. 1483 ~ Martin Luther, German religious reformer, composer of hymns and flutist

1668 ~ François Couperin, French composer and organist
Read more about Couperin

.1888 ~ Fritz Kreisler, a 13-year-old violinist from Vienna, made his American debut in New York City.

.1900 ~ “Floradora” opened in New York City this day. The play was received by cheering audiences.

.1939 ~ Muggsy Spanier and his band recorded Dipper Mouth Blues on Bluebird Records.

1944 ~ Tim Rice, British author and librettist
Read more about Rice

.1956 ~ Billie Holiday returned to the New York City stage at Carnegie Hall after a three-year absence. The concert was called a high point in jazz history.

.1969 ~ On this day, twenty years after the first release of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, Gene Autry received a gold record for the single.

.1969 ~ “Can you tell me how to get … how to get to Sesame Street?” The classic, “Sesame Street” debuted on 170 Public Broadcasting stations and 20 commercial outlets. Created by the Children’s Television Workshop, the show starred endearing characters including Gordon, Susan, Bob, Bert, Ernie, the Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and, of course, Big Bird!

.1986 ~ “Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85″, the long-anticipated album by ‘The Boss’, hit record stores this day. Fans made the LP a one~day sellout, buying over a million copies and generating more first-day dollars than any record in 30 years. It’s a five-disc, 40-song set.

.1994 ~ Carmen McRae passed away

.2015 ~ Allen Toussaint passed away.  He was a New Orleans-based pianist, songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

.2015 ~ Robert Lawson Craft died.  He was an American orchestral conductor, scholar and writer. Mr. Craft spent nearly a quarter-century as Stravinsky’s amanuensis, rehearsal conductor, musical adviser, globe-trotting traveling companion and surrogate son. After Stravinsky’s death in 1971, at 88, he was a writer, lecturer, conductor, public intellectual and keeper of the Stravinskian flame.