October 19

Musical birthdays today include Kingston Trio founding member Dave Guard (79), soul singer George McRae (69), singer-songwriter Gloria Jones (68), Jeannie Riley [of 'Harper Valley PTA' fame] (68), Delfonics vocalist Wilbert Hart (66), Doobie Brothers lead guitarist Patrick Simmons (65), World Party frontman Karl Wallinger (56), rapper 'Kool Keith' Thornton (50), Sinitta (47), and Suburban Legends trombonist Brian Robertson (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Syrian oud virtuoso Farid Al-Atrash, born on this date in 1915... for Peter Tosh, who would have been 69 today... for cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who died today in 1987... for Son House, who passed away in 1988... and for original Alice Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton, who left us today in 1997. 

Also on October 19: Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser premieres in Dresden (1845)... Simon & Garfunkel release their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM (1964)... The Yardbirds arrive in New York for their first US tour, with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page as guitarists. After two shows, Beck comes down with tonsillitis, and decides to quit the tour and the band altogether (1966)... The soundtrack to The Sound of Music and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band occupy the top two spots on the UK album chart (1967)... Cream play the L.A. Forum on the farewell tour of America; the version of Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' that appears on the band's Goodbye album is recorded during the show (1968)... 18-year-old Peter Frampton meets Steve Marriott at a Small Face show in London. The two agree to play together in the future, leading to the formation of Humble Pie the following spring (1968)... David Bowie releases Pin Ups, and the Who release Quadrophenia (1973)... A Chorus Line premieres on Broadway (1975)... Prince releases his eponymous debut album (1979)... At Colson Hall in Bristol, AC/DC kick off their European tour with their first live show since Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott as lead singer (1980)... A-Ha become the first Norwegian group to score a US no. 1 with 'Take on Me' (1985)... Oasis play their first show with Noel Gallagher, at the Boardwalk Club in their hometown of Manchester (1991)... A survey concludes that the average person spends around £21,000 ($42,000) on music during their lifetime; the figure includes the amount spent on Hi-Fi equipment, concerts and CDs. Music enthusiasts are likely to spend more than double that, parting with just over £44,000 ($89,000), in a lifetime, according to the survey conducted by the UK branch of the Prudential Insurance Company (2005)... Johnny Marr is made a visiting professor of music at the University of Salford in Manchester. The former Smiths guitarist will give a series of workshops and masterclasses to students reading for the Popular Music and Recording B.A. (2007).