May 3rd

Musical birthdays today include Frankie Valli (90), former Troggs bassist Pete Staples (80), Mary Hopkin (74), music biographer Alan Clayton (73), original Pavement drummer Gary Young (71), Angela Bofill (70), former Soft Cell keyboardist Dave Ball (65), country singer Shane Minor (55), ex-Reamonn frontman Rea Garvey (51), Interpol frontman Paul Banks (46), and former Destiny's Child vocalist Farrah Franklin (43).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for impresario and opera producer Richard D'Oyly Carte, born on this day in 1844... for Bing Crosby, born in 1903... for Pete Seeger, born in 1919...  for jazz pianist John Lewis, born in 1920... for country singer Dave Dudley, born in 1928... for James Brown, born in 1933... for chansonnier Georges Moustaki, who would have been 90... for Stone the Crows guitarist Alex Harvey, who was electrocuted on this day in 1972 at the age of 27 when he touched an improperly grounded microphone during a  gig in Swansea, Wales... for Franco-Italian pop singer Iolanda Gigliotti AKA Dalida, who took her own life today in 1987 at the age of 54... and for Jamaican saxophonist & flautist Cedric Brooks, who left us today in 2013.  

Also on May 3rd: Kitty Wells records 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels'. Wells was disenchanted with her career prospects and was considering retirement, but agreed to the session at Owen Bradley’s Nashville studio because of the $125 union scale recording payment. The song goes on to become the first Billboard № 1 single by a solo female country singer (1952)... 'The Fantasticks' opens off Broadway (1960)... The Beatles spend the day filming for their forthcoming film Help! on Salisbury Plain with the British Army's Third Tank Division (1965)... The Beach Boys open their US tour on which the co-headliner is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The second half of the concert, which features the Maharishi, consists of a lecture to the audience on 'spiritual regeneration.' The overwhelmingly negative reaction causes more than half of the remaining tour dates to be cancelled... The Jimi Hendrix Experience record 'Voodoo Chile' (1968)... Epic Records release Sly & the Family Stone's Stand!, the group's breakout album (1969)... In Copenhagen, at the opening gig of their current European tour, Led Zeppelin give the only known performance of a Page-Plant composition entitled 'Four Sticks', and also play 'Misty Mountain Hop' live for the first time (1971)... David Bowie opens a sold out six-night stand at Wembley Stadium, his first UK gigs since announcing his retirement from live performance three years previously... Paul McCartney makes his first live concert appearance in the US since 1966 when he and Wings kick off their 'Wings over America' tour at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, TX (1976)... The Police make their British TV debut, performing 'Roxanne' on the BBC's 'Top of the Pops'(1979)...  Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band start a six week run at № 1 on the US album chart with 'Against The Wind' (1980)... Robert Palmer goes to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Addicted To Love'. Palmer originally recorded the song as a duet with Chaka Khan, but her vocal track had to be removed owing to contractual difficulties (1986)... In Dublin, Katrina and the Waves become the first British winners of the Eurovision song contest in 16 years with 'Love Shine a Light'...  The Notorious B.I.G. starts a three week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with his posthumous hit 'Hypnotize', released as a single shortly after the rapper's murder in March (1997)... The first Bob Dylan radio program is aired on XM Satellite Radio. Artists played on the show included Blur, Prince, Billy Bragg, Wilco, Mary Gauthier, L.L. Cool J and The Streets (2006)... Sean 'Diddy' Combs is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 38-year-old singer dedicates the star to his father, who was shot dead in 1972 (2008)... Bob Dylan goes to № 1 on the UK album chart with Together Through Life, his seventh LP to top the British charts. Dylan's 33rd studio album is the first to reign on the UK chart with since 1970. His first № 1 in 1964, was ‘The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'. Bob now holds the record, previously held by Tom Jones, for the longest gap between solo № 1 albums (2009).

May 2nd

Musical birthdays today include Engelbert Humperdinck (88), jazz pianist Connie Crothers (83), former Roulettes drummer Bob Henrit (80), original Steppenwolf Keyboardist Goldy McJohn (79), Larry Gatlin (76), ex-Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm (74), Sol Invictus frontman Tony Wakeford (65), Blow Monkeys frontman Bruce 'Dr. Robert' Howard (63), and Lily Allen (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, born on this day in 1895... for songwriter Doris Fisher [best remembered for 'You Always Hurt the One You Love'], born in 1917... for singer & sitarist Vasantrao Deshpande, born in 1920... for Theodore Bikel, born in 1924... for Link Wray, born in 1929... for classical violinist Michael Rabin, who would have been 86... for reggae singer Alexander 'Judge Dread' Hughes, who would have been 79... for Lesley Gore, who would have been 78... for Jethro Tull bassist John Glascock, who would have been 73... for composer Giacomo Meyerbeer, who died on this date in 1864... for trumpeter & bandleader Larry Clinton, who died in 1985... and for original Slayer lead guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who left us today in 2014.

Also on May 2nd: Verdi's opera Il Trovatore has its American premiere at the Academy of Music in NYC (1855)... Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is performed for the first time at a children's concert given by the Moscow Philharmonic (1936)... The Beatles have their first № 1 single in the UK, the first of 11 in a row, with 'From Me to You' (1963)... The Who give a press preview of their new rock opera 'Tommy' at Ronnie Scott's in London. The double album about a 'deaf, dumb and blind kid' who becomes the leader of a messianic movement, is the first musical work to be billed overtly as a rock opera. In 1998 it will be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its 'significant historical and artistic value' and has now sold over 20 million copies worldwide... The Beatles record 'Something' at Abbey Road... Pink Floyd's show at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce is recorded for inclusion on Ummagumma (1969)...  Bruce Springsteen auditions for CBS Records A&R man John Hammond in New York. Springsteen plays a short set for him in his office; Hammond is so impressed that he arranges a showcase performance that night at the Gaslight Club for other Columbia executives. The future Boss passes the second audition as well (1972)... At Birmingham University, Joy Division play what will prove to be their last gig with Ian Curtis (1980)... Spandau Ballet have their only UK № 1 single with 'True' (1983)... A security guard alerts the police after a man wearing a wig, fake moustache and false teeth walks into Zales Jewellers in Los Angeles. Three squad cars arrive and police detain the man, who turns out to be Michael Jackson in disguise... The Cure release Disintegration (1989)... The video for the R.E.M. song 'Losing My Religion' is banned in Ireland because its religious imagery is deemed unfit for broadcast...  Nirvana book into Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California for 16 days. On a budget of $65,000 and with Butch Vig producing, the band begin recording what will become the Nevermind album (1991)... Total Guitar magazine's readers have voted Guns N' Roses' anthem ‘Sweet Child O' Mine’ as the greatest guitar riff ever, ahead of Nirvana's ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Led Zeppelin's ‘Whole Lotta Love’ came third, followed by Deep Purple's ‘Smoke On The Water’. Total Guitar editor Scott Rowley says: "To a new generation of guitarists, Guns N' Roses are more thrilling than the Sex Pistols" (2004)... Eric Clapton joins former Cream members Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce for the first of four nights at London's Royal Albert Hall, 36 years after they split up. Tickets were changing hands for more than £500 on eBay and fans flew over from the USA to witness the reunion, which Clapton, aged 60, is said to have agreed to because of the failing health of the other former members of the band (2005)... Bob Dylan mingles unnoticed with other Beatles fans during a minibus tour to John Lennon's childhood home. He is one of 14 tourists to examine photos and documents in the National Trust-owned home, where Lennon grew up with his aunt Mimi and uncle George. Dylan, who was on a day off on a European tour, paid £16 for the public trip to the 1940s house in Woolton, Liverpool (2009).

May 1st

Musical birthdays today include Judy Collins (85), Rita Coolidge (79), ex-Henry Cow sax & winds player Tim Hodgkinson (75), songwriter & producer Glen Ballard (71), Ray Parker, Jr. (70), Will Kimbrough (60), Tim McGraw (57), original Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretzky (56), Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Johnny Colt (56), original Suede lead guitarist Bernard Butler (54), and ex-Reel Big Fish trombonist Dan Regan (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Kate Smith, born on this day in 1907... for country singer Sonny James, born in 1929...  for blues harmonica virtuoso Marion 'Little Walter' Jacobs,born in 1930... for jazz singer Shirley Horn, who would have been 89... for Stax session keyboardist Carson Whitsett, who would have been 79... for former April Wine and B.T.O. bassist Jim Clench, who would have been 75... for Les Rita Mitsouko frontman Fred Chichin, who would have been 70... for Link 80 lead singer Nick Traina, who would have been 45... for Lost Sounds guitarist Jimmy Lindsey Jr. AKA 'Jay Reatard', who would have been 44... for composer Antonin Dvořák, who died on this date in 1904... for Spike Jones, who died in 1965... for composer Aram Katchaturian, who passed away in 1978... for blues guitarist Charles 'Skip' Pitts, who died  today in 2012... and for Gordon Lightfoot, who left us one year ago today. 

Also on May 1st: Mozart's opera Le Nozze di Figaro has its premiere at the Burgtheater of Vienna (1786)... On her 24th birthday, Kate Smith makes her US national radio debut on CBS (1931)... Herman's Hermits are at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter' (1965)... The Beatles play their last ticketed live show in Britain at the Empire Pool, Wembley (1966)... Elvis marries Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas. The wedding license costs $15, the cake $3,500... The FBI arrests Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys on suspicion of evading the military draft. The singer, whose deferment papers are in fact in order, is released in time to join the rest of the band in Ireland for the beginning of a European tour (1967)... Reprise records release Joni Mitchell's album Clouds... Bob Dylan tapes an appearance for The Johnny Cash Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. After two solo numbers from Dylan, Johnny Cash joins him for a rendition of 'Girl From The North Country' (1969)... D.C. mayor Walter Washington proclaims a 'Marvin Gaye Day' in the nation's capital (1973)... The Carpenters perform at the White House at the personal invitation of President Richard Nixon (1974)... Led Zeppelin go to № 1 on the US album chart with Presence. The № 1 single in the country is The Bellamy Brothers' 'Let Your Love Flow' (1976)... The Clash kick off their 'White Riot' tour at the Roxy in London, sharing the bill with The Jam and The Buzzcocks (1977)... Mick Fleetwood files for bankruptcy (1984)... The five-bedroom 1902 house where Kurt Cobain was living at the time of his death goes up for sale, for an asking price of $3 million. The carriage house in which the Nirvana guitarist committed suicide was demolished last year (1997)... 'The Paintings of Paul McCartney' exhibit opens at the Lyz Art Forum, Siegen, Germany. The show features 70 canvasses by the former Beatle, including a piece called 'Bowie Spewing', Macca's representation of a young David Bowie (1999)... Coldplay become the first British band since The Beatles to place a single in the US top 10 in the first week of its release, when 'Speed of Sound' debuts in the Billboard Hot 100 at № 8 (2005)... A Minnesota man is accused of impersonating a member of Pink Floyd at a US hospital while racking up as much as $100,000 in unpaid medical bills. Phillip Michael Schaeffer, 53, went for treatment on April 20 and claimed he was Pink Floyd singer-guitarist David Gilmour and that he didn't have health insurance. The man was treated and released three days later from St. Cloud Hospital, but not before signing an autograph for an employee’s son (2013).

April 30th

Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter Johnny Farina (83), Merrill Osmond (71), Jamaican rapper Barrington Levy (60), His Name Is Alive frontman Warren Devefer (55), ex-Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards (52), 98 Degrees vocalist Jeff Timmons (51), hip-hop artist & producer Aliaune Thiam AKA Akon (51), Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer (48), R&B/soul singer Cleo Higgins (42), and pop singer Nikki Webster (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Reverend Gary Davis, born on this day in 1896... for bossa nova singer-songwriter Dorival Caymmi, born today in 1914... for rockabilly singer Johnny Horton, born in 1925... for Bobby Vee, who would have been 81 today... for Mimi Fariña, who would have been 79... for critic Lester Bangs, who died on this date in 1982... for Muddy Waters, who passed away in 1983... for Nazareth drummer Darrell Sweet, who died in 1999... and for former Platters vocalist Zola Taylor, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on April 30th: Berlioz's Te Deum is performed for the first time at the Église de Saint Eustache in Paris (1855)... The Boston Pops Orchestra is founded (1885)... At the Opéra comique in Paris, Debussy's opera Peléas et Mélisande has its premiere (1902)... RCA Victor Records releases its first Red Seal 78 RPM, a selection of lieder performed by contralto Ada Crossley (1903)... Elvis records 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)... The Everly Brothers complete a spectacular debut on the British chart with their first single 'Cathy's Clown', as it goes to № 1, to remain there for 7 weeks (1960)... The Young Rascals have the № 1 song in America with 'Good Lovin'' (1966)... The BBC  launch The Cilla Black Show making the hostess the first British female performer to have her own TV show. The theme song, 'Step Inside Love', was written by Paul McCartney (1968)... Allman Brothers Band road manager Twiggs Lyndon is arrested for murder after stabbing a club manager during an argument over a contract. At the ensuing trial, Lyndon's lawyers argue that their client was temporarily incapacitated at the time of the incident and that touring with the Allman Brothers would drive anyone insane. Lyndon is acquitted (1970)... Paul McCartney & Wings' album  Red Rose Speedway is released (1973)... Keith Moon hires nine NYC cab drivers to block off both ends of a Chelsea street so that he can throw the entire contents of his hotel room out of the window (1976)... Led Zeppelin set a new world attendance record for a concert when they play to 76,229 people at a gig at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. The Who held the previous record at the same venue with 75,962 (1977)... Michael Jackson hits № 1 in the USA with 'Beat It' (1983)... Nirvana sign with David Geffen's DGC label for $290,000 (1991)... A giant inflatable pig which floated away during a Roger Waters performance is recovered in tatters in southern California. Two families from La Quinta who found what was left of the object decide to share four lifetime passes to the Coachella festival that were offered as part of the reward... The woman who was given the handwritten lyrics to 'Give Peace A Chance' by John Lennon in 1969, announces plans to sell the lyric sheet at a Christie's auction. At the time, Lennon told Gail Renard to hang on to the piece of paper, saying "It will be worth something someday." The piece of music history is expected to fetch around $400,000, but when actually sold in July of this year, it goes for $790,000 (2008)... UNESCO declares that April 30th will henceforth be observed by the organization as International Jazz Day, 'to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe' (2011).

April 29th

Musical birthdays today include Willie Nelson (91), conductor Zubin Mehta (88), Klaus Voormann (86), Oak Ridge Boys vocalist Duane Allen (81), Tommy James (77), Great White frontman Mark Kendall (67), rapper Percy 'Master P' Miller (57), Carnie Wilson (56), Pink Martini lead singer China Forbes (54), Franco-Indonesian singer Anggun Sasmi (50), S Club vocalist Jo O'Meara (45), Editors frontman Tom Smith (43), and ex-Trivium drummer Travis Smith (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor & impresario Thomas Beecham, born on this day in 1879... for Duke Ellington, born in 1899... for tabla player and Ravi Shankar sideman Alla Rakha, born in 1919... for harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans, born in 1922... for Coasters vocalist Carl Gardner, born in 1928... for April Stevens, born in 1929... for Lonnie Donnegan, born in 1931... for bluesman Otis Rush, who would have been 90 today... for American roots musician Hasil Adkins, who would have been 87... for Tami Terrell, who would have been 79... for Can vocalist Michael Karoli, who would have been 76... for blues singer & pianist Leroy Carr, who died on this date in 1935... for Cisco Houston, who died in 1961... for bluesman J.B. Lenoir, who passed away in 1967... and for Mick Ronson, who left us today in 1993. 

Also on April 29th: In Vienna, Mozart's Sonata for violin & piano in Bb K. 454 is performed for the first time in the presence of Emperor Josef II, with the composer himself at the keyboard (1784)... 'La Marseillaise' is played in public for the first time by a French National Guard band in Strasbourg (1792)... Publicist Andrew Oldham and agent Eric Easton sign a management deal with The Rolling Stones after buying the rights to the bands first recordings for £90. They also persuade keyboard player Ian Stewart to drop out of the line up and become the band's road manager, while still playing piano at the back of the stage (1963)... Jimmy Nicol, the drummer who sat in for an ailing Ringo Starr on The Beatles' tour of Australia last year, is in a London tax court facing bankruptcy debts of £4,000 (1965)... The 14 hour Technicolour Dream benefit party for The International Times is held at Alexandra Palace in London. Seeing the event mentioned on TV, John Lennon calls his driver and goes to the show. Coincidentally, Yoko Ono is one of the performers. Other acts on the bill include The Flies, Pink Floyd, Arthur Brown, The Move and Suzie Creamcheese (1967)... Ringo adds his vocal to 'Octopus's Garden' (1969)... After a gig in Memphis, Bruce Springsteen takes a cab to Graceland and proceeds to climb over a wall leading to the mansion. A guard takes him to be another obsessive Elvis fan and apprehends him (1976)...    Polydor Records UK release The Jam's first single 'In the City'... The Grateful Dead open a 5-night run at the Palladium in NYC (1977)... In Paris, Black Sabbath kick off their first tour without Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio having now assumed lead singer duties (1980)... Paula Abdul marries Emilio Estevez in Santa Monica, CA. The couple file for divorce 2 years later (1992)... Tupac Shakur marries Keisha Morris inside the Clinton Correctional Facility, where he is serving a four-year jail term for sex abuse (1995)... 
Steven Tyler shatters his kneecap when he falls off the stage at a concert in Anchorage, AK, delaying Aerosmith's 'Nine Lives' tour and necessitating camera angle adjustments for the filming of the video for 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' (1998)... In London, a blue plaque is unveiled at 38 Aubrey Walk, Kensington to honour the musical heritage of the address where British singer Dusty Springfield lived from 1968 until 1972 (2001)... Avril Lavigne has the № 1 album in both the US and the UK with The Best Damn Thing (2007)... An anonymous Queen fan wins a two-hour one-to-one guitar lesson with Brian May, after bidding £7,600 at a private charity auction. The auction, in support of the Action for Brazil's Children Trust, of which May is a patron, was held at London's exclusive Cuckoo Club (2009).

April 27th

Musical birthdays today include ex-April Wine drummer Jerry Mercer (85), session drummer Jim Keltner (82), bluegrass guitarist Herb Pedersen (80), B-52's bassist & singer Kate Pierson (76), ex-Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley (73), Sheena Easton (65), former Belle & Sebastian vocalist Isobel Campbell (48), My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan (46), ex-Evanescence bassist Will Boyd (45), Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump (40), and Halo Circus lead singer Allison Iraheta (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Igor Oistrakh and country singer Maxine Brown, both born on this day in 1931... for radio host Casey Kasem, born in 1932... for Badfinger frontman Pete Ham, would have been 77... for composer Alexander Scriabin, who died today in 1915... for composer Olivier Messiaen, who died in 1992... for trumpeter Al Hirt, who passed away in 1999... and for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on April 27th: Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworksreceives its official premiere in London's Green Park. The visual spectacle is somewhat less successful than the music itself, however, as sputtering rockets set fire to the specially built structure housing the musicians (1749)... Beethoven composes Für Elise (1810)... Tchaikovsky has his first rehearsal with the New York Symphony Society at the new Music Hall (the future Carnegie Hall) on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan (1891)... In a rare appearance outside the U.S., Elvis plays the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, performing in his gold lamé suit for the last time (1957)... John Coltrane and the classic quartet record the album Crescent in one session at the Van Gelder Studio (1964)... Bob Dylan gives an interview to BBC journalist and radio presenter Jack DeManio at London's Savoy Hotel for broadcast on the Today programme of the Home Service the following day. Later in the day, Dylan and Joan Baez are filmed singing the traditional song 'Wild Mountain Thyme' in the Savoy. Parts of the interview and the song will be used in the film 'Don't Look Back' (1965)... The Beatles begin recording John's new song 'I'm Only Sleeping' (1966)... Epic Records release Sly and the Family Stone's second album, Dance to the Music, including the hit title track (1968)... Pink Floyd appear at Mother's Club in Erdington, Birmingham. Radio 1 DJ John Peel reviews the gig as '...sounding like dying galaxies lost in sheer corridors of time and space'. Recordings from this show will be included in the group’s album Ummagumma later this year (1969)... In an unusual double bill, The Grateful Dead share the stage with The Beach Boys at the Fillmore East (1971)... A free afternoon event is held in the parking lot of the University of Connecticut's Ice Hockey Arena in Storrs. Musical entertainment includes Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Fairport Convention. Springsteen goes on to play another gig that evening at the University of Hartford (1974)... Customs officers on a train at the Soviet/Polish Border detain David Bowie after Nazi books and mementos, including a first edition of Mein Kampf, are found in his luggage. Bowie claims that he is using the material for research on a movie project about Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (1976)... Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach are married (1981)... The Verve announce that they have disbanded (1999)... Plans are announced for Aerosmith to hold a free concert in Hawaii to placate angry ticket buyers who brought a legal case against them. Fans filed a class action suit, which claimed the band had cancelled a sold-out show in Maui two years ago, leaving hundreds of fans out of pocket, in favour of a bigger gig in Chicago. Lawyers for the would-be concert-goers say that Aerosmith have now agreed to put on a new show, and will pay all expenses. Everyone who bought a ticket to the original concert will receive a free ticket (2009).

April 26th

Musical birthdays today include Duane Eddy (86), Giorgio Moroder (84), R&B singer Claudine Wright (83), Bobby Rydell (82), Gary Wright (81), former Blue Mink keyboardist Roger Coulam (80), ex-Mötley Crüe lead singer John Corabi (65), Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor (64), former Replacements drummer Chris Mars (63), TLC vocalist Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins (54), Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus (53), original Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (49), and S Club vocalist Jon Lee (42). 

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, born in 1932... 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).

April 25th

Musical birthdays today include former CCR bassist Stu Cook (79), ABBA vocalist Björn Ulvaeus (79), The Left Banke keyboardist & songwriter Michael Brown (75), session drummer Steve Ferrone (74), former Marilion lead singer Derek 'Fish' Dick (66), Erasure lead singer Andy Bell (60), ex-Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery (59), Ocean Colour Scene lead singer Simon Fowler (59), and for Ben and James Johnston, drummer and bassist respectively for Biffy Clyro (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early R&B saxophonist Earl Bostic, born on this day in 1912... for Ella Fitzgerald, born in 1917... for Albert King, born in 1923... for bluegrass fiddler Vassar Clements, born in 1928... for songwriter & producer Jerry Lieber, born in 1933... for Dexter Gordon, who died on this day in 1990... for Ginger Rogers, who passed away in 1995... for pop singer Bobby Pickett, who died in 2007... and for British jazzman Humprey Lyttleton, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on April 25th: Puccini's opera Turandot has its premiere at La Scala in Milan, with Toscanini conducting (1926)... Johnnie Ray is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Such a Night', one of his three British chart-toppers. Dexy's Midnight Runners would later reference the singer in 'Come on Eileen' with the line 'Poor old Johnnie Ray sounded so sad  on the radio/He moved a million hearts in mono' (1954)... Just days after the completion of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles embark on their next project, recording the theme to 'Magical Mystery Tour' at Abbey Road studios (1967)... Deram Records release The Moody Blues' On the Threshold of a Dream (1969)... The Jackson Five hit № 1 in the USA with 'ABC' (1970)... Pamela Courson, the long-term companion of the late Jim Morrison, dies of a drug overdose. It was Courson who found the Doors singer dead on July 3, 1971 in the bathtub of their apartment in Paris (1974)... Elvis Presley makes his final recordings during a concert at the Saginaw, MI Civic Center. Three songs from the show will appear the posthumously released Presley album Moody Blue (1977)... Ornette Coleman records the album Of Human Feeling, his first attempt to combine free jazz principles with elements of funk... (1979)... Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Ebony And Ivory.'  The title was inspired by McCartney hearing Spike Milligan say "Black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!". It was later listed as the tenth worst song of all time by Blender magazine, and in 2007 was named the worst duet in history in a BBC 6 Music listeners poll (1982)... U2 top the American album chart with The Joshua Tree (1987)... The Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock is auctioned off in San Francisco for a record $295,000. Hendrix's two-hour set at the 1969 festival was the longest of his career (1990)... In Los Angeles, The Eagles play the first of two shows where they record their 'Hell Freezes Over' album. Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit first reunited the previous December for the making of a Travis Tritt video of their song 'Take It Easy' The name of the album was a quote from Glen Frey, who used the expression to respond to a journalist who asked "When will the Eagles get back together?" (1994)...  Bruce Springsteen plays the opening show on his Devils & Dust North American solo tour at the Fox Theater in Detroit, MI (2005)... During The Rolling Stones' current world tour, aides to President George W. Bush are told they cannot book a luxury five star hotel suite because Mick Jagger has already reserved it. Jagger had splashed out £3,600 a night for the suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Austria, in advance of the band's appearance there. Prior to the attempted booking, US Secret Service agents had already vetted the hotel, but to no avail (2007). The Empire State Building is lit up in Mariah Carey's signature colours of lavender, pink, and white in celebration of her achievements in the world of music. Carey is the first person in the history of the structure to be so honoured (2008).

April 24th

Musical birthdays today include Shirley MacLaine (90), Barbra Streisand (82), Oak Ridge Boys vocalist Richard Sterban (81), CCR drummer Doug Clifford (79), Véronique Sanson (75), former Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison (73), ex-Night Ranger bassist Jack Blades (70), The Damned co-founder Ray 'Captain Sensible' Burns (70), former Bauhaus bassist David Haskins AKA David J (67), ex-Cure drummer Boris Williams (67), Faith No More bassist Billy Gould (61), Creed bassist Brian Marshall (51), Kelly Clarkson (42), and All-American Rejects lead singer Tyson Ritter (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for soul singer Freddie Scott, who would have been 90 today... for jazzman Joe Henderson, who would have been 87... for former Hughes Corporation vocalist St. Clair Lee, who would have been 80... for bluesman Otis Spann, who died on this date in 1970... for Badfinger frontman Pete Ham, who took his own life today in 1975 at the age of 27... and for R&B singer and former Duke Ellington vocalist Al Hibbler, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on April 24th: Haydn finishes his oratorio Die Jahrezeiten [The Seasons] and conducts the premier himself on the same evening at the Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna (1801)... Laurens Hammond files for a patent for his electric organ (1934)... Buddy Holly has a posthumous № 1 in the UK with the Paul Anka song 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' (1959)... Bob Dylan makes his first ever paid appearance in a recording studio, contributing harmonica to the song 'Calypso King' on the Harry Belafonte album The Midnight Special... Del Shannon is at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Runaway' (1961)... Apple Records turn down the chance to sign David Bowie... At 69, Louis Armstrong becomes the oldest man ever to have a British № 1 when 'What a Wonderful World' tops the UK chart (1968)... In Nashville, Bob Dylan begins the recording sessions that will produce the album Self Portrait (1969)...  John Lennon's single 'Woman Is the Nigger of the World' was released in the US. The song peaks at № 57, as numerous American radio stations refuse to play it. Yoko Ono first used the phrase in a magazine interview in 1967, and Lennon later explained that he was making the point that women deserved higher status in society (1972)... RCA release David Bowie's album Diamond Dogs (1974)... Paul and Linda McCartney spend the evening with John Lennon at the latter's apartment in the Dakota in NYC and watch Saturday Night Live on TV. The show's producer Lorne Michaels appears on the air asking The Beatles to turn up and play three songs live. Lennon and McCartney discuss taking a cab to the studio, but decide they are too tired. The evening is the last time that John and Paul see each other (1976)... Ray Charles' 'Georgia on My Mind' is voted the official state song by the Georgia Assembly (1979)... New Order begin recording their first album at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, just outside of Manchester (1981)... The road crew for Roger Waters uncover an unexploded WWII bomb while constructing the set for the forthcoming 'The Wall' concert on Potsdamerplatz in Berlin (1990)... David Bowie marries Somali actress and supermodel Iman in a small private ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland (1992)... Oasis release the single 'Some Might Say', which goes on to give the group their first UK № 1 (1995)... Dixie Chicks launch a publicity campaign to explain their position with regard to the controversy generated by Natalie Maines' statements about the Iraq war. During a prime-time interview with Diane Sawyer, Maines says she remains proud of her original statement. The band also appear naked [with private parts strategically covered] on the current cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine, with slogans such as 'Traitors', 'Saddam's Angels', 'Dixie Sluts', 'Proud Americans', 'Hero', 'Free Speech', and 'Brave' printed on their bodies. The slogans represent the labels, both positive and negative, that have been placed on them in the aftermath of Maines' stand (2003)... Sheryl Crow says that a ban on using too much toilet paper should be introduced to help the environment. The singer suggests using 'only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required'. Crow made the comments on her website after touring the US on a biodiesel-powered bus to raise awareness about climate change. Crow has also designed a clothing line with what she called a 'dining sleeve'. The sleeve is detachable and can be replaced with another 'dining sleeve' after the diner has used it to wipe his or her mouth... Sounds True Records release Hudson River Wind Meditations, Lou Reed's final solo album (2007).

April 23rd

Musical birthdays today include jazz saxophonist & musicologist Vern 'Bunky' Green (88), former King Crimson violinist David Cross (75), ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer Narada Michael Walden (72), Boston lead singer Tommy DeCarlo (59), Rancid lead singer & bassist Matt Freeman (58), ex-Interpol bassist Carlos Dengler (50), and hip-hop artist, DJ & producer Sydney 'Syd tha Kyd' Bennett (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Ruggiero Leoncavallo and Dame Ethel Smyth, both born on this day in 1858... for Sergei Prokofiev, born in 1891... for blues pianist Charlie 'Cow Cow' Davenport, born in 1894... for drummer & bandleader Bobby Rosegarden, born in 1924... for Roy Orbison, who would have been 88... for original Jethro Tull bassist Glenn Cornick, who would have been 77... for former Def Leppard co-lead guitarist Steve Clark, who would have been 62... for pianist and former Miles Davis sideman Red Garland, who died on this date in 1984... for songwriter Harold Arlen [best remembered for the soundtrack of 'The Wizard of Oz', including the tune for 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'], who died in 1985... for New York Dolls lead guitarist John 'Johnny Thunders' Genzale, Jr., who died in suspicious circumstances today in 1991 at the age of 39... for former Outsiders frontman Tom King, who passed away in 2011... and for country-rock bassist and Gram Parsons sideman Chris Ethridge, who left us today in 2012.  

Also on April 23rd: The 8-year-old Mozart arrives in London for the first time to continue his musical studies (1764)... Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta Patience, the world's first theatrical production to be lit entirely by electric lights, premieres at the Opera Comique in London (1881)... Elvis opens his first Las Vegas engagement, a 2-week run at the New Frontier Hotel. Presley is not the typical Vegas Strip entertainer of the time and meets with a very cool reception (1956)... John Lennon and Paul McCartney adopt the pseudonym The Nerk Twins for a performance at the Fox & Hounds Pub in Caversham, Berks. (1960)... At the Olatunji Center of African Culture in NYC, John Coltrane plays his final recorded gig (1967)... The Beatles are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Get Back', the group's 16th UK chart-topper. Credited to 'The Beatles with Billy Preston' on the label of the 45 RPM, it was the group's only single that lists another artist. 'Get Back' is also the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US (1969)... The Rolling Stones release the album Sticky Fingers. The band's first release on their own label via Atlantic Records, the cover was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid $15,000 for his efforts. The LP sleeve featured a close-up of a pair of jeans with a working zip. Widely assumed to be that of Mick Jagger, the crotch photographed for the cover was actually that of actor Joe Dallesandro (1971)... Sire Records release The Ramones' eponymous debut album (1976)... Sid Vicious films himself performing his version of 'My Way' for The Sex Pistols' film 'The Great Rock n Roll Swindle' (1978)... David Bowie hits №  1 on the UK album chart with Let's Dance', while the title track sits atop the US singles chart (1983)... On his 52nd birthday, Roy Orbison joins Bruce Springsteen on stage at a concert by the latter in Denver, CO. The audience serenade the 'Pretty Woman composer' with 'Happy Birthday'... 
Whitney Houston breaks a chart record held jointly by The Beatles and The Bee Gees when 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', becomes her seventh consecutive US № 1 single (1988)... Peter Hodgson of Liverpool finds a tape in his attic containing 16 of The Beatles' earliest recordings made in 1959. The tape includes 'Hello Little Girl', a Lennon-McCartney composition that the Beatles never recorded and Ray Charles' 'Hallelujah, I Love Her So'. The sessions were taped on a reel-to-reel recorder that Hodgson's father had lent to Paul McCartney (1995)...  While out on a drink and drug-fuelled spree, Amy Winehouse hits and head-butts two men. After drinking all day, Amy visits the Good Mixer pub in Camden, London with Babyshambles guitarist Mik Whitnall. Inside she allegedly punches Mustapha el Mounmi in the face after he refuses to give way to her at the pool table. The singer then leaves to visit Bar Tok in the early hours and once inside the establishment shouted "I am a legend! Get these people out, I want to take drugs!" After leaving the bar a good Samaritan tries to get her a cab, but she believes that he is trying to molest her, and allegedly head-butts him in the face (2008)... Bob Dylan releases the album Together through Life  (2009).

April 22nd

Musical birthdays today include conductor & musicologist Joshua Rifkin (80), singer-songwriter & radio host Larry Groce (76), Peter Frampton (74), Paul Carrack (73), Pennywise lead guitarist Fletcher Dragge (58), rapper Opio Lindsey (50), System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian (50), Gentlemen East lead guitarist Aaron Fincke (46), Hounds Below frontman Jason Stollsteimer (46), ex-Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns (45), former Sugababes vocalist Amelle Berrabah (40), Dream Street vocalist Matt Ballinger (39), and rapper Richard Baker AKA Machine Gun Kelly (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violinist & conductor Yehudi Menuhin, born on this day in 1916... for Charles Mingus, born today in 1922... for jazz bassist & composer Paul Chambers, and for Glen Campbell, both of whom would have been 86 today... for film score composer and Neil Young sideman Jack Nitzsche, who would have been 86... for composer Édouard Lalo, who died on this date in 1892... for jazz pianist Earl 'Fatha' Hines, who died in 1983... for songwriter Felice Bryant, who passed away in 2003... and for Richie Havens, who left us today in 2014.

Also on April 22nd: Bach is hired as Kapellmeister at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, after two other candidates turned the job down (1723)... At Columbia's 30th St. Studio in NYC, Miles Davis and his ensemble sextet convene for the second and final recording session for Kind of Blue (1959)... The President of Britain's National Federation Of Hairdressers offers a free haircut to The Beatles' chief rivals for № 1 group in the UK pop charts. He says "The Rolling Stones are the worst ~ one of them looks as if he's got a feather duster on his head" (1964)... The Troggs' new single 'Wild Thing' is released in the US... Two dozen local groups appear at a ‘battle of the bands’ gig at the Matawan, NJ Keyport Roller Drome. All acts performed three songs each. The Rogues win first place, second are Sonny & The Starfires, and third place goes to The Castilles, with 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen on lead guitar and vocals. The three winners are given an opportunity to perform at the Roller Drome the following week as part of a major concert headlined by The Crystals (1966)... Deep Purple have the № 1 album in the UK with Machine Head (1972)... Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at the 'One Love Peace Concert' in Jamaica. It is Marley's first public appearance in Jamaica since being wounded in an assassination attempt a year and a half earlier... John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd perform as The Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live for the first time (1978)... Warner Bros. Records release Around the World in a Day by Prince (1985)... The Dave Matthews Band make their live debut at an Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville, VA (1991)... Destiny's Child go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Survivor.' Their second chart topper, they are the first US all-female band to achieve the feat in Britain more than once (2001)... '60s pop singer Tommy Steele reveals that he took Elvis Presley on a secret tour of London in 1958 after Presley struck up a friendship with him. When the rock legend flew into London for a day, Steele tells the Times that he took him round the city, showing him famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Nelson's column. For more than 50 years, fans of the King had believed that the only time he ever set foot in the UK was during a stop-over at Prestwick Airport in Scotland in March 1960 on his way back from US Army service in Germany (2008).

April 21st

Musical birthdays today include composer & pianist John McCabe (85), Iggy Pop (77), former Family bassist John Weider (77/span>), Patti LuPone (75), Misfits bassist Jerry Only (65), The Cure frontman Robert Smith (65), Spearhead and former Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy leader (58), Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard (54), rapper & producer Adam 'Doseone' Drucker (47), and Rancid drummer Branden Steineckert (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical violinist Efrem Zimbalist, born on this day in 1889... for choral composer Randall Thompson, born in 1899... for country singer Ira Louvin, born in 1924... for  jazz guitarist Eddy Christiani, born in 1929... for jazz trombonist Slide Hampton, born in 1931... for Allesandro Moreschi, the last known castrato soprano (and the only one to have been recorded), who died on this date in 1921... for Jordanaires vocalist Neal Matthews, Jr., who died in 2000... and for Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett, who passed away in 2013... and for Prince, who left us today in 2016. Also on April 21st: Against the composer's wishes, a rehearsal for Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks is opened to the public six days before its scheduled premiere. The 12,000 spectators who flock to the performance in Vauxhall Gardens cause a traffic jam on London Bridge (1749)... Leonard Bernstein makes his debut as  conductor, leading the Harvard University Orchestra in his own incidental music for a drama department production of Aristophanes' 'The Birds' (1939)... At Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, McCoy Tyner records The Real McCoy, his first solo album since leaving John Coltrane's quartet... At Abbey Road studios, The Beatles completed the sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The final recordings are a short section of gibberish and noise which will follow 'A Day in the Life', in the run-out groove. They record assorted noises and voices, which engineer Geoff Emerick then cuts up and randomly re-assembles and edits backwards. At John Lennon's suggestion, they also add a high-pitch 15 kilocycle whistle audible only by dogs. This is omitted from the American version of the album (1967)... Janis Joplin makes her UK debut at the Royal Albert Hall, with Yes as her opening act (1969)... Tony Orlando & Dawn hit № 1 in America with 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'round the Old Oak Tree' (1973)... Women Against Violence Against Women call for a boycott of all Warner Communications albums because of the promotional campaign for the Rolling Stones' new album Black and Blue. The album is being promoted with a controversial advertising campaign that depicts model Anita Russell, bruised and tied up, under the phrase ‘I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones - and I love it!’ (1976)... Joe Strummer disappears without a trace, causing his bandmates to cancel the upcoming Combat Rock tour. The Clash frontman turns up three weeks later in Paris [where he also completed the city's marathon] living under a bridge. (1982)... Paul McCartney plays in front of 184,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, setting a new world record for the largest crowd to attend a rock concert... Sinead O'Connor is at № 1 in the US and the UK with 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. The single will eventually top the charts in 18 countries worldwide (1990)... Bill Wyman marries for the third time when he ties the knot with 33-year-old fashion designer Suzanne Acosta in Saint Paul de Vence in the south of France (1993)... Peter Buck is charged by police at Heathrow Airport with being drunk and disorderly on an aircraft and with assaulting British airways crew. The R.E.M. guitarist is taken into custody after landing on a flight from Seattle and is questioned by police for 12 hours (2001).

April 20th

Musical birthdays today include conductor and organ virtuoso Christopher Robinson (88), singer-songwriter Johnny Tillotson (86), Silver Bullet Band pianist Craig Frost (75), ex-Dream Theater drummer Mark Portnoy (57), Stephen Marley (51), and rapper Michael 'Killer Mike' Render (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Lionel Hampton, born on this day in 1908... for salsa drummer Tito Puente, born in 1923... for Luther Vandross, who would have been 72 today... for Steve Mariott, who died on this date in 1991... for jazz pianist Andrew Hill, who died in 2007... for Chopper City Boyz rapper Michael 'VL Mike' Allen, who was shot to death on this day in 2008 at the age of 32... for TV on the Radio multi-instrumentalist Gerard Smith, who passed away in 2011... and for guitarist and teacher Bert Weedon, who left us today in 2012.

Also on April 20th: Handel receives a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey (1759)... In NYC, Billie Holiday records 'Strange Fruit' (1939)... Elvis starts  2-month run at № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'All Shook Up' (1957)... Goldband Records in Nashville releases 13-year-old Dolly Parton's first single 'Puppy Love', recorded when she was 11. The record fails to chart (1959)... The Federal Communications Commission formally adopts an FM standard, clearing the way for commercial FM radio broadcasting to begin in the US (1961)... Sun Ra records The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra at RLA Studios in NYC (1965)... During a 12-hour session at Abbey Road, The Beatles get John's 'And Your Bird Can Sing' and George's 'Taxman' in the can (1966)... Deep Purple make their live debut at a gig in Tastrup, Denmark. Currently known as Roundabout, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggests just before going on that the band introduce themselves as Deep Purple, named after his grandmother's favourite song [which had been a hit for Peter De Rose], after his grandmother repeatedly asked if they would be performing the tune... Apple Music Ltd. run advertisements soliciting tapes from unknown artists, offering financial grants as part of a deal to release records on the Apple label.  Badfinger, James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax, David Peel and Elephant's Memory will be among those signed up (1968)... Paul McCartney releases his self-titled debut solo album (1970)... 84 year old George Burns, who starred in the movie Oh God! with John Denver, becomes the oldest person to have a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when 'I Wish I Was 18 Again' peaks at No. 49. When asked if he wished he were 18 again, Burns replies "I wish I was 80 again." Before this, his most recent charting record had been a spoken word comedy routine with his wife and partner Gracie Allen in the summer of 1933 (1980)... 'We Are the World' by USA for Africa goes to № 1 in the UK (1985)...  At the age of 92, Vladimir Horowitz returns to his native Russia for the first time in 60 years to give a recital at the Moscow Conservatory (1986)... A record store in Callaway, FL is forced to closed down and a part-time clerk was arrested after selling a copy of the 2 Live Crew album 2 Live Is What We Are to a 14 year old boy. Local officials had deemed the recording obscene because of its suggestive lyrics (1987)... Janet Jackson receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1990)... 'A Concert For Life' takes place at Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and to raise AIDS awareness. Acts appearing include Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi, David Bowie, Mick Ronson, James Hetfield, George Michael, Seal, Paul Young, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfield, Robert Plant, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, and Axl Rose and Slash (1992)... Parlophone Records release Radiohead's debut album Pablo Honey (1993)... Robert Plant appears at Disney's Theatre of the Stars in Orlando, Florida to leave his handprints outside the theatre (2000)... At the London Astoria, a memorial concert for former Small Faces and Humble Pie front man Steve Marriott takes place on the 10th anniversary of his death. On the bill are Peter Frampton, Midge Ure, Chris Farlowe and the current lineup of Humble Pie (2001).

April 19th

Musical birthdays today include rock singer & producer Genya Ravan (84), Alan Price (82), New Seekers vocalist Eve Graham (81), former Turtles guitarist Mark Volman (77), progressive rock & fusion jazz drummer Rod Morgenstein (71), ex-Black Sabbath lead singer Tony Martin (67), operatic soprano Natalie Dessay (59), record company executive Suge Knight (59), singer-songwriter Dar Williams (57), and Canadian folk singer & multi-instrumentalist Fiona MacGillivray (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for philanthropist and musical education patron Augustus D. Juilliard, born on this day in 1836... for jazz guitarist Gene Leis, born in 1920... for British blues pioneer Alexis Korner, born in 1928... for producer & parodist Dickie Goodman, who would have been 90... for Dudley Moore, who would have been 89... for Talking Heads sideman Bernie Worrell, who would have been 80... for hymn composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley, who died on this date in 1876... for pianist and arranger Conrad Leonard, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 104 as the oldest musician then working in Britain. His collaborations had ranged from Cole Porter to Petula Clark, and until the age of 103 he played the piano every Thursday lunchtime at the Plantation Café in Twickenham... for former Men at Work saxophonist Greg Ham, and for Levon Helm, both of whom left us today in 2012. 

Also on April 19th: Gluck's opera Iphigénie en Aulide premieres at the Opéra du Palais Royale in Paris. The work is such a departure from the prevailing style of the day that a near riot breaks out in the hall (1774)... 'National Barn Dance', the first country music radio program, goes on the air at station WLS-AM in Chicago (1924)... Rogers & Hammerstein's 'Carousel' premieres on Broadway (1945)... The FCC authorises regular FM stereo broadcasting beginning on June 1st (1961)... The Beatles single 'Ticket to Ride' is released by Capitol Records in the US. The single's label states that the song is from the upcoming movie 'Eight Arms to Hold You' [the original title for 'Help!'] (1965)... John Lennon, George Harrison and their wives leave the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishikesh, India two weeks before their course of study is complete. Ringo and Paul have already gone back to England... CBS Records release Odyssey and Oracle by The Zombies (1968)... L.A. Woman, the Doors' final album with Jim Morrison as lead singer, is released(1971)...  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band appear at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. The gig was unadvertised by its promoter, who gambled that word-of-mouth would be enough to fill the 550-seat venue; only 250 people attend. Tickets cost $4.50 and $5.50 in advance (1974)... Blondie are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Call Me'... Brian Johnson officially joins AC/DC, replacing the late Bon Scott as lead singer... For the first time ever, the top five artists on the Billboard country chart are all female ~ Crystal Gayle is at № 1 with 'it's Like We Never Said Goodbye', with Dottie West, Debbie Boone, Emmylou Harris and Tammy Wynette rounding out the Top 5... R.E.M. play their first gig under their new name at the 11:11 Koffee Club in Athens, GA to 150 people. The show ends at 2 a.m. when police raid the unlicensed venue and close it down (1980)... George Michael goes to № 1 in the UK with 'A Different Corner', the singer's second solo № 1 single. Michael becomes the first solo act ever to top the British chart with his first two releases. It is also the first UK № 1 since 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' by Stevie Wonder to have been written, performed, arranged and produced by the same person... In the USA, Prince has the top song with 'Kiss', and also has his name on the № 2 single, as the author of The Bangles' 'Manic Monday' (1986)... Sonny Bono is inaugurated as the mayor of Palm Springs, CA (1988)... On this week's BBC-TV's 'French and Saunders' comedy show, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Mark King of Level 42 and Gary Moore of Thin Lizzy all appear  in a comedy courthouse sketch, which ends with all of the guitarists jamming together in a jail cell (1990)... The Stone Roses play their first gig in five years at a small club in Oslo, Norway (1995)... Michael Jackson attends an unveiling of a wax statue of himself at the Grevin Museum of Wax in Paris. Jackson provided one of his own outfits to dress the figure (1997)... It is announced that two 30-second television commercials designed to attract vacationing families to Graceland to experience the 'real' Elvis will air nationally in the US starting in April 2006. It is the first time in the history of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. that the company has used TV advertising to promote Graceland tourism (2006)... A week after Roman Catholic Church officials published an article in the Vatican's 'L'Osservatore Romano' newspaper that said they forgive John Lennon's remarks about The Beatles being "bigger than Jesus", Ringo Starr rejects their forgiveness. The newspaper's editors had written, 'The Beatles said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages that were possibly even Satanic... (but) what would Pop music be like without them?" Ringo, unimpressed, replies "Didn't the Vatican say we were Satanic or possibly Satanic? And they've still forgiven us? I think the Vatican have got more to talk about than the Beatles" (2010).