September 1st

Musical birthdays today include former Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Seiji Ozawa (85), ex-Sly and the Family Stone drummer Greg Errico (74), Barry Gibb (74), drummer Russ Kunkel (72), former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton (65), Gloria Estefan (63), Toto lead singer Joseph Williams (60), Franco-Tunisian pop singer Lââm (49), Scissor Sisters multi-instrumentalist Scott 'Babydaddy' Hoffman (44), Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman (36), and Tokio Hotel's Bill and Tom Kaulitz (31). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Johann Pachelbel [of Canon in D fame], born on this date in 1653... for composer Engelbert Humperdinck, born in 1854... for jazz great Art Pepper, born today in 1925... for Conway Twitty, who would have been 87... for jazz-funk keyboardist Don Blackman, who would have been 67... for French horn virtuoso Dennis Brain, killed in a one-car crash today in 1957 at the age of 36... for Delta bluesman R.L. Burnside, who died on this day in 2005... for former Echo & the Bunnymen keyboardist Jake Brockman, killed in a motorcycle accident today in 2009... and for lyricist Hal David, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on September 1st: Atlantic Records buy Ray Charles' contract from the Swingtime label, where the pianist had been recording in the mellower style of Nat King Cole (1952)... An aspiring 19-year-old singer/pianist named Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at the Sun Studios in Memphis to ask for an audition. Told that owner Sam Phillips is on vacation in Florida, Lewis records some demos that Phillips will hear when he returns (1956)... James Brown makes his debut appearance on the popular ABC-TV music program Shindig! Booker T and the MGs are also on the bill (1965)... The Byrds open an 11-night run at L.A.'s Whiskey-A-Go-Go (1966)... David Bowie releases his first single, 'Love You till Tuesday' ~ it fails to chart... The Beatles hold a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon a course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decide to postpone a planned trip to India to begin work on the Magical Mystery Tour film for TV (1967)... Blondie sign their first major label contract, with Chrysalis Records... Bob Dylan takes a 5-year lease on a rehearsal space in Santa Monica, CA that he subsequently christens Rundown Studio. It will be an important centre for much of Dylan's late '70s and early '80s musical activity (1977)... U2 release their very first record, an EP entitled U2-3. With an initial run of 1,ooo individually numbered copies, it will be available only in Ireland (1979)... Fleetwood Mac wrap up a 9-month world tour with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. After the final encore, Lindsay Buckingham tells the crowd "This is our last show for a long, long time" (1980)... Mick Jones is sacked by the Clash, whose other three members accuse him of 'drifting away from the original concept of the group' (1983)... Tina Turner has her first solo US № 1 single with What's Love Got to Do with It. The song was originally written in the late '70s, and was passed on by Cliff Richard and Donna Summer before finding a home with Turner (1984)... Louis Armstrong is honoured on a US postage stamp. Wynton Marsalis and sideman perform at the official launch in New Orleans (1995)... The № 1 single in the UK is Atomic Kitten's cover of the 1980 Blondie hit The Tide Is High (2002).