June 18th

Musical birthdays today include Sir Paul McCartney CH MBE (83), operatic soprano Éva Marton (77), classical pianist Peter Donohoe (72), Stryper lead guitarist Oz Fox (64), Alison Moyet (64), Guns N' Roses keyboardist Darren 'Dizzy' Reed (62), Boyz II Men vocalist Nathan Morris (54), Ray LaMontagne (52), and country singer Blake Shelton (48).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer & piano manufacturer Ignaz Pleyel, born on this day in 1757... for drummer & Glenn Miller sideman Ray McKinley, born in 1910... for songwriter Sammy Cahn, born in 1913... for ex-Derek & the Dominoes bassist Carl Radle, who would have been 83... for reggae singer-songwriter Lincoln 'Sax' Thompson, who would have been 76... for former Doll by Doll frontman Jackie Leven, who would have been 75... for trombonist, marching band composer & John Philip Sousa collaborator Arthur Pryor, who died on this day in 1942... for producer and ex-Tokens vocalist Hank Medress, who passed away in 2006... and for E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on June 18th: At the Königliches Schauspielhause in Berlin, Carl Maria von Weber's opera Der Freischutz is produced for the first time (1821)... Columbia Records launches the first mass production of the 33 RPM LP. The new format can contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music per side versus the three minutes that could be squeezed on to a 78 RPM disc (1948)... Continuing their Australian tour, The Beatles play at Sydney Stadium. It is Paul McCartney's 22nd birthday, and after the show his guests include 17 girls who were winners of the Sydney Daily Mirror's 'Why I would like to be a guest at a Beatles birthday party' essay competition (1964)... 'Paperback Writer' is the № 2 song in the UK, kept from the top spot by Frank Sinatra's 'Strangers in the Night' (1966)... Elvis has a face-lift at Mid South Hospital in Memphis, TN (1975)... Abba give a special live performance in Stockholm for Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath on the eve of their wedding (1976)... Fleetwood Mac have their only № 1 US single with 'Dreams', which Stevie Nicks says she wrote before a session at the Record Plant studio in Sausalito, CA in about 10 minutes...  Johnny Rotten and Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols are beaten and receive superficial stab wounds when they are attacked by members of the British National Front in a car park outside a London pub. The members of the far-right organisation objected to the Pistols' anti-monarchist song 'God Save the Queen'. The next day, Paul Cook is attacked again by an unidentified gang armed with iron pipes (1977)... King Crimson release the album Beat on EG Records (1982)... The № 1 single on the UK chart is 'Doctorin' the Tardis' by The Timelords, a Scottish duo made up of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. The song is a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme music, Gary Glitter's 'Rock and Roll (Part Two)' with sections from 'Blockbuster!' by Sweet (1988)... A&M Records chairman Jerry Moss and vice-chairman Herb Alpert announce that they are leaving the company they founded more than 30 years earlier. They sold A&M in 1990 to Polygram for $500 million. Moss and Alpert started the label in the garage of Alpert's Los Angeles home in 1962. The label was the home to such acts as The Police, Bryan Adams, Joan Baez, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Supertramp and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1993)... U2 lose a bid to prevent the demolition of Hanover Quay studio in Dublin. Over 8,000 fans signed an online petition to preserve the studio, where the group recorded ‘All That You Can't Leave Behind’ and some of their 'Pop' album (2002)... A Los Angeles hotel files a lawsuit against Phil Spector for failing to pay more than $100,000 in outstanding bills for lawyers and expert witnesses in his murder trial. The Westin Bonaventure claims that by the time Spector's trial ended with a hung jury, the defendants owed the hotel more than $104,000 (2008)... John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to 'A Day In The Life' sell for $1.2 million at an auction at Sotheby's in NYC. The double-sided sheet of paper with notes written in felt marker and blue ink also contains some corrections and other notes penned in red ink (2010).

June 17th

Musical birthdays today include Barry Manilow (82), session guitarist Chris Spedding (81), original Santana lead singer Greg Rollie (78), Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra [né Eric Boucher] (67), former Hanoi Rocks lead singer Michael Monroe [né Matti Fagerholm] (63), No Doubt founder Eric Stefani (58), rapper Krayzie Bone [né Anthony Henderson] (51), Blue vocalist Lee Ryan (42), Kendrick Lamar (38), and English popular singer Laura Wright (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Charles Gounod, born on this day in 1818... for Igor Stravinsky, born in 1882... for country singer Red Foley, born in 1910... for film score composer Martin Böttcher, born in 1927... for classical violinist Christan Ferras, who would have been 81 today... for Paul Young, who would have been 76... for Residents multi-instrumentalist Philip 'Snakefinger' Lithman, who would have been 76... for ex-Pogues singer & guitarist Philip Chevron, who would have been 68... for Bill Haley & His Comets guitarist Danny Cedrone, who died on this date in 1954... for Kate Smith, who passed away in 1986... and for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who left us today in 2005.

Also on June 17th: In Chicago, Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland is performed for the first time (1903)... Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is awarded an honorary doctorate in music by Yale University (1914)... Colonel Tom Parker takes over from Bob Neal as the manager of Elvis Presley (1955)... 
Working at Abbey Road studios, The Beatles complete work on Paul's new song ‘Yesterday’ with the overdubbing of an additional vocal track by McCartney and a string quartet. They also record ‘Act Naturally’ for Ringo's vocal contribution on the Help! album and the song ‘Wait’, in four takes. ‘Wait’ will be left off of Help!, but will be included on the following LP, Rubber Soul... (1965)... Carole King starts a 15-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with Tapestry (1971)... The Eagles release their self-titled debut album on Asylum Records (1972)... After US soul singer Jimmy Helms is taken ill just before a gig at Shoreditch College, London, the members of the social committee decide to call upon Elton John, who lives just up the road, to ask him to perform. Elton agrees to do the gig for two bottles of wine (1977)... The John Travolta-Olivia Newton-John duet  'You're the One That I Want' from the Grease soundtrack goes to № 1 in the UK (1978)... Florida real estate agent Vittoria Holman sues Mötley Crüe and their concert promoter for hearing loss allegedly incurred at a concert in December 1985. Holman and her daughter had front row seats less than 10 feet from the speakers. The case will be settled out of court with the band's insurance company paying Holman over $30,000 (1987)... Garth Brooks is signed to Capitol Records (1988)... 60-year-old Billy Joel and his third wife, 27-year-old Katie Lee Joel announce that they are splitting up after nearly five years of marriage. Joel's nine-year union with model Christie Brinkley ended in 1994. His nine-year marriage to Elizabeth Weber, for whom he wrote 'Just The Way You Are', ended in 1982 (2009)... Bruce Springsteen plays the longest live show of his career when he turns in a 3-hour-and-48-minute, 32-song set at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. [This surpasses his previous record, a show on December 31, 1980 at the Nassau Coliseum, NY which clocked in at 3:43](2012).

June 16th

Musical birthdays today include rockabilly singer Billy 'Crash' Craddock (82), Motown songwriter & producer Lamont Dozier (80), O'Jays lead singer Eddie Levert (79), singer-songwriter Iain Matthews (75), Marillion drummer Ian Mosley (72), Afrobeat saxophonist Femi Kuti (59), Super Furry Animals keyboardist Cian Ciaran (45),Semi Precious Weapons lead singer Justin Tranter (41), and singer-songwriter & ex-Radish guitarist Ben Kweller (40).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for  jazz saxophonist Eli 'Lucky' Thompson, born on this day in 1924... for Dream Theater vocalist Charlie Dominici, who would have been 74 today... for Tupac Shakur, who would have been 54.. for early New orleans jazz cornet player Emmett Hardy, who passed away today in 1925 at the age of 22... for drummer & bandleader Chick Webb, who died on this date in 1939... for Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, who died of a drug overdose today in 1982 at the age of 25... for composer Maurice Duruflé, who passed away in 1986... for rocker and politician Screaming Lord Sutch [né David Sutch], who took his own life today in 1999 at the age of 58... and for operatic contralto Maureen Forrester, who left us today in 2010.

Also on June 16th: A gala programme of ballet and music by composer Edward Strauss opens the original Madison Square Garden (1890)... Antonin Dvořák receives an honorary doctorate in music from Cambridge University (1891)... 
Orson Welles' production of Marc Blitzstein's allegorical musical 'The Cradle Will Rock' opens on Broadway with the composer himself at the piano (1937)... Rudolf Nureyev defects to the West in Paris (1961)... The Konrads, with lead singer Dave Jay [who will later change his name to David Bowie] make their live debut as the band for a dance at the Bromley Technical School in Kent (1962)... Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers record the album Ugetsu live at Birdland, the Riverside label's first recording at the venue (1963)... Bob Dylan and sidemen record the definitive version of 'Like a Rolling Stone' (1965)... The Beatles make a surprise appearance on Top of the Pops, performing ‘Paperback Writer’ and ‘Rain’. It will be The Beatles' penultimate live musical television appearance before the June 1967 worldwide transmission of ‘All You Need Is Love' (1966)... The three day Monterey Pop Festival begins. In the spirit of the Summer of Love, the proceeds will go to charity, all the artists having agreed to perform for free. The California festival sees the first major US appearances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Also on the bill are The Byrds, The Grateful Dead, Otis Redding, Simon & Garfunkel, The Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, The Mamas And The Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and The Electric Flag. John Phillips, of The Mamas and The Papas later writes, 'San Francisco, (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)' about the festival, which becomes a hit for Scott McKenzie (1967)... Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica is released (1969)... Mungo Jerry have the first UK № 1 hit of the post-Beatles era with 'Summertime' (1970)... David Bowie releases Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars (1972)... The Jackson Five's four-week summer variety show premieres on CBS- TV featuring The Jacksons plus sisters Latoya, Rebbie and Janet (1976)... The musical 'Beatlemania' opens on Broadway (1977)... The Blues Brothers film starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd has its world premiere in Chicago. The film also features cameos by Aretha Franklin and James Brown, and Ray Charles in the role of a streetwise store owner (1980)... Frankie Goes To Hollywood become the first band to have their first two singles go to the top of the UK chart, as 'Two Tribes' arrives at № 1. Buoyed by the momentum, the group's previous single 'Relax' climbs back up the chart to the second spot (1984)... Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe marries mud wrestler Sharisse Rudell (1988)... Unofficial sound systems are allowed at Glastonbury for the first time as the 20th edition of the 3-day festival opens. On the bill this year are Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Throwing Muses, The Pixies, All About Eve, Hot House Flowers, The Waterboys, Suzanne Vega and Fairground Attraction. Tickets cost £28 (1989)... Oasis play their first show outside the UK, at the Erotika Club in Paris (1994)... Rage Against The Machine, The Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, The Fugees, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Lee Hooker, Beck, Sonic Youth, Yoko Ono, De La Soul and Richie Havens all appear at the two-day Tibetan Freedom Concert in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco; a sell-out crowd of over 100,000 makes it the largest US benefit concert since Live Aid in 1985 (1996)... Rod Stewart marries model girlfriend Penny Lancaster on the Italian Riviera just outside the resort of Portofino. The 62 year old singer was previously married to models Alana Hamilton and Rachel Hunter and has seven children in total (2007).

June 15th

Musical birthdays today include jazz drummer Tony Oxley (87), ex-Spencer Davis Group bassist Muff Winwood (82), former Slade frontman Neville 'Noddy' Holder (79), ex-Aphrodite's Child lead singer Demis Roussos (79), Air Supply singer & drummer Russell Hitchcock (76), Kansas lead singer Steve Walsh (74), cellist Raphael Wallfisch (72), Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis (68), singer-songwriter Vicki Genfan (66), Ice Cube [né O'Shea Jackson] (56), former Boston drummer Jeff Neal (56), Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody (49), Good Charlotte guitarist & keyboardist Billy Martin (44), Laura Imbruglia (42), and ex-Girls Aloud vocalist Nadine Coyle (40).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Edvard Grieg, born on this day in 1843... for jazz pianist Erroll Garner, born in 1921... for Waylon Jennings, who would have been 87 today... for Harry Nilsson, who would have been 83... for French rock icon Johnny Hallyday [né Jean-Philippe Smet], who would have been 82... for jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, who died on this date in 1968... for Hole bassist Kristen Pfaff, who died on this day in 1994 at the age of 27... and for Ella Fitzgerald, who left us today in 1996. 

Also on June 15th: Britain's first teenage all-music TV show Oh Boy!, premieres. Each week the show will feature resident artists plus a selection of special guests. The residents will include Cliff Richard and the Shadows, and among the guests will be Billy Fury, Tony Sheridan, Shirley Bassey and Lonnie Donegan, with occasional US stars such as The Inkspots, Conway Twitty and Brenda Lee (1958)... Kyu Sakamoto starts a three week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Sukiyaki', the first and still only Japanese language song to do so... The Sound of Music closes on Broadway after 1,443 performances (1963)... Bob Dylan and sidemen go into Columbia Studio A in NYC to begin working on 'Like a Rolling Stone'. The session will yield no usable takes, however... The Rolling Stones kick off an 8-date mini-European tour at The Odeon Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, with The Hollies as their opening act (1965)... The Sex Pistols record their first demos at Majestic Studios in Clapham, London, before playing a gig at the 100 Club (1976)... The Pistols hold a party on a boat as it sails down the River Thames. The band perform 'Anarchy in the UK' outside The Houses Of Parliament, resulting in members of the party being arrested for disturbing the peace when the boat docks later that day (1977)... Columbia Records release Bob Dylan's Street-Legal. On tour in Europe in support of the album, Dylan plays the first of six sold out nights at Earl's Court in London (1978)... Duran Duran's eponymous debut album is released (1981)... Dire Straits have the № 1 album in the US with Brothers in Arms (1985)... U2 and Sting headline a concert at the Meadowlands celebrating the 25th anniversary of Amnesty International (1986)... During Bruce Springsteen's stay in Rome during the Tunnel of Love world tour, a tabloid photographer takes a shot of the Boss in his bathing suit sharing an intimate moment poolside with his backing singer Patti Scialfa. The picture confirms the rumours that Bruce and Patti are having an affair (1988)... Nirvana's debut album 'Bleach' is released in the US. The title for the album came from a poster saying 'Bleach Your Works', urging drug users to bleach their needles. Kurt Cobain would later claim that most of the lyrics on the album were written the night before recording while he was feeling "pissed off", and that he did not regard them highly (1989)... 
A copy of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band signed by the four Beatles and George Martin sells at auction in London for £34,00 (2002)... Coldplay go directly to № 1 on the US album chart with their third album X&Y, having already achieved the same success in the UK. The last time a British artist had a simultaneous US and UK number one was in November 2000 with 1, a compilation of hits by The Beatles. The last studio album to reach № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic was Radiohead's Kid A in October 2000. X&Y will go on to top over 30 national charts worldwide (2005)... A case against a man accused of threatening Elton John's life is withdrawn just hours before his trial was due to begin. Neal Horsley had responded to Elton's suggestion that Jesus Christ was gay in a Parade magazine interview by posting an online response entitled 'Why Elton John Must Die'. After being held in an Atlanta, GA jail since March, Horsley hears his case dismissed by Fulton Co. Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams on the grounds that his actions do not warrant criminal charges (2010).

June 14th

Musical birthdays today include folk singer Julie Felix (87), session keyboardist Dewey 'Spooner' Oldham (82), Zombies keyboardist & singer Rod Argent (80), original Country Joe & the Fish lead guitarist Barry Melton (77), former Slade bassist Jim Lea (75), Pere Ubu lead singer David Thomas (70), jazz bassist Marcus Miller (64), Boy George [né George O'Dowd] (63), rapper MC Ren [né Lorenzo Patterson] (54), Joshua Radin (49), and ex-Sugababes vocalist Siobhán Donaghy (39).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Burl Ives, born on this day in 1909... for conductor Rudolf Kempe, born in 1910... for jazz pianist Cy Coleman, born in 1929... for Motown singer & saxophonist Junior Walker [né Autry Mixon, Jr.], born in 1931... for Four Tops bass vocalist Renaldo Benson, who would have been 87 today... for Yes drummer Alan White, who would have been 75... for Ministry lead guitarist Mike Scaccia, who would have been 57... for War sax & flute player Charles Miller, who died on this date on 1980... for lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, who died in 1986... for Henry Mancini, who passed away in 1994... for blues rock multi-instrumentalist Rory Gallagher, who died in 1995... and for Ventures guitarist Bob Bogle, who left us today in 2009.

Also on June 14th: The player piano is patented by John McTamanny of Cambridge, MA (1881)... Fiddlin' John Carson records 'The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane', considered by many to be the first country record (1923)... Patsy Cline is seriously injured in a car accident outside Nashville. During her two-month stay in hospital, 'I Fall to Pieces' becomes her first № 1 on the Billboard country chart (1961)... Continuing their Australian tour, The Beatles arrive in Melbourne and are greeted at the airport by over 5,000 fans. Another 20,000 fans line the route from the airport to the hotel; army and navy units are brought in to help control the crowds, cars are crushed, hundreds of girls fainted and over 50 people are admitted to hospital with broken bones... The Mannish Boys and their lead singer David Bowie audition for the UK TV show Opportunity Knocks (1964)... Jimi Hendrix is in the audience for The Doors' gig at Steve Paul's Scene in NYC (1967)... At London's Lyceum, Derek & the Dominoes play their first live show... The Grateful Dead release Workingman's Dead (1970)... Billy Joel has the № 1 album in the US with Glass Houses (1980)... A model of Culture Club's Boy George is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's Waxworks in London on the singer's 23rd birthday (1984)... Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'On My Own'. The pair recorded their vocal parts separately and met for the first time only when they attended a ceremony to receive a gold record for the song (1986)... Madonna opens her Who's That Girl? World Tour at Osaka Stadium in Japan... 30 hired hands move 800 rented NHS beds onto Saunton Sands in North Devon for the cover photo of the forthcoming Pink Floyd album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Torrential rains interrupt the shoot, and the team will be forced to repeat the exercise two weeks later (1987)... Diane Sawyer interviews Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley on ABC's Prime Time Live. It is the couple's first interview since their surprise marriage a year earlier and is part of the publicity push for Jackson's album HIStory ~ Past, Present and Future: Book One. Jackson and Presley declare that they were a "normal married couple who hope to have a baby". When asked if they have sex, they replied "Yes, yes, yes!" They also confirm that a prenuptial agreement had been signed (1995)... Puff Daddy and Faith Evans are at № 1 on the US & UK singles charts with 'I'll Be Missing You', a tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. (1997)... Mick Jagger is knighted in the Queen's birthday honours (2002)... Bob Dylan wins Spain's Prince of Asturias Arts Award, one of the country's most prestigious honours. Jury chairman Jose Llado calls Dylan a "living legend of popular music and the guiding star of a generation that dreamed of changing the world" (2007)... Ringo Starr's birthplace in Liverpool is saved from the threat of demolition. The house, a run-down three-bedroom Victorian terrace, is one of 400 buildings marked for demolition in the Dingle area of the city, but Beatles fans and city residents successfully lobbied to save the house, along with 15 others in the area. The Liverpool City Council have agreed to give locals the opportunity to fix up the properties (2012)... Merle Haggard is awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by California State University-Bakersfield (2013).

June 13th

Musical birthdays today include former Dr. Hook frontman Dennis Locorriere (76), ex-Heart guitarist Howard Leese (76), operatic soprano Sarah Connolly (62), Smashmouth bassist Paul De Lisle (62), singer-songwriter Michael Anthony Franano (61), Five Star lead singer Denise Pearson (57), Aqua keyboardist Søren Rastrad (56), Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo (55), Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster (53), Sisters with Voices lead singer Coko [née Cheryl Gamble] (51), Awkward Stage lead guitarist Tygh Runyan (47), and rapper Raz-B [né DeMario Thornton] (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico founder Carlos Chávez, born on this day in 1899... for trumpeter & bandleader Doc Cheatham, born in 1905... for French horn player Alan Civil [best remembered for his solo on The Beatles' 'For No One'], born today in 1930... for  soul singer Bobby Freeman, who would have been 85... for Drifters vocalist Clyde McPhatter, who died on this date in 1972... for Benny Goodman, who passed away in 1986... and for jazz flautist David Most, who left us today in 2015.  

Also on June 13: Handel finishes his oratorio Solomon which includes the sinfonia The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (1747)... Stravinsky's score for 'Petrouchka' is performed for the first time at the Ballet russe in Paris, with Nijinsky as lead dancer (1911)... The Yardbirds' US-market only album For Your Love is released (1965)... The Rolling Stones hold a photo call in London's Hyde Park to introduce new guitarist Mick Taylor. The 20-year-old former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers will make his public debut with the Stones at their free concert in the Park next month (1969)... 'The Long and Winding Road' becomes The Beatles' final US № 1 single. Let It Be takes over the top spot on the album chart today as well (1970)... John Lennon's last ever TV appearance is broadcast as part of a 'Salute To Sir Lew Grade'. His performance of 'Slippin And Slidin', and 'Imagine' was recorded at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on April 18... Peter Frampton's shows at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco are recorded, and will appear on the Frampton Comes Alive! album next year... RCA Records release Red Octopus, the biggest-selling album of any incarnation of Jefferson Airplane or Starship [in this case the latter] (1975)... Whitney Houston's second album Whitney becomes the first LP by a female solo artist to debut at № 1 on the US chart. She will also set a record when the first four singles from the album go to the top spot (1987)... Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill is released (1995)... 37-year-old Susan E. Santodonato collapses and dies of a heart attack outside NYC radio station Star 105.7. as a Britney Spears impersonator leaves the building. A crowd gathered after a DJ claimed that the star was in the studio (2000)... Arctic Monkeys make their live debut at The Grapes pub in Sheffield. The band receive £27 from ticket sales (2003)... Michael Jackson is found not guilty of all charges of child abuse by a jury of eight women and four men at the end of a 16-week trial in Santa Maria, CA. Jackson is cleared of all 10 charges including abusing a 13-year-old boy, conspiracy to kidnap, and supplying alcohol to a minor to assist with a felony (2005).

June 12th

Musical birthdays today include Roy Harper (84), blue-eyed soul singer Len Barry (83), Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos (75), Rocky Burnette (72), They Might Be Giants singer & multi-instrumentalist John Linnell (66), Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler (64), rapper Bounty Killer [né Rodney Price] (53), Dirtbombs drummer Ben Blackwell (43), and Anarbor lead guitarist Dave Melilo (37).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for early New orleans jazz cornet player Emmett Hardy, born on this day in 1903... for big band & pop singer Vic Damone, born in 1928... for country songwriter & producer Chips Moman, who would have been 88... for Chick Corea, who would have been 84... for soul singer Lyn Collins, who would have been 77... for former King Crimson bassist & lead singer John Wetton, who would have been 76... for former Boston lead singer Brad Delp, who would have been 74... for original Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon, who would have been 73...  for original Blue Traveler bassist Bobby Sheehan, who would have been 56... for bandleader Jimmy Dorsey, who died on this date in 1957... for Russian singer-songwriter Bulat Okudzhava, who passed away in 1997... and for composer Györgi Ligeti, who left us today in 2006. 

Also on June 12th: Composer Gabriel Fauré becomes director of the Paris Conservatory (1905)... The Beatles arrive in Adelaide, Australia and are met by some 250,000 fans ~ the largest single greeting the group would ever receive ~ who line the route from the airport to the city centre. The Fab Four will play their first four shows down under at Adelaide's Centennial Hall (1964)... The Beatles are included in the Queen's birthday honours list to each receive the MBE. Protests pour into Buckingham Palace, with MP Hector Dupuis saying "British Royalty has put me on the same level as a bunch of vulgar numbskulls"... The Supremes become the first American group to score five consecutive US № 1s when their latest single 'Back in My Arms again' tops the Billboard chart (1965)... Pink Floyd appear at the Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London. It is at this show that future co-manager Peter Jenner sees the band live for the first time. Floyd go on to sign a management contract with Jenner and Andrew King on the 31st of October (1966)... Bob Dylan’s album Greatest Hits peaks at № 10 on the US chart. The cover photograph was taken by Rowland Scherman at Dylan's November 28th, 1965, concert in Washington, D.C., and will win the 1967 Grammy award for Best Album Cover, Photography. The original album package also included Milton Glaser's now-familiar psychedelic poster depicting Bob with rainbow hair (1967)... Capitol Records releases Band of Gypsys, the last full-length Jimi Hendrix album to appear in the guitarist's lifetime (1970)... With the help of her mother, a barefoot Ronnie Spector walks out of her husband Phil's Beverly Hills mansion for the last time, leaving behind her adopted son, three year old Donté, and six year old twins, Louis and Gary. Within days she files for a divorce that will be granted in 1974 (1972)... Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Gary 'US' Bonds all appear at a rally for nuclear disarmament in NYC's Central Park before a crowd of over 450,000 (1982)... The Elvis Presley Autoland Museum opens at Graceland. The museum contains over 30 cars which were owned by the King, including his famous Pink Cadillac, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Stutz Blackhawks, a 1975 Dino Ferrari, a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, and the red MG that Elvis drove in the film Blue Hawaii (1989)... UB40 have their third UK № 1 with their version of ('I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You, also a chart-topper for Elvis in 1962 (1993)... Sinead O'Connor announces that she is a lesbian. The mother of two tells US magazine Curve that she has been in the closet for years saying, "I am a lesbian. I haven't been very open about that. I've gone out with blokes because I haven't necessarily been terribly comfortable about being a lesbian" (2000)... Van Morrison, Queen, Little Richard and Phil Collins are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a ceremony in NYC (2003).

June 11th

Musical birthdays today include session drummer Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie (86), former King Crimson lyricist Richard Palmer-James (78), ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard (76), Air Supply guitarist Graham Russell (75), ex-.38 Special frontman Donnie Van Zant (73), Nashville session keyboardist & harmonica player Johnny Neel (71), free jazz bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma [né Rudy McDaniel] (69), Flaming Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd (56), Marianas Trench frontman Josh Ramsay (42), and Sublime with Rome lead guitarist Rome Ramirez (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Richard Strauss, born on this day in 1864... for film score composer Carmine Coppola, born in 1910... for operatic soprano Risë Stevens, born in 1913... for jazz drummer Shelly Manne, born in 1920... for jazz singer & songwriter Al Rinker, who died on this date in 1982... for trumpeter and Down Beat magazine co-founder Clyde McCoy, who passed away in 1990... for jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, who died in 2013... for Françoise Hardy, who died one year ago on this date...and for Brian Wilson, who left us today.  

Also on June 11th: Bedřich Smetana's opera Libuše premieres  at the National Theatre in Prague (1881)... Hank Williams makes his debut at the Grand Ole Opry and receives an unprecedented six encores (1949)... Drummer Tommy Moore makes the fateful decision to quit The Beatles and return to his job of driving a forklift at the Garston Bottle Works in Liverpool. He is briefly replaced by Norman Chapman, who is called into National Service after just three gigs. After going drummerless and mostly jobless for a few weeks, the band hire Pete Best on August 12th, only one day before they are to go to Hamburg to play a string of club dates... In Cologne, Karlheinz Stockhausen's Kontakte suite for electronic instruments, piano and percussion is performed for the first time (1960)... The Beatles tape a BBC radio program, 'Here We Go', at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, in front of a studio audience composed largely of loyal Cavern fans. This is the band's last known recording on which Pete Best plays drums (1962)... Decca Records release The Angry Young Them, the debut album from Them featuring lead singer Van Morrison (1965)... Radio stations throughout Europe mistakenly report that Roger Daltrey has been killed in a car crash. Pete Townshend was in fact injured in a road accident a few days ago, but both he and Daltrey very much alive (1966)... Printed in the classified ads section of this week's Melody Maker: 'Freaky lead guitarist, bass and drummer wanted for Marc Bolan's new group. Also any other astral flyers with car amplification and that which never grows in window boxes, phone Wimbledon 0697.' The band which forms as Tyrannosaurus Rex go on to release four underground folk albums before becoming known as T Rex (1967)... John works on 'Revolution 9' in Studio 3 at Abbey Road, while Paul is next door in Studio 2 adding overdubs to 'Blackbird' (1968)... AC/DC kick off their 'Lock up Your Daughters' UK tour with a show at Glasgow City Hall (1976)... Nelson Mandela' s 70th birthday tribute takes place at Wembley Stadium, London, featuring Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Dire Straits, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman, George Michael, Eric Clapton, UB40, The Eurythmics and Simple Minds. The event is broadcast live on BBC 2 to 40 different countries with an estimated audience of 1 billion (1988)... Sir Paul McCartney marries Heather Mills at St Salvator Church, Ireland. Guests include Ringo Starr, David Gilmour, Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde. Heather walks down the aisle clutching a bouquet of 11 'McCartney' roses. Mills first met McCartney at the Pride of Britain Awards event in London in April 1999, which McCartney was attending to present an award to an animal rights activist (2001)... Jimmy Page is awarded an OBE in the Queen of England's Birthday Honours list, while Queen guitarist and founding member Brian May is awarded a CBE (2005)... Dark Side of the Moon re-enters the Billboard Album chart at № 47, and reaches the milestone of 1,000 weeks on the magazine's charts (2011).

June 10th

Musical birthdays today include former Shirelles vocalist Shirley Owens (83), French pop singer Chantal Goya (83), Breeders lead guitarist Kelly deal (64), former Pixies bassist Kim Deal (64), reggae fusion singer Maxi Priest [né Max Elliot] (64), ex-Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (60), former Lush guitarist & vocalist Emma Anderson (58), rapper The D.O.C. [né Tracy Curry] (57), ex-Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty (55), rapper Flesh-n-Bone [né Stanley Howse] (52), R&B singer Faith Evans (52), and 702 vocalist LeMisha Grinstead (47).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Frederick Loewe, born on this day in 1901... for Howlin' Wolf [né Chester Burnett], born in 1910... for Judy Garland [née Frances Gumm], born in 1922... for bossa nova guitarist João Gilberto, born in 1931... for free jazz drummer John Stevens, who would have been 85 today... for Ray Charles, who passed away on this date in 2004... and for Sly Stone, who let us today. 

Also on June 10th: Franz Liszt's London debut is the first classical piano concert to be billed as a 'recital' (1840)... The Rolling Stones record three songs at Chess Studios in Chicago. During breaks in the session, they meet Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry... On their first world tour, The Beatles take a flight from Hong Kong to Australia, making an unscheduled fuel stop in Darwin, where over 400 fans greet their aircraft. The Beatles then continue on to Sydney, where they arrive in the middle of a heavy downpour. The group are required to appear in an open-top truck in the pouring rain to wave at the thousands of fans who have come out to meet them (1964)... John Coltrane and the 'Classic Quartet' record the smaller ensemble pieces that will be divided up between the albums Kulu Sé Mama and Transition, the former the final Coltrane collection to appear in his lifetime (1965)... Steve Marriott collapses during a Small Faces appearance on the TV show Ready Steady Go! The group will be forced to cancel the following week's gigs (1966)... Sammy Davis Jr. has his only US № 1 single with 'The Candy Man'. The Rolling Stones are atop the UK album chart with Exile on Main Street (1972)... The Eagles release One of These Nights, which will go on to become their first US № 1 album (1975)... Joe Strummer and Nicky Headon of The Clash are each fined £5 by a London court for spray-painting the name of the band on a wall in London's West End (1977)... John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are at № 1 on the singles charts in both the US and Britain with 'You're the One That I Want' from the Grease soundtrack (1978)... Jerry Garcia goes into a five-day diabetic coma, forcing the Grateful Dead to cancel the remainder of their current tour (1986)... Sinead O'Connor takes out a full-page ad in the Irish Times asking the public to 'stop hurting me please.' She blames her troubled behaviour on abuse she suffered as a child. O'Connor is still being criticized for ripping up a picture of the Pope during an appearance on Saturday Night Live the previous October (1993)... Radiohead have the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic with Amnesiac (2001)... The surviving members of Led Zeppelin meet at a secret rehearsal space in England to run through songs for the forthcoming 02 Arena benefit tribute to the late Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. It is the first time the three musicians have been in the same room with instruments since their four-song set at Led Zeppelin's 1995 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2006)... The Rolling Stones play their first UK festival in over 30 years when they appear at 'Isle of Wight '07'. The Stones arrive on the island via privately chartered ferry for their 200-strong entourage, including five Winnebago trailers and their own security team. The band's last UK festival appearance was at Knebworth Fair in 1976 (2007).

June 9th

Musical birthdays today include Cox Family patriarch & fiddler Willard Cox (88), jazz pianist Kenny Barron (82), film score composer James Newton Howard (74), ex-UFO lead guitarist Paul Chapman (71), singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves (61), operatic soprano Erika Miklósa (54), former Yummy Fur frontman Jackie McKeown (54), Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy (47), Afrobeat singer D'banj [né Dapo Oyebanjo] (45), and Anoushka Shankar (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Howard Payne [best remembered for 'Home Sweet Home'], born on this day in 1791... for Cole Porter, born in 1891... for bluesman Skip James, born in 1902... for Les Paul, born in 1915... for blues bassist & Muddy Waters sideman Calvin 'Fuzz' Jones, born in 1926... for R&B singer Johnny Ace, born in 1929...  for French popular singer Barbara [née Monique Serf], born in 1930.. for pioneering soul singer Jackie Wilson, born in 1934... for Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord, who would have been 84... for ex-Uriah Heep bassist Trevor Bolder, who would have been 74... for classical pianist Claudio Arrau, who died on this date in 1991... and for funk & soul singer Darondo [né William Pulliam], who left us today in 2016. 

Also on June 9th: Accompanied by his father Leopold and his sister Nannerl, 7-year-old Wolfgang Mozart leaves Salzburg for his first European concert tour (1763)...  At a private concert in Paris, Debussy and Stravinsky perform a four-hand piano version of the latter's score for The Rite of Spring,  which will premiere with great controversy in a year's time in its full orchestrated version (1912)... Jelly Roll Morton records 'Jelly Roll Blues' in Richmond, Indiana (1924)... On the last night of their tour with Roy Orbison, The Beatles perform at King George's Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire. It is at this show that the group's fans first start throwing jelly babies at them while they are on stage, after George Harrison's off-the-cuff remark on television that the band enjoy eating them (1963)... At Columbia Studio A in NYC, Bob Dylan records 14 tracks in one night, including the first version of Mr. Tambourine Man and the entirety of the Another Side of Bob Dylan album (1964)... Bob Dylan receives an honorary doctorate of music from Princeton University. Dylan will commemorate the event in the song 'Day of the Locusts (1970)... Elvis makes entertainment history by performing the first of four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. George Harrison, John Lennon, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Art Garfunkel are in the audience. The performances are also being recorded for a live album... Bruce Springsteen signs his first contract with Columbia Records (1972)... Rick Wakeman announces that he is leaving Yes (1974)... The Rolling Stones release Some Girls, their first studio album with Ron Wood as a full member. The album cover was designed by Peter Corriston and features The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately runs into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli [representing her mother Judy Garland], Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe threaten legal action (1978)... Cyndi Lauper is at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Time after Time' (1984)... MC Hammer's second major-label release Please Hammer Don't Hurt' 'em goes to the top of the US album chart, where it will stay for 21 weeks, a longevity record since the establishment of the rankings (1990)... Buckingham Palace announces that Mick Jagger is to be given a knighthood for services to music (2002)... The 10-day Belgian music festival 'Lokerse Feesten', which prides itself on its horse-meat sausages, announces that it will be going meat-free on the day that vegetarian singer Morrissey appears. Organisers will order stalls to sell vegetarian food only on the 4th of August, the day the former Smiths lead singer is due to perform. In 2009, Morrissey left the stage at California's Coachella festival, saying he could "smell burning flesh". The booking "means a welcomed catering challenge for one day", the spokesman adds (2011).

June 8th

Musical birthdays today include Nancy Sinatra (85), Parliament-Funkadelic founding member Fuzzy Haskins (84), former Three Dog Night vocalist Chuck Negron (83), Renaissance lead singer Annie Haslam (81), Boz Scaggs (81), Julie Driscoll (78), Bonnie Tyler (74), ex-Black Flag frontman Greg Ginn (71), ex-Simply Red lead singer Mick Hucknall (65), Greek pop singer Katy Garbi (64), Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes (63), Kanye West (48), Allman Brothers Band guitarist Derek Trucks (46), ex-The Calling frontman Alex Band (44), and Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Tomaso Albinoni, born on this day in 1671... for Robert Schumann, born in 1810... for singer-songwriter Steven Fromholtz, who would have been 80 today... for former Milli Vanilli vocalist Rob Pilatus, who would have been 60... for singer-songwriter Root Boy Slim [né Foster MacKenzie III], who died on this date in 1993... and for pop singer Crispian St. Peters, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on June 8th: The Crystals' 'Da Doo Ron Ron' peaks at № 3 on the US singles chart. The song was produced by Phil Spector, and represents his first use of a multi-track recording system to build the song layer upon layer to achieve a result that has become known as a 'wall of sound'. Backing musicians included Glen Campbell on guitar, Leon Russell on piano, Hal Blaine on drums and Nino Tempo on sax (1963)... Procol Harum go to № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'a Whiter Shade of Pale', while Sgt. Pepper reaches the top of the album rankings, where it will remain for 27 weeks (1967)... Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts visit Brian Jones at his home in Cotchford Farm, E. Sussex to discuss his future in the Rolling Stones. Upon returning to London, Jagger & co. issue a statement announcing that Jones has left the band (1969)... Bob Dylan releases Self-Portrait... East German police impound Deep Purple's van and equipment after the group drive too close to the border while on a European tour (1970)... Bill Wyman becomes the first Rolling Stone to release a solo album with Monkey Grip. The record features guest appearances by, Dr John, Leon Russell and Lowell George... David Bowie starts a four-week run at the top of the UK charts with his third № 1 album, Diamond Dogs. The cover art features Bowie as a striking half-man, half-dog grotesque painted by Belgian artist Guy Peellaert. It is controversial as the full painting clearly shows the hybrid's genitalia. Very few copies of this original cover make their way into circulation at the time of the album's release... Elvis Presley calls Dolly Parton to tell her that he would like to cover her new single 'I Will Always Love You'. Parton is interested until Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker tells her that it is standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis records. Parton refuses. The song will become a worldwide hit for Whitney Houston almost two decades later when released as a single from the the soundtrack to the film 'The Bodyguard'... Paul McCartney and Wings go to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Band On The Run'. McCartney later states that George Harrison unwittingly contributed the first line of one part of the song: "If we ever get out of here" was something that he said during one of the many Beatles' business meetings (1974)... Tears for Fears have the № 1 single in the US with 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World'... Bob Dylan releases Empire Burlesque (1985)... At a Greenpeace press conference, vegetarian Chrissie Hynde claims that she once firebombed a McDonalds restaurant. The following day, a McDonalds in Milton Keynes, England is destroyed in this way and the Pretenders lead singer is threatened with legal action (1989)... Bruce Springsteen marries Patti Scialfa in a small private ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills, CA (1991)... Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Martin Carr of The Boo Radleys are all involved in a brawl at Dingwalls, Camden in London (1998)... Months of secrecy surrounding Sir Paul McCartney's wedding plans are blown when John Leslie, the owner of the 17th century Castle Leslie in Co Monaghan, lets slip to reporters that Sir Paul had booked the venue for the wedding (2002)... Rolling Stone magazine publishes a list of the Top 50 guitar songs of all time ~№ 5 is ‘Brown Sugar’ by The Rolling Stones; № 4, ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks; № 3, ‘Crossroads’, by Cream; № 2 ‘Purple Haze’, by Jimi Hendrix, and at № 1, Chuck Berry's ‘Johnny B Goode’ (2008).

June 7th

Musical birthdays today include Tom Jones (85), jazz guitarist Royce Campbell (73), record executive & producer Antonio 'L.A.' Reid (69), Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra (68), Prefab Sprout lead singer Paddy McAloon (68), Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Michael Cartellone (63), producer & former Theaudience guitarist Billy Reeves (60), Stone Temple Pilots drummer Eric Kretz (59), original Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro (58), rapper Necro [né Ron Braunstein] (49), Fightstar frontman Charlie Simpson (40), Iggy Azalea (35), and Fetty Wap (35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for conductor George Szell, born on this day in 1897... for Dean Martin [né Dino Crocetti], born in 1917... for jazz guitarist Tal Farlow, born in 1921... for jazzman Harold 'Tina' Brooks, born in 1932... for Savuka frontman Johnny Clegg, who would have been 72... for Prince, who would have been 67... for blues & gospel singer Carole Fredericks, who died on this date in 2002... for fusion jazzman & former Soft machine bassist Hugh Hopper, and for Kenny Rankin, both of whom who passed away today in 2010... and for former Fleetwood Mac guitarist & singer Bob Welch, who took his own life today in 2012 at the age of 66. 

Also on June 7th: John Coltrane and sidemen complete the Africa/Brass sessions, devoting most of the day to Eric Dolphy's arrangement of 'Greensleeves' (1961)... The Rolling Stones release their debut single, a cover of Chuck Berry's 'Come on' (1963)... During their first US tour, the Stones are booed off the stage in San Antonio, TX. A troupe of performing monkeys who were one of the opening acts are brought back on as security try to restore order... Heading for the far eastern leg of their world tour, The Beatles fly from Amsterdam to Hong Kong. When the plane stops to refuel in Beirut, police turn firefighting foam on hundreds of fans who have invaded the runway (1964)... British supergroup Blind Faith, featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Rick Grech and Steve Winwood make their live debut at a free concert in London's Hyde Park. Their only album release provokes controversy because the cover features a topless pubescent girl holding a silver space ship which many perceive as a phallic symbol. The US record company issues it with an alternative cover showing a photograph of the band on the front. The controversy is fuelled by rumours about the girl's relationship to the band, which include the story that she is a groupie being kept as a slave... Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell both appear on the premiere of ABC-TV's 'The Johnny Cash Show' from Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Dylan sings 'I Threw It All Away' and 'Living the Blues', and duets with the host on 'Girl From The North Country'; Joni performs 'Both Sides Now' (1969)... Elton John's ninth studio LP Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy becomes the first record ever to debut on the Billboard album chart at № 1. John Denver is at the top of the singles listing with 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' (1975)... Led Zeppelin play the first of six sold out nights at Madison Square Garden on what will prove to be the band's final North American tour (1977)...  Priscilla Presley opens Graceland to the public. The bathroom in which Elvis died nearly 5 years earlier remains sealed... Stray Cats release Built for Speed, their third and biggest selling album (1982)... David Bowie plays a concert in West Berlin in front of the Reichstag with the speakers pointing towards the nearby Berlin Wall, behind which thousands of young East Berliners stand and listen (1987)... Hanson are at № 1 in both the US and the UK with 'MMMbop'. The single will go on to top the charts in 27 other countries... Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher plays a five-song set at the Tibet Freedom Concert, Downing Stadium in NYC. U2, Patti Smith and Radiohead are also on the bill (1997)... Virgin Records announce that they have dropped Victoria Beckham after her debut solo album, which cost over £3 million to make and sold only 50,000 copies (2002)... The funeral of Bo Diddley takes place in Gainesville, FL. Many in attendance chant "Hey Bo Diddley" shortly after family members passed by his coffin as a gospel band played the pioneering rocker's music. At the service, they present a floral tribute in form of his trademark square guitar (2007).

June 6th

Musical birthdays today include Gary 'U.S.' Bonds (86), jazz pianist Monty Alexander (81), King Crimson bassist Tony Levin (79), former Caravan bassist Richard Sinclair (77), Holly Near (76), Dwight Twilley (74), Yellow Magic Orchestra lead singer Yukihiro Takahashi (73), producer & former The Time keyboardist Jimmy Jam [né James Harris III] (66), Steve Vai (64), Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley (61), Korn guitarist James Shaffer (55), Uncle Kraacker [né Matthew Shafer] (51), former Libertines guitarist Carl Barât (47), ex-Yellowcard bassist Peter Mosely (45), Pussy Riot vocalist Maria Alyokhina (37), and rapper Mike G [né Michael Griffin II] (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for saxophonist & bandleader Jimmie Lunceford, born on this day in 1902... for composer Aram Khachaturian, born in 1903... for former Four Tops vocalist Levi Stubbs, who would have been 86 today... for Tangerine Dream keyboardist Edgar Froese, who would have been 80...  for Stan Getz, who died on this date in 1991... for Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby, who died of a drug overdose on this day in 2002 at the age of 42... for former Animals keyboardist Dave Rowberry, who died in 2003... for Billy Preston, who passed away in 2006... and for Marvin Isley, who left us in 2010. 

Also on June 6th: In NYC, Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie have their final collaborative recording session, which will yield the album Bird & Diz (1950)... Bing Crosby is presented with a platinum disc to commemorate his 200 millionth record sold (1960)... The Beatles are introduced to George Martin and have their first recording session at Abbey Road Studios (1962)... Elton John's debut album Empty Sky is released in Britain (1969)... At the Extravaganza 70 Festival at Olympia Hall in London, Syd Barrett plays his first gig since leaving Pink Floyd, backed by a band that includes his old friend Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Barrett baffles the audience as well as his musicians when he abruptly takes off his guitar during the fourth number and walks off stage, not to return (1970)... John Lennon & Yoko Ono jam live on stage with Frank Zappa at the Fillmore East in NYC. The performance is recorded and will be partially released on John's album Some Time in New York City (1971)... David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars is released (1972)... RCA Records releases Dolly Parton's original version of 'I Will Always Love You' (1974)... Talking Heads play their first show at CBGB (1975)...  Def Leppard play at Crookes Workingman's Club in Sheffield. The gig is reviewed in the UK music paper 'Sounds' and leads to an audition and eventual contract with Phonogram Records (1979)... Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Crosby Stills & Nash, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne all appear at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California before a crowd of 85,000 fans at the six hour 'Peace Sunday: We Have a Dream' antinuclear concert. Dylan is joined onstage with Joan Baez and duets with her on 'Blowin’ in the Wind' and 'With God on Our Side'. The show is partly broadcast on ABC TV’s 'Entertainment Tonight' program on the same day (1982)... Michael Jackson announces that he is breaking all ties with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Jackson was brought up in the faith and earlier in his career would don disguises and go door to door with the Watchtower message in cities where he was performing (1987)... The 2 Live Crew album As Nasty as They Wanna Be is ruled obscene by a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, FL (1990)... B*Witched score their first UK № 1 single with 'C'est La Vie', making them the seventh act in chart history to debut at the top. On the album chart, Boyzone have their third UK № 1 with Where We Belong ~ it is also the first time in chart history that the top positions have been simultaneously occupied by Irish acts (1998)... A High Court judge in London rules that rap lyrics should be treated as a foreign language after admitting that he was baffled by the expressions 'shizzle my nizzle' and 'mish mish man.' The dispute is over a copyright issue between the Ant'ill Mob and the Heartless Crew who sampled the lyrics in a remix (2003)

June 5th

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

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

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