October 10th

Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter John Prine (71), song & dance man Ben Vereen (71), Radiators singer & keyboardist Ed Volker (71), ex-Ultravox frontman James 'Midge' Ure (64), David Lee Roth (63), Tanya Tucker (59), Casbah Club frontman Simon Townshend [yes, he's related to Pete ~ he's his younger brother] (57), Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp (56), ex-.38 Special Drummer Scott Hoffman (56), Crystal Waters (53), Rebecca Pidgeon (52), Goo Goo Dolls drummer Mike Malinin (52), classical pianist Evgenii Kissin (46), Collective Soul guitarist Dean Roland (45), Bluetones bassist Scott Morriss (44), and Marina Diamandis (32).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Giuseppe Verdi, born on this day in 1813... for R&B singer Ivory Joe Hunter, born in 1914... for Count Basie sideman Harry 'Sweets' Edison, born in 1916... for Thelonious Monk, born one hundred years ago today... for Edith Piaf, who died on this date in 1963... for song & dance man Eddie Cantor, who died in 1964... for Boyzone vocalist Stephen Gately, who passed away today in 2009 at the age of 33 from undetermined causes... and for operatic soprano Joan Sutherland, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on October 10: The Gibson Mandolin & Guitar Company is incorporated (1902)... Porgy and Bess opens on Broadway at the Alvin Theater (1935)... The real Eleanor Rigby dies in her sleep of undetermined causes at the age of 44. Paul McCartney's first draft of the song was called 'Miss Daisy Hawkins', but he changed it after spotting Ms. Rigby's name on a tombstone during a nostalgic walk around the cemetery of St. Peter's Parish Church in Liverpool, where he and John Lennon first met in 1957 (1939)... Elvis Presley's 'Love Me Tender' enters the Billboard Hot 100 ~ it will stay on the charts for 19 weeks, and become the King's first national no.1 for 5 (1956)... The Beatles appear at De Monfort Hall, Leicester, on their current UK tour. Ringo, who has just taken delivery of a new Vagel Vega sportscar, drives himself to the gig from Liverpool, running late. By his account, the drummer will reach speeds of up to 140 MPH during the trip (1964)... The Monkees release their eponymous debut LP... The Beach Boys release the 'Good Vibrations' single (1966)... King Crimson release their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)...  The Carpenters enter the US top 10 with 'We've Only Just Begun', which Richard Carpenter originally wrote as a jingle for a local savings bank (1970)... Jesus Christ Superstar premieres on Broadway (1971)... Steve Tyler and Joe Perry suffer minor injuries after a cherry bomb is tossed on stage during an Aerosmith gig in Philadelphia. The band will perform behind a protective fence for the remainder of the tour (1978)... The Rose, starring Bette Midler [in her screen debut] as a character transparently based on Janis Joplin, has its world premier in Los Angeles (1979)... John Bonham is laid to rest in the cemetery of St. Michael's Church  in his hometown of Rushock, Worcs. (1980)... R.E.M. have the no. 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Automatic for the People' (1992)... Britney Spears makes her live debut in the UK when she plays the first of three sold out dates at Wembley Stadium (2000)... The latest issue of Blender contains the results of a poll the magazine conducted to determine the worst rock lyricist of all time. Rounding out the top of the list are: 1) Sting [for such transgressions as name-checking Vladimir Nabokov, and quoting bumperstickers, Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare] 2) Rush drummer Neil Peart 3) Creed frontman Scott Stapleton and 4) Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher ['He seems incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse', according to the publication] (2007)... Paul McCartney marries New Yorker Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, London (2011).