February 18th

Musical birthdays today include Yoko Ono (93), former Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers vocalist Herman Santiago (85), Irma Thomas (85), ex-Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung (79), jazz and R&B singer Veronica 'Randy' Crawford (74), Juice Newton (74), Robbie Bachman (73), ex-Little River Band drummer Derek Pellicci (73), former The Fall drummer Paul Hanley (62), Andy and Jez Williams of The Doves (56), Nickel Creek guitarist & singer Sean Watkins (49), and Regina Spektor (46) *** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer [and co-author of 'The Tennessee Waltz'] Pee Wee King, born on this day in 1914... for Doobie Brothers drummer Keith Knudsen, who would have been 77 today... for Megadeath drummer Gar Samuelson, who would have been 87... for original Replacements lead guitarist Bob Stinson, who died on this date in 1995... and for Soft Machine guitarist Kevin Ayers and former Temptations vocalist Martin Harris, both of whom left us today in 2013 *** *** Also on February 18: The 18th century popular English opera Flora becomes the first opera produced in the American colonies when it premieres in Charleston, SC (1735)... Gian Carlo Menotti's Telephone premieres at the Met (1947)... The Platters have the № 1 single in the UK with 'The Great Pretender' (1956)... Ray Charles records 'What'd I Say' at Columbia Studios in NYC (1959)... On a weekend pass from a stint in the Marine reserves, The Everly Brothers appear in full uniform and with regulation crewcuts on The Ed Sullivan Show to perform their new single 'Cryin' in the Rain' (1962)... The Beatles record John's new song 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away'. They are aided by flautist John Scott, the first musician other than the four members of the group or George Martin to play on a Beatles track (1965)... Brian Wilson and the L.A. session musicians informally known as The Wrecking Crew finish the first mix of the instrumental track to 'Good Vibrations' (1966)... One-hit wonders The Buckinghams go to № 1 in the US with 'Kind of a Drag' (1967)... David Gilmour officially becomes a member of Pink Floyd (1968)... Johnny Cash drops in on Bob Dylan's sessions for the Nashville Skyline album. The two spend several hours jamming together and record some 18 tracks, both their own material and country standards, but only their duet on Dylan's 'Girl from the North Country' will be considered worthy of release (1969)... Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band make their New York debut at Ungano's (1971)... 12-year-old Neil Reid becomes the youngest person ever to have a № 1 album in Britain when his self-titled debut offering tops the charts (1972)... Kiss release their eponymous debut album (1974)... In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Bill Wyman says that he intends to quit the Stones on the group's 20th anniversary in 1982. In fact, he will stay with the band until 1993 (1980)... Bon Jovi are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Livin' on a Prayer' (1987)... Freddie Mercury makes his final on stage public appearance when he and the other members of Queen collect an award for their 'outstanding contribution to music' at London's Dominion Theatre (1990)... An American court orders the release of John Lennon's FBI file. The British government was opposed to the move, having passed on MI5 files on the ex-Beatle to the US government in the '70s (2000)... Carpenters fans gather in front of the Los Angeles City Hall to protest plans to have the pop duo's former family home in the suburb of Downey torn down. The current owners of the house object to fans looking in the windows and leaving floral tributes. The 5-bedroom house was immortalized when it appeared on the cover of the siblings' 1973 hit album Now & Then (2008)... Whitney Houston's by invitation only funeral is held at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, NJ (2012).

February 17th

Musical birthdays today include bluegrass banjo player Buck Trent (88), original Soft machine saxophonist Karl Jenkins (82), Fred Frith (77), Loreena McKennitt (68), Symphony X bassist Michael LePond (60), Chanté Moore (59), Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong (54), Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins (53), country singer Bryan White (52), Paris Hilton (45), and Ed Sheeran (35)*** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Arcangelo Corelli, born on this day in 1653... for bandleader Orrin Tucker, born in 1911... for jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, born in 1923... for Bobby 'Tossin' and Turnin'' Lewis, born in 1925... for country singer Johnny Bush, born in 1935... for Gene Pitney, who would have been 85... for Triffids frontman David McComb, who would have been 64... for conductor Bruno Walter, who died on this date in 1962... for Thelonious Monk, who passed away in 1982... for Latin jazz percussionist Ray Barretto and guitarist Bill Cowsill, both of whom left us in 2006... and for country singer Mindy McCready, who took her own life five years ago today at the age of 37 *** *** Also on February 17th: Verdi's Un Ballo in maschera premieres in Naples (1859)... Puccini's Madama Butterfly premieres at La Scala (1904)... Elvis Presley wins his first Gold record for the album 'Elvis'... The Everly Brothers sign a $1 million contract with Warner Brothers Records (1960)... After working through the night, Bob Dylan and his Nashville session men finally record the take of 'Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again' that will go on Blonde on Blonde. Dylan then goes directly to the airport to fly to New Haven, CT for the next date on his current tour... Nancy Sinatra goes to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'These Boots Are Made for Walking' (1966)... At Abbey Road, The Beatles begin recording 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' (1967)... After a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Joni Mitchell announces that she is retiring from live performance. She will be back on stage by the end of the year, however, after spending a few months on Crete, where she writes most of the songs that will make up her album Blue (1970)... James Taylor makes his US TV debut appearance on the Johnny Cash Show. Neil Young and Linda Ronstadt also perform (1971)... John Lennon releases Rock 'n' Roll, his last album of the '70s... AC/DC release their debut album High Voltage (1975)... The Clash kick off their 'Pearl Harbor '79' North American tour with a show at NYC's Palladium... Blondie have their first UK № 1 album with Parallel Lines (1979)... The Hoodoo Gurus and The Go-Betweens open for REM at the Hordern Pavilion, in Sydney, Australia (1989)... The Steinway piano on which John Lennon composed 'Imagine' goes on display at the Beatles Story Museum on the Albert Docks in Liverpool (2000)... Prosecutors in Phil Spector's murder trial demand that a fingernail overlooked by police investigating the shooting of Lana Clarkson should be put forward as evidence. They claim the fingernail, blackened with gunpowder, could indicate that the 40-year old actress killed herself at Spector's Los Angeles mansion. Spector denies killing Clarkson (2004).

February 16th

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Howard Riley (83), former New Seekers vocalist Lyn Paul (77), Ice-T (68), ex-Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis (66), Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor (65), Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo (61), Three Days Grace bassist Brad Walst (49), and Yellowcard drummer Longineu W. Parsons III (46) *** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor Willem Kes [the first director of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra], born on this day in 1856... for bandleader Wayne King, born in 1901... for jazz pianist Bill Doggett, born in 1916... for Patty Andrews, born in 1918... for songwriter Otis Blackwell [best remembered for 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Don't be Cruel'], born in 1931... for Sonny Bono, born in 1935... for James Ingram, who would have been 74... for avant-garde musician John Balance, who would have been 63... for bluesman Brownie McGhee, who died on this date in 1996... for Doris 'Mama Soul' Troy, who passed away in 2004... and for Merseyside rocker Tony Sheridan, who died in 2013... and for Lesley Gore, who left us today in 2016*** *** Also on February 16th: The Beatles make their second live appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, exactly one week after the first. Before an audience of 3,500 at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, FL, they perform ‘She Loves You’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘From Me to You’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ (1964)... Led Zeppelin make their Australian live debut when they kick off a six-date tour at the Subiaco Cricket Oval, Perth. Police battle with over 500 fans who ram locked gates trying to get into the concert. Over 4,000 fans are outside the venue without tickets and local residents jam police phone lines to complain about the noise (1972)... Bob Dylan starts a four week run atop the US album chart with Planet Waves, his first stateside № 1 LP. The album was originally set to be titled Ceremonies of the Horsemen, a reference to the song 'Love Minus Zero / No Limit', from the 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. When Dylan decided to change the title at the last minute, the release was delayed for two weeks... During a tour of America, the members of Emerson, Lake & Palmer are arrested in Salt Lake City after swimming naked in their hotel pool. They are each fined $75 (1974)... The Jam are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'A Town Called Malice'... Simon and Garfunkel release The Concert in Central Park (1982)... The Simpsons have the № 1 single in the UK with 'Do the Bartman'. The song, written by Michael Jackson and Bryan Lorenand, make The Simpsons the first cartoon characters to hit the top since The Archies with 'Sugar Sugar' in 1969. Jackson, a huge fan of The Simpsons, had called the producers one night offering to write Bart a song that he promised would be a hit, and to do a guest spot on the show (1991)... Thieves break into George Michael's London home and steal over £100,000 worth of paintings, jewellery and designer clothes before driving and off in the singer's £80,000 Aston Martin DB7. They also cause £200,000 worth of damage to the house (2002).

February 15th

Musical birthdays today include songwriter and producer Brian Holland (85), ex-Kinks drummer Mick Avory (82), Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell (81), Melissa Manchester (75), former UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell (67), ex-Culture Club bassist Mikey Craig (66), Jane Child (59), rapper Bryan 'Birdman' Williams (57), Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd (50), Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman (49), Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst (46), and Relient K guitarist Matt Hoopes (45) *** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Hank Locklin, born on this day in 1918... for Santana bassist David Brown, who would have been 76 today... for composer Mikhail Glinka, who died on this date in 1857... for Nat King Cole, who passed away in 1965... for blues harmonica innovator 'Little Walter' Jacobs, who died in 1968... for guitarist Mike Bloomfield, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 1981 at the age of 37... for rapper Lamon 'Big L' Coleman, shot to death on this day in 1999 at the age of 24... for French chansonnier Pierre Bachelet, who died in 2005... and for salsa singer Joe Cuba, who left us in 2009 *** *** Also on February 15: Jean-Baptiste Lully's opera Armide receives its first performance at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris (1686)... Ray Charles begins recording the milestone album Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music at United Studios in Los Angeles (1962)... The Beatles score their first US № 1 album with Meet the Beatles ~ it will remain at the top of the chart for the next 11 weeks (1964)... Bob Dylan arrives in Nashville to begin the sessions at CBS Studios on Music Row for the album that will become Blonde on Blonde. The day's work will be productive, including the definitive version of 'Visions of Johanna'... The Beach Boys shoot the iconic cover photo for the Pet Sounds album at the San Diego Zoo (1966)... John and Cynthia Lennon, along with George and Patti Harrison, fly to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Paul and Ringo join them a few days later, but Starr becomes bored and will leave on March 1st, comparing the experience to a 'Butlin's holiday camp.' Many of the songs on White Album will be written during their stay (1968)... An unknown singer named Vickie Jones is arrested on fraud charges for impersonating Aretha Franklin in concert at Fort Myers, Florida. No one in the audience had asked for their money back, however... Sly & the Family Stone's ' (I Am) Everyday People' is the № 1 song in America (1969)... Linda Ronstadt has both the № 1 single in the US ['You're No Good'] and the top album [Heart like a Wheel] (1975)... Glenn Matlock is fired as the Sex Pistols' bass player and replaced with Sid Vicious (1977)... Following the publication of a quote from lead singer Joe Elliot referring to El Paso, TX as "that dump with all those greasy Mexicans", Def Leppard are forced to cancel a concert in the city after they received threats that the gig would be violently disrupted (1988)... Kelly Emberg, the ex-girlfriend of Rod Stewart, files a $25 million palimony suit in Los Angeles. The couple lived together from 1985 to 1990. Stewart's reaction to being served: "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house" (1991)... Sting pulls out of a concert in Vienna in protest at the inclusion of Jorg Haider's ultra-right freedom party in Austria's new government. Lou Reed has also cancelled shows in the country (2000)... A flat once rented by The Beatles in London goes up for sale for £1.75 m. The band shared the three-bedroom top floor property in Green Street, Mayfair in the autumn of 1962. The iconic photo of the Fab Four peering over a banister, used as the cover for the group's debut album Please Please Me, was taken at the top of the property's communal stairwell (2008).

February 14th

Musical birthdays today include folk singer Erik Andersen (83), former James Brown sideman & Parliament-Funkadelic saxophonist Maceo Parker (83), ex-Heart guitarist Roger Fisher (76), operatic soprano Soile Isokoski (69), Matchbox 20 lead singer Rob Thomas (54), and soul singer Andwele 'Dwele' Gardner (48) *** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Phyllis McGuire [of the McGuire Sisters], born on this day in 1931... for conductor Michel Corboz, born today in 1932... for Chicago bluesman Samuel 'Magic Sam' Maghett, who would have been 87 today... for Clarence 'Blowfly' Reid, who would have been 86... for English session guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, who would have been 85... for song and dance man Gregory Hines, who would have been 80... for Tim Buckley, who would have been 79... for jazz drummer Warren 'Baby' Dodds, who died on this date in 1959... for composer Dmitri Kabalevsky, who died in 1987... for jazz drummer Louie Bellson, who passed away in 2009... for ex-The Knack lead singer Doug Fieger, who died in 2010... and for jazz pianist George Shearing, who left us today in 2011 *** *** Also on February 14th: The Beatles perform at the Casanova Club and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool, where they play a special Valentine's Day show. Paul sings Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart' wearing a wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names John, Paul, George, and Pete. The heart is raffled off, and the winner also wins a kiss from Paul (1961)... Manfred Mann go to the top of the UK singles chart and crack the US top 10 with Bob Dylan's 'Quinn the Eskimo' (1968)... The Who appear at Leeds University. The show is recorded for the bands forthcoming 'Live At Leeds' album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by many music critics as the best live rock recording of all time. The venue, the university refectory, has been named a national landmark in the UK, commemorated with a blue plaque (1970)... John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin a week-long run as the guest co-hosts of The Michael Douglas Show in NYC (1972)... Daryl Dragon and Toni Tenille take time out from a Captain & Tenille tour to get married in Virginia City, NV (1974)... Janis Ian receives over 500 valentines in care of her record label, Columbia, after reporting in the lyrics of her song 'At Seventeen' that she never received any... The B-52s give their first public performance at a party at the University of Georgia in Athens (1977)... The Smiths release Meat is Murder (1985)... Frank Zappa guest stars on an episode of NBC's 'Miami Vice', playing a crime boss named Mr. Frankie (1986)... Bon Jovi have the № 1 song in America with 'Livin' on a Prayer' (1987)... The film 'Wayne's World', featuring appearances by Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, has its world premiere in Los Angeles. The use of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the film propels the song to № 2 on the US singles chart nearly 20 years after its first release (1992)... Jerry Garcia marries documentary filmmaker Deborah Koons (1994)... Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' sets a new record for radio exposure in the US with 116 million plays over the last week (1998)... Elton John voices himself in an appearance on The Simpsons (1999)...Stolen reel-to-reel studio recordings by The Beatles are found in Australia. Police recovered the tapes of the band's White album and Abbey Road sessions after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. Australian police had been tipped off by British detectives from Operation Acetone, an investigation into thefts of original Beatles music from Abbey Road studios in London in the late '60s (2003)... Bruce Springsteen tops the US album charts with Working on a Dream, his 16th studio release (2009).

February 13th

Musical birthdays today include original Fairport Convention lead singer Judy Dyble (77), ex-Uriah Heep bassist Bob Daisley (76), Peter Gabriel (76), original Foreigner bassist Ed Gagliardi (74), ex-Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook (70), former Big Country bassist Tony Butler (69), Henry Rollins (65), Annihilator frontman Jeff Waters (60), The National lead singer Matt Berninger (55), Robbie Williams (52), Leslie Feist (50), My Dying Bride guitarist Hamish Glencross (48), and Beirut frontman Zack Condon (40). *** *** Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Russian operatic basso Feodor Chaliapin, born on this day in 1873... for Tennessee Ernie Ford, born in 1919... for songwriter Boudleaux Bryant, born in 1920... for Peter Tork, who would have been 82 today... for Traffic drummer Rebop Kwaku Baah, who would have been 82 ... for Be Bop Deluxe bassist Paul Jeffreys, who would have been 74... for Richard Wagner, who died on this date in 1883... for operatic soprano Lily Pons, who passed away in 1976... for Waylon Jennings, who died on this day in 2002... for French song & dance man Henri Salvador, who died in 2008... and for early rocker Dale Hawkins, who left us today in 2010. *** *** Also on February 13: In NYC, ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is founded to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members (1914)... Frank Sinatra launches his own record label, Reprise, in order to allow himself more artistic freedom in the studio. It is at this time that he acquires the nickname 'The Chairman of the Board.' The label will later become the home of many influential artists, including Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and the Beach Boys (1961)... The Monkees announce that they, as opposed to studio musicians, will now be playing the instruments on their albums... The Beatles release the Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane double A-sided single in the US (1967)... A lunch party for Mary Hopkin's album Postcard on Apple Records is held at the Post Office Tower in London. Guests attending include Jimi Hendrix, Donovan, and Paul McCartney with his new girlfriend Linda Eastman... Bob Dylan records 'Lay Lady Lay' at Columbia Studios in Nashville (1969)... On this Friday the 13th, Black Sabbath release their self-titled debut album (1970)... After becoming ill during a show in Las Vegas, Elvis gives a Lincoln Continental to Dr. Sydney Bowers, the physician who treated him (1973)... David Bowie turns down an offer from gay rights activists who want to commission him to write 'the world's first gay national anthem' (1974)... Frampton Comes Alive! is released in the UK (1976)... Police raid the home of former Sex Pistol John Lydon who greets them waving a ceremonial sword. The only illegal item they find was a canister of tear gas, claimed to be for defence against intruders (1980)... The Jam become the first band since The Beatles to play two numbers on the same edition of 'Top Of The Pops', when they perform 'A Town Called Malice', and 'Precious', their latest double A sided № 1... The marble slab is stolen from the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd's lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. Police find it two weeks later in a dried up river bed (1982)... Led Zeppelin are awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammys. Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham all attend, while Robert Plant, who is working on a new album and rehearsing an upcoming tour, does not (2004)... Ray Charles is awarded 8 posthumous Grammys for his final album Genius Loves Company (2005)... Lady Gaga is forced to postpone her world tour after developing a case of synovitis, a form of severe inflammation of the joints (2013).

February 12th

Musical birthdays today include country singer Moe Bandy (82), former Clear Light lead singer Cliff DeYoung (81), Genesis guitarist & founding member Steve Hackett (76), ex-Doobie Brothers lead singer Michael McDonald (74), former Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson (70), ex-Servants frontman David Westlake (61), Chynna Phillips (58), Barenaked Ladies bassist Jim Creeggan (56), and Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Elizabethan choral composer Thomas Campion, born on this day in 1567... to saxophonist and bandleader Tex Beneke, born in 1914... for jazz & soul singer Gene McDaniels, born in 1935... for Ray Manzarek, who would have been 87... for Brazilian popular singer José 'Dominguinhos' de Morais, who would have been 84... for former Go-Betweens vocalist and songwriter Grant McLennan, who would have been 68... for German conductor and virtuoso pianist Hans von Bülow, who died on this date in 1894... for Eubie Blake, who passed away in 1983... for former Iron Butterfly bassist Philip Taylor Kramer, who died in 1995... and for Screamin' Jay Hawkins, who left us today in 2000. 

Also on February 12: George M. Cohan's musical George Washington premieres on Broadway (1906)... George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue receives its premiere in a concert entitled An Experiment in Modern Music at the Aeolian Hall in NYC, with the composer at the piano and Paul Whiteman leading his orchestra (1924)... Dean Martin has the biggest hit of his career as his single 'Memories Are Made of This' tops the charts on both sides of the Atlantic (1956)... The Miracles' 'Shop around' becomes Motown's first million-selling single (1961)... The Beatles return to New York City by train from Washington, D.C. for two performances at Carnegie Hall. There was such a demand for tickets that some extra seating has been arranged surrounding the stage. Tickets ranged from $1.65 to $5.50 (1964)...  Pye Records announce that they have signed 'the British Bob Dylan', when they add Donovan to the label. The Scottish singer-songwriter produces a series of hit albums and singles between 1965 and 1970 and becomes a friend of leading pop musicians including Joan Baez, Brian Jones, and The Beatles. He influenced John Lennon when he taught him a finger-picking guitar style in 1968 (1965)... 15 police officers raid 'Redlands', the West Sussex home of Keith Richards. The officers of the law, armed with a warrant issued under the Dangerous Drugs Act, .take away various substances for chemical analysis. George and Pattie Harrison were at the house, but it is said that the police waited for them to leave in order not to have to bust the holder of an OBE (1967)... John Lennon performs 'Instant Karma' on Top of the Pops, making him the first Beatle in four years to appear on the show (1970)... Al Green has his only US № 1 single with 'Let's Stay Together'... The Allman Brothers Band release Eat a Peach (1972)... The Sex Pistols make their London live debut as the opening act to Eddie and the Hot Rods at the Marquee Club (1976)... The Police record their first single, 'Fall Out', at Pathway Studios in London for £150... Pink Floyd release Animals in the US... and Blondie, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and The Ramones all appear on the same bill at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles (1977)... XTC release English Settlement (1982)... U2 hold a press conference in the lingerie department of the Union Square branch of KMart in Manhattan to announce their 'Pop Mart' world tour, scheduled to begin in Las Vegas on April 25... David Bowie receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1997).. The Class 47 locomotive 47828 operated by Cotswold Railways is renamed 'The Joe Strummer' at a ceremony in Bristol to honour the Clash frontman who died at age 50 in 20o2 (2005)... In a press conference in Los Angeles, Sting confirms that The Police will reunite for a world tour which will begin in Vancouver on May 28th. Their opening act will be Fiction Plane, the band led by Sting's son Joe Sumner (2007)...  A full frontal nude photo of Madonna, taken in 1979 when she was a 20-year-old dancer trying to make ends meet in NYC, sells at auction for $37,500 (2009).