September 14th

 

Musical birthdays today include saxophonist Oliver Lake (83), operatic tenor Maryn Hill (81), Nazareth bassist Pete Agnew (79), Strawberry Alarm Clock founding member and guitarist Ed King (76), producer Steve Berlin (70), country singer John Berry (66), A-Ha lead singer Morten Harket (66), ex-La's bassist John Power (58), former Everclear bassist Craig Montoya (55), rapper Nas [né Nasir Jones] (52), ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts (44), and Big Time Rush vocalist Logan Henderson (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic soprano and philanthropist Alice Tully, born on this day in 1902... for cabaret singer Eric Bentley, born in 1916... for Captain Beefheart sideman Alex St. Clair, who would have been 84 today... for Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Steve Gaines, who would have been 75... for Free lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, who would have been 75... for avant-garde cellist Tom Cora, who would have been 72... for Amy Winehouse, who would have been 42... and for blues great Furry Lewis, who left us today in 1981. 

Also on September 14: Handel completes the Messiah after 23 days of nearly round the clock work (1741)... In the early morning hours whilst on board a British frigate in Baltimore harbor, Francis Scott Key writes the poem that will become the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner (1814)... Little Richard enters a New Orleans studio to begin two days of recording. Things are going badly when the singer and producer Bumps Blackwell go to a bar & grill across the street for lunch. Little Richard spots an upright piano in the corner and improvises what will become 'Tutti Frutti' on the spot. The song takes 15 minutes to record when work resumes (1955)... The filming of The Magical Mystery Tour continues. The Beatles' attempts to find quiet, secluded fields in which to shoot are repeatedly frustrated by hordes of pursuing fans who track them down (1967)... Roy Orbison's house in Nashville burns down. The two elder sons of the singer, who is currently on tour in the UK, die in the blaze (1968)... The first episode of the adventure of the musical comic strip band The Archies airs on US TV (1968)... The № 1 single in the US today is Eric Clapton's cover of 'I Shot the Sheriff' (1974)... In Egypt, The Grateful Dead play a concert at the foot of the Great Pyramid (1978)... The Rolling Stones play an incognito pre-tour warm-up show at Sir Morgan's Cove Club in Worcester, MA. They are billed as Little Boy Blue & the Cockroaches, but their identity is leaked by a local radio station, and a riot breaks out outside the club as 4,000 fans try to get into the 350-seat venue. Police make a dozen arrests (1981)... The first MTV Video Music Awards are held, with Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd handling MC duties. David Bowie wins Video of the Year for China Girl (1984)... In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan describes his new album Under the Red Sky as "...intentionally both long and short, so you can draw all kinds of conclusions" (1990)... Steve Earle is sentenced to 1 year in prison for possession of crack... Counting Crows release August and Everything after, which will become one of the biggest selling albums of the '90s (1994)... Paul McCartney's original handwritten first draft of the lyrics to 'Getting Better' sells for £161,000 at auction at Sotheby's of London (1995)... A crowd of over 2,000 gather to watch Pete Townshend unveil an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 23 Brook Street, Mayfair, London, to mark the townhouse where Jimi Hendrix lived in 1968-69 (1997)... HMV stores in Canada remove all Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer's signing of a deal with Starbucks to make the coffee giant the exclusive sellers of his latest release (2005)... The Grateful Dead's original tour bus, newly refurbished, goes on display in an auto museum in the town of Volo, Illinois. The 1965 Gillig bus, dubbed 'Sugar Magnolia' by Jerry Garcia, was used by the band on their frequent cross-country tours between 1967 and 1985 (2005)... Whitney Houston files for divorce from Bobby Brown after 14 years of marriage (2006). 

September 13th

 Musical birthdays today include Blood Sweat & Tears frontman David Clayton-Thomas (84), Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera (81), Randy 'The Cowboy' Jones of the Village People (73), Don Was (73), The Church lead singer Steve Kilbey (71), drummer Vinny Appice (68), Megadeath and ex-Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine (64), Zak Starkey (60), Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins (58), Rascal Flatts lead guitarist Joe Don Rooney (50), and Fiona Apple (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer and pianist Clara Schumann, born on this date in 1819... for composer Arnold Schoenberg, born in 1874... for film score composer Maurice Jarre, born in 1924... for jazz singer Mel Tormé, born in 1925... for Stone the Crows guitarist Les Harvey, who would have been 80... for conductor Leopold Stokowski, who died today in 1977... and for Tupac Shakur, who left us today in 1996 at the age of 25, succumbing to wounds sustained in a drive-by shooting six days earlier. 

Also on September 13: Nicolas Rubenstein, director of the soon to be opened Moscow Conservatory, offers Tchaikovsky the chair of Professor of Harmony (1866)... Cliff Richard makes his UK television debut on the variety show 'Oh Boy'. Before he is allowed to appear on the program, Richard is told he must shave his sideburns (1958)... The Federal Communications Act in the US is amended to outlaw payments of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay of records (1960)... After a Hollies gig in Scotland, Graham Nash checks to see if the side door of the group's van is locked properly as they drive along the motorway. It isn't, and Nash falls out as the vehicle is travelling at around 40 MPH. Miraculously, the future CSN&Y superstar has only minor bruises and abrasions (1963)... The Paul McCartney-penned 'Yesterday' comes out as a single in the US. The other 3 Beatles consider the final version so uncharacteristic of the rest of their work hitherto that they veto a UK release [which eventually happens in 1976] (1965)... The Beatles form an electronics company called Fiftyshapes, Ltd, with John Alexis 'Magic Alex' Mardas as director. Alex claims that he is close to perfecting a 72-track tape machine ~ it never materialises ~ and proposes replacing the acoustic baffles around Ringo's drums with an invisible sonic force field. George will later call employing Mardas 'the greatest disaster of all time' (1967)... John and Yoko fly to Canada to perform at the Rock 'n' Roll Revival show in Toronto. Eric Clapton and drummer Alan White were recruited so late that the ensemble have their first rehearsal on the airplane (1969)... Yes release Close to the Edge (1972)... Sting kicks off his first solo US tour in San Diego (1985)... Geffen Records give a party at a lower Manhattan hotel to launch Nirvana's single 'Smells like Teen Spirit'. The band members are thrown out of the affair after starting a food fight (1991)... Elton John throws a tantrum when he is set to appear at a sold out show at a casino near Lisbon. Unhappy because the audience are slow in leaving a VIP dinner before the concert and taking their seats, Elton leaves the building and flies back to the UK on his private jet without playing a note (2000)... WalMart refuses to stock the album Permission to Land by the British group Darkness [who sent the disc to the top of the charts in their home country] because the cover contains a shot of a woman's bare bottom (2003)... The childhood home of Jimi Hendrix in Seattle, WA is saved from demolition after a settlement with the city to relocate the structure is reached at the last minute. The James Marshall Hendrix Foundation and the City of Seattle agree to renovate the house into a community centre opposite the cemetery where the guitarist is buried (2005)... Earl Scruggs is honoured at Turner Field in Atlanta as part of the pre-game show for a Braves home game. Organizers set a world record for the most banjo players picking one tune together, as 239 play Scruggs' signature tune 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' (2006)... The № 1 album in the UK today is Vera Lynn's career retrospective We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn. The 92-year-old singer sets a record as the oldest person ever to achieve this feat with an album. The previous mark was set by Bob Dylan when he topped the British charts with Together through Life earlier this year at the comparatively youthful age of 67... Taylor Swift becomes the first country artist to win an MTV Music Video Award, taking Best Female Video honours for 'You Belong with Me'. Kanye West interrupts Swift's acceptance speech, saying that another video should have won. After a media stir that last several days, West apologizes ~ first on his blog, then by contacting Swift personally (2009).

September 12th

 

Musical birthdays today include Maria Muldaur (82), former XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews (69), ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson (69), Mylène Farmer (64), singer-songwriter & producer Ben Folds (59), Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde (57), rapper Bizzy Bone (49), James McCartney (48), Jennifer Hudson (44), and Emmy Rossum (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for George Jones, born on this day in 1932... for Barry White, who would have been 80 today... for Rush drummer Neil Peart, who would have been 73...  for French composer François Couperin, who died on this date in 1733... for Johnny Cash, who passed away in 2003... and for Nashville session drummer Kenny Buttrey [noted for his work with Bob Dylan and Neil Young, among many others] who left us today in 2004.

Also on September 12th: Mahler's 8th symphony ~ his last to premiere in his lifetime ~ is performed for the first time, in Munich, with 1,028 instrumentalists and singers (1910)... Frank Sinatra has his first № 1 song in the UK with 'Three Coins in a Fountain' (1954)... NBC airs the premiere of 'The Monkees' TV show. The series will run for a total of 58 episodes (1966)... Filming continues for the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour. The bus heads for Widecombe on the Moor, in Devon, where a local fair is being held, but driver Alf Manders takes a shortcut to bypass heavy traffic and gets stuck on a bridge. The coach ends up having to drive in reverse for half a mile before it can turn around. It then heads for Plymouth, followed by a 20-car convoy of photographers and journalists (1967)... The № 1 song in the UK is Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' 'Tears of a Clown' (1970)... Public Image Ltd guitarist John McGeoch will need 40 stitches after being struck in the face by a 2-litre wine bottle hurled from the crowd during a show in Vienna (1986)... The soundtrack album to the Richie Valens biopic 'La Bamba' by Los Lobos is at № 1 on the Billboard chart (1987)... Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie announce that they are leaving Fleetwood Mac at the end of the band's current tour (1990)... In Modena, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti is joined by Brian Eno along with U2 members Bono and the Edge for a benefit concert for the children of war-ravaged Bosnia (1995)... The soundtrack album to Cameron Crowe's film 'Almost Famous' is released containing a first: the authorised use of vintage Led Zeppelin songs. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were so taken with the rough cut of the movie that they allowed Crowe to include four of their tracks... Christina Aguilera releases her first Spanish-language album, 'Mi Reflejo' (2000)... The surviving members of Led Zeppelin announce that they will reform for a one-off concert with the late John Bonham's son Jason in the drummer's chair. The show, the first for the group in 18 years, is to honour Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died last year. All profits from the concert, which will take place at London's O2 arena on the 26th of November and cost £125 per ticket, will go to establishing scholarships in Ertegun's name in the UK, the USA, and his native Turkey (2007). 

September 11th

 

Musical birthdays today include composer Arvo Pärt (90), Lola Falana (83), Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart (83), Leo Kottke (80), former Buckinghams lead singer Dennis Tufano (79), Styx singer/songwriter Tommy Shaw (72), ex-Culture Club drummer Jon Moss (68), Moby (60), Harry Connick, Jr. (58), former Letters to Cleo lead singer Kay Hanley (57), Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft (53), and Coldplay guitarist Jonny Buckland (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer William Boyce, born on this date in 1711... for bluesman Robert 'Barbecue Bob' Hicks, born in 1902... for British guitarist John Martyn, who would have been 77 today... for composer Anton Bruckner, who died on this date in 1896... for reggae star Peter Tosh, who was murdered in his home during a robbery in 1987... and for Weather Report keyboardist Joe Zawinul, who left us today in 2007. 

Also on September 11: In a saloon in Pittsburgh, PA, Stephen Foster's song 'Oh! Susannah' is performed for the first time (1847)... Soprano Jenny Lind, who will become known as 'The Swedish Nightingale', arrives in New York under the sponsorship of P.T. Barnum to begin her first American tour (1850)... W.C. Handy publishes 'St. Louis Blues' (1914)... Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun takes over as producer of his label's latest signing, 21-year-old Ray Charles, at Atlantic Studios on W. 56th St. in Manhattan (1952)... With session drummer Andy White replacing Ringo at George Martin's insistence, the Beatles make another attempt at recording their first single, 'Love Me Do', at EMI Studios, Abbey Road. The 45 RPM that is released on the 5th of October will be a version including Ringo, the Andy White take ending up on the 'Please Please Me' album (1962)... 'Help!' is the № 1 US album, the 6th time the Beatles have topped the chart... The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (1965)... Filming for 'The Magical Mystery Tour' begins. The Beatles have no shooting script or storyboards of any kind, nor even any clear idea of what they wish to accomplish. The tour bus sets off for the West Country of England with no particular destination, eventually stopping for the night at Teignmouth, Devon, where the Fab Four are greeted by hundreds of fans (1967)... Donny Osmond has his only American № 1 with 'Go Away, Little Girl'. The song was also a chart-topper for Steve Lawrence in 1963 (1971)... The № 1 single in the US today is KC and the Sunshine Band's '(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty' (1976)... John Cougar Mellencamp becomes the only male artist in American chart history to simultaneously have two singles in the top 10 ['Jack and Diane' and 'Hurts So Good'] and the № 1 album [American Fool] (1982)... Michael Jackson appears at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. Over 3,000 fans were treated by Merseyside EMTs for fainting, hysteria, and minor injuries from the crush of the crowd of some 125,000, the largest audience of the 123-date 'Bad' world tour (1988)... Green Day turn down an invitation to guest star on Sesame Street, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong saying "We couldn't handle a mosh pit full of five-year-olds" (1995)... Walking to his job in lower Manhattan as a comic book illustrator, Gerard Way witnesses the 9/11 attacks on the WTC. The day's events inspire him to start a band, which will become My Chemical Romance. Meanwhile, Sir Paul McCartney, in an airplane awaiting takeoff at JFK, composes the single 'Freedom' after seeing the burning towers in the distance. All profits from the song will go to the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity set up to aid the families of NYC police and firemen... Bob Dylan releases the album Love and Theft (2001)... Leicester University in the UK releases the results of a study showing that more than a quarter of classical music listeners have tried cannabis. Researchers at the institution have been trying to find out what people's musical tastes reveal about their lifestyles. They find that blues buffs are the most likely to have received a traffic ticket, Hip-hop fans are more likely to have had multiple sex partners and are the biggest drug consumers among the 2,500 people surveyed. The study will be published next month in the journal Psychology of Music (2006). 

September 10th

Musical birthdays today include jazz-funk pioneer Roy Ayers (85), Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton (83), Jose Feliciano (80), Slade drummer Don Powell (79), ex-Jethro Tull drummer Barrie Barlow (76), Joe Perry (75), Tex-Mex musician Rosie Flores (75), King Crimson percussionist Pat Mastelloto (70), Boomtown Rats pianist John 'Johnnie Fingers' Moylett (69), Bananarama vocalist Siobhan Fahey (64), Bush drummer Robin Goodridge (60) and former Drop Nineteens multi-instrumentalist Paula Kelley (55). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for English composer Henry Purcell, born today in 1659... and for bluesman Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on September 10: Berlioz's opera Benvenuto Cellini premieres in Paris (1838)... Miles Davis and sidemen go into Columbia's 30th St. Studios in NYC for the third and last of the sessions that will produce 'Round about Midnight, the trumpeter's first album for CBS (1956)... Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt Kickers' single 'Monster Mash' is banned by the BBC as offensive. Re-released 10 years later, it will peak at № 3 on the UK charts (1962)... Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meet John Lennon and Paul McCartney by chance at the London jazz club Studio 51. Paul plays a partly finished song entitled 'I Wanna Be Your Man' for the Glimmer Twins, who will soon record it themselves (1963)... The Byrds begin recording the album Turn! Turn! Turn! at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles (1965)... № 1 on the Billboard singles chart today is 'You Can't Hurry Love' by the Supremes (1966)... Elvis records Jerry Reed's 'Guitar Man' at RCA Studios in Nashville. It will be the last of the King's 11 number ones on the Billboard country chart (1967)... 'Hey Jude', the longest № 1 song in chart history, is on top on both sides of the Atlantic (1968)... The BBC bans the Rolling Stones' single 'Star Star' from the Goat's Head Soup LP because it contains the word 'starfucker' in the chorus a dozen times (1973)... The New York Dolls announce that the group is disbanding (1974)... Bob Dylan releases the live album Hard Rain (1976)... The № 1 song in America is Michael Sembello's 'Maniac' from the Flashdance soundtrack (1983)... Nirvana's single 'Smells like Teen Spirit' is released in the US. Its rapid ascent to the top of the charts is often considered the point at which alternative rock entered the mainstream (1991)... An electric chair which was used in Alcatraz and was once owned by Andy Warhol sells for £4,800 at an auction in Bristol, England. Warhol reportedly often sat in the chair when watching horror films, and when listening to the recordings in progress of his protegés The Velvet Underground... In honour of his 80th birthday, John Lee Hooker holds a live chat on MSN. Topics discussed include his latest album, the nightclub he plans to open in San Francisco, his upcoming star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in addition to various musings on his 5-decade career (1997)... Paul McCartney makes the front page of tabloids after being photographed at an NYC party minus one of his front teeth after a crown broke off when he was eating. He had lost the tooth in a motorcycle accident in 1967 (1999)... MTV, VH1 and several other cable music channels simultaneously broadcast 'ReAct Now: Music & Relief', a 4 1/2 hr. long concert to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Sir Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Emmylou Harris are the headliners amongst the numerous acts (2005)... A harmonica once owned by Bob Dylan sells for £2,700 at an auction in Norfolk, England, more than four times the initial suggested price. The singer had presented the Hohner instrument to a member of the wardrobe department on his 1974 US tour. Lifelong Dylan connoisseur and Norfolk resident John Fellas wears RayBans while outbidding fans from across the world. The inside of the harmonica case is signed and dedicated by Dylan. After the auction, Fellas tells reporters that he is on his way to a pub in order to get up the courage to tell his wife what he has done (2009).

 

September 9th

 

Musical birthdays today include former Blues Project guitarist Danny Kalb (83), R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp (80), ex-Iron Butterfly keyboardist Doug Ingle (79), ex-Paul Revere & the Raiders guitarist Freddy Weller (78), groupie Pamela Des Barres (77), Doobie Brothers guitarist John McFee (75), Dave Stewart (73), Michael Bublé (50) and Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Elvin Jones, born 0n this day in 1927... for Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers founding member Joe Negroni, who would have been 85... for Otis Redding, who would have been 84... for Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer, who would have been 77... for bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, who died on this date in 1996... and for guitar maker Ernie Ball, who left us today in 2004. 

Also on September 9: Wagner begins composing the music to Lohengrin (1846)... Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash meet for the first time, after a show given by the former at a shopping center opening in Memphis (1954)... Elvis makes his debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show (1956)... 'She Loves You', which will remain the Beatles' biggest-selling single in the UK, is at № 1 on the British charts today. 'Please Please Me' is also the № 1 album (1963)... The Rolling Stones top the UK charts with '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'. As Keith Richards later told the story, he recorded a rough version of the song's famous riff in a Florida hotel room. He ran through it once before falling asleep. He said "When I listened back to it in the morning, there was about 2 minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear me drop the pick, and then 40 minutes of me snoring" (1965)... The Beatles record 'Helter Skelter' at Abbey Road studios. John plays bass and honks on a saxophone, roadie Mal Evans tries his hand at the trumpet, and George runs around the studio with a flaming ashtray on his head as Paul records the lead vocal (1968)... John Lennon releases the album Imagine (1971)... David Bowie appears on Marc Bolan's ITV show 'Marc' performing 'Heroes' as well as a duet with Bolan on 'Standing Next to You', which is prematurely terminated when Bolan falls from the stage, much to Bowie's amusement. After the show the pair record demos together that will never be finished, as Bolan is killed in a car crash a week later (1977)... In Dublin, U2 open for the Stranglers at the Top Hat Ballroom. Since the headliners and their entourage have taken up both dressing rooms, Bono and his bandmates must make all pre-show preparations behind the speaker stacks on stage (1978)... Both Sting and Phil Collins make their live solo debuts at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball concert in London (1981)... Al Green and Patti LaBelle open on Broadway in the gospel musical 'Your Arms Too Short to Box with God' (1982)... New Kids on the Block have the № 1 album in America today with 'Hangin' Tough' (1989)... Krist Novoselic of Nirvana knocks himself unconscious during the VMAs when he is hit on the head with his guitar after throwing it up in the air (1992)... After 22 years of marriage, Jane Petty files for divorce from husband Tom (1996)... Liverpool City Council announce plans to demolish Ringo Starr's birthplace because it has 'no historical significance'. The house in the Dingle is one of 460 dwellings scheduled for demolition as part of an urban regeneration project. A spokesman for the council says the members decided that Madryn Street had no significance because Ringo spent only the first three months of his life there... A 3-day international conference on the life, work and influence of Bruce Springsteen opens at Monmouth University in New Jersey. The proceedings include live acts as well address by rock critics and music industry representatives. Among the 150 papers presented are 'Bruce Springsteen and American Folklore', 'Springsteen and Dylan's Dreamscapes', 'Born to Run at 30' and 'New Jersey and the Boss and the Bible' (2005). 

September 8th

 Musical birthdays today include Dokken drummer Mick Brown (69), Great White keyboardist Michael Lardie (67), Aimee Mann (65), ex-Fine Young Cannibals bassist David Steele (65), ex-Bad Religion drummer Jay Ziskrout (63), former Genesis guitarist Ray Wilson (57), singer-songwriter Neko Case (55), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (50) and Pink (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Antonin Dvořák, born on this day in 1841... for early country star Jimmie 'The Yodeling Brakeman' Rogers, born in 1897... for conductor Christoph von Dohnányi, born in 1929... for Patsy Cline, born in 1932... for Grateful Dead founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKiernan, who would have been 80... for former Cars bassist and singer Benjamin Orr, who would have been 78... and for composer Richard Strauss, who left us on this day in 1949. 

Also on September 8: Ray Charles has his first recording session for the Atlantic label (1952)... Eddie Cochran signs his first contract, with Liberty Records (1956)... The Beatles perform 'Hey Jude' on the TV show Frost on Sunday in front of an invited audience, many of whom will gather around the musicians to join in on the extended refrain that ends the song... The opening act for the nascent Led Zeppelin's latest Danish gig, at Raventlow Park in Nykobing, is The Ladybirds, an all-girl topless go-go dancing outfit (1968)... In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated with a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Mass, A Theater Piece (1971)...  Mott the Hoople release their breakthrough album All the Young Dudes (1972)... Marvin Gaye has the № 1 song in the US today with 'Let's Get It on' (1973)... Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y and the Beach Boys headline the 'Somersault '74' festival at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY... Recent RISD graduates and future Talking Heads David Byrne, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz move into a loft together in Manhattan's SoHo (1974)... Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English leave Paul McCartney & Wings (1977)... Led Zeppelin score their 8th UK № 1 album when In through the Out Door tops the charts (1979)... Elton John delivers a vast collection of costumes and concert props to Sotheby's of London, who will eventually auction off the items ~ including the oversized boots that the singer wore in Ken Russell's film of The Who's Tommy ~ for some $6.2 million (1988)... To promote their reissued back catalogue, Led Zeppelin release 'Whole Lotta Love' as their first ever single in Britain (1997)... Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson starts a day job when he qualifies as an airline pilot. He lands a £35,000 a year job with Astreus, a small airline ferrying holiday makers from the UK to Egypt and Portugal (2002)... David Bowie performs the first interactive concert when his performance is beamed live into 21 cinemas from Edinburgh to Warsaw. Audience members talk to Bowie via microphones hooked up to ISDN lines and are asked by the singer to request songs (2003)... Jury selection begins for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors are required to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determine their level of knowledge of the case (2009)... Sir Paul McCartney is made a member of the Légion d'Honneur in a ceremony at the Elysée Palace by French president François Hollande for his contributions to music (2012).

September 7th

 

Musical birthdays today include Sonny Rollins (95), country singer Ronnie Dove (90), composer Olly Wilson (87), R&B singer Benny Latimore (86), Gloria Gaynor (76), Chrissie Hynde (74), Benmont Tench (74), Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians co-founder Brad Houser (65), rapper Sean 'Slug' Daley (53), and 12 Stones frontman Paul McCoy (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for dixieland jazz trumpeter Max Kaminsky, born on this day in 1908... for session guitarist and arranger Al Caiola, born in 1920... for easy listening pianist Arthur Ferrante, born in 1921... for ex-Weavers vocalist Ronnie Gilbert, born in 1926... for Buddy Holly, who would have been 89... for Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who would have been 64... for Keith Moon, who died of a drug overdose today in 1978 at the age of 32... for former Beatles and Byrds publicist Derek Taylor, who passed away in 1997... for Warren Zevon, who died in 2004.... and for Mac Miller, who left us today in 2019.

Also on September 7: Mary Carr Moore's Narcissa, the first grand opera by an American woman, has its premiere in Seattle with Moore herself at the podium [since she was unable to find any conductor willing to take on an opera composed by a woman] (1925)... Already well established as an artist on the Billboard country chart, Hank Williams has his first crossover Top 40 hit with 'Lovesick Blues' (1949)... Tenor saxophonists Al Cohn and Zoot Sims join John Coltrane and his usual sidemen for a jam session at the Van Gelder Studio. The recordings will be released under the title Tenor Conclave (1956)... Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's single 'Positively 4th Street' (1965)... Hank Mobley, The Rolling Stones and Traffic are in the audience as the Doors make their London debut at the Playhouse Theatre. The sold out gig is also filmed by Granada TV (1968)... Led Zeppelin make their live debut [though still billed as the New Yardbirds] in the gymnasium of a Danish high school in the Copenhagen suburb of Gladsaxe. Teen Club president Lars Abel introduces the lead singer to the 1,200 spectators as 'Robert Platt'. The band receive rave reviews in the local press (1968)... At London's Trident Studios, David Bowie begins the sessions for what will become The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' album. The character of Ziggy was inspired by Bowie's meeting with British rock 'n' roll singer Vince Taylor, who after a breakdown believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien (1971)...  Topping the charts in the US is Abba's 'Dancing Queen', the group's only American № 1 single (1976)... Sid Vicious kicks off his solo career with a gig at Max's Kansas City in NYC (1978)... Siouxie and the Banshees release their second album, Join Hands (1979)... Berlin have the № 1  song in the US with 'Take My Breath Away' (1986)... Pink Floyd launch the Momentary Lapse of Reason world tour in Ottawa, CA, even though the absent Roger Waters has threatened to sue the promoters if the band perform under the Floyd name (1987)... Michael Jackson kicks off the HIStory tour with a concert in Letna Park, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The 82 shows will be attended by some 4.5 million fans worldwide... Tupac Shakur is shot on the Las Vegas strip (1996)... The Jackson Five are reunited with their brother at Madison Square Garden for a 30th anniversary show, as Michael performs live in the US for the first time in 11 years. Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Eminem, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child also join in the music-making (2001)... A World Health Organization study shows that rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as the rest of the population. The organization says the problem is so bad that the industry should be labelled a 'high risk profession' (2007). 

September 6th

Musical birthdays today include composer Joan Tower (87), country singer David Allan Coe (86), former Blood, Sweat & Tears horn player Dave Bergeron (83), Roger Waters (82), multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick O'Hearn (71), country singer Mark Chesnutt (62), House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers (62), Alice in Chains lead singer William DuVall (58), ex-Scissor Sisters drummer Paddy Boom (56), Cardigans lead singer Nina Persson (50) and Atomic Kitten vocalist Kerry Katona (44). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Jimmy Reed, born on this day in 1925... for Kool & the Gang co-founder Claydes Charles Smith, who would have been 77 today... for Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan, who would have been 54.. for producer Tom Wilson, who died on this date in 1978... for Grand Ole Opry stalwart Ernest Tubb, who died in 1984... for Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, who passed away in 1990... for session pianist Nicky Hopkins, who died in 1994... and for Luciano Pavarotti, who left us today in 2007.

Also on September 6: Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito premieres in Prague (1791)... At the Municipal Auditorium in Montgomery, AL, 19-year-old Hank Williams, working as a roadie for country singer Hardrock Gunter, sings two numbers spontaneously when he goes on stage to retrieve the star's guitar. The impromptu performance brings the house down (1943)... Jerry Lee Lewis' contract with Sun Records expires. The star opts not to renew his deal, signing instead with Smash Records, a subsidiary of the Chicago-based Mercury label (1963)...  D.A. Pennebaker's Bob Dylan documentary 'Don't Look Back' has its New York premiere at the 34th Street East Theater (1967)... As the Beatles continue to work on the White Album, Eric Clapton adds the guitar solo to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and George lays down his lead vocal (1968)... Jimi Hendrix makes his final live appearance, at a festival on the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn (1970)... The album The Place I Love by the group Splinter becomes the first release on George Harrison's new label, Dark Horse Records. Harrison himself also contributed slide guitar work to the record (1974)... The Jam are at № 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Start!' (1980)... № 1 in the US today is Bananarama's 'Venus' (1986)... The NFL's Steelers are forced to move practice to the University of Pittsburgh when The Rolling Stones take over Three Rivers Stadium to prepare for an upcoming concert (1989)... At Camden yards in Baltimore, Bruce Hornsby and Branford Marsalis perform the Star Spangled Banner before the Orioles' game in which Cal Ripken appears in his 2,131st consecutive contest, eclipsing the record held by Lou Gehrig (1995)... Elton John performs a new version of 'Candle in the Wind' at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey. The broadcast of the event is seen by some 2.5 billion people worldwide, and the rewrite of the singer's 1973 tribute to Marilyn Monroe will go on to become the biggest-selling single of all time (1997)... Earth, Wind & Fire announce that Viagra will be sponsoring their upcoming 30th anniversary US tour (2001)... Morrisey causes controversy after claiming that the Chinese are a 'sub-species' because of the way they treat animals. In an interview with the Guardian, the former Smiths frontman says "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a sub-species" (2010).

September 5th

 

Musical birthdays today include Al Stewart (80), Loudon Wainwright III (79), King Crimson saxophone and winds player Mel Collins (78), ex-Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson (76), Racer X bassist Juan Alderete (62),Rage against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk (57), Dweezil Zappa (56), and Twiztid rapper Jamie Spaniolo (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Cage, born on this date in 1912... for former songwriter and Kingston Trio member John Stewart, who would have been 85 today... for Freddie Mercury, who would have been 79... for drummer Buddy Miles, who would have been 78... for bluesman Josh White, who died on this date in 1969... and for Nashville guitarist [and session player on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde] Joe South, who left us today in 2012.

Also on September 5: Verdi's first comic opera, Un giorno di regno [King for a Day] premieres at La Scala in Milan. The work is so poorly received that it will not be performed at the venue again until 2001 (1840)... Elvis Presley surprises his mother with the gift of a pink Cadillac. The car remained in the family and is on display at Graceland today (1956)... The Animals begin a 3 week run at № 1 the Billboard Top 40 with House of the Rising Sun. When the single was initially released, the record company printed the playing time on the label as 3 minutes rather than the actual 4 for fear that radio stations would be reluctant to play such a lengthy song (1964)... The Rolling Stones record 'Get Offa My Cloud' at RCA Studios in Los Angeles (1965)... In Almeria Province, Spain, John Lennon begins filming his role as Private Gripweed in the Richard Lester black comedy How I Won the War (1966)... At Abbey Road Studios, the Beatles begin work on I Am the Walrus, recording 16 takes of the basic backing track (1967)... In one of her final studio sessions, Janis Joplin records the version of Kris Kristofferson's 'Me and Bobby McGee' that will become a № 1 hit after her death (1970)... On their first ever visit to the UK, The Doors perform 'Hello I Love You' on Top of the Pops (1968)... Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is seriously injured in a car crash in Florida (1976)... Soft Cell hit № 1 on the UK singles charts with 'Tainted Love'. The song was originally a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. Jones, who became Marc Bolan's girlfriend in the 1970s, was the driver of the car that crashed and killed the T-Rex singer on the 15th of September, 1977. Jones survived the accident (1981)... ABC-TV announces that American Bandstand, on the air since 1957, has been cancelled (1987)... Aerosmith score the first US № 1 single of their 28-year career with 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' from the soundtrack of the film Armageddon... In Britain, the top single is Manic Street Preachers' 'If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next'. They are the first Welsh act to go to № 1 on the British charts since Shakin' Stevens in 1985. The song is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest title for a № 1 hit without parentheses (1998)... Arctic Monkeys win this year's UK Mercury Prize for their album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The Sheffield-based band's album sets a new record for fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release in February (2006)... A study of more than 36,000 people from around the world concludes that musical tastes and personality type are closely related. The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, suggests classical music fans are shy, while heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves. Fans of Indie music have low self-esteem and are not hard working, fans of rap and hip-hop have high self-esteem and are outgoing. Country & Western fans are hardworking and outgoing, Reggae fans are creative but not hardworking, and fans of chart pop have high self-esteem, are not creative, but are hardworking and outgoing.

September 4th

Musical birthdays today include Merald 'Bubba' Knight [elder brother of Gladys and member of the Pips] (83), ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Gary Duncan (79), fusion saxophonist Dave Liebman (79), Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers (74), W.A.S.P. guitarist Blackie Lawless (69), Soundgarden lead guitarist Kim Thayil (65), Rudimentary Peni frontman Nick Blinko (64), ex-Pussycat Dolls vocalist Carmit Bachar (51), Beyoncé (44) and Asking Alexandria lead singer Danny Worsnop (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Anton Bruckner (b. 1824) and Darius Milhaud (b. 1892)...  for jazz trumpeter and band leader Gerald Wilson, born in 1918... for Mitzi Gaynor, born in 1931... for guitarist Danny Gatton, who would have been 79 today... for Russian punk rock pioneer Yanka Dyagileva, who would have been 58... for composer Edvard Grieg, who died on this date in 1907... for jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Barnet, who left us in 1991... for country singer Dottie West, who was killed in a road accident at the age of 59 on the same day.... and for Badfinger drummer Charlie Gibbin, who died in his sleep at the age of 56 in 2006. 

Also on September 4: To coincide with the release of his second single 'Good Rockin' Tonight', Elvis Presley makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Audience reaction is so poor that Opry manager Jim Denny advises Elvis to go back to driving a truck (1954)... The Beatles' first formal session at Abbey Road Studios takes place. They record six tracks, including 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' (1962)... The Animals make their US live debut at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, NY (1964)... While the group are at the Battersea Dogs Home to buy a guard dog, the Who have their van stolen. The vehicle, which is carrying £5000 worth of equipment, will be recovered in a few days (1965)... The Bee Gees top the British charts for the second time with 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You'. The song is about a man who, while awaiting execution in the electric chair, begs the prison chaplain to pass along a final message to his wife... The Beatles film promotional videos for 'Hey Jude' and 'Revolution' at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals are dubbed live over pre-recorded instrumental tracks in order to get around the current British Musicians Union ban on lip-synch performances. For 'Hey Jude', the group are accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and some 300 fans and extras on the refrain... In the wake of recent rioting at the recent Democratic National Convention in the city, Chicago city authorities announce a ban on sales and radio airplay of the Rolling Stones' single 'Street Fighting Man' (1968)... The film Easy Rider has its UK premiere at London's Classic Cinema (1969)... Paul McCartney has his first stateside № 1 as a solo artist with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey'... The New York Times reports that Sly Stone is being sued by his Lower East Side landlord for 'repeatedly attracting loud, noisy and boisterous persons to the building' (1971)... At a Wishbone Ash concert in Houston, TX, a concessionaire named Francisco Caruso is stabbed to death by a fan whom he refused a free sandwich (1972)... John and Yoko appear on Jerry Lewis' annual muscular dystrophy telethon (1972)... Queen's eponymous debut album is released in the US (1973)... The Bee Gees go to № 1 on the US charts with 'You Should Be Dancing'. It is the group's first foray into the disco form, and their first song in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto... The Sex Pistols make their television debut when they appear on the Manchester-based Granada TV program So It Goes (1976)... Paul Simonon, bassist for the supposedly arch-political Clash, says in an interview with the NME "I didn't even know who was prime minister until about a month ago" (1977)... Fela Kuti is jailed by the Nigerian government on a currency smuggling charge and sentenced to 2 years. Amnesty International designates him a prisoner of conscience, and begin a campaign for his release, which will come after 20 months (1984)... The day after getting his driving license back after a 5-year suspension, Gregg Allman is arrested in Florida on a DUI charge (1986)... The departure of drummer Mike Joyce marks the official end of The Smiths. The group had been heading for a split ever since the July departure of guitarist Johnny Marr, whose replacement had proved unsatisfactory (1987)... Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and the Stone Roses all record tracks for the War Child charity album, proceeds from which will go to children caught up in the current war in the former Yugoslavia (1995)... At the Virgin Megastore in central London, Cat Stevens autographs copies of his first album in 18 years, The Life of the Last prophet, a spoken-word album praising Allah. The album was released under his present name of Yusuf Islam (1996)... Kelly Clarkson is voted the first American Idol winner (2004)... The first guitar torched by Jimi Hendrix on stage, a Fender Stratocaster which he set on fire at the end of a show at the Astoria, Finsbury, N. London in 1967, goes for £280,000 at an auction of rock memorabilia. Also on the block is a copy of the Beatles' first management contract from 1962, signed by all four members of the group ~ it goes for £240,000 (2008)... The friends and family of Michael Jackson pay their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles (2009). 

September 3rd

 

Musical birthdays today include Beach Boy Al Jardine (83), original Thin Lizzy lead guitarist Eric Bell (78), Grand Funk Railroad drummer Don Brewer (77), Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones (70), pop singer Jennifer Paige (52), LMFAO co-founder Stefan 'Redfoo' Gordy (50), rapper B.G. [né Christopher Dorsey] (45), and Sum 41 bassist Jason McCaslin (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Memphis Slim and Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt, both born on this day in 1915... for Western Swing singer Hank Thompson, born in 1925... for Outlaw Country star Tompall Glaser, born in 1933... for Canned Heat founder and original lead singer Alan Wilson, who died today in 1970 at the age of 27... for Keith Harwood, studio engineer noted for his work with Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and who was killed in a road accident today in 1977... and for 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' composer Johnny Marks, who left us today in 1985. 

Also on September 3: The № 1 single in America is The Mitch Miller Singers' 'Yellow Rose of Texas', written in 1853 (1955)... Following a pattern that is becoming familiar, a Rolling Stones concert in Chicago ends in a riot after 30 fans jump onto the stage and the band members flee (1965)... Donovan tops the American charts with 'Sunshine Superman' [also a № 2  hit in the UK], which features the guitar work of session man Jimmy Page (1966)... After a two week absence, Ringo rejoins The Beatles. He finds his drum kit covered with flowers to welcome him back (1968)... A notice in the latest issue of Rolling Stone announces that the Bob Dylan bootleg album The Great White Wonder has now sold some 350,000 copies (1969)... Arthur Brown is arrested at the Pop '70 Festival in Palermo, Italy, after the singer sets his hat alight during the performance of his hit 'Fire' and strips naked on the stage. He will spend 4 days in solitary confinement before being released (1970)... Fleetwood Mac release the album Future Games, their first record to feature Christine McVie and American guitarist Bob Welch as full-time members (1971)... Bill Wyman, Ron Wood, David Bowie and Keith Moon are among the members of the all-star band recruited to play Peter Sellers' 50th birthday party in Los Angeles (1975)... The 3-day Us festival, bankrolled by Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak, opens in San Bernardino, CA. Headliners include The Police, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Talking Heads, the Kinks and the Ramones. David Bowie, who receives $1 million for his one-hour set, is widely criticized after it is revealed that he paid each member of his backing band $350 (1982)... The № 1 single in the UK is UB 40's 'Red Red Wine', a cover of Neil Diamond's 1968 Top 40 hit. When the single is finally released in the US in 1988, it will top the charts there as well (1986)... Ike Turner is released from prison after serving 18 months of a 4-year sentence for drug and weapons possession. The singer claims in an interview with Variety soon thereafter that he has spent upwards of $10 million on cocaine over the years (1988)... Crosby, Stills and Nash release After the Storm. After 25 years with Atlantic Records, it is their final album of new material for the label (1994)... The Rolling Stones 40th anniversary '40 Licks' Tour kicks off in Boston, MA (2002)... Sir Cliff Richard stuns the music world by choosing not to renew his contract with EMI Records, signing with Eminem's label Universal Music instead. Sir Cliff had sold more than 250 million records with EMI during his 46-year career (2004)... The Rolling Stones perform for 89,620 fans at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site near Moncton NB, making it the largest crowd for a musical event in Canadian history (2005)... Hundreds of Paris Hilton albums are found tampered with in record shops throughout the UK in the latest stunt by 'guerilla artist' Banksy. The provocateur replaced the American socialite turned singer's CD with his own remixes, giving them titles such as 'Why Am I Famous?' and 'What Have I Ever Done?' He had also changed pictures of Hilton on the CD sleeve to show her topless and with a basset hound's head (2006)... Internal emails sent by the promoters of Michael Jackson's planned 2009 comeback tour are published, and see them voice concerns about the singer's stability, both physical and mental. In one of them, sent the day the King of Pop arrived in London to announce his This Is It shows, he is described as 'an emotionally paralysed mess'. The singer had locked himself in his hotel room and was said to be drunk and despondent (2012). 

September 2nd

Musical birthdays include early rock and roll singer Jimmy Clanton (87), Martha & the Vandellas vocalist Rosalind Ashford (82), Caravan drummer Richard Coughlin (78), ex-ELO violinist Mik Kaminski (74), Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazare (59), MC Chris (50), and Panic! at the Disco drummer Spencer Smith (38).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for folk singer & songwriter Tom Glazer, born today in 1914... for Brazilian jazz guitarist and samba pioneer Laurindo Almeida, born in 1917... for jazz pianist Horace Silver, born in 1928... for former Mingus sideman Clifford Jordan, born in 1931... for Impressions founding member Sam Gooden, born in 1934... for Billy Preston, who would have been 79... for longtime New York Metropolitan Opera director Sir Rudolf Bing, who died on this date in 1997... and for Starship lead guitarist Mark Abrahamian, who left us today in 2013 at the age of 46. 

Also on September 2: On tour in the USA, the Beatles play Philadelphia's Convention Hall. After the show, John Lennon, unaware of the city's recent history of racial tensions, is heard to express surprise that the audience of 13,000 was entirely white (1964)... The Doors record their first demos at World Pacific Jazz Studios in Los Angeles, cutting six original Jim Morrison songs... The Beatles release 'Yesterday' as a single in the US, where it will top the charts (1965)... The № 1 single in the UK today is Rod Stewart's 'You Wear It Well' (1972)... George Harrison marries Olivia Arias at the Henley-on-Thames registry office (1978)... Teddy Pendergrass announces that only women will be admitted to concerts on the tour to promote his latest album 'Life Is a Song Worth Singing' (1978)... The Human Rights Now! world tour kicks off at London's Wembley Stadium with Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Sting and Youssou N'Dour on the bill (1988)... Ozzy Osbourne is arrested on charges of threatening to kill his wife Sharon. All charges will be dropped after the couple reconcile [and Ozzy does a court-ordered stint in rehab] (1989)... Michael Jackson becomes the first artist in the history of the Billboard Top 40 singles chart to debut at № 1, with 'You Are Not Alone'... Following yesterday's ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by Yoko Ono and Little Richard, the opening festivities for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH are capped with a 7-hour concert with Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen and many others on the bill (1995)...  Burglars break into Björk's London home while the singer is asleep. The intruders make off with valuable recording equipment without rousing her (2002)... During NBC's Concert for Hurricane Relief, the ever-irrepressible Kanye West attacks President George W. Bush for not responding quickly enough to the recent flooding in New Orleans, saying "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (2005).

September 1st

Musical birthdays today include ex-Sly and the Family Stone drummer Greg Errico (79), Barry Gibb (79), drummer Russ Kunkel (77), former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton (70), Gloria Estefan (68), Toto lead singer Joseph Williams (65), Franco-Tunisian pop singer Lââm (54), Scissor Sisters multi-instrumentalist Scott 'Babydaddy' Hoffman (49), Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman (41), and Tokio Hotel's Bill and Tom Kaulitz (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Johann Pachelbel [of Canon in D fame], born on this date in 1653... for composer Engelbert Humperdinck, born in 1854... for jazz great Art Pepper, born today in 1925... for Conway Twitty, born in 1933... for former Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Seiji Ozawa, who would have been 90 today... for jazz-funk keyboardist Don Blackman, who would have been 72... for French horn virtuoso Dennis Brain, killed in a one-car crash today in 1957 at the age of 36... for Delta bluesman R.L. Burnside, who died on this day in 2005... for former Echo & the Bunnymen keyboardist Jake Brockman, killed in a motorcycle accident today in 2009... and for lyricist Hal David, who left us today in 2012. 

Also on September 1st: Atlantic Records buy Ray Charles' contract from the Swingtime label, where the pianist had been recording in the mellower style of Nat King Cole (1952)... An aspiring 19-year-old singer/pianist named Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at the Sun Studios in Memphis to ask for an audition. Told that owner Sam Phillips is on vacation in Florida, Lewis records some demos that Phillips will hear when he returns (1956)... James Brown makes his debut appearance on the popular ABC-TV music program Shindig! Booker T and the MGs are also on the bill (1965)... The Byrds open an 11-night run at L.A.'s Whiskey-A-Go-Go (1966)... The Beatles hold a meeting at Paul McCartney's house in London to decide upon a course of action following the death of manager Brian Epstein. They decide to postpone a planned trip to India to begin work on the Magical Mystery Tour film for TV (1967)... Blondie sign their first major label contract, with Chrysalis Records... Bob Dylan takes a 5-year lease on a rehearsal space in Santa Monica, CA that he subsequently christens Rundown Studio. It will be an important centre for much of Dylan's late '70s and early '80s musical activity (1977)... U2 release their very first record, an EP entitled U2-3. With an initial run of 1,ooo individually numbered copies, it will be available only in Ireland (1979)... Fleetwood Mac wrap up a 9-month world tour with a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. After the final encore, Lindsay Buckingham tells the crowd "This is our last show for a long, long time" (1980)... Mick Jones is sacked by the Clash, whose other three members accuse him of 'drifting away from the original concept of the group' (1983)... Tina Turner has her first solo US № 1 single with What's Love Got to Do with It. The song was originally written in the late '70s, and was passed on by Cliff Richard and Donna Summer before finding a home with Turner (1984)... Louis Armstrong is honoured on a US postage stamp. Wynton Marsalis and sideman perform at the official launch in New Orleans (1995)... The № 1 single in the UK is Atomic Kitten's cover of the 1980 Blondie hit The Tide Is High (2002).