. 1756 ~ Alexander Reinagle, English-American composer, born
. 1882 ~ Albert Coates, British conductor and composer
1891 ~ Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer and pianist
More information about Prokofiev
Grammy winner
. 1924 ~ Arthur Frackenpohl, American composer
. 1928 ~ Shirley Temple, Entertainer
. 1936 ~ Roy Orbison, American rock-and-roll singer, songwriter and guitarist
. 1939 ~ Ray Peterson, Singer
. 1947 ~ Keith Moon, Drummer for the rock band The Who
. 1952 ~ Narada Michael Walden, Musician: drums with the group Mahavishnu Orchestra, record producer, singer, songwriter
. 1952 ~ Elisabeth Schumann, German soprano, died. Best known for her roles in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “Cosi Fan Tutte,” she was also a popular recitalist
. 1985 ~ This was a big day for the flamboyant Liberace. Lee, as he was called by those close to him, first appeared on the TV soap opera, Another World. The sequined and well-furred pianist appeared as a fan of Felicia Gallant, a romance novelist. Later in the day, Liberace was a guest video jockey on MTV!
and
. 1985 ~ The first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize in over a decade was Sunday in the Park with George.
. 1986 ~ Harold Arlen [Hyman Arluck], American composer of Over the Rainbow died at the age of 81
. 2001 ~ Genji Ito, the resident composer for the experimental theater club La MaMa E.T.C. and a music collaborator with many other groups, died of cancer at the age of 54. Ito composed scores for more than 25 theatrical productions at La MaMa. He received an Obie Award in 1986 for sustained excellence. Working closely with Ellen Stewart, La MaMa’s founder, Ito produced scores notable for their stylistic variation and diversity. For 1986’s “Orfei,” a retelling of the Orpheus myth, Ito composed a score that mixed traditional folk instruments with modern electronic ones. For 1993’s “Ghosts: Live from Galilee,” the story of a group of black men accused of raping a white woman in 1931, Ito composed a score that combined blues with country and vaudeville. Ito also wrote 15 compositions for the Ubu Repertory.