November 3rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Lulu [née Marie Lawrie] (77), Chrome frontman Helios Creed (72), Adam Ant [né Stuart Goddard] (71), Porcupine Tree multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson (58), Onyx rapper Sticky Fingaz [né Kirk Jones] (54), Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson (52), and Rise Again lead singer Tim McIlrath (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for film score composer John Barry, born on this day in 1934... for singer-songwriter Bert Jansch, who would have been 81... for R&B singer Chris Bender, shot to death in Brooklyn at the age of 19 today in 1991... for Leon Theremin, inventor of the instrument that bears his name, who died in 1993... for Lonnie Donegan MBE, the 'King of Skiffle', who passed away in 2002... and for former April Wine bassist Jim Clench, who left us today in 2010.

Also on November 3: Mozart completes his 'Linz Symphony' [№ 36 in C Major] less than 24 hours before its first performance in the Austrian city (1783)... The Chicago Grand Opera gives its inaugural performance, a production of Aida (1910)... Sun Records releases 'Great Balls of Fire' by Jerry Lee Lewis (1957)... Elvis Presley goes on field maneuvers for the first time with the US Army's 32nd Armored Regiment, near the German-Czech border (1958)... Elvis tops the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with 'It's Now or Never', his first post-army № 1 (1960)... During the Rolling Stones' North American tour, a 17 year-old fan falls from the balcony during a gig in Cleveland, Ohio. Mayor Ralph S. Locher bans all future pop concerts, saying: "Such groups do not add to the community's culture or entertainment" (1964)... The Beatles record 'Michelle' (1965)... Filming for The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour is completed, ending with a sequence at Ringo's country house in Weybridge, Surrey. BBC television buy the rights to broadcast the film twice; the first broadcast, in black-and-white, is scheduled for December 26, 1967. The second showing, on the colour channel BBC2 [which is not yet available to all Britons] is scheduled for January 5, 1968 (1967)... James Taylor and Carly Simon are married in a civil ceremony at the latter's Manhattan apartment (1972)... David Bowie's Pinups is the № 1 album in the UK (1973)... Following a concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, Elton John announces his retirement from live performance... A Santa Monica, CA Superior Court judge orders Bob Dylan to return his children to his estranged wife Sara. He was granted temporary custody while his soon to be ex set up housekeeping in Hawaii (1977)... The Jam release All Mod Cons (1978)... One-hit wonder M tops the Billboard singles chart with 'Pop Music' (1979)... Devo open their latest tour by bringing their video-synchronized concert experience to Minneapolis. The show involves the band performing in front of a giant screen on which are projected films and lyrics. The robotic band also interact with the clips (1982)... 'Ice Ice Baby', by Vanilla Ice became the first rap record to top the US singles chart, [and later also a UK No. 1 as well] (1990)... Rage against the Machine release their eponymous debut album (1992)... Metallica reach an out of court settlement with a fan who claims he lost his sense of smell after being dropped on his head by fans at one of their shows four years earlier (1997)... EMI Records announce that they have dropped Simple Minds. The Scottish band sold over 30 million albums during the 1980's (2000)... P Diddy runs in the New York City Marathon, finishing the race in 4 hours and 18 minutes and raising $2,000,000 for the public education system of New York (2003)... A man who had been stalking Hilary Duff is arrested for threatening to kill her. According to the court papers, Maksim Miakovsky of St. Petersburg, Russia went to the U.S. 'for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved with Ms. Duff'. He will later be sentenced to 4 months in jail and 5 years probation after pleading no contest to the charges (2006). 

November 2nd

 

Musical birthdays today include Shadows guitarist Bruce Welch OBE (84), ex-Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull bassist Dave Pegg (78), former Go-Betweens drummer Lindy Morrison (74), Dave Matthews Band drummer Carter Beauford (68), k.d. lang (64), Poison bassist Bobby Dall (62), Korn bassist Reginald Arvizu (56), Nelly (51), Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla (50), and Big Time Rush singer Kendall Schmidt (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for swing trumpeter Bunny Berigan, born on this date in 1908... for Blue Note Records producer & engineer Rudy van Gelder [worked on Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme, among many other classics], born in 1924... for jazzman Phil Woods, born today in 1931... for Cadillacs lead singer Earl Carroll, who would have been 88 today... for Jay and the Americans lead singer Jay Black, who would have been 87... for J.D. Souther, who would have been 80...for  Keith Emerson, who would have been 81... for legendary soprano Jenny 'The Swedish Nightingale' Lind, who died on this date in 1887... for bluesman Mississippi John Hurt, who passed away in 1966... and for singer Eva Cassidy, who left us at the age of 33 today in 1996.

Also on November 2: The work of Shostakovich is heard in the US for the first time, as Leopold Stokowski conducts the Philadelphia Symphony in a performance of the Russian composer's 1st Symphony (1928)... John Coltrane and sidemen record the first of the two shows that will become the Live at the Village Vanguard album (1961)... Peter, Paul & Mary hit № 1 on the US singles chart with their cover of 'Blowin' in the Wind'... The Konrads, featuring a young lead singer named David Jones making his public debut ~ he will soon rechristen himself David Bowie ~ appear at Shirley Parish Hall, in Croydon, Surrey (1963)... The Beatles complete recording their next single ‘Hello Goodbye’ at Abbey Road studios with a second Paul McCartney bass line. The McCartney song had been selected for the A-side for The Beatles next single, the flip side to be John Lennon’s ‘I Am the Walrus'... Cream release Disraeli Gears (1967)... Ringo Starr releases his star-studded solo album Ringo. Among the many supporting musicians were the three other former Beatles, though all four were never in the studio at the same time (1973)... George Harrison became the first Beatle to undertake a solo world tour, kicking off a 30-night outing with a show in Vancouver (1974)... The Rev Marvin Gaye Sr. is sentenced to five years in prison on a charge of manslaughter in the death of his son (1984)... Bob Dylan is sued for 'palimony' by actress Laura Tyrangiel, who appeared in the singer's 1977 film Renaldo and Clara. Tyrangiel claims that she lived with Dylan from 1974 to 1993, that she is the co-author of many of his songs from that period, and that he promised to marry her (1994)... Foo Fighters release their third studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose; the album marks the first appearance of drummer Taylor Hawkins (1999)... Eric Clapton collects his CBE from Buckingham Palace for his services to music (2004)... Led Zeppelin's eagerly-awaited reunion concert in London is postponed for two weeks after guitarist Jimmy Page breaks a finger (2007).

November 1st

 

Musical birthdays today include Kinky Friedman (81), Kool & the Gang saxophonist Ronald Bell (74), Lyle Lovett (68), Manfred Mann's Earth Band lead singer Robert Hart (67), Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis (63), A-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen (63), Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen (62), Geto Boys rapper Willie D [né William Dennis] (59),  singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins (57), and ex-Destiny's Child vocalist LaTavia Robertson (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist and former Thelonious Monk sideman Lou Donaldson, born on this day in 1926, and who left us last year at the age of 98... for Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler [of 'Ballad of the Green Berets' fame] who would have been 84 today... for Family and Blind Faith bassist Ric Grech, who would have been 79... for America multi-instrumentalist Dan Peek, who would have been 75... for Stereolab guitarist Mary Hansen, who would have been 59... for rapper Ma Dre [né Andre Hicks], who was shot to death at age 34 on this day in 2004... and for session drummer Jimmy Carl Black, who left us today in 2008.

Also on November 1: Handel finishes his oratorio Israel in Egypt (1738)... Chopin leaves his native city of Warsaw for the last time, destination Vienna (1830)...R&B group The Famous Flames, led by singer James Brown, cut their first demo ‘Please, Please, Please’ at a radio station in Macon, Georgia. It will lead to their signing with King Records (1955)... Elvis Presley buys a new Harley Davidson, and spends the day riding around Memphis on his acquisition with actress Natalie Wood (1956)... George Harrison releases his first solo album, Wonderwall Music, on the Apple label. The songs, which are mostly Harrison instrumentals, feature Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and an uncredited banjo contribution by Peter Tork of The Monkees (1968)... Elvis hits № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Suspicious Minds'. On the album rankings, the Beatles score their 13th US  № 1  with Abbey Road (1969)... The Grateful Dead release American Beauty (1970)... Paul McCartney & Wings kick off their first Australian tour with a show at the Entertainment Centre in Perth (1975)... Bruce Springsteen tops the Billboard album chart for the first time with The River (1980)... Whilst shooting the film Hearts of Fire in Canada, Bob Dylan jams with local outfit The Paul James Band in a bar in Markham, Ontario (1986)... Flavor Flav of Public Enemy is arrested and charged with the attempted murder of his neighbour. Flav claims that the man had had sex with his (Flav's) girlfriend (1993)... Danish dance-pop act Aqua are at № 1 on the UK charts with 'Barbie Girl'. The single will sell over 8 million copies worldwide (1997)... Organizers of the MTV Europe Awards recruit 500 'screamers' to attend this year's event. The music lovers are selected at an audition held in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens. About 1,500 pop-mad teenagers and adults scream themselves hoarse in a bid to get their hands on a ticket to the exclusive event (2003)... Metal Hammer magazine publishes a list of the 'Top ten rock and heavy metal moustaches…Ever'. The list, which includes moustaches worn by the likes of Frank Zappa, all the members of Black Sabbath, (except Ozzy Osbourne), James Hetfield and Lemmy, places Freddie Mercury at the top (2012).

 

October 31st

 

Musical birthdays today include Tom Paxton (88), Supertramp drummer Bob Siebenberg (76), Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard (68), singer-songwriter Kate Campbell (64), U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. (64), Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee (62), Johnny Marr (62), My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig (61), country singer Darryl Worley (61), Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz (59), ex-Bow Wow Wow lead singer Anabella Lwin (59), Napalm Death guitarist Mitch Harris (56), former Ace of Base lead singer Linn Berggren (55), Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Johnny Moeller (55), Blnd Melon guitarist Rogers Stevens (55), Less Than Jake bassist Roger Manganelli (51), and ex-My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for singing cowgirl Dale Evans, born on this date in 1912... for longtime Shea Stadium organist Jane Jarvis, born in 1915... for pioneering R&B saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, born in 1922... for saxophonist and Mingus sideman Booker Ervin, born in 1930... for Ali Farka Touré, who would have been 86... and for producer and Chic bassist Bernard Edwards, who would have been 73.

Also on October 31: Steinway Hall opens at 4th Ave. & E. 14th St. in Manhattan. It will be home to the New York Philharmonic and the principal classical music venue in NYC until Carnegie Hall opens in 1891 (1866)... St. Louis-based pianist Johnnie Johnson hires a 26-year-old hairdresser named Chuck Berry as a guitarist in his band. While playing evening gigs in the area, Berry keeps his day job for the next three years (1955)...The Quarrymen decide to change their name to Johnny and the Moondogs. The band are in Liverpool auditioning for the Carrol Levis radio show (1959)... The Beatles return to London from Sweden and are greeted by hundreds of screaming fans as well as a mob of photographers and journalists. Ed Sullivan is at Heathrow waiting for a flight to New York as the Fab Four arrive, and is struck by the sight of Beatlemania in full swing; he makes a note to look into getting this group to appear on his television program (1963)... The Who make their first and only appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool (1965)... Led Zeppelin hold the UK launch for their new record label Swan Song at Chislehurst Caves, Surrey on Halloween night. Drinks are served by nuns in suspenders, a naked woman is lying in a coffin covered in jelly and naked male wrestlers cavort in recesses of the caves. Label mates Bad Company, The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell also attend. The launch also ties in with the releases of The Pretty Things new album Silk Torpedo. The label was named after an unreleased Zeppelin instrumental track (1974)... Roger Waters files an injunction to prevent David Gilmour and Nick Mason from using the name 'Pink Floyd' for future touring and recording (1986)... Teen idol Debbie Gibson reportedly holds a seance at her Merrick, NY home to raise the spirits of Liberace and Sid Vicious (1988)... The first MTV Unplugged show is recorded in New York, with guests Squeeze. The program will be aired on the 26th of November (1989)... During a gig in Seattle, Billy Idol dumps 600 dead fish in Faith No More's dressing room. They respond by walking on stage naked during Idol's set (1990)... James Brown is arrested in Aiken, South Carolina for assaulting his 47 year old wife Adrienne, who alleges that her husband hit her with a mirror. The assault charges against Brown will be dropped when Adrienne dies in January, 1996 (1995)... Slash announces that he is leaving Guns N' Roses. The guitarist says that Axl Rose and he have only been civil to each other on two occasions since 1994 (1996)... Cher starts a seven week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Believe', taken from her twenty-third studio album. It makes the 52-year-old Cher the first female artist over the age of 50 to have a № 1 single. The song will top the charts in 23 countries (1998)... The white suit worn by John Lennon on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album sells for $118,000 (£66,385) at an auction in Las Vegas, while an Austin Princess hearse driven by the late star in the documentary Imagine sells for $150,000 (£84,388). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the items goes to Amnesty International (2005).

 

October 30th

 Musical birthdays today include Motown songwriter Eddie Holland (86), Grace Slick (86), Temptations vocalist Otis Williams (84), Manfred Mann drummer Chris Slade (79), ex-Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit (78), Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale (60), Billy Talent guitarist Ian D'Sa (50), and Saturdays vocalist Vanessa White (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country singer Patsy Montana, born on this date in 1908... for jazz trumpeter Clifford Brown, born in 1930... for Jam Master Jay, shot to death in a Jamaica, Queens recording studio today in 2002 at the age of 38... for longtime Pink Floyd manager Steve O'Rourke, who passed away in 2003... for cabaret singer Robert Goulet, who left us today in 2007... and for Linda Stein, former co-manager of the Ramones, who on the same day was found beaten to death in her Manhattan apartment. 

Also on October 30: Schubert begins work on his Symphony in B minor, which will become known as Unfinished, as the composer left it incomplete at his death 6 years later. The symphony as Schubert left it will have its premiere in Vienna in 1865 (1822)... In Washington DC, the Martha Graham Company perform Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring for the first time (1944)... Two days after Beatles fan Raymond Jones asked for The Beatles' German single ‘My Bonnie’ (recorded with Tony Sheridan) at Brian Epstein's NEMS record store in Liverpool, two girls request the same song. Epstein's has difficulty in locating the record because he is unaware that the record was released, not by the Beatles, but by Tony Sheridan and 'the Beat Brothers' ['Beatles' resembles an offensive slang word in German, so the Beatles' name was changed for this release] (1961)... Buffalo Springfield release their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)... Jim Morrison is fined and sentenced to six months in jail after being found guilty of exposing himself during a Doors gig in Miami (1970)... John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band go to № 1 on the UK album chart with Imagine. Meanwhile, in the US, Pink Floyd release their sixth studio album 'Meddle'. The album features 'One Of These Days', and the 23-minute track 'Echoes', which takes up all of side 2 on the vinyl record. The cover image was photographed by Bob Dowling. The image represents an ear underwater, collecting waves of sound represented by ripples (1971)... Allen Ginsberg visits Bob Dylan at his house in Malibu, CA; the pair record a lengthy interview together (1977)... Stevie Wonder releases Journey through the Secret Life of Plants (1979)... La Bohème opens at the Joseph Papp Theater in NYC with Linda Ronstadt in the role of Mimi. The production is a critical and commercial flop, however, and closes after only 5 nights (1984)... An up and coming local band called Nirvana provide the entertainment at a dorm party at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington (1988)... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces the induction of David Bowie, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Pete Seeger, The Shirelles, and The Velvet Underground (1995)... All four original members of Black Sabbath reunite to play 'Paranoid' on Late Night with David Letterman (1998)... A new web site is launched to help teach young people basic physics. www.britneyspears.ac features the singer illustrating mathematical equations. Visitors could access physics theories generously interspersed with photos of Britney (2000)... Michael Jackson releases Invincible, his 10th and final studio album (2001).

October 29th

 

Musical birthdays today include Cuban jazz singer Omara Portuondo (95), ex-Wings guitarist Denny Laine (81), Melba Moore (80), former Alan Parsons Project guitarist David Paton (76), The Cure keyboardist Roger O'Donnell (70), Randy Jackson (64), ex-Sugarcubes trumpeter Einar Örn (63) and Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Zoot Sims, born on this date in 1925... for operatic tenor Jon Vickers, born in 1926... for Peter Green, who would have been 79 today... for Quiet Riot lead singer Kevin DuBrow, who would have been 70... for classical pianist William Kapell, who died in a commercial airliner crash on this day in 1953 at the age of 31... for jazz bassist and Louis Armstrong sideman George 'Pops' Foster, who passed away in 1969... and for Duane Allman, killed in a motorcycle accident today in 1971 at the age of 24. 

Also on October 29: Mozart's opera Don Giovanni has its premiere in Prague (1787)... The Beach Boys release their debut album Surfin' Safari (1962)... The Who release the single 'My Generation' in the UK. The song came in at no. 11 when Rolling Stone magazine compiled their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and 13th on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll. It reached № 2 in the UK, the Who's highest charting single in their home country but only № 74 in America (1965)... The musical Hair opens off-Broadway at the Public Theater in the East Village (1967)... Joan Baez joins Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue (1975)... The Belgian National Tourist Board issue a summons against the Sex Pistols, claiming the sleeve to the band's single 'Holidays in The Sun' infringes copyright of one of its brochures (1977)... 'Islands in The Stream' gives Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers a № 1 on the US singles chart. The song was written by The Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry Gibb. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' marks its 491st week on the album chart, surpassing the previous record holder, 'Johnny's Greatest Hits' by Johnny Mathis (1983)... David Bowie played the first of the 15 dates on the Australia/New Zealand leg of his Glass Spider Tour at the Boondall Entertainment Centre in Brisbane (1987)... 
The Memphis, TN City Council name a section of the I-55 interstate running through town the B.B. King Freeway (1991)...  Manchester band The Stone Roses announce that they are splitting up. Singer Ian Brown says "Having spent the last ten years in the filthiest business in the universe, it's a pleasure to announce the end of The Stone Roses" (1996)... U2 perform for the first time on The Late Show with David Letterman (2001)... Research in the US finds that songs get stuck in our heads because they create a 'brain itch' that can only be scratched by repeating a tune over and over. Songs such as the Village People's 'YMCA' and the Baha Men's 'Who Let The Dogs Out' owe their success to their ability to create a 'cognitive itch', according to Professor James Kellaris, of the University of Cincinnati College of Behavioral Science (2003)... A set of waxwork heads of The Beatles from their Sgt. Pepper album cover sell for £81,500. The 'pepperheads' are auctioned off after recently being discovered in a back room at Madame Tussaud's. They were used in 1967 by artist Sir Peter Blake in the backdrop of the 'Lonely Hearts Club Band' album with the actual Beatles posing at the front (2005). 

October 28th

 Musical birthdays today includeR&a mp;B singer Curtis Lee (85), Shadows guitarist Hank Marvin (84), Wayne Fontana (80) ex-Tony Orlando & Dawn vocalist Telma Hopkins (76), Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris (67), Jesus & Mary Chain guitarist William Reid (67), alt-country fiddler Caitlin Cary (57), Ben Harper (56), country singer Brad Paisley (53), Joaquin Phoenix (51), and rapper Frank Ocean (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for avant-garde composer Gershon Kingsley, born on this day in 1922... for jazz & pop singer Dame Cleo Laine, born in 1927... for Cajun accordion virtuoso Iry Lejeune, born in 1929... for Charlie Daniels, who would have been 89... for ex-Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean, who would have been 79...  for big band leader Woody Herman, who died on this date in 1987... and for Porter Waggoner, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on October 28: Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 6 in B Minor, the Pathétique, receives its premiere performance in St. Petersburg only nine days before the composer's death (1893)... In Berlin, Richard Strauss conducts the first performance of his tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie (1915)... After a show at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles, police tell Elvis Presley that he is not allowed to wiggle his hips onstage. The local press also run editorials saying the King would have to clean up his act. The next night, the LAPD vice squad film his entire concert, in order to study his performance for illegalities (1957)... Buddy Holly makes his final US national TV appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand, where he lip-synchs 'It's So Easy' and 'Heartbeat' (1958)...  A Liverpool electrician named Raymond Jones goes into the NEMS Record store trying to buy discs released in Germany by a local group called the Beatles who are currently residing in Hamburg. Shop manager Brian Epstein promises to investigate further (1961)... The Kinks release Face to Face, their first LP consisting entirely of Ray Davies compositions (1966)... The № 1 album on the Billboard chart today is Diana Ross and the Supremes' Greatest Hits (1967)... Nick Gilder goes to № 1 in the US with 'Hot Child in the City'. When released in the singer's native Britain, the single failed to chart (1978)... The Jam announce that they are breaking up (1982)... Columbia Records releases the 3 LP Bob Dylan career retrospective Biograph (1985)... Sheena Easton guest stars on Miami Vice as Sonny Crockett's fiancée (1987)... R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announces that he is  leaving the group after 17 years to become a farmer (1997)... A Kenny Rogers fan is injured at a concert in Dallas when the singer throws a frisbee into the crowd. Concertgoer Kevin O'Toole will later sue Rogers for $2 million, claiming that the accident left him impotent (1999)... Joseph 'Afroman' Foreman starts a two-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Because I Got High.' The song about how cannabis use was degrading his quality of life rose from obscurity after it went viral on the Internet (2001).

     

  

October 27th

 Musical birthdays today include Québecois singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault (97), country singer Lee Greenwood (83), E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent (76), former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing (74), Simon Le Bon (67), and jazz pianist David Hazeltine (67).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, born on this date in 1782.. for song and dance woman Nanette Fabray, born in 1920... for Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland, who would have been 56 today... for former T Rex member Steve Took, who on this day in 1980 choked to death on a cherry stone after some magic mushrooms he had consumed numbed all sensation in his throat ~ he was 31... for bandleader Xavier Cugat, who died in 1990... and for Lou Reed, who left us today in 2013.

Also on October 27: Violinist Efrem Zimbalist makes his American debut with the Boston Symphony (1911)... The first recorded use of the word 'jazz' in  musical context occurs in an article in today's Chicago Daily Tribune (1916)... The Crickets start a three-week run at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'That'll Be The Day'. It is also a № 3 hit in the US where it goes on to sell over a million. The song was inspired by a trip to the movies by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison and Sonny Curtis in June 1956 to see the John Ford film 'The Searchers', in which John Wayne's frequently-used, world-weary catchphrase "That'll be the day" inspired the young musicians (1957)... Ben E King records 'Stand by Me' and 'Spanish Harlem' at Atlantic Studios in NYC (1960)... 31 year old Salvatore Philip Bono marries 18-year-old Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere in Los Angeles. For a time they will perform together as Caesar and Cleo before changing the name of their act to Sonny and Cher. Their union lasts 12 years (1964)... Muddy Waters is seriously injured in a road accident in Champagne, Illinois. Three other people in the car are killed... With Abbey Road in the can, Ringo Starr becomes the first of The Beatles to formally begin work on a solo album, entering the studio to record Sentimental Journey (1969)... Stevie Wonder releases Talking Book (1972)... Gladys Knight and the Pips top the US singles chart with 'Midnight Train to Georgia' (1973)... Two months after the release of the album Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen has the rare honour of simultaneous covers on both Time and Newsweek magazines (1975)... In Honolulu, an unemployed former security guard named Mark David Chapman buys a Charter Arms five-shot .38 special for $169 (1980)...  Prince releases 1999 (1982)... For the first time during one of their tours, the Grateful Dead allocate a specific recording area for fans to bootleg the show; tonight's gig is in Berkeley, CA (1984)... The Phil Joanou-directed U2 film 'Rattle And Hum' receives its world premiere in the group's hometown of Dublin (1988)...  Bob Dylan releases Good as I Been to You (1992)... Lonnie Donegan goes to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE for his services to British culture. Lonnie pioneered skiffle in the 1950's and inspired a generation of teenagers, including the future Beatles, to start bands (2000)... Amy Winehouse releases Back to Black, her final studio album... Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth offers the U.S. premiere of her experimental film 'Perfect Partner' at Montclair State University in New Jersey and participates in a live performance of the soundtrack (2006)... Eric Clapton pulls out of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gala concert in New York City after he undergoes an operation to remove gallstones. His place at the Madison Square Garden gig is taken by Jeff Beck (2009).

October 26th

 Musical birthdays today include German composer and Brian Eno collaborator Hans-Joachim Roedelius (91), jazz trumpeter Eddie Henderson (85), Milton Nascimento (83), Herman's Hermits guitarist Keith Hopwood (79), Bootsy Collins (74), keyboardist & former Frank Zappa sideman Tommy Mars (74), B-52s multi-instrumentalist Keith Strickland (72), Natalie Merchant (62), country singer Keith Urban (58), and Yellowcard bassist Josh Portman (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Domenico Scarlatti, born on this date in 1685... for Mahalia Jackson, born in 1911... for Jordanaires vocalist Neal Matthews Jr., born in 1929... for country singer Hoyt Axton, who died on this date in 1999... and for Blaque rapper Natina Reed, who left us today in 2012, 2 days short of her 34th birthday. 

Also on October 26th: Bill Haley & the Comets play the first rock & roll show in Germany, in West Berlin. The 7,000 fans present turn the concert into a riot (1958)... John Coltrane and sidemen complete the recording of the My Favorite Things album (1960)... At Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury, London, the Rolling Stones, consisting of Keith Richard, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman, make their first demo tape . They record three songs: Jimmy Reed's 'Close Together', Bo Diddley's 'You Cant Judge A Book By The Cover' and Muddy Waters' 'Soon Forgotten' (1962)... Queen Elizabeth II invests the Beatles with their MBEs at Buckingham Palace. According to an account by John Lennon, the group smoked marijuana beforehand in one of the palace bathrooms to calm their nerves. Many former recipients give their MBE's back in protest, to which John Lennon responds "Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE received theirs for heroism in the war, for killing people. We received ours for entertaining other people. I'd say we deserve ours more." When asked how he enjoyed meeting  the Queen, John said "She's much nicer than she is in the photos" (1965)... A wake is held at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo, California to celebrate the life of Janis Joplin. The singer, who died of an accidental drug overdose at the beginning of the month, had left $2,500 in her will to throw a party in the event of her demise. Attending are her sister Laura and Joplin's close friends. Brownies laced with hashish are passed around amongst the guests unbeknownst to them. Joplin was cremated in the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Mortuary in Los Angeles, and her ashes scattered on Stinson Beach, north of San Francisco (1970)... John Lennon releases his 'Mind Games' single (1973)... Elton John closes out his latest US tour at Dodger Stadium wearing a sequin-studded Dodgers uniform (1975)... Jefferson Starship guitarist Paul Kantner suffers a stroke during a recording session. He will make a full recovery after spending two weeks in a Los Angeles hospital (1980)... Men at Work have the № 1 song in the US with 'Who Can It Be Now?' (1982)... Roman Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico ask residents to tie black ribbons around trees in protest against Madonna's first live appearance on the island... Bob Dylan releases World Gone Wrong, his second consecutive album of folk and blues standards (1993)...  In a cricket ground in the state of Meghalaya, N.E. India, 1,730 guitarists play Dylan's 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' in a bid to break a record. The guitarists hope their achievement will earn them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The current Guinness mark is held by a community guitar project from Kansas City, MO who assembled 1,683 pickers to play Deep Purple's 'Smoke On The Water' (2007)... A coroner's inquest into the Amy Winehouse case reaches a verdict of death by misadventure. The report explains that Winehouse's blood alcohol content was 416 mg/decilitre at the time of her death, more than five times the legal drink-drive limit. According to the coroner, ‘The unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden death' (2011).

October 25th

 

Musical birthdays today include Brazilian bossa nova pioneer Roberto Menescal (91), Yes lead singer Jon Anderson (81), Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton (78), Television frontman Richard Lloyd (74), bluegrass singer Mollie O'Brien (73), Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs (70), Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith (64), Bare Naked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson (54), rapper Jerome 'Young Rome' Jones (43), Katy Perry (40), and Ciara (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Johann Strauss, born on this date in 1825... for composer Georges Bizet, born in 1838... for country singer Minnie Pearl, born in 1912... for Helen Reddy, who would have been 84 today... for bluesman Coco Robicheaux, who would have been 78... for Divinyls lead singer Chrissy Amphlett, who would have been 66... for concert promoter Bill Graham, who died on this date in 1991... for Roger 'King of the Road' Miller, who passed away in 1992... and for legendary DJ John Peel, who left us today in 2004. 

Also on October 25: Milhaud's one-act ballet La Création du Monde is premiered by Les Ballets Suédois at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées (1923)... The Archbishop of Dubuque, IA, Francis J.L. Beckman, denounces swing as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people" and warns that it leads "down the primrose path to hell" (1938)...  Cliff Richard makes his British radio debut on the BBC's 'Saturday Club.' The show started life as 'Saturday Skiffle Club' in 1957 hosted by Brian Matthew and is broadcast from 10 AM to 12 noon Saturday mornings on the BBC Light Programme (1958)... The Beatles kick off their tour of Sweden by playing two shows at the Nya Aulan in Karlstad. The local pop reviewer is not impressed, saying 'The Beatles should be grateful to their screaming fans for drowning out the group's dreadful performance', adding that The Beatles 'are of no musical importance whatsoever, and their local support group, The Phantoms, decidedly outshone them' (1963)... The Rolling Stones appear for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing ‘Around and around’ and ‘Time is on My Side’. A riot breaks out in the studio, prompting Sullivan’s infamous quote, "I promise you they’ll never be back on our show again". The Stones will go on to make a further five appearances on Sullivan’s program between 1965 and 1969 (1964)... The double album 'Electric Ladyland' by the Jimi Hendrix Experience is released. It is also made available as two albums with changed artwork after complaints about the naked women who were pictured on the sleeve. The female models were each paid £5 for the photo shoot, and another £5 if they posed completely nude (1968)... 'Sugar Sugar' by the Archies goes to the top of the UK singles chart, to remain there for 8 weeks (1969)... 
R.E.M., The Smiths and Tom Waits all appear on local Northern England TV show The Tube, at Tyne Tree Television Studios, in Newcastle (1985)... For the first time in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, the top three spots are held by female solo acts. Cyndi Lauper's 'True Colors' occupies the No.1 position, followed by Tina Turner's 'Typical Male' at No. 2, and Janet Jackson's 'When I Think Of You' at No. 3 (1986)... After falling over on stage when reaching for a guitar pick during  gig in Ann Arbor Michigan, Johnny Cash announces to the crowd that he is suffering from Parkinson's disease... The Spice Girls go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Spice Up Your Life'. Taken from their second album Spiceworld, the single sets a new record, making them the only act ever to have their first five singles reach the top of the charts (1997)... A poster from a 1968 Led Zeppelin gig at Surrey University [the first time the group played under their new name after abandoning the moniker The New Yardbirds] sells at auction for £2,400 (2003).

 

October 24th

 Musical birthdays today include Turkish rock pioneer Erkin Koray (84), Arthur Brown (83), original Family bassist John 'Charlie' Whitney (81), former Traffic & Blind Faith saxophonist Chris Wood (81), Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone (80), Mick Fleetwood (78), former Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz (77), ex-Dire Straits bassist John Illsley (76), UB40 rapper Terence 'Astro' Wilson (68), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark frontman Andy McCluskey (66), session vocalist & keyboardist Siedh Garrett (65), Tears for Fears co-founder Curt Smith (64), Mazzy Star lead singer Hope Sandoval (59), Rammstein lead guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe (58), Black Crowes lead guitarist Jeff Cease (58), variety singer Sissel Kirkjebø (56), Laura Veirs (52), Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie Fiorello (51), and Solange Knowles (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for country & rockabilly singer Ramblin' Tommy Scott, born today in 1917... for Jeff Beck, who would have been 81 today... for original Social Distortion guitarist Dennis Danell, who would have been 64... for tango singer Carlos Gardel, who was killed in a plane crash today in 1935 at the age of 44... for gospel singer Ira Tucker, who died in 2006... and for singer-songwriter Ewanya 'Puff' Johnson and Devo drummer Alan Myers, both of whom left us today in 2013.

Also on June 24th: Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax files in Paris for a patent for his saxophone (1846)... The song that will become the Canadian national anthem O Canada! is performed publicly for the first time at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français in Montreal (1880)... John Lennon's second book of poetry and drawings, 'A Spaniard in the Works', was published. The book consists of absurdist stories and drawings similar to the style of his 1964 book 'In His Own Write'... The Hollies are at № 1 on the UK singles chart for the first time with 'I'm Alive' (1965)... Procol Harum's 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' enters the Billboard chart, where it will peak at № 5. The song was written by the band around a melody composed by the group's organist Matthew Fisher, who was inspired by the chord progression of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Orchestral Suite in D', composed in 1739 (1967)... Led Zeppelin record 'Whole Lotta Love', 'What Is and What Should Never Be', 'Travelling Riverside Blues' and 'Communication Breakdown' for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, London. The session will broadcast on the 29th of June (1969)... Capitol Records release The Beach Boys greatest hits retrospective Endless Summer, which will go on to spend 155 consecutive weeks on the US album chart (1974)... Genesis, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Devo, Brand X and The Atlanta Rhythm Section are all on the bill at Knebworth Park, England ~ tickets cost £6 (1978)... Paul McCartney scores his seventh UK № 1 solo album with Flowers In The Dirt, featuring the single 'My Brave Face' (1989)... Frank Zappa gives his final onstage rock performance when he takes part in the concert 'Adieu Soviet Army', organised in Prague as a farewell to the last soldiers of the Soviet Army leaving free Czechoslovakia (the Red Army had occupied the country since the Prague spring in 1968). Zappa's set is recorded and can be found on the album Adieu C. A. [Soviet Army] (1991)... Eric Clapton puts 100 of his guitars up for auction at Christie's in NYC to raise money for his drug rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua. His 1956 Fender Stratocaster named Brownie, which he used to record the original studio version of ‘Layla’, sells for a record $497,500. The auction helps raise nearly $5 million for the clinic (1999)... The crypt in which Elvis Presley was originally buried is withdrawn from a Los Angeles auction after protests that it should be kept as a shrine. More than 10,000 fans signed a petition against the sale of the tomb at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, TN. A spokesman for Julien's Auctions says that they will not sell the crypt until the cemetery "finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis" (2012).

October 23rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Argentine singer-songwriter Charly Garcia (74), jazz singer Diane Reeves (69), Dwight Yoakam (69), Weird Al Yankovic (66), Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo (61), Melvins drummer Dale Crover (58), and ex-Jack Off Jill lead singer Jessica 'Jessicka' Fodera (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bebop saxophonist Sonny Criss, born on this day in 1927... for pop singer and producer Ellie Greenwich, who would have been 84 today... for former Motörhead guitarist Mike 'Würzel' Burston, who would have been 76... for Gong drummer Pierre Muerlen, who would have been 73... for Al Jolson, who died on this date in 1950... for pioneering country guitarist Maybelle Carter, who passed away in 1978... and for operatic baritone Robert Merrill, who left us today in 2004. 

Also on October 23: Scriabin is at the keyboard for the premiere of his Piano Concerto № 1 in Odessa (1897)... Leoš Janáček's opera Káťa Kabanová premieres in Brno, Czechoslovakia (1921)... Dion has the № 1 single in the US with 'Runaround Sue' (1961)... 12-year-old Little Stevie Wonder records his first single for Motown Records, 'Thank You For Loving Me All The Way' backed by the Funk Brothers (1962)... The Beatles complete the final session for their second album With the Beatles, recording 'I Wanna Be Your Man'. The group are then driven to Gatwick airport for a flight to Stockholm to start their first foreign tour. The Fab Four are met at Stockholm airport by hundreds of female fans who have taken the day off school (1963)... Bob Dylan records 'The Times They Are A-Changin' at Columbia Studios in NYC (1963)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience record their first single 'Hey Joe' at De Lane Lea studios in London. The earliest known commercial recording of the song is the late-1965 single by the Los Angeles garage band The Leaves; the band then re-recorded the track and released it in 1966 as a follow-up single which became a hit (1966)... A spokesman for Columbia Records announces that the label will take legal action to stop distribution of The Great White Wonder, a bootleg album of previous unreleased Dylan material (1969)... Al Green releases I'm Still in Love with You (1972)... Led Zeppelin make their long-awaited US television debut, performing ‘Black Dog’ and ‘Dazed And Confused’ on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (1976)... Sid Vicious attempts suicide by hanging himself in his cell at Rikers Island (1978)... Mark David Chapman signs out of his job as a security guard in Honolulu for the last time before heading for NYC. He scrawls the name 'John' in the log book (1980)... Elvis Costello releases the country album Almost Blue (1981)... Iggy Pop releases Blah Blah Blah (1986)... Nirvana play their first ever European show when they appear at Newcastle's Riverside Club in North East England. It is the first night of a 36 date European tour for the group, who are sharing the bill with Tad (1989)... Def Leppard earn themselves a place in the Guinness book Of World Records by playing three gigs in three continents in 24 hours ~ Tangier, London and Vancouver (1995)... Apple introduces the iPod portable music player (2001)... Arctic Monkeys score their first UK No.1 with 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor', the Sheffield band's debut single (2005). 

October 22nd

 Musical birthdays today include Mountain lead guitarist Leslie West (80), Rascals vocalist Eddie Brigati (79), Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer (65), country singer Shelby Lynne (57), Tim Kinsella (51), Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman (49), and Zac Hanson (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Franz Liszt, born on this date in 1811... for French film score composer Joseph Kosma, born in 1905... for chansonnier George Brassens, born in 1921... for Bobby Fuller, who would have been 83 today... for punk rocker Stiv Bators, who would have been 76... for cellist Pablo Casals, who died on this date in 1973... for British folk singer & activist Ewan McColl who passed away today in 1989.... and for Elliot Smith, who took his own life today in 2008 at the age of 34. 

Also on October 22: The original Metropolitan Opera House in NYC opens with a performance of Charles Gounoud's Faust (1883)... EMI reject a group from Leeds auditioning as The High Numbers. They will go on to greater success the following year after renaming themselves The Who (1964)... The Supremes become the first female group to have a № 1 album on the US chart, with The Supremes a Go Go knocking Revolver from the top spot...  The Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ makes its debut in the US Top 40. Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the track was recorded over 6 weeks in four different Los Angeles studios at a cost of over $16,000. The recording engineer would later say that the last take sounded exactly like the first, six months earlier. The record will reach № 1 on the chart in December (1966)... Paul McCartney once again publicly denies rumors that he is dead. The most recent of many 'clues' to the hoax was the fact that he was the only barefoot Beatle on  'Abbey Road' LP cover. The story was actually started as a prank by Fred La Bour, a sports and arts writer for the University of Michigan student newspaper The Michigan Daily (1969)... Led Zeppelin II is released on Atlantic Records in the UK (1969)... In Louisville, KY, Earth, Wind & Fire kick off a sold-out 75-date US tour (1976)... Van Halen add a date in Worcester, MA to their current tour after a petition signed by 25,000 locals asking them to play is delivered to the band (1982)...  Pearl Jam play their first live gig, at the Off Ramp in Seattle (1990)... A Bob Dylan concert in Rochester, NY is interrupted by a stage invasion that will turn out to have been orchestrated by the makers of documentary about the singer (1994)... Dylan plays his first show in his birthplace of Duluth, MN since the beginning of the 'Never-Ending Tour' ten years earlier (1998)... George Michael pays £1.45 million for the Steinway piano on which John Lennon wrote 'Imagine.' George says, "I know that when my fingers touch the keys of that Steinway, I will feel truly blessed. And parting with my money has never been much of a problem, just ask my accountant." The singer outbid Robbie Williams and The Oasis brothers... R.E.M. give a three-song performance on the steps of the Clarke Co. courthouse in Athens, GA as part of Land Aid, a local festival that strives to improve the economic environment of Athens and its surrounding area (2005).

October 21st

 Musical birthdays today include Manfred Mann (85), Steve Cropper (84), Elvin Bishop (83), Chicago trumpeter Lee Loughnane (79), Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey (72), Bay City Rollers guitarist Eric Faulkner (72), Julian Cope (68), Pink Floyd keyboardist & songwriter Jon Carin (61), ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri (54), Fiery Furnaces guitarist Matthew Friedberger (53), singer-songwriter Josh Ritter (49), and Doja Cat (30).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Don Byas, born on this date in 1912... for Dizzy Gillespie, born in 1917... for salsa singer Celia Cruz, born in 1924... for operatic sopran0 Virginia Zeani, born in 1925... for Cramps lead singer Lux Interior [né Erick Purkheiser], who would have been 78... for ex-Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland, who would have been 73... for Maxene Andrews [of the Andrews Sisters], who died on this date in 1995, and for Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon, who left us on the same day at the age of 28. 

Also on October 21: Beethoven's first printed work ~ 3 Trios, op. 1 ~ is issued by Artaria Publishers of Vienna (1795)... Buddy Holly goes into Pythian Temple Studios in NYC for what will prove to be his final recording session. Among the tracks he completes is 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore', which will be a posthumous № 1 hit for him (1958)... At Atlantic Studios in NYC, the John Coltrane quartet record 'My Favorite Things' (1960)... The Beatles record 'Norwegian Wood' in three takes and begin work on 'Nowhere Man' (1965)... Lulu hits № 1 on the US charts with 'To Sir, with Love' (1967)... Bob Dylan releases the album New Morning (1970)... Mick Jagger becomes a father for the first time when Bianca gives birth to their daughter Jade (1971)... Chuck Berry has his first and only simultaneous US and UK № 1 with 'My Ding-a-Ling' (1972)... Scott Joplin's ragtime opera Treemonisha has its NYC premiere at the Uris Theater (1975)... Keith Moon plays his final show with the Who, the closing date of their North American tour at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (1976)... Elton John's 'Candle In The Wind 97' is declared by the Guinness Book Of Records to be the biggest selling single record of all time, with sales of 31.8 million in less than 40 days and raising more than £20 million for charity (1997)... Liza Minelli's ex-husband David Gest sues her for $10 million, alleging that she beat him during drunken rages (2003)... Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, the singer and co-author of the 1960 novelty hit 'Monster Mash', releases a re-written version of the song entitled 'Monster Slash' to protest the environmental policies of the Bush administration (2004).

October 20th

 Musical birthdays today include Wanda Jackson (88), original Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood (74), Level 42 lead singer Mark King (67), Teenage Fanclub guitarist Norman Blake (60), Calvin 'Snoop Dogg' Broadus (54), Dannii Minogue (54) and Snow Patrol bassist Paul Wilson (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Charles Ives, born on this date in 1874... for Jelly Roll Morton, born in 1890... for Grandpa Jones, born in 1913... for Tom Petty, who would have been 75 today... for Steve & Cassie Gaines and Ronnie van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died on this day in 1977 in the plane crash that devastated the band... for jazz singer Shirley Horn, who passed away today in 2005... for Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven, who died in 2007 at the age of 46... for Slits lead singer Ari Up [née Ariane Forster], who died in 2010... and for photographer Barry Feinstein [best known for taking enduring pictures of musicians such as Bob Dylan, George Harrison, the Byrds and the Rolling Stones], who left us today in 2011.

Also on October 20: Symphony no. 2 in B Flat Major by the 18-year-old Franz Schubert premieres in Vienna (1815)... Richard Strauss completes his opera Die schweigsame Frau (1934)... Roy Orbison has his first UK № 1 with 'Only the Lonely'. The singer offered the composition to The Everly Brothers and Elvis ~ both of whom rejected it ~ before deciding to record it himself (1960)... London Symphony woodwinds players Jack Ellory and Richard Taylor add the flute parts to The Beatles' 'Fool on the Hill' (1967)... The Who begin a six-night residency at the Fillmore East in NYC, playing Tommy in its entirety each night (1969)... John and Yoko release The Wedding Album (1969)... The Rolling Stones have the № 1 single in the US with 'Angie' (1973)... The Led Zeppelin concert film The Song Remains the Same has its world premiere in NYC. The event raises $25,000 for the Save the Children fund (1976)... The Police make their US debut at CBGB. The trio flew on low cost tickets with Laker Airtrain from the UK, carrying their instruments as hand luggage (1978)... U2 release their debut album Boy (1980)... Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker presents this week's edition of the UK music show Top Of The Pops, introducing Michelle Gayle, Let Loose and INXS (1994)... Jimmy Cliff is ordered Jamaica's Order of Merit for his contributions to the nation's musical culture (2003)... Michael Jackson receives a jury duty summons at his Neverland ranch in California four months after being acquitted on child molestation charges. A spokesperson says it is likely that the King of Pop will be excused from serving due to the fact that he has lived in Bahrain since the trial (2005).

October 19th

 

Musical birthdays today include soul singer George McRae (81), singer-songwriter Gloria Jones (80), country singer Jeannie Riley [of 'Harper Valley PTA' fame] (80), Delfonics vocalist Wilbert Hart (78), Doobie Brothers lead guitarist Patrick Simmons (77), rapper 'Kool Keith' Thornton (62), Sinitta (56), and Suburban Legends trombonist Brian Robertson (46).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Syrian oud virtuoso Farid Al-Atrash, born on this day in 1915... for Kingston Trio founding member Dave Guard, who would have been 90 today... for Peter Tosh, who would have been 80... for World Party frontman Karl Wallinger, who would have been 68... for cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who died today in 1987... for Son House, who passed away in 1988... and for original Alice Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton, who left us today in 1997. 

Also on October 19th... Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser premieres in Dresden (1845)... Simon & Garfunkel release their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM (1964)... The Yardbirds arrive in New York for their first US tour, with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page as guitarists. After two shows, Beck comes down with tonsillitis, and decides to quit the tour and the band altogether (1966)... The soundtrack to The Sound of Music and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band occupy the top two spots on the UK album chart... The Beatles record 'Hello Goodbye' (1967)... Cream play the L.A. Forum on their farewell tour of America; the performance of Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' that appears on the band's Goodbye album is recorded during the show... 18-year-old Peter Frampton meets Steve Marriott at a Small Faces show in London. The two agree to play together in the future, leading to the formation of Humble Pie the following spring (1968)... David Bowie releases Pin Ups, and the Who release Quadrophenia (1973)... A Chorus Line premieres on Broadway (1975)... Prince releases his eponymous second album (1979)... At Colson Hall in Bristol, AC/DC kick off their European tour with their first live show since Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott as lead singer (1980)... At a stop on the Shot of Love tour in Merriville, IN, Bob Dylan brings out boyhood friend Larry Kegan, now wheelchair-bound, for the encore. Kegan sings Chuck Berry's 'No Money Down' while Dylan plays tenor saxophone. The performance is so well received that the pair will repeat it tomorrow night in Boston (1981)... A-Ha become the first Norwegian group to score a US № 1 with 'Take on Me' (1985)... Oasis play their first show with Noel Gallagher, at the Boardwalk Club in their hometown of Manchester (1991)... A survey concludes that the average person spends around £21,000 ($42,000) on music during their lifetime; the figure includes the amount spent on Hi-Fi equipment, concerts and CDs. Music enthusiasts are likely to spend more than double that, parting with just over £44,000 ($89,000), in a lifetime, according to the survey conducted by the UK branch of the Prudential Insurance Company (2005)... Johnny Marr is made a visiting professor of music at the University of Salford in Manchester. The former Smiths guitarist will give a series of workshops and masterclasses to students reading for the Popular Music and Recording B.A. (2007).