April 18th

Musical birthdays today include session pianist and former Elvis sideman Glen Hardin (79), Manfred Mann flautist Mike Vickers (78), Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen (57), Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini (55), former Happy Mondays drummer Mike 'Bez' Berry (54), ex-Everclear drummer Greg Eklund (48), Onyx rapper Fredro Starr (47), Creed lead guitarist Mark Tremonti (44), Broadway musical performer Reeve Carney (35), and The Wanted vocalist Nathan Sykes (25). 

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 72 today... for Material Issue frontman Jim Ellison, who would have been 54... 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 four years 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).