August 11th

Musical birthdays today include classical pianist Támas Vásáry (82), Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hugg (73), The Guess Who bassist Jim Kale (72), Eric Carmen (66), Devo lead guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh (63), Joe Jackson (61) original PiL bassist Jah Wobble [né John Wardle] (57), Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (39), and singer-songwriter Sandi Thom (34).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Russell Procope, one of the longest-serving members of the Duke Ellington orchestra [alto sax from 1946 until Ellington's death in 1974], born on this date in 1908... for rockabilly singer Ronnie Dawson, who would have been 76 today... for original Iron Butterfly lead guitarist Erik Brann, who would have been 65... and to Ventures drummer Mel Taylor, who left us today in 1996. 

Also on August 11: Hank Williams is fired by the Grand Ole Opry for habitual drunkenness. Since being shot in a hunting accident early this year, the singer has been ingesting opiates and drinking heavily to dull the ongoing pain (1952)... Elvis releases the Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog double A-side single. The 45 will reach № 1 on the US charts and stay there for 11 weeks, setting a record that will last 36 years (1956)... Paul Hindemith's opera Harmonie der Welt has its world premiere in Munich (1957)... Neil Sedaka goes to № 1 on the US singles chart with 'Breaking up Is Hard to Do' (1962)... The Beatles begin recording their as yet untitled fourth album ~ it will eventually become Beatles for Sale ~ at EMI Studios (1964)... The High Numbers [who will soon change their name to The Who] play at the Railway Hotel in Harrow, NW London. Just before the band are to go on, Roger Daltrey's father-in-law arrives backstage and drags the singer outside, punching him several times before bouncers separate the pair. The group begin their opening number and Daltrey joins them on stage just in time for the first verse (1964)... The Beatles land at O'Hare Airport. At a press conference at the Astor Towers Hotel in Chicago preceding the opening show of what will turn out to be his band's final US tour, John Lennon apologizes for his remarks to the effect 'the Beatles are more popular than Jesus'. Lennon tells reporters "Look, I wasn't saying the Beatles are better than God or Jesus. I said 'Beatles' because it's easy for me to talk about the Beatles. I could have said 'TV' or 'cinema' or 'motorcars' or anything popular and I would have got away with it" (1966)... The Small Faces, The Move, Marmalade, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, Donovan, Cream, Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are all on the bill as the 3-day Reading Festival gets underway in England. During his performance, Arthur Brown's trademark flaming helmet burns out of control, and organiser Harold Pendleton's father-in-law has to douse the flames with a pitcher of beer (1967)... 350 guests personally invited by Berry Gordy come to the Daisy Club in Beverly Hills, CA to hear the debut performance of Motown's latest signing, the Jackson Five (1968)... At Knebworth House, Herts., Led Zeppelin play what proves to be their last UK show (1979)... Ray Parker Jr. has the № 1 song in the US with the 'Theme from Ghostbusters'. On this day, Huey Lewis files against him, alleging that Parker plagiarised the melody from his [Lewis'] hit 'I Want a New Drug'. The two will settle out of court in 1985 (1984)... At Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, Madonna gives birth to a son, Rocco (2000)... Steve Earle marries Allison Moorer at the Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, TN (2005).

August 10th

Musical birthdays today include Ronnie Spector (72), Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson (68), jazz and R&B singer Patti Austin (65), INXS drummer Jon Farriss (54), singer-songwriter Julia Fordham (53), Malian kora player Toumani Diabate (50), Five Star vocalist Lorraine Pearson (48), New Edition vocalist Michael Bivins (47), and ex-The Calling guitarist Aaron Kamin (38).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for bassist and King Oliver sideman Bill Johnson, born on this day in 1872... for Leo Fender, founder of Fender Musical Instruments, inc., born in 1909... for Jimmy 'The King of Bluegrass' Martin, who would have been 88... for Eddie Fisher, who would have been 87... for Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers, who would have been 75... for Anthony Wilson, the Manchester impresario who signed Joy Division and The Happy Mondays to his Factory Records label and who died on this day in 2006... and for Isaac Hayes, who left today in 2009.

Also on August 10: Mozart completes the Eine kleine Nachtmusik (1787)...  Mamie Smith records 'Crazy Blues', often considered to be the first hit record to establish the blues as a form (1920)... Four members of the Platters are arrested after a gig in Cincinnati, OH after being found with four women ~ three of them white ~ in various stages of undress. The scandal results in the group's records disappearing from the playlists of numerous US radio stations (1959)... 13-year-old Little Stevie Wonder becomes the youngest artist ever to have a Billboard № 1 single, when his Fingertips part II tops the chart (1963)... The top 3 albums on the UK charts today are 1) Bridge over Troubled Water, 2) Let It Be, and 3) Bob Dylan's Self Portrait (1970)... During the Wings over Europe Tour, Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested and fined 8000 SEK [$1,230 US] for possession of cannabis in a bust after a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. McCartney jokes that the arrest will make good publicity for the tour  (1972)... Frank Zappa appears on the Late Night with David Letterman show, accompanied by his daughter Moon [who performs 'Valley Girl']. Not surprisingly, much of the discussion is devoted to the unusual names of Zappa's children (1982)... Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon is airlifted to safety when his boat overturns while racing off the English coast. Le Bon was trapped under the hull for 20 minutes with 5 crew members until Royal Navy rescuers arrived (1985)... Michael Jackson outbids Paul McCartney and Yoko to buy ATV Music Publishing [which includes the entire Beatles song catalogue] for $47 million (1985)... Wilson Pickett is found guilty of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life after his involvement in a bar brawl in Asbury Park earlier in the year (1987)... At Madison Square Garden, Def Leppard kick off the North American leg of their 248-date 'Seven Day Weekend' world tour (1992)... In his official statement on the death of Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan says "He is the very spirit personified of whatever is Muddy River country at its core and screams up into the spheres... There are a lot of spaces and advances between The Carter Family, Buddy Holly and Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school... There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep" (1995)... Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthur announces that he is leaving the band after work on their current album is finished (1999)... A judge rules that the management of CBGB do not have to pay their landlord $90,000 in back rent. The Bowery Residents' Committee are attempting to evict the venue from the neighbourhood (2005).

August 9th

Musical birthdays today include classical violinist Camilla Wicks (87), jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette (73), soul singer Barbara Mason [best known for her 1965 hit 'Yes I'm Ready'] (68), Kurtis Blow (56), Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino (47) Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar (45), Pussy Riot vocalist Ekaterina Samutsevich (33), and The Word Alive lead singer Tyler Smith (29).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Spinners vocalist Billy Henderson, who would have been 76 today... for Whitney Houston, who would have been 52... for Italian composer Ruggiero Leoncavallo, who died on this date in 1919... for Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, who died in 1975... and for Grateful Dead patriarch Jerry Garcia, who left us today in 1995. 

Also on August 9: Berlioz's opera Béatrice et Bénédict has its world premiere in Baden-Baden, Germany with the composer himself conducting the orchestra (1862)... Soprano Birgit Nilsson makes her American debut at the Hollywood Bowl (1956)... 17-year-old Cliff Richard, billed as 'Britain's answer to Elvis', signs a deal with EMI Records. He also begins a 4-week residence at Butlin's Holiday Camp in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex (1958)... Ready Steady Go! makes its debut on ITV. The pioneering rock/pop music show will air until December 1966 and produce 175 episodes. At its peak, guests will include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Four Tops and many others (1963)... The Rolling Stones play the Belle Vue Ballroom in Manchester. Two policemen are knocked unconscious and one hospitalised with broken ribs when some of the 3,000 screaming fans charge the stage (1964)... The Small Faces release 'Itchycoo Park', which is one of the first pop singles to use flanging, an effect that can be heard in the bridge section after each chorus (1967)... Sessions for the White Album continue at Abbey Road. After the other Beatles go home at 2 AM, Paul McCartney stays behind in the studio and records 'Mother Nature's Son', requiring 25 takes until he is satisfied (1968)... Led Zeppelin play the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles on their current US tour. Their opening act Jethro Tull have just topped the UK album charts with Stand Up, their second release (1969)... Guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell announce that they are leaving Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)... Art Pepper enters a recording studio for the first time in 15 years to lay down the tracks that will become the album 'Living Legend'. The saxophonist spent most of the previous decade either in jail on drugs charges or in and out of rehab... The No. 1 single in the USA is the Bee Gees' Jive Talkin' (1975)... Muddy waters performs at the White House at the invitation of President Jimmy Carter (1978)... Ten original drawings for Pink Floyd's album The Wall by artist Gerald Scarfe are stolen from the foyer of Earls Court, London, where they are being exhibited (1980)... Following opening acts Big Country and Status Quo, Queen give what will prove to be their final live performance, before a crowd of 120,000 at Knebworth Park, Herts. The show closes with 'We Are the Champions' and God Save the Queen. Not attending the concert are some 250 Gary Numan fans who are picketing BBC 1 on the same day to demand more airplay for their favourite pop star (1986)... His wish to die before he got old not having been granted, 59-year-old Roger Daltrey makes his US stage debut playing Professor Higgins in a production of My Fair Lady in Los Angeles (2003)... Amy Winehouse cancels a series of European dates after being admitted to hospital for what her spokesman calls 'severe exhaustion'. The 23-year-old singer is taken to University College Hospital in London and discharged after 2 days (2007)... Mayor Sheila Dixon proclaims today Frank Zappa Day in her city of Baltimore, Maryland, citing the singer's musical accomplishments as well as his defense of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution (2007).

August 8th

Musical birthdays today include Mel Tillis (83), Connie Stevens [of 'Sixteen Reasons' fame] (77), Statler Brothers vocalist Phil Balsley (76), Dave Clark Five saxophonist Denis Payton (72), ex-Pentangle guitarist John Renbourn (71), former Stax-Volt house drummer Willie Hall (65), session drummer Anton Fig (63), Flock of Seagulls drummer Ali Score (63), Madness guitarist and songwriter Chris Foreman (59), Dennis Drew [keyboardist for 10,000 Maniacs] (58), U2 guitartist The Edge [né Dave Evans] (54), Poison drummer Ricki Rockett [né Richard ream](54), rapper Kool Mo Dee [né Mohandas Dewese](53), Fun Lovin' Criminals frontman Huey Morgan (47), ex-creed lead singer Scott Stapp (42), East 17 lead singer Brian Harvey (41), former 'N Sync co-lead singer JC Chasez (40), cellist Richard Harwood (36), and The Bravery bassist Mike Hindert (35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for jazzman Benny Carter, born on this date in 1907... for country legend Webb Pierce, born in 1921... for soul singer Joe Tex, who would have been 80... for Cannonball Adderley, who died on this date in 1975... for French-Canadian chansonnier Félix Leclerc, who passed away in 1988... and for operatic mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik, who left us two years ago today.

Also on August 8th: 16-year-old Bryan Hyland goes to № 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 'Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' (1960)... The Searchers have the first of their three UK № 1s with 'Sweets for My Sweet' (1963)... Bob Dylan releases the album Another Side of Bob Dylan. On the same day, he joins Joan Baez in her performance at the annual Forest Hills Music Festival. Among their duets is the first known public performance of Dylan's 'Mama You Been on My Mind'. NY Times critic Robert Shelton, hitherto one of the singer's strongest supporters, writes a harsh review of the performance that will estrange him from the Dylan camp for months (1964)... The Beatles' Revolver is released in the US, beginning a 77 week stay  in the album charts, peaking at № 1 (1966)... The photo session for the cover of the Beatles' album Abbey Road takes place outside the EMI recording studios of the same name in near northwest London. Photographer Iain McMillan, perched atop a stepladder in the middle of the road,  takes six shots of the Fab Four walking across the zebra crossing while a policeman holds up traffic. The band then go back inside and finished the overdubs on 'The End', 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' and 'Oh! Darling' (1969)... The headstone paid for by Janis Joplin for her idol Bessie Smith is installed in a brief ceremony at the blues legend's grave in Mount Lawn Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA with Joplin present (1970)... MTV broadcasts its first live concert in stereo, an REO Speedwagon gig in Denver, CO (1981)... David Crosby of CSN&Y is released after serving 3 years on drug and weapons possession charges. His conviction will be overturned by a Texas appeals court in 1987 (1986)... U2 top the US singles charts with 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for' (1987)... A band called On a Friday plays its first public show at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford, England. The group, who during a drinking session following the gig decide to change their name to Radiohead, originally got together at Abingdon School, an all-boys' public school, and always held rehearsals on Friday afternoon in the music room (1991)... The Rolling Stones play their first concert in Russia in front of some 70,000 fans at Moscow's Ismailovsky Park, in spite of a driving rain (1998)... The UK's biggest chain of undertakers, Co-Op Funeral Services, report that bereaved families much prefer pop songs to hymns at funerals. Among the most popular choices are Bette Midler's Wind beneath My Wings and My Heart Will Go on by Celine Dion. They also report some unexpected choices, including 'Another One Bites the Dust' and 'Wake Me up before You Go-Go' (2002).

August 7th

Musical birthdays today include: B.J. Thomas [of 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head' fame] (73), classical guitarist Sharon Isbin (59), Iron Maiden lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson (57), ex-Bananarama vocalist Jacquie O'Sullivan (55), bluegrass banjo player Alison Brown (53), Kristin Hersh [formerly of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave] (49), Hatebreed lead singer Jamey Jasta (38), and violinist, producer & performance artist Anomie Bell (35).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Felice Bryant, best remembered as co-author of the Everly Brothers hits 'All I Have to Do Is Dream', 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake up, Little Susie' with her husband Boudleaux ~ she would have been 90 today... for founding member of The Platters Herb Reed, who would have been 87... for jazz legend Roland Kirk, who would have been 79... for soul singer Esther Phillips [best remembered for her 1975 hit 'What a Difference a Day Makes'], who passed away today in 1984 aged 48... for classical and jazz harmonica player Larry Adler, who died on this day in 2001... and for Tennessee Two upright bassist and longtime Johnny Cash sideman Marshall Grant, who left us 3 years ago today. 

Also on August 7: Hank Williams makes his radio debut on 'Louisiana Hayride', broadcast from the Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, LA. He performs 'Move It on over' and 'I Want to Live and Love' (1948)... Johnny Cash marries Vivian Liberto in Memphis. Cash shortly thereafter abandons plans to become an appliance salesman, and instead forms a trio with Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant (1954)... Rock and roll is heard for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show as Bill Haley & His Comets perform 'Rock around the Clock' (1955)... The Quarrymen play their first gig at the Cavern Club, but without Paul McCartney, who is away at Boy Scout summer camp. The Cavern at the time is a jazz club that tolerates skiffle, but when John Lennon launches his bandmates into Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes, the manager sends a note to the stage ordering them to 'Knock off the bloody rock and roll!' (1957)... Ike & Tina Turner hit the Billboard Top 40 for the first time with 'Fool in Love' (1960)... Patsy Cline releases her final studio album, Sentimentally Yours (1962)... Herman's Hermits top the US singles charts with 'I'm Henry VIII I Am'. The single receives no release in Britain (1965)... The Goose Lake International Musical Festival opens in Leoni, MI. Over the next three days, some 200,000 fans will hear Jethro Tull, Mountain, Chicago, Bob Seger, John Sebastian, Iggy and the Stooges, the MC5, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Rod Stewart and Brownsville Station... Christine McVie officially joins Fleetwood Mac (1970)... Peter Wolf of the J Geils Band marries Faye Dunaway in Beverly Hills, CA (1974)... The Sex Pistols appear on the cover of Melody Maker for the first time (1976)... Dexy's Midnight Runners are at the top of the UK singles charts with Come on Eileen (1982)... Garth Brooks plays to the largest crowd to date to assemble for a musical event in New York's Central Park. Some 1,000,000 attend the live concert with an estimated 14.6 million also watching live on HBO (1997)... Elvis Presley's peacock jumpsuit sells for $300,000 at a Memphis auction, making it the highest price ever paid for a piece of Elvis memorabilia that went on the block. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar features  blue-and-gold peacock designs hand-embroidered on the front and back and along the trouser legs (2008).

August 6th

Musical birthdays today include pop/soul session saxophonist Mike Elliott (86), guitarist Allan Holdsworth (69), former Chiffons vocalist Judy Craig (69), ex-Timbuk3 frontman Pat MacDonald (63), Randy Debarge (57) and Geri Haliwell (43).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for Velvet Underground producer and manager Andy Warhol, who would have been 87 today... for jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who would have been 79... for Elliot Smith, who would have been 46... for early jazz great Bix Beiderbecke, who died on this day in 1931 at the age of 28... for Memphis Minnie, who passed away in 1973... and for Rick James, who left us today in 2004 aged 56.

Also on August 6th: Chubby Checker appears on American Bandstand to perform The Twist, which will go to № 1 on the Billboard chart within a week (1960)... At CBS Recording Studio A in NYC, Bob Dylan begins the sessions for The Times They Are A-changin' with producer Tom Wilson. The title track will become Dylan's first hit single in the UK, and the album will be the first to feature only the singer's own compositions (1963)...Rod Stewart makes his UK TV debut on ITV's 'The Beat Room' as lead singer of The Hoochie Coochie Men (1964)... The Beatles' album Help! is released in the UK (1965)... At Shea Stadium, Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin and Paul Simon headline the Concert for Peace, held on this date to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima (1970)... Stevie Wonder is seriously injured when the car he is riding in crashes into a truck on the I-85 Interstate near Winston-Salem, NC. The singer is left in a coma for four days, and will be left without any sense of smell (1973)... Currently on their debut American tour, Abba score their first US top ten hit as 'Waterloo' rises to № 6 (1974)... Stevie Nicks releases her first solo album, Belladonna, which contains four top 10 US hits (1981)... The film of Pink Floyd's The Wall starring Bob Geldof goes on general release in the US (1982)... Guns N' Roses debut LP Appetite for Destruction completes a 57-week ascent to the top of the Billboard album chart. 3 tracks from the album ~ 'Sweet Child O'Mine', 'Welcome to the Jungle' and 'Paradise City'  will become top 10 singles. The record remains the biggest selling debut album of all time in the US, with Boston's eponymous first release a distant second (1988)... Whitney Houston becomes one of the highest paid musicians in the world after signing a new deal with Arista Records said to be worth $100 million (2001)... Willie Nelson joins Bob Dylan for a series of gigs on the latter's 'Never-ending Tour', beginning tonight at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY (2004)... Steven Tyler is airlifted to hospital after falling off the stage during a performance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. The 61-year-old Aerosmith lead singer fell from a catwalk into the crowd, injuring two fans as well as himself. Approximately 30 minutes after the mishap, guitarist Joe Perry comes out to tell the crowd that the rest of the show has been cancelled (2009).

August 5th

Musical birthdays today include composer Betsy Jolas (89), producer Joe Boyd (73), Rick Derringer (68), former Guess Who guitarist Greg Leskiw (68), Twisted Sister guitarist Eddie Ojeda (60), ex-Dead or Alive lead singer Pete Burns (56), Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear [né Georg Ruthenberg](56), Dave Matthews Band saxophonist Jeff Coffin (50), former L7 bassist Jennifer Finch (49), Nada Surf frontman Matthew Caws (48), rapper & DJ Funkmaster Flex [né Aston Taylor, Jr.](47), Bloodhound Gang bassist Jared Hasselhoff (44), Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave (40), and Dawn Richard (32).

Shoutout to the Great Beyond for singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, who would have been 81 today... for Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley, who would have been 75... f0r Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who would have been 51... for guitarist & Johnny Cash sideman Luther Perkins, who died on this date in 1968... for Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, who passed away in 1992... and for jazz fusion keyboardist George Duke, who left us two years ago today. 

Also on August 5th: Doris Day has the № 1 single in the UK with 'Qué Sera, Sera', which was featured in Alfred Hitchcock's recent film 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' (1956)... American Bandstand with host Dick Clark first airs on ABC-TV... Patsy Cline's self-titled debut album is released (1957)... The Beach Boys record 'When I Grow up to Be a Man (1964)... The Beatles release Revolver in the UK (1966)... Pink Floyd release their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)... George Harrison has his new Moog synthesiser delivered to  the studio where The Beatles are putting the finishing touches to the Abbey Road album. Today he adds overdubs to 'Because' (1969)... Aerosmith are signed to Columbia Records after label head Clive Davis sees them perform at Max's Kansas City in NYC (1972)... Drummer Sandy West and guitarist Joan Jett form The Runaways, the first ever all-female hard rock group, after being introduced by Kim Fowley (1975)... NBC-TV airs 'The Beach Boys: It's OK', the groups' 15th anniversary special (1976)... The Police lead off the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival in SW France; following them on the bill are The Clash, The Damned, The Rich Kids, Electric Cellar and and Asphalt Jungle (1977)... The Rolling Stones go to № 1 on the Billboard singles chart with 'Miss You' (1978)... David Crosby is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in Texas for cocaine possession and various weapons charges. The former Byrd slept through most of his trial (1983)... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band play the first of ten sold out nights at the Meadowlands to mark the return home of the Born in the USA world tour (1984)... It is reported that the BBC music show Top of the Pops has hit rock bottom ~ only two and a half million viewers watched the most recent broadcast of the program. In its heyday, the show attracted nearly 18 million viewers weekly (1996)... Police are called to Gary Glitter's west London home after a crowd gathers outside and starts to shout abuse. The former pop star, now under a cloud of controversy over allegations of child molestation and abuse, is back in the UK to tend to business affairs before heading abroad again (2000)... 'Like a Rolling Stone' tops a poll of rock and film stars to find the music, movies, TV shows and books that changed the world. Bob Dylan's 1965 single beat Elvis' 'Heartbreak Hotel' to second place in the survey done by Uncut Magazine. Sir Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher, Robert Downey, Jr., Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among those polled (2005)... A 53-year-old who claims that he is secretly engaged to Miley Cyrus is charged with stalking the singer. Mark McLeod was arrested after trying to contact the former Hannah Montana actress on a film set near Savannah, GA. McLeod claims that he met Cyrus 18 months earlier. He told police that the singer's father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus, approved of their relationship, and that she had been sending him secret messages encoded in the dialogue of her TV show (2009).