May 13th

Musical birthdays today include harmonica player Richard 'Magic Dick' Salwitz (80), original Fleetwood Mac guitarist & co-lead singer Danny Kirwan (75), Stevie Wonder (75), Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson (74), ex-Porcupine Tree drummer Chris Maitland (61), Alison Goldfrapp (59), Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker (59), rapper Parrish 'PMDE' Smith (57), guitarist & multi-instrumentalist Brian ' Buckethead' Carroll (57), and Maroon Five bassist Mickey Madden (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Arthur Sullivan, born on this day in 1842... for Gil Evans, born in 1912... for country singer Johnnie Wright, born in 1914... for jazz pianist & frequent Miles Davis and John Coltrane sideman Red Garland, born in 1923... for Ritchie Valens, who would have been 84 today... for Mary Wells, who would have been 81... for jazz drummer Alfred 'Tubby' Hall, who died on this date in 1945... for country & western swing singer Bob Wills, who died in 1975... for Chet Baker, who passed away in 1988... for producer & record company executive Eddie Barclay, who died in 2005... for Booker T & the M.G.'s bassist Donald 'Duck' Dunn, who passed away in 2012... and for Doris Day, who left us today in 2019.

Also on May 13th: The first commercial FM radio station goes on the air in Bloomfield, CT as WDRC (1939)... 'The Pajama Game' opens on Broadway. It will go on to have a run of 1,063 performances (1954)... The Monkees' second album More of the Monkees goes to № 1 on the UK charts. In 1967, only four albums reached № 1 in Britain: The Sound Of Music soundtrack, which spends 17 weeks at the top; Sgt Pepper, 25 weeks; and The Monkees first and second albums, which spend a total of 10 weeks at № 1... The Supremes score their 10th US № 1 single with 'The Happening'; it reaches № 6 in the UK. It is the group's last single to be released under the name of The Supremes; henceforth they will be known as Diana Ross and the Supremes (1967)... John Lennon and Paul McCartney arrive in NYC for a press junket to help launch Apple Corps in the US (1968)... Led Zeppelin become the first British rock group to appear in Hawaii, when  they play the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu. A review in the Honolulu Advertiser states 'The showmanship exceeded any rock performance here to date. I wondered before the concert if Led Zeppelin could sound as good as their Atlantic album – they sounded better' (1969)... The Beatles final original release of any kind takes place with the world premiere of the film 'Let It Be' in New York (1970)... Grace Slick crashes her Mercedes into a wall near the Golden Gate Bridge and is hospitalised (1971)... Boney M top the UK singles chart with 'By the Rivers of Babylon' (1978)... Warner Bros. Records release Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (1984)... Bruce Springsteen marries Julianne Phillips in Lake Oswego, OR (1985)...  Oasis become the fastest selling group in UK history after all 330,000 tickets for their summer shows sell out in just nine hours. The tickets for shows at Knebworth and Loch Lomond were priced at £22.50 (1996)... Dionne Warwick is arrested at Miami International Airport for possession of marijuana after authorities find 11 joints in a lipstick case in the singer's hand luggage. The charges are dropped after Warwick completes a drug program and makes a contribution in an undisclosed amount to charity (2002)... Brian May is placed under 24-hour security watch after a deranged man announced he was setting off to murder him, and then disappeared. Police are hunting for a schizophrenic who left a letter behind at his home blaming the Queen guitarist for his illness. In it the man said May was an 'impostor', and that he was the real rock star. He signed the letter 'Brian May' (2007)... The US Postal Service issued a 42-cent postage stamp in honour of Frank Sinatra. The design shows a '50s-vintage image of Sinatra, wearing a fedora (2008)... Like A Rolling Stone has been voted as Bob Dylan’s best-ever song by Rolling Stone Magazine, who asked the opinions of a panel of writers, academics and musicians to compile a poll to mark Dylan's 70th birthday on 24th May. 'Like A Rolling Stone' was described by U2's Bono as 'a black eye of a pop song', while Mick Jagger praised the simplicity of Desolation Row. Keith Richards argued that the original 1963 solo version of Girl from The North Country, ranked 30th, was superior to Dylan's 1969 duet of the same song with Johnny Cash (2011).

May 12th

Musical birthdays today include Billy Swan (83), Steve Winwood (77), Billy Squier (75), Kix Brooks [of Brooks & Dunn] (70), Kiss drummer Eric Singer (67), The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy (64), Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz (63), bossa nova singer Bebel Gilberto (57), rapper Jason Harrow AKA Kardinal Offishall (49), and Greek Cypriot pop singer Eleftheria Eleftheriou (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Jules Massenet, born on this day in 1842... for composer Gabriel Fauré, born in 1845... for Burt Bacharach, born in 1928... for Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield, who would have been 85 today... for Ian Dury, who would have been 83... for former Small Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, who would have been 80... for former Badlands lead singer Ray Gillen, who would have been 66... for R&B singer Charles Pettigrew, who would have been 62... for composer Bedřich Smetana, who died on this date in 1884... for Perry Como, who died in 2001... and for singer-songwriter Antonio Vega, who left us today in 2009. 

Also on May 12th: Needing just two takes, The Everly Brothers record 'All I Have to Do Is Dream' (1958)... Charles Mingus records Mingus Ah Um, his first LP for Columbia (1959)... Bob Dylan walks out of rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan show after being told he may not perform his song 'Talking John Birch Paranoid Blues' due to its mockery of the US military and segregation. CBS executives ask Dylan to replace it with another song, but the singer reportedly says: "No, this is what I want to do. If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show" (1963)... The Beach Boys have their first № 1 album in the US with Beach Boys Concert (1964)... After moving the sessions to record (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction from Chess Studios in Chicago to RCA Studios in Hollywood, the Rolling Stones produce the master take (1965)... Pink Floyd appear at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, giving a special concert called 'Games For May ~ Space Age Relaxation For The Climate Of Spring'. This is reportedly the first show to include loudspeakers placed at the back of the hall to give a 'sound in the round', or quadraphonic, effect. The sound system, developed by EMI technicians, is stolen after the show and will not be recovered for some years... Reprise Records release Are You Experienced?, the debut album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)... Brian Jones makes his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appear at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley (1968)... Mick Jagger marries Bianca Macias in Saint Tropez (1971)... The Rolling Stones release Exile on Main St. (1972)... Led Zeppelin go to № 1 on the US album chart with Houses of the Holy (1973)... Jefferson Starship give a free concert in NYC's Central Park in front of 60,000 fans. The band and concert sponsor WNEW-FM are forced to pay $14,000 for cleaning up and damage done to the park after the event (1975)... Virgin Records announce that they have signed The Sex Pistols, who have been dropped by both A&M and EMI in the last six months (1977)... Van Halen kick off their 82-date North American 'Fair Warning' tour at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, NS (1981)... Lionel Richie's  'Hello' is at the top of the singles charts in both the US and the UK (1984)... 17-year-old Bernadette O'Brien dies the day after being severely injured whilst 'body surfing' at a Smashing Pumpkins gig at The Point, Dublin (1996)... Neil Young has a spider named after him. LSU biology professor Jason Bond discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and decided to name it after his favourite musician. Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi was found in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 2007 (2008).

May 11th

Musical birthdays today include Eric Burdon (84), former Gerry and the Pacemakers bassist Ken Chadwick (82), Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks (78), chansonnier Renaud Séchan (73), ex-Afghan Wigs guitarist Greg Dulli (60), Rammstein drummer Christoph Schneider (59/span>), and Enation frontman Jonathan Jackson (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Irving Berlin, born on this day in 1888... for free jazz pianist Carla Bley, who would have been 89 today... for jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges, who died on this date in 1970... for Bob Marley, who died in 1981... for Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding, who passed away in 2003... for singer-songwriter and producer John Whitehead, who was shot to death in 2007 at the age of 57... and for original Rush drummer John Rutsey, who left us today in 2008. 

Also on May 11th: Connie Francis tops the UK singles chart with a cover of the 1923 song 'Who's Sorry Now', making her Francis the first female rock 'n' roll star to reach № 1 in Britain (1958)... The Beatles start a 30 week run at № 1 on the UK album charts with their debut LP Please Please Me, making it the longest running chart-topping album by a group ever. The band's follow-up, With The Beatles, replaces it at the sales summit on the 7th of December 1963 and stays there for 21 weeks (1963)... During a UK tour, The Rolling Stones are refused lunch at The Grand Hotel, Bristol where they are staying because they are not wearing jackets and ties. The following day, the Daily Express run the story with the headline, 'The Rolling Stones Gather No Lunch' (1964)... Small Faces release their eponymous debut album on the Decca label (1966)... The Bee Gees make their UK television debut performing 'New York Mining Disaster 1941' on Top of the Pops (1967)... The triple album of the soundtrack of Woodstock is released in the US, and goes gold within two weeks (1970)... John Lennon, appearing on The Dick Cavett Show, claims he is under surveillance by the FBI (1972)... Wings kick off their 15-date debut UK tour at the Bristol Hippodrome (1973)... Led Zeppelin attend an Elvis Presley show at the Los Angeles Forum. After a shaky start to the show, the King stops the band and jokingly says "Wait a minute, let's see if we can start together, fellas, because we’ve got Led Zeppelin out there. Let's try to look like we know what we're doing." All four members of Zeppelin meet with Elvis after the show, spending over 2 hours backstage. Elvis asks for all the group members' autographs for his daughter Lisa Marie (1974)... Bruce Springsteen and a small group of friends go for a boy’s night out in Lake Oswego, OR two nights before his wedding to Julianne Phillips. Drinking in the Gemini pub, Springsteen sings a number of songs, karaoke-style, to his own records in the jukebox (1985)... 
Over 500 Michael Jackson fans hold a demonstration outside the Sony records building in Berlin, complaining that the label has not sufficiently promoted the singer's latest album 'Invincible' (2002)... One of the rarest rock t-shirts in the world sells for $10,000, the largest sum ever paid for a vintage t. The record-setting sale of a 1979 Led Zeppelin shirt on eBay is made by Kyle Ermatinger of Stormcrow Vintage (2011).

May 10th

Musical birthdays today includeSpinners vocalist Henry Fambrough (87), Carl Douglas (83), Donovan (79), 10cc guitarist Graham Gouldman (79), Dave Mason (79), ex-Spirit keyboardist Jay Ferguson (78/span>), session drummer Sly Dunbar (73), Bono (65), Tool drummer Danny Carey (64), rapper Marvin 'Young M.C.' Young (58), Mogwai lead guitarist Stuart Braithwaite (49), and We Are Scientists frontman Keith Murray (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, composer of 'La Marseillaise', born on this day in 1760... for film score composer Max Steiner, born in 1888... for film score composer Dmitri Tiomkin, born in 1894... For Fred Astaire, born in 1899... for Maybelle Carter, born in 1909... for jazz guitarist Bert Wheedon, born in 1920... for R&B singer-songwriter Larry Williams and for composer Harold Budd,both of whom would have been 89 today... for Danny & the Juniors leader Danny Frapp, who would have been 84. for Jackie Lomax, who would have been 81... for Sid Vicious, who would have been 68... for jazz singer Sylvia Syms, who died on this date in 1992... and for pop singer Soraya, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on May 10th: Wagner’s Centennial Inaugural March is performed for the first time at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA. The composer was paid $5,000 for the piece, conducted by Theodore Thomas (1876)... Bill Haley & His Comets release 'Rock around the Clock', an event that is often considered to be the beginning of the rock era (1954)... Bob Dylan arrives in Britain for his first major UK tour including a show at London's Royal Festival Hall on the 17th of this month (1964)... The Rolling Stones record a version of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' at Chess Studios in Chicago, with Brian Jones on harmonica. The group re-record it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and using the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith Richards recently acquired, adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff. (1965)... At the request of presidential daughter Tricia Nixon, The Turtles give a special performance at the White House. Unconfirmed rumours continue to circulate that members of the group snorted cocaine off Abraham Lincoln's desk (1969)... Chrysalis Records release Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick (1972)... The Go-Go's announce that they are disbanding (1986)... Falco is at № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Rock Me Amadeus' (1987)... The Apollo Theater begins installing bronze plaques dedicated to legends who had close ties to the establishment on the sidewalk in front of the building. Among the first to be so honoured are James Brown, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald (2010)... The ornate iron gates of a children's home which inspired John Lennon's psychedelic Beatles anthem Strawberry Fields Forever are removed after the Salvation Army, which owns the former home, decides to put the red Victorian gates into storage. Beatles fans who pass the Liverpool site now are met with 10ft (3m) high replicas. The original gates are being taken to a secret location for storage, and will eventually be auctioned off (2011).

May 9th

Musical birthdays today include former Crickets frontman [replacing Buddy Holly after his death] Sonny Curtis (88), former Freddie & the Dreamers bassist Pete Birrell (84), Tommy Roe (83), Richie Furay (81), Blood, Sweat & Tears guitarist Steve Katz (80), Billy Joel (76), Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson (75), operatic mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (70), Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan (63), former Housemartins & Beautiful South lead singer Paul Heaton (63), pop singer Marie-Claire Cremers, AKA Amber (56), Wu Tang Clan rapper Dennis Coles AKA Ghostface Killah (55), Oasis bassist Paul McGuigan (54)), and Simple Plan lead singer Pierre Bouvier (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina, born on this day in 1525... for country legend Hank Snow, born in 1914... for Soviet-era dissident bard Bulat Okudzhava, born in 1924... for Dave Prater [of Sam & Dave], who would have been 87... for composer & organ virtuoso Dieterich Buxtehude, who died on this date in 1707... for country singer Keith Whitley, who died in 1989 at the age of 34... for song & dance woman Alice Faye, who passed away in 1998... for chansonnier Pascal Sevran, who died in 2008... for Lena Horne, who died in 2010... and for the Rev. Richard Penniman, AKA Little Richard, who left us three years ago today.

Also on May 9th: In Linz, Austria, Anton Bruckner's 1st Symphony is performed for the first time, with the composer conducting (1868)... Vladimir Horowitz plays his first public concert in 12 years, returning to Carnegie Hall. When the pianist appears on stage, he receives a 30 minute standing ovation (1963)... Chuck Berry begins his first ever UK tour at the Astoria Theatre in London. Opening acts include The Animals, The Swinging Blue Jeans, and Karl Denver & the Nashville Teens... Louis Armstrong goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Hello Dolly' making him at the age of 62 the oldest artist to hit the top (1964)... The Beatles attend their first Bob Dylan concert, the first of two sold out nights at the Royal Albert Hall (1965)... The Doors play the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, auditioning for the position of the venue's house band (1966)... Sandie Shaw is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Puppet On A String'. This week's two highest new entries are Jimi Hendrix with 'The Wind Cries Mary' and The Kinks with 'Waterloo Sunset' (1967)... Zapple Records releases George Harrison's debut solo album Electronic Sounds (1969)... The Guess Who start a three-week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'American Woman', the group's sixth Top 30 hit and only chart topper. The song was born by accident when guitarist Randy Bachman was playing a heavy riff on stage after he had broken a string, and the other members joined in on the jam. A fan in the audience who had bootlegged the show presented his tape to the group after the show and they developed the riff into a full song (1970)... Mick Jagger adds $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 raised by a Rolling Stones benefit concert on January for victims of the recent Nicaraguan earthquake (1973)... Bonnie Raitt plays two shows at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, MA; her opening act is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Rolling Stone critic Jon Landau is in the audience Springsteen and writes a review that includes the line 'I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen' (1974)... 'I Don't Like Mondays' by The Boomtown Rats wins in the Best Pop Song and Outstanding British Lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novello Awards, while Supertramp's 'The Logical Song' wins Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Boomtown Rats lead singer Bob Geldoff was inspired to write  the song after reading about the tragic shooting spree of 16-year-old Brenda Spencer, who killed two people and wounded nine others when she fired from her house across the street at the entrance of San Diego's Grover Cleveland Elementary School (1980)... Bruce Springsteen makes his North American TV debut as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live (1992)... Jimmy Page appears on SNL with rapper Sean 'Puffy' Combs and performs 'Come With Me' from the 'Godzilla' movie soundtrack. The song samples the guitar riff from Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' (1998)... Country star Kenny Chesney marries Renee Zellweger (2005)... David Bowie's latest video, which stars Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, is temporarily pulled from YouTube because of its graphic content. 'The Next Day' features heavy religious imagery, including Cotillard bleeding from stigmata marks. The video sees Bowie performing in a basement bar, surrounded by religious figures, while Oldman, dressed as a priest, punches a beggar before dancing with a prostitute, played by Oscar-winner Cotillard. YouTube admitted making the 'wrong call' in removing the video, and reinstated it with an adult content warning (2013).

May 8th

Musical birthdays today include Toni Tenille (85), original Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith (82), Gary Glitter (81), former T-Rex drummer Bill Legend (81), pianist Keith Jarrett (80), Philip Bailey (74), Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz (74), ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnett (72), Alex Van Halen (72), Blur drummer Dave Rowntree (61), former Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes (53), Enrique Iglesias (50), Martha Wainwright (49), bluesman Joe Bonamassa (48), and former Busted guitarist Matt Willis (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz cornettist & bandleader Ernie 'Red' Nichols, born on this day in 1905... for Robert Johnson, born in 1911... for Ricky Nelson, who would have been 85 today... for John Fred, who would have been 84.. for hip hop artist Paul 'Bad News Brown' Frappier, who would have been&nbs8;47... for composer Dame Ethel Smyth, who died on  this date in 1944...  for Andrews Sister Laverne, who died in 1967... for Graham Bond, who took his own life today in 1974 at the age of 36... for producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, who died in 1982... for classical pianist Rudolf Serkin, who passed away in 1991... for country legend Eddy Arnold, who died in 2008... and for Help Yourself bassist Ken Whaley, who left us today in 2014.

Also on May 8th: Aaron Copland wins the Pulitzer Prize for music for his Appalachian Spring ballet score (1945)... BBC radio bans the Johnny Ray song ‘Such a Night’ after listeners complain about its 'suggestiveness'. Ray was famous for his emotional stage act, which included beating up his piano, and writhing on the floor (1954)...  The Beatles have now held the № 1 position on the US singles chart for fourteen weeks with three chart-toppers in succession: 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' for seven weeks, 'She Loves You' for two weeks and 'Can't Buy Me Love' for five weeks (1964)... The promotional clip for Bob Dylan’s 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' is filmed in an alley behind the Savoy Hotel in London. Allen Ginsberg and Dylan sidekick Bob Neuwirth can be seen in the background. The short film is considered one of the forerunners of the modern music video. The original clip was actually the opening segment of D. A. Pennebaker's film 'Don't Look Back' a documentary of Dylan's 1965 tour of England. The cue cards that Bob holds up were written by Donovan, Ginsberg, Neuwirth and Dylan himself (1965)... John, George and Ringo sign a management contract with Allen Klein and his company ABKCO, while Paul refuses, preferring to let the Eastmans represent his interests (1969)... Let It Be is released (1970)... Vangelis is at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Chariots of Fire' (1982)... Roger Waters releases his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (1984)... Mark Knopfler receives an honorary music doctorate from Newcastle University (1993)... Bruce Springsteen has the № 1 album in America for the 13th time with Devils & Dust (2005)... The Rolling Stones call off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards undergoes neurosurgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered what his publicist described as a 'mild concussion' when he fell out of a coconut tree whilst on holiday in Fiji (2006).

May 7th

Musical birthdays today include Christy Moore (79), Thelma Houston (78), former Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann (78), ex-Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden (73), former Art of Noise keyboardist Anne Dudley (68), Motörhead lead guitarist Phil Campbell (63), Trans-Siberian Orchestra Johnny Lee Middleton (61), trip hop singer Martin Topley-Bird (49), Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helden (38), and Natalie Mejia (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Johannes Brahms, born on this day in 1833... for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, born in 1840... for DJ & early rock singer Jim Lowe, born in 1924... for jazz & pop singer Teresa Brewer, born in 1932... for soul singer Jimmy Ruffin, who would have been 89 today... for Johnny Maestro, who would have been 85... for New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, who would have been 79... for composer Antonio Salieri, who died on this date in 1825... for big band drummer & Glenn Miller sideman Ray McKinley, who died in 1995... for country singer Eddie Rabbitt, who passed away in 1998... and for pop singer Teri Moïse, who took her own life today in 2018 at the age of 43. 

Also on May 7th: Beethoven's Choral 9th Symphony has its premieres at the Kärntnertor Theatre in Vienna. The composer himself, by now totally deaf, keeps time, but the musicians follow the assistant conductor (1824)... RKO Pictures release the film 'Shall We Dance' with a complete George Gershwin score (1937)... Van Cliburn signs his first recording contract with RCA (1958)... The Mamas and the Papas go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Monday Monday'. Reportedly, John Phillips was the only member of the group who liked the song (1966)... Jimi Hendrix plays London's Saville Theatre with Ringo Star, Brian Jones and members of The Beach Boys and The Moody Blues in attendance... Pearls Before Swine begin recording an album called One Nation Underground. The LP includes a song called 'Miss Morse', which would be banned in New York when it was discovered that lead singer Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code. After disc jockey Murray The K played the record on the air, local Boy Scouts correctly interpreted the chorus and phoned in a complaint... In Baltimore, MD, John Coltrane plays his final live gig (1967)... Reginald Dwight legally changes his name to Elton Hercules John (1972)... Led Zeppelin hold a launch party at the Four Seasons Hotel in NYC for their own label, Swan Song Records (1974)... The Eagles have the № 1 single in America with 'Hotel California' (1977)... 90,000 tickets are sold in eight hours for Bob Dylan's forthcoming London dates at Earls Court (1978)... Paul Weller unveils his new group Style Council at an anti-nuclear benefit gig in London (1983)...  Wilson Pickett is arrested after running into an 86 year old man, and for yelling death threats whilst driving his car over the mayor's front lawn in Englewood, NJ. Pickett is also charged with driving with open containers of alcohol in his car (1991)... A leather Jacket worn by John Lennon in the years 1960 to 1963, sells at Christies of London for £24,200 (1992)... A Los Angeles federal jury recommend a $1.5 million award to a British record company that sued rapper-producer Dr Dre for song plagiarism. London-based Minder Music Ltd. sued Dre in 2000, claiming his 1999 song, 'Let's Get High,' used the bass line of The Fatback's 1980 song, 'Backstroking' that was featured on Dre's successful '2001' album, which sold 9 million copies worldwide (2003).

May 6th

Musical birthdays today include bluesman Eddie C. Campbell (86), jazz bassist David Friesen (83), Bob Seger (80), Mary MacGregor (77), They Might Be Giants co-frontman John Flansburgh (75), Fastball lead singer Tony Scalzo (61), Stereolab lead singer Laetitia Sadier (57), Foo Fighters lead guitarist Chris Shiflett (54), and Evile lead singer Matt Drake (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for dance band leader Billy Cotton, born on this day in 1899... for jazz & skiffle guitarist Denny Wright, born in 1924... for former Average White Band drummer Robbie McIntosh, who would have been 75... for jazz violinist & bandleader Ted Weems, who died on this date in 1963... for jazz trombonist Kai Winding, who died in 1983... for Marlene Dietrich, who passed away in 1992... for songwriter Otis Blackwell [best remembered for 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Don't Be Cruel'], who died in 2002... for Go-Betweens frontman Grant McLennan, who passed away in 2006... and for Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider, who left us two years ago today.

Also on May 6th: At Rudy Van Gelder's studio, Dexter Gordon records Doin' Allright, his first album for Blue Note (1961)... In their Clearwater, Florida hotel room, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards work out the opening guitar riff of 'Satisfaction', following Richard's purchase of a Gibson fuzz-box earlier that day (1965)... At Abbey Road, The Beatles record overdubs for 'I'm Only Sleeping' and experiment with the mixing. The song features then then-unique sound of a reversed guitar duet, with both parts played by George Harrison... Bob Dylan opens the UK leg of his world tour at the ABC Club in Belfast (1966)... Atlantic Records release Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's eponymous duet album (1972)... Paul Simon sets out on his first tour without partner Art Garfunkel since 1964, using The Jesse Dixon Singers as a back- up group on stage. Simon's tour of America and Europe will be recorded and released as the album Live Rhymin' (1973)...The Boomtown Rats play their first gig in England, appearing at London's Club 51 (1977)... Oasis score their first UK № 1 single with 'Some Might Say' (1995)... In the wake of the uproar generated by Dixie Chicks member Natalie Maines’ comments about President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, a Pueblo, CO radio station suspends two of its disc jockeys for playing music by the group (2003)... Starbucks bans the sale of Bruce Springsteen's latest album Devils and Dust over concerns about its adult content. A spokesman for the the retailer - which stocks CDs at its branches in the US - says that they will be promoting other albums instead (2006).

May 5th

Musical birthdays today include session guitarist Steve Stevens (79), 
original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward (77), Echo & the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch (66), Dream Theater lead singer James LaBrie (62), Megadeath drummer Shawn Drover (59), Gallows frontman Wade MacNeil (41), and Adele (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Blind Willie McTell, born on this day in 1901... for Buena Vista Social Club singer Pío Leyva, born in 1917... for early rock saxophonist John 'Ace' Cannon and for soul singer Johnnie Taylor, both born in 1934... for electronic musician & composer Delia Derbyshire, who would have been 88... for Tammy Wynette, who would have been 82... for the Reverend Gary Davis, who died on this date in 1972... for country singer Jerry Wallace, who passed away in 2008, and for singer & music journalist Greg Quill, who left us today in 2014.  

Also on May 5th: Carnegie Hall opens its doors for the first time, with Tchaikovsky leading the NY Philharmonic in a rendition of his own Marche solenelle. Also on the program is Beethoven's Leonore overture, under the baton of Walter Damrosch, the regular conductor of the Philharmonic (1891)... In Paris, composer Claude Debussy performs in public for the last time, playing the piano for the premiere of his own 1st Violin Sonata (1918)... Elvis scores his first US № 1 single with 'Heartbreak Hotel' (1956)... John Coltrane and bandmates finish recording the Giant Steps album, including 'Naima' (1959)... On a recommendation by George Harrison, Dick Rowe, head of A&R at Decca records (and the man who turned down The Beatles), goes to see The Rolling Stones play at the Crawdaddy Club in London. The band will be signed to the label within a week (1963)... Manfred Mann are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Pretty Flamingo'. The recording features future Cream bassist Jack Bruce, who briefly joined the band in 1965. On their Top Of The Pops appearance, singer Paul Jones performs whilst standing on one leg (1966)... Buffalo Springfield announce that they have disbanded (1968)... The Beatles' single 'Get Back' is released in the US. John will claim in 1980 that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there", adding that Paul looked at Yoko in the studio every time he sang the line 'Get back to where you once belonged' (1969)... Columbia records release Paul Simon's second solo album There Goes Rhymin' Simon... David Bowie has first UK № 1 album with Aladdin Sane. Across the Atlantic, Elvis' Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite is the top-selling LP (1973)... Television appear at CBGB with The Stilettoes ~ soon to change their name to Blondie ~ as their opening act (1974)... Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr marries Chrissie Hynde in a horse-drawn carriage in NYC's Central Park... Duran Duran have the № 1 single in the US and the UK with 'The Reflex' (1984)... 
Radiohead release 'The Drill EP', their first record in the UK. The band are still called 'On a Friday', the day when the songs on this EP were recorded; they will change their name to Radiohead the following month (1992)... Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan receives both a public apology and a donation of £7,500 to the Warchild charity from the German tabloid 'Sport' after they ran a story claiming she had performed a gig in Hamburg whilst wearing no underwear... 
Rage against the Machine have the № 1 album in the US with Evil Empire (1996)... Two disc jockeys from Denver's KRFX-FM, Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, stop a live interview with Ted Nugent after the Detroit rocker uses racial slurs against Asians and Blacks. The station receives scores of complaints from listeners (2002)... Justin Timberlake undergoes an operation at Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Hospital to remove nodules from his vocal chords (2005).

May 4th

Musical birthdays today include jazz double bassist Ron Carter (88), country singer Stella Parton (76), The Pogues bassist Darryl Hunt (75), Camel bassist Colin Bass (72), soul singer Oleta Adams (72), Pia Zadora (72), singer-songwriter Marilyn Martin (71), Mötley Crüe lead guitarist Mick Mars (70), Sharon Jones (69), Randy Travis (66), New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander (55), Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt (53), 'N Sync vocalist Lance Bass (46), and Panic! at the Disco bassist Dallon Weekes (44).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori [credited with the invention of the piano], born on this day in 1655... for former Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy, born in 1923... for jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, born in 1926... for operatic soprano Roberta Peters, born in 1930... for guitarist Dick Dale, who would have been 88... for soul singer Tyrone Davis, who would have been 87... for Nickolas Ashford, who would have been 82... and for Paul Butterfield, who left us today in 1987. 

Also on May 4th: Haydn conducts the premiere performance of his 104th and final symphony at the King's Theatre, London (1795)... At the Opéra Garnier in Paris, the Symphony Society of New York opens the first tour of Europe by an full American symphony orchestra (1923)... Gene Vincent records 'Be Bop-A-Lula' at Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville (1956)... John Coltrane records 'Giant Steps' and other material for the album of the same name (1959)... The Young Rascals go to № 1 in the US with 'Groovin''. Atlantic Records Jerry Wexler was originally opposed to releasing the song as a single, but DJ Murray the K talked him into it (1967)... Neil Young writes 'Ohio' on hearing the news of the Kent State shootings, and immediately records the song with Crosby, Stills & Nash (1970)... Led Zeppelin land in NYC to open their 1973 North American tour, which would be reported by campaign's end as the 'biggest and most profitable rock & roll tour in the history of the United States'. The group would gross over $4 million from the dates, flying between gigs in 'The Starship', a Boeing 720 passenger jet complete with bar, shower room, TV and video in a 30' lounge and a white fur bedroom (1973)... Grand Funk Railroad have the № 1 single in America with 'The Loco-Motion.' It is only the second time ever that a cover version of a former № 1 [the original version by Little Eva in 1962] has also topped the charts (1974)... The Patti Smith Group, David Johansen, Dead Boys, Blondie, Suicide and Richard Hell & the Voidoids all appear at a Punk Benefit for the Poor show at CBGB (1978)... Korova Records release Echo & the Bunnymen's Ocean Rain (1984)... Stevie Ray Vaughn plays the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, BC, the opening gig on what will prove to be his final tour (1989)... Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is the № 1 album in Britain (1996)... Metallica publish a demand that online music service Napster cut off 335,000 users who they claim have been illegally trading their songs. The band passed on the names of all those they considered to be stealing their material over the internet in the latest development in an ongoing battle over the protection of music copyright on the web (2000)...  Thieves break into the childhood home of Motown star Martha Reeves and steal approximately $1 million worth of uninsured recording equipment, including speakers, microphones and karaoke machines. A suspect is arrested at his home later in the day after trying to sell the goods to a pawnshop for $400 (2008).

May 3rd

Musical birthdays today include Frankie Valli (91), former Troggs bassist Pete Staples (81), Mary Hopkin (75), music biographer Alan Clayton (74), original Pavement drummer Gary Young (72), Angela Bofill (71), former Soft Cell keyboardist Dave Ball (66), country singer Shane Minor (56), ex-Reamonn frontman Rea Garvey (52), Interpol frontman Paul Banks (47), and former Destiny's Child vocalist Farrah Franklin (44).  

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, born in 1934... 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 (89), jazz pianist Connie Crothers (84), former Roulettes drummer Bob Henrit (81), original Steppenwolf Keyboardist Goldy McJohn (80), Larry Gatlin (77), ex-Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm (75), Sol Invictus frontman Tony Wakeford (66), Blow Monkeys frontman Bruce 'Dr. Robert' Howard (64), and Lily Allen (40). 

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 87 today... for reggae singer Alexander 'Judge Dread' Hughes, who would have been 80... for Lesley Gore, who would have been 79... for Jethro Tull bassist John Glascock, who would have been 74... 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 (86), Rita Coolidge (80), ex-Henry Cow sax & winds player Tim Hodgkinson (76), songwriter & producer Glen Ballard (72), Ray Parker, Jr. (71), Will Kimbrough (61), Tim McGraw (58), original Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretzky (57), Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Johnny Colt (57), original Suede lead guitarist Bernard Butler (55), and ex-Reel Big Fish trombonist Dan Regan (48). 

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 90... for Stax session keyboardist Carson Whitsett, who would have been 80... for former April Wine and B.T.O. bassist Jim Clench, who would have been 76... for Les Rita Mitsouko frontman Fred Chichin, who would have been 71... for Link 80 lead singer Nick Traina, who would have been 46... for Lost Sounds guitarist Jimmy Lindsey Jr. AKA 'Jay Reatard', who would have been 45... 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 two years 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 (84), Merrill Osmond (72), Jamaican rapper Barrington Levy (61), His Name Is Alive frontman Warren Devefer (56), ex-Dishwalla frontman J.R. Richards (53), 98 Degrees vocalist Jeff Timmons (52), hip-hop artist & producer Aliaune Thiam AKA Akon (52), Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer (49), R&B/soul singer Cleo Higgins (43), and pop singer Nikki Webster (38). 

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 82 today... for Mimi Fariña, who would have been 80... 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 (92), conductor Zubin Mehta (89), Klaus Voormann (87), Oak Ridge Boys vocalist Duane Allen (82), Tommy James (78), Great White frontman Mark Kendall (68), rapper Percy 'Master P' Miller (58), Carnie Wilson (57), Pink Martini lead singer China Forbes (55), Franco-Indonesian singer Anggun Sasmi (51), S Club vocalist Jo O'Meara (46), Editors frontman Tom Smith (44), and ex-Trivium drummer Travis Smith (43). 

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, born in 1934... for American roots musician Hasil Adkins, who would have been 88... for Tami Terrell, who would have been 80... for Can vocalist Michael Karoli, who would have been 77... 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).