April 26th

Musical birthdays today include Duane Eddy (83), Giorgio Moroder (81), R&B singer Claudine Wright (80), Bobby Rydell (79), Gary Wright (78), former Blue Mink keyboardist Roger Coulam (77), ex-Mötley Crüe lead singer John Corabi (62), Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor (61), former Replacements drummer Chris Mars (60), TLC vocalist Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins (51), Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus (50), original Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (46), and S Club vocalist Jon Lee (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Ma Rainey, born on this day in 1886... for jazz arranger, clarinetist & saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre, born in 1921... for bluesman J.B. Hutto, born in 1926... for jazz guitarist & singer Frank D'Rone, who would have been 89.... for Count Basie, who died on this date in 1974... for The Sound lead singer Adrian Borland, who took his own life today in 1999 at the age of 42... for Phoebe Snow, who passed away in 2011... and for George Jones, who left us today in 2013. 

Also on April 26th: The 13-year-old Beethoven is appointed pianist in the court orchestra of the Duchy of Bonn (1783)... In Paris, Chopin performs his Grande Polonaise Brillante in public for the first time (1835)... Tchaikovsky arrives in NYC on his first visit to the United States (1891)... Police stop a Rolling Stones concert in London, Ontario after 15 minutes because of audience rioting (1965)... Dusty Springfield is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me', the singer's only chart-topper in the country. Studio logs show that Springfield was not satisfied with her vocal until she had recorded forty-seven takes (1966)... At the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, Led Zeppelin play 'Whole Lotta Love' live for the first time (1969)... Ringo Starr's TV special 'Ringo', a musical version of The Prince and the Pauper, airs on ABC. Ringo plays both characters, and George Harrison provides the narration (1978)... Blondie are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Call Me', featured in the Richard Gere film 'American Gigolo'; the track is also at the top of the charts in the US, where it will become the band's biggest selling single. Producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined... The Beat release 'Mirror in the Bathroom', the UK's first digitally recorded single (1980)... Rod Stewart is carjacked and relieved of his $50,000 Porsche on Hollywood Boulevard (1982)... Mick Jagger appears in federal court in White Plains, NY in the copyright infringement case brought by reggae singer Patrick Alley, who claims the Jagger solo hit 'Just Another Night' was plagiarised from his own song of the same name. Alley is claiming $7 million in profits from the track. During the case, percussionist Sly Dunbar plays drums to the court to show how the beats are different in each song , while Mick sings and plays demos of his song to show the development of the track. At the end of the week-long trial, Jagger wins the case (1988)... Courtney Love reportedly turns down $1 million from Playboy to pose for a centerfold (1995)... Bruce Springsteen releases Devils & Dust (2005)... Tinchy Stryder feat. N-dubz starts a three week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Number 1', the first time ever that a single called 'Number 1' has made it to the top in Britain (2009).