June 5th

Musical birthdays today include session guitarist Steve Stevens (80), original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward (78), Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch (67), Dream Theater lead singer James LaBrie (63), Megadeath drummer Shawn Drover (60), Gallows frontman Wade MacNeil (42), and Adele (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Blind Willie McTell, born on this day in 1901... for Buena Vista Social Club singer Pío Leyva, born in 1917... for early rock saxophonist John 'Ace' Cannon and for soul singer Johnnie Taylor, both born in 1934... for electronic musician & composer Delia Derbyshire, who would have been 88... for Tammy Wynette, who would have been 82... for the Reverend Gary Davis, who died on this date in 1972... for country singer Jerry Wallace, who passed away in 2008, and for singer & music journalist Greg Quill, who left us today in 2014.  

Also on June 5th: Carnegie Hall opens its doors for the first time, with Tchaikovsky leading the NY Philharmonic in a rendition of his own Marche solenelle. Also on the program is Beethoven's Leonore overture, under the baton of Walter Damrosch, the regular conductor of the Philharmonic (1891)... In Paris, composer Claude Debussy performs in public for the last time, playing the piano for the premiere of his own 1st Violin Sonata (1918)... Elvis scores his first US № 1 single with 'Heartbreak Hotel' (1956)... John Coltrane and bandmates finish recording the Giant Steps album, including 'Naima' (1959)... On a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe, head of A&R at Decca records (and the man who turned down The Beatles), goes to see The Rolling Stones play at the Crawdaddy Club in London. The band will be signed to the label within a week (1963)... Manfred Mann are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pretty Flamingo'. The recording features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance, singer Paul Jones performs whilst standing on one leg (1966)... Buffalo Springfield announce that they have disbanded (1968)... The Beatles' single 'Get Back' is released in the US. John will claim in 1980 that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there", adding that Paul looked at Yoko in the studio every time he sang the line 'Get back to where you once belonged' (1969)... Columbia records release Paul Simon's second solo album There Goes Rhymin' Simon... David Bowie has first UK № 1 album with Aladdin Sane. Across the Atlantic, Elvis' Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite is the top-selling LP (1973)... Television appear at CBGB with The Stilettoes ~ soon to change their name to Blondie ~ as their opening act (1974)... Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr marries Chrissie Hynde in a horse-drawn carriage in NYC's Central Park... Duran Duran have the № 1 single in the US and the UK with 'The Reflex' (1984)... 
Radiohead release 'The Drill EP', their first record in the UK. The band are still called 'On a Friday', the day when the songs on this EP were recorded; they will change their name to Radiohead the following month (1992)... Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan receives both a public apology and a donation of £7,500 to the Warchild charity from the German tabloid 'Sport' after they ran a story claiming she had performed a gig in Hamburg whilst wearing no underwear... 
Rage against the Machine have the № 1 album in the US with Evil Empire (1996)... Two disc jockeys from Denver's KRFX-FM, Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, stop a live interview with Ted Nugent after the Detroit rocker uses racial slurs against Asians and Blacks. The station receives scores of complaints from listeners (2002)... Justin Timberlake undergoes an operation at Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Hospital to remove nodules from his vocal chords (2005).

June 4th

Musical birthdays today include former Average White Band saxophonist Roger Ball (82), Michelle Phillips (82), saxophonist Anthony Braxton (81), ex-Winger guitarist/keyboardist Paul Taylor (75), Eldra 'El' DeBarge (72), R&B singer & producer Al. B Sure! [né Albert Brown III] (57), ex-Cradle of Filth bassist Dave Pybus (55), Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard (50), ex-Visions of Atlantis lead singer Maxi Nil (44), Saturdays vocalist Mollie King (38), and Half Noise drummer Zac Farro (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early Québecoise recording star La Bolduc [née Mary Travers], born on this day in 1894... for jazzman & film score composer Oliver Nelson, born in 1932... for Freddy Fender, who would have been 88... for Peter and Gordon singer Gordon Waller, who would have been 81... for Paul McCartney & Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who would have been 73.. for Lords of the New Church frontman Steven 'Stiv' Bators, who died on this date in 1990... for ex-Herman's Hermits guitarist Derek Leckenby, who died in 1994... for Small Faces co-founder & bassist Ronnie Lane, who passed away in 1997... for bluegrass fiddler & banjo player John Hartford, who died in 2001... and for Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington, who left us today in 2017. 

Also on June 4th: Georg Philipp Telemann takes up the position of cantor at the Gymnasium Johanneum in Hamburg (1721)... In Los Angeles, Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva and Glenn Wallichs found Capitol Records. The label will become home to such artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Glen Campbell, Steve Miller, Dr. Hook, Bob Seger, Tina Turner and Heart, among many others. Wallichs is also credited with pioneering the technique of promoting records by sending copies of new releases to disc jockeys (1942)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Procol Harum, Denny Laine and The Chiffons all appear at The Saville Theatre, London. Both Paul McCartney and George Harrison are in the audience to see Hendrix perform the title track from Sgt Pepper, which was released 3 days previously (1967)... In Glenrowan, Australia, hundreds of people sign a petition protesting against the casting of Mick Jagger in the role of the Australian folk hero Ned Kelly in the film of the same name. The film, directed by Tony Richardson, will be released in October 1970... Columbia releases Johnny Cash's album Live at San Quentin (1969)... Elvis begins a  five day stint of recording at RCA's studio B in Nashville, starting each day at 6pm and working until dawn (1970)... The Rolling Stones become the first western group to receive royalties for sales of their records in the USSR (1975)... The Sex Pistols appear at The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. The show is now often regarded as the birth of the punk rock movement, and the catalyst for the 'Summer of Punk'. In the audience are Morrissey, future Joy Division members Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, and Mark E Smith who will found The Fall. Tickets cost £1 (1976)... The Jam's debut single 'In the City' enters the UK Top 40, the first of 18 consecutive singles of theirs to do so (1977)... The Police are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic and in 14 other countries with 'Every Breath You Take' (1983)... Columbia releases Bruce Springsteen's album Born in the USA (1984)...  The opening show of the first Conspiracy of Hope tour takes place at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA. The benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International are being held to increase awareness of the organization on the 25th anniversary of its foundation. The six shows are headlined by U2 and Sting, and also feature Bryan Adams, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, and The Neville Brothers (1986)... The US Postal Service announce the results of a poll conducted to see which picture of Elvis Presley should be used on a commemorative stamp. The young Elvis won out over the older and larger 'Vegas Elvis' (1992)... Wet Wet Wet start a 4-month run at  № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Love Is All Around', from the film 'Four Weddings & A Funeral'. The song was written by Reg Presley of The Troggs and was a Top 10 for his band in 1967... Philip Glass' opera 'Beauty and the Beast' has its world premiere at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain (1994)... Crowded House announce that they have disbanded (1996)... Wyclef Jean is one of ten people arrested for disorderly conduct in a New York rally protesting cuts in education. Jean is subdued and led away in handcuffs following an attempt to perform, which is forbidden by the event’s permit. P. Diddy, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Erykah Badu, Foxy Brown and the Wu-Tang Clan are also at the rally to show their support and to protest a proposed $1.2 billion cut in the budget for New York’s public education system (2002). 

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June 3rd

Musical birthdays today include Ian Hunter (87), Suzi Quatro (76), Deniece Williams (76), Dan Hill (72), Rembrandts frontman Danny Wilde (70), Ozric Tentacles lead guitarist Ed Wynne (65), Slayer guitarist Kerry King (62), Phish bassist Mike Gordon (61), Republica lead singer Saffron [née Samantha Sprackling] (58), High on Fire frontman Mike Pike (53), Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones (51), and Hi-5 guitarist Dihan Slabbert (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for blueswoman Memphis Minnie (née Lizzie Douglas), born on this day in 1897... for Josephine Baker, born in 1906... for Curtis Mayfield, who would have been 83 today... for original Byrds drummer Michael Clarke, who would have been 79... for T Rex drummer Mickey Finn, who would have been 79... for Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell, who would have been 72... for composer Georges Bizet, who died on this date in 1875... for Bill Haley & His Comets pianist Johnny Grande, who passed away in 2006... and for saxophonist & Louis Prima sideman Sam Butera and 'Queen of the Chicago blues' Koko Taylor, both of whom left us in 2009. 

Also on June 3rd: Elvis graduates from J.C. Hulmes High School in Memphis; his graduation photo shows him to have a split curl in the middle of his forehead, later to become his trademark. The first member of his family to graduate high school, his final report card shows that he received an A in English but only a C in music (1953)... Ringo Starr is taken ill with tonsillitis and pharyngitis, days before a world tour is about to start. After a last-minute phone call from George Martin, session drummer Jimmy Nichol rushes over to EMI Studios, where he and The Beatles run through six songs from their tour repertoire in a quick rehearsal. Nichol replaces Ringo and becomes a Beatle for eleven days (1964)... Aretha Franklin goes to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with her version of 'Respect', a top ten hit for Otis Redding the previous year (1967)... The Kinks' Ray Davies has to make a 6,000 mile round trip from New York to London to record one word in a song. Davies was forced to change 'Coca-Cola' to 'cherry cola' in the lyrics of the band's forthcoming single 'Lola' due to an advertising ban on BBC Radio (1970)... The Rolling Stones kick off their biggest North American tour to date with a show at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC... Jethro Tull have the № 1 album in the US with Thick as a Brick... Pink Floyd release the album Obscured by Clouds (1972)... Session drummer Jim Gordon murders his mother by pounding her head with a hammer at the prompting of voices. A schizophrenic, it will not be until his trial in 1984 that Gordon is properly diagnosed. Since his attorney is unable to use the insanity defense, the drummer is sentenced to sixteen years-to-life in prison. A Grammy Award winner for co-writing 'Layla' with Eric Clapton, Gordon also worked with The Beach Boys, John Lennon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa and Jackson Browne, among others (1983)... Fine Young Cannibals top the US album chart with The Raw & The Cooked (1989)... The Carter Family and Johnny Cash are inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Asbury Park, NJ (1990)... Paul McCartney, Sting, Elton John, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Ozzy Osbourne, The Corrs, Will Young, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7 all appear at The Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace (2002)... Red Hot Chili Peppers go to № 1 on both the US and UK album charts with Stadium Arcadium, the band's ninth studio release (2009).

June 2nd

Musical birthdays include Gladys Knight & the Pips vocalist William Guest (85), Bangles bassist Michael Steele (71), Lydia Lunch (67), former Spandau Ballet lead singer Tony Hadley (66), Misfits guitarist Bez Cadena (65), Raconteurs multi-instrumentalist Jason Falkner (58), Cypress Hill rapper Louis 'B-Real' Freese (56) Keane keyboardist Time Rice-Oxley (50), and Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Edward Elgar, born on this day in 1857... for pop & Motown artist Sammy Turner, born in 1932... for doo-wop & R&B singer Johnny Carter, born in 1934... for soul singer Jimmy Jones, who would have been 89... for Charlie Watts, who would have been 85... for songwriter & arranger Marvin Hamlisch, who would have been 82... for Dorsey Brothers trumpeter Robert 'Bunny' Berigan, who died from the effects of alcoholism on this day in 1942 at the age of 33... for classical guitar virtuoso Andrés Segovia, who died in 1987... for former Bob Marley & the Wailers vocalist Junior Braithwaite, who was murdered on this day in 1999 at the age of 50... for Grateful Dead keyboardist Vince Welnick, who took his own life in 2006 at the age of 55... and for Bo Diddley, who left us today in 2009. 

Also on June 2nd: At the Stadtstheater in Zürich, the first two acts of Alban Berg's opera Lulu are performed for the first time; the complete 3-act version of the work will not have its premiere until 1979 (1935)... Ray Charles is at № 1 in both in the US and the UK with his version of country artist Don Gibson's 'I Can't Stop Loving You' (1962)... In Hilversum, Holland, Eric Dolphy plays his final concert. The show is recorded and will be released as the album Last Date following Dolphy's death from a diabetic coma later this year... The Rolling Stones make their debut on US TV with an appearance on The Les Crane Show (1964)...  Paul McCartney & Wings top both the US singles and album charts with 'My Love' and Red Rose Speedway, respectively (1973)... Columbia releases Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)... Prince plays his first UK show at the Lyceum Ballroom in London. It will be five years before he gives another concert in Britain (1981)... Wham! have their first UK № 1 with 'Wake Me up before You Go Go' (1984)... Bill Wyman marries 19-year-old Mandy Smith in an unannounced private ceremony in London, with the other four Rolling Stones present, and the bassist's 28-year-old son as best man (1988)... UK tabloids report that Paul McCartney threw his fiancée Heather Mills' engagement ring out of a hotel window during a recent row. Guards at the Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami, FL combed the grounds using metal detectors and later found the £15,000 bauble (2002)... A painting of Kylie Minogue wearing gold hot pants causes tempers to fray among drivers in Brighton. Artist Simon Etheridge put up the almost life-size picture in his own Art Asylum gallery as part of a Festival and since then motorists have been causing regular traffic hold-ups as they stop to take a second look (2003)... Franz Ferdinand frontman, Alex Kapranos is detained by Russian police after being suspected of being a spy. Kapranos was attempting to board a plane in Moscow when the altercation took place. Travelling under his actual surname of Huntley, Alex is accused of being an MI6 agent who was previously suspected of stealing information on Russian weaponry. Unluckily for Alex, the surname Huntley was in fact used by former MI6 agent Richard Tomlinson when stealing secrets in the early 90s. The singer was freed after he pointed out that the Huntley they were so concerned about was 42, 13 years older than himself (2005).

June 1st

Musical birthdays today include Pat Boone (92), Ron Wood (79), Little River Band bassist Wayne Nelson (76), singer-songwriter & DJ Tom Robinson (76), country singer Ronnie Dunn (72), producer & former Depeche Mode multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilder (67), The Cure bassist Simon Gallup (65), ex-Smiths drummer Mike Joyce (63), Mindy Smith (54), Alanis Morrissette (52), Brandi Carlile (45), and multi-instrumentalist & film score composer Ari Herstand (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Mikhail Glinka, born on this day in 1804... for bandleader & arranger Nelson Riddle, born in 1921... for bluegrass singer Hazel Dickens, born in 1935... for blues singer & harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson I [né John Lee Curtis], who died on this date in 1948... for ex-Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991... for former Hi-Five lead singer Tony Thompson, who passed away in 2007... and for jazz saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey [né Jesse Davis], who left us today in 2012. 

Also on June 1st: Lesley Gore hits № 1 in America with 'It's My Party' (1963)... The Rolling Stones are met by some 500 fans as they disembark from British Airways flight BA 505 at JFK to begin their first American tour. They will make promotional appearances between now and the first scheduled date on the 5th in San Bernardino, CA (1964)... The John Coltrane quartet finish recording the album Crescent at the Van Gelder Studio (1964)... Luciano Pavarotti makes his Covent Garden debut, as Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment... The Beatles continue to add overdubs to 'Yellow Submarine'. Roadie Mal Evans plays on a bass drum strapped to his chest, marching around the studio with The Beatles following behind in a conga line of sorts, singing the refrain (1966)... Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band has its worldwide release... David Bowie's eponymous debut is released on Deram Records (1967)... Simon & Garfunkel top the Billboard singles chart with 'Mrs. Robinson' (1968)... The two-room shack in Tupelo, MS where Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 is opened to the public as a museum (1971)... Miles Davis goes into Columbia Studio E in NYC to begin recording On the Corner (1972)... Soft Machine founder & former drummer Robert Wyatt fractures his spine after attempting to leave a party by climbing out of a window and down a drainpipe. He falls three stories, sustaining injuries that leave him permanently confined to a wheelchair (1973)... On his 28th birthday, Ron Wood officially replaces Mick Taylor as the Stones' second guitarist, as the band launch their biggest tour of the US to date with a concert at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA (1975)... U2 are the band for the end of the year dance at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin (1978)... Prince & the Revolution have a US № 1 with the album Around the World in a Day... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band kick off the European leg of the Born in the USA world tour with a show at Slane Castle in Dublin (1985)... Spice Girl Emma Bunton AKA Baby Spice arrives back in the UK after breaking her ankle making a leap from a stage during an appearance on Turkish TV (1997)... Jack White marries girlfriend Karen Elson in a ceremony in a canoe on the Amazon (2005)... Contemporary musicians record their own versions of songs from the Sgt Pepper album to mark the 40th anniversary of its release. Acts including Oasis, Travis, The Fray, Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight, Bryan Adams and The Magic Numbers all worked with Geoff Emerick, the engineer in charge of the original 1967 sessions, using the original analogue 4-track equipment to demonstrate the techniques employed for the recording at Abbey Road studios (2007).

May 31st

Musical birthdays today include former Marmalade lead guitarist Junior Campbell (78), Kraftwerk drummer Fritz Hilpert (69), session keyboardist & Bonnie Tyler sideman John Young (69), Corey Hart (62), Run-D.M.C. rapper Darryl McDaniels (61), operatic soprano Diana Damrau (53), jazz bassist Christian McBride (53), former Reel Big Fish multi-instrumentalist Scott Klopfenstein (45), Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley (45), and ex-Animals as Leaders drummer Navene Koperweis (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English music hall pianist songwriter Billy Mayerl, born on this day in 1902... for Peter Yarrow, who would have been 88 today... for country singer Johnny Paycheck [né Donald Lytle], who would have been 86... for pianist, songwriter and Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn, who died in 1967... for soul singer Johnnie Taylor, who passed away in 2000... and for Argentine singer-songwriter and bandoneón player Rubén Juárez, who left us in 2010. 

Also on May 31st: Violin prodigy Nicolò Paganini makes his concert debut in Genoa at the age of 11 (1794)... Columbia releases what is often considered the first true jazz record, 'Darktown Strutters' Ball' by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, as a 78 RPM, catalog № A-2297 (1917)... In Nashville, Johnny Cash makes his Grand Ole Opry debut (1958)... Dick Dale and the Del-Tones record 'Let's Go Trippin'', often regarded as the first surf rock instrumental (1961)... Filming begins for the first season of The Monkees' TV series (1966)... With Yoko sitting in at Studio 1, Abbey Road for the first time, The Beatles continue to work on 'Revolution', adding the vocal tracks. After numerous overdubs, the final six minutes of the song evolve into chaotic jamming, with Lennon repeatedly shouting "alright" and Yoko speaking random phrases. The jam becomes the basis for ‘Revolution 9’ (1968)... The Who give themselves a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the loudest performance of a rock band, as they reach 120 decibels during a gig at the Charlton Athletic football grounds in Greenwich, London (1973)... The BBC announce a formal ban on the new Sex Pistols single 'God Save The Queen', declaring it 'in gross bad taste'. The IBA [Independent Broadcasting Authority] simultaneously issues a warning to all radio stations saying that playing the single will constitute a breach of Section 4:1:A of the Broadcasting act (1977)... Lipps, Inc. have the № 1 single in the US and seven European countries with 'Funky Town' (1980)... R.E.M. sign their first recording contract,  a 5-album deal with IRS Records (1982)... Sire Records release Talking Heads' album Speaking in Tongues (1983)... David Bowie's Tin Machine make their live debut at the International Music Awards in NYC (1989)... Geri Halliwell announces that she has quit The Spice Girls, saying "This is because of differences between us. I am sure the group will continue to be successful and I wish them all the best" (1998)... UK police announce that thousands of people at this year's rock festivals will be subjected to a computerised drug test. Fans will be asked to provide swab samples from their hands, which would be inserted into a machine for analysis. It is to be a voluntary test, but Anti-drug officers can search anyone refusing (2003)... Death Cab for Cutie go to № 1 on the US album chart with Narrow Stairs (2008).

May 30th

Musical birthdays today include Dave Clark Five guitarist Lenny Davidson (82), Dead Kennedys bassist Geoffrey 'Klaus Flouride' Lyall (76), classical pianist Zoltan Kocsis (74), The Clash drummer Topper Headon (71), Wynona Judd (62), former Rage against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello (62), ex-Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus (60), Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess (59), stage musical singer Idina Menzel (55), rapper & producer Thomas 'CeeLo Green' Calloway (51), Shadows Fall lead singer Brian Fair (51), and Devendra Banhart (45).  


Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Benny Goodman, born on this day in 1909... for Latin jazz percussionist Armondo Peraza, born in 1924...for accordionist & electronic music pioneer Pauline Oliveros, born in 1932... for rapper Lamont 'Big L' Coleman, who would have been 52... for song & dance man Dooley Wilson, who died on this date in 1953... for Derek & the Dominoes bassist Carl Radle, who died in 1980... for Sun Ra, who passed away in 1993... for big band singer & saxophonist Tex Beneke, who died in 2000... and for guitarist & Miles Davis sideman Pete Cosey, who left us today in 2012.

Also on May 30th: J.S. Bach makes his debut as cantor at Leipzig's Thomasschule with his first cantata performance in the city. He presents cantata № 75, Die Elenden soll essen, at the St. Nicolai Church, and will be formally inducted into his post tomorrow (1723)... London Records release The Rolling Stones' self-titled debut album in America, subtitled England's Newest Hitmakers (1964)... Dolly Parton marries Carl Thomas Dean, a road-paving contractor, in Ringgold, GA. (1966)... At Abbey Road, The Beatles record 'Revolution', the first of the tracks that will make up the collection that will come to be known as The White Album (1968)... George Harrison's album Living in the Material World is released in the US (1973)...  A 14-year-old Australian David Cassidy fan named Bernadette Whelan dies of heart failure four days after attending her idol's concert in White City Park, Perth. Over 1,000 other fans had to be given medical attention during the show (1974)... David Bowie kicks off his 87-date Glass Spider world tour at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam (1987)... The Black Crowes go to № 1 on the US album chart with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)... Alan Whitaker of Penzance appears on the UK TV quiz show Mastermind with The Sex Pistols as his specialist subject. He wins a place in the semi-final of the show, answering all but one of the 18 questions correctly (1996)... Scottish pop singer Finley Quaye is threatened with jail after his mobile phone rang when he is in the dock waiting to be sentenced on charges of assaulting his former girlfriend. After being found guilty, he is ordered to attend a six-month domestic violence programme (2003)... A leaked copy of the new White Stripes album Icky Thump is played entirely on the Chicago radio station Q101 [WKQX FM]. Jack White personally calls the US radio station from Spain, where he is on tour, to voice his displeasure (2007)..