September 24th

 

Musical birthdays today include choral composer John Rutter (76), ex-Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue (75), jazz guitarist Bill Connors (72), Dokken bassist Sean McNabb (56), former Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss (56), Slipknot percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan (52), Verve drummer Peter Salisbury (50), singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Liam Finn (38), and Foxy Shazam drummer Joseph Allen Halberstadt (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Blind Lemon Jefferson, born on this date in 1893... for songwriter and film score composer Ben Oakland, born in 1907... for jazz singer Herb Jeffries, born in 1913... for jazz percussionist Jack Costanzo, born in 1919... for jazz trumpeter Fats Navarro, born in 1923... for Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who would have been 88 today... for L.A. session saxophonist Steve Douglas [played on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and Bob Dylan's Street Legal, among many other albums], who would have been 83... for Crusaders trombonist Wayne Henderson, who would have been 82... for Linda McCartney, who would have been 80...  for Gerry & the Pacemakers frontman Gerry Marsden, who would have been 79... and for singer-songwriter Matthew Jay [collaborated with The Doves, The Stereophonics and Dido] who fell to his death from a 7th storey window in London at the age of 24 today in 2003. 

Also on September 24: Elvis Presley releases 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)... Elvis receives an invitation to appear at the Royal Variety Command Performance in London, but Colonel Tom Parker graciously declines, citing motion picture commitments. The real reason for his refusal, however, is that the Colonel is a Dutch immigrant residing in the US illegally, and fears that he might not be allowed to return if he leaves the country (1962)... Jimi Hendrix arrives in England for the first time with manager Chas Chandler. The guitarist has with him only the clothes he is wearing, having sold all of his other belongings to pay his hotel bill in New York. One of the first things he does in London is to legally change his name from James to Jimi... The № 1 single in the US is 'Cherish' by The Association (1966)... Traffic make their live debut at the Saville Theatre in London... Filming of the Magical Mystery Tour continues, in a hangar at the RAF West Malling Air Station in Maidstone, Kent. The cavernous indoor space is needed to shoot the 'Your Mother Should Know' ballroom finale. With the Beatles dressed in white suits and shoes, they glide down a glittery staircase as 160 members of the Peggy Spencer Dance Company swirl round about (1967)... John and Yoko move the mixing of the Double Fantasy album from the Hit Factory in NYC to the Record Plant. After the session, Lennon gives one of his final recorded interviews, to Lisa Robinson of 97-FM in Buffalo, NY (1980)... Culture Club score their second UK chart-topping hit with 'Karma Chameleon', the biggest selling single of the year (1983)... Bobby McFerrin's 'Don't Worry' Be Happy' becomes the first a capella song to reach № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1988)... Nirvana's album Nevermind is released in the US, entering the chart at № 144 (1991)... Eric Clapton is the musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live (1994)... Hank Williams is the subject of the first ever country music symposium at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC (1999)... The Dave Matthews Band play a free concert for over 100,000 in NYC's Central park (2003)