June 25th

Musical birthdays today include soul singer Eddie Floyd (89), Carly Simon (83), ex-Split Enz frontman Tim Finn (74), Iron Butterfly keyboardist Martin Gerschwitz (74), Toto keyboardist David Paich (72), Pop Culture Suicides lead guitarist Tim 'Zim Zum' Linton (57), and Argentine pop singer Chenoa [née María Falomir] (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, born on this day in 1922... for Zydeco accordionist Clifton Chenier, born in 1925... for original Moody Blues bassist Clint Warwick, who would have been 84... for Blue Öyster Cult founding member Allen Lanier and King Crimson and Foreigner co-founder Ian McDonald, both of whom who would have been 80... for George Michael, who would have been 63... for composer Georg Philipp Telemann, who died on this date in 1767... for songwriter & Capitol records co-founder Johnny Mercer, who died in 1976... for songwriter Boudleaux Bryant, who passed away in 1987... for longtime Atlantic Records producer & arranger Arif Mardin, who died in 2006... and for Michael Jackson, who left us today in 2009.  

Also on June 25: Wagner's opera Die Walküre is staged for the first time in Munich (1870)... 19-year-old Arturo Toscanini makes his conducting debut, when the conductor of the orchestra of the opera company with which he is touring as a chorus master is fired two hours before the curtain is to go up on a production of Aida in Rio de Janeiro (1886)... The Dave Brubeck Quartet convene at Columbia's 30th St. Studios in NYC for the first of the sessions that will produce the Time Out album (1959)... Jackie Wilson is arrested for inciting a riot and refusing to obey a lawful order at a nightclub in Port Arthur, TX. Wilson had a crowd of 400 whipped into a frenzy and refused to stop singing when requested to do so by police. He is later convicted of drunkenness and fined $30 (1966)...  During a North American tour, The Jimi Hendrix Experience give a free afternoon concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They then play another two shows in the evening at the Fillmore West... An estimated 200 million people see The Beatles perform 'All You Need Is Love' live via satellite as part of the 'Our World' global TV link-up. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Keith Moon and Gary Leeds provide backing vocals (1967)... The Hollies record 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. The ballad was written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell (who had terminal lymphatic cancer). The pair met in person only three times, but managed to collaborate on the song. The track also features a then largely unknown session pianist named Elton John (1969)... Marvin Gaye has his third US № 1 single with 'Got to Give It up' (1977)... The Police have the top album in both the US nd the UK with Synchronicity (1983)... Debbie Gibson becomes the youngest woman ever to write, record and produce a US № 1 single when 'Foolish Beat' tops the stateside chart (1988)... Bruce Springsteen is a surprise guest on David Letterman's farewell show as host of NBC's Late Night... The annual Glastonbury Festival opens in SW England. Headliners at the three-day event include Suede, Belly, Lemonheads, The Orb, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, Verve, Porno For Pyros and Teenage Fan Club. Tickets cost £58 for the full three days... Country singer Lyle Lovett marries Julia Roberts at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, IN (1993)... Rapper DMX is arrested on charges that he and another man tried to steal a car from JFK Airport. DMX [né Earl Simmons] and Jackie Hudgins were detained after the city's Port Authority police interrupted a dispute. The pair are arrested on charges of attempted robbery, criminal impersonation and criminal mischief. A spokesman said a preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Simmons may have identified himself as a federal agent (2004)... Country star Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are married in a small private ceremony in Sydney, Australia (2006).

June 24th

Musical birthdays today include Turkish rock pioneer Erkin Koray (85), Arthur Brown (84), original Family bassist John 'Charlie' Whitney (82), former Traffic & Blind Faith saxophonist Chris Wood (82), Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone (81), Mick Fleetwood (79), former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz (78), ex-Dire Straits bassist John Illsley (77), UB40 rapper Terence 'Astro' Wilson (69), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark frontman Andy McCluskey (67), session vocalist & keyboardist Siedh Garrett (66), Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith (65), Mazzy Star lead singer Hope Sandoval (60), Rammstein lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe (59), Black Crowes lead guitarist Jeff Cease (58), variety singer Sissel Kirkjebø (57), Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Fiorello (52), and Solange Knowles (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country & rockabilly singer Ramblin' Tommy Scott, born today in 1917... for Jeff Beck, who would have been 83 today... for original Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell, who would have been 62... for tango singer Carlos Gardel, who was killed in a plane crash today in 1935 at the age of 44... for gospel singer Ira Tucker, who died in 2006... and for singer-songwriter Ewanya 'Puff' Johnson and Devo drummer Alan Myers, both of whom left us today in 2013.

Also on June 24th: Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax files in Paris for a patent for his saxophone (1846)... The song that will become the Canadian national anthem O Canada! is performed publicly for the first time at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français in Montreal (1880)... John Lennon's second book of poetry and drawings, 'A Spaniard in the Works', was published. The book consists of absurdist stories and drawings similar to the style of his 1964 book 'In His Own Write'... The Hollies are at № 1 on the UK singles chart for the first time with 'I'm Alive' (1965)... Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' enters the Billboard chart, where it will peak at № 5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Orchestral Suite in D', composed in 1739 (1967)... Led Zeppelin record 'Whole Lotta Love', 'What Is and What Should Never Be', 'Travelling Riverside Blues' and 'Communication Breakdown' for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, London. The session will broadcast on the 29th of June (1969)... Capitol Records release The Beach Boys greatest hits retrospective Endless Summer, which will go on to spend 155 consecutive weeks on the US album chart (1974)... Genesis, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Devo, Brand X and The Atlanta Rhythm Section are all on the bill at Knebworth Park, England ~ tickets cost £6 (1978)... Paul McCartney scores his seventh UK № 1 solo album with Flowers In The Dirt, featuring the single 'My Brave Face' (1989)... Frank Zappa gives his final onstage rock performance when he takes part in the concert 'Adieu Soviet Army', organised in Prague as a farewell to the last soldiers of the Soviet Army leaving free Czechoslovakia (the Red Army had occupied the country since the Prague spring in 1968). Zappa's set is recorded and can be found on the album Adieu C. A. [Soviet Army] (1991)... Eric Clapton puts 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in NYC to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which he used to record the original studio version of ‘Layla’, sells for a record $497,500. The auction helps raise nearly $5 million for the clinic (1999)... The crypt in which Elvis Presley was originally buried is withdrawn from a Los Angeles auction after protests that it should be kept as a shrine. More than 10,000 fans signed a petition against the sale of the tomb at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, TN. A spokesman for Julien's Auctions says that they will not sell the crypt until the cemetery "finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis" (2012).

June 23rd

Musical birthdays today include former Orlons lead singer Rosetta Hightower (83), April Wine frontman Myles Goodwyn (78), blues singer Luther Kent (78), jazz saxophonist Donal Harrison (76), Danzig lead guitarist & founder Glenn Danzig (71), Testament lead singer Chuck Billy (64), original Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul Arthurs (61), Chico DeBarge (60), KT Tunstall (51), Jason Mraz (49), Blue vocalist Antony Costa (45), and Amie Ann Duffy (42).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz bassist Milt Hinton, born on this day in 1910... for June Carter Cash, born in 1929... for original Crickets bassist Niki Sullivan, who would have been 86... for Grateful Dead singer-songwriter & guitarist Robert Hunter and for Stuart Sutcliffe, both of whom would have been 85... for ex-Metropolitan Opera director James Levine, who would have been 82... for original Kinks bassist Pete Quaif, who passed away in 2010... and for Bobby 'Blue' Bland, who left us today in 2013.

Also on June 23rd: Lonnie Donegan is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Gamblin' Man/Putting On The Style' ~ it is the last British № 1 to be released as a 78 rpm disc as well as in the 7' vinyl format (1957)... Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music goes to the top of the US album chart, where it will remain for 3 1/2 months. In the UK, the soundtrack from the film of West Side Story settles in at № 1 on the LP listings for a 2 month run (1962)... The Beatles have their tenth consecutive UK № 1 single with 'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'. The track is marked by a boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon's demand to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles track. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to  newly developed equipment used in the mastering process (1966)... The Byrds release Byrdmaniax, the group's 10th and penultimate studio album (1971)... George Harrison has the № 1 album in America with Living in the Material World (1973)... Paul McCartney & Wings conclude the Wings over America tour with a sold out show at the Forum in Los Angeles (1976)... Bob Dylan releases Saved, the second album in his Born Again trilogy (1980)... Duran Duran are at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'The Reflex' (1984)... After 50 previous UK top 10 hits and 6 US chart-toppers, Elton John finally hits № 1 on the singles chart in his homeland for the first time with 'Sacrifice'... Buddy Holly's Gibson acoustic guitar sells for £139,658 in a Sotheby's auction in London. The guitar is in a hand-tooled leather case made by Holly himself (1990)... At the Glastonbury Festival, Alan White plays his first live gig with Oasis after the sacking of original drummer Tony McCarroll (1995)... Bob Dylan is awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the University of St Andrews in Scotland (2004).. Tony Bennett makes a surprise appearance during Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. The veteran crooner joins McGraw for a rendition of the Hank Williams classic 'Cold, Cold Heart' (2006)... 62-year-old Gregg Allman undergoes a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Allman recently began a series of treatments for hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman says "I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn back time. Every day is a gift"... Willie Nelson is inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The NRR is a list of sound recordings that 'are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States' (2010). 

June 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Peter Asher (82), ex-Turtles vocalist Howard Kaylan (78), Todd Rundgren (78), ex-38 Special bassist Larry Junstrom (77), Cyndi Lauper (73), Scritti Politti frontman Green Gartside [né Paul Strohmeyer] (71), original Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes (70), former INXS bassist Garry Beers (68), Indochine frontman Nicola Sirkis (67), Jimmy Somerville (65), Primal Scream lead singer Bobby Gillespie (64), former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page (56), Bloc Party multi-instrumentalist Gordon Moakes (46), ex-Editors lead guitarist Chris Urbnowicz (46), classical pianist Ingmar Lazar (33), and neo-psychedelia aficionada and Ivy League grad Alexa Delgado (30).
Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Kris Kristofferson, who would have been 90 today... for saxophonist Bernie McGann, who would have been 88... for Judy Garland, who died on this date in 1969... for composer Darius Milhaud, who passed away in 1974... for original Pere Ubu guitarist Peter Laughner, who died from substance abuse-related illness today in 1977 at the age of 24... and for Fred Astaire, who left us on this day in 1987.

Also on June 22nd: 13-year old Stevie Wonder first enters the US singles chart as Little Stevie Wonder with 'Fingertips Parts One and Two.' 'Fingertips', which features a young Marvin Gaye on drums, will become the first live, non-studio recording to reach № 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States since Johnny Standley's 1952 comic monologue 'It's in the Book (1963)... The Beatles play their first ever show in New Zealand at Wellington Town Hall. The local chief constable refuses a police escort for the group, leaving just two officers to control over 5,000 fans (1964)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis & sidemen convene for the second of three sessions that will produce Nefertiti, the trumpeter's last entirely acoustic album (1967)... The Jeff Beck Group featuring Rod Stewart make their US debut at the Fillmore East in NYC (1968)... Led Zeppelin appear at Laugardalsholl Hall in Reykjavik on the group's one and only visit to Iceland. Robert Plant has said that he was inspired to write the lyrics to 'Immigrant Song' during his time on the island (1970)... Joni Mitchell releases Blue... David Bowie releases the single 'Life on Mars', featuring guest piano work by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman (1971)... Neil Young & Crazy Horse release Rust Never Sleeps (1979)... Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to the murder of John Lennon (1981)... Kurt Cobain is rushed to hospital after a gig in Belfast, Northern Ireland suffering from acute stomach pains brought on by ulcers (1992)... Liz Phair releases her debut album Exile in Guyville (1993)... After giving himself various new identities during the '90s, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince announces that he wishes to be known as Prince again (2000)... The Irish press reports a wandering peahen owned by Bono is causing havoc for some south Dublin residents. The peahen, the less spectacular-coloured female partner to a male peacock, found its way to the Ard Mhuire housing estate in Killiney near the singer's residence. One newspaper runs the headline 'Bono's Cock Drives Me Nuts'. Local woman Susan McKeon told reporters she first noticed the bird at night. "It had a tiny head and a huge body. It was actually quite ugly but I don't think it's fully grown" (2011)... 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke starts a 13 week run at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart (2013).

June 21st

Musical birthdays today include blue grass banjo player Eddie Adcock (88), Brazilian jazz keyboardist Eumir Deodato (83), Ray Davies (82), soul singer & Motown songwriter Brenda Holloway (80), Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland (79), Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer (76), Nils Lofgren (75), Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki (69), former Shakespears Sister vocalist Marcella Detroit (68), country singer Kathy Mattea (67), French chansonnier Manu Chao (65), rapper Pete Rock (56), country singer Allison Moorer (54), Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger (50), The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers (45), Lana Del Rey (41), and Rebecca Black (29). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Johann Christoph Bach, born today in 1732... for film score composer Lalo Schifrin [best known for the theme from Mission: Impossible], born in 1932... for composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who died on this date in 1908... for original Velvet Underground drummer Angus MacLise, who died in 1979... for John Lee Hooker, who passed away in 2001... and for soul & gospel singer Mary Love, who left us today in 2013.

Also on June 21st: In Munich, Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'is staged for the first time (1868)... Richard Strauss conducts the premiere performance of his own tone poem Tod und Verklärung [Death and Transfiguration] in Eisenach, the birthplace of J.S. Bach (1890)... The Byrds' debut album Mr. Tambourine Man is released (1965)... Jimmy Page makes his live debut with The Yardbirds at the Marquee Club, London... Working at Abbey Road, The Beatles record John's new song 'She Said She Said' in one extended session (1966)... Pink Floyd play two shows in one day: the first at the Commemoration Ball, Balliol College, Oxford, and the follow-up at the Middle Earth Club, Covent Garden, London. The club venue is notable for several previous drug raids by the police, during which underage revellers were arrested; on one occasion a device called the 'Trip Machine' was dismantled and taken away by police (1968)... Elton John, The Beach Boys, Joe Walsh, Rufus and The Eagles are on the bill for a one-day festival in front of 120,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London. Tickets cost £3.50... The Captain and Tennille go to № 1 on the US singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. The couple had previously worked as backup singers for Sedaka and Elton John... Ritchie Blackmore announces that he is leaving Deep Purple to form his own group called Rainbow (1975)... The musical 'Evita' has its world premiere in London's West End (1978)... French police arrest all the members of The Stranglers after a concert at the University of Nice for allegedly inciting a riot (1980)... Crosby, Stills & Nash release Daylight Again, their first album of new material in 5 years (1982)... Genesis have the № 1 album in the UK with Invisible Touch, which also produces 5 US Top 40 singles, making it the most commercially successful album of their career (1986)... The Orb release the single 'Blue Room', which clocks in at 39 minutes and 58 seconds, two seconds shorter than the maximum permitted for a single under UK chart rules. The song will peak at № 8 (1992)... Karen Jane McNeil, who claims that she is the wife of Axl Rose and communicates with the Guns N' Roses lead singer telepathically, is sentenced to a year in a secure psychiatric facility by a judge in Malibu, CA (2000)... People Magazine reports that country star Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's (2011).

June 20th

Musical birthdays today include Anne Murray (81), ex-Crystals vocalist Dolores 'LaLa' Brooks (79), former Bay City Rollers bassist Alan Longmuir (78), Lionel Ritchie (77), Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony (72), Cox Family singer & guitarist Evelyn Cox (67), Duran Duran bassist John Taylor (66), Switchfoot guitarist Jerome Fontamillas (59), bluegrass singer-songwriter Dan Tyminski (59), Goon Moon lead singer & Marilyn Manson sideman Twiggy Ramirez (55), Deftones lead singer Camillo 'Chino' Moreno (53), ex-Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (47), and Mest frontman Tony Lovato (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Jacques Offenbach, born on this day in 1819... for folksinger & songwriter Jimmy Driftwood, born in 1907... for country guitarist Chet Atkins, born in 1924... for Eric Dolphy, born in 1928... for former Coasters vocalist Billy Guy, who would have been 90 today... for Brian Wilson, who would have been 83... for Material Issue frontman Jim Ellison, who took his own life today in 1996 at the age of 32... for Four Tops vocalist & arranger Lawrence Payton, who died in 1997... and for Kool & the Gang lead guitarist Claydes Charles Smith, who left us in 2006.

Also on June 20th: A production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance at NYC's Town Hall is broadcast by experimental TV station W2XBS and becomes the first televised opera (1937)... Edward Wallerstein of Columbia Records gives the first public demonstration of the company's new 33 1/3 RPM long-playing record at a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel... Toast Of The Town, which will later be renamed The Ed Sullivan Show, premieres on CBS-TV. The first show is produced on a budget of $1,375. Only $375 has been allocated for talent and $200 of that is shared by the young stars of the evening's program, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (1948)... The Beatles begin a 14-day European tour with two performances at the Palais des Sports in Paris (1965)... David Bowie records 'Space Oddity' at Trident Studios in London (1969)... A three day festival in Newport, CA opens featuring Ike And Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, The Rascals, Steppenwolf, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and Love. A three day ticket costs $15. Hendrix receives $125,000, at the time the highest fee ever paid to a rock act for a single appearance (1969)... Neil Diamond headlines the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand (1973)... Asylum Records release Before the Flood, a double album of recordings from Bob Dylan's triumphant US tour with The band earlier in the year... (1974)... Neil Young's Tonight's the Night is released nearly two years after it was originally recorded (1975)... Aerosmith open their 147-date 'Permanent Vacation' world tour at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX (1987)... Mariah Carey scores his sixth US № 1 with 'I'll Be There', which was also a chart-topper for The Jackson Five in 1970 (1992)... The promoters of an outdoor Paul McCartney concert in Petersburg, Russia hire three jets to spray dry ice into the clouds so it will not rain during the show. The gig is McCartney's 3,000th concert appearance. He has performed 2,535 times with the Quarrymen and the Beatles, 140 gigs with Wings and 325 solo shows (2004).

June 19th

Musical birthdays today include Heart lead singer Ann Wilson (76), singer-songwriter Patty Larkin (75), former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn (73), ex-AC/DC drummer Simon Wright (73), .38 Special guitarist Danny Chauncey (70), Mark DeBarge (67), The Union lead guitarist Luke Morley (66), Paula Abdul (63), The Verve Pipe lead singer Brian Vander Ark (61), and Korn guitarist Brian Welch (55). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bandleader Guy Lombardo, born on this day in 1902... for bluegrass guitarist Lester Flatt, born today in 1914... for jazz singer Dave Lambert, born in 1917... for Four Seasons lead guitarist Tommy DeVito, born in 1928... for Shirley & Lee vocalist Shirley Goodman, who would have been 90 today... for Camel keyboardist Peter Bardens, who would have been 81... for Nick Drake, who would have been 78... for country singer Bobby Helms, who died on this date in 1997... and for Slim Whitman, who left us today in 2014. 

Also on June 19th: In Paris, George Antheil's Ballet mécanique is performed for the first time (1926)... The Who, Solomon Burke, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Spencer Davis Group, Marianne Faithful, Long John Baldry, The Birds, [featuring a young Ronnie Wood], Dave Witting and The Ray Martin Group all appear at the Uxbridge Blues Festival in England... The Four Tops go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'I Can't Help Myself'. Lead singer Levi Stubbs was not been satisfied with the recording of the track and was promised that he could do it again the following day, but no other session ever took place. The version that became a hit was just the second take of the song... The Kinks play the Academy of Music in NYC with the Moody Blues as their opening act. It is the American debut for both groups (1965)... Having admitted in an interview with Life Magazine to taking LSD on four occasions, Paul McCartney tells The Daily Mirror that he doesn't regret that he spoke out and hopes that his fans will understand (1967)... Motown releases the self-titled debut album of Diana Ross (1970)... Edgar Winter's US № 1 
hit 'Frankenstein' is awarded a Gold record. Winter named the song because of how many cuts and patches were contained in the original studio tape (1973)... The Delinquents, a band featuring future Clash guitarist Mick Jones, make their debut at the Student Union bar of Queen Elizabeth College in Kensington, London (1974)... Future Smiths singer Steven Morrissey has a letter published in this weeks music magazine Record Mirror and Disc asking the editor why the paper has not yet included any stories on The Sex Pistols (1976)... Donna Summer becomes the first artist signed by David Geffen to his new label, Geffen Records (1980)... Guns N' Roses make their UK live debut at a sold out Marquee Club in London (1987)... The Greenpeace Stop Sellafield [a nuclear waste reprocessing site under construction on the NW coast of England] campaign concert takes place at G-Mex in Manchester with U2, Big Audio Dynamite II, Public Enemy and Kraftwerk (1992)... Eminem is to be immortalised in animation, with a new cartoon series which will be hosted on a new web site. 26 weekly 'webisodes' would be broadcast on the site, with the rapper providing all the voices (2000)... Lawyers for Britney Spears demand that a Florida radio station remove 'offensive' advertisements, which feature her with a shaved head. The WFLZ billboards include the slogans 'Total nut jobs', 'Shock therapy' and 'Certifiable', which run across pictures of a bald Spears taken after she shaved her head on Los Angeles early this year. The law firm Lavely & Singer demand the 'immediate removal' of the banners in a letter to the station (2007)... Loretta Lynn is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC. Anne Murray also receives the 'Hitmaker Award' (2008)... Amy Winehouse is frequently booed by crowds in Serbia's capital Belgrade after appearing to be too drunk to perform. The concert, the first on the singer's 12-day European tour, sees Winehouse mumble her way through parts of songs, leave the stage altogether and at one point throw her microphone to the floor (2011).