March 23rd

Musical birthdays today include Groundhogs frontman Tony McPhee (82), composer Michael Nyman (82), singer-songwriter David Olney (78), Chaka Khan (73), Wet Wet Wet lead singer Marti Pellow (61), Blur lead singer Damon Albarn (58), and Seether drummer John Humphrey (56). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for operatic bass-baritone Norman Bailey, born on this day in 1933... for Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, who would have been 82... for Mentors drummer Eldon 'El Duce' Hoke, who would have been 68 ... for English cabaret singer-songwriter Donald Swann, who died on this date in 1994... for longtime Beatles road manager and personal assistant Neil Aspinall, who passed away in 2008... and for David Eric Lowen of the songwriting team Lowen & Navarro [best remembered for the Pat Benatar hit 'We Belong'], who left us today in 2012. 

Also on March 23rd: 25-year-old Antonio Vivaldi is ordained as a priest in Venice (1703)... Bach's St. Mark Passion is performed for the first time in Leipzig at Good Friday Vespers (1731)... With King George II in attendance, Handel's Messiah has its London premiere. At the close of the Hallelujah Chorus, the King leaps to his feet, establishing a  tradition (1743)... RCA Records release Elvis Presley's eponymous debut album (1956)... John Lennon's book of verse and stream of consciousness prose 'In His Own Write' is published in the UK (1964)... The film of The Concert For Bangladesh featuring George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton premieres in New York. The event is the first benefit concert of this magnitude in rock history. The concert raised $243,418.51 for Bangladesh relief, which was administered by UNICEF. Sales of the album and DVD continue to benefit the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF (1972)... King Crimson release the LP Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)... Cher is at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Dark Lady' (1974)... Elvis kicks off what will turn out to be his last tour ever with a show at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ (1977)... The Smiths make their London debut with a show at The Rock Garden (1983)... Billy Joel marries Christie Brinkley on a yacht moored alongside the Statue of Liberty... Former CCR frontman John Fogerty goes to № 1 on the Billboard album chart with Centerfield (1985)... Janet Jackson signs a $16 million deal with Virgin Records (1992)... Pete Townshend tells Uncut magazine that he regrets ever forming The Who. "What would I have done differently? I would never have joined a band. Even though I am quite a good gang member and a good trooper on the road, I am bad at creative collaboration" (2011).

March 22nd

Musical birthdays today include Jeremy Cly singer James House (71), The Mighty Wah! frontman Pete Wylie (68), soul singer Beverley Knight (53), Limp Bizkit drummer John Otto (49), and Danity Kane vocalist Shannon Bex (46). 

lShoutout to the Great Beyond for Stephen Sondheim, born on this day in 1930... for Yardbirds lead singer Keith Relf, who would have been 83 today... for McCoys bassist Randy Jo Hobbs, who would have been 78... for composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, who died on this date in 1687... for banjo player & early Grand Ole Opry star Uncle Dave Macon, who died in 1952... for Kingston Trio founding member Dave Guard, who passed away in 1991... for former Bill Haley & the Comets guitarist Billy Williamson, who died in 1996... and for Foghat guitarist Rod Price, who left us today in 2005. 

Also on March 22nd: The Great Opera House of Frankfurt is destroyed in an RAF air raid (1944)... En route to New York for an appearance on the Perry Como Show, the car that Carl Perkins in travelling in is involved in an accident. Carl sustains injuries that will keep him in hospital for several months, while his brother Jay, who is driving, is killed (1956)... Ornette Coleman goes into Atlantic Studios in NYC with his sidemen. Unusually, Coleman is playing the tenor saxophone rather than his usual alto, so the album that will emerge from the session today and from one five days from now will be called, unsurprisingly, Ornette on Tenor. It is also Jimmy Garrison's last date with the group before leaving to join John Coltrane's quartet (1961)... 19-year-old Barbra Streisand makes her Broadway debut in the original production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale, at the Schubert Theater (1962)... The Beatles' debut album Please Please Me is released in Britain (1963)... Bob Dylan's transitional album Bringing It All Back Home is released (1965)... Led Zeppelin start a six-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with Physical Graffiti, the group's fourth chart-topping LP. On its first day of release in the US, the album shipped a million copies – no other album in the history of Atlantic records had generated so many sales. Physical Graffiti has since been certified 16 times Platinum by the RIAA (1975)... The Police sign their first contract with A&M Records (1978)... The Rutles' 'All You Need Is Cash', an affectionate mockumentary spoofing The Beatles' career, is broadcast for the first time on NBC (1978)... Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)' is the № 1 single in the US... In the UK, the Jam's latest single 'Going Underground' debuts at the top of the chart for their first № 1 in their home country (1980)... With the L.A. Latino punk rockers The Plugz as his backing band, Bob Dylan appears on the David Letterman Show, performing the Sonny Boy Williamson classic 'Don't Start Me Talking', along with 'License to Kill' and 'Jokerman' from his latest album Infidels... Queen film the video for ‘I Want To Break Free’ at Limehouse Studio in London. Directed by David Mallet, it is a parody of the British soap opera Coronation Street, with the band members dressed in drag. Guitarist Brian May will later say that the video, which is initially banned by MTV, ruined the band in America (1984)... Polygram Records officially announce that Tears for Fears have split up (1992)... Puff Daddy scores his first US № 1 with 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down' (1997)... Yusuf Islam, i.e. the former Cat Stevens, joins the campaign to preserve a law banning the 'promotion of homosexuality' in UK schools. He praises peers in the House of Lords for fighting the government's plans to scrap Section 28, as the measure is officially known (2000)... A new book claims that Elvis Presley's ancestors came from a small village called Lonmay in N.E. Scotland. Author Allan Morrison says he found evidence that the King's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was married in the village 300 years ago (2004).

March 21st

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Amina Myers (84), multi-instrumentalist David Lindley (82), former Sly & the Family Stone singer & keyboardist Rose Stone (81), Mungo Jerry frontman Ray Dorset (80), Eddie Money (77), ex-Supertramp lead singer Roger Hodgson (76), former Stylistics lead singer Russell Thompkins, Jr. (75), House of Love singer & guitarist Guy Chadwick (70), Stray Cats drummer James McDonnell AKA Slim Jim Phantom (65), Ace of Base songwriter & producer Jonas Berggren (59), Prodigy rapper Keith Palmer AKA Maxim Reality (59), Dope lead singer Brian Ebejer AKA Edsel Dope (52), Kaiser Chiefs keyboardist Nick Baines (48), Outlawz rapper Rufus Cooper III AKA Young Noble (48), Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley (46), and Saturdays vocalist Rochelle Humes (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Modeste Mussorgsky, born on this day in 1842... for Appalachian traditional musician Bascom Lamar Lunsford, born in 1882... for Son House, born in 1902... for jazz pianist 'Sir' Charles Thompson, born in 1920... for bouzouki virtuoso Manolis Chiotis, born in 1920 [and who died on his birthday in 1970]... for Otis Spann, born in 1931... for Solomon Burke, who would have been 84... for Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band co-founder & songwriter Vivian Stanshall, who would have been 81... for Leo Fender, founder of the musical instrument corporation bearing his name, who died on this date in 1991... for Bobby Short, who passed away in 2005... and for gospel singer Loleatta Holloway, who left us in 2011. 

Also on March 21st: Beethoven's final string quartet, Op. 130 in Bb, is premiered in Vienna by the Schuppanzig Quartet (1826)... Richard Strauss conducts the Wetzler Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in the world premiere of his Simfonia Domestica (1904)... Kate Smith records the original version of 'God Bless America' (1939)... The Beatles play their first ever evening show at the Cavern Club, as the opening act for The Swinging Blue Jeans (1961)... At Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Eric Dolphy sitting in, Andrew Hill records the album Point of Departure for Blue Note... 'She Loves You' replaces 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' as the № 1 song in the US, the latter having held the top spot for the last 7 weeks (1964)... Al Green's debut album Back Up Train is released (1967)... The Faces, formed from the ashes of The Small Faces and The Jeff Beck Group, release their first album, First Step (1970)... Following a riot by David Cassidy fans at the singer's performance on 'Top of the Pops', the BBC imposes an indefinite ban on appearances on the show by acts whose fans the network deem to be composed primarily of teenage girls (1973)... 14 years into their career, REO Speedwagon's first US Top 40 hit is a № 1, 'Keep on Lovin' You' (1981)... Bob Dylan and his new band convene in NYC for their final rehearsal before their appearance on the David Letterman Show tomorrow night... Strawberry Fields, an area in Central Park bought by Yoko Ono as a memorial to her husband, opens to the public (1984)... Released just 12 days ago, U2's The Joshua Tree is already the № 1 album in both the US and the UK. It is also the first album ever to sell a million copies in the CD format (1987)... Bruce Springsteen wins the Best Song Oscar for 'Streets of Philadelphia' (1994)... Blur join Simply Red and R.E.M. as the only acts to have 4 UK № 1 albums in the '90s, when their new release 13 tops the chart (1999)... Michael Jackson's interior decorator tells The Times of London newspaper that the singer keeps 17 life size dolls, in both adult and child sizes, all fully dressed in his bedroom for 'company' (2000)... In an online poll organized by Yahoo!, Ozzy Osbourne is named favourite ambassador to welcome aliens to planet earth. The 55-year-old singer came top of a poll asking people whom they would want to represent them to alien life. The inquiry into the wishes of internet users was carried out following the discovery of signs of water on Mars. Ozzy won 26 per cent of the vote, while Simon Cowell came in last on the list, with just three per cent. A spokesman for Yahoo! News said: "As the world waits desperately for signs of alien life, we decided to ask our users who they thought was best suited for this most auspicious of roles. Ozzy is a great choice but I'm not sure what the Martians would make of his individual approach to the English language" (2004)... A five-year legal row over the use of the Beach Boys' name is settled by two former members of the group. Mike Love had argued he was the only person allowed to perform under the name of the band and sued Al Jardine, whom he claimed was appearing as an unlicensed Beach Boys act. Mr Jardine's lawyer says "a friendly settlement" has been reached that allows them to focus on the talent and future of this iconic American band (2006).

March 20th

Musical birthdays today include reggae producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry (90), rockabilly singer Robin Luke (84), Carl Palmer (76), Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Jimmy Vaughn (75), ex-James lead guitarist Adrian Oxaal (61), rapper Byron Thomas AKA Mannie Fresh (57), and Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos (54).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bandleader & singer Ozzie Nelson, born on this day in 1906... for classical pianist Sviatoslav Richter, born in 1915... for Vera Lynn, born in 1917... for  bandleader Larry Elgart, born in 1922... for blues singer Marva Wright, who would have been 78 today... for Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington, who would have been 50... for French film score composer Georges Delerue, who died on this date in 1992... for operatic mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens, who passed away today in 2013... and for Kenny Rogers, who left us four years ago today. 

Also on March 20th: Bartók's Fourth String Quartet is premiered by the Waldbauer Quartet in Budapest (1929)... Following the lifting of a Musicians' Union ban on TV performances, Eugene Ormandy conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Beethoven's 5th live on CBS in the first symphony concert to be televised in the United States. 90 minutes later, NBC carries Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra performing compositions by Richard Wagner live at Carnegie Hall (1948)... Elvis begins his first recordings since being discharged from the Army. A 12-hour session in a Nashville studio produces his next single, 'Stuck on You'. Scotty Moore and Bill Black, who quit the King's touring band in 1957, are with him in the studio for the last time (1960)... At CBS Studios on 30th St. in Manhattan, Hank Mobley plays his only date with the Miles Davis Quintet, one of three sessions that will produce the album Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)... The Beatles appear live on the UK television program Ready Steady Go!, lip-synching to ‘It Won't Be Long’, ‘You Can't Do That’, and ‘Can't Buy Me Love’. They are also presented with a special award from Billboard, in recognition of The Beatles having the top three singles on the US chart simultaneously... Motown Records release Meet the Temptations, the group's debut album (1964)... Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Richie Furay and Jim Mesina, are all arrested in Los Angeles for 'being at a place where it was suspected marijuana was being used.' Clapton is later found innocent, while the others pay small fines (1968)... John Lennon and Yoko Ono are married at the British Consulate in Gibraltar (1969)... David Bowie and Angela Barnett are married at the Beckenham Registry Office in London (1970)... Janis Joplin goes to № 1 on the US singles chart posthumously with 'Me and Bobby McGee' (1971)... The management of the London Palladium cancel a show by Lou Reed on the grounds of the singer's current 'punk appearance'... T-Rex play their final gig at the Locarno in Portsmouth, Hants. (1977)... 28-year-old Joseph Riviera holds up the Asylum Records office in NYC at gunpoint and demands to see either Jackson Browne or The Eagles. Riviera wants to talk to them to see if they will refinance his failing trucking operation. He flees the scene when told that neither act is in the office, but surrenders to police a short distance away (1980)... Joan Jett & the Blackhearts begin a 7-week run at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll' (1982)... Gloria Estefan's tour bus is rammed by a tractor-trailer on the way to a concert. Emilio Estefan and their son Nayib receive cuts and bruises, while Gloria sustains a serious back injury which will require surgery two days later (1990)... Eric Clapton's four year old son Conor falls to his death from the 53rd story of a New York City apartment building after a housekeeper who is cleaning the room leaves a window open. The boy was in the custody of his mother, Italian actress Lori Del Santo, and the pair were visiting a friend's apartment. Clapton was staying in a nearby hotel after taking his son to the circus the previous evening. The tragedy inspires his song ‘Tears in Heaven’... Michael Jackson signs a $1 billion contract with Sony (1991)... Geri Halliwell tops the British charts for the third time with her single 'Bag It Up'. It makes the former Spice Girl the first woman in UK chart history to have 10 № 1 hits (2000)... The Daily Mail newspaper reports that Robbie Williams has become a priest.  He was ordained via the Internet by the non-denominational Universal Ministries and officiated the wedding of Billy Morrison of The Cult and Jennifer Holliday (2002).

March 19th

Musical birthdays today include R&B singer Clarence 'Frogman' Henry (89), singer-songwriter Richard Dobson (84), cellist Myung-wha Chung (82), Ruth Pointer (80), jazz pianist Chris Brubeck (74), Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan (73), Specials lead singer Terry Hall (67), singer-songwriter Gary Jules (57), rapper Bernard Freeman AKA Bun B (53), and Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Broadway musicals singer Patricia Morison, born on this day in 1915... for early country singer Martha Carson, born in 1921... for former Zombies guitarist Paul Atkinson, who would have been 79 today... for original B-52's guitarist Ricky Wilson, who would have been 72... for Free lead guitarist Paul Kosoff, who died on this date in 1976... for Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads, who was killed in a private plane crash today in 1982 at the age of 25... for French horn player Alan Civil, who passed away in 1989... for Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone, who died of a drug overdose today in 1990 at age 24. (The remaining members of the band would go on to form Pearl Jam)... and for Luther Ingram, who left us in 2007. 

Also on March 19th: Haydn's oratorio Die Schöpfung [The Creation] premieres in Vienna (1789)... Charles Gounod's opera Faust has its premiere at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris (1859)... Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite is performed for the first time in St. Petersburg, with the composer himself conducting (1892)... In NYC, the Met gives Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov its first American performance (1913)... Bob Dylan's self-titled debut album is released by Columbia Records (1962)... UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson presents The Beatles with their awards for show business personalities of the year for 1963 at London's Dorchester Hotel (1964)... Britain's Tailor and Cutter Magazine runs an article asking The Rolling Stones to start wearing ties. The current fashion does not include wearing ties with shirts, and many tie-makers are facing financial ruin. Mick Jagger says of the appeal, "The trouble with a tie is that it could dangle in the soup. It is also something extra to which a fan can hang when you are trying to get in and out of a theatre (1965)... Jethro Tull's album Aqualung is released (1971)... Jefferson Airplane re-name themselves and become Jefferson Starship. The new line-up includes Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, drummer Johnny Barbata, David Freiberg, Peter Kaukonen, Craig Chaquico and Papa John Creach (1974)... The J Geils Band are at № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Centerfold'. Roxy Music occupy the top spot in the UK with 'Jealous Guy' (1981)... The second Beatles Anthology series is released. The album features 'Real  Love', a track the remaining members of the Beatles recorded using an old demo track of John Lennon's. The song was first recorded by Lennon in 1977 with a handheld tape recorder on his piano at home; it originated as part of an unfinished stage play that Lennon was working on at the time entitled 'The Ballad of John and Yoko' (1996)... Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell's London home is broken into. The intruders leave obscene notes on the walls, steals the singer's computer and hi-fi, and throws milk and Ribena fruit drink on the walls. They also steal a necklace that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor (2001)... 50 Cent becomes the first solo artist to have three singles in the US Top 5. 'Candy Shop' is at № 1, with 'How We Do' by The Game, (a member of his G-Unit group) at № 4 and 'Disco Inferno' at № 5 (2005)... Shakira is set to become the first pop star to release a single only in the form of a mobile download. The singer's forthcoming release 'Hips Don't Lie' will not be issued in the US as a CD or as a download via the internet but will be available to phone users connected to Verizon (2006).

March 18th

Musical birthdays today include musical theatre composer John Kander [best known for Cabaret and Chicago] (99), former Doobie Brothers drummer John Hartman (76), session guitarist Bernie Tormé (74), Irene Cara (67), ex-Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart (65), singer-songwriter James McMurtry (64), Alice in Chains lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell (60), ex-Lush guitarist Miki Berenyi (59), Dana Owens AKA Queen Latifah (56), Evan and Jaron Lowenstein (52), original Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender (52), Sutton Foster (51), ex-LFO vocalist Devin Lima (49), Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine (47), Trevor Powers AKA Youth Lagoon (37), and multi-instrumentalist and composer Dylan Mattingly (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, born on this day in 1844... for country singer-songwriter Lester 'Smiley' Burnette', born in 1911... for jazz trumpeter Pat Halcox, born in 1930... for Wilson Pickett, who would have been 84... for Alan Parsons Project founder Eric Woolfson, who would have been 80... for Procol Harum drummer B.J. Wilson, who would have been 79... for The Mamas and the Papas co-founder John Phillips, who died in 2001... and for Chuck Berry, who left us today in 2018. 

Also on March 18th... Arnold Schoenberg's string sextet Verklärte Nacht, considered one of the most influential pieces in  early 20th century orchestral music, premieres in Vienna... In a Milan hotel room, Enrico Caruso makes the first surviving recording of classical opera. He sings 109 arias for The Grammophone Company and is paid $5000 (1902)... 
In NYC, the Met performs its first opera by an American composer, The Pipe of Desire by Frank Shepherd Converse (1910)... Frank Sinatra makes his first studio recording, a demo of the song 'Our Love' with The Frank Mane Band (1939)... At A&R Studios in NYC, Stan Getz, João Gilberto and collaborators hold the first of two days of sessions that will become the Getz/Gilberto album, the success of which is credited with launching the international popularity of the bossa nova style (1965)... The UK music magazine New Musical Express announces that former Spencer Davis Group lead vocalist Steve Winwood is planning to form a new group with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. [The ensemble  choose the name Traffic]... The Beatles score their 13th US № 1 single with the double A-side 'Penny Lane'/'Strawberry Fields Forever' (1967)... Neil Young hits № 1 in America with 'Heart of Gold', his only stateside Top 20 as a solo performer to date. Meanwhile, Paul Simon's eponymous debut solo effort is at the top of the album chart... T-Rex play the first of two sold-out shows at Wembley's Empire Pool. Ringo Starr films the gig for the Apple documentary 'Born to Boogie' (1972)... The Clash release their first UK single, 'White Riot' (1977)... The Bee Gees have the top 3 entries on the US singles chart, with 'Night Fever' at № 1, '(Love is) Thicker Than Water', written by brother Andy at № 2, and 'Emotion' by Samantha Song written and produced by The Bee Gees at № 3 (1978)... After having produced the sessions for his Empire Burlesque album himself, Bob Dylan makes what is to many the surprising announcement that he has asked hip hop producer Arthur Baker to do the final mix (1985)...  A radio station in Fresno, CA announces that it has arranged to have all of its Cat Stevens records destroyed by having a steamroller run over them;  the former singer, now a convert to Islam, recently made remarks in an appearance at a British university that were widely interpreted as supportive of the Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against Salman Rushdie (1989)...
After attending an in-store promo appearance at Dublin's Virgin Megastore, the four members of U2 are fined £500 each after being found guilty of selling condoms in the establishment illegally (1991)... At the 100 Club in London, the Sex Pistols announce that they are reuniting nearly 20 years after their split (1996)... The remains of the Notorious B.I.G. are laid to rest in Inglewood, NJ (1997)... During a promotional appearance by British boy band A1 in a record store in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta,  four girls are killed and two others seriously injured when the crowd breaks into a stampede (2001)... Eddie Vedder inducts The Ramones into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (2002)... Courtney Love exposes her breasts during an appearance on David Letterman's TV talk show. The singer, who has her back to the audience, flashes the host while singing the song Danny Boy. After the taping, she goes on to perform a surprise gig at the Plaid nightclub in Manhattan, where she is alleged to have injured a spectator by throwing a microphone stand into the crowd. Ms. Love is charged with assault and reckless endangerment (2004)... Organisers of an attempt to reunite 19 people who watched The Beatles play in a town hall in 1963 receive claims from 24 people who said they were there. Billy Shanks is helping to lead the search for the audience members of the gig in Dingwall, Ross-shire, Scotland 48 years earlier. He said that some who turned up thought the music was rubbish and left to join an audience of 1,200 watching a local band in nearby Strathpeffer (2011)... David Bowie's first album in a decade becomes the fastest seller of the year, hitting the No.1 spot in the UK in its first week of release. The Next Day is the 66-year-old's first № 1 since 1993's Black Tie White Noise, and has sold 94,000 copies in the first week (2013).

March 17th

Musical birthdays today include John Sebastian (82), former War drummer Adam Brown (80), producer Patrick Adams (76), ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham (75), former L.A. Guns lead singer Paul Black (67), ex-Altered Images lead singer Claire Grogan (64), VALIS frontman Van Conner (59), Billy Corgan (59), former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur (54), Corrs drummer Caroline Corr (52), The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins (51), and Last Shadow Puppets guitarist Miles Kane (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Sayed Darwish, [often called the Father of modern Egyptian popular music], born on this day in 1892... for Nat King Cole, born in 1919... for  jazz flautist Paul Horn, born in 1930... for '60s pop star Adam Wade, born in 1935... for former Platters vocalist Zola Taylor, who would have been 87... for Jefferson Airplane guitarist Paul Kantner, who would have been 85... for The Call frontman Michael Been, who would have been 76... for Boyzone vocalist Stephen Gately, who would have been 50... for ex-Traffic and Blind Faith bassist Ric Grech, who died on this date in 1990 at the age of 43... for longtime ABBA drummer Ola Brunkert, who was found dead in his Majorca home with his throat cut today in 2008 ~ he was 62... and for former Box Tops lead singer Alex Chilton, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on March 17th: In Warsaw, 20-year-old Frédéric Chopin makes his concert debut. Among the pieces on the program is the composer's own Piano Concerto in f minor (1830)... Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin premieres in Moscow (1879)... Elvis buys the Graceland mansion from Mrs. Ruth Brown-Moore for $102,500. The original building was at one time a place of worship, and was given its name by the Graceland Baptist Church (1957)... With Rudy Van Gelder producing, John Coltrane has his final studio session, recording the title track for Expression, the last album he approved for release before his death... Harpist Sheila Bromberg becomes the first woman to play on a Beatles recording when she adds her part to the Sgt. pepper track 'She's Leaving Home'... The Grateful Dead's eponymous debut album is released (1967)... The Bee Gees make their US television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show (1968)... Eric Weissberg & Deliverance go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Duellin' Banjos' (1973)... U2 win £500 and a chance to audition for CBS Ireland in a talent contest in Dublin (1978)... Van Halen's 'Jump' hits № 1 in the US. Over the years, David Lee Roth has given various explanations of the lyrics, but has most often said they came to him while watching live TV news coverage of a man threatening to kill himself by leaping off a building (1984)...  Ray Davies receives his CBE medal from the Queen at Buckingham Palace (2004)... The Smiths, who split acrimoniously in 1987, turn down a $5 million offer from the promoters of Coachella  to reunite for a one-off performance at this year's festival (2006)... John Lennon and George Harrison are honoured with a blue Heritage Plaque at the site of the former Apple Boutique at 94 Baker St., London (2013).

March 16th

Musical birthdays today include former Jordanaires vocalist Ray Walker (92), free jazz guitarist Keith Rowe (86), Kazakh accordionist & composer Ramzan Paskayev (79), Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson (75), Nancy Wilson (72), William Drayton, Jr. AKA Flavor Flav (67), Dokken drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (63), Scooter frontman H.P. Baxxter (62), Tracy Bonham (59), Mountain Goats lead singer John Darnielle (59), R&B and soul singer Tiffany Cobb AKA Blu Cantrell (50), and Wolfgang Van Halen (35). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for New Orleans Rhythm Kings clarinetist Leon Roppolo, born on this day in 1902... for jazz trumpeter Reuben 'Ruby' Braff and operatic soprano Christa Ludwig, both born in 1928... for jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan, born in 1930... for singer-songwriter Fred Neil [best remembered for 'Everybody's Talkin'], who would have been 89... for Jerry Jeff Walker, who would have been 84... for Tammi Terrell, who died of a malignant brain tumour on this day in 1970 at the age of 24... for T-Bone Walker, who died in 1975... for former Bonham lead singer Daniel McMaster, who passed away in 2008... and for former Spinners vocalist Bobby Smith, who left us today in 2013.

Also on March 16th: Handel's oratorio Theodora premieres at Covent Garden (1750)... The NY Philharmonic are the first orchestra to play Anton Bruckner's 4th Symphony (1888)... At Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack, NJ, Miles Davis records the final tracks on what will become the album Collectors' Items (1956)... The Platters are at № 1 in both Britain and America with 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' (1959)... 
The Beatles set a new record for advance sales in the US with 2.1 million copies of their latest single 'Can't Buy Me Love' (1964)... The Rolling Stones have their first UK № 1 with a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards when 'The Last Time' tops the chart (1965)... The Beatles finish shooting the 'ski lift' segment of Help! in Innsbruck, Austria (1966)... 
 Fleetwood Mac, The Move, Amen Corner, Peter Sarstedt, The Tymes, Harmony Grass and Geno Washington all appear at 'Pop World 69' at London's Wembley Empire Pool (1969)... Simon and Garfunkel win both Song and Album of the Year at the Grammys, for Bridge over Troubled Water (1971)... John Lennon is served with a deportation order by the US Immigration & Naturalization Service, and immediately lodges an appeal with the New York office (1972)... Elvis plays live in Memphis for the first time since 1961 when he kicks off a four-night residency at the Mid-South Coliseum (1974)... After being with the label for just six days, The Sex Pistols are fired from A&M due to pressure from the company's other artists and its Los Angeles head office. 25,000 copies of 'God Save The Queen' were pressed and the band made £75,000 ($127,500) from the deal... Pink Floyd play the first of 5 sold-out nights at the Empire Pool, Wembley, performing their new album Animals in its entirety (1977)... The Who release Face Dances, their first album since the death of Keith Moon (1981)... MTV America launches a contest to give away Jon Bon Jovi's childhood home in Perth Amboy, NJ (1989)...  Seven members of country singer Reba McEntire's band and her road manager are among 10 people who are killed when their private jet crashes in California just north of the Mexican border. McEntire, who had given a private concert in San Diego for IBM employees the night before, was not on the plane (1991)... In Buenos Aires, The Ramones play what they say will be their final live show (1996)... The Hollies are inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame along with Genesis and ABBA... A previously unknown Led Zeppelin recording from the group's 1971 gig at  St Matthew's Baths Hall in Ipswich is unearthed at a rummage sale. The bootleg copy of the audio from the group's gig on November 16th 1971 was picked up for just "two or three pounds" by music fan Vic Kemp. "I was going through a stand of CDs at the car boot at Portman Road and the guy who was selling them said, 'You might be interested in this,'" Kemp told the Evening Star. "It must have been recorded by someone standing at the front with a microphone. You can hear Robert Plant talking to the audience quite clearly" (2010).

March 15th

Musical birthdays today include ex-Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (86), Mike Love (85), Ry Cooder (79), Howard Devoto (74), former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider (71), Terence Trent D'Arby (64), Poison lead singer Bret Michaels (63), Kennedy Gordy AKA Rockwell (62), Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath (58), producer & Black Eyed Peas singer William Adams AKA will.i.am (51), Linkin Park DJ & sampler Joe Hahn (49), and rapper & Ca$hville Records president David Darnell Brown AKA Young Buck (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Lightnin' Hopkins, born on this day in 1912... for Harry James, born in 1916... for jazz clarinetist and band leader Bob Wilber, born in 1928... for drummer & former Elvis sideman D.J. Fontana, born in 1931... for Brill Building songwriter Howard Green [best remembered for 'Breaking up Is Hard to Do' and 'Everybody's Somebody's Fool'), who would have been 88... for Sly Stone, who would have been 83 today... for Lester 'Prez' Young, who died on this date in 1959... for saxophonist and band leader Bud Freeman, who passed away in 1991... and for rapper Nathaniel Hale AKA Nate Dogg, who left us in 2011. 

Also on March 15th: Beethoven himself conducts the premiere performance of his 4th Symphony at a charity benefit in Vienna (1807)... 22-year-old Enrico Caruso makes his debut, singing the lead tenor role in Domenico Morelli's comic opera L'Amico francesco at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples (1895)...Elvis Presley signs his first management contract with Colonel Tom Parker... Atlantic Records release the Ray Charles single 'I Got a Woman', often considered the first modern soul music track (1955)... 'My Fair Lady' premieres on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theater (1956)... Coleman Hawkins' The Hawk Flies High is released (1957)... In Palermo, Luciano Pavarotti sings his first lead role, as the Duke in Rigoletto (1962)... The first session for the recording of George Harrison's new song ‘Within You Without You’ takes place at Abbey Road. George is the only Beatle to perform on this song, which still does not have a title. Harrison played the swordmandel and tamboura, Natver Soni plays tabla, Amrat Gajjar played dilruba, P.D. Joshi plays swordmandel, and Rashna Pranamawath plays the droning tamboura (1967)... Cream's final original album Goodbye goes to № 1 in the UK... Janis Joplin gets her first Rolling Stone cover (1969)... DJ Robert Morgan at radio KHJ in Los Angeles plays the Donny Osmond single 'Puppy Love' for 90 minutes straight until police, alerted by listeners that something might be wrong at the station, burst into the studio. The officers leave without making any arrests, but urge Morgan to change the record (1972)... Roberta Flack has the № 1 single in the US with 'Killing Me Softly with His Song', while Elton John has the top album with Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player (1973)... The five original members of The Band release their final studio album Islands (1977)... Bob Dylan is inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame at the 13th annual dinner held at the Hilton Hotel in NYC. After the ceremony, Dylan gives a short interview to Jane Hansen which is broadcast by NBC-TV (1982)... The Bangles are at № 2 on the singles charts in both the US and the UK with 'Manic Monday' ~ ironically, the song fails to reach the top spot on either side of the Atlantic because of 'Kiss' by Prince, who wrote the Bangles' hit under the pseudonym 'Christopher' (1986)... Mick Jagger kicks off his first ever solo tour with three shows in Osaka, Japan. The show is mostly made up of Rolling Stones songs, including some that Jagger has not performed live in years, e.g. 'Bitch', 'Gimme Shelter', 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'Sympathy for the Devil', as well as the Jimi Hendrix song 'Foxy Lady' (1988)... The Stones sign a $70 million deal to play 50 North American dates later in the year. It is the most lucrative tour contract in rock history to date (1989)... Bruce Springsteen is inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame by Bono (1999)... Sir Paul McCartney confirms that he and Heather Mills have now become an 'item' (2000)... Yoko Ono unveils a seven foot bronze statue of John Lennon overlooking the check-in hall of the newly renamed Liverpool John Lennon airport. The hall also receives the addition of a mural of the former Beatle's face that includes the words 'Above Us Only Skies' (2002).

March 14th

Musical birthdays today include Chicago saxophonist & winds player Walter Parazaider (81), singer-songwriter Jona Lewie (77), country singer Jann Browne (72), ex-Ministry drummer Rey Washam (65), session drummer Michael Bland (57), classical pianist Mei-Ting Sun (45), and Taylor Hanson (43). Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Georg Philipp Telemann, born on this day in 1681... for bandleader Les Brown, born in 1912... For folksinger Lee Hays, born in 1914... for bandleader Les Baxter, born in 1922... for DJ and songwriter [best remembered for 'Sea of Love'] Phil Phillips, born in 1931... for Quincy Jones, born in 1933... for former Ohio Players guitarist Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner, who would have been 82 today... for jazz pianist & film score composer Roy Budd, who would have been 79... for songwriter Jerome 'Doc Pomus' Felder [best remembered as the lyricist to 'Save the Last Dance for Me' and 'This Magic Moment'], who died on this date in 1991... for French chansonnier Alain Bashung, who passed away in 2009... and for country singer Jack Greene, who left us today in 2013. Also on March 14th: Schubert's String Quartet in D, the only chamber work given a public performance in the composer's lifetime, premieres in Vienna (1824)... At the Savoy Theatre in London, Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado is performed for the first time (1885)... At the Met, legendary basso Fyodor Chaliapin gives his final American performance in a production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov (1929)... Art Pepper convenes the first of the three sessions that will become the album 'Art Pepper + Eleven'. It will be the only outing of the saxophonist [who also plays clarinet here] as a big band ensemble leader (1959)... For the third night in a row on The Beatles' current UK tour, John Lennon is sidelined with a cold (1963)... The promotional film for 'Lady Madonna' is broadcast on 'Top of the Pops'. The Beatles were actually performing 'Hey Bulldog' when the clip was shot, but the footage was synched with 'Lady Madonna' for release (1968)... In Amsterdam, The Jimi Hendrix Experience tape a live concert for the Dutch TV show 'Fan Club (1969)... Elton John has the № 1 song in America with 'Crocodile Rock' (1973)... Eric Clapton is hospitalised with a bleeding ulcer, causing his upcoming US tour to be cancelled. The guitarist will be back in hospital five weeks from now after a car crash (1981)... Metallica make their live debut at Radio City in Anaheim, CA (1982)... Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Alec John Such form Bon Jovi (1983)... Joe Jackson releases Body and Soul... Annie Lennox marries Hare Krishna Radha Raman (1984)... R.E.M. play the first of two nights at London's Borderline Club, billing themselves as 'Bingo Hand Job' (1991)... Peter Blake, who designed and photographed the iconic Sgt. Pepper album cover, files suit against EMI Records for more money. Blake accepted £200 for the job in 1967, but is now "cheesed off" that the record company has never offered him any additional royalties or bonuses (2001)... Michael Jackson is blasted by UK veterans for wearing British Army badges and insignia while on trial for child abuse in California. The singer has appeared in court most days with either an Army motif on his breast pocket or an officer's cap badge tied around his neck (2005)... Phil Blake of UK indie outfit Redtrack returns to his career as the bassist with the band after undergoing a pioneering operation to reattach his hand which was hacked to the bone in a machete attack. Blake thought he would never play guitar again after a teenage robber sliced through his arm when he refused to hand over his mobile phone (2010).

March 13th

Musical birthdays today include songwriter Mike Stoller (93), Neil Sedaka (87), soul & gospel singer Candi Staton (86), producer Marshall Chess (84), classical violinist Emmy Verhey (77), U2 bassist Adam Clayton (66), jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard (64), rapper Lonnie 'Common' Lynn (54), and Disturbed lead singer David Draiman (53). Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman and songwriter Sammy Kaye, born on this day in 1910... for jazz drummer Roy Haynes, born 100 years ago today... for country singer Jan Howard, born in 1929... for jazz singer 'Scatman' John Larkin, who would have been 84 today... for choral composer and spiritual arranger Moses Hogan, who would have been 69... for reggae & ska musician Alexander 'Judge Dread' Hughes, who died on this date in 1998... for sitar virtuoso Vilayat Khan, who passed away in 2004... and for Grateful Dead soundman, roadie and LSD supplier Owsley 'Bear' Stanley, who left us today in 2011. Also on March 13th: Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor receives its premiere performance in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist (1845)... Wagner's Tannhäuser is performed in Paris in a version substantially revised from its original 1845 form (1861)... Arnold Schoenberg's opera Moses and Aaron premieres as a broadcast on German radio 3 years after the composer's death (1954)... The Recording Industry Association of America [RIAA] introduces its gold and platinum awards for record sales (1958)... Cannonball Adderley records Know What I Mean?, a collaboration with Bill Evans, at Bell Sound Studios in NYC (1961)... Eric Clapton quits The Yardbirds, citing musical differences... In America, The Beatles' 'Eight Days a Week' goes to № 1(1965)... Rod Stewart leaves the British blues band Steampacket to go solo... Pink Floyd make their first appearance at the Marquee Club in London (1966)... At Abbey Road, six members of Sounds, Inc. add the horn parts to The Beatles' 'Good Morning' (1967)... David Cassidy plays the first of 10 sold out UK shows at the Bell Vue King's Hall in Manchester (1973)... Iggy Pop and David Bowie kick off a joint North American tour at Le Plateau in Montreal with Blondie as their opening act (1977)... Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1987)... Eric Clapton starts a three-week run at № 1 on the US album chart with his Unplugged session for MTV. Topping the UK listings is Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz (1993)... At 53, Cher becomes the oldest woman to score a US № 1 single when 'Believe' tops the chart (1999)... True to form, The Sex Pistols refuse to attend their own induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. While Blondie, Herb Alpert and Black Sabbath all turn up at the Waldorf Astoria hotel to acknowledge the honour, the Pistols post a handwritten note on their website calling the institution 'Urine in wine', adding 'We're not your monkeys. We're not coming. You're not listening'... Rolling Stone reports that The Kinks were last year's top earners among artists whose music was used in American advertising, the group grossing some $11 million (2006)... Michael Jackson refinances his Neverland ranch after being given one week to pay the $25 million he owed on the property or have it foreclosed on and sold at auction (2008).

March 12th

Musical birthdays today include composer Dimitri Terzakis (88), Liza Minelli (80), James Taylor (78), Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne (77), Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris (70), Marlon Jackson (69), Venice lead singer Kipp Lennon (66), Blur lead guitarist Graham Coxon (57), Eternal vocalist Kéllé Bryan (51), Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez (48), Pete Doherty (47), singer-songwriter Holly Williams (45), and McFly lead singer Danny Jones (40). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for one-man band musician Jesse Fuller, born on this day in 1896... for Statler Brothers singer & guitarist Lew DeWitt, who would have been 87 today... for Al Jarreau, who would have been 86... for songwriter [best remembered for 'Old Time Rock 'n' Roll' and 'The Only Way Is up'] and R&B singer George Jackson, who would have been 81... for Pope Gregory I, credited as the inventor of the Gregorian chant, who died on this date in 604... for Elizabethan composer John Bull, who wrote the tune for 'God Save the Queen', and who died today in 1628... for composer Charles-Marie Widor, who passed away in 1937... for Charlie Parker, who died in 1955... for conductor Eugene Ormandy, who died in 1985... for violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin, who died in 1999... and for former Dave Brubeck drummer Joe Morello, who left us today in 2011. 

Also on March 12th: Child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin celebrates his 10th birthday by making his public debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, performing Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole in the concertmaster's chair (1926)... The Beatles play the Granada Cinema in Bedford, but John Lennon, suffering from a bad head cold, is unable to perform. Paul then rearranges the group's set so that he and George can sing the parts that John usually contributes (1964)... The Velvet Underground & Nico is released (1967)... The Rolling Stones begin recording 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' at Olympic Studios in London (1968)... Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman are married at the Marylebone registry office and then hold a reception lunch at the Ritz Hotel. Paul then goes back to work at Abbey Road... On the same day, George and Patti are arrested with 120 marijuana joints in their possession (1969)... The Allman Brothers record the first of two shows at the Fillmore East, NYC. The tapes will be the basis of their Fillmore East album, the band's commercial breakthrough (1971)... John Lennon makes tabloid headlines after creating a disturbance at the Troubador Club in Los Angeles. He and Harry Nilsson drunkenly heckle the performance of the Smothers Brothers until the duo's manager objects. The former Beatle then punches him before he and Nilsson are both forcibly shown the door (1974)... The Sex Pistols are involved in a brawl at London's Speakeasy Club with Bob Harris, presenter of BBC 2's 'The Old Grey Whistle Test', with the result that one of the show's engineers needs 14 stitches in his head. Two days later, Harris' solicitors contact Derek Green at A&M, the band's record label. Harris has the same manager as Peter Frampton, one of the label's top acts. Green discusses the matter with the company's two founders, Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert, and the decision is made to cancel the Pistols' contract and halt production of the bands first single, 'God Save The Queen' (1977)... Bow Wow Wow are forced to cancel the opening dates of their UK tour when the Greater London Council state that the group's lead singer, 15-year-old Anna Lwin, will be charged with truancy (1981)... U2 score their first UK № 1 album with War. Meanwhile, Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' sit atop the singles chart (1983)... Rick Astley is at № 1 in both Britain and the USA with 'Never Gonna Give You up' (1988)... R.E.M. release Out of Time (1991)... Oasis play the Le Bateau club in Liverpool before an audience of 20 people (1993)... The RIA publishes the results of a poll of American musicians, critics and fans asked to named the Song of the Century. Judy Garland's 'Over the Rainbow' is the top choice (2001)... Muddy Waters' 34-year-old daughter Rosalind Morganfield surrenders herself to police after a warrant is issued charging her with the 1996 murder of 19-year-old Timothy Jason Harrington during a drug deal (2004)... Hundreds of fans queue at the O2 arena in London as Michael Jackson tickets go on sale to the public. The 50-year-old King of Pop has confirmed he will be playing a 50-date residency at the venue beginning on the 8th of July. Some 360,000 pre-sale tickets have already sold. Organisers say the This Is It tour has become the fastest-selling in history, with 33 seats sold each minute. Prices range from £170 to £10,000, but tickets bought directly from the singer's website cost up to £75. Jackson has said that this will be the last time he performs in the UK (2009)... Bob Dylan is voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, marking the first time a rock musician has been chosen for the honour. Officials in the Academy ~ which recognises music, literature and visual art ~ were unable to decide if Dylan belonged for his words or his music, and instead induct him on an honorary basis like previous new members Meryl Streep, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese (2013).

March 11th

Musical birthdays today include Tejano accordionist Flaco Jimenez (87), former Canned Heat guitarist Harvey Mandel (81), Vanilla Fudge lead singer Mark Stein (79), Golden Earring frontman George Kooymans (78), Bobby McFerrin (76), Nighthawks Orchestra leader Vince Giordano (74), producer Jimmy Iovine (73), Statler Brothers guitarist & singer Jimmy Fortune (71), Nina Hagen (71), Cheryl Lynn (69), ex-Big Country guitarist Bruce Watson (65), producer Andy Sturmer (61), Lisa Loeb (58), Black Sabbath keyboardist Adam Wakeman (52), Good Charlotte frontmen Benji & Joel Madden (47), and ex-Amen and Beat Union drummer Adam Johnson (45). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Henry Cowell, born on this day in 1897... for Lawrence Welk, born in 1903... for French song & dance man Claude Francois, who died on this date in 1978... for blues harmonica great Sonny Terry, who passed away in 1986... and for singer-songwriter Jack Hardy, who left us today in 2012.

Also on March 11th: Franz Josef Haydn conducts the premiere of his 92nd Symphony in London, also the composer's first appearance on a British concert stage (1792)... In Berlin, a 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn conducts the first performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in nearly 80 years. The concert is a great success, and is credited with sparking the Bach revival, the composer having fallen into complete obscurity since his death in 1750 (1829)... Verdi's 'Rigoletto' premieres at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice (1851)... The NY Metropolitan Opera performs its first [and to date only] opera composed by a woman, Ethel Smyth's 'Der Wald' (1903)... As the filming of 'A Hard Day's Night' continues, The Beatles spend the day shooting the 'I Should Have Known Better' sequence on a soundstage at Twickenham Studios made to look a train guard's cage (1964)... Tom Jones hits № 1 in the UK for the first time with 'It's Not Unusual' (1965)... This week's edition of the ITV show 'Ready Steady Go' is devoted entirely to the music of James Brown (1966)... The Beatles' publisher Dick James reports that 450 versions of 'Yesterday' have now been recorded (1967)... The 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' single goes gold in the US exactly 3 months after Otis Redding's death (1968)... Crosby, Stills & Nash win a Grammy for best New Artist. On the same day, the album Deja Vu, with Neil Young now on board as well, is released (1970)... Jim Morrison arrives in Paris and checks into the Hotel George V. He will stay there for a week before moving into what will prove to be his final digs at 17, rue Beautreillis in the Marais quarter (1971)... Neil Young's Harvest tops the album charts in both the US and Britain (1972)... Kate Bush's debut single 'Wuthering Heights' begins a 4-week run at № 1 on the UK charts. Bush had had to contend with the insistence of EMI Records that 'James and the Cold Gun' be the lead single from her first album A Kick Inside (1978)... Oasis record their first demos at The Real People's Studio in Liverpool (1993)... Jarvis Cocker walks free from Kensington police station after prosecutors drop charges against the Pulp lead singer for his 'stage invasion' during Michael Jackson's performance at the Brit Awards on the 19th of February (1996)... The front door of Ozzy Osbourne's childhood home in Birmingham goes up for sale because the present owner of the house is tired of fans defacing it. Ali Mubarrat, who now resides in the house in Lodge Road, Aston, says that over the years it has become a destination of pilgrimage, and that he is going to auction the original door off on eBay, the proceeds to be given to charity (2005)... Madonna is inducted into the US Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame by Justin Timberlake. In her acceptance speech, the 49-year-old pop diva thanks her detractors, including "...those who said I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder." Leonard Cohen, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Ventures and The Dave Clark Five follow her into the Hall tonight (2008).

March 10th

Musical birthdays today include bluegrass musician & Nashville session player Norman Blake (88), Jan & Dean co-founder Dean Torrance (86), former Boston lead guitarist Tom Scholz (79), Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris (71), jazz & popular singer Jeanie Bryson (67), ex-Belly bassist Gail Greenwood (66), Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament (63), producer Rick Rubin (63), Neneh Cherry (62), Edie Brickell (60), Rival Schools frontman Walter Schreifels (57), Ashes of Ares lead singer Matthew Barlow (56), Breaking Benjamin frontman Benjamin Burnley (48), and Carrie Underwood (43). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Mozart opera librettist Lorenzo da Ponte, born on this day in 1749... for composer & violin virtuoso Pablo de Saraste, born in 1844... for composer Arthur Honegger, born in 1892... for jazz pioneer Bix Beiderbecke, born in 1903... for composer & pianist Muzio Clementi, who died on this date in 1832... for Andy Gibb, who passed away in 1988... for Molly Hatchet original lead singer Danny Joe Brown, who died in 2005... for operatic soprano Anna Moffo, who died in 2006... and for Keith Emerson, who left us today in 2016...

Also on March 10: Mozart premieres his own Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major at the Burgtheater in Vienna (1785)... Members of the Met company perform excerpts and famous arias for a broadcast by NBC flagship station W2XBS at Rockefeller Center, the first time anywhere that opera is shown on television (1940)... RCA Records take out a half page ad in Billboard Magazine claiming that Elvis is 'The new singing rage' (1956)... A teenage duo from Queens, NY calling themselves Tom and Jerry have their first single, 'Our Song', released by Big Records. The pair will become better known in the following decade under their real names of Simon and Garfunkel (1957)... Ornette Coleman, along with Don Cherry and other sidemen, complete the recording of Tomorrow Is the Question! at Contemporary Studios in L.A. (1959)... Miles Davis finishes Sketches of Spain at Columbia's 30th St. Studios in NYC (1960)... Simon & Garfunkel record the original version of 'Sounds of Silence' accompanied only by Paul Simon's acoustic guitar (1964)... Bob Dylan wraps up the recording of Blonde in Blonde in Nashville, completing 'Obviously Five Believers', 'I Want You' and 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35' ~ the latter two destined to be hit singles ~ in a marathon all-night session (1966)... At 7 AM, on an improvised trestle table set up outside Buckingham Palace, The Sex Pistols sign with A&M Records. The contract will last 6 days (1977)... The Buzzcocks release their debut studio album, Another Music in a Different Kitchen (1978)... Gloria Gaynor goes to № 1 on both sides of the Atlantic with 'I Will Survive' (1979)... Alanis Morissette takes home five Juno Awards, including Best Album of the Year for Jagged Little Pill (1996)... Chrissie Hynde is arrested at a midtown Manhattan branch of the Gap for leading a protest against the company's alleged used of 'illegally and cruelly slaughtered' cows in its leather products (2000)... Johnny Cash is admitted to Baptist Hospital in Nashville to undergo treatment for pneumonia... During a Dixie Chicks concert in London, lead singer Natalie Maines says that the band are "...ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas" (2003)... As his trial for child abuse continues, Michael Jackson arrives in court in Santa Monica, CA an hour late and dressed in hospital pyjamas after being treated for a back injury (2005)... Tickets for a one-off gig by Sir Paul McCartney in Las Vegas sell out 7 seconds after becoming available online. The former Beatle is booked to perform at the opening of the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on the 19th of April ~ tickets are $750 each (2009).

March 9th

Musical birthdays today include John Cale (84), former Paul Revere & the Raiders frontman Mark Lindsay (84), Robin Trower (81), former Family bassist Jim Cregan (80), Manfred Mann guitarist Chris Thompson (78), ABC lead singer Martin Fry (68), ex-Big Country & Runrig keyboardist Pete Wishart (64), Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty (60), Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge (58), and Thirty Seconds to Mars drummer Shannon Leto (56). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for hymn composer Phoebe Knapp [best remembered for 'Blessed Assurance'], born on this day in 1839... for composer Samuel Barber, born in 1910... for  Ornette Coleman, born in 1930... for  jazz & pop singer Keely Smith, born in 1932.. for Llloyd ' Mr. Personality' Price, born in 1935... for country singer Mickey Gilley, who would have been 90... for former Hawkwind frontman Robert Calvert, who would have been 80... for swing singer & bandleader Bob Crosby, who died on this date in 1993... for Chris 'Biggie Smalls' Wallace, who was shot to death on this day in 1997 at the age of 24... and for former Boston lead singer Brad Delp, who took his own life today in 2007 at the age of 55.

Also on March 9th: Violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini makes his Paris debut, with Liszt and Meyerbeer in the audience (1831)... Miles Davis convenes the third and last of the sessions that produce Birth of the Cool (1959)... The Beatles finish filming the train sequences in 'A Hard Day's Night'. Over the last six days, the Fab Four have travelled
 some 2,500 miles on Britain's rail network... Capitol Records release a song called 'Letter To The Beatles' by The Four Preps. The lyrics describe a boy lamenting the fact that he's lost his girlfriend to the Fabs. On its first day, the record shoots to № 85 on the charts and it looks like The Preps are going to have another hit on their hands. Unfortunately they included a few bars from 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' without permission, and Capitol are forced to withdraw the single to avoid a lawsuit (1964)... The Beach Boys begin recording 'God Only Knows' (1966)... Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding goes to № 1 on the UK album chart, beginning a 10-week run at the top (1968)...  Having recently discarded the band name Earth, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward make their concert debut as Black Sabbath at the Roundhouse, London (1970)... Asylum Records release the album Byrds, a reunion of the group's 5 original members organized by David Geffen's label (1973)... Telly Savalas of 'Kojak' fame has the № 1 single in Britain with his cover of the Bread hit 'If' (1975)... The Jacksons' CBS variety show airs for the last time (1977)... Robert Plant plays an unpublicised show at Keele University in the UK with his new band The Honeydrippers (1981)... Mick Jagger releases his solo single 'Just Another Night'... REO Speedwagon are at the top of the US charts with 'Can't Fight This Feeling' (1985)... U2 release The Joshua Tree (1987)... Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher walks offstage during a concert at the Vernon Valley Gorge ski resort in New Jersey saying that his hands are too cold to play (1996)... Tom Jones announces that he has been banned from wearing skin-tight leather trousers on stage by his son and manager Mark. The younger Jones supposedly told his father that at 63, it was time for him to "start dressing his age" (2004)... Lil' Wayne is sentenced to a year on Rikers Island after pleading guilty to gun possession (2010).

March 8th

Musical birthdays today include jazz pianist Dick Hyman (99), former Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz (81), ex-Eagles bassist Randy Meisner and Three Dog Night guitarist Mike Allsup (79), Bucks Fizz vocalist Cheryl Baker (72), Gary Numan (68), Supergrass lead singer Gareth 'Gaz' Coombes (50), Keane frontman Tom Chaplin (47), and OK Go guitarist Andy Ross (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, born on this day in 1714... for folk singer Richard Fariña, who would have been 89 today... for Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, who would have been 67... for composer Hector Berlioz, who died on this date in 1869... for Grateful Dead founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan, who died today in 1973... for jazz singer Billy Eckstine, who passed away in 1993... and for former Hues Corporation vocalist St. Clair Lee and original Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr, both of whom died in 2011... and George Martin, who left us today in 2017. 

Also on March 8th: Handel's oratorio Jephtha premieres in London (1752)... The London Philharmonic Society gives its first concert (1813)... David Bowie makes his TV debut on the BBC pop music program 'Gadzooks! It's All Happening' as lead singer of The Manish Boys, who perform their recent single 'I Pity the Fool'... Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's single 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', while Capitol release The Beach Boys' album Today! (1965)... Lulu becomes the first western female pop singer to perform behind the Iron Curtain, opening for The Hollies at a gig in Poznan, Poland... Dylan returns to Nashville, interrupting his world tour to finish Blonde on Blonde. The productive first day includes the definitive version of 'Just like a Woman' (1966)... At the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, Cream record the live tracks that will appear on the album Wheels of Fire (1968)... Steve Marriott announces his departure from The Small Faces. In the coming days, remaining members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagen and Kenny Jones will join forces with Ron Wood and Rod Stewart and carry on as The Faces (1969)... Paul McCartney is arrested for growing cannabis on his Campbelltown, Scotland farm. A local magistrate is unconvinced by Macca's claim that the seeds were given to him by fans and that he planted them with no idea of what they would yield, and fines the Wings leader £100 (1973)... Bad Company kick off their first UK tour with a show at the Newcastle Town Hall (1974)... Olivia Newton-John has the № 1 single in the US with 'Have You Ever Been Mellow?' (1975)... Diana Ross has her first UK № 1 in 15 years with 'Chain Reaction', which was written and produced by the Bee Gees, who also provided background vocals (1986)... Cher 'wins' Worst Dressed Female Star and Worst Video of the year for 'If I Could Turn Back Time' at the annual Rolling Stone awards (1990)... The Chinese Ministry of Culture issues a stern statement of rebuke to Björk after the Icelandic star yelled "Tibet! Tibet" following a performance of her song 'Declare Independence' at a concert in Shanghai. The spokesman for the Ministry says that the singer will permanently banned from China if she repeats her actions (2008).