April 17th

Musical birthdays today include operatic soprano Anja Silja (81), Jan Hammer (73), Monochrome Set lead guitarist Tom Hardy AKA Lester Square (67), Buzzcocks frontman Pete Shelley (66), Tool lead singer Maynard Keenan AKA MJK (57), Liz Phair (54), rapper Reggie Noble AKA Redman (51), Victoria Beckham (47), and Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Artur Schnabel, born on this day in 1882... for jazz trombonist Chris Barber, born today in 1930... for producer & impresario Don Kirshner, who would have been 84 today... for early British rocker Ronald Wycherley AKA Billy Fury, who would have been 81... for Eddie Cochran, who was killed in a car crash today in 1960 at the age of 21... for Cream producer and original Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi, who was shot to death by his wife today in 1983 at the age of 43... for former Bob Marley & the Wailers drummer Carlton Barrett, who was shot dead outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica on this day in 1987 at the age of 36... for country singer Hank Penny, who passed away in 1992... for Linda McCartney, who died in 1998... and for E Street Band organist Danny Federici, who left us today in 2008.  

Also on April 17th: Mozart's opera The Magic Flute is performed in America for the first time, in an English translation at the Park Theater in NYC (1833)... In San Francisco, Enrico Caruso sings in Bizet's Carmen with the SF Metropolitan Opera Company the night before the earthquake and fire that destroy most of the city (1906)... Philips Records releases Dusty Springfield's debut album A Girl Called Dusty (1964)... Disguised in an overcoat, cloth cap, moustache and glasses, Paul McCartney spends the day shopping for furniture in Portobello Road, London (1965)... While performing at the White House at the invitation of President Richard Nixon, Johnny Cash is asked to sing 'Okie From Muskogee'. Cash declines because it is not his song, but was a success for Merle Haggard. Instead, Cash performs his № 1 hit, 'A Boy Named Sue'... Santana begin the sessions for what will be their breakthrough album Abraxas at the Wally Heider Recording Studio in San Francisco... Deram Records release Cricklewood Green by Ten Years After (1970)... All four Beatles have solo singles in the UK charts: Paul McCartney with 'Another Day', John Lennon with 'Power To The People', George Harrison with 'My Sweet Lord', and Ringo Starr, 'It Don't Come Easy'. Meanwhile, Three Dog Night's 'Joy to the World' is at № 1 in the USA (1971)... Dark Side of the Moon is certified Gold in the US (1973)... Elvis buys a Convair 880 Jet formerly owned by Delta Airlines for $250,000, and re-christens it 'Lisa Marie'. The King spends a further $600,000 refurbishing the jet to include personal quarters, a meeting area and a dance floor (1975)... The Stranglers, Cherry Vanilla, The Police and The Jam all appear on the same bill at The Roundhouse in London (1977)... At a gig at Seattle's OK Hotel, Nirvana play their new song 'Smells like Teen Spirit' in public for the first time (1991)... Pink Floyd have the № 1 album in the UK with The Division Bell (1994)... Kurt Cobain's Mark IV-style Mosrite Gospel guitar sells for $100,000 at the 'Icons of 20th Century Music' auction held in Dallas, TX. Other items sold include Elton John and Bernie Taupin's song writing piano, which goes for $140,000, and a 1966 Rickenbacker guitar once owned by the Byrds' Roger McGuinn's fetches $99,000 (2006)... Bryan Ferry is forced to make an apology after praising Nazi iconography in a German magazine. Talking to 'Welt am Sonntag', he said the Nazis "knew how to put themselves in the limelight and present themselves... I'm talking about the films of Leni Riefenstahl and the buildings of Albert Speer and the mass marches and the flags. Just amazing ~ really beautiful." British MPs subsequently asked shoppers to think twice about shopping at Marks and Spencer,  asking for Ferry to be dropped as the face of the M&S Autograph menswear collection. Ferry says he is "deeply upset" by the publicity surrounding the interview (2007)... Morrissey walks off stage during his set at the Coachella festival after declaring he could "smell burning flesh". The committed vegetarian took offence to the smell coming from nearby barbecues. Sir Paul McCartney, The Killers and The Cure are also on the bill today (2009).