June 30th

Musical birthdays today include conductor James Loughran (88), cellist Michael Van Biel (82), songwriter & producer Tony Hatch (80), pop singer & songwriter Eddie Rambeau (76), ex-Little River Band lead singer Glenn Shorrock (75), Sweet lead guitarist Andy Scott (70), jazz bassist Stanley Clarke (68), ex-Dire Straits guitarist & film score composer Hal Lindes (66), Helix lead singer Brian Vollmer (64), Tommy Keene (61), Dead Can Dance co-founder Brendan Perry (60), All about Eve lead singer Julianne Regan (57), Yngwie Malmsteen (56), Down frontman Phil Anselmo (51), Franz Ferdinand drummer Andy Knowles (37), Cheryl Cole (36).


Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Mississippi Sheiks guitarist Bo Carter, born on this day in 1893... for Lena Horne, born in 1917... for folksinger Dave Van Ronk, who would have been 83 today... for folksinger Mark Spoelstra, who would have been 79... for Supremes vocalist Florence Ballard, who would have been 76... for Lee De Forrest, inventor of the audion tube [which made commercial radio possible], who died on this date in 1961... for country singer Chet Atkins and saxophonist Joe Henderson, both of whom passed away in 2001... and for classical and Broadway singer Harve Presnell, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on June 30th: Charles Mingus records Mingus Plays Piano, his only full album-length solo outing on the instrument... James Brown's Live at the Apollo is released (1963)... The Beatles play the first of three concerts at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The first concert is filmed with The Beatles wearing black suits. The following day's performance was also filmed, with The Beatles wearing white suits. There is a heavy police presence, with 3,000 uniformed officers observing each concert played in front of 10,000 fans (1966)... George Harrison knocks Paul McCartney from the top of the US singles chart [where his former bandmate was ruling with 'My Love'] with 'Give Me Love, Give Me Peace On Earth'. His second US № 1, it is the opening track on his album Living in the Material World (1973)... Four days after divorcing Sonny Bono, Cher marries Greg Allman, only to split from him 10 days later. They will be reconciled and carry on a tempestuous 3-year marriage before divorcing... The Jackson Five announce that they were leaving Motown Records for the Epic label. The brothers are forced to change their name to The Jacksons since Motown own the rights to the original name (1975)... Police raided the Malibu, CA home of Neil Diamond searching for drugs ~ they find less than half an ounce of marijuana (1976)... United Artists Records release The Buzzcocks single 'Love You More' ~ at 1 minute 29 seconds, it is the second shortest single ever released. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 1960 hit 'Stay' remains the shortest chart single at 1 minute 28 seconds (1978)... One-hit wonder Anita Ward has the № 1 song in America and Britain with 'Ring My Bell' (1979)... Police are called in to control over 4,000 Bobby Brown fans trying to see their idol at the HMV Record store in London's Oxford Street; six fans are hospitalised and one has to be given artificial respiration at the scene... The Stone Roses play at Leeds Polytechnic. The gig almost does not take place after a security man who fails to recognise Ian Brown refuses to let the lead singer backstage (1989)... New Kids On The Block start a three week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Step By Step'. The album of the same name is at № 1 in the UK (1990)... Garth Brooks is given a star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame. The singer has buried the master tapes of his 'Hits' album under the star (1995)... Kinks founder member Dave Davies is left paralysed on the right-hand side of his body after suffering a stroke. The 57-year-old guitarist and brother of fellow Kinks star Ray was on an appearance tour to promote his solo material when he collapsed (2004)... R.E.M. play a five-night series of shows at Dublin's Olympia Theatre. Dubbed ‘working rehearsals’ by the band, many songs from their forthcoming album ‘Accelerate’ will be performed publicly for the first time, some of them still works in progress (2007).

June 29th

Musical birthdays today include composer Vyacheslav Artyomov (79), Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice (71), Dokken frontman Don Dokken (66), ex-Men at Work lead singer Colin Hay (66), former Go-Betweens frontman Robert Forster (62), DJ & music broadcaster Mark Radcliffe (61), Bad Religion lead guitarist Greg Hetson (58), classical violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter (56), former Static-X guitarist Tripp Eisen (52), Matthew Good (48), Flight of the Conchords co-founder Bret McKenzie (43), Phantom Planet bassist Sam Farrar (41), ex-Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger (41), former Danity Kane vocalist Aundrea Fimbres, (36), and Suburban Legends drummer Derek Lee Rock (35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Nelson Eddy, born on this day in 1901... for Broadway composer Frank Loesser [best remembered for Guys and Dolls], born in 1910... for film score composer Bernard Herrmann, born in 1911... for Eva Boyd AKA Little Eva, who would have been 76 today... for classical pianist Jan Paderewski, who died on this date in 1941... for Eric Dolphy, who passed away in 1964... for Tim Buckley, who died of a drug overdose today in 1975 at the age of 28... for Little Feat founder & frontman Lowell George, who died in 1979... and for Rosemary Clooney, who left us today in 2002.  

Also on June 29th: 13-year-old Franz Liszt gives a demonstration of inventor Sebastian Erard's new and improved piano-forte at London's Drury Lane Theatre (1824)... In London, Edison collaborator and envoy George Edward Gouraud plays a section of a piano arrangement of Handel's oratorio Israel in to Egypt for a wax cylinder phonograph ~ the result is the oldest known surviving example of recorded classical music... Wagner's first opera Die Feen [The Fairies], written when the composer was 21, premieres at the Hoftheater in Munich five years after his death (1888)... A free concert is held in London's Hyde Park with Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Roy Harper on the bill. The one-day event is the first free festival to be held in Hyde Park. The concert was organised to coincide with the release of Pink Floyd's second album, A Saucerful of Secrets... The Small Faces start a six week run at № 1 on the UK album chart with Ogden's Nut Gone Flake (1968)... Peter Frampton breaks his arm and cracks several ribs when he is involved in a car crash in the Bahamas (1978)... Bruce Springsteen kicks off the first leg of his Born in the USA Tour with a three night run at the Civic Center in St. Paul, MN. Springsteen & the E Street Band will play a total of 156 shows and close on October 2, 1985 in Los Angeles (1984)...  David Bowie and Mick Jagger record a version of the Martha and the Vandellas 1964 hit 'Dancing In The Street.' for the forthcoming 'Live Aid' fundraising event. The single goes on to become a № 1 UK hit. The original plan was to perform a track together live, with Bowie performing at Wembley Stadium and Jagger at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, until it was realized that the satellite link-up would cause a half-second delay that would make this impossible unless either Bowie or Jagger lip-synched their contribution, something neither artist was willing to do... John Lennon's 1965 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine, complete with psychedelic paintwork, sells for a record sum of $3,006,385 at a Sotheby's auction in NYC (1985)... Oasis make their Top of the Pops debut performing their new single 'Shakermaker' (1994)... George Martin receives a knighthood, and Van Morrison an OBE (1996)... Eminem's mother files a a $10 million defamation of character lawsuit, after taking exception to the line 'My mother smokes more dope than I do' from her son's single 'My Name Is' (2000)... Canada Post issues the limited edition Joni Mitchell stamp. She is being recognised in a series along with three other iconic Canadian recording artists: Paul Anka, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray (2007).

June 28th

Musical birthdays today include original Procol Harum bassist David Knights (74), operatic baritone Thomas Hampson (64), ex-Inspiral Carpets keyboardist Clint Boon (60), producer and former Nine Inch Nails keybordist Charlie Clouser (56), Bobby Bare, jr. (53), Elmer 'Chayanne' Arce (51), Danielle Brisebois (49), and Killers bassist Mark Stoermer (42).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Richard Rodgers, born today in 1902... for saxophonist & big band arranger Jimmy Mundy, born in 1907... for bluesman David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, born in 1915... for cornet player & bandleader Red Nichols, who died on this date in 1965... for Mills Brothers vocalist Harry Mills, who passed away in 1982... for punk singer-songwriter Kevin 'GG' Allin, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 1993 at the age of 36... and for rock impresario and longtime Kiss manager Bill Aucoin, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on June 28th: 'Blue Tango' by Leroy Anderson is recorded in a Decca session with the composer conducting. It is the title track for a collection of light orchestral pieces that goes on to become the first million-selling instrumental album of the LP era (1951)... John Coltrane and Don Cherry collaborate in the first of two sessions that will make up the album The Avant-Garde. The tapes will remain in the vaults of Atlantic Records until 1966, when the label releases the album without Coltrane's input or approval (1960)... Motown release Come and Get These Memories, the debut album from Martha and the Vandellas (1963)... The Small Faces play the Marquee Club in Wardour St. in London. Admission is 7s & 6d, or the equivalent of $1... Merle Haggard records 'The Bottle Let Me down' at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles (1966)... The Beatles record 'Good Night', John's lullaby for his 5-year-old son Julian, with Ringo on lead vocals... Pink Floyd release their second album A Saucerful Of Secrets. It is the last Pink Floyd album on which Syd Barrett appears and the only studio album to which all five band members contribute. The sleeve was designed by Hipgnosis, a new company formed by the band's friends Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey 'Po' Powell, who were paid £110 for their efforts (1968)... The Eagles have their first US № 1 album with One of These Nights. The record has also yielded three top 10 singles with 'Lyin' Eyes', 'Take It to the Limit' and the title track (1975)... Elton John achieves a lifelong ambition when he becomes chairman of the Watford Football Club (1977)... 

Paul McCartney's 'Coming Up' becomes one of the few live recordings to reach the top of Billboard's Hot 100. American disc jockeys preferred it to the studio version on the flip side of the single (1980)... Burt Bacharach appears at The Royal Albert Hall, London. Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher joins him on-stage for a version of 'This Guy's In Love With You' (1996)... Radiohead have the UK's № 1 album with OK Computer... Dark Side of the Moon' begins its 1056th week on the US album chart. It has long been rumoured that if the album is played while watching The Wizard of Oz movie, and started exactly when the MGM lion roars for the third time during the movie's intro, fascinating connections can be made between the two (1997)... The Spice Girls confirmed they will reform for a world tour to take place in December 2007 and January 2008 with the original line-up, who have not performed on stage since 'Ginger Spice' Geri Halliwell quit in May 1998. The 11 dates announced include a London show on 15 December, eight days after the first date in Los Angeles. Other dates included Cologne, Madrid Beijing, Hong Kong, Sydney and Cape Town. The tour is being put together by Simon Fuller, whose '19' company masterminded the group's global success more than a decade ago (2007).

June 27th

Musical birthdays today include songwriter and Beach Boys sideman Bruce Johnston (77), Radiators guitarist Camile Baudoin (71), Lisa Germano (61), ex-Shapes bassist Brian Helicopter [né Gareth Holder] (61), country singer Lorrie Morgan (60), singer-songwriter & ex-Menudo vocalist Draco Rosa (50),  Sixpence None the Richer lead singer Leigh Nash (43), ex-Your Enemies Friends keyboardist Jennifer Goodridge (39), and Drake Bell (33).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Elton Britt, born on this day in 1913... for jazz pianist Elmo Hope, born in 1923... for country singer Rosalie Allen, born in 1924... for songwriter Doc Pomus [best remembered for 'Save the Last Dance for Me' and 'Viva Las Vegas'], born in 1925... for former Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington, who would have been 74... for Gun Club frontman Jeffrey Lee Pierce, who would have been 61... for composer George Templeton Strong, who died on this date in 1948... for Seven Year Bitch co-founder & lead guitarist Stefanie Sargent, who died of a drug overdose today in 1992 at the age of 24... for John Entwistle, who left us today in 2002 as the result of a cocaine OD... and for Yes bassist Chris Squire, who left us four years ago today. 

Also on June 27th: Peter & Gordon are at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with the Lennon & McCartney song 'World without Love' (1964)... Mick Jagger is found guilty of illegal possession of drugs found in his jacket at a party given by Keith Richards. He is remanded overnight at Lewes jail and given prisoner number 7856. The Stones frontman requests books on Tibet and modern art and two packs of Benson & Hedges cigarettes... The Doors play Brooklyn's legendary Paramount Theater (1967)... Elvis appears on an NBC TV show billed as his 'comeback special'. The program features the King performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley is outfitted in black leather and performs many of his early hits... At Abbey Road, The Beatles record 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide except Me and My Monkey' (1968)... The 3-day Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music opens in southwest England. Scheduled to appear are Santana, The Flock, Led Zeppelin, Hot Tuna, Country Joe McDonald, Colosseum, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, Dr. John, Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat, It's a Beautiful Day, Steppenwolf, Johnny Winter, John Mayall with Peter Green, Pink Floyd, [who premiere their new suite, 'Atom Heart Mother', which is introduced as ' the Amazing Pudding'], Pentangle, Fairport Convention, and Keef Hartley... At Truro City Hall in Cornwall, the newly formed Queen, featuring Freddie Mercury [still known at this point as Freddie Bulsara] on vocals, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and Mike Grose on bass play their first gig. They are billed as Smile, Brian and Roger's previous band, for whom the booking had been made originally. Original material at this time includes an early version of 'Stone Cold Crazy' (1970)... In Germany on what will prove to be their last tour ever, Led Zeppelin play the Messehalle in Nuremberg. Just three songs into their set, John Bonham collapses on stage, causing the rest of the concert to be cancelled (1980)... Michael Jackson has his first solo № 1 single in Britain with 'One Day in Your Life', originally recorded for his 1975 solo album Michael (1981)... Billy Ray Cyrus goes to the top of the Billboard country chart with 'Achy Breaky Heart'. The song also becomes a crossover hit, peaking at № 4 on the Hot 100 (1992)... Aerosmith become one of the first bands to allow fans to download a free new track from the Internet (1994)... At a free concert in Harlem, NY given by the Fugees and the Wu Tang Clan, a man opens fire with a revolver. No one is hit, but 22 are injured in the panic that ensues (1996)... Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot and Bryan Adams each officially receive a granite star on Canada's Walk of Fame, on King Street in Toronto. They are the first three pop artists to be honoured in the newly recognized group of Canadian stars (1998)... The Beastie Boys have their fourth US № 1 album with To the Five Boroughs (2004)... The Surgeon General of Russia says that The Beatles are to blame for the country's drug problem. Dr. Yevgeny Bryun, the nation's chief medical officer, tells a press conference in Moscow that the country's youth were first introduced to the idea of drug-taking when The Beatles traveled to India to "expand their minds". Bryun adds: "It was after this news entered public consciousness that people in Russia realised you could make money from the sale of drugs. When business then realised it was possible to make money from this association of goods with pleasure, that was when the growth in the demand for drugs started" (2012). 

 

June 26th

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist & film score composer Dave Grusin (85), former 5th Dimension vocalist Billy Davis, Jr. (81), Gilberto Gil (77), singer & keyboardist Georgie Fame [né Clive Powell] (76), Mick Jones (64), Chris Isaak (63), ex-Scandal lead singer Patty Smyth (62), former Sundays lead singer Harriet Wheeler (56), Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood (50), country singer Gretchen Wilson (46), and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Big Bill Broonzy, born on this day in 1893... for Colonel Tom Parker, born in 1909... for saxophonist Arthur Doyle, who would have been 75 today... for jazz guitarist Zachary Breaux, who would have been 59... for Sonny Rollins sidemen Clifford Brown and Richie Powell, both killed in a road accident today in 1956... for producer & record company executive Lou Reizner, who died in 1977... and for Mexican banda singer Sergio 'El Shaka' Vega, murdered today in 2010 at the age of 40. 

Also on June 26th: Bruno Walter conducts the posthumous premiere of Mahler's 9th Symphony in Vienna (1912)... Elvis, backed by Scotty Moore and Bill Black, plays the first of three nights at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS. The local paper runs a preview which reads: ‘A good looking youngster who has become a juke-box favorite with his 'That's Alright, Mama' and 'Blue Moon of Kentucky' Presley is expected to repeat some of his hit tunes at the Airmen's Club show in addition to mixing up a few country tunes with some "bop" and novelty numbers' (1955)... On sabbatical from the Miles Davis Quintet, John Coltrane sits in on the Thelonious Monk septet session that will become the album Monk's Music. Coltrane's name will appear only as a footnote on the back cover of the LP (1957)... Gary 'U.S.' Bonds starts a two-week run at № 1 on the US chart with 'Quarter To Three'. Before Bonds recorded this version, it was an instrumental by The Church Street Five called 'A Night With Daddy G.' Bond's manager added lyrics to it and had him record it (1961)... As their tour down under continues, The Beatles play two shows at the Town Hall, Dunedin, South Island, NZ. The flight from Auckland to Dunedin was tense due the receipt of an anonymous threat that a 'germ bomb' had been placed on board the aircraft. Meanwhile, the Hard Day's Night soundtrack album, numerous illicit copies of which have been leaked to radio stations in the US, is released in America some ten days ahead of what was to have been the simultaneous stateside and British release (1964)... The Byrds have the № 1 song in America with their debut single 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (1965)... Joni Mitchell appears live on ABC TV's 'The Mama Cass Show' (1969)... Cher and Sonny Bono are divorced after 10 years of marriage (1974)... Columbia Records release Bob Dylan & the Band's Basement Tapes, a 2 LP selection of tracks that the musicians recorded during Dylan's recovery from his 1966 motorcycle accident (1975)... Elvis makes his last ever live stage appearance when he appears at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, IN. The last two songs he performs are ‘Hurt’ and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water.’ Before the show, the King was presented with a plaque commemorating the 2 billionth record to come out of RCA’s pressing plant (1977)... One hit wonder Charlene is at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'I've Never Been To Me'. The song was originally recorded in 1976 and was reissued by Motown records in 1982, by which time Charlene had moved to England and was working in a bakery in Ilford, east London (1982)...  Elton John is reported to be in talks with a City finance house to secure a £25 million loan, using his back catalogue of hits as security.  The star is reputed to have been putting up to £250,000 a week on credit cards (1999)... Britney Spears' hometown of Kentwood, LA announces that a new museum, due to open early next year, will include a section displaying fan mail, platinum records and genuine items of the singer's clothing (2000)... The readers of Total Guitar Magazine vote Celine Dion’s rendition AC/DC's ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as the world's worst cover version ever. The publication's editor Stephen Lawson pronounces Dion's cover a "sacrilege". On the best cover versions list, Jimi Hendrix comes in first with his version of the Bob Dylan song ‘All Along the Watchtower'; The Beatles' rendition of ‘Twist and Shout’, (first recorded by The Top Notes), is in second place, followed by the Guns N' Roses version of the Paul McCartney & Wings song ‘Live and Let Die' (2008). 

 

 

June 25th

Musical birthdays today include soul singer Eddie Floyd (82), Carly Simon (74), King Crimson and Foreigner co-founder Ian McDonald (73), ex-Split Enz frontman Tim Finn (67), Iron Butterfly keyboardist Martin Gerschwitz (67), Toto keyboardist David Paich (65), Pop Culture Suicides lead guitarist Tim 'Zim Zum' Linton (50), and Argentine pop singer Chenoa [née María Falomir] (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, born on this day in 1922... for Zydeco accordionist Clifton Chenier, born in 1925... for original Moody Blues bassist Clint Warwick, who would have been 79... for Blue Öyster Cult founding member Allen Lanier, who would have been 73... for George Michael, who would have been 56... for composer Georg Philipp Telemann, who died on this date in 1767... for songwriter & Capitol records co-founder Johnny Mercer, who died in 1976... for songwriter Boudleaux Bryant, who passed away in 1987... for longtime Atlantic Records producer & arranger Arif Mardin, who died in 2006... and for Michael Jackson, who left us today in 2009.  

Also on June 25: Wagner's opera Die Walküre is staged for the first time in Munich (1870)... 19-year-old Arturo Toscanini makes his conducting debut, when the conductor of the orchestra of the opera company with which he is touring as a chorus master is fired two hours before the curtain is to go up on a production of Aida in Rio de Janeiro (1886)... The Dave Brubeck Quartet convene at Columbia's 30th St. Studios in NYC for the first of the sessions that will produce the Time Out album (1959)... Jackie Wilson is arrested for inciting a riot and refusing to obey a lawful order at a nightclub in Port Arthur, TX. Wilson had a crowd of 400 whipped into a frenzy and refused to stop singing when requested to do so by police. He is later convicted of drunkenness and fined $30 (1966)...  During a North American tour, The Jimi Hendrix Experience give a free afternoon concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. They then play another two shows in the evening at the Fillmore West... An estimated 200 million people see The Beatles perform 'All You Need Is Love' live via satellite as part of the 'Our World' global TV link-up. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, Keith Moon and Gary Leeds provide backing vocals (1967)... The Hollies record 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. The ballad was written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell (who had terminal lymphatic cancer). The pair met in person only three times, but managed to collaborate on the song. The track also features a then largely unknown session pianist named Elton John (1969)... Marvin Gaye has his third US № 1 single with 'Got to Give It up' (1977)... The Police have the top album in both the US nd the UK with Synchronicity (1983)... Debbie Gibson becomes the youngest woman ever to write, record and produce a US № 1 single when 'Foolish Beat' tops the stateside chart (1988)... Bruce Springsteen is a surprise guest on David Letterman's farewell show as host of NBC's Late Night... The annual Glastonbury Festival opens in SW England. Headliners at the three-day event include Suede, Belly, Lemonheads, The Orb, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Crowes, Lenny Kravitz, Verve, Porno For Pyros and Teenage Fan Club. Tickets cost £58 for the full three days... Country singer Lyle Lovett marries Julia Roberts at St. James Lutheran Church in Marion, IN (1993)... Rapper DMX is arrested on charges that he and another man tried to steal a car from JFK Airport. DMX [né Earl Simmons] and Jackie Hudgins were detained after the city's Port Authority police interrupted a dispute. The pair are arrested on charges of attempted robbery, criminal impersonation and criminal mischief. A spokesman said a preliminary investigation indicates that Mr. Simmons may have identified himself as a federal agent (2004)... Country star Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are married in a small private ceremony in Sydney, Australia (2006).

June 24th

Musical birthdays today include Turkish rock pioneer Erkin Koray (78), Arthur Brown (77), Jeff Beck (75), original Family bassist John 'Charlie' Whitney (75), former Traffic & Blind Faith saxophonist Chris Wood (75), ex-Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone (74), Mick Fleetwood (72), former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz (71), ex-Dire Straits bassist John Illsley (70), UB40 rapper Terence 'Astro' Wilson (62), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark frontman Andy McCluskey (60), session vocalist & keyboardist Siedh Garrett (59), Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith (58), Mazzy Star lead singer Hope Sandoval (53), Rammstein lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe (52), Black Crowes lead guitarist Jeff Cease (52), variety singer Sissel Kirkjebø (50), Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Fiorello (45), and Solange Knowles (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country & rockabilly singer Ramblin' Tommy Scott, born today in 1917... for original Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell, who would have been 58 today... for tango singer Carlos Gardel, who was killed in a plane crash today in 1935 at the age of 44... for gospel singer Ira Tucker, who died in 2006... and for singer-songwriter Ewanya 'Puff' Johnson and Devo drummer Alan Myers, both of whom left us today in 2013.

Also on June 24th: Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax files in Paris for a patent for his saxophone (1846)... The song that will become the Canadian national anthem O Canada! is performed publicly for the first time at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français in Montreal (1880)... John Lennon's second book of poetry and drawings, 'A Spaniard in the Works', was published. The book consists of absurdist stories and drawings similar to the style of his 1964 book 'In His Own Write'... The Hollies are at № 1 on the UK singles chart for the first time with 'I'm Alive' (1965)... Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' enters the Billboard chart, where it will peak at № 5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Orchestral Suite in D', composed in 1739 (1967)... Led Zeppelin record 'Whole Lotta Love', 'What Is and What Should Never Be', 'Travelling Riverside Blues' and 'Communication Breakdown' for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, London. The session will broadcast on the 29th of June (1969)... Capitol Records release The Beach Boys greatest hits retrospective Endless Summer, which will go on to spend 155 consecutive weeks on the US album chart (1974)... Genesis, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Devo, Brand X and The Atlanta Rhythm Section are all on the bill at Knebworth Park, England ~ tickets cost £6 (1978)... Paul McCartney scores his seventh UK № 1 solo album with Flowers In The Dirt, featuring the single 'My Brave Face' (1989)... Frank Zappa gives his final onstage rock performance when he takes part in the concert 'Adieu Soviet Army', organised in Prague as a farewell to the last soldiers of the Soviet Army leaving free Czechoslovakia (the Red Army had occupied the country since the Prague spring in 1968). Zappa's set is recorded and can be found on the album Adieu C. A. [Soviet Army] (1991)... Eric Clapton puts 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in NYC to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which he used to record the original studio version of ‘Layla’, sells for a record $497,500. The auction helps raise nearly $5 million for the clinic (1999)... The crypt in which Elvis Presley was originally buried is withdrawn from a Los Angeles auction after protests that it should be kept as a shrine. More than 10,000 fans signed a petition against the sale of the tomb at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, TN. A spokesman for Julien's Auctions says that they will not sell the crypt until the cemetery "finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis" (2012).

June 23rd

Musical birthdays today include Grateful Dead singer-songwriter & guitarist Robert Hunter (78), ex-Metropolitan Opera director James Levine (76), former Orlons lead singer Rosetta Hightower (75), April Wine frontman Myles Goodwyn (71), blues singer Luther Kent (71), jazz saxophonist Donal Harrison (69), Danzig lead guitarist & founder Glenn Danzig (64), Testament lead singer Chuck Billy (57), original Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul Arthurs (54), Chico DeBarge (53), KT Tunstall (44), Jason Mraz (42), Blue vocalist Antony Costa (38), and Amie Ann Duffy (35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz bassist Milt Hinton, born on this day in 1910... for June Carter Cash, who would have been 90 today... for original Crickets bassist Niki Sullivan, who would have been 80... for Stuart Sutcliffe, who would have been 79... for original Kinks bassist Pete Quaif, who passed away in 2010... and for Bobby 'Blue' Bland, who left us today in 2013.

Also on June 23rd: Lonnie Donegan is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Gamblin' Man/Putting On The Style' ~ it is the last British № 1 to be released as a 78 rpm disc as well as in the 7' vinyl format (1957)... Ray Charles' Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music goes to the top of the US album chart, where it will remain for 3 1/2 months. In the UK, the soundtrack from the film of West Side Story settles in at № 1 on the LP listings for a 2 month run (1962)... The Beatles have their tenth consecutive UK № 1 single with 'Paperback Writer'/'Rain'. The track is marked by a boosted bass guitar sound throughout, partly in response to John Lennon's demand to know why the bass on a certain Wilson Pickett record far exceeded the bass on any Beatles track. It was also cut louder than any other Beatles record, due to  newly developed equipment used in the mastering process (1966)... The Byrds release Byrdmaniax, the group's 10th and penultimate studio album (1971)... George Harrison has the № 1 album in America with Living in the Material World (1973)... Paul McCartney & Wings conclude the Wings over America tour with a sold out show at the Forum in Los Angeles (1976)... Bob Dylan releases Saved, the second album in his Born Again trilogy (1980)... Duran Duran are at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'The Reflex' (1984)... After 50 previous UK top 10 hits and 6 US chart-toppers, Elton John finally hits № 1 on the singles chart in his homeland for the first time with 'Sacrifice'... Buddy Holly's Gibson acoustic guitar sells for £139,658 in a Sotheby's auction in London. The guitar is in a hand-tooled leather case made by Holly himself (1990)... At the Glastonbury Festival, Alan White plays his first live gig with Oasis after the sacking of original drummer Tony McCarroll (1995)... Bob Dylan is awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the University of St Andrews in Scotland (2004).. Tony Bennett makes a surprise appearance during Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. The veteran crooner joins McGraw for a rendition of the Hank Williams classic 'Cold, Cold Heart' (2006)... 62-year-old Gregg Allman undergoes a successful liver transplant operation at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. Allman recently began a series of treatments for hepatitis C, but chronic damage of his liver led doctors to recommend a transplant. In a statement to the press, Allman says "I changed my ways years ago, but we can't turn back time. Every day is a gift"... Willie Nelson is inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The NRR is a list of sound recordings that 'are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States' (2010). 

June 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Kris Kristofferson (83), Peter Asher (75), ex-Turtles vocalist Howard Kaylan (72), Todd Rundgren (71), ex-38 Special bassist Larry Junstrom (70), Cyndi Lauper (66), Scritti Politti frontman Green Gartside [né Paul Strohmeyer] (64), original Simple Minds bassist Derek Forbes (63), former INXS bassist Garry Beers (62), Indochine frontman Nicola Sirkis (60), Jimmy Somerville (58), Primal Scream lead singer Bobby Gillespie (57), former Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page (49), Bloc Party multi-instrumentalist Gordon Moakes (39), ex-Editors lead guitarist Chris Urbnowicz (39), classical pianist Ingmar Lazar (26), and neo-psychedelia aficionada and Ivy League grad Alexa Delgado (23).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist Bernie McGann, who would have been 81 today... for Judy Garland, who died on this date in 1969... for composer Darius Milhaud, who passed away in 1974... for original Pere Ubu guitarist Peter Laughner, who died from substance abuse-related illness today in 1977 at the age of 24... and for Fred Astaire, who left us on this day in 1987.

Also on June 22nd: 13-year old Stevie Wonder first enters the US singles chart as Little Stevie Wonder with 'Fingertips Parts One and Two.' 'Fingertips', which features a young Marvin Gaye on drums, is the first live, non-studio recording to reach № 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the United States since Johnny Standley's 1952 comic monologue 'It's in the Book (1963)... The Beatles play their first ever show in New Zealand at Wellington Town Hall. The local chief constable refuses a police escort for the group, leaving just two officers to control over 5,000 fans (1964)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis & sidemen convene for the second of three sessions that will produce Nefertiti, the trumpeter's last entirely acoustic album (1967)... The Jeff Beck Group featuring Rod Stewart make their US debut at the Fillmore East in NYC (1968)... Led Zeppelin appear at Laugardalsholl Hall in Reykjavik on the group's one and only visit to Iceland. Robert Plant has said that he was inspired to write the lyrics to 'Immigrant Song' during his time on the island (1970)... Joni Mitchell releases Blue (1971)... David Bowie releases the single 'Life on Mars', featuring guest piano work by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman (1973)... Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to the murder of John Lennon (1981)... Kurt Cobain is rushed to hospital after a gig in Belfast, Northern Ireland suffering from acute stomach pains brought on by ulcers (1992)... After giving himself various new identities during the '90s, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince announces that he wishes to be known as Prince again (2000)... The Irish press reports a wandering peahen owned by Bono is causing havoc for some south Dublin residents. The peahen, the less spectacular-coloured female partner to a male peacock, found its way to the Ard Mhuire housing estate in Killiney near the singer's residence. One newspaper runs the headline 'Bono's Cock Drives Me Nuts'. Local woman Susan McKeon told reporters she first noticed the bird at night. "It had a tiny head and a huge body. It was actually quite ugly but I don't think it's fully grown" (2011)... 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke starts a 13 week run at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart (2013).

June 21st

Musical birthdays today include film score composer Lalo Schifrin [best known for the theme from Mission: Impossible] (87), blue grass banjo player Eddie Adcock (81), Brazilian jazz keyboardist Eumir Deodato (76), Ray Davies (75) soul singer & Motown songwriter Brenda Holloway (73), ex-Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland (72), Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer (69), Nils Lofgren (68), ex-Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki (62), former Shakespears Sister vocalist Marcella Detroit (60), country singer Kathy Mattea (60), French chansonnier Manu Chao (58), rapper Pete Rock (49), country singer Allison Moorer (47), Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger (43), The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers (38), Lana Del Rey (33), and Rebecca Black (22). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Johann Christoph Bach, born today in 1732... for composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who died on this date in 1908... for original Velvet Underground drummer Angus MacLise, who died in 1979... for John Lee Hooker, who passed away in 2001... and for soul & gospel singer Mary Love, who left us today in 2013.

Also on June 21st: In Munich, Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'is staged for the first time (1868)... Richard Strauss conducts the premiere performance of his own tone poem Tod und Verklärung [Death and Transfiguration] in Eisenach, the birthplace of J.S. Bach (1890)... The Byrds' debut album Mr. Tambourine Man is released (1965)... Jimmy Page makes his live debut with The Yardbirds at the Marquee Club, London... Working at Abbey Road, The Beatles record John's new song 'She Said She Said' in one extended session (1966)... Pink Floyd play two shows in one day: the first at the Commemoration Ball, Balliol College, Oxford, and the follow-up at the Middle Earth Club, Covent Garden, London. The club venue is notable for several previous drug raids by the police, during which underage revellers were arrested; on one occasion a device called the 'Trip Machine' was dismantled and taken away by police (1968)... Elton John, The Beach Boys, Joe Walsh, Rufus and The Eagles are on the bill for a one-day festival in front of 120,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, London. Tickets cost £3.50... The Captain and Tennille go to № 1 on the US singles chart with the Neil Sedaka song 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. The couple had previously worked as backup singers for Sedaka and Elton John... Ritchie Blackmore announces that he is leaving Deep Purple to form his own group called Rainbow (1975)... The musical 'Evita' has its world premiere in London's West End (1978)... French police arrest all the members of The Stranglers after a concert at the University of Nice for allegedly inciting a riot (1980)... Crosby, Stills & Nash release Daylight Again, their first album of new material in 5 years (1982)... Genesis have the № 1 album in the UK with Invisible Touch, which also produces 5 US Top 40 singles, making it the most commercially successful album of their career (1986)... The Orb release the single 'Blue Room', which clocks in at 39 minutes and 58 seconds, two seconds shorter than the maximum permitted for a single under UK chart rules. The song will peak at № 8 (1992)... Karen Jane McNeil, who claims that she is the wife of Axl Rose and communicates with the Guns N' Roses lead singer telepathically, is sentenced to a year in a secure psychiatric facility by a judge in Malibu, CA (2000)... People Magazine reports that country star Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's (2011).

June 20th

Musical birthdays today include Brian Wilson (77), Anne Murray (74), ex-Crystals vocalist Dolores 'LaLa' Brooks (72), former Bay City Rollers bassist Alan Longmuir (71), Lionel Ritchie (70), Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony (65), Cox Family singer & guitarist Evelyn Cox (60), Duran Duran bassist John Taylor (59), Switchfoot guitarist Jerome Fontamillas (52), bluegrass singer-songwriter Dan Tyminski (52), Goon Moon lead singer & Marilyn Manson sideman Twiggy Ramirez (48), Deftones lead singer Camillo 'Chino' Moreno (46), ex-Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (40), and Mest frontman Tony Lovato (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Jacques Offenbach, born on this day in 1819... for folksinger & songwriter Jimmy Driftwood, born in 1907... for country guitarist Chet Atkins, born in 1924... for Eric Dolphy, born in 1928... who would have been 90 today... for former Coasters vocalist Billy Guy, who would have been 83... for Material Issue Jim Ellison, who took his own life today in 1996 at the age of 32... for Four Tops vocalist & arranger Lawrence Payton, who died in 1997... and for Kool & the Gang lead guitarist Claydes Charles Smith, who left us in 2006.

Also on June 20th: A production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance at NYC's Town Hall is broadcast by experimental TV station W2XBS and becomes the first televised opera (1937)... Edward Wallerstein of Columbia Records gives the first public demonstration of the company's new 33 1/3 long-playing record at a press conference at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel... Toast Of The Town, which will later be renamed The Ed Sullivan Show, premieres on CBS-TV. The first show is produced on a budget of $1,375. Only $375 has been allocated for talent and $200 of that is shared by the young stars of the evening's program, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (1948)... The Beatles begin a 14-day European tour with two performances at the Palais des Sports in Paris (1965)... David Bowie records 'Space Oddity' at Trident Studios in London (1969)... A three day festival in Newport, CA opens featuring Ike And Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, The Rascals, Steppenwolf, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Eric Burdon and Love. A three day ticket costs $15. Hendrix receives $125,000, at the time the highest fee ever paid to a rock act for a single appearance (1969)... Neil Diamond headlines the 20th anniversary show of American Bandstand (1973)... Asylum Records release Before the Flood, a double album of recordings from Bob Dylan's triumphant US tour with The band earlier in the year... (1974)... Neil Young's Tonight's the Night is released nearly two years after it was originally recorded (1975)... Aerosmith open their 147-date 'Permanent Vacation' world tour at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX (1987)... Mariah Carey scores his sixth US № 1 with 'I'll Be There', which was also a chart-topper for The Jackson Five in 1970 (1992)... The promoters of an outdoor Paul McCartney concert in Petersburg, Russia hire three jets to spray dry ice into the clouds so it will not rain during the show. The gig is McCartney's 3,000th concert appearance. He has performed 2,535 times with the Quarrymen and the Beatles, 140 gigs with Wings and 325 solo shows (2004).

June 19th

Musical birthdays today include former Four Seasons lead guitarist Tommy DeVito (91), Heart lead singer Ann Wilson (69), singer-songwriter Patty Larkin (68), former Earth, Wind & Fire keyboardist Larry Dunn (66), ex-AC/DC drummer Simon Wright (66), 38 Special guitarist Danny Chauncey (63), Mark DeBarge (60), The Union lead guitarist Luke Morley (59), Paula Abdul (57), The Verve Pipe lead singer Brian Vander Ark (55), and Korn guitarist Brian Welch (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bandleader Guy Lombardo, born on this day in 1902... for bluegrass guitarist Lester Flatt, born today in 1914... for jazz singer Dave Lambert, born in 1917... for Shirley & Lee vocalist Shirley Goodman, who would have been 83 today... for Camel keyboardist Peter Bardens, who would have been 74... for Nick Drake, who would have been 71... for country singer Bobby Helms, who died on this date in 1997... and for Slim Whitman, who left us five years ago today. 

Also on June 19th: In Paris, George Antheil's Ballet mécanique is performed for the first time (1926)... The Who, Solomon Burke, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett & the Rebel Rousers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Spencer Davis Group, Marianne Faithful, Long John Baldry, The Birds, [featuring a young Ronnie Wood], Dave Witting and The Ray Martin Group all appear at the Uxbridge Blues Festival in England... The Four Tops go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'I Can't Help Myself'. Lead singer Levi Stubbs was not been satisfied with the recording of the track and was promised that he could do it again the following day, but no other session ever took place. The version that became a hit was just the second take of the song... The Kinks play the Academy of Music in NYC with the Moody Blues as their opening act. It is the American debut for both groups (1965)... Having admitted in an interview with Life Magazine to taking LSD on four occasions, Paul McCartney tells The Daily Mirror that he doesn't regret regret that he spoke out and hopes that his fans will understand (1967)... Motown releases the self-titled debut album of Diana Ross (1970)... Edgar Winter's US № 1 
hit 'Frankenstein' is awarded a Gold record. Winter named the song because of how many cuts and patches were contained in the original studio tape (1973)... The Delinquents, a band featuring future Clash guitarist Mick Jones, make their debut at the Student Union bar of Queen Elizabeth College in Kensington, London (1974)... Future Smiths singer Steven Morrissey has a letter published in this weeks music magazine Record Mirror and Disc asking the editor why the paper has not yet included any stories on The Sex Pistols (1976)... Donna Summer becomes the first artist signed by David Geffen to his new label, Geffen Records (1980)... Guns N' Roses make their UK live debut at a sold out Marquee Club in London (1987)... The Greenpeace Stop Sellafield [a nuclear waste reprocessing site under construction on the NW coast of England] campaign concert takes place at G-Mex in Manchester with U2, Big Audio Dynamite II, Public Enemy and Kraftwerk (1992)... Eminem is to be immortalised in animation, with a new cartoon series which will be hosted on a new web site. 26 weekly 'webisodes' would be broadcast on the site, with the rapper providing all the voices (2000)... Lawyers for Britney Spears demand that a Florida radio station remove 'offensive' advertisements, which feature her with a shaved head. The WFLZ billboards include the slogans 'Total nut jobs', 'Shock therapy' and 'Certifiable', which run across pictures of a bald Spears taken after she shved her head on Los Angeles early this year. The law firm Lavely & Singer demand the 'immediate removal' of the banners in a letter to the station (2007)... Loretta Lynn is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC. Anne Murray also receives the 'Hitmaker Award' (2008)... Amy Winehouse is frequently booed by crowds in Serbia's capital Belgrade after appearing to be too drunk to perform. The concert, the first on the singer's 12-day European tour, sees Winehouse mumble her way through parts of songs, leave the stage altogether and at one point throw her microphone to the floor (2011).

June 18th

Musical birthdays today include Sir Paul McCartney (77), operatic soprano Éva Marton (71), classical pianist Peter Donohoe (66), Stryper lead guitarist Oz Fox (58), Alison Moyet (58), Guns N' Roses keyboardist Darren 'Dizzy' Reed (56), Boyz II Men vocalist Nathan Morris (48), Ray LaMontagne (46), and country singer Blake Shelton (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer & piano manufacturer Ignaz Pleyel, born on this day in 1757... for drummer & Glenn Miller sideman Ray McKinley, born in 1910... for songwriter Sammy Cahn, born in 1913... for ex-Derek & the Dominoes bassist Carl Radle, who would have been 77... for reggae singer-songwriter Lincoln 'Sax' Thompson, who would have been 70... for former Doll by Doll frontman Jackie Leven, who would have been 69... for trombonist, marching band composer & John Philip Sousa collaborator Arthur Pryor, who died on this day in 1942... for producer and ex-Tokens vocalist Hank Medress, who passed away in 2006... and for E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on June 18th: At the Königliches Schauspielhause in Berlin, Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischutz is produced for the first time (1821)... Columbia Records launches the first mass production of the 33 RPM LP. The new format can contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music per side versus the three minutes that could be squeezed on to a 78 RPM disc (1948)... Continuing their Australian tour, The Beatles play at Sydney Stadium. It is Paul McCartney's 22nd birthday, and after the show his guests include 17 girls who were winners of the Sydney Daily Mirror's 'Why I would like to be a guest at a Beatles birthday party' essay competition (1964)... 'Paperback Writer' is the № 2 song in the UK, kept from the top spot by Frank Sinatra's 'Strangers in the Night' (1966)... Elvis has a face-lift at Mid South Hospital in Memphis, TN (1975)... Abba give a special live performance in Stockholm for Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding (1976)... Fleetwood Mac have their only № 1 US single with 'Dreams', which Stevie Nicks says she wrote before a session at the Record Plant studio in Sausalito, CA in about 10 minutes...  Johnny Rotten and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols are beaten and receive superficial stab wounds when they are attacked by members of the British National Front in a car park outside a London pub. The members of the far-right organisation objected to the Pistols' anti-monarchist song 'God Save the Queen'. The next day, Paul Cook is attacked again by an unidentified gang armed with iron pipes (1977)... King Crimson release the album Beat on EG Records (1982)... The № 1 single on the UK chart is 'Doctorin' the Tardis' by The Timelords, a Scottish duo made up of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. The song is a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music, Gary Glitter's 'Rock and Roll (Part Two)' with sections from 'Blockbuster!' by Sweet (1988)... A&M Records chairman Jerry Moss and vice-chairman Herb Alpert announce that they are leaving the company they founded more than 30 years earlier. They sold A&M in 1990 to Polygram for $500 million. Moss and Alpert started the label in the garage of Alpert's Los Angeles home in 1962. The label was the home to such acts as The Police, Bryan Adams, Joan Baez, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Supertramp and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1993)... U2 lose a bid to prevent the demolition of Hanover Quay studio in Dublin. Over 8,000 fans signed an online petition to preserve the studio, where the group recorded ‘All That You Can't Leave Behind’ and some of their 'Pop' album (2002)... A Los Angeles hotel files a lawsuit against Phil Spector for failing to pay more than $100,000 in outstanding bills for lawyers and expert witnesses in his murder trial. The Westin Bonaventure claims that by the time Spector's trial ended with a hung jury, the defendants owed the hotel more than $104,000 (2008)... John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to 'A Day In The Life' sell for $1.2 million at an auction at Sotheby's in NYC. The double-sided sheet of paper with notes written in felt marker and blue ink also contains some corrections and other notes penned in red ink (2010).

June 17th

Musical birthdays today include Barry Manilow (76), session guitarist Chris Spedding (75), original Santana lead singer Greg Rollie (72), ex-Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra [né Eric Boucher] (61), former Hanoi Rocks lead singer Michael Monroe [né Matti Fagerholm] (57), No Doubt founder Eric Stefani (52), rapper Krayzie Bone [né Anthony Henderson] (45), Blue vocalist Lee Ryan (36), and English popular singer Laura Wright (29). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Charles Gounod, born on this day in 1818... for Igor Stravinsky, born in 1882... for country singer Red Foley, born in 1910... for film score composer Martin Böttcher, born in 1927... for classical violinist Christan Ferras, who would have been 75 today... for Paul Young, who would have been 72... for former Residents multi-instrumentalist Philip 'Snakefinger' Lithman, who would have been 70... for ex-Pogues singer & guitarist Philip Chevron, who would have been 62... for Bill Haley & His Comets guitarist Danny Cedrone, who died on this date in 1954... for Kate Smith, who passed away in 1986... and for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who left us today in 2005.

Also on June 17th: In Chicago, Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland is performed for the first time (1903)... Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Yale University (1914)... Colonel Tom Parker takes over from Bob Neal as the manager of Elvis Presley (1955)... 
Working at Abbey Road studios, The Beatles complete work on Paul's new song ‘Yesterday’ with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet. They also record ‘Act Naturally’ for Ringo's vocal contribution on the Help! album and the song ‘Wait’, in four takes. ‘Wait’ will not be left off of Help!, but will be included on the following LP, Rubber Soul... The Kinks play the Academy of Music in NYC with the Moody Blues as their opening act. It is the American debut for both groups (1965)... Carole King starts a 15-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with Tapestry (1971)... The Eagles release their self-titled debut album on Asylum Records (1972)... After US soul singer Jimmy Helms is taken ill just before a gig at Shoreditch College, London, the members of the social committee decide to call upon Elton John, who lives just up the road, to ask him to perform. Elton agrees to do the gig for two bottles of wine (1977)... The John Travolta-Olivia Newton-John duet  'You're the One That I Want' from the Grease soundtrack goes to № 1 in the UK (1978)... Florida real estate agent Vittoria Holman sues Mötley Crüe and their concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet from the speakers. The case will be settled out of court with the band's insurance company paying Holman over $30,000 (1987)... Garth Brooks is signed to Capitol Records (1988)... 60-year-old Billy Joel and his third wife, 27-year-old Katie Lee Joel announce that they are splitting up after nearly five years of marriage. Joel's nine-year union with model Christie Brinkley ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber, for whom he wrote 'Just The Way You Are', ended in 1982 (2009)... Bruce Springsteen plays the longest live show of his career when he turns in a 3-hour-and-48-minute, 32-song set at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. [This surpasses his previous record, a show on December 31, 1980 at the Nassau Coliseum, NY which clocked in at 3:43](2012).