October 22nd

 Musical birthdays today include Mountain lead guitarist Leslie West (81), Rascals vocalist Eddie Brigati (80), Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer (66), country singer Shelby Lynne (58), Tim Kinsella (52), Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman (50), and Zac Hanson (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Franz Liszt, born on this date in 1811... for French film score composer Joseph Kosma, born in 1905... for chansonnier George Brassens, born in 1921... for Bobby Fuller, who would have been 84 today... for punk rocker Stiv Bators, who would have been 77... for cellist Pablo Casals, who died on this date in 1973... for British folk singer & activist Ewan McColl who passed away today in 1989.... and for Elliot Smith, who took his own life today in 2008 at the age of 34. 

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

October 21st

 Musical birthdays today include Manfred Mann (86), Steve Cropper (85), Elvin Bishop (84), Chicago trumpeter Lee Loughnane (80), Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey (73), Bay City Rollers guitarist Eric Faulkner (73), Julian Cope (69), Pink Floyd keyboardist & songwriter Jon Carin (62), ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri (55), Fiery Furnaces guitarist Matthew Friedberger (54), singer-songwriter Josh Ritter (50), and Doja Cat (31).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Don Byas, born on this date in 1912... for Dizzy Gillespie, born in 1917... for salsa singer Celia Cruz, born in 1924... for operatic sopran0 Virginia Zeani, born in 1925... for Cramps lead singer Lux Interior [né Erick Purkheiser], who would have been 79/span>... for ex-Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland, who would have been 74... for Maxene Andrews [of the Andrews Sisters], who died on this date in 1995, and for Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon, who left us on the same day at the age of 28. 

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

October 20th

 Musical birthdays today include Wanda Jackson (89), original Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood (75), Level 42 lead singer Mark King (68), Teenage Fanclub guitarist Norman Blake (61), Calvin 'Snoop Dogg' Broadus (55), Dannii Minogue (55) and Snow Patrol bassist Paul Wilson (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Charles Ives, born on this date in 1874... for Jelly Roll Morton, born in 1890... for Grandpa Jones, born in 1913... for Tom Petty, who would have been 76 today... for Steve & Cassie Gaines and Ronnie van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died on this day in 1977 in the plane crash that devastated the band... for jazz singer Shirley Horn, who passed away today in 2005... for Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven, who died in 2007 at the age of 46... for Slits lead singer Ari Up [née Ariane Forster], who died in 2010... and for photographer Barry Feinstein [best known for taking enduring pictures of musicians such as Bob Dylan, George Harrison, the Byrds and the Rolling Stones], who left us today in 2011.

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

October 19th

 

Musical birthdays today include soul singer George McRae (82), singer-songwriter Gloria Jones (81), country singer Jeannie Riley [of 'Harper Valley PTA' fame] (81), Delfonics vocalist Wilbert Hart (79), Doobie Brothers lead guitarist Patrick Simmons (78), rapper 'Kool Keith' Thornton (63), Sinitta (57), and Suburban Legends trombonist Brian Robertson (47).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Syrian oud virtuoso Farid Al-Atrash, born on this day in 1915... for Kingston Trio founding member Dave Guard, born today in 1935... for Peter Tosh, who would have been 81... for World Party frontman Karl Wallinger, who would have been 69... for cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who died today in 1987... for Son House, who passed away in 1988... and for original Alice Cooper guitarist Glen Buxton, who left us today in 1997. 

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

October 18th

 Musical birthdays today include Stealer's Wheel founding member Joe Egan (77), former Pylon lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay (71), Les Rita Mitsouko lead singer Catherine Ringer (69), Wynton Marsalis (65), Curtis Stigers (61), and Cardigans lead guitarist Peter Svensson (51). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz pianist & songwriter Bobby Troup [best remembered for 'Get Your Kicks on Route 66'], born on this date in 1918... for jazz singer Anita O'Day, born in 1919... for blueswoman Jessie Mae Hemphill, born in 1923... for Canadian fiddler Buddy McMaster, born in 1924... for Chuck Berry, born in 1926... for Laura Nyro, who would have been 79... for REO Speedwagon lead guitarist Gary Richrath, who would have been 77... for Van Der Graaf Generator bassist Nic Potter, who would have been 75... for composer Charles Gounod, who died on this date in 1893... and for saxophonist David S. Ware, who left us today in 2013.

Also on October 18: Mahler conducts the first performance of his own 5th Symphony in Cologne (1904)... The BBC is formed to bring news, cultural programming, arts and music to homes in the UK (1922)... 21-year-old Elvis Presley pulls into a Memphis gas station, where he attracts a crowd of autograph seekers. After repeatedly asking Elvis to move on so that he can resume normal business, station manager Ed Hopper slaps the singer, who responds with a punch to the face that knocks Hopper to the ground. After police are called, the manager and one of his employees ~ who had also tried to take on the King ~ are arrested for assault (1956)... Taking a day off from their current British tour, the Beatles go into the studio and record six tracks to complete the Beatles for Sale LP (1964)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience play their first gig as a band, opening for French pop star Johnny Hallyday at L'Olympia in Paris (1966)... The Bee Gees have their first UK № 1 with 'Massachusetts' (1967)... John and Yoko are taken to Paddington Green police station after cannabis is discovered in the flat that they are staying in. Lennon will plead guilty next month and pay a fine of £150 ~ the seemingly minor conviction will assume much greater significance when the Beatle fights his battle to stay in the US in the '70s (1968)... The Rolling Stones release It's Only Rock 'N'Roll... Al Green's ex-girlfriend Mary Woodson pours a pot of boiling grits on the soul singer while he is in the shower in his Memphis home. Green suffers second-degree burns on his back, neck and arms and will undergo a religious conversion whilst recovering (1974)... The Buggles go to № 1 in Britain with 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. In two years' time, the video for the song will become the first ever played on MTV (1979)... Sonic Youth release Daydream Nation (1988)... After a 15-year court battle, the New York State Supreme Court rules that the Ronettes do not have the right to share the money earned by their producer Phil Spector through the use of the group's songs in movies, TV and advertising. Citing a 1963 contract signed by the group, the court also substantially reduces the amount they stand to gain from royalties on vinyl and CD sales (2002).

October 17th

 

Musical birthdays today include Gary Puckett (84), Defunkt trombonist Joseph Bowie (73), country singer Alan Jackson (68), Aqua vocalist René Dif (59), Ziggy Marley (58), Wyclef Jean (57), Eminem (54), and singer-songwriter Marcela Bovio (46). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Herbert Howells, born on this date in 1892... for jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, born in 1923... for Jeanine Deckers, AKA the Singing Nun, born in 1933...for ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez, born in 1934... for Frédéric Chopin, who died on this date in 1849... for blues legend Alberta Hunter, who passed away in 1984... and for pop singer Teresa Brewer, who left us in 2007. 

Also on October 17: The opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by 15-year-old prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premieres in Milan (1771)... In between lunchtime and evening sets at the Cavern Club, the Beatles pop over to Manchester to make their British television debut, performing 'Some Other Guy' and 'Love Me Do' on the Granada TV local magazine program People and Places (1962)... Manfred Mann starts a two week run at № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy'... The Rolling Stones release 12 x 5, their second American album (1964)... The Kinks play their first US concert in four years, opening for Spirit at the Fillmore East in NYC. The American Federation of Musicians banned the group from playing stateside after a disastrous 1965 tour marred by several onstage fistfights (1969)... The Rolling Stones play a show in Brussels as part of their current European tour; opening acts are Billy Preston and the American group Kracker [the first act signed to Rolling Stones Records after the band created the label]. Saxophonist Bobby Keys fails to show for the gig, provoking Mick Jagger to sack him from the backing musicians. The excuse given by Keys [who will be banned from Stones tours until the early '80s] is that he filled his hotel bathtub with Dom Perignon and attempted to drink his way out while sitting in it (1973)... Lynyrd Skynyrd release Street Survivors, their last album with original members Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins (1977)... Bruce Springsteen releases The River (1980)... The Bee Gees become the only act to have a UK № 1 single in the '60s, '70s and '80s when 'You Win Again' tops the British charts (1987)... During an interview with the Observer Magazine, Noel Gallagher of Oasis says "Nothing would make me happier than Damon Albarn and Alex Cox [of rival band Blur] dying of AIDS". He will later apologize for the statement (1995)... The British tabloid press reports that Michael Jackson recently played a secret gig at a martial arts convention in Barnstaple, N. Devon. In fact, the man who arrived in the white stretch limo was Navi, a notorious London impersonator of the superstar... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the first rock concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (1999)... The 2-storey, 2-bedroom Montague Square townhouse owned by Ringo Starr through much of the '60s [and where John, Yoko and Jimi Hendrix were frequent houseguests] goes on the market for £575,000 (2000)... Two security guards at the University of California-San Diego's RIMAC Arena are fired after refusing to allow Bob Dylan into his own concert. The singer, who recently asked that security be tightened up on his Love and Theft tour, arrived backstage without his ID badge (2001)... Madonna and Guy Ritchie announce that their marriage is over (2008). 

October 16th

Musical birthdays today include former BTO bassist Fred Turner (83), Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir (79), Greek pop singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki (68), Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp (67), Hüsker Dü leader Bob Mould (66), Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael 'Flea' Balzary (64), Wilson Phillips vocalist Wendy Wilson (57) and John Mayer (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Christa Päffgen, AKA Nico, who would have been 88 today... for former Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Cordell 'Boogie' Mosson, who would have been 84... for Leonard Chess, founder of the pioneering rock and R&B label of the same name, who died on this date in 1969... for swing drummer Gene Krupa, who passed  away in 1973... and for Art Blakey, who left us today in 1990. 

Also on October 16: Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire for speaking voices and chamber orchestra premieres in Berlin after six weeks of daily rehearsals (1912)... Concert pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in WW I, premieres Richard Strauss' Parergon to the Symphonia Domestica for left hand alone and orchestra in Dresden (1925)... 18-year-old Richard Penniman, who is already using the stage name Little Richard, makes his first recordings for the RCA Camden label in the studios of Atlanta radio station WGST (1951)... The Beatles record 'Day Tripper' (1965)... At San Francisco's Fillmore West, Grace Slick performs publicly as lead singer of Jefferson Airplane for the first time (1966)... Creedence Clearwater Revival announce that they have disbanded (1972)... The № 1 song in the US today is 'Disco Duck' by Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots (1976)... Culture Club perform 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?' on Top of the Pops, where they are a last-minute replacement for Shakin' Stevens, who had suddenly fallen ill on the day of the taping (1982)... Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Robert Cray join Chuck Berry on stage in St. Louis for the concert that will be filmed for the documentary 'Hail Hail! Rock & Roll' (1986)... A tribute concert to Bob Dylan on the 30th anniversary of the release of his first Columbia album takes place at Madison Square Garden. Guest performers include Neil Young, Roger McGuinn, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Ron Wood and Eric Clapton. Dylan himself appears for group renditions of 'My Back Pages' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' before closing the proceedings with a solo 'Girl from the North Country' (1992)... Simon & Garfunkel kick off their Old Friends reunion tour with a show in Wilkes-Barre, PA (2003)... Legendary NYC club CBGB closes with a performance by Patti Smith, one of many artists who first came to fame on its stage. The venue was opened in 1973 with the full name CBGB-OMFUG, standing for 'Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers' (2006).

October 15th

 

Musical birthdays today include Barry McGuire (89), Richard Carpenter (80), Chris de Burgh (78), Tito Jackson (73), Beautiful South drummer Dave Stead (60), heavy metal guitarist Dax Riggs (53), and R&B singer Jessie Ware (42).  

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for blueswoman Victoria Spivey, born on this date in 1906... for jazz pianist & vocalist Nellie Lutcher, born in 1912...  for big band trombonist Paul Tanner, born in 1917... for R&B duo Mickey & Sylvia's Mickey Baker, born in 1925... for Fela Kuti, who would have been 88... and for Cole Porter, who left us today in 1964. 

Also on October 15: Commissioned by Catherine de Medici, Le Ballet Comique de la Reine, widely considered to be the first ballet, is staged in Paris (1581)... ASCAP [American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers] is founded (1914)... The War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the first municipally owned opera palace in the United States, opens with a production of Tosca (1932)... Buddy Holly opens for Elvis Presley at the Big D Jamboree, held at the Cotton Club in Lubbock, Texas. Talent scout Eddie Crandall, who is in the audience, will arrange an audition for the bespectacled guitarist with Decca Records (1955)... The Beatles [minus Pete Best] and two members of Rory Storm's backing band the Hurricanes [Ringo Starr and Lou Walters] record a version of 'Summertime' in a Hamburg recording studio. The track, which is cut onto a 78 RPM disc, is the first known session with John, Paul, George and Ringo playing together (1960)... Jimi Hendrix signs his first recording contract in the UK ~ according to the terms, he will receive $1 and a 1% royalty on all of his sales... Pink Floyd [who are paid £15 for the gig], The Move, Denny Laine, Soft Machine, Yoko Ono and a West Indian steel drum band all play the London Roundhouse launch of the International Times, which will become Britain's longest-running underground. newspaper. Paul McCartney attends as a spectator in Bedouin robes (1966)... The Four Tops have the № 1 single in both the US and the UK with 'Reach out and I'll Be There' (1967)... Led Zeppelin give their debut performance in the UK under their new name at Surrey University (1968)... Keith Richards is found guilty of trafficking cannabis by a court in Nice. The guitarist is given a one-year suspended sentence, fined 5,000 FF, and banned from entering France for two years (1973)... Debby Boone's 'You Light up My Life' begins a 10-week run at  № 1 on the Billboard singles chart, a new record for the rock era (1977)... Abba play their first North American concert, in Vancouver (1979)... In Los Angeles, Bob Dylan shoots the first video of his career, for 'Sweetheart like You' (1983)... Paul and Linda McCartney are the guest voices for an episode of the Simpsons entitled 'Lisa the Vegetarian'. Macca's stipulation for appearing was that Lisa's decision to become a vegetarian be a permanent character change, to which the show's producers agreed (1995)... Michael Jackson plays the last show on the HIStory tour, at King's Park Rugby Stadium in Durban, South Africa During the tour, Jackson performed 82 concerts in 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans, visiting 5 continents and 35 countries (1997)... Jon Bon Jovi becomes the latest musician to disapprove of the use of his songs in John McCain's US presidential run. Vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin had been using 'Who Says You Can't Go Home' in her rallies. Foo Fighters, Heart and Jackson Browne have already taken legal action to prevent their songs from being used by the senator's presidential campaign (2008).

October 14th

 Musical birthdays today include Cliff Richard (87), jazz-rock bassist Colin Hodgkinson (82 ), Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward (80), Nazareth lead singer Dan McCafferty (80), Boney M vocalist Marcia Barrett (77), bluesman Kenny Neal (68), Thomas Dolby (67), Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero (66), The Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines (51), and singer-songwriter Savannah Outen (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for New Orleans R&B singer Robert Parker, born on this day in 1930... for Bing Crosby, who died on this date in 1977... for Leonard Bernstein, who passed away in 1990... and for Freddy Fender, who left us today in 2006.

Also on October 14: Mendelssohn's overture for A Midsummer Night's Dream is performed for the first time at Potsdam for Frederick William IV, King of Prussia (1843)... The 16-year-old Stravinsky finishes his first surviving composition, an unpublished Tarantella for piano (1898)... BMI [Broadcast Music, Inc.] is founded to compete with ASCAP [American Society of Composers and Publishers] (1939)... The Everly Brothers have their first US № 1 with 'Wake up, Little Susie', and Elvis releases 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)... Pink Floyd play their first ever 'underground' set, at All Saints Hall in Notting Hill (1966)... Joan Baez is arrested at a sit-in at the US Army induction center in Oakland, California (1967)... The Jackson Five make their national TV debut on ABC's variety show 'Hollywood Palace'... The New Jersey State Police issue an arrest warrant for Frank Sinatra in relation to his alleged Mafia connections (1969)... The music publishing firm Arco Industries file a $500,0o0 lawsuit against John Fogerty, claiming that the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit 'Travelin' Band' 'contains substantial material copied from' Little Richard's 'Good Golly Miss Molly'. The suit is eventually thrown out (1971)... Michael Jackson has his first solo US № 1 with 'Ben' (1972)... David Bowie releases Heroes (1977)... Cyndi Lauper releases her debut album She's So Unusual (1983)... Def Leppard become the first act in chart history to sell seven million or more copies of two consecutive LPs, as Hysteria. the follow-up to the 1983 hit Pyromania tops the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic (1987)... Eric Clapton is suspended from driving in France after being pulled over for speeding ~ at 210 km/hr (135 MPH) ~ on the A6 Autoroute near Merceuil in Burgundy. He is given a €750 fine and his UK license is confiscated. After paying his fine, Clapton poses for photographs with the members of the local gendarmerie and leaves again in the Porsche ~ with his personal assistant at the wheel (2004).

Ocober 13th

 

Musical birthdays include Nana Mouskouri (92), Paul Simon (85), Chicago founding member & songwriter Robert Hamm (82), Sammy Hagar (79), Soft Machine saxophonist Alan Wakeman (79), John Ford Coley (78), operatic soprano Leona Mitchell (77) Fairport Convention multi-instrumentalist Simon Nicol (76), Marie Osmond (67) Anthrax lead singer Joey Belladonna (66), Broken Social Scene drummer Justin Peroff (49) Ashanti (46), and Korean pop singer Park Jimin (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Art Tatum, born on this date in 1909... for Yves Montand, born in 1921... for jazz percussionist Johnny Lytle, born in 1933... for Pharoah Sanders, who would have been 86... for Ed Sullivan, who died on this date in 1974... and for Earth, Wind & Fire founding member Wade Flemons, who left us in 1993.

Also on October 13: Six-year-old Wolfgang Mozart gives a recital for Empress Maria Theresa of Austria at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. Also attending is Princess Maria Antonia [the future Marie Antoinette] (1762)...  The Beatles make their debut on ITV's 'Sunday Night at the Palladium', topping the bill in a show broadcast to an estimated 15 million viewers. An article promoting the appearance in today's 'Daily Mirror' also contains the first recorded appearance in print of the term 'Beatlemania' (1963)... The Who record 'My Generation' at Pye Studios in London (1965)... Janis Joplin's ashes are scattered on Stinson Beach in Marin County, CA in a small private ceremony (1970)... The Rolling Stones have the № 1 album in the US with Goats Head Soup (1973)... Neil Young has polyps removed from his vocal chords at a Los Angeles hospital (1975)... Led Zeppelin convene at Headley Grange to begin rehearsing the songs that will go on the In through the Out Door album (1978)... U2 score their first UK № 1 album with the Unforgettable Fire. In the US, Stevie Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You' tops the singles chart (1984)... Bob Dylan plays a show at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. True to form, he opens the show with 'Masters of War' (1990)... Billy Joel appears live on NPR's 'Performance Today' program to play his new sonata entitled 'Reverie' (1997)... UK tabloids report that Toni Braxton pulled out of this year's MOBO awards in the US because one of her breast implants ruptured. A spokesman for her Arista record label says "We don't comment on the personal lives of our artistes" (2000)... British rock group Muse files for an injunction to keep Celine Dion from going forward with plans to call her forthcoming Las Vegas review 'Muse'. Lead singer Matt Bellamy says "We don't want anyone to think that we're Celine Dion's backing band" (2002)... In a video message on his website, Ringo Starr announces that he no longer has time to sign autographs, and asks fans not to send him any mail at all. "No more fan mail, and no objects of any kind to be signed, please. Nothing" (2008).

October 12th

 Musical birthdays today include Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt (78), The Damned frontman David Lett (70), jazz trumpeter Chris Botti (64), Dixie Chicks fiddle player Martie McGuire (57), and New Found Glory lead singer Jordan Pundik (47).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Ralph Vaughn Williams, born on this date in 1872... for James 'Sugar Boy' Crawford, New Orleans R&B pianist and songwriter, born in 1934... for Luciano Pavarotti and Sam Moore [of Sam & Dave], both born in 1935... for longtime Temptations vocalist Melvin Franklin, who would have been 84... for Smithereens lead singer Pat DiNizio, who would have been 71... for Gene Vincent, who died today in 1971 at the age of 46... for original B-52's guitarist Ricky Wilson, who passed away today in 1985 at 32... for John Denver, who died in an airplane crash today in 1997... for bandleader Ray Coniff, who died in 2002... and for Blue Cheer frontman Dickie Peterson, who left us today in 2009. 

Also on October 12: G.F. Handel completes his oratorio Samson (1742)... The Chrysler Corporation launches high fidelity record players for their 1956 line of cars. The unit measures 4 inches wide and just under a foot high and is mounted under the instrument panel. The 7-inch discs spin at 16 2/3 RPM and require 3 times as many grooves per inch as an LP. The players will be discontinued as an option in 1961 (1955)... During a tour Down Under, Little Richard gives a press conference in Sydney to announce that he has renounced rock 'n' roll and embraced God, telling the assembled journalists a story of dreaming of his own damnation after praying when one of the engines of a plane he was on caught fire. The singer will perform nothing but gospel for the next 5 years, but then returns to rock (1957)... Working on what will be the Rubber Soul album at Abbey Road, the Beatles lay down 'Run for Your Life' [John Lennon will later admit to lifting two lines from Elvis' 'Come on Baby, Let's Play House'] and 'Norwegian Wood', with the sitar making its debut on a western pop song in the hands of George Harrison (1965)... Big Brother and the Holding Company have the № 1 album in the US with Cheap Thrills (1968)... Jesus Christ Superstar premieres on Broadway (1971)... The Who release Odds & Sods (1974)... Rod Stewart makes his final appearance as frontman for The Faces in a show at Nassau Coliseum, NY (1975)... Sid Vicious stabs his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death at the Chelsea Hotel (1978)... U2 release October, their second studio album (1981)... Jennifer Rush becomes the first to hit № 1 with the diva standard 'The Power of Love', topping the UK charts (1985)... Nirvana are the musical guests on Saturday Night Live (1991)... Pink Floyd play the first of a scheduled 15-night run at Earl's Court, London. A minute into 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond', a scaffolding stand holding 1,200 spectators collapses, hurling them 20 feet to the ground. It takes over an hour to free everyone from the wreckage ~ 36 will have to be hospitalised. The band send a free t-shirt and a handwritten note of apology to all those seated in the faulty bleachers, and the show is rescheduled (1994)... The Backstreet Boys are forced to cancel a show in Madrid after 7,000 fans show up for a 5,000 seat performance and a riot breaks out (1997)... Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young appear at Madison Square Garden to announce a forthcoming album and their 'CSNY2K' tour (1999)... Oasis go to № 1 on the UK album chart with Dig Out Your Soul, the group's final studio LP (2008).

October 11th

 

Musical birthdays today include country singer Gene Watson (83), Daryl Hall (80), Jean-Jacques Goldman (75), country singer Paulette Carlson (74), ex-Hanoi Rocks lead guitarist Andy McCoy (64), rock violinist Petra Haden (55), Limp Bizkit guitarist Mike Smith (53), and Mogwait bassist Dominic Aitchison (50). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Art Blakey, born on this day in 1919... for jazzman Curtis Amy, born in 1929... for country legend Dottie West, born in 1932... for Marshall Tucker Band guitarist George McCorkle, who would have been 79... for composer Anton Bruckner, who died on this date in 1896... and for Werner von Trapp of the Trapp Family Singers [of The Sound of Music fame], who left us today in 2009. 

Also on October 11: In Warsaw, Chopin gives the first performance of his own Piano Concerto in e minor (1830)... Leopold Stokowski conducts the Philadelphia Symphony for the first time (1912)... Sam Phillips' Sun Records releases its first LP, Johnny Cash's debut album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar (1957)... The Beatles make their first appearance on the UK singles chart, as 'Love Me Do' cracks the top 40. It will eventually rise as high as № 4 (1962)... Marianne Faithfull records a version of 'Yesterday' at Decca Studios in London with Paul McCartney observing in the control booth (1965)... The Doors appear at Danbury High School in Connecticut. Before the group comes on stage, the school principal warns the audience that anyone leaving their seat during the performance will be escorted from the hall (1967)... George Harrison recruits six saxophonists to get the sound he wants on 'Savoy Truffle', as work on the White Album continues (1968)... Elvis and Priscilla Presley's divorce becomes final (1973)... The Police have the № 1 album in the UK today with Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)... Dave Grohl plays his first public show with Nirvana, as the band appear at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, WA (1990)... Elton John has the № 1 single in the US with the version of 'Candle in the Wind' re-written to commemorate Princess Diana's death... Across the Atlantic. the Verve go to the top of the UK album chart with Urban Hymns (1997)... Mojo magazine readers vote Elvis Presley's session for 'That's Alright' the most important moment in rock history. Coming in second is Bob Dylan's electric debut at Newport in 1965, and № 3 is the release of the Clash's eponymous debut album in 1977 (2003)... Bruce Springsteen, Dixie Chicks, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam wrap up the Vote for Change Tour at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. (2004)... Radiohead release their latest album In Rainbows as a download via a pay-what-you-want model (2007). 

October 10th

 Musical birthdays today include song & dance man Ben Vereen (80), Radiators singer & keyboardist Ed Volker (80), ex-Ultravox frontman James 'Midge' Ure (73), David Lee Roth (72), Tanya Tucker (68), Casbah Club frontman Simon Townshend [yes, he's related to Pete ~ he's his younger brother] (66), Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp (65), ex-.38 Special Drummer Scott Hoffman (65), Crystal Waters (62), Rebecca Pidgeon (61), Goo Goo Dolls drummer Mike Malinin (61), classical pianist Evgenii Kissin (55), Collective Soul guitarist Dean Roland (54), Bluetones bassist Scott Morriss (53), and Marina Diamandis (41).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Giuseppe Verdi, born on this day in 1813... for R&B singer Ivory Joe Hunter, born in 1914... for Count Basie sideman Harry 'Sweets' Edison, born in 1916... for Thelonious Monk, born in 1917... for Edith Piaf, who died on this date in 1963... for song & dance man Eddie Cantor, who died in 1964... for Boyzone vocalist Stephen Gately, who passed away today in 2009 at the age of 33 from undetermined causes... and for operatic soprano Joan Sutherland, who left us today in 2010. 

Also on October 10: The Gibson Mandolin & Guitar Company is incorporated (1902)... Porgy and Bess opens on Broadway at the Alvin Theater (1935)... The real Eleanor Rigby dies in her sleep of undetermined causes at the age of 44. Paul McCartney's first draft of the song was called 'Miss Daisy Hawkins', but he changed it after spotting Ms. Rigby's name on a tombstone during a nostalgic walk around the cemetery of St. Peter's Parish Church in Liverpool, where he and John Lennon first met in 1957 (1939)... Elvis Presley's 'Love Me Tender' enters the Billboard Hot 100 ~ it will stay on the charts for 19 weeks, and become the King's first national no.1 for 5 (1956)... The Beatles appear at De Monfort Hall, Leicester, on their current UK tour. Ringo, who has just taken delivery of a new Vagel Vega sportscar, drives himself to the gig from Liverpool, running late. By his account, the drummer will reach speeds of up to 140 MPH during the trip (1964)... The Monkees release their eponymous debut LP... The Beach Boys release the 'Good Vibrations' single (1966)... King Crimson release their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)...  The Carpenters enter the US top 10 with 'We've Only Just Begun', which Richard Carpenter originally wrote as a jingle for a local savings bank (1970)... Jesus Christ Superstar premieres on Broadway (1971)... Steve  Tyler and Joe Perry suffer minor injuries after a cherry bomb is tossed on stage during an Aerosmith gig in Philadelphia. The band will perform behind a protective fence for the remainder of the tour (1978)... The Rose, starring Bette Midler [in her screen debut] as a character transparently based on Janis Joplin, has its world premier in Los Angeles (1979)... John Bonham is laid to rest in the cemetery of St. Michael's Church  in his hometown of Rushock, Worcs. (1980)... R.E.M. have the no. 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Automatic for the People' (1992)... Britney Spears makes her live debut in the UK when she plays the first of three sold out dates at Wembley Stadium (2000)... The latest issue of Blender contains the results of a poll the magazine conducted to determine the worst rock lyricist of all time. Rounding out the top of the list are: 1) Sting [for such transgressions as name-checking Vladimir Nabokov, and quoting bumperstickers, Chaucer, St. Augustine and Shakespeare] 2) Rush drummer Neil Peart 3) Creed frontman Scott Stapleton and 4) Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher ['He seems incapable of following a metaphor through a single line, let alone a whole verse', according to the publication] (2007)... Paul McCartney marries New Yorker Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony at Old Marylebone Town Hall, London (2011).

October 9th

 

Musical birthdays today include Nona Hendryx (82), Indian sarod master Amjad Ali Khan (81) Jackson Browne (78), ex-Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton (74), Pogues accordionist James Fearnley (72), Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen (68), P.J. Harvey (57), Sean Lennon (51), and ex-Westlife vocalist Nicky Byrne (48). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Camille Saint-Saëns, born on this date in 1835... for John Lennon, who would have been 86 today... for John Entwistle, who would have been 82... for France Gall, who would have been 78... for Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel, who died on this date in 1978... for Modern Jazz Quartet vibraphonist Milt Jackson, who passed away in 1999... and for Marilyn Manson collaborator Brad 'Gidget Gein' Stewart, who left us today in 2009.

Also on October 9: 12-year-old Clara Wieck [the future Mrs. Robert Schumann] plays for Goethe, who places a pillow on the piano stool so that she can sit higher (1831)... Thelonious Monk and sidemen enter the studio to record what will become the album Brilliant Corners. It is the pianist's first album for Riverside to contain his own compositions, the difficulty of which will lead to tempestuous and problem-plagued sessions (1956)... Eddie Cochran records 'C'mon Everybody' (1958)... Ray Charles hits № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Hit the Road, Jack' (1961)... The № 1 single in the US today is the Beatles' 'Yesterday' (1965)... For the first time in the history of the show, the producers of the BBC's Top of the Pops refuse to air the № 1 song in Britain, as 'Je t'aime, moi non plus' by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin is rejected. The song has been so widely castigated as obscene that Fontana, the label on which the single was originally released, have already disavowed it... The Carpenters release their debut album Ticket to Ride (1969)... The Who play a show at the University of Surrey in Guildford, with John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful joining in on 'Magic Bus' on harmonica. It was the only time that an outside musician has jammed with the band in front of an audience. Backstage after the show, there is a party for John Entwistle's 27th birthday (1971)... The Sex Pistols sign with EMI Records for £40,000. The label will drop them three months later and delete the single 'Anarchy in the UK' from its catalogue after a series of controversies and public incidents... One hit wonders Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band have the top single in the US today with 'A Fifth of Beethoven' (1976)... Prince opens for the Rolling Stones at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum on the Tattoo You tour. Wearing only leopard-print bikini briefs and a trench coat, the diminutive guitarist runs off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing him and pelting him with beer cans and other objects (1981)... Marking what would have been her late husband's 45th birthday, Yoko Ono formally opens the 3 1/2 acre garden at the Strawberry Field site in New York's Central Park. The area is planted with trees, shrubs and flowers from around the world, and is endowed with a $1 million donation from Yoko (1985)... The Phantom of the Opera has its world premiere at her majesty's Theatre in London's West End (1986)... Nirvana's In Utero, the group's third and final studio album, enters the US charts at № 1. Kurt Cobain had originally wanted to call the collection I Hate Myself and I Want to Die (1993)... Barry White shares lessons from several decades of lovemaking with the students of Oxford University when he addresses their debating union (2000)... Michael Stipe, Bono and Moby make surprise appearances at the second of two anti-violence benefit concerts in NYC organized by The Beastie Boys (2001)... For the first time in the history of the Billboard singles chart, all of the top 10 places are occupied by black artists; at № 1 are Beyoncé and Sean Paul with 'Baby Boy' (2003)... Paul McCartney, a vegetarian for 30 years, is reported as having been furious upon learning that a Liverpool branch of McDonald's is displaying pictures of him in its windows, supposedly to attract customers. Sir Paul is quoted as saying "What sort of morons do McDonald's suppose Beatles fans are?" (2008).

October 8th

 Musical birthdays today include Impressions vocalist Fred Cash (86), country singer Susan Raye (82), ex-Average White Band guitarist & songwriter Hamish Stuart (77), Kool & the Gang frontman Robert 'Kool' Bell (76), former Lounge Lizards trumpeter Steven Bernstein (65), gospel singer CeCe Winans (62), Chris 'C.J. Ramone' Ward (61), Prodigy keyboardist Leroy Thornhill (58), Evanescence guitarist Terry Balsamo (54), Modest Mouse lead guitarist Jim Fairchild (53), Shiny Toy Guns guitarist & singer Gregori Chad Petree (47), and Bruno Mars (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for proto-country and bluegrass guitarist Dick Burnett, born on this date in 1883... for Johnny Ramone, who would have been 78 today... for bluesman Lonnie Pitchford, who would have been 71.. and for Procol Harum drummer B.J. Wilson, who left us today in 1990 at the age of 43 after a long illness. 

Also on October 8: Gustav Mahler is named director of the Vienna Opera by Emperor Karl Joseph I (1897)... Ringo Starr passes his driving test, Afterwards, he joins his fellow Beatles at Abbey Road to record their new single 'She's a Woman' in seven takes plus five overdubs (1964)... Cream drummer Ginger Baker collapses backstage at a gig at Sussex University after playing  25-minute solo. He later recovers at a local hospital (1966)... Led Zeppelin II enjoys its 100th week in the UK album charts (1971)... In a meeting with journalists at the Swan Song label offices, Jimmy Page derides rumours that Zeppelin are going to split. He also ridicules reports that he has been dabbling in black magic (1977)... Talking Heads release Remain in Light (1980)... Cats opens on Broadway (1982)... The three members of ZZ Top make advance bookings for seats on the first commercial flight to the Moon. To date, they are still waiting for confirmation... Chuck Berry is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The documentary about his life and career Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll! also premieres (1987)... U2 score their first UK № 1  single with 'Desire' from the Rattle & Hum soundtrack... Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon finally leaves the Top 200 Billboard album chart after a record-setting 741 weeks (1988)... An environmental benefit concert in Jacksonville, OR featuring Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne turns ugly when protesters supporting the local logging industry and the  harvesting of old growth redwoods begin revving chainsaws and throwing firecrackers. No one is seriously injured (1996)... Radiohead's Kid A becomes the group's first album to debut at № 1 in the US (2000)... Britney Spears announces that she has decided not to renew her contract with manager Larry Rudolph, who has been guiding her career since she was 13... After nearly 60 years of recordings, Ray Charles posthumously earns his first platinum record, for the single 'Genius Loves Company' (2004)... Bill Berry reunites with his former R.E.M. bandmates to play an 8-song set at the wedding reception for one of the group's roadies at Kingpins Bowl & Brew in Atlanta, GA (2005)... A Weezer anti-fan launches an online campaign to stop the band from releasing another album. James Burns of Seattle says that he is hoping to raise $10 million as an inducement to the band to cease and desist from making music. Burns claims that he was inspired by friends who are fans of the 'Buddy Holly' rockers but who have been disappointed by the group's recent offerings, which he says have not come close to living up to the standard set by their 1996 hit album Pinkerton (2010).

October 7th

 

Musical birthdays today include former 10cc drummer Kevin Godley (81), original Kansas bassist Dave Hope (77), John Cougar Mellencamp (75), Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres (73), cellist Yo-Yo Ma (71), Simon Cowell (67), Toni Braxton (59), ex-Auteurs frontman Luke Haines (59), Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke (58), OK Go frontman Damian Kulash (50), Deerhunter multi-instrumentalist Lockett Punkt (43), and Chvrches lead singer Lauren Mayberry (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz trumpeter & singer Vaughn Monroe, born on this date in 1911... for Dino Valenti [founding member of the Quicksilver Messenger Service and writer of the '60s classic 'Get Together'), who would have been 87 today... for Judee Sill, who would have been 81... for Sir Hubert Parry [composer of the hymn 'Jerusalem'] who died on this date in 1918... for Mario Lanza, who passed away today in 1959... and for early British rocker Johnny Kidd (UK no. 1 in 1960 with 'Shakin' All over'] killed in a car crash on his way to a gig today in 1966.

Also on October 7: Utopia, Limited or the Flowers of Progress, Gilbert and Sullivan's penultimate operetta, premieres at London's Savoy Theatre (1893)... The Rolling Stones record the Lennon & McCartney song 'I Wanna Be Your Man' at De Lane Lea studios in London... The Beach Boys release their fourth album, Little Deuce Coupe (1963)... Bob Dylan meets a group of itinerant Indian minstrels called the Benghal Bauls, who are staying in a converted barn on the estate of his manager Albert Grossman in Woodstock, NY. A black & white photo of Dylan with troupe members Purna and Lakhsman Das will grace the cover of the album John Wesley Harding (1967)... After years of travails with the US government, John Lennon is awarded his green card (1975)... Dire Straits release their eponymous debut album (1978)... Jimmy Page is sentenced to 1 year's probation after being found guilty by a London court of cocaine possession (1982)... Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl finally hits № 1 on the Billboard album chart, after spending 164 weeks in the Top 200, setting a record for longest ascension to the top spot (1989)... The № 1 album in America today in Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, which still holds the US record for biggest selling record by a female solo artist... David Bowie releases Outside, his first album with Brian Eno producing since their collaborations in Berlin in the late '70s (1995)... Michael Jackson performs before an audience of 60,000 at the El Menzah Stadium in Tunis, his first ever show in Africa (1996)... Continuing a verbal sparring match which began earlier in the month, Elton John replies to Keith Richards' charge that the pianist's only claim to fame is "writing ditties for dead blondes" by saying "Keith, he's so pathetic, poor thing. He's like a monkey with arthritis, trying to go onstage and look young" (1997)... Mick Jagger donates £100,000 to his boyhood grammar school in Dartford, Kent, to help pay to hire a director of musical studies and to buy instruments (2002)... Bruce Springsteen's latest release Magic is the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic (2007).

October 6th

 

Musical birthdays today include composer and guitarist Glenn Branca (78), Commodores lead guitarist Thomas McClary (77), REO Speedwagon lead singer Kevin Cronin (75), Los Lobos guitarist & singer David Hidalgo (72), ex-Skids lead singer Richard Jobson (66), guitarist Matthew Sweet (62), Anathema guitarist Danny Cavanagh (54), and Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist William Butler (44).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for soprano Jenny 'The Swedish Nightingale' Lind, born on this day in 1820... for band leader Nelson Riddle, who died today in 1985... and for Ginger Baker, who left us today in 2019. 

Also on October 6: Jacopo Peri's Euridice, the earliest surviving opera, premieres in Florence. This is often considered the beginning of the Baroque period in classical music (1600)... Beethoven files his will, the Heiligenstadt Testament, to be opened after his death (1802)... Ralph Vaughan Williams' Symphony № 1 has its first performance in Leeds (1910)... The Jazz Singer, the first film with a musical soundtrack, premieres in NYC (1927)... The Beatles record 'Eight Days a Week' in the afternoon, then spend the evening partying with the Ronettes and Mick Jagger at London's Ad Lib Club (1965)... The Jimi Hendrix Experience record a session for the BBC Radio show 'Top Gear'. Stevie Wonder, also appearing on the program, jams with the group afterwards... Pink Floyd play at the Miss Teenage Brighton beauty pageant, providing the musical interlude during the contest... The SFPD raid the Matrix Club in Haight-Ashbury while Big Brother & the Holding Company are on stage (1967)... George Harrison gets his first A side single, as the Beatles release 'Something' (1969)... The Buzzcocks open for Joy Division at the Odeon Theatre in Edinburgh ~ admission is £2.50... Bob Dylan has his 12th US top 40 hit, as 'Gotta Serve Somebody' enters the chart. Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin's In through the Out Door is the № 1 album (1979)... Michael Jackson gives away the bride at Elizabeth Taylor's seventh wedding, to construction worker Larry Fortensky. The nuptials are held at the singer's Never Neverland Ranch (1991)... 'Grind', the first single from Alice in Chains' eponymous debut album, is released to radio via satellite uplink to stem the proliferation of taped copies of the song (1995)... The Jack Black comedy School of Rock goes on general release in US cinemas (2003)... Bruce Springsteen is served with notice that he is being sued for $850,000 by a man who claims he backed out of a contract to buy a horse. Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa are both named in legal documents filed in Florida by Todd Minikus. He claims that the singer and his wife reneged on a $650,000 deal to buy a horse of his named Pavarotti (2007)... A set of John Lennon's fingerprints are seized by the FBI from a NYC memorabilia dealer who intended to auction them off for a $100,000 minimum bid. The prints were taken at a NYPD precinct in 1976 when the former Beatle applied for permanent US residence. The Bureau states that they believe the card is still US government property, and are investigating how it ended up in private hands (2009)... Rolling Stone Magazine publishes the results of its poll of readers and critics to determine the worst song of the 1980s. Rounding out the top 5 are: 1) 'We Built this City' ~ Starship. 2) 'The Final Countdown' ~ Europe. 3) 'Lady in Red' ~ Chris de Burgh. 4) 'Wake Me up (before You Go Go)' ~ Wham! 5) 'The Safety Dance' ~ Men without Hats (2011).

October 5th

 Musical birthdays today include bluesman Roy Book Binder (83), Steve Miller (83), Henry Cow saxophonist Geoff Leigh (81), former AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson (79), original Funkadelic rhythm guitarist Lucius 'Tawl' Ross (78), Bob Geldof (75), Madness saxophonist Lee Thompson (69), Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy (52), Maroon 5 lead guitarist James Valentine (48), Good Charlotte bassist Paul Thomas (46), and Girls Aloud vocalist Nicola Roberts (41).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Glynis Johns, born on this day in 1923... for R&B singer Billy Scott, and for Temptations vocalist Richard Street, both of whom would have been 84 today... for Sweet lead singer Brian Connolly, who would have been 81... for opera composer Jacques Offenbach, who died on this date in 1880... for Temptations founding member Eddie Kendricks, who passed away in 1992... for Bert Jansch, who died in 2011... and for Eddie van Halen, who left us today in 2020.

Also on October 5: The New York Philharmonic begins its series of Sunday afternoon radio broadcasts from Carnegie Hall (1930)... A year after launching the cool jazz movement with Birth of the Cool, Miles Davis turns away from the sound, going into Apex Studios in NYC with Sonny Rollins to record the post-bop album Dig (1951)... Cliff Richard and the Shadows play their first live show, at the Victoria Hall in Hanley, Staffs. (1958)... The Beatles release their first single in the UK, 'Love Me Do' (1962)... Johnny Cash is arrested in El Paso, TX as he attempts to return to the United States from Mexico with a guitar case full of pills. He receives  a suspended sentence and is fined $1,000 (1965)... Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell have their first rehearsal together and form the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966)... The Who, Small Faces, Joe Cocker and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown launch a package tour of the UK in London (1968)... Violinist Papa John Creach officially joins Jefferson Airplane... Atlantic Records release Led Zeppelin III (1970)... The № 1 song in the UK today is Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells [Theme from the Exorcist]'. Across the Atlantic, Olivia Newton-John is atop the American charts with 'I Honestly Love You'... Randy Newman plays  show at Atlanta Symphony Hall backed by an 87-piece orchestra conducted by his uncle Emil (1974)... Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, the three original Wailers, perform together for the last time, at a benefit for the Jamaican Institute for the Blind. Also joining the trio on stage is Stevie Wonder... Willie Nelson has his first № 1 hit on the Billboard Country chart with 'Blue Eyes Crying the Rain' (1975)... Defying an international artists' boycott, Queen open a 10-day residency at Sun City, South Africa (1984)... Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr begins rehearsals with the Pretenders as they prepare to open for U2 on the N. American leg of the Joshua Tree tour (1987)... Roger Daltrey announces that the Who are reforming, and that their first show, which will also be broadcast live on the Internet, will be in Las Vegas on the 29th of this month (1999)... Madonna visits an orphanage in Malawi. Her publicist denies rumours that the star is planning to adopt a local child (2006).

October 4th

 

Musical birthdays today include country singer Leroy van Dyke (97), jazz bassist Steve Swallow (86), Sweet Honey in the Rock founder Bernice Johnson Reagon (84), singer-songwriter Bridget St John (80), French chansonnier Julien Clerc (79), Blood, Sweat & Tears bassist Jim Fielder (79), Triumph drummer Gil Moore (75), harpist Andreas Vollenweider (73), Def Jam record label founder Russell Simmons (69), Pet Shop Boy Chris Lowe (67), and Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist Richard Parry (49). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for  Janis Joplin, who died of a drug overdose today in 1970 at the age of 27... for classical pianist Glenn Gould, who passed away in 1982... and for Argentine diva Mercedes Sosa, who left us today in 2009. 

Also on October 4: Aaron Copland's orchestral suite from the ballet Appalachian Spring has its premiere at Carnegie Hall (1945)... The Tornadoes become the first British band to score a № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with the instrumental 'Telstar' (1962)... The Beatles make their first appearance on the UK ITV pop show Ready, Steady, Go! (1963)... Creedence Clearwater Revival have their first US № 1 album with Green River (1969)... John Lennon releases the album Walls and Bridges (1974)... Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is the № 1 album on both sides of the Atlantic. For the album's cover shot, two stuntmen were used, one of whom was dressed in a fire retardant costume underneath a business suit (1975)... Tammy Wynette is abducted, beaten, and held in her car for two hours by a kidnapper wearing a ski mask. She is forced to drive 90 miles from Nashville before she is released ~ her abductor will never be caught (1978)... Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood present the USC Trojans marching band with a platinum record for their contribution to Fleetwood Mac's hit single 'Tusk' (1980)... Miles Davis concludes a world tour, his first in 5 years, in Tokyo. The show is recorded for inclusion in the live album We Want Miles (1981)... The Smiths play their first live gig, as the opening act for Blue Rondo a la Turk at the Ritz in Manchester... Philip Glass' score for Koyaanisqatsi is heard publicly for the first time when the film premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC (1982)... Ringo Starr and wife Barbara Bach fly together to Tucson, AZ to enter alcohol rehab (1988)... Van Halen announce that former Extreme lead singer Gary Cherone has replaced Sammy Hagar as the group's frontman (1996)... Barbra Streisand's tour-opening performance at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA becomes the highest grossing event in the venue's history (2006).

October 3rd

 Musical birthdays today include composer Steve Reich (90), Chubby Checker (85), Lindsey Buckingham (77), bluesman Keb' Mo' (75), Tommy Lee (64), Gwen Stefani (57), Backstreet Boys vocalist Kevin Richardson (55), Scissor Sisters lead singer Jake Shears (48), Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer (47), and Ashlee Simpson (42). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Eddie Cochran, who would have been 87 today... for Alan O'Day [of 'Undercover Angel' fame], who would have been 86... for Stevie Ray Vaughn, who would have been 72... for former Allman Brothers sideman Allen Woody, who would have been 70... for Woody Guthrie, who lost his long battle with Huntington's Disease today in 1967... for blues singer Victoria Spivey, who died on this date in 1976... for Benjamin Orr, lead singer of the Cars, who passed away in 2000... and for bluesman Skip James, who left us in 2002. 

Also on October 3: Beethoven finishes his final string quartet, op. 135 in F Major (1826)... Gilbert and Sullivan's Yeoman of the Guard premieres at London's Savoy Theatre (1888)... The New York City Opera is founded (1943)... A 10-year-old Elvis Presley makes his first recorded public appearance as a singer, performing 'Old Shep' at the talent contest of the Mississippi-Alabama Dairy Show. The future King comes in second (1945)... In Los Angeles, Frank Sinatra finishes recording his first album with the Count Basie Orchestra, An Historical Musical First (1962)... Working at London's Trident Studios, the Beatles lay down the basic tracks for George's 'Savoy Truffle'. The song was inspired by Eric Clapton's love of sweets, especially Mackintosh's Good News chocolates (1968)... Janis Joplin goes into a recording studio for the last time to listen to a playback of the instrumental track for 'Buried Alive in the Blues', which will be included on Pearl, the album on which she is currently working (1970)... George Harrison releases his final album on the Apple label, Extra Texture (Read All about It) (1975)... Aerosmith pay the bail for thirty of their fans who were busted for smoking marijuana at their concert in Fort Wayne, IN (1978)... Bruce Springsteen's tour in support of the album The River gets off to an inauspicious start in Ann Arbor, MI when the Boss forgets the words to 'Born to Run'. His memory is jogged when the audience sing the lyrics to him en masse (1980)... The documentary John Lennon: Imagine, compiled from more than 240 hours of unreleased footage, has its world premiere in Los Angeles (1988)... Texas governor Anne Richards proclaims this day 'Stevie Ray Vaughn Day', in honour of the Lone Star State native's 37th birthday (1991)... Sinead O'Connor rips up a picture of Pope John Paul II during her appearance on Saturday Night Live as a protest over sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. The incident, which stuns the studio audience to silence and prompts the NBC network to go immediately to commercial, results in a $2.5 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission (1992)... Tom Jones is at № 1 on the UK album chart with Reload, making him at 59 the oldest artist to top the British chart with new material (1999)... Mark David Chapman is denied parole after having served 20 years of his life sentence for murdering John Lennon (2001)... Scientific researchers declare 'We Are the Champions' by Queen the catchiest song ever written. Musicologist Dr. Alison Pawley of the University of London and her staff conducted research into what makes a song memorable, and compiled a list of the ten 'catchiest' songs of all time. They obtained the results by observing thousands of volunteers singing a list of selected tracks. They discovered that popular sing-along tunes contained four elements: long and detailed musical phrases, multiple pitch modulations in a  song's 'hook', male vocalists, and upper range male voices making a noticeable effort. Also on the list are 'YMCA' by the Village People, Sum 41's 'Fat Lip', and Europe's 'The Final Countdown' (2011).

October 2nd

Musical birthdays today include Don McLean (81), Cajun musician Jo-El Sonnier (80), Richard Hell [né Richard Meyers] (77), Mike Rutherford (76), Sting (75), Human League frontman Philip Oakey (71), ex-Dream Academy multi-instrumentalist Kate St John (69), Glass Tiger lead guitarist Al Connelly (66), ex-Sugarcubes drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson (62), Gillian Welch (59), Damon 'Badly Drawn Boy' Gough (57), Slipknot guitarist Jim Root (54), Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrøm (53), and The Sounds lead singer Maja Ivarsson (47). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz guitarist Howard Roberts, born on this day in 1929... for rapper Proof, who would have been 53... and for cowboy singer and entertainer Gene Autry, who left us today in 1998. 

Also on October 2: The NY Academy of Music opens at 14th St. & Irving Place in Manhattan with a performance of Bellini's Norma. It will be the centre of opera in the city until the creation of the Met (1854)... Leonard Bernstein arrives in Tel Aviv to begin conducting the newly renamed Israel Philharmonic in a month-long concert series (1948)... 'Stay' by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs is the № 1 song in America today. At 1:37, it remains the shortest US chart-topper ever (1959)... 15 Elvis Presley fans are arrested in Leipzig, East Germany, after marching through the city streets shouting "Long live Elvis!" along with derogatory remarks about German music (1959)... Phil Spector and his partner Lester Sill release their first single on their new label Philles, The Crystals' 'Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby' (1961)... The Kinks' eponymous debut albumn is released (1964)... The McCoys have the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Hang on Sloopy' (1965)... All six members of the Grateful Dead are arrested for possession of marijuana after an SFPD raid on their house at 710 Ashbury St. (1967)... Pink Floyd release their fifth album, Atom Heart Mother (1970)... Following several attempts at grave robbery, the remains of Elvis and his mother Gladys are disinterred from the Memphis cemetery and moved to Graceland (1977)... Peter Gabriel performs with Genesis for the first time since leaving the band in 1975. Phil Collins and company join their former lead singer on stage in a concert to benefit WOMAD [World of Music, Art and Dance], the festival organizing body that is Gabriel's current project (1982)... Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA world tour ends with the last of 4 sold out shows at L.A.'s Memorial Coliseum (1985)... The Everly Brothers receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1986)... The Cranberries release their second album No Need to Argue (1994)... Journey announce that they have decided to re-form (1995)...  In Galway, Ireland, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones plays his first solo concert (1999)... Kevin Spacey is the MC for 'Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music' at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Among those performing are Alanis Morissette, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots and the Dave Matthews Band. The evening closes with an invitation to the audience to sing along on 'Give Peace a Chance' (2002)... Robbie Williams signs with EMI for £80 million, the most lucrative record deal in British history to date. When asked what he's going to do with all the money, the singer replies "Count it" (2002)... Billy Joel marries 23-year-old Kate Lee at his Centre Island, New York mansion. It is the singer's third trip to the altar (2004).