April 30th

Musical birthdays today include Willie Nelson (82), Johnny Farina (74), Bobby Vee (72), Merrill Osmond (62), Jamaican rapper Barrington Levy (51), His Name Is Alive frontman Warren Devefer (46), ex-Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards (43), 98 Degrees vocalist Jeff Timmons (42), hip-hop artist & producer Aliaune Thiam AKA Akon (42), Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer (39), R&B/soul singer Cleo Higgins (33), and pop singer Nikki Webster (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Reverend Gary Davis, born on this day in 1896... for bossa nova singer-songwriter Dorival Caymmi, born today in 1914... for rockabilly singer Johnny Horton, who would have been 90... for Mimi Fariña, who would have been 70... for critic Lester Bangs, who died on this date in 1982... for Muddy Waters, who passed away in 1983... for Nazareth drummer Darrell Sweet, who died in 1999... and for former Platters vocalist Zola Taylor, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on April 30th: Berlioz's Te Deum is performed for the first time at the Église de Saint Eustache in Paris (1855)... The Boston Pops Orchestra is founded (1885)... At the Opéra comique in Paris, Debussy's opera Peléas et Mélisande has its premiere (1902)... RCA Victor Records releases its first Red Seal 78 RPM, a selection of lieder performed by contralto Ada Crossley (1903)... Elvis records 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)... The Everly Brothers complete a spectacular debut on the British chart with their first single 'Cathy's Clown', as it goes to № 1, to remain there for 7 weeks (1960)... The Young Rascals have the № 1 song in America with 'Good Lovin'' (1966)... The BBC launch The Cilla Black Show making the hostess the first British female performer to have her own TV show. The theme song, 'Step Inside Love', was written by Paul McCartney (1968)... Allman Brothers Band road manager Twiggs Lyndon is arrested for murder after stabbing a club manager during an argument over a contract. At the ensuing trial, Lyndon's lawyers argue that their client was temporarily incapacitated at the time of the incident and that touring with the Allman Brothers would drive anyone insane. Lyndon is acquitted (1970)... Paul McCartney & Wings' album Red Rose Speedway is released (1973)... Keith Moon hires nine NYC cab drivers to block off both ends of a Chelsea street so that he can throw the entire contents of his hotel room out of the window (1976)... Led Zeppelin set a new world attendance record for a concert when they play to 76,229 people at a gig at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. The Who held the previous record at the same venue with 75,962 (1977)... Michael Jackson hits № 1 in the USA with 'Beat It' (1983)... Nirvana sign with David Geffen's DGC label for $290,000 (1991)... A giant inflatable pig which floated away during a Roger Waters performance is recovered in tatters in southern California. Two families from La Quinta who found what was left of the object decide to share four lifetime passes to the Coachella festival that were offered as part of the reward... The woman who was given the handwritten lyrics to 'Give Peace A Chance' by John Lennon in 1969, announces plans to sell the lyric sheet at a Christie's auction. At the time, Lennon told Gail Renard to hang on to the piece of paper, saying "It will be worth something someday." The piece of music history is expected to fetch around $400,000, but when actually sold in July of this year, it goes for $790,000 (2008). 

April 29th

Musical birthdays today include harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans (93), Rod McKuen (82), bluesman Otis Rush (80), Zubin Mehta (79), April Stevens (79), Klaus Voormann (77), Oak Ridge Boys vocalist Duane Allen (72), Tommy James (68), Great White frontman Mark Kendall (58), rapper Percy 'Master P' Miller (48), Carnie Wilson (47), Pink Martini lead singer China Forbes (45), Franco-Indonesian singer Anggun Sasmi (41), S Club vocalist Jo O'Meara (36), Editors frontman Tom Smith (34), and ex-Trivium drummer Travis Smith (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor & impresario Thomas Beecham, born on this day in 1879... for Duke Ellington, born in 1899... for tabla player and Ravi Shankar sideman Alla Rakha, born in 1919... for Coasters vocalist Carl Gardner, who would have been 87 today... for Lonnie Donnegan, who would have been 84... for American roots musician Hasil Adkins, who would have been 778.. for Tami Terrell, who would have been 70... for Can vocalist Michael Karoli, who would have been 67... for blues singer & pianist Leroy Carr, who died on this date in 1935... for Cisco Houston, who died in 1961... for bluesman J.B. Lenoir, whjo passed away in 1967... and for Mick Ronson, who left us today in 1993. 

Also on April 29th: In Vienna, Mozart's Sonata for violin & piano in Bb K. 454 is performed for the first time in the presence of Emperor Josef II, with the composer himself at the keyboard (1784)... 'La Marseillaise' is played in public for the first time by a French National Guard band in Strasbourg (1792)... Publicist Andrew Oldham and agent Eric Easton sign a management deal with The Rolling Stones after buying the rights to the bands first recordings for £90. They also persuade keyboard player Ian Stewart to drop out of the line up and become the band's road manager, while still playing piano at the back of the stage (1963)... Jimmy Nicol, the drummer who sat in for an ailing Ringo Starr on The Beatles' tour of Australia last year, is in a London tax court facing bankruptcy debts of £4,000 (1965)... The 14 hour Technicolour Dream benefit party for The International Times is held at Alexandra Palace in London. Seeing the event mentioned on TV, John Lennon calls his driver and goes to the show. Coincidentally, Yoko Ono is one of the performers. Other acts on the bill include The Flies, Pink Floyd, Arthur Brown, The Move and Suzie Creamcheese (1967)... Ringo adds his vocal to 'Octopus's Garden' (1969)... Elektra records release L.A. Woman, The Doors' final studio album with Jim Morrison (1971)... After a gig in Memphis, Bruce Springsteen takes a cab to Graceland and proceeds to climb over a wall leading to the mansion. A guard takes him to be another obsessive Elvis fan and apprehends him (1976)... The Grateful Dead open a 5-night run at the Palladium in NYC (1977)... In Paris, Black Sabbath kick off their first tour without Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio having now assumed lead singer duties (1980)... Paula Abdul marries Emilio Estevez in Santa Monica, CA. The couple file for divorce 2 years later (1992)... Tupac Shakur marries Keisha Morris inside the Clinton Correctional Facility, where he is serving a four-year jail term for sex abuse (1995)... 
Steven Tyler shatters his kneecap when he falls off the stage at a concert in Anchorage, AK, delaying Aerosmith's 'Nine Lives' tour and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' (1998)... In London, a blue plaque is unveiled at 38 Aubrey Walk, Kensington to honour the musical heritage of the address where British singer Dusty Springfield lived from 1968 until 1972 (2001)... Avril Lavigne has the № 1 album in both the US and the UK with The Best Damn Thing (2007)... An anonymous Queen fan wins a two-hour one-to-one guitar lesson with Brian May, after bidding £7,600 at a private charity auction. The auction, in support of the Action for Brazil's Children Trust, of which May is a patron, was held at London's exclusive Cuckoo Club (2009). 

April 28th

Musical birthdays today include folk singer Jean Redpath (78), chansonnier Jacques Dutronc (72), conductor Jeffrey Tate (72), former Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell (63), ex-Sonic Youth lead singer Kim Gordon (62), jazz-rock violinist Eddie Jobson (60), former Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes (59), Jesus and Mary Chain bassist Phil King (55), rapper Todd 'Too $hort' Shaw (49), Take That vocalist Howard Donald (47), Marilyn Manson guitarist Scott Putesky (47), and Insane Clown Posse rapper Joseph 'Violent J' Bruce (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for folk revivalist John Jacob Niles, born on this day in 1892... for jazz singer Blossom Dearie [her real name], born in 1924... for jazz drummer Oliver 'Bops Junior' Jackson, who would have been 82... for Charley Patton, who died on this date in 1934... for original Marshall Tucker Band frontman Tommy Caldwell, who was killed in a car crash today in 1980 at the age of 30... for T Rex bassist Steve Currie, also killed in a road accident today in 1981 at the age of 33... for country singer B.W. Stevenson, who died in 1988... for Modern Jazz Quartet bassist Percy Heath, who passed away in 2005... and for saxophonist & bandleader Tommy Newsom, who left us in 2007. 

Also on April 28th: Meyerbeers final opera L'Africaine premieres in Paris (1848)... The Beatles record the TV special ‘Around The Beatles’ at Wembley studios in London. As well as performing songs they play Act V Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ with John playing the female role of Thisbe, Paul as Pyramus, George as Moonshine and Ringo as Lion. Paul later names his cat Thisbe (1964)... 'Hair' opens on Broadway at the Biltmore Theater. The show features the songs 'Aquarius / Let the Sun Shine In', 'Good Morning Starshine' and the title song. The production will run for 1,729 performances, finally closing on July 1st, 1972 (1968)... The California State Assembly consumer protection committee hear testimony from 'experts' who claim that when  played backwards, 'Stairway To Heaven' contains the words 'I sing because I live with Satan. The Lord turns me off, there's no escaping it. Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan. He will give you 666. I live for Satan' (1982)... Axl Rose married Don Everly's daughter Erin at the Cupid Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The couple will file for divorce nine months later... Sinead O'Connor hits № 1 on the US album chart with I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got...  'A Chorus Line' closes on Broadway after 6,137 performances (1990)... Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers receive a start on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1999)... Apple Computer Inc. launches the iTunes store (2003).

April 27th

Musical birthdays today include country singer Maxine Brown (83), radio host Casey Kasem (83), ex-April Wine drummer Jerry Mercer (76), session drummer Jim Keltner (73), bluegrass guitarist Herb Pedersen (71), B-52's bassist & singer Kate Pierson (67), ex-Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley (64), Sheena Easton (56), former Belle & Sebastian vocalist Isobel Campbell (39), My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan (37), ex-Evanescence bassist Will Boyd (36), Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump (31), and Halo Circus lead singer Allison Iraheta (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Badfinger frontman Pete Ham, would have been 68 today... for composer Alexander Scriabin, who died 100 years ago today... for composer Olivier Messiaen, who died in 1992... for trumpeter Al Hirt, who passed away in 1999... and for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on April 27th: Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks receives its official premiere in London's Green Park. The visual spectacle is somewhat less successful than the music itself, however, as sputtering rockets set fire to the specially built structure housing the musicians (1749)... Beethoven composes Für Elise (1810)... Tchaikovsky has his first rehearsal with the New York Symphony Society at the new Music Hall (the future Carnegie Hall) on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan (1891)... In a rare appearance outside the U.S., Elvis plays the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, performing in his gold lamé suit for the last time (1957)... John Coltrane and the classic quartet record the album Crescent in one session at the Van Gelder Studio (1964)... Bob Dylan gives an interview to BBC journalist and radio presenter Jack DeManio at London's Savoy Hotel for broadcast on the Today programme of the Home Service the following day. Later in the day, Dylan and Joan Baez are filmed singing the traditional song 'Wild Mountain Thyme' in the Savoy. Parts of the interview and the song will be used in the film 'Don't Look Back' (1965)... The Beatles begin recording John's new song 'I'm Only Sleeping' (1966)... Epic Records release Sly and the Family Stone's second album, Dance to the Music, including the hit title track (1968)... Pink Floyd appear at Mother's Club in Erdington, Birmingham. Radio 1 DJ John Peel reviews the gig as '...sounding like dying galaxies lost in sheer corridors of time and space'. Recordings from this show will be included in the group’s album Ummagumma later this year (1969)... In an unusual double bill, The Grateful Dead share the stage with The Beach Boys at the Fillmore East (1971)... A free afternoon event is held in the parking lot of the University of Connecticut's Ice Hockey Arena in Storrs. Musical entertainment includes Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Fairport Convention. Springsteen goes on to play another gig that evening at the University of Hartford (1974)... Customs officers on a train at the Soviet/Polish Border detain David Bowie after Nazi books and mementos, including a first edition of Mein Kampf, are found in his luggage. Bowie claims that he is using the material for research on a movie project about Nazi propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels (1976)... Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach are married (1981)... The Verve announce that they have disbanded (1999)... Plans are announced for Aerosmith to hold a free concert in Hawaii to placate angry ticket buyers who brought a legal case against them. Fans filed a class action suit, which claimed the band had cancelled a sold-out show in Maui two years ago, leaving hundreds of fans out of pocket, in favour of a bigger gig in Chicago. Lawyers for the would-be concert-goers say that Aerosmith have now agreed to put on a new show, and will pay all expenses. Everyone who bought a ticket to the original concert will receive a free ticket (2009).

April 26th

Musical birthdays today include Duane Eddy (77), Giorgio Moroder (75), R&B singer Claudine Wright (74), Bobby Rydell (73), Gary Wright (72), former Blue Mink keyboardist Roger Coulam (71), ex-Mötley Crüe lead singer John Corabi (56), Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor (55), former Replacements drummer Chris Mars (54), TLC vocalist Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins (45), Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus (44), original Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (40), and S Club vocalist Jon Lee (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ma Rainey, born on this day in 1886... for jazz arranger, clarinetist & saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre, born in 1921... for bluesman J.B. Hutto, who would have been 89... for jazz guitarist & singer Frank D'Rone, who would have been 83.... for Count Basie, who died on this date in 1974... for The Sound lead singer Adrian Borland, who took his own life today in 1999 at the age of 42... for Phoebe Snow, who passed away in 2011... and for George Jones, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on April 26th: The 13-year-old Beethoven is appointed pianist in the court orchestra of the Duchy of Bonn (1783)... In Paris, Chopin performs his Grande Polonaise Brillante in public for the first time (1835)... Tchaikovsky arrives in NYC for the first time (1891)... Police stop a Rolling Stones concert in London, Ontario after 15 minutes because of audience rioting (1965)... Dusty Springfield is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me', the singer's only chart-topper in the country. Studio logs show that Springfield was not satisfied with her vocal until she had recorded forty-seven takes (1966)... At the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, Led Zeppelin play 'Whole Lotta Love' live for the first time (1969)... Ringo Starr's TV special 'Ringo', a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper, airs on ABC. Ringo plays both characters, and George Harrison provides the narration (1978)... Blondie are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Call Me', featured in the Richard Gere film 'American Gigolo'; the track is also at the top of the charts in the US, where it will become the band's biggest selling single. Producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined... The Beat release 'Mirror in the Bathroom', the UK's first digitally recorded single (1980)... Rod Stewart is carjacked and relieved of his $50,000 Porsche on Hollywood Boulevard (1982)... Mick Jagger appears in federal court in White Plains, NY in the copyright infringement case brought by reggae singer Patrick Alley, who claims the Jagger solo hit 'Just Another Night' was plagiarised from his own song of the same name. Alley is claiming $7 million in profits from the track. During the case, percussionist Sly Dunbar plays drums to the court to show how the beats are different in each song , while Mick sings and plays demos of his song to show the development of the track. At the end of the week-long trial, Jagger wins the case (1988)... Courtney Love reportedly turns down $1 million from Playboy to pose for a centerfold (1995)... Bruce Springsteen releases Devils & Dust (2005)... Tinchy Stryder feat. N-dubz starts a three week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Number 1', the first time ever that a single called 'Number 1' has made it to the top in Britain (2009). 

April 25th

Musical birthdays today include former CCR bassist Stu Cook (70), ABBA vocalist Björn Ulvaeus (70), The Left Banke keyboardist & songwriter Michael Brown (66), session drummer Steve Ferrone (65), former Marilion lead singer Derek 'Fish' Dick (57), Erasure lead singer Andy Bell (51), ex-Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery (50), Ocean Colour Scene lead singer Simon Fowler (50), and for Ben and James Johnston, drummer and bassist respectively for Biffy Clyro (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early R&B saxophonist Earl Bostic, born on this day in 1912... for Ella Fitzgerald, born in 1917... for Albert King, born in 1923... for bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, who would have been 87 today... for songwriter & producer Jerry Lieber, who would have been 82... for Dexter Gordon, who died on this day in 1990... for Ginger Rogers, who passed away in 1995... for pop singer Bobby Pickett, who died in 2007... and for British jazzman Humprey Lyttleton, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on April 25th: Puccini's opera Turandot has its premiere at La Scala in Milan, with Toscanini conducting (1926)... Johnnie Ray is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Such a Night', one of his three British chart-toppers. Dexy's Midnight Runners would later reference the singer in 'Come on Eileen' with the line 'Poor old Johnnie Ray sounded so sad on the radio/He moved a million hearts in mono' (1954)... Just days after the completion of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles embark on their next project, recording the theme to 'Magical Mystery Tour' at Abbey Road studios (1967)... Deram Records release The Moody Blues' On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)... The Jackson Five hit № 1 in the USA with 'ABC' (1970)... Pamela Courson, the long-term companion of the late Jim Morrison, dies of a drug overdose. It was Courson who found the Doors singer dead on July 3, 1971 in the bathtub of their apartment in Paris (1974)... Elvis Presley makes his final recordings during a concert at the Saginaw, MI Civic Center. Three songs from the show will appear the posthumously released Presley album Moody Blue (1977)... Ornette Coleman records the album Of Human Feeling, his first attempt to combine free jazz principles with elements of funk... The Police make their British TV debut, performing 'Roxanne' on the BBC's 'Top of the Pops' (1979)... Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Ebony And Ivory.'  The title was inspired by McCartney hearing Spike Milligan say "Black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!". It was later listed as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine, and in 2007 was named the worst duet in history in a BBC 6 Music listeners poll (1982)... U2 top the American album chart with The Joshua Tree (1987)... The Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock is auctioned off in San Francisco for a record $295,000. Hendrix's two-hour set at the 1969 festival was the longest of his career (1990)... In Los Angeles, The Eagles play the first of two shows where they record their 'Hell Freezes Over' album. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit first reunited the previous December for the making of a Travis Tritt video of their song 'Take It Easy' The name of the album was a quote from Glen Frey, who used the expression to respond to a journalist who asked "When will the Eagles get back together?" (1994)...  Bruce Springsteen plays the opening show on his Devils & Dust North American solo tour at the Fox Theater in Detroit, MI (2005)... During The Rolling Stones' current world tour, aides to President George W. Bush are told they cannot book a luxury five star hotel suite because Mick Jagger has already reserved it. Jagger had splashed out £3,600 a night for the suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Austria, in advance of the band's appearance there. Prior to the attempted booking, US Secret Service agents had already vetted the hotel, but to no avail (2007). The Empire State Building is lit up in Mariah Carey's signature colours of lavender, pink, and white in celebration of her achievements in the world of music. Carey is the first person in the history of the structure to be so honoured (2008). 

April 24th

Musical birthdays today include Shirley MacLaine (81), Barbra Streisand (73), Oak Ridge Boys vocalist Richard Sterban (72), CCR drummer Doug Clifford (70), Véronique Sanson (66), former Blonde bassist Nigel Harrison (64), ex-Night Ranger bassist Jack Blades (61), The Damned co-founder Ray 'Captain Sensible' Burns (61), former Bauhaus bassist David Haskins AKA David J (58), ex-The Cure drummer Boris Williams (58), Faith No More bassist Billy Gould (52), Creed bassist Brian Marshall (42), Kelly Clarkson (33), and All-American Rejects lead singer Tyson Ritter (31). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for soul singer Freddie Scott, who would have been 82 today... for jazzman Joe Henderson, who would have been 78... for former Hughes Corporation vocalist St. Clair Lee, who would have been 71... for bluesman Otis Spann, who died on this date in 1970... for Badfinger frontman Pete Ham, who took his own life today in 1975 at the age of 27... and for R&B singer and former Duke Ellington vocalist Al Hibbler, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on April 24th: Haydn finishes his oratorio Die Jahrezeiten [The Seasons] and conducts the premier himself on the same evening at the Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna (1801)... Laurens Hammond files for a patent for his electric organ (1934)... Buddy Holly has a posthumous № 1 in the UK with the Paul Anka song 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' (1959)... Bob Dylan makes his first ever paid appearance in a recording studio, contributing harmonica to the song 'Calypso King' on the Harry Belafonte album The Midnight Special... Del Shannon is at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Runaway' (1961)... Apple Records turn down the chance to sign David Bowie (1968)... At 69, Louis Armstrong becomes the oldest man ever to have a British № 1 when 'What a Wonderful World' tops the UK chart (1969)... John Lennon's single 'Woman Is the Nigger of the World' was released in the US. The song peaks at № 57, as numerous American radio stations refuse to play it. Yoko Ono first used the phrase in a magazine interview in 1967, and Lennon later explained that he was making the point that women deserved higher status in society (1972)... RCA release David Bowie's album Diamond Dogs (1974)... Paul and Linda McCartney spend the evening with John Lennon at the latter's apartment in the Dakota in NYC and watch Saturday Night Live on TV. The show's producer Lorne Michaels appears on the air asking The Beatles to turn up and play three songs live. Lennon and McCartney discuss taking a cab to the studio, but decide they are too tired. The evening is the last time that John and Paul see each other (1976)... Ray Charles' 'Georgia on My Mind' is voted the official state song by the Georgia Assembly (1979)... New Order begin recording their first album at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, just outside of Manchester (1981)... The road crew for Roger Waters uncover an unexploded WWII bomb while constructing the set for the forthcoming 'The Wall' concert on Potsdamerplatz in Berlin (1990)... David Bowie marries Somali actress and supermodel Iman in a small private ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland (1992)... Oasis release the single 'Some Might Say', which goes on to give the group their first UK № 1 (1995)... Dixie Chicks launch a publicity campaign to explain their position with regard to the controversy generated by Natalie Maines' statements about the Iraq war. During a prime-time interview with Diane Sawyer, Maines says she remains proud of her original statement. The band also appear naked [with private parts strategically covered] on the current cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine, with slogans such as 'Traitors', 'Saddam's Angels', 'Dixie Sluts', 'Proud Americans', 'Hero', 'Free Speech', and 'Brave' printed on their bodies. The slogans represent the labels, both positive and negative, that have been placed on them in the aftermath of Maines' stand (2003)... Sheryl Crow says that a ban on using too much toilet paper should be introduced to help the environment. The singer suggests using 'only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required'. Crow made the comments on her website after touring the US on a biodiesel-powered bus to raise awareness about climate change. Crow has also designed a clothing line with what she called a 'dining sleeve'. The sleeve is detachable and can be replaced with another 'dining sleeve' after the diner has used it to wipe his or her mouth... Sounds True Records release Hudson River Wind Meditations, Lou Reed's final solo album (2007). 

April 23rd

Musical birthdays today include jazz saxophonist & musicologist Vern 'Bunky' Green (79), former King Crimson violinist David Cross (66), ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Narada Michael Walden (63), Boston lead singer Tommy DeCarlo (50), Rancid lead singer & bassist Matt Freeman (49), ex-Interpol bassist Carlos Dengler (41), and hip-hop artist, DJ & producer Sydney 'Syd tha Kyd' Bennett (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Ruggiero Leoncavallo and Dame Ethel Smyth, both born on this day in 1858... for Sergei Prokofiev, born in 1891... for blues pianist Charlie 'Cow Cow' Davenport, born in 1894... for drummer & bandleader Bobby Rosegarden, born in 1924... for Roy Orbison, who would have been 79... for original Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick, who would have been 68... for former Def Leppard co-lead guitarist Steve Clark, who would have been 55... for pianist and former Miles Davis sideman Red Garland, who died on this date in 1984... for songwriter Harold Arlen [best remembered for the soundtrack of 'The Wizard of Oz', including the tune for 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'], who died in 1985... for New York Dolls lead guitarist John 'Johnny Thunders' Genzale, Jr., who died in suspicious circumstances today in 1991 at the age of 39... for former Outsiders frontman Tom King, who passed away in 2011... and for country-rock bassist and Gram Parsons sideman Chris Ethridge, who left us three years ago today. 

Also on April 23rd: The 8-year-old Mozart arrives in London for the first time to continue his musical studies (1764)... Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta Patience, the world's first theatrical production to be lit entirely by electric lights, premieres at the Opera Comique in London (1881)... Elvis opens his first Las Vegas engagement, a 2-week run at the New Frontier Hotel. Presley is not the typical vegas Strip entertainer of the time and meets with a very cool reception (1956)... John Lennon and Paul McCartney adopt the pseudonym The Nerk Twins for a performance at the Fox & Hounds Pub in Caversham, Berks. (1960)... At the Olatunji Center of African Culture in NYC, John Coltrane plays his final recorded gig (1967)... The Beatles are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Get Back', the group's 16th UK chart-topper. Credited to 'The Beatles with Billy Preston' on the label of the 45 RPM, it was the group's only single that lists another artist. 'Get Back' is also the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US (1969)... The Rolling Stones release the album Sticky Fingers. The band's first release on their own label via Atlantic Records, the cover was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid $15,000 for his efforts. The LP sleeve featured a close-up of a pair of jeans with a working zip. Widely assumed to be that of Mick Jagger, the crotch photographed for the cover was actually that of actor Joe Dallesandro (1971)... Sire Records release The Ramones' eponymous debut album (1976)... Sid Vicious films himself performing his version of 'My Way' for The Sex Pistols' film 'The Great Rock n Roll Swindle' (1978)... David Bowie hits № 1 on the UK album chart with Let's Dance', while the title track sits atop the US singles chart (1983)... On his 52nd birthday, Roy Orbison joins Bruce Springsteen on stage at a concert by the latter in Denver, CO. The audience serenade the 'Pretty Woman composer' with 'Happy Birthday'... 
Whitney Houston breaks a chart record held jointly by The Beatles and The Bee Gees when 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', becomes her seventh consecutive US № 1 single (1988)... Peter Hodgson of Liverpool finds a tape in his attic containing 16 of The Beatles' earliest recordings made in 1959. The tape includes 'Hello Little Girl', a Lennon-McCartney composition that the Beatles never recorded and Ray Charles' 'Hallelujah, I Love Her So'. The sessions were taped on a reel-to-reel recorder that Hodgson's father had lent to Paul McCartney (1995)...  While out on a drink and drug-fuelled spree, Amy Winehouse hits and head-butts two men. After drinking all day, Amy visits the Good Mixer pub in Camden, London with Babyshambles guitarist Mik Whitnall. Inside she allegedly punches Mustapha el Mounmi in the face after he refuses to give way to her at the pool table. The singer then leaves to visit Bar Tok in the early hours and once inside the establishment shouted "I am a legend! Get these people out, I want to take drugs!" After leaving the bar a good Samaritan tries to get her a cab, but she believes that he is trying to molest her, and allegedly head-butts him in the face (2008)... Bob Dylan releases the album Together through Life (2009).

April 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Glen Campbell (79), conductor & musicologist Joshua Rifkin (71), singer-songwriter & radio host Larry Groce (67), Peter Frampton (65), Paul Carrack (64), Pennywise lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge (49), rapper Opio Lindsey (41), System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian (41), Gentlemen East lead guitarist Aaron Fincke (37), Hounds Below frontman Jason Stollsteimer (37), ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns (36), former Sugababes vocalist Amelle Berrabah (31), Dream Street vocalist Matt Ballinger (30), and rapper Richard Baker AKA Machine Gun Kelly (25). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violinist & conductor Yehudi Menuhin, born on this day in 1916... for Charles Mingus, born today in 1922... for jazz bassist & composer Paul Chambers, who would have been 80 today... for film score composer and Neil Young sideman Jack Nitzsche, who would have been 78... for composer Édouard Lalo, who died on this date in 1892... for jazz pianist Earl 'Fatha' Hines, who died in 1983... for songwriter Felice Bryant, who passed away in 2003... and for Richie Havens, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on April 22nd: Bach is hired as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, after two other candidates turned the job down (1723)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis and his ensemble sextet convene for the second and final recording session for Kind of Blue (1959)... The President of Britain's National Federation Of Hairdressers offers a free haircut to The Beatles' chief rivals for № 1 group in the UK pop charts. He says "The Rolling Stones are the worst ~ one of them looks as if he's got a feather duster on his head" (1964)... The Troggs' new single 'Wild Thing' is released in the US... Two dozen local groups appear at a ‘battle of the bands’ gig at the Matawan, NJ Keyport Roller Drome. All acts performed three songs each. The Rogues win first place, second are Sonny & The Starfires, and third place goes to The Castilles, with 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen on lead guitar and vocals. The three winners are given an opportunity to perform at the Roller Drome the following week as part of a major concert headlined by The Crystals (1966)... Deep Purple have the № 1 album in the UK with Machine Head (1972)... Polydor Records UK release The Jam's first single 'In the City' (1977)... Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at the 'One Love Peace Concert' in Jamaica. It is Marley's first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier... John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd perform as The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live for the first time (1978)... Warner Bros. Records release Around the World in a Day by Prince (1985)... The Dave Matthews Band make their live debut at an Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville, VA (1991)... Destiny's Child go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Survivor.' Their second chart topper, they are the first US all-female band to achieve the feat in Britain more than once (2001)... '60s pop singer Tommy Steele reveals that he took Elvis Presley on a secret tour of London in 1958 after Presley struck up a friendship with him. When the rock legend flew into London for a day, Steele tells the Times that he took him round the city, showing him famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Nelson's column. For more than 50 years, fans of the King had believed that the only time he ever set foot in the UK was during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport in Scotland in March 1960 on his way back from US Army service in Germany (2008).

April 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Glen Campbell (79), conductor & musicologist Joshua Rifkin (71), singer-songwriter & radio host Larry Groce (67), Peter Frampton (65), Paul Carrack (64), Pennywise lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge (49), rapper Opio Lindsey (41), System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian (41), Gentlemen East lead guitarist Aaron Fincke (37), Hounds Below frontman Jason Stollsteimer (37), ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns (36), former Sugababes vocalist Amelle Berrabah (31), Dream Street vocalist Matt Ballinger (30), and rapper Richard Baker AKA Machine Gun Kelly (25). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violinist & conductor Yehudi Menuhin, born on this day in 1916... for Charles Mingus, born today in 1922... for jazz bassist & composer Paul Chambers, who would have been 80 today... for film score composer and Neil Young sideman Jack Nitzsche, who would have been 78... for composer Édouard Lalo, who died on this date in 1892... for jazz pianist Earl 'Fatha' Hines, who died in 1983... for songwriter Felice Bryant, who passed away in 2003... and for Richie Havens, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on April 22nd: Bach is hired as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, after two other candidates turned the job down (1723)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis and his ensemble sextet convene for the second and final recording session for Kind of Blue (1959)... The President of Britain's National Federation Of Hairdressers offers a free haircut to The Beatles' chief rivals for № 1 group in the UK pop charts. He says "The Rolling Stones are the worst ~ one of them looks as if he's got a feather duster on his head" (1964)... The Troggs' new single 'Wild Thing' is released in the US... Two dozen local groups appear at a ‘battle of the bands’ gig at the Matawan, NJ Keyport Roller Drome. All acts performed three songs each. The Rogues win first place, second are Sonny & The Starfires, and third place goes to The Castilles, with 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen on lead guitar and vocals. The three winners are given an opportunity to perform at the Roller Drome the following week as part of a major concert headlined by The Crystals (1966)... Deep Purple have the № 1 album in the UK with Machine Head (1972)... Polydor Records UK release The Jam's first single 'In the City' (1977)... Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at the 'One Love Peace Concert' in Jamaica. It is Marley's first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier... John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd perform as The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live for the first time (1978)... Warner Bros. Records release Around the World in a Day by Prince (1985)... The Dave Matthews Band make their live debut at an Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville, VA (1991)... Destiny's Child go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Survivor.' Their second chart topper, they are the first US all-female band to achieve the feat in Britain more than once (2001)... '60s pop singer Tommy Steele reveals that he took Elvis Presley on a secret tour of London in 1958 after Presley struck up a friendship with him. When the rock legend flew into London for a day, Steele tells the Times that he took him round the city, showing him famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Nelson's column. For more than 50 years, fans of the King had believed that the only time he ever set foot in the UK was during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport in Scotland in March 1960 on his way back from US Army service in Germany (2008).

April 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Glen Campbell (79), conductor & musicologist Joshua Rifkin (71), singer-songwriter & radio host Larry Groce (67), Peter Frampton (65), Paul Carrack (64), Pennywise lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge (49), rapper Opio Lindsey (41), System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian (41), Gentlemen East lead guitarist Aaron Fincke (37), Hounds Below frontman Jason Stollsteimer (37), ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns (36), former Sugababes vocalist Amelle Berrabah (31), Dream Street vocalist Matt Ballinger (30), and rapper Richard Baker AKA Machine Gun Kelly (25). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violinist & conductor Yehudi Menuhin, born on this day in 1916... for Charles Mingus, born today in 1922... for jazz bassist & composer Paul Chambers, who would have been 80 today... for film score composer and Neil Young sideman Jack Nitzsche, who would have been 78... for composer Édouard Lalo, who died on this date in 1892... for jazz pianist Earl 'Fatha' Hines, who died in 1983... for songwriter Felice Bryant, who passed away in 2003... and for Richie Havens, who left us one year ago today. 

Also on April 22nd: Bach is hired as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, after two other candidates turned the job down (1723)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis and his ensemble sextet convene for the second and final recording session for Kind of Blue (1959)... The President of Britain's National Federation Of Hairdressers offers a free haircut to The Beatles' chief rivals for № 1 group in the UK pop charts. He says "The Rolling Stones are the worst ~ one of them looks as if he's got a feather duster on his head" (1964)... The Troggs' new single 'Wild Thing' is released in the US... Two dozen local groups appear at a ‘battle of the bands’ gig at the Matawan, NJ Keyport Roller Drome. All acts performed three songs each. The Rogues win first place, second are Sonny & The Starfires, and third place goes to The Castilles, with 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen on lead guitar and vocals. The three winners are given an opportunity to perform at the Roller Drome the following week as part of a major concert headlined by The Crystals (1966)... Deep Purple have the № 1 album in the UK with Machine Head (1972)... Polydor Records UK release The Jam's first single 'In the City' (1977)... Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at the 'One Love Peace Concert' in Jamaica. It is Marley's first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier... John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd perform as The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live for the first time (1978)... Warner Bros. Records release Around the World in a Day by Prince (1985)... The Dave Matthews Band make their live debut at an Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville, VA (1991)... Destiny's Child go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Survivor.' Their second chart topper, they are the first US all-female band to achieve the feat in Britain more than once (2001)... '60s pop singer Tommy Steele reveals that he took Elvis Presley on a secret tour of London in 1958 after Presley struck up a friendship with him. When the rock legend flew into London for a day, Steele tells the Times that he took him round the city, showing him famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Nelson's column. For more than 50 years, fans of the King had believed that the only time he ever set foot in the UK was during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport in Scotland in March 1960 on his way back from US Army service in Germany (2008).

April 21st

Musical birthdays today include jazz guitarist Eddy Christiani (97), arranger & trombonist Slide Hampton (83), composer & pianist John McCabe (76), Iggy Pop (68), former Family bassist John Weider (68), Patti LuPone (66), Misfits bassist Jerry Only (56), The Cure frontman Robert Smith (56), Spearhead and former Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy leader (49), Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard (45), rapper & producer Adam 'Doseone' Drucker (38), and Rancid drummer Branden Steineckert (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Efrem Zimbalist, born on this day in 1889... for choral composer Randall Thompson, born in 1899... for country singer Ira Louvin, born in 1924... for Allesandro Moreschi, the last known castrato soprano (and the only one have been recorded), who died on this date in 1921... for Jordanaires vocalist Neal Matthews, Jr., who died in 2000... and for Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on April 21st: Against the composer's wishes, a rehearsal for Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks is opened to the public six days before its scheduled premiere. The 12,000 spectators who flock to the performance in Vauxhall Gardens cause a traffic jam on London Bridge (1749)... Leonard Bernstein makes his debut as  conductor, leading the Harvard University Orchestra in his own incidental music for a drama department production of Aristophanes' 'The Birds' (1939)... At Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs. NJ, McCoy Tyner records The Real McCoy, his first solo album since leaving John Coltrane's quartet... At Abbey Road studios, The Beatles completed the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The final recordings are a short section of gibberish and noise which will follow 'A Day in the Life', in the run-out groove. They record assorted noises and voices, which engineer Geoff Emerick then cuts up and randomly re-assembles and edits backwards. At John Lennon's suggestion, they also add a high-pitch 15 kilocycle whistle audible only by dogs. This is omitted from the American version of the album (1967)... Janis Joplin makes her UK debut at the Royal Albert Hall, with Yes as her opening act (1969)... Tony Orlando & Dawn hit № 1 in America with 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'round the Old Oak Tree' (1973)... Women Against Violence Against Women call for a boycott of all Warner Communications albums because of the promotional campaign for the Rolling Stones' new album Black and Blue. The album is being promoted with a controversial advertising campaign that depicts model Anita Russell, bruised and tied up, under the phrase ‘I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones - and I love it!’ (1976)... Joe Strummer disappears without a trace, causing his bandmates to cancel the upcoming Combat Rock tour. The Clash frontman turns up three weeks later in Paris [where he also completed the city's marathon] living under a bridge. (1982)... Paul McCartney plays in front of 184,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, setting a new world record for the largest crowd to attend a rock concert... Sinead O'Connor is at № 1 in the US and the UK with 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. The single will eventually top the charts in 18 countries worldwide (1990)... Bill Wyman marries for the third time when he ties the knot with 33-year-old fashion designer Suzanne Acosta in Saint Paul de Vence in the south of France (1993)... Peter Buck is charged by police at Heathrow Airport with being drunk and disorderly on an aircraft and with assaulting British airways crew. The R.E.M. guitarist is taken into custody after landing on a flight from Seattle and is questioned by police for 12 hours (2001).

April 20th

Musical birthdays today include conductor and organ virtuoso Christopher Robinson (79), singer-songwriter Johnny Tillotson (76), Silver Bullet Band pianist Craig Frost (67), Dream Theater drummer Mark Portnoy (66), Stephen Marley (43), and rapper Michael 'Killer Mike' Render (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Lionel Hampton, born on this day in 1908... for salsa drummer Tito Puente, born in 1923... for Luther Vandross, who would have been 64 today... for Steve Mariott, who died on this date in 1991... for jazz pianist Andrew Hill, who died in 2007... for Chopper City Boyz rapper Michael 'VL Mike' Allen, who was shot to death on this day in 2008 at the age of 32... for TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist Gerard Smith, who passed away in 2011... and for guitarist and teacher Bert Weedon, who left us three years ago today. 

Also on April 20th: Handel receives a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey (1759)... In NYC, Billie Holiday records 'Strange Fruit' for the first time (1939)... Elvis starts  2-month run at № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'All Shook Up' (1957)... Goldband Records in Nashville releases 13-year-old Dolly Parton's first single 'Puppy Love', recorded when she was 11. The record fails to chart (1959)... The Federal Communications Commission formally adopts an FM standard, clearing the way for commercial FM radio broadcasting to begin in the US (1961)... Sun Ra records The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra at RLA Studios in NYC (1965)... During a 12-hour session at Abbey Road, The Beatles get John's 'And Your Bird Can Sing' and George's 'Taxman' in the can (1966)... Deep Purple make their live debut at a gig in Tastrup, Denmark. Currently known as Roundabout, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggests just before going on that the band introduce themselves as Deep Purple, named after his grandmother's favourite song [which had been a hit for Peter De Rose], after his grandmother repeatedly asked if they would be performing the tune... Apple Music Ltd. run advertisements soliciting tapes from unknown artists, offering financial grants as part of a deal to release records on the Apple label.  Badfinger, James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, David Peel and Elephant's Memory will be among those signed up (1968)... Paul McCartney releases his self-titled debut solo album (1970)... 84 year old George Burns, who starred in the movie Oh God! with John Denver, becomes the oldest person to have a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when 'I Wish I Was 18 Again' peaks at No. 49. When asked if he wished he were 18 again, Burns replies "I wish I was 80 again." Before this, his most recent charting record had been a spoken word comedy routine with his wife and partner Gracie Allen in the summer of 1933 (1980)... 'We Are the World' by USA for Africa goes to № 1 in the UK (1985)...  At the age of 92, Vladimir Horowitz returns to his native Russia for the first time in 60 years to give a recital at the Moscow Conservatory (1986)... A record store in Callaway, FL is forced to closed down and a part-time clerk was arrested after selling a copy of the 2 Live Crew album 2 Live Is What We Are to a 14 year old boy. Local officials had deemed the recording obscene because of its suggestive lyrics (1987)... Janet Jackson receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1990)... 'A Concert For Life' takes place at Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and to raise AIDS awareness. Acts appearing include Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, James Hetfield, George Michael, Seal, Paul Young, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfield, Robert Plant, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, and Axl Rose and Slash (1992)... Parlophone Records release Radiohead's debut album Pablo Honey (1993)... Robert Plant appears at Disney's Theatre of the Stars in Orlando, Florida to leave his handprints outside the theatre (2000)... At the London Astoria, a memorial concert for former Small Faces and Humble Pie front man Steve Marriott takes place on the 10th anniversary of his death. On the bill are Peter Frampton, Midge Ure, Chris Farlowe and the current lineup of Humble Pie (2001).

April 19th

Musical birthdays today include producer & parodist Dickie Goodman (81), rock singer & producer Genya Ravan (75), Alan Price (73), New Seekers vocalist Eve Graham (72), Bernie Worrell (71), former Turtles guitarist Mark Volman (68), progressive rock & fusion jazz drummer Rod Morgenstein (62), ex-Black Sabbath lead singer Tony Martin (58), operatic soprano Natalie Dessay (50), record company executive Suge Knight (50), singer-songwriter Dar Williams (48), and Canadian folk singer & multi-instrumentalist Fiona MacGillivray (26). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for philanthropist and musical education patron Augustus D. Juilliard, born on this day in 1836... for jazz guitarist Gene Leis, born in 1920... for British blues pioneer Alexis Korner, who would have been 87 today... for Dudley Moore, who would have been 80... for hymn composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley, who died on this date in 1876... for pianist and arranger Conrad Leonard, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 104 as the oldest musician then working in Britain. His collaborations had ranged from Cole Porter to Petula Clark, and until the age of 103 he played the piano every Thursday lunchtime at the Plantation Café in Twickenham... for former Men at Work saxophonist Greg Ham, and for Levon Helm, both of whom left us three years ago today. 

Also on April 19th: Gluck's opera Iphigénie en Aulide premieres at the Opéra du Palais Royale in Paris. The work is such a departure from the prevailing style of the day that a near riot breaks out in the hall (1774)... 'National Barn Dance', the first country music radio program, goes on the air at station WLS-AM in Chicago (1924)... Rogers & Hammerstein's 'Carousel' premieres on Broadway (1945)... The FCC authorises regular FM stereo broadcasting beginning on June 1st (1961)... The Beatles single 'Ticket to Ride' is released by Capitol Records in the US. The single's label states that the song is from the upcoming movie 'Eight Arms to Hold You' [the original title for 'Help!'] (1965)... John Lennon, George Harrison and their wives leave the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their course of study is complete. Ringo and Paul have already gone back to England... CBS Records release Odyssey and Oracle by The Zombies (1968)... Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band appear at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. The gig was unadvertised by its promoter, who gambled that word-of-mouth would be enough to fill the 550-seat venue; only 250 people attend. Tickets cost $4.50 and $5.50 in advance (1974)... Blondie are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Call Me'... Brian Johnson officially joins AC/DC, replacing the late Bon Scott as lead singer... For the first time ever, the top five artists on the Billboard country chart are all female ~ Crystal Gayle is at № 1 with 'it's Like We Never Said Goodbye', with Dottie West, Debbie Boone, Emmylou Harris and Tammy Wynette rounding out the Top 5... R.E.M. play their first gig under their new name at the 11:11 Koffee Club in Athens, GA to 150 people. The show ends at 2 a.m. when police raid the unlicensed venue and close it down (1980)... George Michael goes to № 1 in the UK with 'A Different Corner', the singer's second solo № 1 single. Michael becomes the first solo act ever to top the British chart with his first two releases. It is also the first UK № 1 since 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' by Stevie Wonder to have been written, performed, arranged and produced by the same person... In the USA, Prince has the top song with 'Kiss', and also has his name on the № 2 single, as the author of The Bangles' 'Manic Monday' (1986)... Sonny Bono is inaugurated as the mayor of Palm Springs, CA (1988)... On this week's BBC- TV's 'French and Saunders' comedy show, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Mark King of Level 42 and Gary Moore of Thin Lizzy all appear  in a comedy courthouse sketch, which ends with all of the guitarists jamming together in a jail cell (1990)... The Stone Roses play their first gig in five years at a small club in Oslo, Norway (1995)... Michael Jackson attends an unveiling of a wax statue of himself at the Grevin Museum of Wax in Paris. Jackson provided one of his own outfits to dress the figure (1997)... It is announced that two 30-second television commercials designed to attract vacationing families to Graceland to experience the 'real' Elvis will air nationally in the US starting in April 2006. It is the first time in the history of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. that the company has used TV advertising to promote Graceland tourism (2006)... A week after Roman Catholic Church officials published an article in the Vatican's 'L'Osservatore Romano' newspaper that said they forgive John Lennon's remarks about The Beatles being "bigger than Jesus", Ringo Starr rejects their forgiveness. The newspaper's editors had written, 'The Beatles said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages that were possibly even Satanic... (but) what would Pop music be like without them?" Ringo, unimpressed, replies "Didn't the Vatican say we were Satanic or possibly Satanic? And they've still forgiven us? I think the Vatican have got more to talk about than the Beatles" (2010).

April 18th

Musical birthdays today include session pianist and former Elvis sideman Glen Hardin (76), Manfred Mann flautist Mike Vickers (75), Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen (54), Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini (52), former Happy Mondays drummer Mike 'Bez' Berry (51), ex-Everclear drummer Greg Eklund (45), Onyx rapper Fredro Starr (44), Creed lead guitarist Mark Tremonti (41), Broadway musical performer Reeve Carney (32), and The Wanted vocalist Nathan Sykes (22). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor Leopold Stokowski, born on this day in 1882... for jazz pianist Eurreal 'Little Brother' Montgomery, born in 1906... for guitarist Tony Mottola, born in 1918... for bluesman Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, born in 1924... for original Jefferson Airplane drummer Skip Spence, who would have been 69 today... for Material Issue frontman Jim Ellison, who would have been 51... for Milton Brown, 'The Father of Western Swing', who died on this date in 1936... for producer and Chic bassist Bernard Edwards, who died in 1996... for Dick Clark, who passed away in 2012... and for former Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Cordell 'Boogie' Mosson, and graphic artist Storm Thorgerson [best remembered for designing the album cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon], both of whom left us a year ago today. 

Also on April 18th: The Beatles appear on the UK TV comedy program The Morecambe and Wise Show, playing ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, and ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and also participating in sketches with hosts Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. The Fab Four also hold the UK and US № 1

position on this day with 'Can't Buy Me Love (1964)... At Carnegie Hall, Marian Anderson gives her final public performance (1965)... Bob Dylan arrives at the Sydney Airport to begin the Australian leg of his current world tour, and is greeted by a curious local press corps. However, the journalists seem unable to cope with Dylan's surreal responses to their questions (Q: "Would you say there is a general theme to your songs?" A: "They're all either about bowling or the Second Coming"), and the press conference rapidly grinds to a halt (1966)...  Fontana Records release The Pretty Things' album Emotions (1967)... Bruce Springsteen's current band Steel Mill play a gig in the Central Gym at Ocean County College in Toms River, NJ. Admission is $2.00 (1970)... Michael Jackson undergoes surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to repair damage done after his hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial (1984)... On the first leg of the Joshua Tree tour, U2 begin a 5-night run at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena (1987)... Oasis drummer Tony McCarrol is told over the phone that he has being sacked from the group. McCarrol sues the Manchester group for millions in unpaid royalties and in 1996 Oasis agree to pay him a one-off sum of £550,000 (1995)... Eamon hits № 1 in the UK with 'Fuck It, (I Don't Want You Back)', his debut single. The song also earns a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for 'Most expletives in a № 1 song', with 33 (2004)... An original 1963 mono copy of the Beatles‘ Please Please Me album, signed by the Fab Four, sells on an eBay auction for nearly $25,000. Paul McCartney and John Lennon both signed their names with 'love' in royal blue ink, whereas George Harrison and Ringo Starr signed their names in midnight blue. The autographs were signed in May of the year of release (2012). 

  

April 17th

Musical birthdays today include jazz trombonist Chris Barber (85), operatic soprano Anja Silja (75), Jan Hammer (67), Monochrome Set lead guitarist Tom Hardy AKA Lester Square (61), Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley (60), Tool lead singer Maynard Keenan AKA MJK (51), Liz Phair (48), rapper Reggie Noble AKA Redman (45), Victoria Beckham (41), and Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Artur Schnabel, born on this day in 1882... for producer & impresario Don Kirshner, who would have been 81 today... for early British rocker Ronald Wycherley AKA Billy Fury, who would have been 75... for Eddie Cochran, who was killed in a car crash today in 1960 at the age of 21... for Cream producer and original Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi, who was shot to death by his wife today in 1983 at the age of 43... for former Bob Marley & the Wailers drummer Carlton Barrett, who was shot dead outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica on this day in 1987 at the age of 36... for country singer Hank Penny, who passed away in 1992... for Linda McCartney, who died in 1998... and for E Street Band organist Danny Federici, who left us today in 2008.  

Also on April 17th: Mozart's opera The Magic Flute is performed in America for the first time, in an English translation at the Park Theater in NYC (1833)... In San Francisco, Enrico Caruso sings in Bizet's Carmen with the SF Metropolitan Opera Company the night before the earthquake and fire that destroy most of the city (1906)... Philips Records releases Dusty Springfield's debut album A Girl Called Dusty (1964)... Disguised in an overcoat, cloth cap, moustache and glasses, Paul McCartney spends the day shopping for furniture in Portobello Road, London (1965)... While performing at the White House at the invitation of President Richard Nixon, Johnny Cash is asked to sing 'Okie From Muskogee'. Cash declines because it is not his song, but was a success for Merle Haggard. Instead, Cash performs his № 1 hit, 'A Boy Named Sue'... Santana begin the sessions for what will be their breakthrough album Abraxas at the Wally Heider Recording Studio in San Francisco... Deram Records release Cricklewood Green by Ten Years After (1970)... All four Beatles have solo singles in the UK charts: Paul McCartney with 'Another Day', John Lennon with 'Power To The People', George Harrison with 'My Sweet Lord', and Ringo Starr, 'It Don't Come Easy'. Meanwhile, Three Dog Night's 'Joy to the World' is at № 1 in the USA (1971)... Dark Side of the Moon is certified Gold in the US (1973)... Elvis buys a Convair 880 Jet formerly owned by Delta Airlines for $250,000, and re-christens it 'Lisa Marie'. The King spends a further $600,000 refurbishing the jet to include personal quarters, a meeting area and a dance floor (1975)... The Stranglers, Cherry Vanilla, The Police and The Jam all appear on the same bill at The Roundhouse in London (1977)... At a gig at Seattle's OK Hotel, Nirvana play their new song 'Smells like Teen Spirit' in public for the first time (1991)... Pink Floyd have the № 1 album in the UK with The Division Bell (1994)... Kurt Cobain's Mark IV-style Mosrite Gospel guitar sells for $100,000 at the 'Icons of 20th Century Music' auction held in Dallas, TX. Other items sold include Elton John and Bernie Taupin's song writing piano, which goes for $140,000, and a 1966 Rickenbacker guitar once owned by The Byrds' Roger McGuinn's fetches $99,000 (2006)... Bryan Ferry is forced to make an apology after praising Nazi iconography in a German magazine. Talking to 'Welt am Sonntag', he said the Nazis "knew how to put themselves in the limelight and present themselves... I'm talking about the films of Leni Riefenstahl and the buildings of Albert Speer and the mass marches and the flags. Just amazing ~ really beautiful." British MPs subsequently asked shoppers to think twice about shopping at Marks and Spencer,  asking for Ferry to be dropped as the face of the M&S Autograph menswear collection. Ferry says he is "deeply upset" by the publicity surrounding the interview (2007)... Morrissey walks off stage during his set at the Coachella festival after declaring he could "smell burning flesh". The committed vegetarian took offence to the smell coming from nearby barbecues. Sir Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure are also on the bill today (2009).  

April 16th

Musical birthdays today include empresario & producer Robert Stigwood (81), Bobby Vinton (80), pop singer Vince Hill (78), former Midnight Oil lead singer Peter Garrett (62), former Minor Threat guitarist Ian MacKaye (53), Jimmy Osmond (52), Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner (51), and singer-songwriter Marié Digby (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Henry Mancini, and former Bill Haley & His Comets saxophonist Rudy Pompilli, both born on this day in 1924... for jazz flautist Herbie Mann, who would have been 85... for Dusty Springfield, who would have been 76... for original Foghat lead singer Dave Peverett, who would have been 72... for Gerry Rafferty, who would have been 68... for Selena, who would have been 44... and for original Jefferson Airplane drummer Skip Spence, who left us today in 1999. 

Also on April 16th: Meyerbeer's opera Le Prophète premieres in Paris (1840)... Heitor Villa-Lobos' opera Izaht is performed in Rio de Janeiro for the first time (1940)... Decca Records release Buddy Holly's debut single, 'Blue Days, Black Nights' (1956)... At Gerde's Folk City, Bob Dylan performs 'Blowin' in the Wind' in public for the first time (1962)... The Rolling Stones' eponymous debut album is released in the UK... The Beatles film the 'chase scenes' for 'A Hard Day's Night ' with actors dressed as policemen in the Notting Hill Gate area of London. In the evening, the band record the title track for the film at Abbey Road. John and Paul had the title first, and then finished the song around it. They complete the track in nine takes (1964)... Transatlantic records release Bert Jansch's self-titled debut (1965)... Pye Records release A Gift from a Flower to a Garden, the first double album of Donovan's career (1968)... Desmond Dekker and the Aces have the № 1 single in the UK with 'The Israelites', making them the first Jamaican artists to top the British chart... Elektra Records drop The MC5 from their label after the band took out an advertisement in a Detroit newspaper that included the company logo and the words 'Fuck Hudson's.' The band were expressing their displeasure at the Michigan department store's refusal to stock their albums (1969)... 'Whole Lotta Love' is certified Gold in the US after selling over a million copies. The single peaked at № 4 on the US singles chart. In the UK, Atlantic Records had expected to issue the 45 RPM as well, and pressed initial copies for release on the of 5th December 1969. However, Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant was adamant that the band maintain a 'no-singles' approach to marketing their recorded music in Britain, and he halted the release (1970)... The Electric Light Orchestra make their debut at The Fox and Greyhound in Croydon, Surrey. ELO were formed to accommodate the desire of Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne, both former members of The Move, to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones. Wood departed following the band's debut record, leaving Lynne to write and arranged all of the group's original compositions and produce every album (1972)... Paul McCartney's first television special, 'James Paul McCartney', airs in America on the ABC network. The show, which includes performances by McCartney and Wings, will be broadcast in the UK on May 10th (1973)... David Soul, one half of the TV duo Starsky & Hutch, makes his only hit as a singer a big one, topping the charts in both the US and the UK with 'Don't Give up on Us' (1977)... The soundtracks to 'The Last Waltz', Martin Scorsese's film of The Band's final concert in 1976, is released (1978)... Bonnie Tyler's debut album Faster Than the Speed of Light gives the Welsh singer her only UK № 1 LP (1983)... David Lee Roth is arrested in Washington Square Park in NYC for allegedly buying a $10 bag of marijuana from an undercover police officer (1993)... The Artist Formerly Known as Prince has his first UK № 1 single with 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.' It is the singer's first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (1994)... Jerry Lee Lewis files for divorce from his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver Lewis. They had been married since 1984 (2003)... OK Computer by Radiohead is voted the best album of all time in a national phone-in poll by UK TV station Channel 4. U2 are in second place with The Joshua Tree and Nirvana in third with Nevermind (2005).