November 29th

 

Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione (84), ex-Rascals lead singer Felix Cavaliere (82), former Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau (73), fusion guitarist Jennifer Batten (67), original Cure bassist Michael Dempsey (66), New Kids on the Block vocalist Jonathan Knight (56), and Deftones keyboardist Frank Delgado (54). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for opera composer Gaetano Donizetti, born on this date in 1797... for blues singer Lucille Hegamin, born in 1894... for jazz pianist, composer and arranger Billy Strayhorn, born in 1915... for country singer Merle Travis, born in 1917... for John Mayall, born in 1933... for The Mamas & the Papas vocalist Denny Doherty, who would have been 84 today... for rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who would have been 77... for former Zapp lead singer Roger Troutman, who would have been 73... for composer Claudio Monteverdi, who died on this date in 1643... for composer Giacomo Puccini, who passed away in 1924... and for George Harrison, who left us today in 2001. 

Also on November 29: Rossini's Il Barbiere de Seviglia (The Barber of Seville), the first opera to be performed in Italian in North America, has its premiere at the Park Theater in NYC (1825)... Thomas Edison gives the first public demonstration of the phonograph (1877)... The first opera to be televised, Verdi's Othello, is broadcast live from the Met (1948)... Paul McCartney and Pete Best are expelled from West Germany after being arrested on suspicion of arson when the hotel room they were staying in mysteriously caught fire. They were released and deported the next day (1960)... The Beatles' 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' comes out in the UK. For the first time ever in Britain, advanced orders passed the million mark before it was released (1963)... Bob Dylan appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time (1969)... Lancaster local council cancels the Sex Pistols gig at Lancaster Poly. The reason given in a statement by the council says 'We don't want that sort of filth in the town limits' (1976)... Abba score their ninth and last UK No.1 single with 'Super Trouper'... John and Yoko's 'Double Fantasy' album is released. Though initially poorly received, the album becomes inextricably linked with Lennon's murder three weeks after its initial appearance, whereupon it turns into a worldwide commercial success, and goes on to win the 1981 Album of the Year at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards (1980)... Whitney Houston pulls out of a concert sponsored by the Unification Church two hours before she is due on stage after finding out the event is a mass wedding for over 1,000 Moonie couples. The religious group say they have no intention of suing providing the singer returns the $1 million fee she received... 'Perfect Day', performed by various artists including Elton John, Bono, Tom Jones, Suzanne Vega and David Bowie goes to No.1 on the UK singles chart. Originally written and recorded in 1973 by Lou Reed, this new collaboration of 29 major artists is a fund raiser for the BBC Children In Need charity (1997)... A five-hour charity show to support the fight against AIDS is held at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. Acts who appear include Bono, Queen, Ms Dynamite, Peter Gabriel, Eurythmics, Beyoncé, Youssou N'Dour, Anastacia, The Corrs, Jimmy Cliff and Chaka Chaka. The show is also broadcast live on the Internet (2003)... Control, the biopic about late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, scoops five prizes at the British Independent Film Awards. The black-and-white film, which featurs The Killers, David Bowie and New Order on the soundtrack, was shot for just £3 million (2007).

November 28th

 Musical birthdays today include Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. (95), Bruce 'Hey! Baby' Channel (84), Randy Newman (81), ex-Little River Band guitarist Beeb Birtles (76), Paul Shaffer (74), Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron (62), rapper Styles P [né David Styles] (50), Vampire Weekend keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij (42), and R&B singer Trey Songz [né Tremaine Neverson] (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for French chansonnier Michel Berger, who would have been 77 today... for ex-Steppenwolf drummer Jerry Edmonton, killed in a road accident on this day in 1993 at the age of 48... and for operatic bass Franco Ventriglia, who left us today in 2012.   

Also on November 28: Beethoven premieres his own Piano Concerto № 5 in E Flat Major premieres at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig (1811)... In St. Petersburg, Rachmaninoff gives the debut performance of his Piano Concerto № 3, widely considered to be one of the most technically challenging concertos in the standard classical repertoire (1909)... The Grand Ole Opry goes on the air for the first time as the radio program 'Barn Dance on WSM, Nashville (1925)... Winifred Atwell is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Let's Have Another Party.' Atwell is the first black artist to reach № 1 in Britain, as well as the first to sell a million records (1954)... Elvis tops the American charts with 'Are You Lonesome Tonight', beginning a 6 week run at № 1 (1960)... The Beatles record their last fan club record as a group ~ this year's offering is called 'Christmas Time Is Here Again!' The Beatles' Christmas records were spoken and musical messages from the group that were posted out on flexi disc during the holiday season  to members of their official fan-clubs in the UK And the US (1967)... The Rolling Stones release Let It Bleed (1969)... Bob Dylan’s 11th studio album New Morning is at № 1 in the UK album listings, his 6th chart-topping LP. The album leads off with 'If Not For You', which will be recorded by George Harrison (on his 3 LP collection All Things Must Pass), and also becomes the title track for Olivia Newton-John's 1971 debut album (1970)... John Lennon makes what will prove to be his last ever concert appearance when he joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden. Lennon performs 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night', 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' (1974)... The Jam release Sound Affects (1980)... The Jennifer Warnes/Bill Medley duet '(I've Had) The Time Of My Life' from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack goes to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart (1987)... REM hit the US top 10 for the first time with 'The One I Love' (1987)... Nirvana record a performance for BBC TV's Top Of The Pops. When asked to lip-sync ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ to a pre-recorded tape, Kurt Cobain registers his disagreement by singing in a low-pitched funny voice with the rest of the band, making no attempt to mime in-time to the track (1991)... David Bowie is crowned the Musician's Musician. Bowie beats the Beatles and alternative rockers Radiohead in a survey by the NME that asked five hundred  of top rock and pop performers to name their biggest musical influence (2000)... Ray Davies plays his first solo date in NYC in 15 years at the Supper Club, treating fans to six songs from his forthcoming debut solo album (2005).

November 27th

 

Musical birthdays today include operatic tenor Neil Rosenshein (77), Genesis guitarist Daryl Stuermer (71), Aquarium frontman Boris Grebenshchikov (70), classical and jazz violinist Victoria Mullova (64), Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin (61), Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury (56), Alter Bridge frontman Myles Kennedy (54), Divine Heresy drummer Tim Yeung (45), and classical violinist Hilary Hahn (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for former Booker T. & the MGs drummer Al Jackson, Jr., who would have been 88 today...  for country singer Eddie Rabbitt, who would have been 83... for Jimi Hendrix, who would have been 82... for composer Arthur Honegger, who died on this date in 1955... for stage singer Lotte Lenya, who passed away in 1981... for soul singer Barbara Acklin, who died in 1998... and for pioneering rock guitarist Mickey Baker, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on November 27: Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra is performed for the first time in Munich (1896)... Mick Jagger is fined £16 for speeding in Tettenhall, Staffs. His solicitor tells the court: "The Duke of Marlborough had longer hair than my client and he won some famous battles. His hair was powdered, I think because of fleas. My client has no fleas" (1964)... The Grateful Dead are among the bands providing the musical entertainment as Ken Kesey and his Band of Merry Pranksters hold the first Electric Kool-Aod Acid Test in San Francisco (1965)... The Beatles release the Magical Mystery Tour album in the US (1967)... The Rolling Stones kick off their latest North American tour by opening a 3-night stand at Madison Square Garden in NYC. The concert, which is recorded, will become the Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! album (1969)... George Harrison releases All Things Must Pass. The triple album, which includes a number of songs that were left over from Beatle sessions, the set will go on to be certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, making it the best selling album by a solo Beatle (1970)... The British Phonographic industry place advertisements in the national press claiming that 'home taping is wiping out music'. The Boomtown Rats, 10cc, Elton John and Cliff Richard are all backing the campaign (1981)... Freddie Mercury's funeral service is conducted by a Zoroastrian priest for 35 of his close friends and family, with Elton John and the remaining members of Queen among those in attendance. Mercury is then cremated at Kensal Green Cemetery, West London (1991)... A disturbed INXS fan brings the funeral of Michael Hutchence to a standstill when he tries to launch himself from a 20 ft high balcony with a cord around his neck. He is subdued by police and taken away to a psychiatric unit (1997)... Multimillionaire defence contractor David H. Brooks books NYC's Rainbow Rooms and his daughter Elizabeth’s favourite acts for her bat mitzvah. Stars who appear included 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Stevie Nicks. 50 Cent, who was paid $500,000 to appear, performs only four songs but does manage to work in the lyric 'Go shorty, it's your bat miztvah, we gonna party like it's your bat mitzvah'. The evening costs an estimated $10 million, including the price of corporate jets to ferry the performers to and from the venue (2005).

 

November 26th

 Musical birthdays today include operatic mezzo-soprano Susanne Marsee (83), ex-Supremes vocalist Jean Terrell (80), Fleetwood Mac founding member John McVie (79), session keyboardist & producer Michael Omartian (79), Brotherhood of Man lead singer Martin Lee (75), rapper & producer DJ Khaled (49), rapper OJ da Juiceman [né Otis Williams, Jr.] (43), and Versa lead guitarist Blake Harnage (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for classical pianist Eugene Istomin, born on this day in 1925... for song & dance woman Betta St. John, born in 1929... for variety singer Robert Goulet, born in 1933... for Tina Turner, who would have been 85... for big band leader Tommy Dorsey, who died on this date in 1956... and for rapper Soulja Slim [né James Tapp, Jr.] , who was shot to death on this day in 2003 at the age of 26.

Also on November 26: Johnny Cash makes his debut on the US country chart when ‘Cry! Cry! Cry!’ enters the Top 40. It will peak at No. 14 (1955)... The Beatles record their second single ‘Please Please Me’ in 18 takes and ‘Ask Me Why’ as the B side at EMI Studios, London (1962)... The promotional film of The Beatles 'Hello, Goodbye' receives its broadcast premiere on The Ed Sullivan Show. The clip could not be aired in the UK at the time owing to a musician's union ban on lip synching (1967)...  Cream play their farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Also on the bill are opening acts Yes and Taste. The show was filmed and released as Cream's Farewell Concert, which has often been criticized for both its mediocre sound and visual effects: during Ginger Baker's drum solo, he seems to change clothes at lightning speed due to careless post-editing (1968)...  The New York Dolls make their UK live debut at Biba's Rainbow Room, London (1973)... The Sex Pistols release the single 'Anarchy In The UK'. Originally issued in a plain black sleeve, the 45 will be the only Pistols recording released by EMI, reaching No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart before the label drop the group on the 6th of January (1976)... Bob Dylan's current all-gospel tour gets a tempestuous reaction in Tempe, AZ. The recently converted singer spends most of his time between numbers berating the audience, and refuses to play any of his earlier hits or an encore (1979)... Soviet cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 7 take into space a cassette copy (minus the case, for weight reasons) of the latest Pink Floyd album Delicate Sound Of Thunder and put it on while in orbit, making the Floyd the first rock group to be played in space. David Gilmour and Nick Mason both attend the launch of the spacecraft (1988)... The Boyz II Men hit 'I'll Make Love to You' logs its 14th and final week at № 1 in the US, tying Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' for the longest run at the top of the American singles chart in the rock era (1994)... The Manchester club The Hacienda is auctioned off, raising £18,000 for charity. Madonna made her UK TV debut at the venue when C4 music show The Tube was broadcast live from its stage. Oasis, Happy Mondays, U2, New Order, Stone Roses, and The Smiths all played at the club as well (2000)... The parents of missing Manic Street Preachers guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards are granted a court order for him to be declared presumed dead, nearly 14 years ago having elapsed since their son's disappearance. Despite alleged sightings all over the world, no trace has ever been found of Edwards, whose car was found near the Severn Bridge, where he was presumed to have taken his own life at the age of 27 (2008)... Willie Nelson is arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana found in his tour bus whilst travelling from Los Angeles to Texas. After the singer is released on $2500 bail, Dallas County prosecutor Kit Bramblett says that he has no opposition to not sending Nelson to jail because of the small mount of cannabis involved, and suggests instead that the veteran star pay a $100 fine and sing 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain' for the court (2010).

November 25th

 

Musical birthdays today include film score composer Eleni Karaindrou (85), singer-songwriter Bob Lind (82), blues harmonica player Jerry Portnoy (81), Marillion lead guitarist Steve Rothery (65), Amy Grant (64), Rancid guitarist Tim Armstrong (57), Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton (52), and Thea Gilmore (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violin maker Giuseppe Guarneri, born on this day in 1666... for composer Virgil Thomson, born in 1896... for saxophonist Paul Desmond, born in 1924... for trumpeter Nat Adderley, born in 1931... for Percy Sledge, who would have been 84 today... for former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan, who would have been 60... for English hymn writer Isaac Watts, who died on this date in 1748... for Nick Drake, who died in 1974... for former Bob Dylan producer Don DeVito, who passed away in 2011... and for longtime Coasters vocalist Earl Carroll, who left us today in 2015. 

Also on November 25: 11-year-old prodigy Yehudi Menuhin makes his debut, performing Beethoven's 4th Violin Concerto with the NY Symphony Society Orchestra (1927)... 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' enters the American singles chart for the first time, in a version sung by Gene Autry (1949)... The Everly Brothers begin active duty with the 8th Battalion of the US Marine Corps, serving as artillerymen (1961)... Harrods department store in London closes to the public so that The Beatles can do their Christmas shopping in private (1964)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their UK live debut at the Bag O'Nails Club, London, where they play using the DJ booth as the stage (1966)...  John Lennon returns his MBE to Buckingham Palace on the grounds of the UK's involvement in the Biafran conflict in Nigeria and the American war in Vietnam, and also as a protest against his latest single 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts (1969)... Chuck Berry tops the UK singles chart with 'My Ding a-Ling', his only British № 1. The song was originally recorded by Dave Bartholomew in 1952. Berry's version was from a concert recorded at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry,  England, on the 3rd of February, 1972. Boston radio station WMEX disc jockey Jim Connors was credited with a gold record for discovering the song and pushing it to № 1 over the airwaves and amongst his peers in the United States (1972)... The Band give their final performance ~ 'The Last Waltz', held on Thanksgiving Day at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The show also features guests Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Dr John, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton and others. The event is filmed by director Martin Scorsese and will be made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978 (1976)... Eric Clapton releases Slowhand (1977)... The cream of the British pop world gathers at S.A.R.M. Studios, London to record the historic 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' The single, which was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, features Paul Young, Bono, Boy George, Sting and George Michael. It will go on to sell over three million copies in the UK, becoming the bestselling record ever, raising over £8 million ($13.6 million) worldwide (1984)... A statue in Montreux, Switzerland by sculptor Irena Sedlecka that was erected as a tribute to Freddie Mercury is unveiled by Freddie's father and Montserrat Caballé, with bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor also in attendance. Standing almost 10 feet (3 metres) high, the memorial overlooks Lake Geneva (1996)... Michael Jackson launches a website to defend himself following allegations of the sexual abuse of a 12-year old boy. The singer posts a message saying the charges are based on 'a big lie' and that he wants to end 'this horrible time' by proving in court that they are false (2003)... A restaurant falls victim to a prankster who has them make 178 pizzas by claiming they are for Bob Dylan and his band and road crew. An imposter wearing a fake pass for a Dylan concert calls an Antonio's restaurant and places the huge order worth more than $3,900. He tells the owner that the pizzas are for Dylan and his tour party who have just appeared in concert in Amherst, MA. Staff at Antonio's work until 5.30am to make the pies, but will be left stunned when no one returns to collect the order (2010).

 

November 24th

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November 23rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Manhattan Transfer vocalist Alan Paul (75), Brotherhood of Man vocalist Sandra Stevens (75), French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel (71), Bruce Hornsby (70), popular tenor Russell Watson (57), Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler (50), The Kills lead singer Alison Mosshart (45), and Miley Cyrus (32). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter & film score composer Johnny Mandel, born in 1925... for bluesman R.L. Burnside, born in 1926... for jazz singer Gloria Lynne, born in 1931... for composer Krzysztof Penderecki, born in 1933... for soul singer Betty Everett, who would have been 85... for choral composer Thomas Tallis, who died on this date in 1585... for Judee Sill, who died of a drug overdose today in 1979 at the age of 35... for country legend Roy Acuff, who died in 1992... for Junior Walker, who passed away today in 1995... and for jazz singer Anita O'Day, who left us in 2006. 

Also on November 23: The first jukebox goes into operation at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco (1889)... Enrico Caruso makes his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC in Rigoletto (1903)... Gale by Ethel Leginska is premiered by the Chicago City Opera Company. It is the first performance of an opera in the United States composed and conducted by a woman (1935)... Robert Johnson has his first recording session, in a room in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio TX with Don Law producing (1936)... A Toledo, OH sheet metal worker named Louis Balint is arrested after punching Elvis Presley at a local hotel. Balint claims that his wife's obsession with the singer caused his marriage to break up. He is fined $19.60 but ends up being jailed because he is unable to pay the amount (1956)... The Beatles travel to St. James' Church Hall, London, for a ten-minute audition with BBC Television. The opportunity came about when Beatles fan David Smith of Preston, Lancashire wrote to the BBC asking for the group to be featured on BBC Television. Assuming that Smith was The Beatles' manager, the BBC wrote back to him, offering the band an audition. Smith brought his letter to NEMS Enterprises, and Clive Epstein [Brian's brother] arranged for audition to take place. Four days later, Brian Epstein receives a polite letter of rejection (1962)... Cat Stevens releases Tea for the Tillerman (1970)... One hit wonder Billy Swan starts a two week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'I Can Help'... On the album chart, the Rolling Stones go to the top with It's Only Rock 'N Roll, their final outing with guitarist Mick Taylor (1974)... Queen launch a nine-week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' The promotional clip that accompanied the song is often acknowledged as the first modern rock video and only cost £5,000 to produce (1975)... Ten hours after being released on bail following his arrest in Florida, Jerry Lee Lewis is in handcuffs again after brandishing a derringer outside Elvis Presley's Graceland's home in Memphis, demanding to see the King. When police arrive they find Lewis sitting in a car with the loaded pistol resting on his knee (1976)... Keith Richard's girlfriend Anita Pallenberg is cleared by a court of shooting a man found dead at her home. 17-year-old Scott Cantrell shot himself in the head with a gun owned by Richard while in Pallenberg's bed, at the South Salem, NY house shared by her and the Stones guitarist. Cantrell had been employed as a part-time groundskeeper at the estate and was involved in a sexual relationship with Pallenberg (1979)... During a 104-date world tour, Paul McCartney plays the first of five nights at the L.A. Forum, his first stateside appearances since the Wings over America campaign of 1976 (1989)... Michael Jackson is at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with the single 'Black or White', featuring Slash on guitar (1991)... Otis Redding's widow files a lawsuit against the author of a biography written in 2001 about the R&B legend, claiming the book was filled with untruths. The lawsuit, filed in Atlanta's Fulton County, seeks $15 million in damages and claims that the book proffers unsubstantiated rumours about the singer's drug use and extramarital affairs, causing 'harm to the plaintiff'. It also cites a story alleging that Otis' manager had plotted with the Mafia to kill his client by causing his plane to crash in order to claim $1 million in life insurance (2002)... Geffen Records releases Guns N' Roses sixth, and to date last, studio album, Chinese Democracy. 8 years in production, with costs running over $13 million, it is the most expensive rock album ever made.

 

November 22nd

 Musical birthdays today include Youngbloods founder Jesse Colin Young (83), former Bob Marley & the Wailers bassist Aston Barrett (78), E Street band guitarist Steven van Zandt (74), ex-Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth (74), Styx lead singer Larence Gown (67), singer-songwriter Horse (65), Carter USM singer & guitarist Jim Bob (64), Hello Saferide frontwoman Annika Norlin (47), Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O (46), Napster inventor & entrepreneur Shawn Fanning (44), singer-songwriter & former a1  member Ben Adams (43), and Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, born 0n this day in 1899... for composer Benjamin Britten, born today in 1913... for composer, pianist & musicologist Dika Newlin, born in 1923... for organist and composer Peter Hurford, born in 1930... for country singer Terry Stafford, who would have been 82... for composer Arthur Sullivan, who died today in 1900... for former INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, who took his own life at the age of 37 on this day in 1997... and for rapper MC Breed, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on November 22: Ravel's Bolero premieres in Paris (1928)... Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel make their US television debut, in their incarnation as Tom and Jerry on ABC-TV's American Bandstand. They perform their hit 'Hey Schoolgirl' (1957)... The Beatles release their second UK album, With The Beatles (1963)... Bob Dylan and Sara Lowndes are married in a small civil ceremony at the Nassau County, NY courthouse (1965)... Singer-songwriter [and later Dylanologist] Long John Baldry is at  on the UK singles chart with 'Let the Heartaches Begin... George Harrison goes into the studio to begin recording the soundtrack to the film Wonderwall, his first solo effort (1967)... The double LP officially entitled The Beatles and more commonly known as The White Album is released (1968)... Bruce Springsteen's band Steel Mill opens for Iron Butterfly at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA (1969)... Jerry Lee Lewis was arrested for drunk driving after being found unconscious in his Rolls Royce in a ditch outside Pensacola, FL (1976)... Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble kick off a 149-date North American & European tour at the Towson Center in Towson, MD (1986)...  Bill Wyman announces that his 17-month marriage to model Mandy Smith is over. With the consent of her mother, Smith started dating the 47-year-old Rolling Stones bassist when she was 13 (1990)...  Supporting his new album Rhythm of the Saints, Paul Simon opens his first South American tour in Rio de Janeiro (1992)... Pearl Jam release their third studio album Vitalogy, which first comes out on vinyl. It becomes the first vinyl LP to appear on the US charts since 1981, when the domination of the compact disc format began (1994)... Surviving members of The Doors Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger announce that they will record and tour again with a new line up including ex-Cult singer Ian Astbury and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland. Original drummer John Densmore is unable to take part because he is suffering from severe tinnitus (2002)... U2 shoot the video for 'All Because Of You' from a moving flat bed truck on the streets of Brooklyn. Later in the day, they perform a brief concert under the Brooklyn Bridge which is taped by MTV for later broadcast (2004)... Poems written by Bob Dylan in his college days sell for $78,000 (£45,000) at a New York auction. The 16 pages of verses are the first known use by Robert Zimmerman of the pseudonym to which he will legally change his name in 1962, and date from his enrollment at the University of Minnesota.

November 21st

 

Musical birthdays today include Lebanese singer Fairuz (89),  War founding member Lonnie Jordan (76), Boston guitarist Gary Pihl (74), Livingston Taylor (74), ex-Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie (74), Björk (59), Blur bassist Alex James (56), Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis McDonald (54), Edguy lead singer Tobias Sammet (47), and Carly Rae Jepsen (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Coleman Hawkins, born on this day in 1904... for Dr. John, who would have been 83... for jazz drummer Alphonse Mouzon, who would have been 75... for composer Henry Purcell, who died in 1695... and for former Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant, who left us today in 1995. 

Also on November 21: Thomas Edison announces his new invention called the phonograph, a device that records and plays back sound (1877)... RCA Records purchased Elvis Presley's recording contract from Sam Phillips at Sun Records for an unprecedented sum of $35,000 (1955)... Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs go to № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Stay', the shortest ever US  № 1 single at one minute 37 seconds... In Germany, the Beatles play at the Kaiserkeller Club in Hamburg without George Harrison. Harrison was deported earlier in the day for being underage (he is 17) and therefore not legally allowed to remain in a nightclub after midnight (1960)... The Partridge Family start a three week run at  № 1 on the US singles chart with 'I Think I Love You'. The song was featured in the first episode of the TV series named for the band and produced by the same company that created The Monkees... In Britain,  Jimi Hendrix is at № 1 on the singles chart two months after his death with 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' the closing track on Electric Ladyland, the third and final album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This would be the guitarist's only UK  № 1. Hendrix's solo on the track was named the 11th greatest solo of all-time in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in 2000 (1970)... Wilson Pickett is arrested in NYC for possession of a dangerous weapon after he pulls a gun during an argument in a Lower East Side bar (1974)... Queen release A Night at the Opera (1975)... The Stranglers supported by Chelsea appear at The Nashville, London. This is Billy Idol's last gig with the opening act before leaving for greater fame with Generation X (1976)... French pop star Dalida makes her Carnegie Hall debut (1978)... Steely Dan release Gaucho, their last album for another 20 years (1980)...  Olivia Newton John starts a ten week run at № 1 on the Billboard chart with 'Physical', which will be the biggest-selling single of the '80s in the US (1981)... Michael Jackson's 14-minute video for 'Thriller' premieres in Los Angeles. Directed by John Landis and co-starring former Playboy centerfold Ola Ray, the video (like the song) contains a spoken word performance by horror film veteran Vincent Price. The clip was filmed at the Palace Theater in downtown L.A., the zombie dance sequence at the junction of Union Pacific Avenue and South Calzona St. in East L.A., and the final house scene in the Angeleno Heights neighborhood at 1345 Carroll Avenue... Duran Duran release their third studio album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983)... Jimmy Page sets out on his first ever-solo tour at The Hummingbird, Birmingham, England, appearing with bassist John Miles and the son of Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Jason (1988)...  Mick Jagger marries Jerry Hall in Bali. The marriage will be declared 'null and void' on 13th August 1999 after a judge rules that the six-hour ceremony on the Indonesian island was never registered (1990)... The Beatles Anthology 1 is released in the US, featuring 60 tracks including the track 'Free As A Bird', a song originally composed and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. A studio version of the recording, incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, is simultaneously released as a single, the first new release under the group's name since 1970... On the same day, Bruce Springsteen launches his Ghost of Tom Joad solo acoustic tour with a show at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ to coincide with the album's release (1995)... Phil Spector appears before a Los Angeles court and is formally charged with murder. B-movie actress Lana Clarkson was found at his mansion in February of this year with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Spector pleads not guilty to her murder during a brief hearing and is released on $1 million bail (2003).

November 20th

 Musical birthdays today include singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum (82), Meredith Monk (82), producer Mike Vernon (80), former Poco drummer George Grantham (77), Joe Walsh (77), operatic soprano Barbara Hendricks (76), Beastie Boys rapper Mike D (59), Cypress Hill rapper Sen Dog (59), AFI lead singer Davey Havok (49), In Flames drummer Daniel Svensson (47), ex-Girls Aloud vocalist Kimberley Walsh (43), and Bring Me the Horizon lead singer Oliver Sykes (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for stage singer Kaye Ballard, born on this day in 1925... classical pianist Ruth Laredo, who would have been 87 today... for Duane Allman, who would have been 78... for producer and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Gilbert, who would have been 57... for pianist and composer Anton Rubenstein, who died on this date in 1894... for Section 25 lead singer Jenny Ross, who passed away in 2004... and for blues & rock guitarist Chris Whitley, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on November 20: Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio premieres in Vienna (1805)... The rock era in Britain officially begins as 'Rock around the Clock' by Bill Haley & His Comets goes to № 1 on the national chart... In America, Bo Diddley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show. The producers requested that he sing his version of ‘Sixteen Tons’, but when he appears on stage, he sings his own song ‘Bo Diddley’, resulting in his being banned from further appearances on the program (1955)... Bob Dylan enters Columbia Studios in NYC for the first time. Over the next two days, he records his eponymous debut album for a cost of $471 (1961)... The Yardbirds release Having a Rave-Up (1965)... Camelot opens on Broadway (1966)... Strawberry Alarm Clock hit № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Incense and Peppermints' (1967)... The Monkees film 'Head' opens in six US cities. Reviews are harsh and the picture will be a box office flop (1968)...  Sly and the Family Stone release There's a Riot Goin' on, while Isaac Hayes starts a two week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Theme From Shaft' (1971)... Keith Moon collapses during a concert by the Who at the Cow Palace in San Francisco after downing a pre-show drink spiked with horse tranquilizer. 19 year-old audience member Scott Halpin volunteers to replace him on drums for the remaining three numbers (1973)... Paul Simon hosts NBC's Saturday Night Live, and performs live with George Harrison on ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Homeward Bound’. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, watching the show from the former's apartment in the Dakota on Central Park West, briefly discuss the idea of taking a taxi to NBC Studios to try to crash the telecast, but think better of the idea (1976)... Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer top the American singles chart with their duet 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (1979)...  Prince kicks off his 56-date North American ‘Controversy’ tour with a show at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh (1981)... Eurythmic Dave Stewart begins recording tracks with Bob Dylan that will be released on the latter's album Knocked Out Loaded (1985)... The Rolling Stones announced that they have signed a £20 million deal with Virgin Records to make 3 albums over the next 6 years (1991)... A study comparing noise levels of rock music finds that older people rate the music much higher on a loudness scale than younger people. The research carried out at Ohio State University tested people age 18 to 21 and people ranging in age from 51 to 58. The study asked participants to rate the loudness of rock music played at nine intensities, ranging from 10 decibels to 90 decibels. Participants listened to ‘Heartbreaker’ by Led Zeppelin for 10 seconds at different intensities. At each intensity, the older subjects gave the music higher numerical ratings based on loudness than the younger subjects (1998)...  Spice Girl Mel C announces she is quitting the group during an interview on ITV's Frank Skinner Show (2000)... Madonna's childhood home in Oakland County Michigan, sells at an auction in just 12 minutes. The house, along with a few items of Rock memorabilia goes for $331,000 (2001)...  Michael Jackson flies to Santa Barbara to surrender himself for arrest. He is seen being taken into the police station in handcuffs. The singer has his mug shot and fingerprints taken before being freed on $3 million bail (2003)... Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke admits that he was among the thousands of people who paid nothing to download the band's latest album In Rainbows. Speaking to BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq, Yorke said: "There wasn't any point. I just move some money from one pocket to the other". According to one survey, three in five people paid nothing at all for it. Yorke added that no one was allowed to have copies of the master recording in case it was leaked beforehand (2007).

November 19th

 

Musical birthdays include Blood, Sweat & Tears saxophonist Fred Lipsius (81), former Guns 'N Roses drummer Matt Sorum (64), Tool bassist Justin Chancellor (54), The Old Ceremony frontman Django Haskins (50), and rapper Tyga [né Michael Nguyen-Stevenson] (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bandleader Tommy Dorsey, born on this day in 1905... for composer Slavko Avsenik, born in 1929... for Mothers of Invention vocalist and Frank Zappa collaborator Ray Collins, who would have been 88... for Israeli singer Ofra Haza, who would have been 66... for composer Franz Schubert, who died on this date in 1828... for ex-Badfinger guitarist and songwriter Tom Evans, who hanged himself at the age of 36 in 1983... for Byrds producer Terry Melcher, who died today in 2004... and for Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow, who left us in 2005. 

Also on November 19: J.S. Bach is named court composer by Polish King Augustus III (1736)... On the 50th anniversary of the union of the cities Buda and Pest, Bartok's Five Dances receive their first public performance in the Hungarian capital (1923)...  Carl Perkins records 'Blue Suede Shoes' at Sun Studios (1955)... The Supremes become the first all-female group to have a UK № 1, when 'Baby Love' tops the charts (1964)... Emerson, Lake & Palmer release Brain Salad Surgery (1973)... The British music weekly 'Sounds' names the Sex Pistols' debut single 'Anarchy in the UK' its Single of the Week... George Harrison releases the album Thirty-Three & 1/3 (1976)... Led Zeppelin release their final studio album Coda (1982)... Tina Turner makes her first American chart appearance in twelve years with her version of the Al Green hit 'Let's Stay Together' (1983)... Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy after it is revealed that the duo did not sing at all on their Girl You Know It's True album (1990)... U2 release Achtung Baby (1991)... David Crosby undergoes a successful liver transplant operation at Dumont-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Crosby's liver was deteriorated from years of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as hepatitis-C (1994)... The Beatles start an eleven-week run at № 1 on the UK album chart with The Beatles 1. The album features every number-one single released by the band from 1962 to 1970. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the their break-up, it was their first compilation available on one CD. The world's best-selling album of the 21st century, 1 has sold over 31 million copies worldwide to date (2000)... Michael Jackson is widely criticized after dangling his baby from the third-floor balcony of a Berlin hotel. The singer is in the German capital for an awards ceremony and was showing off his nine-month old baby to fans outside the hotel (2003)... Former glam rock star Gary Glitter is arrested in Vietnam after being detained at Ho Chi Minh airport as he tries to board a plane to Bangkok. Police say Glitter is being held under suspicion of committing lewd acts with two girls under the age of 18 (2005).

November 18th

 Musical birthdays today include jazz singer Sheila Jordan (96), Graham Parker (74), Queensrÿche bassist Rudy Sarzo (74), John Parr (72), film score composer Carter Burwell (70), jazz & rock drummer Cindy Blackman (65), Kim Wilde (64), Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett (62), Polyphonic Spree lead singer Tim DeLaughter (59), Duncan Sheik (55), country singer Jessi Alexander (48), Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue (44), and Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for pianist and composer Jan Paderewski, born on this day in 1860... for violinist and conductor Eugene Ormandy, born in 1899... for Buena Vista Social Club guitarist Compay Segundo, born in 1907... for songwriter Johnny Mercer, born in 1909... for Hank Ballard, born today in 1928... for operatic soprano Gianna d'Angelo, born in 1929... for Don Cherry, who would have been 88... for Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 29 on this day in 1972... for Cab Calloway, who passed away in 1994... and for folk rock singer & guitarist Doug Sahm, who left us today in 1999. 

Also on November 18: Soprano Marie Selika Williams becomes the first black artist to perform at the White House (1878)... The Czech National Opera House in Prague opens with a production of Smetana's Libuše (1883)... The New York Philharmonic gives its first concert at Carnegie Hall (1892)... Fats Domino appears on the Ed Sullivan Show performing 'Blueberry Hill'. Before the song became a rock and roll standard it had been recorded by various artists including Louis Armstrong, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Gene Autry and Jimmy Dorsey (1956)... The Beatles receive silver LP discs for 'Please Please Me' and 'With the Beatles' at a ceremony held at EMI House in London. They also receive a silver EP for 'Twist and Shout' and a silver single for 'She Loves You'. The band then attend a cocktail party and a formal lunch in the EMI boardroom with company executives and invited guests (1963)... Cat Stevens starts a three-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with Catch Bull At Four. The title was taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen, a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that are intended to illustrate the stages of a Buddhist practitioner's progression towards enlightenment (1972)... Genesis release The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The double album is the group's final LP with Peter Gabriel as lead singer (1974)... Bruce Springsteen makes his live debut in the UK at London's Hammersmith Odeon (1975)... The Jam release This Is the Modern World (1977)... R.E.M. make their first appearance outside the US when they are guests on the Channel 4 UK TV show 'The Tube'. The following night they make their live UK debut when they play at Dingwalls, London (1983)... Nirvana record their MTV Unplugged special at Sony Studios, New York. The band play a setlist composed of mainly lesser-known material and cover versions of songs by The Vaselines, David Bowie, Meat Puppets and Lead Belly. The album will win the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996 (1993)... Britney Spears scores her third US No. 1 album with 'Britney.' The album's success makes her the first female artist in music history to have her first three studio albums debut at the No. 1 spot. This record however will later be broken by Spears herself with her 4th studio album In the Zone which charted in the same position (2001)... Following allegations of the sexual abuse of a 12-year old boy, police raid Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch. Jackson denies the allegations; the search comes on the day that his latest greatest hits album, Number Ones, was released in the US (2003)... The Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line goes into general release in the US (2005).

November 17th

 

Musical birthdays today include Four Seasons keyboardist and songwriter Bob Gaudio (83), Jethro Tull lead guitarist Martin Barre (78), Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray (66), Primal Fear drummer Randy Black (61), Moldy Peaches singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson (52), rapper Lord Infamous (49), Isaac Hanson (44), and former Girls Aloud vocalist Sarah Harding (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beond for classical violinist Leonid Kogan, born on this day in 1924... for film & television score composer Robert Drasnin, born in 1928...for Gordon Lightfoot, who would have been 86 today... for original Byrds member Gene Clark, who would have been 80... for Jeff Buckley, who would have been 57... for choral composer Thomas Ford, who died on this date in 1648... for Jethro Tull bassist John Glascock, who died today in 1979 at the age of 28 from a congenital heart defect... and for country singer-songwriter Don Gibson, who left us today in 2003. 

Also on November 17: The Sorceror, Gilbert and Sullivan's first operetta under the aegis of agent and producer Richard D'Oyly Carte, premieres at London's Royalty Theatre (1877)... Jan Paderewski makes his American debut at Carnegie Hall, playing Saint-Saën's Fourth Piano Concerto with the NY Symphony Society Orchestra (1891)... Roberta Peters makes her NY Metropolitan Opera debut in Don Giovanni (1950)... Harry Belafonte is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Mary's Boy Child,' the first 45 RPM to sell over 1 million copies in the country. It will stay in the top spot for seven weeks making it this years Christmas № 1  (1957)... John Weightman, headmaster of a Grammar School in Croydon, Surrey bans all pupils from having Beatle haircuts saying, "This ridiculous style brings out the worst in boys physically. It makes them look like morons" (1963)... A 16-date UK package tour with Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice and Amen Corner stops at the City Hall, Sheffield. A review in the Sheffield Star noted: 'Like an electrified golliwog, Jimi Hendrix threw himself into a live-wire act that featured his intricate guitar interpretation. Quite an Experience'. Pink Floyd also release their third single in Britain, 'Apples And Oranges' (1967)... Slade are at the top of the UK singles chart with 'Coz I Luv You', the group's first of six British Number Ones. Deliberately misspelt song titles become a trademark for Slade, causing a great furore among teachers up and down the country... In America, Bob Dylan releases volume 2 of his Greatest Hits, and Laura Nyro releases Gonna Take a Miracle (1971)... John Lennon releases Double Fantasy (1980)... David Crosby breaks his left shoulder, leg and ankle in a motorcycle crash in Los Angeles (1990)... Bob Dylan tapes his MTV Unplugged performance at Sony Studios in NYC (1994)... Mariah Carey is forced to abandon a performance on Rome's historic Spanish Steps after crowds of tourists overwhelm security and swamp her. She takes shelter in a local shop before being given an escort by riot police to safety (1999)... The NME reports that Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles track 'Love Me Do' which is featured on the new Beatles Greatest Hits album will not earn enough from it to buy his own copy. White is to receive no more than his original session fee of £7 (2000)... Britney Spears announces that her first boyfriend Justin Timberlake was a huge disappointment in the endowment department. Talking during an MTV interview, Spears says  "Forget trouser snake, it's more like a trouser worm" when referring to her ex (2003).

November 16th

 Musical birthdays today include soul singer Garnet Mimms (91), singer-songwriter & producer Dan Penn (82), original AC/DC drummer Colin Burgess (78), jazz drummer Luis Conte (70), Stone Roses bassist Gary 'Mani' Mountfield (62), jazz chanteuse Diana Krall (60), Rammstein keyboardist Christian Lorenz (58), ex-Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader (54), Modest Mouse bassist Eric Judy (50), singer-songwriter Allison Crowe (43), and The Wanted vocalist Siva Kaneswaran (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer & violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer, born on this day in 1766... for operatic soprano Minnie Hauk, born in 1851... for W.C. Handy, 'The Father of the Blues', born in 1873... for composer Paul Hindemith, born in 1895... for jazz guitarist Eddie Condon, born in 1905... for Cajun accordionist Alphonse 'Bois Sec' Ardoin, born in 1915... for jazz pianist & Dexter Gordon sideman Dolo Coker, born in 1927... for blues guitarist and Howlin' Wolf sideman Hubert Sumlin, born in 1932... for operatic soprano Lucia Popp, who died on this date in 1993... for Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Chet Powers (AKA Dino Valenti in his solo career), who passed away in 1994... for DJ & rapper DJ Screw [né Robert Davis, Jr.], who died of a drug overdose at the age of 29 on this day in 2000... and for jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan, who left us in 2001. 

Also on November 16: In London, Chopin gives his final public performance, a benefit concert for Poland (1848)... Arturo Toscanini makes his debut as conductor of the NY Metropolitan Opera (1908)... Johnny Cash makes first appearance in the Billboard Top 40 with 'Cry Cry Cry' (1955)... The Sound of Music premieres on Broadway (1959)... The Beach Boys' Christmas Album is released by Capitol Records (1964)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience top the US album chart with Electric Ladyland... Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin play their first ever show in the north of England when they appear at Manchester College of Science & Technology. The band are paid £225 for the gig (1968)... Frank Zappa appears on this week's edition of the UK TV music show 'The Old Grey Whistle Test', playing live and showing clips from his film 200 Motels (1971)... John Lennon is at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Whatever Gets You through the Night.' Elton John played on the session and made a deal with Lennon that if the song reached № 1, Lennon would have to appear on stage live with him (1974)... On The Old Grey Whistle Test, reclusive Beach Boy Brian Wilson gives his first televised interview in 8 years (1976)... Former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey has his only UK № 1 single with the Maria McKee song 'A Good Heart', written about her relationship with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' keyboard player Benmont Tench. Sharkey will follow up the single with the Tench-penned 'You Little Thief', his take on his relationship with McKee... In the US, Starship hit № 1 with 'We Built This City' (1985)... Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award after it is revealed that the duo did not sing at all on the Girl You Know It's True album (1990)... Texan billionaire David Bonderman hires The Rolling Stones to play at his 60th birthday party held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The band's fee is $7.9 million (2002)... The Beatles' catalogue becomes available on iTunes, after years of negotiations. For the first time consumers will now be able to purchase some of the Fab Four's most popular songs via the store. Apple and record label EMI have been in talks for years about getting the catalogue online. Apple chief executive and Beatles fan Steve Jobs says "It has been a long and winding road to get here. We love the Beatles and are honoured and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes" (2010)