Bobby Bloom ['Montego Bay'], who took his own life today in 1974 at the age of 28... for original Uriah Heep lead singer David Byron, who died in 1985... for classical violinist Helmut Zacharias, who passed away in 2002... for Searchers drummer Chris King, who died in 2005... and for Dave Clark Five lead singer Mike Smith, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on February 28: Handel's opera Siroe, de di Persia premieres in London (1728)... The first public recital of Schubert's lieder takes place in Vienna (1819)... Jules Massenet's final opera Cleopatre premieres in Monte Carlo (1914)... Motown records release the LP The Fabulous Miracles (1963)... Police have to be called to dislodge music fans who have barricaded themselves inside Liverpool's Cavern Club to protest the venue's definitive closure... Gene Clark announces that he is leaving the Byrds (1966)... In an interview with the New Musical Express, Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green talks about his plans to give all of his money away. The following year, he will threaten his accountant with a gun for presenting him with a royalty cheque... Led Zeppelin play a gig in Copenhagen billed as 'The Nobs' after Eva von Zeppelin,  a descendant of the airship designer, threatens legal action if the family name is used in Denmark... Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge over Troubled Water' begins a 6-week run at № 1 in the US ~ chart supremacy for the song in Britain will begin in 2 weeks' time... Van Morrison's album Moondance is released (1970)... George and Patti Harrison are injured in a car crash; Patti will be in a coma for nearly a week, but will make a complete recovery (1972)... Paul Simon's 'Still Crazy after All These Years' wins Best Pop Vocal Performance and Best Album at the 18th Grammys. In his acceptance speech, the singer says "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year" (1976)... Ray Charles is attacked on stage in Detroit by a man who attempts to strangle him with a microphone cord. The assailant is a member of a group called Project Heavy, a community project for disadvantaged youths (1977)... U2's War is released (1983)... George Michael announces the dissolution of Wham! (1986)... Bob Dylan goes into The Studio in New Orleans to begin recording the Oh Mercy album with Daniel Lanois at the controls... The Indigo Girls release their eponymous debut album (1989)... Eric Clapton plays his 100th show at the Royal Albert Hall, this one a fundraiser for the 'Children in Crisis' charity (1994)... The Arctic Monkeys win British band of the year at the NME Awards in London's O2 Arena. Blackout by Britney Spears is named Worst Album of the Year (2008).

February 27th

Musical birthdays today include bluesman Jimmy Burns (84), Cockney Rebel frontman Steve Harley (75), Journey guitarist Neal Schon (72), Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith (69), Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Johnny Van Zant (67), classical violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann (61), TLC vocalist Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas (55), and Josh Groban (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Hubert Parry, born on this day in 1848... for operatic soprano born Lotte Lehmann, born in 1888... for Marian Anderson, born in 1897... for jazz singer Mildred Bailey, born in 1907... for Dexter Gordon, born in 1923... for pioneering rock 'n' roll guitarist Sidney 'Hardrock' Gunter, born in 1924... for English topical song comedian Jake Thackray, who would have been 88... for sound artist and Coil co-founder Peter Christopherson, who would have been 71... for Frankie Lymon, who died of  a drug overdose today in 1968 at the age of 25... for drummer, bandleader and Goon Show regular Ray Ellington, who passed away on this date in 1985... and for classical pianist Van Cliburn, who left us today in 2012.  

Also on February 27th: William Byrd is appointed organist and choir master at Lincoln Cathedral (1563)... Beethoven's 8th Symphony in F premieres in Vienna (1814)... Robert Schumann is rescued from an attempt to drown himself in the Rhine (1854)... 21-year-old former hairdresser and Cavern Club cloakroom attendant Cilla Black has her first UK № 1 with 'Anyone Who Had a Heart'... The Rolling Stones make their second appearance on Top of the Pops, performing 'Not Fade Away' (1964)... At Abbey Road Studios, Pink Floyd continue working on their debut album Piper of the Gates of Dawn. With the exception of two group-composed instrumentals and one Roger Waters song, all the material on the album was written by Syd Barrett... Elvis releases his first all-gospel album, How Great Thou Art (1967)... 5 months after her death, Janis Joplin's album Pearl goes to the top of the US album chart, where it will stay for 9 weeks (1971)... Continuing their tour of Australia, Led Zeppelin play the Sydney Showgrounds, with Jimmy Page appearing clean shaven for the first time in two years (1972)... Cher files for divorce from Sonny Bono (1974)... Keith Richards is led out of Toronto's Harbour Castle hotel in handcuffs after a raid on his room by 15 Mounties nets an ounce of heroin. The guitarist is charged with possession with intent to traffic, and faces up to seven years in prison (1977)... James Brown is paroled after serving two years of a six-year sentence for leading police on a car chase across two states (1991)... Her 14th week at № 1 in the US with 'I Will Always Love You' gives Whitney Houston the new record for longest reigning American chart topper (1993)... A worker in a supermarket in Aspen, CO calls the police after spotting a man in a ski mask pushing a cart up and down the aisles. Officers arrive on the scene and identify the mysterious customer as Michael Jackson, who is in town on holiday with his children (1994)... Pictures appear in the UK press of Pete Doherty visiting a zoo in Oxfordshire with his girlfriend Kate Moss. The Babyshambles lead singer is harshly criticized by veterinarians after pictures show him tossing the remains of a cannabis joint to a group of penguins (2007).