June 18: Today’s Music History

today

Be sure your student reads and listens to Today’s Daily Listening Assignment

• 1686 ~ Johann Quirsfeld, Composer, died at the age of 43

• 1726 ~ Giuseppe Scarlotti (1723) Composer

• 1726 ~ Michel-Richard Delalande, Composer, died at the age of 68

• 1726 ~ August Holler (1744) Composer

• 1726 ~ Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (1757) Composer

• 1780 ~ Michael Henkel, Composer

• 1799 ~ Johann André, Composer, died at the age of 58

• 1821 ~ Charles Hague, Composer, died at the age of 52

• 1821 ~ Opera “Der Freischütz” by Carl Maria von Weber was produced in Berlin

• 1822 ~ Henry David Leslie, Composer

• 1850 ~ Richard Heuberger, Composer

• 1850 ~ Antoni Weinert, Composer, died at the age of 99

• 1859 ~ Joseph Hartmann Stuntz, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1876 ~ August Rockel, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1892 ~ Edward Steuermann, Composer

• 1901 ~ Jeanette MacDonald, Singer with Nelson Eddy

• 1902 ~ Louis Alter, Composer

• 1904 ~ Manuel Rosenthal, French composer

• 1905 ~ Eduard Tubin, Composer

• 1906 ~ Kaye Kyser, Bandleader Kay Kyser and His Kollege of Musical Knowledge
More information about Kyser

• 1907 ~ Benny Payne, American pianist for the Billy Daniels Show

• 1909 ~ Learmont Drysdale, Composer, died at the age of 42

• 1934 ~ Ray McKinley (1910) Musician, drummer, led Glenn Miller Band for the estate from 1956 until 1966.

• 1911 ~ Franjo Zaver Kuhac, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1913 ~ Sammy Cahn, Composer and lyricist
More information about Cahn

• 1915 ~ Victor Legley, Composer

• 1917 ~ Akhmet Jevdet Ismail Hajiyev, Composer

• 1918 ~ Bob Carroll, Singer and actor

• 1923 ~ Herman Krebbers, Dutch violist and concertmaster

• 1925 ~ Herman “Ace” Wallace, Blues guitarist and singer

• 1927 ~ Simeon Pironkov, Composer

• 1933 ~ Tommy Hunt, American singer

• 1934 ~ Francisco Lacerda, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1935 ~ August Reusner, Composer, died at the age of 64

• 1941 ~ Lamont Dozier, Composer

• 1942 ~ Hans Vonk, Dutch conductor

• 1942 ~ Arthur Willard Pryor, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1942 ~ Paul McCartney, British rock singer, songwriter and guitarist
More information about McCartney

• 1944 ~ Paul Lansky, Composer

• 1944 ~ Douglas Young, Composer

• 1948 ~ Eva Marton, Hungarian soprano

• 1949 ~ “Along Fifth Avenue” closed at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 180 performances

• 1953 ~ Jerome Smith, Musician, guitarist with KC & The Sunshine Band

• 1955 ~ Walter Rein, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1955 ~ Willy Burkhard, Composer, died at the age of 55

• 1962 ~ Volkmar Andreae, Swiss conductor and Composer, died at the age of 82

• 1964 ~ Alexander Shamil’yevich Melik-Pashayev, Composer, died at the age of 58

• 1965 ~ George Melachrino, Composer, died at the age of 56

• 1973 ~ Fritz Mahler, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1977 ~ Fleetwood Mac worked Dreams to the number one spot on the pop music charts this day. It would be the group’s only single to reach number one. Fleetwood Mac placed 18 hits on the charts in the 1970s and 1980s. Nine were top-ten tunes.

June 17: Today’s Music History

today

Be sure your student reads and listens to Today’s Daily Listening Assignment

• 1672 ~ Orazio Benevoli, Italian Composer, died at the age of 67

• 1725 ~ Joseph Anton Bauer, Composer

• 1750 ~ Michel Woldemar, Composer

• 1818 ~ Charles Gounod, French composer, conductor and organist
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• 1855 ~ Fritz Steinbach, Composer

• 1882 ~ Igor Stravinsky, Russian-born American composer Stravinsky’s Firebird is featured in Fantasia 2000 and his The Rite of Spring was featured in the original Fantasia
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Grammy winner

• 1883 ~ Alexandre Cellier, Composer

• 1888 ~ Bernhard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer, Composer

• 1900 ~ Hermann Reuter, Composer

• 1902 ~ Sammy Fain (Samuel Feinberg), Oscar-winning musician, composer
More information about Fain

• 1908 ~ John Verrall, Composer

• 1910 ~ Red (Clyde Julian) Foley, Songwriter, singer

• 1910 ~ Herbert Owen Reed, Composer

• 1916 ~ Einar Englund, Composer

• 1917 ~ Dean Martin, Entertainer

• 1922 ~ Herbert Kelsey Jones, Composer

• 1926 ~ Manuel Enriquez, Composer

• 1941 ~ Johan Wagenaar, Dutch Composer (Cyrano de Bergerac), died at the age of 78

• 1930 ~ Romuald Twardowski, Composer

• 1932 ~ Mignon Dunn, American mezzo-soprano

• 1933 ~ Christian Ferras, French violinist/conductor

• 1939 ~ Dickie Doo (Gerry Granahan), Singer with Dickie Doo and The Don’ts

• 1942 ~ Norman Kuhlke, Musician, drummer with The Swinging Blue Jeans

• 1943 ~ Christopher Brown, Composer

• 1943 ~ Barry Manilow, , American singer/pianist (Mandy, I Write the Songs)

• 1951 ~ Carl Vogler, Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1952 ~ Alberto Williams, Argentine Composer (Etrerno Reposo), died at the age of 89

• 1953 ~ Walter Niemann, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1957 ~ So Rare by Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra peaked at #2

• 1967 ~ “Somebody To Love” by Jefferson Airplane peaked at #5

• 1967 ~ Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park performed

• 1968 ~ Ohio Express’ Yummy Yummy Yummy went gold

• 1969 ~ Jazz musician Charles Mingus came out of a two-year, self-imposed retirement to make a concert appearance at the Village Vanguard in New York City.

• 1972 ~ Long Haired Lover From Liverpool by Little Jimmy Osmond peaked at #38

• 1978 ~ Shadow Dancing, by Andy Gibb, reached the number one spot on the pop music charts for the first of seven weeks. Gibb had two other number one hits: I just want to Be Your Everything and (Love is) Thicker than Water. Gibb, the youngest of the Gibb brothers who made up the Bee Gees, hosted TV’s Solid Gold in 1981-82. Andy scored nine hits on the pop music charts in the 1970s and 1980s. He died of an inflammatory heart virus in Oxford, England in 1988.

• 1978 ~ Cheeseburger In Paradise by Jimmy Buffett peaked at #32

• 1983 ~ Peter Mennin(i), American Composer (Moby Dick), died at the age of 60

• 1986 ~ Kate Smith died in Raleigh North Carolina at 78

• 1991 ~ Country entertainer Minnie Pearl suffered a stroke at 78

• 1992 ~ Dewey Balfa, Bayou fiddler, died at the age of 65

• 1995 ~ The Who’s “Tommy” closed at St James Theater NYC after 899 performances

• 2008 ~ Cyd Charisse [Tula Finklea], American dancer and actress (Singin’ in the Rain), died at the age of 86

June 8: Today’s Music History

today

Be sure your student reads and listens to Today’s Daily Listening Assignment

• 1612 ~ Hans Leo Hassler, Composer, died at the age of 49

• 1671 ~ Tomaso Albinoni, Italian composer

• 1722 ~ Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht, Composer

• 1740 ~ Gabriele Mario Piozzi, Composer

• 1742 ~ Omobono Stradivari, Italian viol maker, son of Antonio, died at the age of 62

• 1753 ~ Nicolas-Marie Dalayrac, Composer

• 1783 ~ Joseph Lincke, Composer

• 1796 ~ Felice de Giardini, Composer, died at the age of 80

• 1805 ~ Luigi Ricci, Composer

• 1810 ~ Robert Schumann, German composer best known for his song cycles and piano music.
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• 1812 ~ Spyridon Xyndas, Composer

• 1814 ~ Friedrich Heinrich Himmel, Composer, died at the age of 48

• 1834 ~ George Garrett, Composer

• 1837 ~ Jan Kleczynski, Composer

• 1856 ~ Natalia Janotha, Composer

• 1858 ~ Antonio Nicolau, Spanish Composer and conductor

• 1876 ~ George Sand (Armandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin), French author and romantic companion of the composer of Chopin, died at the age of 71

• 1881 ~ Prospero Bisquertt, Composer

• 1884 ~ Henry Clay Work, Composer, died at the age of 51

• 1888 ~ Poul Julius Ouscher Schierbeck, Composer

• 1906 ~ Christian Frederik Emil Horneman, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1908 ~ Johan Lindegren, Composer, died at the age of 66

• 1913 ~ Janos Jagamas, Composer

• 1918 ~ Robert Preston [Meservey], American actor

• 1919 ~ Jacob Fabricius, Composer, died at the age of 78

• 1923 ~ Karel Goeyvaerts, Flemish Composer of Summer Games

• 1926 ~ Anatol Vieru, Composer

• 1927 ~ Paul Whiteman and his orchestra recorded When Day is Done on Victor Records.

• 1928 ~ Jiri Dvoracek, Composer

• 1930 ~ Yannis Ioannidis, Composer

• 1932 ~ Hans Gunter Helms, Composer

• 1936 ~ James Darren (Ercolani), Singer

• 1940 ~ Frederick Shepherd Converse, American Composer, died at the age of 69

• 1940 ~ Sherman Garnes, Rock vocalist with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers

• 1940 ~ Nancy Sinatra, Singer

• 1942 ~ Chuck Negron, Singer with Three Dog Night

• 1942 ~ Bing Crosby recorded Silent Night and “Adeste Fideles”. He also achieved a great deal of fame with his popular rendition of “White Christmas.”

• 1944 ~ “Boz” (William) Scaggs, American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter

• 1946 ~ “Lute Song” closed at Plymouth Theater NYC after 142 performances

• 1947 ~ Mick Box, Musician, guitar, songwriter with Uriah Heep

• 1947 ~ Joan La Barbara, Composer

• 1948 ~ Franz Carl Bornschein, Composer, died at the age of 69

• 1949 ~ Emanuel Ax, Polish-born American pianist. He won the Artur Rubinstein Competition in 1974

• 1950 ~ Alex Van Halen, Drummer with Van Halen, brother of Eddie and Michael

• 1963 ~ Kino Haitsma, pianist/arranger

• 1967 ~ Elliot Griffis, Composer, died at the age of 74

• 1968 ~ Gary Puckett & Union Gap released Lady Will Power

• 1968 ~ Rolling Stones released Jumpin’ Jack Flash

• 1969 ~ Brian Jones left The Rolling Stones

• 1969 ~ Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor replaced Brian Jones

• 1972 ~ Jimmy Rushing, American blues singer, died at the age of 68

• 1973 ~ Eino Mauno Aleksanteri Linnala, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1979 ~ Louis Salvador Palange, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1981 ~ Fifteenth Music City News Country Awards went to the Mandrell Sisters

• 1984 ~ Gordon Jacob, Composer, died at the age of 88

• 1990 ~ The post office issued another in its series of Stamps for the Performing Arts, this one honoring Cole Porter

• 1992 ~ Twentysixth Music City News Country Awards went to Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks

• 1995 ~ Sheikh Iman, singer, died at the age of 76

• 1995 ~ “Buttons on Broadway” opened at Ambassador Theater NYC for 40 performances

June 5: Today’s Music History

today

Be sure your student reads and listens to Today’s Daily Listening Assignment

• 1625 ~ Orlando Gibbons, English organist/composer, died at the age of 41

• 1665 ~ Nicolas Bernier, Composer

• 1686 ~ Cristoph Raupach, Composer

• 1722 ~ Johann Kuhnau, Composer, died at the age of 62

• 1759 ~ Theodor Zwetler, Composer

• 1785 ~ Gottfried August Homilius, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1798 ~ Alexey Fyodorovich L’vov, Composer

• 1813 ~ Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton, Composer

• 1816 ~ Giovanni Paisiello, Italian Composer (Serva Padrona), died at the age of 76

• 1826 ~ Carl Maria von Weber, German Composer (Oberon), died at the age of 39
Read more about von Weber

• 1826 ~ Ivar Christian Hallstrom, Composer

• 1852 ~ Tomasz Napoleon Nidecki, Composer, died at the age of 45

• 1861 ~ Tomas Genoves y Lapetra, Composer, died at the age of 55

• 1863 ~ Arthur Somervell, Composer

• 1868 ~ Anselm Huttenbrenner, Composer, died at the age of 73

• 1879 ~ Adolf Wiklund, Composer

• 1895 ~ August Baeyens, Flemish Composer of Coriolanus

• 1885 ~ Julius Benedict, Composer (Protoghesi), died at the age of 80

• 1894 ~ Immanuel Faisst, Composer, died at the age of 70

• 1908 ~ Luca Fumagalli, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1909 ~ Alfred Uhl, Composer

• 1913 ~ Friedrich Wildgans, Composer

• 1922 ~ Specs (Gordon) Powell, Musician: drummer: CBS staff musician

• 1923 ~ Daniel Pinkham, American composer

• 1925 ~ Bill Hayes, Singer, entertainer

• 1927 ~ Paul Lacombe, Composer, died at the age of 89

• 1932 ~ Pete Jolly (Cragioli), Pianist

• 1937 ~ Stanley Lunetta, Composer

• 1941 ~ Martha Argerich, Brazilian pianist

• 1941 ~ Floyd Butler, Singer with Fifth Dimension and Friends of Distinction

• 1941 ~ Roy Eldridge was featured on trumpet and vocal as drummer Gene Krupa and his band recorded After You’ve Gone for Okeh Records.

• 1942 ~ Sammy Kaye and his orchestra recorded the classic I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen for Victor Records.

• 1942 ~ Charles Dodge, Composer

• 1943 ~ Bill Hopkins, Composer

• 1944 ~ Riccardo Zandonai, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1945 ~ Don Reid, Singer, Grammy Award-winning group: The Statler Brothers and CMA Vocal Group of the Year from 1972 to 1980

• 1946 ~ Fred Stone, Singer with Sly and the Family Stone

• 1947 ~ Laurie Anderson, American composer and performance artist

• 1956 ~ Kenny G (Gorelick), Saxophonist. Kenny G is one of the most successful international musicians, a best-selling artist with over 75 million record sales worldwide. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 10 and played music professionally while at University for various bands. In 1982 he got his big break and was signed to Arista Records and released his first solo album. Throughout his career he has worked with top artists including Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, and many others. He has also worked on several soundtracks including The Bodyguard. He has been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and has won one in 1994 for his instrumental “Forever in Love.”

• 1956 ~ Elvis Presley made his second appearance on Milton Berle’s Texaco Star Theatre. Presley sang Heartbreak Hotel, his number one hit. The TV critics were not kind to Elvis’ appearance on the show. They panned him, saying his performance looked “like the mating dance of an aborigine.”

Also in 1956,  Presley introduced his new single, “Hound Dog,” on The Milton Berle Show. and scandalized the audience with his suggestive hip gyrations.

• 1959 ~ Bob Zimmerman graduated from high school in Hibbing, MN. Zimmerman was known as a greaser to classmates in the remote rural community, because of his long sideburns and leather jacket. Soon, Zimmerman would be performing at coffee houses at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and later, in Greenwich Village in New York City. He would also change his name to Bob Dylan (after poet Dylan Thomas, so the story goes).

• 1964 ~ David Jones and The King Bees had their first record, Liza Jane, released by Vocalion Records of Great Britain. Less than a decade later, we came to know Jones better as David Bowie.

• 1965 ~ “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and Pharaohs hit #2

• 1971 ~ Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg), Guitarist, singer with Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch

• 1972 ~ Maureen McGovern quit her job as a full-time secretary for a new career as a full-time singer. Maureen was part of a trio before recording as a solo artist in July, 1973. Her first song, The Morning After, from the movie, The Poseidon Adventure, was a million-seller. She also sang the theme, Different Worlds, from ABC-TV’s Angie, and Can You Read My Mind from the movie, Superman. Ms. McGovern starred in Pirates of Penzance for 14 months on Broadway.

• 1993 ~ Conway Twitty, Country star (Linda on My Mind), died at the age of 59 during surgery

• 1994 ~ Ish Kabbible (Merwyn A Bogue), Cornetist with Kay Kyser, died at the age of 86

• 1999 ~ Mel Torme passed away

• 2016 ~ Phyllis Curtin, American soprano (New York City Opera), died at the age of 94

June 3: Today’s Music History

Be sure your student reads and listens to Today’s Daily Listening Assignment

• 1657 ~ Manuel de Egues, Composer

• 1660 ~ Johannes Schenck, Composer

• 1661 ~ Gottfried Scheidt, Composer, died at the age of 67

• 1736 ~ Johann Christoph Oley, Composer

• 1746 ~ James Hook, Composer

• 1750 ~ Frederic Thieme, Composer

• 1773 ~ Michael Gottard Fischer, Composer

• 1801 ~ Frantisek Jan Skroup, Composer

• 1804 ~ Jean-Engelbert Pauwels, Composer, died at the age of 35

• 1809 ~ John “Christmas” Beckwith, Composer, died at the age of 58

• 1828 ~ Jean Alexander Ferdinand Poise, Composer

• 1828 ~ Jose Inzenga y Castellanos, Composer

• 1829 ~ Alfonse Charles Renaud de Vilback, Composer

• 1832 ~ Alexander Charles Lecocq, Composer

• 1841 ~ Eduardo Caudella, Composer

• 1844 ~ Emile Paladilhe, Composer

• 1849 ~ Francois de Paule Jacques Raymond de Fossa, Composer, died at the age of 73

• 1858 ~ Julius Reubke, Composer, died at the age of 24

• 1867 ~ Bela Anton Szabados, Composer

• 1868 ~ Lvar Henning Mankell, Composer

• 1872 ~ Heinrich Esser, Composer, died at the age of 53

• 1875 ~ French composer Georges Bizet died at the age of 36, the same year his “Carmen” was first produced. It caused a scandal at first but went on to become one of opera’s most popular works.
More information on Bizet

• 1887 ~ Roland Hayes, American tenor

• 1887 ~ Emil Axman, Composer

• 1888 ~ Cark Reidel, Composer, died at the age of 60

• 1890 ~ Henryk Oskar Kolberg, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1893 ~ Assen Karastoyanov, Composer

• 1898 ~ Nikolai Afanisev, Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1899 ~ Johann Strauss Jr., Viennese conductor and composer of waltzes including “The Blue Danube”, died at the age of 73.
More information on Strauss

• 1904 ~ Jan Peerce (Jacob Pincus Perlemuth), Opera singer, tenor

• 1906 ~ Josephine Baker, American-born French jazz singer and dancer

• 1907 ~ Antonio Emmanvilovich Spadavecchia, Composer

• 1911 ~ Come Josephine in My Flying Machine hit #1

• 1913 ~ Josef Richard Rozkosny, Composer, died at the age of 79

• 1922 ~ Ivan Patachich, Composer

• 1926 ~ Carlos Veerhoff, Composer

• 1926 ~ Janez Maticic, Composer

• 1927 ~ Boots Randolph, American saxophonist (Yakety Sax)

• 1931 ~ The Band Wagon, a Broadway musical, opened in New York City. The show ran for 260 performances.

• 1932 ~ Dakota Staton (Aliyah Rabia), Jazz singer

. 1932 ~ The Broadway musical “The Band Wagon” opened in New York City. The comedic musical film about an aging star that tries to revive his career in a Broadway production. The film ranked #17 in the American Film Institute’s list of best musicals in 2006.

• 1939 ~ Beer Barrel Polka hit #1 on the pop singles chart by Will Glahe

• 1942 ~ Curtis Mayfield, American rhythm-and-blues singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist Grammy Award-winner, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, March 15, 1999

• 1944 ~ Mike Clarke, Musician, drummer with The Byrds

• 1946 ~ Ian Hunter, Singer, songwriter with Mott the Hoople

• 1949 ~ Stephen Ruppenthal, Composer

• 1950 ~ Suzie Quatro (Quatrocchio), Singer

• 1951 ~ Deniece Williams, Singer

• 1952 ~ Frank Sinatra recorded the classic Birth of the Blues for Columbia Records

• 1959 ~ Ole Windingstad, Composer, died at the age of 73

• 1961 ~ Charles Hart, Lyricist: Phantom of the Opera

• 1961 ~ “Wildcat” closed at Alvin Theater NYC after 172 performances

• 1964 ~ The Hollywood Palace on ABC-TV hosted the first appearance of the first U.S. concert tour of The Rolling Stones. Dean Martin emceed the show. One critic called the Stones “dirtier and streakier and more disheveled than The Beatles.”

• 1971 ~ Yehudi Menuhin performed on a 250-year-old Stradivarius violin at Sotheby’s auction house. It sold for $200,000.

• 1978 ~ Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams combined their singing talents to reach the number one spot on the nation’s pop music charts with Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.

• 1986 ~ Arthur Charles Ernest Hoeree, Composer, died at the age of 89

• 1994 ~ Hub Matthijsen, Violinist/bandmaster, died at the age of 52

May 22: Today’s Music History

today

• 1722 ~ Johannes Schmidlin, Composer

• 1759 ~ Gervais-François Couperin, Composer

• 1780 ~ Jan Emmanuel Dulezalek, Composer

• 1783 ~ Thomas Forbes Walmisley, Composer

• 1813 ~ (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner, German composer
Read quotes by and about Wagner
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Happy Birthday Wagner-Style

• 1820 ~ Alexander Ernst Fesca, Composer

• 1850 ~ Johann Schrammel, Composer

• 1852 ~ Emile Sauret, Composer

• 1865 ~ Enrique Morera, Composer

• 1879 ~ Eastwood Lane, Composer

• 1879 ~ Jean Emile Paul Cras, Composer

• 1884 ~ Alceo Toni, Composer

• 1885 ~ Julio Fonseca, Composer

• 1900 ~ Edwin S. Votey of Detroit, MI patented his pianola, a pneumatic piano player. The device could be attached to any piano. Batteries not included.

• 1914 ~ Sun Ra (Herman Blount), American jazz composer and keyboard player who led a free jazz big band known for its innovative instrumentation and the theatricality of its performances. He passed away in 1993.

• 1916 ~ Gordon Binkerd, Composer

• 1924 ~ Charles Aznavour, French chanteur and composer

• 1924 ~ Claude Andre Francois Ballif, French composer

• 1926 ~ Elaine Leighton, Drummer, played with Billie Holiday

• 1928 ~ Jackie (Jacqueline) Cain, Singer

• 1930 ~ Kenny Ball, Musician, trumpeter, bandleader

• 1933 ~ John Browning, American pianist

• 1934 ~ Peter Nero (Nierow), Pianist

• 1950 ~ Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s lyricist

• 1966 ~ Iva Davies (1955) Guitarist, singer with Icehouse

• 1958 ~ Wedding vows were taken by rock ’n’ roll star, Jerry Lee Lewis and his thirteen-year-old cousin, Myra.

• 1965 ~ The Beatles got their eighth consecutive number one hit as Ticket to Ride rode to the top of the singles list. The song topped the charts for one week and became their eighth consecutive number one hit.

• 1966 ~ Bruce Springsteen recorded his very first song at the age of 16, along with his band, The Castilles. It was titled, That’s What You’ll Get. The song was never released.

• 2003 ~ The final manuscript of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was annotated by the composer, sold at auction for $3.47 million.

May 7: Today’s Music History

today

•  1833 ~ Johannes Brahms, German composer
More information about Brahms

• 1840 ~ Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer
Listen to Tchaikovsky’s music
Read about Tchaikovsky
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• 1919 ~ Eva (Evita) Peron, Argentina’s spiritual leader and wife of Argentina’s President, Juan Peron; actress on stage, film and radio; the subject of the Broadway musical and film Evita

• 1927 ~ Elisabeth Söderström, Swedish soprano

• 1931 ~ Teresa Brewer (Breuer), Singer

• 1941 ~ Glenn Miller and his Orchestra recorded one of the great American music standards, Chattanooga Choo Choo
More information about Chattanooga Choo Choo

• 1942 ~ Felix Weingartner, Austrian conductor and composer, died; best known for his interpretations of Wagner and Beethoven.

• 1958 ~ Pianist Van Cliburn signed an artist’s contract with RCA Victor Records.

• 1966 ~ The Mamas & The Papas made the climb to the top of the Billboard pop music chart with Monday, Monday.

• 1977 ~ The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Hotel California’, the group’s fourth US No.1, a No.8 hit in the UK. The Eagles also won the 1977 Grammy Award for Record of the Year for ‘Hotel California’ at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards in 1978. The song’s guitar solo is ranked 8th on Guitar Magazine’s Top 100 Guitar Solos and was voted the best solo of all time by readers of Guitarist magazine.

• 1995 ~ Ray McKinley passed away.  He was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader.

• 2002 ~ Buster Brown, a tap star and choreographer who danced on stage, in films and on television, died. He was 88. Brown was one of the last surviving members of the Copasetics, a legendary group of veteran dancers who performed together. Known for his quick rhythms and charm, Brown was a mentor and teacher for a younger generation of dancers. Brown, who was born James Brown in Baltimore, began his dancing career with a trio called the Three Aces and Speed Kings. He eventually began a solo career, appearing in the Hollywood musical “Something to Shout About” in 1943. Brown toured with the bands of Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington, and was a featured dancer in Ellington’s concerts in the 1960s. He danced in the films “The Cotton Club” and “Tap” and on two public television specials. He also performed with the original casts of the Broadway musicals “Bubbling Brown Sugar” and “Black and Blue.” Brown toured South America with the Cab Calloway Orchestra and was commissioned by the State Department to perform in several African countries. He also taught master classes throughout Europe. Beginning in 1997, Brown was master of ceremonies at a weekly Sunday tap jam at the Manhattan club Swing 46, where young and old dancers stopped by to perform. He recently received an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University.

April 23: Today’s Music History

today

. 1756 ~ Alexander Reinagle, English-American composer, born

. 1882 ~ Albert Coates, British conductor and composer

OCMS 1891 ~ Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer and pianist
More information about Prokofiev
Grammy winner

. 1924 ~ Arthur Frackenpohl, American composer

. 1928 ~ Shirley Temple, American actress best known for her parts as a child actress / singer / Tap Dancer. Possibly her best known part was as Shirley Blake in the movie Bright Eyes when she first performed the song that would become one of her trademarks, “On the Good Ship Lollipop”. She won an Academy Award for best Juvenile Performer in 1935. She went on to star in Stand Up and Cheer!, The Littlest Rebel, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and Just Around the Corner. She was cast alongside some of the great actors of the time including John Wayne, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda and Ronald Reagan to name just a few. After ending her acting career she became a successful diplomat including a delegate to the United Nations (1969), United States Ambassador to Ghana (1974), United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the velvet revolution (1989–92). She was also one of the celebrities featured in the cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper.

. 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.

April 19: Today’s Music History

today

OCMS 1836 ~ Augustus D. Julliard, American music patron; responsible for founding The Julliard School of Music
More information about Julliard

. 1876 ~ Samuel Sebastian Wesley, composer, died at the age of 65

. 1892 ~ Germaine Tailleferre, French composer

. 1905 ~ Tommy Benford, Drummer with Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers

. 1920 ~ Frank Fontaine, Comedian, actor, singer

. 1924 ~ A new show joined the airwaves. The Chicago Barn Dance aired on WLS radio in the Windy City. Later, the famous program would be renamed The National Barn Dance. This program was the first country music jamboree on radio. (The Grand Ole Opry on WSM Radio in Nashville, TN began in 1925.) National Barn Dance continued for many years on the radio station that was owned by the retailer, Sears Roebuck & Co. WLS, in fact, stood for ‘World’s Largest Store’. Though the Barn Dance gave way to rock music and now, talk radio, The Grand Ole Opry continues each weekend in Nashville.

. 1927 ~ Don Barbour, Singer with the group, The Four Freshmen

. 1928 ~ Alexis Korner, Musician: guitar, singer

. 1934 ~ Shirley Temple appeared in the American musical movie with many well known actors and actresses, stole the show and went on to appear in 10 movies in 1934, including 4 starring roles in major feature-length films.

. 1935 ~ Dudley Moore, English pianist and actor

. 1940 ~ Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded the song “Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga.”

. 1942 ~ Alan Price, Musician: keyboards, singer: groups: Alan Price Combo, The Animals. Some favorites were House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out of This Place

. 1942 ~ Larry (Hilario) Ramos, Jr., Musician, guitar, singer with the group: The Association

. 1943 ~ Eve Graham, Singer with The New Seekers

. 1943 ~ Czeslaw Bartkowski, jazz musician, drums

. 1945 ~ The musical Carousel, based on Molnar’s Liliom, opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City. John Raitt and Jan Clayton starred in the show which ran for 890 performances. Music was by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.

. 1947 ~ Murray Perahia, American pianist and conductor

. 1947 ~ Mark Volman, Saxophonist, singer

. 1959 ~ Singer Harry Belafonte appeared in the first of two benefit concerts for charity at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

. 1967 ~ Nancy Sinatra and her dad, Frank, received a gold record award for their collaboration on the hit single, Something Stupid.

1987 ~ The Simpsons TV show was born
John Brunning celebrates tonight with Danny Elfman’s theme to the series

. 2000 ~ Richard L. Campbell, a classical music announcer on WCPE-FM died during his on-the-air shift, apparently of a massive heart attack. He was 67. On the air, Campbell catered to his audience by using his warm baritone voice to soothing effect. Before coming to WCPE about 10 years ago, he was a computer programmer and helped design the station’s traffic system.

. 2012 ~ Greg Ham, Australian rock saxophonist and flutist (Men At Work), died at the age of 58

April 5: Today’s Music History

today

. 1724 ~ Giovanni Jacopo Casanova de Seingalt, Italian violinist During his life he was also a seminarian, a secretary to a cardinal, a Venetian ensign, an abbe, a gambler, an alchemist, a spy, a lover, adventurer, and a librarian.

. 1784 ~ Ludwig Spohr, German violinist, composer and conductor

. 1839 ~ Stanislaw Pilinski, French pianist and composer

. 1869 ~ Albert Roussel, French composer

. 1908 ~ Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor

. 1922 ~ Gale Storm (Josephine Cottle), Singer

. 1925 ~ Stan Levey, Musician, composer, drummer in a band with Charlie Parker

. 1928 ~ Tony Williams, Singer with The Platters

. 1932 ~ Billy Bland, Singer

. 1934 ~ Stanley Turrentine, Jazz musician – tenor sax

. 1940 ~ Tommy Cash, Songwriter, Johnny Cash’s brother

. 1946 ~ Vincent Youmans passed away.  He was an American Broadway composer and Broadway producer.

. 1958 ~ Johnny Mathis’ album, Johnny’s Greatest Hits, on Columbia Records, made it to the pop music charts for the first time. The LP remained on the charts for a record 490 weeks (nearly 9~1/2 years!) The record began its stay at number one (three weeks) on June 9, 1958. Mathis studied opera from age 13 and earned a track and field scholarship at San Francisco State College. He was invited to Olympic try-outs and chose a singing career instead. He was originally a jazz-style singer when Columbia switched Mathis to singing pop ballads. Johnny would chart over 60 albums in 30 years.

. 1982 ~ After eight years of publication to the radio and recording industry, Record World magazine ceased publication and filed for bankruptcy protection.

. 1985 ~ Broadcasters banded together to play the single, We Are the World, at 10:50 a.m. E.S.T. Stations in the United States were joined by hundreds of others around the world in a sign of unification for the African relief cause. Even Muzak made the song only the second vocal selection it has ever played in elevators and offices since its inception.

https://youtu.be/Sqprpo6GJjE

. 1995 ~ Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, died

. 2018 ~ Cecil Taylor, jazz pianist died.