November 14th

 

Musical birthdays today include composer Wendy Carlos (85), Styx lead guitarist James Young (75), Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali (73), singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop (73), ex-Bon Jovi bassist Alec John Such (72), New Age composer Yanni (70), Joseph 'DJ Run' Simmons (60), Veruca Salt guitarist Nina Gordon (57), Raconteurs multi-instrumentalist Brendan Benson (51), hip hop artist Moka Only [né Daniel Denton] (51), Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker (49), former Steps vocalist Daye Tozer (49), and rapper Lil Boosie [né Torrence Hatch] (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, born on this date in 1778... for composer Aaron Copland, born in 1900... for crooner Johnny Desmond, born in 1919... for classical pianist Peter Katin, born in 1931... for jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., who would have been 89 today... for Freddie and the Dreamers frontman Freddie Garrity and Coasters vocalist Cornell Gunter, both of whom would have been 88... for Cajun accordionist Buckwheat, who would have been 76... for composer and piano craftsman Ignaz Pleyel, who died on this date in 1831... and for former Doll by Doll frontman Jackie Leven, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on November 14: Ray Charles goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with his cover of Hoagy Carmichael's 1930 standard 'Georgia On My Mind' (1960)... In an interview following the opening show of her first solo UK tour, Dusty Springfield tells a journalist "I wish I'd been born coloured. When it comes to singing and feeling, I want to be one" (1964)... Pink Floyd are added to a 16-date UK package tour with Jimi Hendrix, The Move, The Nice, Amen Corner, The Outer Limits and The Eire Apparent. It kicks off on this day at the Royal Albert Hall with only one performance, as opposed to the rest of the dates, which call for two shows per night. The headlining Hendrix is allotted exactly 40 minutes; The Move, who precede him onstage, have just half an hour, and Pink Floyd, who appear between after The Outer Limits, are allowed between 15 and 20 minutes per show (1967)... Syd Barrett releases his first solo album, entitled Barrett (1970)... Queen play the first of two nights at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, England, the first shows on their 78-date A Night at the Opera World Tour (1975)... George Michael tops the UK album chart with his debut solo album Faith. The album goes on to win several awards including the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1989. To date, the collection has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Between 1987 and 1988, Faith produced six Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hits, four of which ('Faith', 'Father Figure', 'One More Try', and 'Monkey') reached № 1, making him the only British male singer to have four № 1 singles from one LP in the US (1987)... Blur bring chaos to traffic in central London when over 3,000 fans turned up for a signing at 'Books Etc' in Charing Cross Road (1995)... Michael Jackson marries Debbie Rowe in Sydney, Australia. The couple met when he was diagnosed with vitiligo in the mid-1980s, and she was working as his dermatologist's assistant. The couple will divorce in 1999, with Rowe giving full custody rights of the children to Jackson and receiving an $8-million settlement (1996)... Paul McCartney, Chris Martin, Robbie Williams, Keane, Snow Patrol and Darkness are among those who participate in the recording of a new version of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' (2004).