September 10

Musical birthdays today include Cynthia Lennon (74), jazz-funk pioneer Roy Ayers (73), Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton (71), Jose Feliciano (68), Slade drummer Don Powell (67), ex-Jethro Tull drummer Barrie Barlow (64), Joe Perry (63), Tex-Mex musician Rosie Flores (63), King Crimson percussionist Pat Mastelloto (58), Boomtown Rats pianist John 'Johnnie Fingers' Moylett (57), Bananarama's Siobhan Fahey (55), Bush drummer Robin Goodridge (48) and former Drop Nineteens multi-instrumentalist Paula Kelley (43). 

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

Also on September 10: Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Crypt Kickers' single 'Monster Mash' is banned by the BBC as offensive. Re-released 10 years later, it will peak at no. 3 on the UK charts (1962)... Mick Jagger and Keith Richards meet John Lennon and Paul McCartney by chance at the London jazz club Studio 51. Paul plays a partly finished song entitled 'I Wanna Be Your Man' for the Glimmer Twins, who will soon record it themselves (1963)... The Byrds begin recording Turn! Turn! Turn! at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles (1965)... No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart today is 'You Can't Hurry Love' by the Supremes (1966)... Elvis records Jerry Reed's 'Guitar Man' at RCA Studios in Nashville. It will be the last of the King's 11 number ones on the Billboard country chart (1967)... 'Hey Jude', the longest no. 1 song in chart history, is on top on both sides of the Atlantic (1968)... The BBC bans the Rolling Stones' single 'Star Star' from the Goat's Head Soup LP because it contains the word 'starfucker' in the chorus a dozen times (1973)... The New York Dolls announce that the group is disbanding (1974)... The no. 1 song in America is Michael Sembello's 'Maniac' from the Flashdance soundtrack (1983)... Nirvana's single 'Smells like Teen Spirit' is released in the US. Its rapid ascent to the top of the charts is often considered the point at which alternative rock entered the mainstream (1991)... An electric chair which was used in Alcatraz and was once owned by Andy Warhol sells for £4,800 at an auction in Bristol, England. Warhol reportedly often sat in the chair when watching horror films, and when listening to the recordings in progress of his protegés The Velvet Underground (1997)... Paul McCartney makes the front page of tabloids after being photographed at an NYC party minus one of his front teeth after a crown broke off when he was eating. he hd lost the tooth in a motorcycle accident in 1967 (1999)...  A harmonica once owned by Bob Dylan sells for £2,700 at an auction in Norfolk, England, more than four times the initial suggested price. The singer had presented the Hohner instrument to a member of the wardrobe department on his 1974 US tour. Lifelong Dylan connoisseur and Norfolk resident John Fellas wears RayBans while outbidding fans from across the world. The inside of the harmonica case is signed and dedicated by Dylan. After the auction, Fellas tells reporters that he is on his way to a pub in order to get up the courage to tell his wife what he has done (2009). 

September 9

Musical birthdays today include former Blues Project guitarist Danny Kalb (71), Dee Dee Sharp (68), ex-Iron Butterfly keyboardist Doug Ingle (67), ex-Paul Revere & the Raiders guitarist Freddy Weller (66), groupie Pamela Des Barres (65), Doobie Brothers guitarist John McFee (63), Dave Stewart (61), Michael Bublé (38) and Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson (28). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz legend Elvin Jones, who would have been 86 today... for Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers founding member Joe Negroni, who would have been 73... for Otis Redding, who would have been 72... for Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer, who would have been 67... for bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, who passed away on this date in 1996... and for guitar maker Ernie Ball, who left us in 2004. 

Also on September 9: Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash meet for the first time, after a show given by the former at a shopping center opening in Memphis (1954)... 'She Loves You', which will remain the Beatles' biggest-selling single in the UK, is at no. 1 on the British charts today. 'Please Please Me' is also the no. 1 album (1963)... The Rolling Stones top the UK charts with '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'. As Keith Richards later told the story, he recorded a rough version of the song's famous riff in a Florida hotel room. He ran through it once before falling asleep. He said "When I listened back to it in the morning, there was about 2 minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear me drop the pick, and then 40 minutes of me snoring" (1965)... The Beatles record 'Helter Skelter' at Abbey Road studios. John plays bass and honks on a saxophone, roadie Mal Evans tries his hand at the trumpet, and George runs around the studio with a flaming ashtray on his head as Paul records the lead vocal (1968)... David Bowie appears on Marc Bolan's ITV show 'Marc' performing 'Heroes' as well as a duet with Bolan on 'Standing Next to You', which is prematurely terminated when Bolan falls from the stage, much to Bowie's amusement. After the show the pair record demos together that will never be finished, as Bolan is killed in a car crash a week later (1977)... New Kids on the Block have the no. 1 album in America today with 'Hangin' Tough' (1989)... Krist Novoselic of Nirvana knocks himself unconscious during the VMAs when he is hit on the head with his guitar after throwing it up in the air (1992)... Liverpool City Council announce plans to demolish Ringo Starr's birthplace because it has 'no historical significance'. The house in the Dingle is one of 460 dwellings scheduled for demolition as part of an urban regeneration project. A spokesman for the council says the members decided that Madryn Street had no significance because Ringo spent only the first three months of his life there (2005)... A 3-day international conference on the life, work and influence of Bruce Springsteen opens at Monmouth University in New Jersey. The proceedings include live acts as well address by rock critics and music industry representatives. Among the 150 papers presented are 'Bruce Springsteen and American Folklore', 'Springsteen and Dylan's Dreamscapes', 'Born to Run at 30' and 'New Jersey and the Boss and the Bible' (2005). 

September 8

Musical birthdays today include conductor Christoph von Dohnányi (84), Dokken drummer Mick Brown (57), Great White keyboardist Michael Lardie (55), Aimee Mann (53), ex-Fine Young Cannibals bassist David Steele (53), ex-Bad Religion drummer Jay Ziskrout (51), former Genesis guitarist Ray Wilson (45), Keane drummer Richard Hughes (38) and Pink (34). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Antonin Dvořák, born on this day in 1841... for early country star Jimmie 'The Yodeling Brakeman' Rogers, born in 1897... for Patsy Cline, who would have been 81... for Grateful Dead founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKiernan, who would have been 68... for former Cars bassist and singer Benjamin Orr, who would have been 66... and for composer Richard Strauss, who died on this day in 1949. 

Also on September 8: Ray Charles records his first sides for the Atlantic label (1952)... Eddie Cochran signs his first contract, with Liberty Records (1956)... The Beatles perform 'Hey Jude' on the TV show Frost on Sunday in front of an invited audience, many of whom will gather around the musicians to join in on the extended refrain that ends the song (1968)... The opening act for the nascent Led Zeppelin's latest Danish gig, at Raventlow Park in Nykobing, is The Ladybirds, an all-girl topless go-go dancing outfit (1968)... Marvin Gaye has the no. 1 song in the US today with 'Let's Get It on' (1973)... Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y and the Beach Boys headline the 'Somersault '74' festival at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY (1974)... Guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English leave Paul McCartney & Wings (1977)... Led Zeppelin score their 8th UK no. 1 album when In through the Out Door tops the charts (1979)... To promote their reissued back catalogue, Led Zeppelin release Whole Lotta Love as their first ever single in Britain (1997)... Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson starts a day job when he qualifies as an airline pilot. He lands a £35,000 a year job with Astreus, a small airline ferrying holiday makers from the UK to Egypt and Portugal (2002)... David Bowie performs the first interactive concert when his performance is beamed live into 21 cinemas from Edinburgh to Warsaw. Audience members talk to Bowie via microphones hooked up to ISDN lines and are asked by the singer to request songs (2003)... Jury selection begins for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray. Prospective jurors are required to fill out a 30-page questionnaire to determine their level of knowledge of the case (2009). 

September 7

Musical birthdays today include guitarist and arranger Al Caiola (93), ex-Weavers singer Ronnie Gilbert (87), Sonny Rollins (83), country singer Ronnie Dove (78), composer Olly Wilson (76), R&B singer Latimore (74), Gloria Gaynor (64), Chrissie Hynde (62), Benmont Tench (62), Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians co-founder Brad Houser (53) and rapper Sean 'Slug' Daley (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for dixieland jazz trumpeter Max Kaminsky, born on this day in 1908... for easy listening pianist Arthur Ferrante, born in 1921... for Buddy Holly, who would have been 77 today... for former Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who would have been 52... for Keith Moon, who died of a drug overdose today in 1978 at the age of 31... for former Beatles and Byrds publicist Derek Taylor, who passed away in 1997... and for Warren Zevon, who left us 10 years ago today. 

Also on September 7: The Rolling Stones and Traffic are in the audience as the Doors make their London debut at the Playhouse Theatre. The sold out gig is also filmed by Granada TV (1968)... Led Zeppelin make their live debut [though still billed as the New Yardbirds] in the gymnasium of a Danish high school in the Copenhagen suburb of Gladsaxe. Teen Club president Lars Abel introduces the lead singer to the 1,200 spectators as 'Robert Platt'. The band receive rave reviews in the local press (1968)... At London's Trident Studios, David Bowie begins the sessions for what will become The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' album. The character of Ziggy was inspired by Bowie's meeting with British rock 'n' roll singer Vince Taylor, who after a breakdown believed himself to be a cross between a god and an alien (1971)... Topping the charts in the US is Abba's 'Dancing Queen', the group's only American no.1 (1976)... Michael Jackson kicks off the HIStory tour with a concert in Letna Park, Prague, in the Czech Republic. The 82 shows will be attended by some 4.5 million fans worldwide (1996)... The Jackson Five are reunited with their brother at Madison Square Garden for a 30th anniversary show, as Michael performs live in the US for the first time in 11 years. Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Eminem, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child also join in the music-making (2001)... A World Health Organization study shows that rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as the rest of the population. The organization says the problem is so bad that the industry should be labelled a 'high risk profession' (2007). 

September 6

Musical birthdays today include composer Joan Tower (75), country singer David Allan Coe (74), former Blood, Sweat & Tears horn player Dave Bergeron (71), Roger Waters (70), multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick O'Hearn (59), country singer Mark Chesnutt (50), House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers (50), Alice in Chains lead singer William DuVall (46), ex-Scissor Sisters drummer Paddy Boom (45), Dolores O'Riordan (42), Nina Persson (39) and Kerry Katona (33). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bluesman Jimmy Reed, who would have been 88 today... for Kool & the Gang co-founder Claydes Charles Smith, who would have been 65... for producer Tom Wilson, who died on this day in 1978... for Grand Ole Opry stalwart Ernest Tubb, who died in 1984... for Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty, who passed away in 1990... and for session pianist Nicky Hopkins, who left us in 1994. 

Also on September 6: Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito premieres in Prague (1791)... As the Beatles continue to work on the White Album, Eric Clapton adds the guitar solo to 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' and George lays down his lead vocal (1968)... Jimi Hendrix makes his final live appearance, at a festival on the German Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn (1970)... The Jam are at no. 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Start!' (1980)... No. 1 in the US today is Bananarama's 'Venus' (1986)... Elton John performs a new version of 'Candle in the Wind' at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in Westminster Abbey. The broadcast of the event is seen by some 2.5 billion people worldwide, and the rewrite of the singer's 1973 tribute to Marilyn Monroe will go on to become the biggest-selling single of all time (1997)... Earth, Wind & Fire announce that Viagra will be sponsoring their upcoming 30th anniversary US tour (2001)... Morrisey causes controversy after claiming that the Chinese are a 'sub-species' because of the way they treat animals. In an interview with the Guardian, the former Smiths frontman says "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a sub-species" (2010).

September 5

Musical birthdays today include Al Stewart (68), Loudon Wainwright III (67), former King Crimson saxophone and winds player Mel Collins (66), ex-Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson (64), Racer X bassist Juan Alderete (50),Rage against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk (45), Dweezil Zappa (44), and Twiztid rapper Jamie Spaniolo (38). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer John Cage, born on this date 101 years ago... for former songwriter and Kingston Trio member John Stewart, who would have been 74 today... for Freddie Mercury and drummer Buddy Miles, both of whom would have been 67... and for Nashville guitarist [and session player on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde] Joe South, who left us a year ago today. 

Also on September 5: Elvis Presley surprises his mother with the gift of a pink Cadillac. The car remained in the family and is on display at Graceland today (1956)... The Animals begin a 3 week run at no. 1 on the Billboard Top 40 with House of the Rising Sun. When the single was initially released, the record company printed the playing time on the label as 3 minutes rather than the actual 4 for fear that radio stations would be reluctant to play such a lengthy song (1964)... The Rolling Stones record 'Get Offa My Cloud' at RCA Studios in Los Angeles (1965)... In Almeria Province, Spain, John Lennon begins filming his role as Private Gripweed in the Richard Lester black comedy How I Won the War (1966)... At Abbey Road Sudios, the Beatles begin work on I Am the Walrus, recording 16 takes of the basic backing track (1967)... On their first ever visit to the UK, the Doors perform 'Hello I Love You' on Top of the Pops (1968)... Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington is seriously injured in a car crash in Florida (1976)... Soft Cell hit no. 1 on the UK singles charts with 'Tainted Love'. The song was originally a hit for Gloria Jones in 1964. Jones, who became Marc Bolan's girlfriend in the 1970s, was the driver of the car that crashed and killed the T-Rex singer on the 15th of September, 1977. Jones survived the accident (1981)... Aerosmith score the first US no. 1 single of their 28-year career with 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' from the soundtrack of the film Armageddon... In Britain, the no. 1 single is Manic Street Preachers' 'If You Tolerate This, Your Children Will Be Next'. They are the first Welsh act to top the British charts since Shakin' Stevens in 1985. The song is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest title for a no. 1 hit without parentheses (1998)... 

Arctic Monkeys win this year's UK Mercury Prize for their album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The Sheffield-based band's album sets a new record for fastest-selling debut in chart history after shifting more than 360,000 copies in its first week of release in February (2006)... A study of more than 36,000 people from around the world concludes that musical tastes and personality type are closely related. The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, suggests classical music fans are shy, while heavy metal fans are gentle and at ease with themselves. Fans of Indie music have low self-esteem and are not hard working, fans of rap and hip-hop have high self-esteem and are outgoing. Country & Western fans are hardworking and outgoing, Reggae fans are creative but not hardworking, and fans of chart pop have high self-esteem, are not creative, but are hardworking and outgoing.

September 4

Musical birthdays today include jazz trumpeter and band leader Gerald Wilson (95), song & dance lady Mitzi Gaynor (82), Merald 'Bubba' Knight [elder brother of Gladys and member of the Pips] (71), ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist Gary Duncan (67), fusion saxophonist Dave Liebman (67), Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers (62), W.A.S.P. guitarist Blackie Lawless (57), Soundgarden lead guitarist Kim Thayil (53), ex-Pussycat Dolls singer Carmit Bachar (39), Beyoncé (32) and Asking Alexandria lead singer Danny Worsnop (23). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composers Anton Bruckner (b. 1824) and Darius Milhaud (b. 1892)... for guitarist Danny Gatton, who would have been 68 today... for Russian punk rock pioneer Yanka Dyagileva, who would have been 47... for composer Edvard Grieg, who died on this date in 1907... for jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Barnet, who left us in 1991... for country singer Dottie West, who was killed in a road accident at the age of 59 on the same day.... and for former Badfinger drummer Charlie Gibbin, who died in his sleep at the age of 56 in 2006. 

Also on September 4: To coincide with the release of his second single 'Good Rockin' Tonight', Elvis Presley makes his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. Audience reaction is so poor that Opry manager Jim Denny advises Elvis to go back to driving  truck (1954)... The Beatles' first formal recording session at Abbey Road Studios takes place. They record six tracks, including 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me' (1962)... While the group are at the Battersea Dogs Home to buy a guard dog, the Who have their van stolen. The vehicle, which is carrying £5000 worth of equipment, will be recovered in a few days (1965)... The Bee Gees top the British charts for the second time with 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You'. The song is about a man who, while awaiting execution in the electric chair, begs the prison chaplain to pass along a final message to his wife (1968)... The Beatles record promotional videos for 'Hey Jude' and 'Revolution' at Twickenham Film Studios. The vocals are recorded live over pre-recorded instrumental tracks in order to get around the current British Musicians Union ban on lip-synch performances. For 'Hey Jude', the group are accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and some 300 fans and extras on the refrain (1968)... The film Easy Rider has its UK premiere at London's Classic Cinema (1969)... Paul McCartney has his first stateside no. 1 as a solo artist with 'Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey' (1971)... At a Wishbone Ash concert in Houston, TX, a concessionaire named Francisco Caruso is stabbed to death by a fan whom he refused a free sandwich (1972)... John and Yoko appear on Jerry Lewis' annual muscular dystrophy telethon (1972)... The Bee Gees go to no. 1 on the US charts with 'You Should Be Dancing'. It is the group's first foray into the disco form, and their first song in which Barry Gibb uses his now-trademark falsetto (1976)... The Sex Pistols make their television debut when they appear on the Manchester-based Granada TV program So It Goes (1976)... Fela Kuti is jailed by the Nigerian government on a currency smuggling charge and sentenced to 2 years. Amnesty International designates him a prisoner of conscience, and begin a campaign for his release, which will come after 20 months. (1984)... The day after getting his driving license back after a 5-year suspension, Gregg Allman is arrested in Florida on a DUI charge (1986)... The departure of drummer Mike Joyce marks the official end of The Smiths. The group had been heading for a split ever since the July departure of guitarist Johnny Marr, whose replacement had proved unsatisfactory (1987)... Blur, Oasis, Radiohead, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and the Stone Roses all record tracks for the War Child charity album, proceeds from which will go to children caught up in the current war in the former Yugoslavia (1995)... Kelly Clarkson is voted the first American Idol winner (2004)... The first guitar torched by Jimi Hendrix on stage, a Fender Stratocaster which he set on fire at the end of  show at the Astoria, Finsbury, N. London in 1967, goes for £280,000 at an auction of rock memorabilia. Also on the block is a copy of the Beatles' frist management contract from 1962, signed by all four members of the group ~ it goes for £240,000 (2008)... The friends and family of Michael Jackson pay their last respects to the singer at a funeral held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles (2008).