April 6th

Musical birthdays today include operatic mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer (81), Tangerine Dream drummer Christopher Franke (72), bluesman Blind Mississippi Morris (70), Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes (65), Pixies frontman Charles Thompson AKA Black Francis (60), Stone Sour drummer Roy Mayorga (55), Sigur Rós bassist Georg Hólm (49), Opeth bassist Martin Méndez (41), and Say Anything lead singer Max Bemis (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for blues harmonic virtuoso Big Walter Horton, born on this day in 1918... for jazzman Gerry Mulligan, born in 1927.. for conductor André Previn, born in 1929... for Merle Haggard, who would have been 88... for Igor Stravinsky, who died on this date in 1971... for Wendy O. Williams, who took her own life today in 1998 at the age of 48, and for Tammy Wynette, who left us on the same day... and for former Crickets guitarist Niki Sullivan, who passed away in 2004. 

Also on April 6th: Arthur Sullivan's debut success, his suite of incidental music for The Tempest, is performed for the first time at Covent Garden, leading to a career that included the celebrated Gilbert and Sullivan operas (1861)... Elvis signs a 7-year contract with Paramount Pictures (1956)... The Everly Brothers kick off their first UK tour at London's New Victoria Theatre, with The Crickets as their opening act (1960)... At Carnegie Hall, one of the most controversial concerts in the history of the NY Philharmonic takes place. It features a performance by Glenn Gould of Brahms' First Piano Concerto, with the orchestra led by its musical director, Leonard Bernstein. The concert became famous because of Bernstein's remarks from the podium prior to the concerto, in which he disassociated himself from the interpretation that was to come (1962)... At Abbey Road, the Beatles hold their first session for what will become the Revolver album by recording 'Tomorrow Never Knows' (1966)... The first master tape of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is made. The track order on side one is different from the final product at this point, the last five songs on that side initially ordered as follows: ‘Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite’, ‘Fixing a Hole’, ‘Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds’, ‘Getting Better’, and ‘She's Leaving Home’. The Beatles specified that there were to be no gaps between songs, an unprecedented idea at the time (1967)... Pink Floyd announce that founder Syd Barrett, suffering from psychiatric disorders compounded by drug use, has officially left the group... Simon & Garfunkel's soundtrack to The Graduate is the № 1 album in America... The Beatles Apple Corps Ltd. record company, management and publishing firm, open their offices on Savile Row in London (1968)... Carly Simon is introduced to James Taylor after her show at the Troubador in Los Angeles... The Rolling Stones announce the launch of their own record label (1971)... ABBA win the Eurovision song contest with 'Waterloo', launching their international career (1974)... Rod Stewart marries Alana Hamilton in Beverly Hills (1979)... Roger Waters' lawyers issue a statement that their client believes himself to be the driving creative force behind Pink Floyd, and will therefore contest the use of the name by anyone else, including any former members of Pink Floyd (1987)... The Dandy Warhols release their debut album, Dandys Rule OK (1995)... An all-star tribute to Joni Mitchell is held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, featuring performances by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Shawn Colvin, James Taylor, Cyndi Lauper, Richard Thompson, k.d. Lang, and Mary Chapin Carpenter (2000).

April 5th

Musical birthdays today include former Fairport Convention fiddler Dave Swarbrick (84), Hollies lead singer Allan Clarke (83), former Judas Priest drummer Dave Holland (77), ABBA vocalist Agnetha Fältskog (75), original Wall of Voodoo lead singer Stan Ridgway (71), ex-Plimsouls lead singer Peter Case (71), classical pianist Julius Drake (66), Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready (59), Paula Cole (57), Ra frontman Sahaj Ticotin (56), Three 6 Mafia rapper Jordan Houston AKA Juicy J (50), and jazz pianist Robert Glasper (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor Herbert von Karajan, born on this day in 1908... for cabaret singer Gale Storm, born in 1922... for Platters vocalist Tony Williams, born in 1928... for producer & songwriter Joe Meek [best remembered for 'Telstar'], born in 1929... for R&B singer Billy Bland, born in 1931... for saxophonist Stanley 'The Sugar Man' Turrentine, born in 1934... for pop singer Crispian St. Peters and Miracles vocalist Ronald White, both of whom would have been 86... for Canned Heat lead singer Bob Hite, who died of  drug overdose today in 1981 at the age of 37... for Kurt Cobain, who took his own life today in 1994 at the age of 27... for Cozy Powell, who was killed in a drunk driving accident today in 1998 at age 50... for original Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose today in 2002 at the age of 34... for Gene Pitney, who passed away in 2006... and for amplifier inventor and designer Jim Marshall, who left us today in 2014.

Also on April 5th: Johann Strauss' opera Die Fledermaus has its premiere in Vienna (1874)... Ray Charles marries his second wife, Della (1955)... After making 6 live albums over the last two years, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers have their first studio recording session at Columbia's 30th St. Studios in NYC (1956)...  Monkees fans walk from London's Marble Arch to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to protest Davy Jones' planned call-up. Jones will be exempted when he is deemed responsible for supporting his father (1967)... Elvis launches a 15-date tour at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, NY (1972)... Minnie Riperton has the № 1 single in America with the Stevie Wonder-produced 'Lovin' You' (1975)... Duran Duran make their live debut at the Lecture Theatre at Birmingham Polytechnic (1978)... R.E.M. play their first ever gig at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Athens, GA (1980)... Marvin Gaye's funeral takes place at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles; Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy and many other Motown singers, writers and producers attend the service (1984)... At 3:50 PM GMT, over 5,000 radio stations worldwide air the charity single by USA for Africa 'We Are The World'. The song goes on to be a № 1  in the US & the UK, as well as in most Western territories (1985)... Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album is released (1988)... The Spice Girls perform their first ever-live UK concert when they appeared in front of a 9,000 strong audience in Glasgow (1998)... Apple's iTunes overtakes Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the US. Market research firm NPD says that iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in January and February if 12 downloads are considered equal to the sale of one CD album. iTunes has sold more than four billion songs since its launch in 2003 (2008)... A statue in tribute to Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain is unveiled in his hometown of Aberdeen, WA. The ceremony marks the 17th anniversary of Cobain's death. The statue designed by local artists Kim and Lora Malakoff is of his signature Fender Jag-Stang guitar. The concrete guitar is eight and a half feet tall and also features a ribbon with lyrics written on it from Nirvana's 'On a Plain'. It reads: 'One more special message to go and then I'm done and I can go home' (2011).

April 4th

Musical birthdays today include industry executive Clive Davis (93), Slade lead guitarist Dave Hill (79), ex-Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers (77), classical violinist Chen Yi (72), The Alarm bassist Craig Adams (63), producer and guitarist Vinny Burns (60), Buckcherry lead singer Josh Todd (54), Jill Scott (53), Cardigans bassist Magnus Sveningsson (53), Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell (45), and Jamie Lynn Spears (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Muddy Waters, born on this day in 1913... for South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, who would have been 86 today... for songwriter and music impresario Sharon Sheeley, who would have been 85... for former Allman Brothers band bassist Berry Oakley, who would have been 77... for reggae singer Junior Braithwaite, who would have been 76.. for Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, who would have been 73... for Deacon Blue guitarist Graeme Kelling, who would have been 68... for original Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, who would have been 59... for country singer Red Sovine, who died on this date in 1980... for multi-genre cellist Arthur Russell, who passed away in 1992... and for Manowar drummer Scott Columbus, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on April 4th: 'Dixie' is performed for the first time by Bryant's Minstrels as the finale of a blackface show in NYC (1859)... Camille Saint-Saëns' 1st Violin concerto premieres at the Salle Pleyel in Paris with Pablo Sarrasate as soloist (1872)... Elvis plays the first of two nights at the San Diego Arena in San Diego, CA. The local police chief issues a statement saying if the singer ever returns to the city and gives another similar performance, he will be arrested for disorderly conduct (1956)... RCA Victor Records announce that they will henceforth release all pop singles in mono and stereo simultaneously, making them the first record company to do so (1960)... The Beatles hold the top five places on the Billboard singles chart: № 5, 'Please Please Me'; № 4, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'; № 3, 'Roll Over Beethoven'; № 2, 'Love Me Do'; and at № 1, 'Can't Buy Me Love.' They also have another nine singles on the chart, bringing their total in the Hot 100 to fourteen (1964)... Jimi Hendrix is the guest on the premiere episode of Kiki Dee's new BBC show 'Dee Time', with Cat Stevens also appearing (1967)... Crosby Stills Nash & Young go to № 1 on the US album chart with Deja Vu (1970)... London Records release ZZ Top's second album Rio Grande Mud (1972)... Take That give their final performance on The Ivo Niehe Show on Dutch TV, playing two songs in front of a 250 strong studio audience (1996)... A Swedish couple run into trouble with authorities after trying to name their baby 'Metallica'. Michael and Karolina Tomaro are in court today to resolve a dispute with the country's National Tax Authority over naming their daughter after the rock band. The six-month-old has been baptised Metallica, but tax officials say that the name is 'inappropriate'. Under Swedish law, both first names and surnames must be approved by tax and census before they may be used (2007)... Beyonce Knowles marries Jay-Z at his New York apartment. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow, and Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams all attend the private ceremony (2008).

April 3rd

Musical birthdays today include songwriter Jeff Barry (87), Wayne Newton (83), Tony Orlando (81), Richard Thompson (76), Rocket 88s pianist & leader Mitch Woods (74), New Orleans bluesman John Mooney (70), Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness (63), R&B singer Kelly Price (52), Switchfoot guitarist Drew Shirley (51), Outlawz rapper Bruce Washington AKA Hussein Fatal (48), Suburban Legends trumpeter Aaron Bertram (44), and Leona Lewis (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Dooley Wilson, born on this day in 1886... for Doris Day, born in 1922... for country singer-songwriter Don Gibson, born in 1928... for saxophonist & jazz flautist Harold Vick, who would have been 88... for Jan Berry and for former Spinners vocalist Phillipé Wynne, both of whom would have been 84... for Richard Manuel of The Band, who would have been 82... for Procol Harum bassist Dee Murray, who would have been 77... for Johannes Brahms, who died on this date in 1897... for Kurt Weill, who died in 1950... and for Sarah Vaughn, who left us today in 1990.

Also on April 3rd: Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt premieres at the King's Theatre in London. The work, the composer's first use of Biblical texts in a theatrical setting, is not well received, and the performance run closes three nights later (1739)... Smetana's The Moldau is performed for the first time in Prague. The composer, now totally deaf, hears neither the music nor the audience's reaction (1875)... Arturo Toscanini conducts his last concert of the NBC Orchestra at Carnegie Hall 10 days after his 87th birthday. He then announces his retirement, ending his 17-year association with the ensemble (1954)... Elvis appears on ABC's 'The Milton Berle Show', live from the flight deck of the  aircraft carrier USS Hancock in San Diego. It is estimated the next day that 1 in every 4 American households with a television watched the broadcast (1956)... The Marcels go to № 1 in both America and Britain with their version of the Rodgers & Hart standard 'Blue Moon' (1961)... Bob Dylan makes his first appearance on the UK singles chart as 'The Times They Are A-changin'' enters the top 100 ~ it will eventually rise as high as № 5 (1964)... At Abbey Road, George Harrison adds his lead vocal to 'Within You Without You', then sitar (1967)... Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends is released (1968)... Jim Morrison turns himself in at the FBI field office in Los Angeles. He was wanted on six charges of lewd behavior and public exposure at a Doors concert in Miami on March 2nd. He is later released on $2000 bail (1969)... The Temptations score their second US № 1 with 'Just My Imagination (Running away with Me)' (1971)... In Los Angeles, Steve Miller is charged with setting fire to the clothes of ex-girlfriend Benita Diorio. When police arrived at Miller's house, Diorio was putting out the flames; Miller then got into a scuffle with some of the policemen and was charged with resisting arrest (1975)... A hitherto unknown band called The Sex Pistols open for the 101ers ~ now remembered as the group Joe Strummer left to help form The Clash ~ at the Nashville Rooms in London (1976)... Kate Bush kicks off her 'Tree of Life' tour at Liverpool's Empire Theatre. Bush will play 28 dates, and then retire from touring for the next 35 years (1979)... Depeche Mode have their first UK № 1 album with Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)... Nirvana and Hole cancel their forthcoming tour amid mounting speculation about Kurt Cobain's drug problems (1994)... Michael Jackson's daughter Paris is born (1998)... Mariah Carey is admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital with food poisoning after eating raw oysters (2000)... Keith Richards denies that he snorted the ashes of his late father during a drugs binge. Jane Rose, Richards' manager, tells MTV News that the remarks were made ‘in jest’, and that she could not believe they were taken seriously. Richards had said in an interview with the NME: ‘He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow.’ But NME interviewer Mark Beaumont was convinced that Richards was not joking when speaking to him about the alleged incident. ‘He did seem to be quite honest about it. There were too many details for him to be making it up,’ he later told BBC News (2007).

April 2nd

Musical birthdays today include DJ Barry Hansen AKA Dr. Demento (84), Emmylou Harris (78), ex-Cars drummer David Robinson (76), soul singer & producer Gregory Abbott (71), Bananarama vocalist Keren Woodward (64), country singer Billy Dean (63), former Smashmouth frontman Greg Camp (58), and Maroon 5 keyboardist Jesse Carmichael (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Serge Gainsbourg, born on this day in 1928... for jazz trumpeter Booker Little, who would have been 87... for Marvin Gaye, who would have been 85... for Leon Russell, who would have been 82... for jazz guitarist Larry Coryell, who would have been 81... for Guess Who guitarist Kurt Winter, who would have been 78... for original Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist Leon Wilkeson, who would have been 73... for Buddy Rich, who died on this date in 1987... for Edwin Starr, who passed away in 2003... for saxophonist and Stan Kenton sideman Bud Shank, who died in 2009... and for classical flautist Linda Vogt, who left us today in 2013.

Also on April 2nd: Beethoven conducts the first performance of his 1st Symphony in Vienna (1800)... The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the oldest symphony in the United States, is founded in Manhattan (1842)... The Beach Boys record 'I Get around' (1964)... The Who make their radio debut on the BBC's 'Joe Loss Pop Show' (1965)... Bob Dylan attends a screening of 'Don't Look back', D.A. Pennebaker's cinema verité documentary of the singer's 1965 UK tour. Following the private showing in Hollywood, Dylan tells the director that he has several changes in mind that he will point out if he can see the film again. After another screening the next day, however, Dylan decides that the movie is fine as it is (1966)... Bruce Springsteen's new band Child make their live debut at the Pandemonium Club in Wanamassa, NJ (1969)... Phil Spector finishes editing and mixing Let It Be from the 'Get Back' studio tapes (1970)... Donny Hathaway's eponymous debut album is released (1971)... ABBA top the UK singles chart with 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', while Frank Sinatra's Portrait of Sinatra gives him his first British № 1 album... In America, the № 1 LP is Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (1977)... U2 kick off the 29-date US leg of their Joshua Tree tour at the Arizona State Activity Center (1987)...  Nirvana go into Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin and start work on demo versions of ‘In Bloom’, ‘Dive’, ‘Lithium’, ‘Pay To Play’, ‘Imodium’, ‘Sappy’ and ‘Polly’ with Butch Vig producing (1990)...Joni Mitchell is reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter whom she gave up for adoption 34 years earlier (1997)... Mariah Carey signs the most lucrative recording deal in history. The 31-year old singer inks a contract with Virgin for three albums worth £60m. The singer has sold over 120 million records worldwide, scoring 14 US № 1 singles (2001)... One of John Lennon's schoolbook containing the 12-year-old's illustrations of Lewis Carroll's poem The Walrus and the Carpenter sells at auction in London for £126,500. Also sold for £12,000 was a ship's log book written by Lennon during a stormy trip to Bermuda in 1980, while a letter from Paul McCartney to his three bandmates fails to reach its £50,000 reserve price (2006)... A fully restored grand piano used in the Motown Records studios is put on display at a museum dedicated to the legendary record label in Detroit. Sir Paul McCartney helped fund the refurbishment of the 1877 Steinway, which was originally in Motown's Studio B. and was used to create hits for names including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Edwin Starr... Coldplay beat the likes of Pink Floyd and The Beatles to the top of a BBC Radio 2 poll to find listeners' favourite album of all time. A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay's second collection, which was released in 2002, comes top of the list. Keane's Hopes And Fears takes second place, with Duran Duran's Rio in third. Dark Side Of The Moon finished fourth, while Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' could only manage eighth place. The poll was held to tie in with the recent BBC season The Golden Age of the Album (2013).

April 1st

Musical birthdays today include Rudolph Isley (86), The Tokens drummer & vocalist Phil Margo (83), former Turtles drummer Johnny Barbata (80), M lead singer Robin Scott (78), Jimmy Cliff (77), Susan Boyle (64), ex-ABC guitarist Mark White (64), Clifford Smith AKA Method Man (54), ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jesse Tobias (53), Bijou Phillips (45), and Lady A lead singer Hilary Scott (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Sergei Rachmaninoff, born on this day in 1873... for Alberta Hunter, born in 1895... for Arthur 'Guitar Boogie' Smith, born in 1921... for jazz saxophonist Kathy Stobart, born in 1924... for R&B singer Amos Milburn, born in 1928... for Debbie Reynolds, born in 1932... for country singer Jim Ed Brown, born today in 1934... for Ronnie Lane, who would have been 78... for Gil Scott-Heron, who would have been 76... for Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, who would have been 71... for Scott Joplin, who died on this date in 1917... for Marvin Gaye, who was shot to death by his father at the age of 43 today in 1984... for Martha Graham, who passed away in 1991... for The Cult drummer Nigel Preston, who died of a drug overdose today in 1992 at the age of 32... and for Zombies guitarist Paul Atkinson, who left us today in 2004.

Also on April 1st: Handel's oratorio Judas Maccabeus is performed for the first time at Covent Garden (1747)... Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra make their Carnegie Hall debut (1924)... George Martin becomes head of A&R for EMI's Parlophone label (1955)... Elvis is given his first Hollywood screen test at Paramount Studios (1956)... Atlantic Records release John Coltrane's Giant Steps (1959)... The Beatles begin a three-month residency at Hamburg's Top Ten Club, playing 92 straight nights. The group play for seven hours a night on weekdays and eight hours at weekends with a fifteen-minute break every hour. It is during this visit that Astrid Kirchherr cuts Stuart Sutcliffe's hair into the style destined to become known as the 'Beatle haircut' which the band later adopt themselves (1961)... The Who record an appearance for Top of the Pops at the BBC's Manchester studio. The band then play a gig opening for Donovan at The Town Hall, Wembley, with Rod Stewart appearing at the bottom of the bill (1965)... Pye Records release David Bowie's first solo single, 'Do Anything You Say'. Bowie had previously recorded as David Jones and The Lower Third... The Troggs record 'Wild Thing' at Regency Sound Studios in London... John Lennon buys a copy of Timothy Leary's 'The Psychedelic Experience' and The Tibetan Book Of The Dead, where he reads near the beginning of the book's introduction 'When in doubt, relax, turn off your mind, float downstream...' (1966)... The Beach Boys announce that they are suing Capitol Records for $2 million in unpaid royalties (1969)... 50 musicians record the orchestral scores for The Beatles tracks 'The Long And Winding Road' and 'Across The Universe' for the Phil Spector produced sessions. The bill for the 50 musicians comes to £1,126 and 5 shillings... As an April Fool's joke, John Lennon and Yoko Ono issue a statement to the press that they are planning to have dual sex change operations (1970)... AC/DC make their live UK debut at the Red Cow in Hammersmith, London... The Buzzcocks play their first live gig at the Bolton Institute of Technology. The power is turned off by school authorities after three numbers (1976)... David Lee Roth announces that he is leaving Van Halen, on the same day that his version of The Beach Boys' 'California Girls' is released (1985)... Madonna's Like a Prayer is at № 1 on both the American and British album charts... Topping the singles rankings on both sides of the Atlantic is The Bangles' 'Eternal Flame' (1989)... Modest Mouse are at № 1  on the US album chart with We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. featuring former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr who joined the band in May 2006 (2007).

March 31st

Musical birthdays today include Shirley Jones (91), Herb Alpert (90), film score composer Arthur B. Rubinstein (87), original Mott the Hoople frontman Mick Ralphs (81), AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young (70), ex-Stiff Little Fingers bassist Ali McMordie (66), Placebo bassist Stefan Olsdal (51), Garfunkel & Oates singer Kate Micucci (45), Ryan Bingham (44), Cobra Starship lead guitarist Ryan Blackinton (43), Fun lead guitarist Jack Antonoff (41), and Tokio Hotel bassist Georg Listing (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Johann Sebastian Bach, born on this date in 1685... for Franz Josef Haydn, born in 1732... for blueswoman Etta Baker, born in 1913... for country singer Lefty Frizzell, born in 1928... for Anita Carter, born in 1933... for Isley Brother O'Kelly Isley Jr., who died on this date in 1986... for Selena Quintanilla-Pérez AKA Selena, who was murdered today in 1995 at the age of 23... and for saxophonist and bandleader Jackie McLean, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on March 31st: On his 62nd birthday, Haydn conducts the premiere performance of his 100th Symphony in the Queen's Concert Rooms, Hanover Square, London (1794)... Dvořák's opera Rusalka is performed for the first time at the National Theatre in Prague (1904)... The Vienna Concert Society riots during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton von Webern and others. The audience reaction brings a premature end to the concert as chairs as well as punches are thrown. The incident is still referred to in Austria as the 'Skandalkonzert' (1913)... RCA Victor introduce the 45 RPM single record, which has been in development since 1940. The 7-inch disc is designed to compete with the Long Playing record introduced by Columbia last year. Both formats offer higher fidelity and longer playing time than the 78 RPM record that is currently in use. Advertisements for new record players boast that with 45s, the listener can hear up to ten records with speedy, nearly silent and hardly noticeable changes. The first 45 disc, 'Texarkana Baby' by country & western singer Eddy Arnold, is issued by RCA in the US. It is made of green vinyl, as part of an attempt to colour-code singles according to the genre of music they featured. Others include red for classical music and yellow for children's songs (1949)... Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' single is released. The song's original lyrics referred to Johnny as a 'colored boy', but Berry later acknowledges that he changed the words to 'country boy' to ensure radio play (1958)... Lonnie Donegan becomes the first British artist to enter the UK singles chart at № 1 with 'My Old Man's a Dustman'. The only previous singer to achieve the feat was Elvis Presley (1960)... The Beatles play their first gig in the south of England when they open for The Rebel Rousers in Stroud, Gloucs. (1962)... Filming for A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles give a 'live television performance' in front of a studio of screaming fans, one of whom is played by a 13-year-old extra named Phil Collins (1964)... Jimi Hendrix sets fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time during a show at the Astoria in London, on the opening night of a 24-date tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdinck. In 2008, the Fender Stratocaster burnt by Hendrix on this occasion will sell for £280,000 at a London auction of rock memorabilia (1967)... The Beatles Official Fan Club ceases operations... Deep Purple release Machine Head (1972)... Led Zeppelin release Presence, their seventh studio album (1976)... Kenny Loggins is at № 1 in the US with 'Footloose' (1984)... The Smiths' valedictory compilation album Louder Than Bombs is released in the US (1987)... Madonna appears on The Late Show With David Letterman. The network will have to delete 13 offending words from the interview before the show airs. Madonna also hands the host a pair of her panties and tells him to sniff them ~ Letterman politely declines and stuffs them into his desk drawer (1994)... Jimmy Page escapes being knifed when a fan rushes the stage at a Page and Plant gig in Auburn Hills, MI. The fan is intercepted by two security guards, whom he stabs instead, inflicting minor wounds. After his arrest, the assailant tells police that he wanted to kill the guitarist because of the 'Satanic vibrations' in the music he was playing (1995)... Whitney Houston and husband Bobby Brown are banned for life from the Bel Air hotel in Los Angeles after wrecking their room. Hotel employees say a TV was smashed, two doors were ripped from their hinges, and the walls and carpets stained with alcohol. It is reported that Whitney called in her lawyers to plead with the hotel management not to call the police. The suite is so badly damaged that it will be shut for five days for repair (2001)... A new world record for the longest non-stop concert is set by several hundred musicians in Japan. The performance began on the evening of 23 March in the city of Omi, with 650 musicians aged between 6 and 96 taking turns ~ over 2,000 tunes will be performed in a little more than 182 hours. Organisers praise the musicians, one of whom carried on despite a major earthquake during her piano piece. The previous world record was set in Canada in 2001 at 181 hours (2007).

March 30th

Musical birthdays today include Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge (84), Eric Clapton (80), MC Hammer (63), Tracy Chapman (61), former Queens of the Stone Age drummer Joey Castillo (59), Celine Dion (57), Snow Patrol bassist Mark McLelland (49), Norah Jones (46), Blue vocalist Simon Webbe (46), and singer-songwriter Anna Nalick (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Frankie Laine, born on this day in 1913... for Sonny Boy Williamson I, born in 1914... for former Surfaris bassist Ken Forssi, R&B singer Al Goodman, and Jay and the Americans frontman Jay Traynor, all of whom would have been 82... for Randy van Warmer, who would have been 70... for ex-Lagwagon drummer Derrick Plourde, who took his own life today in 2005 at the age of 33... and for producer Phil Ramone, who left us today in 2013.  

Also on March 30th: Richard Strauss' 1st Symphony receives its premiere in Munich (1881)... The Julliard Musical Foundation is incorporated in NYC (1920)... Buddy Knox becomes the first artist of the rock era to write his own № 1 hit, when his song 'Party Doll' tops the US singles chart (1957)... The Chiffons start a four week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with ‘He’s So Fine’. In 1971 George Harrison will be taken to court for allegedly plagiarizing the song on his 1970 hit ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ordered to pay $587,000 to the writers... 16-year-old Lesley Gore records 'It's My Party' (1963)... During an appearance by Jimi Hendrix on 'Top Of The Pops', a technician puts on the backing track of Alan Price's 'Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear', to which Hendrix responds "I don't know the words to this one, man"... The photo session for the cover of Sgt. Pepper takes place at Chelsea Manor studios in London with Michael Cooper. After the shoot, The Beatles resume work at Abbey Road on ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’, adding guitars, bass, tambourine, and backing vocals. The session begins at 11:00 pm and ends at 7:30 am (1967)... John Denver has the № 1 single in the US with 'Sunshine on My Shoulders' (1974)... The Sex Pistols play their first show at the 100 Club in London. They will begin a weekly residency at the venue in June (1976)... Paul Simonon and Nicky Headon of The Clash are arrested in Camden Town, London after shooting down racing pigeons with air guns from the roof of Chalk Farm Studios. Four police cars and a helicopter are required to make the collar. The fines total £800 (1978)... R.E.M. begin recording Automatic for the People at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY (1992)... Pink Floyd release their final studio album, The Division Bell (1994)... Mick Jagger makes a nostalgic visit to his old school to open the new arts centre named after him at Dartford Grammar. The singer says he spent 'the worst years of his life' at the school (2000)... A man is arrested by police and detained under the Mental Health Act after trying to force his way into Paul McCartney’s mansion, screaming "I must get to him!" The middle-aged man burst through security patrols into McCartney’s isolated Sussex estate; guards who feared an assassination attempt were scrambled to intercept him as he sped towards the front door. He was finally halted by trees and a fence just yards from Sir Paul’s six-bedroom home at Peasmarsh (2007).

March 29th

Musical birthdays today include Astrud Gilberto (85), Evangelis Papathanassiou AKA Vangelis (82), Terry Jacks (81), original Toto frontman Bobby Kimball (78), Stranglers keyboardist Dave Greenfield (76), Jane's Addiction lead singer Perry Farrell (66), Blues Traveler frontman John Popper (58), and Cansei de Ser Sexy guitarist Luiza Sá (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for organ virtuoso E. Power Biggs, born on this day in 1906... for Pearl Bailey, born in 1918... for Parliament/Funkadelic bass vocalist Ray Davis, who would have been 85 today... for Australian rocker Billy Thorpe, who would have been 79... for jazzman Michael Brecker, who would have been 76.. for Waitresses lead singer Patty Donahue, who would have been 69... for conductor Annunzio Montovani, who died on this date in 1980... for composer Carl Orff, who left us today in 1982... and for Jeanine 'The Singing Nun' Deckers, who took her own life today in 1985 at the age of 52. 

Also on March 29th: Vivaldi is dismissed from his position as a music teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice for spending too much time on his own operas (1716)... 24-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven makes his concert debut at the Vienna Burgtheater, introducing his 1st Piano Concerto (1795)... Beethoven's funeral in Vienna is attended by Schubert, Czerny, Kreutzer and other musical luminaries (1827)... The Royal Albert Hall opens in London with Queen Victoria in attendance (1871)... Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin premieres at Moscow's Maly Theatre (1879)... Mick Jagger requires 8 stitches to close a gash in his head after an overenthusiastic fan throws a chair at the stage during a gig in Marseille (1966)... At Abbey Road, the Beatles finish recording 'Good Morning, Good Morning', and then go to work on a new song with the working title of 'Bad Finger Boogie', which they will soon change to 'With a Little Help from My Friends' (1967)... Diana!, the soundtrack LP of Diana Ross' first solo TV special, is released (1971)... Dr Hook and The Medicine Show get their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine after their hit 'The Cover of Rolling Stone' reaches № 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, as per the lyrics of the song (1973)... King Crimson release the album Starless and Bible Black (1974)... All six Led Zeppelin LPs to date are now in the Bilboard Top 100 albums chart, including their most recent release Physical Graffiti at № 1 (1975)... David Bowie kicks off his Low/Heroes 77-date world tour at the San Diego Sports Arena (1978)... After attending a Dire Straits show during their residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, Bob Dylan asks Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on the sessions for his next LP. Slow Train Coming will be the album, recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL in May of 1979, with Jerry Wexler producing. Dylan had first heard Knopfler when his assistant Arthur Rosato played him the single 'Sultans of Swing' (1979)... Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon album spends its 303rd week on the US album chart, beating the record set by Carole King's 1971 № 1 album Tapestry. The album remains in the US Billboard charts for 741 discontinuous weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in chart history. After moving to the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Chart, the album notches up a further 759 weeks, and will reach a total of over 1,500 weeks on the combined charts by May 2006 (1980)... U2 play the final gig of their 29-date War tour at London's Hammersmith Palais (1983)... Falco is at the top of both the US and UK singles charts with 'Rock Me Amadeus', making him the first German-speaking artist to score an American № 1 (1986)... 
The David Bowie Internet Radio Network broadcasts its first show for Rolling Stone Radio, a selection of Bowie's favourite songs with the singer introducing each track (1999)... Brian Wilson is honored in a three hour tribute at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Guest performers include Billy Joel, Paul Simon, The Go-Gos and the trio of Carly Simon, David Crosby and Jimmy Webb. Also singing Beach Boy songs are Ann and Nancy Wilson, Elton John and Aimee Mann. Brian Wilson himself joins the festivities when he takes the stage for the final three songs, 'Barbara Ann', 'Surfin' U.S.A.' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun' (2001)... A court in Lithuania sentences French rock star Bertrand Cantat, lead singer of the group Noir Desir, to eight years in prison for killing his actress girlfriend during a domestic quarrel. Cantat was convicted of fatally beating Marie Trintignant in a Vilnius hotel room in 2003. Cantat admitted killing Ms Trintignant but maintained it was an accident (2004)... Neil Young is operated on for a brain aneurysm at a hospital in New York. Doctors expect the 59- year-old to make a full recovery. The aneurysm was discovered when Young complained of blurry vision and then collapsed after the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month (2005).

March 28th

Musical birthdays today include former Jethro Tull keyboardist John Evan (77), Reba McIntire (70), Cheryl 'Salt' James (59), country singer Rodney Atkins (56), Lost Boyz rapper Terrence 'Mr. Cheeks' Kelly (54), The Killers lead guitarist Dave Keuning (49), cigar-chomping music blogger, scourge of white supremacists & Guinness minority shareholder William Ruben Helms (46), and Stefani Germanotta AKA Lady Gaga (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bandleader Paul Whiteman, born on this day in 1890... for classical pianist Rudolf Serkin, born in 1903... for jazz trumpeter Thad Jones, born in 1923...foroperatic soprano Elizabeth Bainbridge, born in 1930... for Commodores keyboardist Milan Williams, who would have been 77 today... for original Feeder drummer Jon Lee, who would have been 57... for composer Modest Mussorgsky, who died on this date in 1881... for Sergei Rachmaninoff, who passed away in 1943... for W.C. Handy, the 'Father of the Blues', who died in 1958... for bluesman Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup, who died in 1974... for film score composer Maurice Jarre, who passed away in 2009... and for bluegrass banjo legend Earl Scruggs, who left us today in 2012.  

Also on March 28th: The Vienna Philharmonic plays its first concert, with founder Otto Nicolai conducting (1842)... Classical music-formatted WQXR in NYC, owned by The New York Times, bans all singing commercials from its airwaves as of this day (1944)... Art Pepper records Art Pepper + 11, his only album as a leader in the big band format (1959)... Madame Tussaud's unveils the waxwork images of The Beatles, making them the first pop stars ever to be so honoured... Pirate Radio Caroline begins broadcasting from the former Danish ferry 'Fredericia' in the North Sea off the English coast (1964)... Working on the Sgt. Pepper sessions at Abbey Road studios in London, John Lennon records his lead vocal for ‘Good Morning Good Morning’, and Paul McCartney added a lead guitar solo to the track. Lennon has decided he wants to end the song with animal sound effects, and asks that they be sequenced in such a way that each successive animal be capable of scaring or eating the preceding one (1967)... Simon & Garfunkel have their only UK № 1 with 'Bridge over Troubled Water' (1970)... Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy is released. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed 'Houses of the Holy' (1973)... In Buffalo, NY, Genesis kick off their first North American tour since Peter Gabriel's departure as lead singer. Phil Collins now takes over the position (1976)... Blondie hit № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Rapture', the group's fourth stateside chart-topper (1981)... David Crosby is arrested after crashing his car on the San Diego Freeway. Police also find cocaine and a pistol in the CS&N star's car. When the police ask Crosby why he carries the gun, he replies, "John Lennon" (1982)... Run DMC release their self-titled debut album (1984)... Over $100,000 worth of damage is caused to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Orange Co., CA when Ozzy Osbourne invites the first two rows of the audience to come on stage. Several others take up the offer and the band are forced to flee (1992)... Wilco release their debut album A.M. (1995)... Jimmy Page accepts substantial undisclosed libel damages from a magazine which claimed he caused or contributed to the death of his Led Zeppelin bandmate John Bonham. Page's solicitor Norman Chapman told High Court Judge Mr Justice Morland that the feature in Ministry magazine printed in 1999 claimed Page was more concerned with keeping vomit off his bed than with saving his friend's life, and that he stood over Bonham wearing Satanist robes and performing a useless spell (2000).

March 27th

Musical birthdays today include former Shadows keyboardist Alan Hawkshaw (88), Status Quo bassist Andy Bown (79), Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks (74), multi-instrumentalist & longtime Paul McCartney sideman Paul Wickens (67), former INXS keyboardist & principal songwriter Andrew Farriss (66), former Gun Club and Nick Cave guitarist Brian 'Kid Congo Powers' Tristan (66), Johnny Hates Jazz lead singer Clark Datchler (61), jazz singer Stacey Kent (57), ex-Time Frequency lead singer Mary Kiani (56), Mariah Carey (55), Blues Traveler drummer Brendan Hill (55), Procol Harum bassist Matt Pegg (54), Black Eyed Peas lead singer Fergie (50), Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato (45), and pop singer Laura Critchley (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Sarah Vaughn, born on this day in 1924... for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and record industry executive Mo Ostin, both born in 1927... for bluesman Johnny Copeland, who would have been 87... for rockabilly & country singer Janis Martin, who would have been 85... for former Genesis drummer John Mayhew, who would have been 78... for Associates vocalist Billy Mackenzie, who would have been 68... for jazz saxophonist Clifford Jordan, who died on this date in 1993... for Rolling Thunder Revue drummer Howie Wyeth, who passed away in 1996... for Ian Dury, who died in 2000... and for Dudley Moore, who left us in 2002. 

Also on March 27th: Franz Joseph Haydn makes his last public appearance at a performance of his oratorio The Creation in Vienna to mark the composer's 76th birthday. Beethoven and Antonio Salieri are also in attendance (1808)... CBS Laboratories announce a new stereophonic Long Playing (LP) record that is playable on ordinary monaural LP phonographs (1958)... Beatlemania continues to take the world by storm, as the Fab Four now occupy the top 6 positions on the Australian pop chart (1964)... The Supremes score their fourth US № 1 with 'Stop! In the Name of Love' (1965)... Fats Domino makes his UK debut at London's Saville Theatre with The Bee Gees and Gerry & the Pacemakers opening for him... Columbia Records release the first Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits package (1967)... The Beatles have their final UK № 1 on the Parlophone EMI label with 'Lady Madonna' (1968)... Ringo Starr becomes the first of the Beatles to release a solo album that is neither a film soundtrack nor an avant-garde experiment, as Sentimental Journey hits the shops (1970)... At RCA Studios in Memphis, Elvis records what will prove to be his last top ten hit, 'Burning Love' (1972)... Rolling Stone magazine reports that after becoming a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, Carlos Santana changed his name to 'Devadip', which means 'the lamp of the light of the Supreme' (1973)... Eric Clapton and Patti Harrison married in Tucson, AZ (1979)... Former Small Faces and Faces bassist Ronnie Lane is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis [He will succumb to the disease in 1997] (1982)... Van Halen kick off a 112 date North American tour at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, LA. It is the band's first tour with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals (1986)... U2 perform from the roof of a store in downtown L.A. to make the video for 'Where The Streets Have No Name', attracting thousands of spectators and bringing traffic to a standstill. The police eventually stop the shoot (1987)... The wife of Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland is arrested on suspicion of burning over $10,000 of his belongings outside their home after police in Los Angeles find a bin of smouldering clothes. Earlier that day, the couple left two rooms vandalised after an argument at a luxury hotel (2007)... X Factor winner Leona Lewis becomes the first British woman to top the US pop chart in more than 20 years with her single ‘Bleeding Love.’ Kim Wilde was the last UK female to top the Billboard Hot 100, with her 1987 cover version of the Supremes hit ‘You Keep Me Hangin' On’. Petula Clark was the first, with her 1965 track ‘Downtown' (2008)... David Bowie's landmark album Ziggy Stardust is celebrated with a blue plaque in central London. Former Spandau Ballet frontman Gary Kemp unveils the marker at the spot where the iconic cover shot of the 1972 release was taken. The location in Heddon Street, just off Regent Street, is now a pedestrianised area filled with bars and restaurants (2012).

March 26th

Musical birthdays today include Diana Ross (81), Plastic People of the Universe violinist Jiří Kabeš (79span>), ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy (77), Steven Tyler (77), former Boston bassist Fran Sheehan (76), film score composer Alan Silvestri (75), ex-Communards multi-instrumentalist Richard Coles (63), Acadian singer-songwriter Roch Voisine (62), Kenny Chesney (57), ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha (57), producer Thomas 'Tommie Sunshine' Lorello (54), and folk singer & multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for film score composer Harry Rabinowitz, born on this day in 1916... for composer Pierre Boulez, born in 1925... for saxophonist James Moody, born in 1926... for Teddy Pendergrass, who would have been 72 today... for Ludwig van Beethoven, who died on this date in 1827... for Noël Coward, who passed away today in 1973... for Eric Wright AKA Eazy-E, who died in 1995... for Mötley Crüe drummer Randy Castillo, who died in 2002... for Jan Berry [of Jan & Dean fame], who succumbed in 2004 to long-term health problems that had plagued him ever since a near-fatal car crash in 1966... and for guitarist and music journalist Adrian Godfrey AKA Nikki Sudden, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on March 26th: On a Good Friday, J.S. Bach conducts the first performance of his St. John Passion at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig (1723)... At Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, NJ, John Coltrane and sidemen record the tracks that will become the Settin' the Pace album when released on the Prestige label three years later. Coltrane, who had moved on to Atlantic by then, did not approve the final mix (1958)... The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool, their last performance before travelling to Hamburg for their second visit (1961)... Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all receive electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Wyman is knocked unconscious for several minutes... John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers release their debut album, John Mayall Plays John Mayall (1965)... In Vancouver, Bob Dylan plays his final North American gig on his current world tour. After 'Ballad of a Thin Man', Dylan tells the crowd "Mr. Jones lives in Lincoln, Nebraska... He hangs round bowling alleys there. He also owns watermill rights, but we don't talk about that when we're in Nebraska. We just let Mr. Jones have his little way" (1966)... 
Marvin Gaye is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine'. The song was first recorded by The Miracles, and had also been a million seller in 1967 for Gladys Knight and the Pips (1969)... Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary pleads guilty to 'taking immoral liberties' with a 14 year old girl in Washington D.C. and is sentenced to ninety days in jail. Just days earlier, the trio had won a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children for their album Peter, Paul and Mommy (1970)... Hall and Oates have their first US № 1 single with 'Rich Girl' (1978)... With a one-off concert, The Police become the first western rock group since 1968 to play in Bombay, India (1980)... Duran Duran top the UK singles chart for the first time with 'Is There Something I Should Know'. On this day, they are greeted by 5,000 screaming fans in NYC as they make a promotional appearance at a midtown Manhattan branch of Sam Goody's (1983)... Radio stations in South Africa ban all of Stevie Wonder's records after he dedicated the Oscar he won the night before to Nelson Mandela (1985)... Morrissey's Viva Hate is the № 1 album in the UK (1988)... Gorillaz release their eponymous debut album... An action figure of Eminem is facing a ban from UK shops. Woolworth's and other major chains are refusing to stock the dolls after public warnings from psychologists that  parents who buy the dolls for children will be inadvertently giving their approval to bad language (2001)... Total Guitar magazine publishes the results of a readers poll voting the solo by Jimmy Page in 'Stairway To Heaven' as the greatest guitar solo of all time. The 1971 track comes in ahead of tracks by Van Halen, Queen, Jimi Hendrix and The Eagles. On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via US radio sources that the song had logged an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays, which, run back to back, would amount to 44 years (2006)... The Los Angeles Times publishes an apology for claiming rap mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was involved in the 1994 shooting of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur. The Times, which published the original story on its website, initially said its claims were based on FBI records, witness accounts and other unnamed sources. The apology follows a claim that the newspaper was conned by a prisoner who doctored the documents used (2008).

March 25th

Musical birthdays include Elton John (78), Boney M singer Maizie Williams (74), Spandau Ballet multi-instrumentalist Steve Norman (65), All Saints vocalist Melanie Blatt (50), Cellist Natalie Clein (48), and rapper Sean Anderson AKA Big Sean (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Arturo Toscanini, born on this day in 1867... for Béla Bartók, born in 1881... for bandleader Frankie 'The Wizard of the Keyboard' Carle, born in 1903... for operatic soprano Magda Olivero, born in 1910... for country-pop singer Bonnie Guitar, born in 1923... for jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, born in 1929... for former Bob Dylan and Velvet Underground producer Tom Wilson and for jazz drummer Paul Motian, both born in 1931... for rockabilly singer Johnny Burnette, born in 1934... for Aretha Franklin, who would have been 83... for Shadowfax leader & producer Chuck Greenberg, who would have been 75... for chanteuse Teri Moïse, who would have been 53... for Claude Debussy, who died on this date in 1918... for ballet director Robert Joffrey, who passed away in 1988... for Buck Owens, who died in 2006... and for Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who left us two years ago today.  

Also on March 25th: Having been sworn in as Private 53310761 the previous day, Elvis receives the regulation short back and sides haircut from army barber James Peterson. Presley will earn $78 per month as an Army enlisted man... Buddy Holly plays the Gaumont Theatre in London, the final date on his first and only British tour (1958)... The Beatles make their debut on 'Top of the Pops', performing 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'You Can't Do That' (1964)... At a photo session at Bob Whitaker's studio in London, The Beatles pose in white coats using sides of meat with mutilated and butchered dolls for the cover of their next American album, 'Yesterday and Today'. After advance copies are sent to disc jockeys and record reviewers, negative reaction to the cover photo is so strong that Capitol recall 750,000 copies from distributors to replace the cover. The total cost to the company to replace the cover and promotional materials comes to $250,000, wiping out their initial profit (1966)... The Turtles go to № 1 in the US with 'Happy Together'... The Who and Cream both make their U.S. concert debut at the RKO 58th Street Theatre in NYC as part of a rock & roll extravaganza promoted by DJ Murray the K. (1967)... John and Yoko start their week long 'bed-in for peace' in the presidential suite at the Amsterdam Hilton hotel. The couple invite the world's press into their hotel room every day to talk about promoting world peace (1969)... Capitol Records release Band of Gypsys, Jimi Hendrix's first LP since the dissolution of the Experience, and the last album that he will authorise in his lifetime (1970)... Motown Records celebrate their 25th anniversary with a concert in Pasadena, CA, featuring The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jr. Walker, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson 5 (1983)... Guns N' Roses sign a worldwide deal with Geffen Records (1986)... Madonna is at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Like A Prayer' ~ it will also go to № 1 in the US the following week, knocking 'The Living Years' by Mike and the Mechanics out of the top spot. The song is accompanied by a highly controversial music video, which in 2005 will be voted the 'Most Groundbreaking Music Video of All Time' in an MTV viewers poll (1989)... Eddie Vedder is rescued by lifeguards when a sudden riptide carries him 300 feet offshore in New Zealand (1995)... Former Bay City Rollers drummer Derek Longmuir is sentenced to 300 hours community service after being caught with a stash of child pornography including 150 videos and 70 floppy disks (2000)... Bono makes a appearance at the London air rage trial of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, telling the court "I came to court because Peter is actually famously known for being a peaceable person. I once had to twist his arm to get him to a boxing match." Buck is later cleared of all charges. He was accused of attacking two cabin staff and covering them in yoghurt, knocking over a trolley, and trying to steal a knife (2002)... Justin Bieber's manager is arrested after police claim he failed to warn fans on Twitter about overcrowding at a shopping centre event. Police say they asked Scott Braun to tell fans through Twitter that Bieber would not be appearing because of fears over safety after hundreds turned up ~ five people were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police maintain that Mr. Braun refused to send the message until 90 minutes later. He pleads not guilty to charges including reckless endangerment related to November's event at Roosevelt Field Mall (2010).

March 24th

Musical birthdays today include session guitarist Carol Kaye (90), harmonica player & designer Lee Oskar (77), former April Wine bassist Steve Lang (76), Nick Lowe (76), ex-Supertramp bassist Dougie Thomson (74), Gabriele Kerner AKA Nena (65), and Sharon Corr (55). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for hymn composer Fanny Crosby [best remembered for 'Blessed Assurance' and 'To God Be the Glory'], born on this day in 1820... for Russian popular singer Klavdiya Shulzhenko, born in 1906... for classical pianist Byron Janis, boirn in 1928... for scat singer & pianist Billy Stewart, who would have been 87 today... for Kraftwerk guitarist Klaus Dinger, who would have been 79... for jazz pianist & bandleader Jean Goldkette, who died on this date in 1962... for ex-Brooklyn Bridge lead singer Johnny Maestro, who passed away in 2010... and for Motown writer & producer Deke Richards, who left us today in 2013. 

Also on March 24th: J.S. Bach completes the last of a group of six chamber orchestra pieces and dedicates them to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. The compositions have since become popularly known as the Brandenburg Concertos (1721)... Billboard Magazine publishes its first US LP chart ~ Nat King Cole is at №  1 with A Collection of Favorites (1945)...  Elvis Presley reports to the Memphis draft board for induction into the US Army. He and 12 other recruits are taken by bus to the Kennedy Veterans Memorial Hospital for their physical, after which the singer is assigned serial number 53310761 (1958)... The Beatles continue filming 'Help!' at Twickenham Studios near London. They shoot the interior temple scenes, including one in which they 'dive through a hollow sacrificial altar and into water'. That scene is then edited into the swimming pool sequence filmed in the Bahamas on February 23 (1965)... Simon and Garfunkel make their UK singles chart debut with 'Homeward Bound.' Simon is said to have written the song at Farnworth railway station in Widnes, Cheshire while stranded overnight waiting for a train. A plaque is displayed in the station to commemorate this, although memorabilia hunters have stolen it repeatedly. The song describes Simon's longing to return home, both to his then girlfriend Kathy Chitty in Brentwood, Essex, and to the United States (1966)... Alice Cooper has the №  1 album on both sides of the Atlantic with Billion Dollar Babies... During a Lou Reed concert in Buffalo, NY, a man jumps on stage and bites the singer on the left buttock. The attacker is thrown out of the theatre, and Reed completes the show before being examined at a local hospital (1973)... Lionel Richie tops the singles charts in both America and Britain with 'Hello' (1984)... The Black Crowes are fired as the opening act on ZZ Top's current US tour after repeatedly criticising tour sponsor Miller Beer (1991)...  A Chicago court settles the Milli Vanilli class action suit by approving cash rebates of up to $3 to anyone who can prove that they bought the group’s music before November 27 1990, the date the lip synching scandal broke. Milli Vanilli won the 1989 best new artist Grammy after hits like 'Blame it on the Rain' and 'Girl, You Know It's True,' sold 30 million singles and 14 million albums. But in late 1990, the performers were stripped of the award after it was revealed that neither actually sang on the Milli Vanilli album (1992)... Sir Elton John's latter-day version of Aida opens on Broadway (2000)... A stretch of road on Highway 19 in Macon, GA is named Duane Allman Boulevard, as it includes the spot where the Allman Brothers guitarist died aged 24 in a motorcycle crash on October 29, 1971 (2001)... The prosecutor in the Phil Spector murder retrial tells the jury that the defendant is a "demonic maniac" when he drinks and "a very dangerous man" around women. Deputy District Attorney Truc Do urges jurors to find the music producer guilty of murdering Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. During her closing argument, she also accuses Mr Spector of demonstrating a "conscious disregard for human life" (2009)... Pictures of The Beatles' 1965 Shea Stadium concert taken by an amateur photographer who bluffed his way backstage sell at auction in London. Marc Weinstein used a fake press pass to get next to the stage for the historic New York show. His 61 black and white images with copyright fetch £30,680; the successful bidder is a South American businessman currently living in Washington, D.C. who is an avid collector of Beatles memorabilia (2013).