August 10th

Musical birthdays today include Ronnie Spector (78), Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson (74), jazz and R&B singer Patti Austin (71), INXS drummer Jon Farriss (60), singer-songwriter Julia Fordham (59), Malian kora player Toumani Diabate (56), Five Star vocalist Lorraine Pearson (54), New Edition vocalist Michael Bivins (53), and ex-The Calling guitarist Aaron Kamin (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bassist and King Oliver sideman Bill Johnson, born on this day in 1872... for Leo Fender, founder of Fender Musical Instruments, inc., born in 1909... for Jimmy 'The King of Bluegrass' Martin, born in 1927... for Eddie Fisher, born in 1928... for Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers, who would have been 81... for Anthony Wilson, the Manchester impresario who signed Joy Division and The Happy Mondays to his Factory Records label, who died on this day in 2006... and for Isaac Hayes, who left us today in 2009.

Also on August 10: Mozart completes the Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787)...  Mamie Smith records 'Crazy Blues', considered by many to be the first hit record to establish the blues as a form (1920)... Four members of the Platters are arrested after a gig in Cincinnati, OH after being found with four women ~ three of them white ~ in various stages of undress. The scandal results in the group's records disappearing from the playlists of numerous US radio stations (1959)... 13-year-old Little Stevie Wonder becomes the youngest artist ever to have a Billboard № 1 single, when his Fingertips part II tops the chart (1963)... The top 3 albums on the UK charts today are 1) Bridge over Troubled Water, 2) Let It Be, and 3) Bob Dylan's Self Portrait (1970)... During the Wings over Europe Tour, Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested and fined 8000 SEK [$1,230 US] for possession of cannabis in a bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. McCartney jokes that the arrest will make good publicity for the tour  (1972)... Frank Zappa appears on the Late Night with David Letterman show, accompanied by his daughter Moon [who performs 'Valley Girl']. Not surprisingly, much of the discussion is devoted to the unusual names of Zappa's children (1982)... Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon is airlifted to safety when his boat overturns while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull for 20 minutes with 5 crew members until Royal Navy rescuers arrived (1985)... Michael Jackson outbids Paul McCartney and Yoko to buy ATV Music Publishing [which includes the entire Beatles song catalogue] for $47 million (1985)... Wilson Pickett is found guilty of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life after his involvement in a bar brawl in Asbury Park earlier in the year (1987)... At Madison Square Garden, Def Leppard kick off the North American leg of their 248-date 'Seven Day Weekend' world tour (1992)... In his official statement on the death of Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan says "He is the very spirit personified of whatever is Muddy River country at its core and screams up into the spheres... There are a lot of spaces and advances between The Carter Family, Buddy Holly and Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school... There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep" (1995)... Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthur announces that he is leaving the band after work on their current album is finished (1999)... A judge rules that the management of CBGB do not have to pay their landlord $90,000 in back rent. The Bowery Residents' Committee are attempting to evict the venue from the neighbourhood (2005).