February 28th

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Mike Wofford (86), former Jaggerz and Wild Cherry lead singer Donnie Iris (81), film director, score composer and trumpeter Mike Figgis (76), Black Sabbath keyboardist Geoff Nichols (76), B-52s vocalist Cindy Wilson (67), Train lead singer Patrick Monahan (55), Jason Aldean (47), and Jake Bugg (30). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Guiomar Novaes, born on this day in 1895... for jazz violinist Svend Asmussen, born in 1916... for guitarist John Fahey, who would have been 85 today... for Nashville session guitarist Joe South, who would have been 84... for Brian Jones, who would have been 82... for producer Brian Delph, who would have been 67... for one-hit wonder Bobby Bloom ['Montego Bay'], who took his own life today in 1974 at the age of 28... for original Uriah Heep lead singer David Byron, who died in 1985... for classical violinist Helmut Zacharias, who passed away in 2002... for former Searchers drummer Chris King, who died in 2005... and for Dave Clark Five lead singer Mike Smith, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on February 28: Handel's opera Siroe, de di Persia premieres in London (1728)... The first public recital of Schubert's lieder takes place in Vienna (1819)... Jules Massenet's final opera Cleopatre premieres in Monte Carlo (1914)... Motown records release the LP The Fabulous Miracles (1963)... Police have to be called to dislodge music fans who have barricaded themselves inside Liverpool's Cavern Club to protest the venue's definitive closure... Gene Clark announces that he is leaving the Byrds (1966)... In an interview with the New Musical Express, Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green talks about his plans to give all of his money away. The following year, he will threaten his accountant with a gun for presenting him with a royalty cheque... Led Zeppelin play a gig in Copenhagen billed as 'The Nobs' after Eva von Zeppelin,  a descendant of the airship designer, threatens legal action if the family name is used in Denmark... Simon and Garfunkel's 'Bridge over Troubled Water' begins a 6-week run at № 1 in the US ~ chart supremacy for the song in Britain will begin in 2 weeks' time... Van Morrison's album Moondance is released (1970)... George and Patti Harrison are injured in a car crash; Patti will be in a coma for nearly a week, but will make a complete recovery (1972)... Paul Simon's 'Still Crazy after All These Years' wins Best Pop Vocal Performance and Best Album at the 18th Grammys. In his acceptance speech, the singer says "I'd like to thank Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album this year" (1976)... Ray Charles is attacked on stage in Detroit by a man who attempts to strangle him with a microphone cord. The assailant is a member of a group called Project Heavy, a community project for disadvantaged youths (1977)... U2's War is released (1983)... George Michael announces the dissolution of Wham! (1986)... Bob Dylan goes into The Studio in New Orleans to begin recording the Oh Mercy album with Daniel Lanois at the controls... The Indigo Girls release their eponymous debut album (1989)... Eric Clapton plays his 100th show at the Royal Albert Hall, this one a fundraiser for the 'Children in Crisis' charity (1994)... The Arctic Monkeys win British band of the year at the NME Awards in London's O2 Arena. Blackout by Britney Spears is named Worst Album of the Year (2008).