November 29th

 

Musical birthdays today include John Mayall (88), jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione (81), ex-Rascals lead singer Felix Cavaliere (79), former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau (70), fusion guitarist Jennifer Batten (64), original Cure bassist Michael Dempsey (63), New Kids on the Block vocalist Jonathan Knight (53), and Deftones keyboardist Frank Delgado (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for opera composer Gaetano Donizetti, born on this date in 1797... for blues singer Lucille Hegamin, born in 1894... for jazz pianist, composer and arranger Billy Strayhorn, born in 1915... for country singer Merle Travis, born in 1917... for The Mamas & the Papas vocalist Denny Doherty, who would have been 81 today... for rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who would have been 74... for former Zapp lead singer Roger Troutman, who would have been 69... for composer Claudio Monteverdi, who died on this date in 1643... for composer Giacomo Puccini, who passed away in 1924... and for George Harrison, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on November 29: Rossini's Il Barbiere de Seviglia (The Barber of Seville), the first opera to be performed in Italian in North America, has its premiere at the Park Theater in NYC (1825)... Thomas Edison gives the first public demonstration of the phonograph (1877)... The first opera to be televised, Verdi's Othello, is broadcast live from the Met (1948)... Paul McCartney and Pete Best are expelled from West Germany after being arrested on suspicion of arson when the hotel room they were staying in mysteriously caught fire. They were released and deported the next day (1960)... The Beatles' 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' comes out in the UK. For the first time ever in Britain, advanced orders passed the million mark before it was released (1963)... Bob Dylan appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time (1969)... Lancaster local council cancels the Sex Pistols gig at Lancaster Poly. The reason given in a statement by the council says 'We don't want that sort of filth in the town limits' (1976)... Abba score their ninth and last UK No.1 single with 'Super Trouper'... John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' album is released. Though initially poorly received, the album becomes inextricably linked with Lennon's murder three weeks after its initial appearance, whereupon it turns into a worldwide commercial success, and goes on to win the 1981 Album of the Year at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards (1980)... Whitney Houston pulls out of a concert sponsored by the Unification Church two hours before she is due on stage after finding out the event is a mass wedding for over 1,000 Moonie couples. The religious group say they have no intention of suing providing the singer returns the $1 million fee she received... 'Perfect Day', performed by various artists including Elton John, Bono, Tom Jones, Suzanne Vega and David Bowie goes to No.1 on the UK singles chart. Originally written and recorded in 1973 by Lou Reed, this new collaboration of 29 major artists is a fund raiser for the BBC Children In Need charity (1997)... A five-hour charity show to support the fight against AIDS is held at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. Acts who appear include Bono, Queen, Ms Dynamite, Peter Gabriel, Eurythmics, Beyoncé, Youssou N'Dour, Anastacia, The Corrs, Jimmy Cliff and Chaka Chaka. The show is also broadcast live on the Internet (2003)... Control, the biopic about late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, scoops five prizes at the British Independent Film Awards. The black-and-white film, which featurs The Killers, David Bowie and New Order on the soundtrack, was shot for just £3 million (2007).