October 21

Musical birthdays today include operatic soprano Virginia Zeani (88), Manfred Mann (73), Steve Cropper (72), Elvin Bishop (71), Chicago trumpeter Lee Loughnane (67), Go-Go's guitarist Charlotte Caffey (60), Bay City Rollers guitarist Eric Faulkner (60), Julian Cope (56), Pink Floyd keyboardist & songwriter Jon Carin (49), ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri (42), Fiery Furnaces guitarist Matthew Friedberger (41), and Josh Ritter (37). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Don Byas, born on this date in 1912... for Dizzy Gillespie, who would have been 96 today... for salsa vocalist Celia Cruz, who would have been 89... for former Cramps lead singer Lux Interior, who would have been 67... for ex-Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland, who would have been 61... for Maxene Andrews [of the Andrews Sisters], who died today 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: 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 no. 1 hit for him (1958)... The Beatles record 'Norwegian Wood' in three takes and begin work on 'Nowhere Man' (1965)... Lulu hits no. 1 on the US charts with 'To Sir, with Love' (1967)... Mick Jagger becomes a father when Bianca gives birth to their daughter Jade (1971)... Chuck Berry has his first and only simultaneous US and UK no. 1 with 'My Ding-a-Ling' (1972)... 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).

October 20

Musical birthdays today include Wanda Jackson (76), Tom Petty (63), original Foreigner keyboardist Al Greenwood (62), Level 42 lead singer Mark King (55), Teenage Fanclub guitarist Norman Blake (48), Calvin 'Snoop Dogg' Broadus (42), Dannii Minogue (42), and Snow Patrol bassist Paul Wilson (35). 

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 100 years ago 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, died in 2007 at the age of 46... 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 first UK no. 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)... The Who begin a six-night residency at the Filmore East in NYC, playing Tommy in its entirety each night (1969)... John and Yoko release The Wedding Album (1969)... The Rolling Stones have the no. 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 had flown 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)... Michael Jackson receives a jury 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 19

Musical birthdays today include Kingston Trio founding member Dave Guard (79), soul singer George McRae (69), singer-songwriter Gloria Jones (68), Jeannie Riley [of 'Harper Valley PTA' fame] (68), Delfonics vocalist Wilbert Hart (66), Doobie Brothers lead guitarist Patrick Simmons (65), World Party frontman Karl Wallinger (56), rapper 'Kool Keith' Thornton (50), Sinitta (47), and Suburban Legends trombonist Brian Robertson (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Syrian oud virtuoso Farid Al-Atrash, born on this date in 1915... for Peter Tosh, who would have been 69 today... 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 19: 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 (1967)... Cream play the L.A. Forum on the farewell tour of America; the version of Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads' that appears on the band's Goodbye album is recorded during the show (1968)... 18-year-old Peter Frampton meets Steve Marriott at a Small Face 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 debut 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)... A-Ha become the first Norwegian group to score a US no. 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 18

Musical birthdays today include Canadian fiddler Buddy McMaster (1989), Chuck Berry (87), ex-REO Speedwagon Gary Richrath (64), Stealer's Wheel founding member Joe Egan (64), former Pylon lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay (58), Les Rita Mitsouko lead singer Catherine Ringer (56), Wynton Marsalis (52), Curtis Stigers (48), and Cardigans lead guitarist Peter Svensson (39). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazz pianist & songwriter Bobby Troup [best remembered for 'Get Your Kick on Route 66'], born on this date in 1918... for jazz singer Anita O'Day, born in 1919... for blueswoman Jessie Mae Hemphill, who would have been 90 today... for Laura Nyro, who would have been 66... for ex-Van Der Graaf Generator bassist Nic Potter, who would have been 62... for composer Charles Gounod, who died today in 1893... and for saxophonist David S. Ware, who left us a year ago today. 

Also on October 18: 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 band, opening for French pop star Johnny Hallyday at L'Olympia in Paris (1966)... The Bee Gees have their first UK no. 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 (1974)... The Buggles go to no. 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 17

Musical birthdays today include ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez (79), Gary Puckett (71), Defunkt trombonist Joseph Bowie (60), Alan Jackson (55), Aqua vocalist René Dif (46), Ziggy Marley (45), Wyclef Jean (44), and Eminem (41). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for composer Herbert Howells, born on this date in 1892... for jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, who would have been 90 today... for Jeanine Deckers, AKA the Singing Nun, who would have been 80... for former Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack, who would have been 67... for Frédéric Chopin, who died today in 1849... and for Alberta Hunter, who left us today in 1984... and for pop singer Teresa Brewer, who passed away in 2007. 

Also on October 17: The opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by a 15-year-old prodigy named 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 no. 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Do Wah Diddy Diddy' (1964)... 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)... The Bee Gees become the only act to have a UK no. 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 (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 had recently asked that security be tightened up on his Love and Theft tour, had arrived backstage without his ID badge (2001)... Madonna and Guy Ritchie announce that their marriage is over (2008). 

October 16

Musical birthdays today include former BTO bassist Fred Turner (70), Grateful Dead founding member Bob Weir (66), Greek popular singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki (55), Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp (54), ex-Hüsker Dü leader Bob Mould (53), Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael 'Flea' Balzary (51), Wendy Wilson (44) and John Mayer (36). 

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Christa Päffgen, AKA Nico, who would have been 75 today... for former Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Cordell 'Boogie' Mosson, who would have been 72... 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 died in 1973... and for Art Blakey, who left us today in 1990. 

Also on October 16: 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)... Creedence Clearwater Revival announce that they have disbanded (1972)... The no. 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, MO 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)... 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 15

Musical birthdays today include Barry McGuire (76), Richard Carpenter (67), Chris de Burgh (65), Tito Jackson (60), Beautiful South drummer Dave Stead (47), and heavy metal guitarist Dax Riggs (40).

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, who would have been 88 today... for Fela Kuti, who would have been 75... and for Cole Porter, who died today in 1964. 

Also on October 15: ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is founded (1914)... 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 (1966)... 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 no. 1 single in both the US and the UK with 'Reach out and I'll Be There' (1967)... Keith Richards is found guilty of trafficking cannabis by  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 begins a 10-week run at no. 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 would 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 campaign. 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).