June 28: Today’s Music History

today

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

• 1547 ~ Cristofano Malvezzi, Composer

• 1586 ~ Paul Siefert, Composer

• 1641 ~ King Henry VIII, English monarch and occasional composer

• 1734 ~ Jean-Jacques Beauvarget-Charpentier, Composer

• 1742 ~ Johann Joseph Ignaz Brentner, Composer, died at the age of 52

• 1788 ~ Johann Christoph Vogel, Composer, died at the age of 32

• 1798 ~ Pierre Dutillieu, Composer, died at the age of 44

• 1806 ~ Napoleon Coste, Composer

• 1815 ~ Robert Franz, Composer

• 1831 ~ Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist, composer and conductor
Read more about Joachim

• 1852 ~ Hans Huber, Composer

• 1853 ~ Edwin Arthur Jones, Composer

• 1855 ~ Giovanni Agostino Perotti, Composer, died at the age of 86

• 1857 ~ Joseph Fischhof, Composer, died at the age of 53

• 1872 ~ Ludwig Friedrich Hetsch, Composer, died at the age of 66

• 1874 ~ Oley Speaks, Composer

• 1876 ~ August W Ambros, Austria musicologist, died at the age of 59

• 1885 ~ Giuseppe Mule, Composer

• 1887 ~ Boleslav Vomacka, Composer

• 1890 ~ Edouard Gregoir, Composer, died at the age of 67

• 1891 ~ Jose Inzenga y Castellanos, Composer, died at the age of 63

• 1893 ~ Luciano Gallet, Composer

• 1893 ~ Nils Bjorkander, Composer

• 1895 ~ Kazimierz Sikorski, Composer

• 1902 ~ Richard Rogers, Academy Award-winning American composer for the musical theater
Read more about Rogers

• 1904 ~ Wlodzimierz Pozniak, Composer

• 1904 ~ Daniel Decatur Emmett passed away

• 1906 ~ Safford Cape, American/Belgian conductor, composer and music historian

• 1909 ~ Arnold Shaw, Composer

• 1910 ~ Gustave Leon Huberti, Composer, died at the age of 67

• 1912 ~ Audrey Langford, Singing teacher

• 1912 ~ Sergiu Celibidache, conductor

• 1913 ~ George Walter Selwyn Lloyd, English Composer

• 1914 ~ Lester Flatt, Country music entertainer, guitar with Flatt and Scruggs

• 1917 ~ Willem “Wim” Sonneveld, Dutch singer and actor in My Fair Lady

• 1923 ~ Pete (Walter) Candoli, Musician, trumpeter

• 1936 ~ Giselher W Kleber, German opera composer

• 1925 ~ George Morgan, Singer

• 1930 ~ Nikolay Nikolayevich Karetnikov, Composer

• 1933 ~ Gunnar Reynir Sveinsson, Composer

• 1936 ~ Cathy Carr, Singer

• 1940 ~ As a summer replacement for blind, piano virtuoso Alec Templeton, the Quiz Kids was first heard on radio. The show continued on NBC until 1953.

• 1945 ~ Dave Knights, Musician, bass player with Procol Harum

• 1946 ~ Robert Xavier Rodriguez, Composer

• 1950 ~ Henry Balfour Gardiner, Composer, died at the age of 72

• 1957 ~ Ede Poldini, Composer, died at the age of 88

• 1979 ~ Paul Dessau, German Composer and conductor, died at the age of 84

• 1980 ~ José Iturbi, Spanish/American pianist, died at the age of 84

• 1980 ~ Yoshiro Irino, Composer, died at the age of 58

• 1981 ~ “Piaf” closed at Plymouth Theater New York City after 165 performances

• 1987 ~ “Dreamgirls” opened at Ambassador Theater New York City for 177 performances

• 1996 ~ Willard F. McMurry, Musician, died at the age of 89

• 1997 ~ “Master Class,” closed at Golden Theater New York City after 601 performances

• 1997 ~ “Steel Peer,” closed at Richard Rodgers Theater New York City after 76 performances

• 2001 ~ Rene Villanueva, a social activist who co-founded a pioneering Mexican folk music group, died at the age of 67. Villanueva was a co-founder of the group Los Folkloristas in 1966 and recorded more than 12 albums with the group, which helped spread and popularize the music of Mexico’s Indian and other traditional cultures. He left the group last year as his illness advanced, but he made a final recording last week with Indian musicians. Born in Oaxaca in 1933, Villanueva earned a degree in chemical engineering as well as studying painting and music. Once a member of the Mexican Communist Party, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas and performed in concerts to support the rebel movement.

• 2001 ~ Scott Merrill, a Broadway star who also played Macheath in the 1954 production of “The Threepenny Opera”, died at the age of 82. Merrill received positive reviews for his performance in “The Threepenny Opera” by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, and performed at the Theater de Lys in Greenwich Village. His role as Macheath was his first nondancing part in New York, where he also attracted notice in shows such as “Bloomer Girl,” “Paint Your Wagon” and a revival of “Pal Joey.” His first role in New York was in “Lady in the Dark,” with Danny Kaye, Gertrude Lawrence and Victor Mature. Merrill was born in Baltimore, Md.

• 2002 ~ Author William F. Dufty, who co-wrote Billie Holiday’s autobiography and became Gloria Swanson’s last husband, died from complications from cancer. He was 86. Dufty was a playwright, musician, ghostwriter of about 40 books, head speechwriter to Hubert Humphrey and reporter and editor at the New York Post. Dufty, who became good friends with jazz singer Holiday, helped write her autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues”. In 1975, he also wrote “Sugar Blues”, a popular nutrition book about the dangers of sugar in the diet. He became friends with Yoko Ono and former Beatle John Lennon after translating a Japanese book that launched the macrobiotic food revolution, Georges Ohsawa’s “You Are All Sanpaku”. Dufty married Swanson, a silent screen star, in 1976, and the marriage lasted until her death in 1983.

• 2016 ~ Scotty Moore, American guitarist (for Elvis), died at the age of 84

June 27: Today’s Music History

sunglass-smiley

Happy Sunglasses Day!

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

• 1679 ~ Pablo Bruna, Composer, died at the age of 68

• 1718 ~ Wenzel Raimund Pirck, Composer

• 1745 ~ Johann Nepomuk Went, Composer

• 1789 ~ Philipp Friedrich Silcher, Composer

• 1805 ~ Stephen Elvey, Composer

• 1812 ~ John Pike Hullah, Composer

• 1814 ~ Johann Friedrich Reichardt, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1819 ~ Carl Albert Loeschhorn, Composer

• 1821 ~ August Conradi, Composer

• 1829 ~ Louis-Sebastien Lebrun, Composer, died at the age of 64

• 1832 ~ Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisla, Composer, died at the age of 72

• 1933 ~ Vladislav Ivanovich Zaremba, Composer

• 1850 ~ Jacob Adolf Hagg, Composer

• 1859 ~ Mildred Hill, American organist, pianist and teacher, composed Happy Birthday To You along with Patty Smith Hill, her younger sister, who wrote the lyrics. The first title was Good Morning to All.

• 1885 ~ Arthur Harmat, Composer

• 1885 ~ Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter applied for a patent for the gramophone. The patent was granted on May 4, 1886.

• 1889 ~ Carlotta Patti, Italian soprano, died

• 1889 ~ Whitney Eugene Thayer, Composer, died at the age of 50

• 1898 ~ Tibor Harsanyi, Composer

• 1908 ~ Hans de Jong, Musician and conductor

• 1909 ~ Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Composer

• 1910 ~ Karel Reiner, Czech composer and pianist

• 1911 ~ V K Narayana Menon, Composer

• 1915 ~ Hendrik W van Leeuwen, Musician

• 1916 ~ Hallvard Olav Johnsen, Composer

• 1917 ~ Ben Homer, Composer and songwriter

• 1922 ~ George Walker, American composer and pianist

• 1954 ~ Elmo Hope, Pianist, The Elmo Hope Trio

• 1924 ~ Rosalie Allen (Julie Bedra), Country singer and yodeler

• 1925 ~ (Jerome) ‘Doc’ Pomus, Songwriter, Atlantic Records co-owner, inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992

• 1931 ~ Alojz Srebotnjak, Composer

• 1931 ~ Ryszard Kwiatkowski, Composer

• 1932 ~ Hugh Wood, Composer

• 1934 ~ Anna Moffo, Opera Singer with the Metropolitan Opera from 1959 until 1969

• 1942 ~ John Howard McGuire, Composer

• 1942 ~ Frank Mills, Musician, piano, composer of Music Box Dancer

• 1954 ~ Bruce Johnston (1944) Grammy Award-winning songwriter in 1976, with The Beach Boys

• 1944 ~ Werner Wehrli, Composer, died at the age of 52

• 1946 ~ Daria Semegen, Composer

• 1946 ~ Janice Giteck, Composer

• 1954 ~ Francis L Casadesus, French violinist, composer and conductor, died at the age of 83

• 1955 ~ “Julius LaRosa Show,” debuted on CBS-TV

• 1959 ~ West Side Story, with music by Leonard Bernstein, closed after 734 performances on Broadway. The show remains one of the brightest highlights in Broadway history.

• 1962 ~ Two albums of melancholy music by Jackie Gleason received gold record honors. Music, Martinis and Memories and Music for Lovers Only got the gold. Both were issued by Capitol Records in Hollywood.

• 1963 ~ Brenda Lee inked a new recording contract with Decca Records. She was guaranteed one million dollars over the next 20 years.

• 1964 ~ Daniel Lazarus, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1964 ~ Jan & Dean released Little Old Lady From Pasadena

• 1964 ~ Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman were married. It did not turn out to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring marriages. The couple broke up 38 days later.

• 1969 ~ Richard Vance Maxfield, Composer, died at the age of 42

• 1970 ~ Mariah Carey, Singer

• 1970 ~ The Jackson 5: Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Randy and Michael, jumped to number one on the music charts with The Love You Save. The song stayed at the top of the charts for two weeks. It was the third of four number one hits in a row for the group. The other three were I Want You Back, ABC and I’ll Be There. In 15 years (from 1969 to 1984), The Jackson 5/Jacksons had 23 hits, scored two platinum singles and one gold record.

• 1970, The newly formed Queen featuring Freddie Mercury (possibly still known as Freddie Bulsara) on vocals, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and Mike Grose on bass played their first gig at Truro City Hall, Cornwall, England. They were billed as Smile, Brian and Roger’s previous band, for whom the booking had been made originally. Original material at this time included an early version of ‘Stone Cold Crazy’.

• 1971 ~ “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” closed at Golden New York City after 31 performances

• 1971 ~ Promoter Bill Graham closed the Fillmore East in New York City. It was a spin-off of San Francisco’s legendary rock ’n’ roll palace, Fillmore West. The New York City landmark laid claim to having hosted every major rock group of the 1960s.

• 1975 ~ Robert Stolz, Austrian Composer, died at the age of 94

• 1976 ~ “Pacific Overtures” closed at Winter Garden New York City after 193 performances

• 1980 ~ Steve Peregrin Took, Percussionist, died at the age of 31

• 1981 ~ Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes returned to #1 slot

• 1982 ~ “Dancin'” closed at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 1,774 performances

• 1982 ~ “Play Me a Country Song” opened & closed at Virginia Theater New York City

• 1992 ~ Allan Jones, Vocalist and actor in Show Boat, died of lung cancer at the age of 84

• 1992 ~ Stefanie Ann Sargent, Guitarist, died at the age of 24

• 1993 ~ “Falsettos” closed at John Golden Theater New York City after 487 performances

• 1995 ~ Lionel Edmund “Sonny” Taylor, musician, died at the age of 70

• 1995 ~ Prez “Kidd” Kenneth, blues singer/guitarist, died at the age of 61

• 2001 ~ Chico O’Farrill, the Afro-Cuban jazz pioneer who composed ballads and fiery, big band bebop for such greats as Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and Dizzy Gillespie, died at the age of 79. Born Arturo O’Farrill in Havana, the trumpeter was most renowned as a composer and arranger of extended jazz pieces. He became one of the creators of Afro-Cuban jazz, dubbed Cubop, a melding of big-band Cuban music with elements of modern jazz. O’Farrill toiled largely in obscurity for more than 50 years. But like the musicians of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club, he had recently enjoyed a renaissance. His comeback began in 1995, with the release of his album “Pure Emotion,” a Grammy nominee for best Latin jazz performance. He released two other acclaimed albums, “Heart of a Legend” in 1999 and last year’s “Carambola.”

• 2002 ~ John Entwistle, the bass player for veteran British rock band The Who, died in Las Vegas at age 57, just one day before the group was set to begin a North American tour in the city, officials said.
More information about Entwistle

June 26: Today’s Music History

today

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

• 1284 ~ The Pied Piper exacted his revenge upon the German town of Hamelin this day. The townspeople had promised to pay the piper a large fee if he could rid their town the nasty rats running all over the place. He had played his trusty pipe and the rats had followed him out of town and into the River Weser. But once the rodents were eliminated, the local folks decided not to pay after all. The piper was not pleased and repaid the townspeople by playing his pipe for the children of Hamelin, just like he had done for the rats. And just like the rats, the children followed him out of town.

• 1582 ~ Johannes Schultz, Composer

• 1657 ~ Tobias Michael, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1661 ~ Lazaro Valvasensi, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1747 ~ Leopold Jan Antonin Kozeluh, Composer

• 1778 ~ Angelo Antonio Caroli, Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1798 ~ Eugene Godecharle, Composer, died at the age of 56

• 1823 ~ Frederick Bowen Jewson, Composer

• 1824 ~ Moritz Furstenau, Composer

• 1836 ~ Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, author and composer of the Marseillaise, died

• 1870 ~ Wagner’s opera “Valkyrie” premiered in Munich

• 1874 ~ Mikhail Vladimirovich Ivanov-Boretsky, Composer

• 1875 ~ Camille Zeckwer, Composer

• 1878 ~ Albert Siklos, Composer

• 1891 ~ Heinrich Lemacher, Composer

• 1893 ~ “Big Bill” Broonzy, American blues singer and guitarist

• 1894 ~ Bill Wirges, American orchestra leader

• 1901 ~ William Busch, Composer

• 1902 ~ Antonia Brico, Conductor and pianist. Because there were so few opportunities for female conductors, she organized the Woman’s Symphony Orchestra in 1935.

• 1909 ~ “Col Tom” Parker (Dries Van Kruijk), Elvis Presley’s manager

• 1912 ~ Gustav Mahler’s 9th Symphony premiered in Vienna

• 1914 ~ Richard Maltby, Bandleader

• 1914 ~ Wolfgang Windgassen, German tenor with the Stuttgart Opera

• 1916 ~ Guiseppe Taddei, Italian baritone

• 1924 ~ Syd Lawrence, Bandleader

• 1924 ~ Ziegfeld Follies opened on Broadway

• 1928 ~ Jacob Druckman, American composer

• 1931 ~ Lucien Goethals, Composer

• 1933 ~ Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor
More information about Abbado

• 1933 ~ The Kraft Music Hall debuted. It turned out to be one of radio’s longest-running hits. The first program presented Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. SingerAl Jolson became the host of the show shortly thereafter. Several years later, crooner Bing Crosby was named the host. The Kraft Music Hall continued on NBC radio until 1949 and then on TV for many more years; the first year as Milton Berle Starring in the Kraft Music Hall, then Kraft Music Hall Presents: The Dave King Show followed by Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall for four seasons. From 1967 on, The Kraft Music Hall featured a different host.

• 1934 ~ Dave Grusin, Composer of film scores

• 1934 ~ Luis Felipe Pires, Composer

• 1940 ~ Billy Davis, Jr., Singer with The 5th Dimension

• 1942 ~ Larry Taylor, Musician, bass with Canned Heat

• 1943 ~ John Allen Strang, Composer

• 1943 ~ Georgie Fame (Clive Powell), Singer

• 1945 ~ Barry Schrader, Composer

• 1945 ~ Erno Rapee, Composer, died at the age of 54

• 1945 ~ Nikolay Nikolayevich Tcherepnin, Composer, died at the age of 72

• 1953 ~ Ralph Ezell, American singer

• 1954 ~ Robert Davi, American opera singer/actor

• 1956 ~ Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter, died at the age of 25

• 1964 ~ A Hard Day’s Night was released by United Artists Records. The album featured all original material by The Beatles and became the top album in the country by July 25, 1964.

• 1965 ~ Mr. Tambourine Man, by The Byrds, reached the number one spot on the pop music charts. The song was considered by many to be the first folk-rock hit. The tune was written by Bob Dylan, as were two other hits for the group: All I Really Want to Do and My Back Pages. The group of James Roger McGinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Mike Clarke charted seven hits. The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

• 1966 ~ “Time for Singing” closed at Broadway Theater New York City after 41 performances

• 1971 ~ Inia Te Wiata, opera singer, died

• 1971 ~ Juan Manen, Composer, died at the age of 88

• 1971 ~ “Man of La Mancha” closed at ANTA Washington Square Theater New York City after 2329 performances

• 1972 ~ David Lichine (Lichtenstein), Russian/American choreographer, died at the age of 61

• 1973 ~ Arnold Richardson, Composer, died at the age of 59

• 1973 ~ London production of “Grease” premiered

• 1977 ~ Lou Reizner, Rock vocalist/producer, died at the age of 43

• 1977 ~ Elvis Presley sang the last performance of his career, in Indianapolis. He died two months later.

• 1981 ~ Peter Kreuder, German composer, died

• 1982 ~ André Tchaikowsky, Pianist and composer, died

• 1983 ~ Walter O’Keefe, Songwriter and TV host, died at the age of 82

• 1983 ~ “Show Boat” closed at Uris Theater New York City after 73 performances

• 1984 ~ Barbra Streisand recorded Here We Are at Last

• 1991 ~ Carmine Coppola, Composer and conductor (Godfather II), died at the age of 80

• 1994 ~ Thomas Henry Wait Armstrong, Organist, died at the age of 96

• 2001 ~ French soprano Gina Cigna, famed for singing Puccini’s “Turandot”, died at the age of 101. Born in Paris in 1900, Cigna made her stage debut at Milan’s La Scala opera house at age 27 under the name Ginette Sens. Her breakthrough came two years later when she performed in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at La Scala under her own name. Arturo Toscanini, the conductor, was particularly fond of Cigna’s expressive voice, which received widespread acclaim. An auto accident ended Cigna’s performing career in 1947. Until 1965, she coached opera singers in Milan, Siena and Canada.

June 25: Today’s Music History

today

 

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

 

 

• 1522 ~ Franchinus Gaffurius, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1709 ~ Francesco Araja, Composer

• 1735 ~ Benvenuto Robbio San Rafaele, Composer

• 1767 ~ Georg Philipp Telemann, German late-baroque Composer, died at the age of 86.

• 1785 ~ Pierre Talon, Composer, died at the age of 63

• 1796 ~ Ferdinando Giorgetti, Composer

• 1860 ~ Gustave Charpentier, French composer

• 1862 ~ Vasily Georgiyevich Wrangell, Composer

• 1870 ~ Opera “Die Walküre” by Richard Wagner was produced in Munich

• 1876 ~ John Patton, Trumpeter, died at Little Bighorn

• 1878 ~ Jean Gallon, Composer

• 1884 ~ Hans Rott, Composer, died at the age of 25

• 1886 ~ Nineteen-year-old Arturo Toscanini moved from the cello section to the conductor’s stand of the Rio de Janeiro Orchestra. The maestro conducted Verdi’s opera, Aida, this day.

• 1887 ~ George Abbott, Director: Damn Yankees, The Pajama Game

• 1889 ~ Ethel Glenn Hier, Composer

• 1897 ~ Hans Barth, German pianist and composer

• 1901 ~ Adolf Brunner, Composer

• 1910 ~ The first performance of “The Firebird”, a ballet by Igor Stravinsky, took place in Paris.

• 1921 ~ Peter Charles Arthur Wishart, Composer

• 1922 ~ Johnny Smith, Jazz musician, guitarist

• 1925 ~ Clifton Chenier, American blues singer

• 1925 ~ Ziggy Talent, American singer

• 1928 ~ William Joseph Russo, Composer

• 1935 ~ Kurt Schwertsik, Composer

• 1935 ~ Eddie Floyd, Singer with Falcons

• 1936 ~ Harold Melvin, American singer

• 1938 ~ A Tisket A Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb hit #1

• 1940 ~ Clint Warwick (Eccles), Musician, bass with The Moody Blues

• 1945 ~ Carley Simon, American Grammy Award-winning singer – Best New Artist in 1971; Academy Award-winning song, Let the River Run, 1988

• 1946 ~ Allen Lanier, Musician, guitarist, keyboards with Blue Oyster Cult

• 1946 ~ Ian McDonald, Musician, instrumentalist with Foreigner

• 1952 ~ “Wish You Were Here” opened at Imperial Theater New York City for 597 performances

• 1955 ~ “Can Can” closed at Shubert Theater New York City after 892 performances

• 1961 ~ Pat Boone spent this day at number one for one last time with Moody River. Boone, a teen heart-throb in the 1950s, had previously walked his way up the music charts, wearing white buck shoes, of course, with these other hits: Ain’t That a Shame, I Almost Lost My Mind, Don’t Forbid Me, Love Letters in the Sand and April Love.

• 1963 ~ George Michael (Yorgos Panayiotou), Singer

• 1966 ~ The Beatles’ Paperback Writer, single went #1 & stayed #1 for 2 weeks

• 1967 ~ 400 million watched The Beatles “Our World” TV special

• 1969 ~ The Guess Who from Canada received a gold record for their hit single, These Eyes.

• 1971 ~ Stevie Wonder released Where I’m Coming From

• 1976 ~ Johnny Mercer, American songwriter, died at the age of 66 He wrote the lyrics for a number of award-winning songs including Moon River.

• 1977 ~ Endre Szervanszky, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1977 ~ Petko Staynov, Composer, died at the age of 80

• 1983 ~ “Evita” closed at Broadway Theater New York City after 1568 performances

• 1987 ~ Boudleaux Bryant, Songwriter for the Everly Brothers, died at the age of 67

• 1990 ~ Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Australian Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1992 ~ “Les Miserables” opened at Vinorhady Theatre, Prague

• 2000 ~ Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, the longest-running production in Broadway history, closed after 7,397 performances.

• 2000 ~ Arnold Black, a composer and violinist who started a beloved classical music program in the rural Berkshires, died at the age of 77.

• 2002 ~ Nellie Monk, wife and muse of the jazz musician Thelonious Monk, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 80. Born Nellie Smith in St. Petersburg, Fla., she moved to New York with her family and met Thelonious Monk at the age of 16 at a neighborhood basketball court. Throughout their nearly four-decade relationship, Thelonious Monk, who was known as an eccentric absorbed in his work, depended on his wife for financial and emotional support. Nellie Monk worked as a seamstress during World War II, and afterward occasionally made clothes for her husband and others. While she was never her husband’s official manager, she paid musicians, collected money from promoters, and made sure band members had plane tickets. Thelonious Monk wrote a famed ballad, Crepuscule With Nellie, when she was undergoing surgery for a thyroid problem in 1957. The couple was together from about 1947 until Thelonious Monk died in 1982.

June 24: Today’s Music History

today

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

• 1572 ~ Jan Campanus, Composer

• 1724 ~ Johann Theile, German Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1746 ~ Jean Baptiste Rochefort, Composer

• 1747 ~ Johann Melchior Dreyer, Composer

• 1724 ~ Johann Paul Wessely (1762) Composer

• 1803 ~ George James Webb, Composer

• 1808 ~ Anna Caroline Oury, Composer

• 1838 ~ Lowell Cross, Composer

• 1840 ~ Louis Brassin, Composer

• 1724 ~ Thomas Carl Whitmer (1873) Composer

• 1882 ~ Joseph Joachim Raff, German opera Composer, died at the age of 60

• 1891 ~ Ann Sheppard Mounsey, Composer, died at the age of 80

• 1900 ~ Gene Austin, Singer

• 1901 ~ Harry Partch, American composer and inventor of musical instruments

• 1904 ~ Phil Harris, American bandleader. He achieved stardom providing voices for Disney cartoons notably “The Jungle Book.”

• 1906 ~ Pierre Fournier, French cellist

• 1907 ~ Jose de Lima Siquiera, Composer

• 1908 ~ Hugo Distler, Composer

• 1909 ~ Milton Katims, American conductor and violist

• 1910 ~ Denis Dowling, Baritone

• 1913 ~ Frank Lynes, Composer, died at the age of 55

• 1920 ~ Bernhard Krol, Composer

• 1922 ~ Manny Albam, Composer, music educator at Eastman School of Music

• 1933 ~ Sissieretta Joyner Jones, “Black Patti”, American singer, died at about 64

• 1935 ~ Terry Riley, American avant-garde composer

• 1936 ~ Nandor Zsolt, Composer, died at the age of 49

• 1942 ~ Mick Fleetwood, Musician, drummer with Fleetwood Mac

• 1942 ~ Michele Lee, Singer

• 1944 ~ Jeff Beck, Singer, guitarist with The Yardbirds

• 1944 ~ John ‘Charlie’ Whitney, Musician, guitarist with Family

• 1944 ~ Rio Gebhardt, Composer, died at the age of 36

• 1945 ~ Colin Blunstone aka Neil MacArthur, Singer with The Zombies

• 1949 ~ John Illsley, Musician, bass with Dire Straits

• 1961 ~ The Beatles recorded If You Love Me Baby

• 1972 ~ I Am Woman, by Helen Reddy, was released by Capitol Records. The number one tune (December 9, 1972) became an anthem for the feminist movement. Reddy, from Australia, made her stage debut when she was only four years old. She had her own TV program in the early 1960s. Reddy came to New York in 1966 and has appeared in the films Airport 1975, Pete’s Dragon and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Reddy also had four million-sellers: I Am Woman, Delta Dawn, Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress) and Angie Baby. She had a total of 14 hits on the pop music charts.

• 1992 ~ Billy Joel, American pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer, received an honorary diploma from Hicksville HS at 43

• 2000 ~ British actor David Tomlinson, who starred as father George Banks in the classic 1964 musical movie “Mary Poppins”, died at the age of 83.

• 2002 ~ Dolores Gray, a Tony-winning actress and singer, died of a heart attack at her Manhattan apartment. She was 78. Gray began performing in Hollywood clubs when she was 14, and at 15 she was discovered by Rudy Vallee and given a guest spot on his national radio show. She landed her first major theater success in 1947 as Annie in “Annie Get Your Gun” in London. In 1954, she won a Tony award for best musical actress in “Carnival in Flanders.” After signing a contract with MGM in 1955, Gray began to star in musical movies, including “Kismet,” and “The Opposite Sex.” She performed alongside Gene Kelly in “It’s Always Fair Weather” and with Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall in “Designing Women.” Gray continued to perform in clubs, on stage, and on television variety shows, including the Bell Telephone Hour. She returned to Broadway for several productions, including “Destry Rides Again,” during which the stage curtain once caught fire as she sang “Anyone Would Love You.” As the theater’s firefighters and stagehands battled the blaze backstage, Gray kept singing, and was credited with keeping the audience calm until they could evacuate the theater. The show resumed after a 40-minute intermission.

• 2002 ~ Joe Derise, a musician, cabaret artist and former big band vocalist, died. He was 76. Derise sang with Tommy Dorsey at the age of 21 and performed as a singer, guitarist and arranger with the Claude Thornhill Orchestra. He went on to form his own group, Four Jacks and a Jill, which performed around the country. Derise made several records and composed some of his own songs with the lyricist Marcia Hillman. His last major performance was at the Algonquin Hotel in New York in 1999.

June 23: Today’s Music History

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

• 1540 ~ Johann Baptista Serranus, Composer

• 1749 ~ Konrad Back, Composer

• 1771 ~ Jean-Claude Trial, Composer, died at the age of 38

• 1801 ~ Bendix Friedrich Zinck, Composer, died at the age of 58

• 1817 ~ Otto Carl Erdmann Kospoth, Composer, died at the age of 63

• 1824 ~ Carl Heinrich Carsten Reinecke, German pianist, composer and conductor

• 1833 ~ Nikolaus Paul Zmeskall, Composer, died at the age of 73

• 1837 ~ Ernest Guiraud, Composer

• 1852 ~ Stephane Raoul Pugno, Composer

• 1855 ~ Maude Valerie White, Composer

• 1877 ~ Blair Fairchild, Composer

• 1877 ~ Hermann Stephani, Composer

• 1888 ~ Emil Naumann, Composer, died at the age of 60

• 1891 ~ Francis Henry Brown, Composer, died at the age of 73

• 1892 ~ Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Polish pianist

• 1895 ~ Joseph Paul Skelly, Composer, died at the age of 44

• 1899 ~ Alexander Moiseyevich Veprik, Composer

• 1901 ~ Charles Kensington Salaman, Composer, died at the age of 87

• 1904 ~ Willie Mae “Mother” Smith, Gospel singer/evangelist folk artist

• 1920 ~ Paul Des Marais, Composer

• 1922 ~ Francis Thorne, American composer

• 1924 ~ Cecil (James) Sharp, English folk musician, died at the age of 64

• 1925 ~ Amada Galvez Santos Ocampo, Composer

• 1927 ~ Bob (Robert Louis) Fosse, Oscar Award-winning director and Tony Award-winning choreographer

• 1928 ~ Thomas H Rollinson, Composer, died at the age of 84

• 1929 ~ June Carter Cash, Grammy Award-winning country singer with husband, Johnny Cash, and songwriter

• 1940 ~ Adam Faith (Terence Nelhams), Singer

• 1941 ~ Lena Horne recorded St. Louis Blues for Victor Records and launched an illustrious singing career in the process. She was 23 years old at the time. Horne continued performing well into her 60s.

• 1943 ~ James Levine, American conductor and pianist

• 1944 ~ Rosetta Hightower, Singer with The Orlons

• 1948 ~ Nigel Osborne, Composer

• 1951 ~ Armin Knab, German Composer (Wunderhorn), died at the age of 70

• 1955 ~ Harry Belafonte became a popular TV star following the program debut of Three for Tonight, on CBS. Belafonte had been touring with the show before bringing it to the tube.

• 1956 ~ Reinhold Moritsevich Glière, Composer, died at the age of 81

A favorite of mine:

• 1958 ~ Edvard Armas Jarnefeldt, Composer, died at the age of 88

• 1959 ~ Jean Gallon, Composer, died at the age of 80

• 1971 ~ Walter Schulthess, Composer, died at the age of 76

• 1972 ~ Elton Britt, Country singer, died at the age of 54

• 1981 ~ Zarah Leander, Swedish/German singer and actress, died at the age of 79

• 1994 ~ Alan Frank, Music publisher, died at the age of 83

• 1996 ~ Angelo John Novarese, Record company founder, died at the age of 72

• 2000 ~ John Williams was the first inductee into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame

June 22: Today’s Music History

today

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

• 1611 ~ Pablo Bruna, Composer

• 1613 ~ Lambert Pietkin, Composer

• 1684 ~ Francesco Onofrio Manfredini, Composer

• 1735 ~ Pirro Conte d’ Albergati Capacelli, Composer, died at the age of 71

• 1741 ~ Joseph-Hector Fiocco, Composer, died at the age of 38

• 1741 ~ Alois Luigi Tomasini, Composer

• 1742 ~ Heinrich Gottfried Reichard, Composer

• 1745 ~ Hubert Renotte, Composer, died at the age of 41

• 1754 ~ Nicholas Siret, Composer, died at the age of 91

• 1824 ~ Frederic Louis Ritter, Composer

• 1830 ~ Theodor Leschetizky, Polish pianist and one of the greatest piano teachers of his time.

• 1843 ~ Gabriele Prota, Composer, died at the age of 88

• 1859 ~ Frank Heino Damrosch, Musician, teacher and author, founder of the Institute of Music

• 1883 ~ Jose Rolon, Composer

• 1900 ~ Jennie Tourel, Russian-born American mezzo-soprano

• 1905 ~ Walter Leigh, Composer

• 1910 ~ Sir Peter Pears, British tenor
More information about Pears

• 1921 ~ Gower Champion, Tony Award-winning choreographer: 42nd Street, 1981; The Happy Time, 1968; Hello Dolly! in 1964; Bye-Bye Birdie, 1961; Lend an Ear, 1949

• 1926 ~ Ruth Zechlin, Composer

• 1926 ~ Hermann Suter, Composer, died at the age of 56

• 1930 ~ Roy Drusky, DJ, songwriter

• 1932 ~ Michael Horvit, Composer

• 1936 ~ Kris Kristofferson, American country-rock singer, songwriter and actor

• 1939 ~ Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell joined in song to perform An Apple for the Teacher, on Decca Records.

• 1944 ~ Peter Asher, British singer with Peter and Gordon

• 1947 ~ Don Henley, Drummer and singer with the Eagles

• 1947 ~ Howard Kaylan (Kaplan), Singer with The Turtles

• 1948 ~ Todd Rundgren, Singer

• 1949 ~ Alan Osmond, Singer with The Osmonds and The Osmond Brothers

• 1950 ~ Julio Fonseca, Composer, died at the age of 65

• 1959 ~ Along Came Jones by the Coasters peaked at #9

• 1959 ~ Class by Chubby Checker peaked at #38

• 1959 ~ The Battle of New Orleans, by Johnny Horton, started week number four. The song was number one for a total of six weeks. It was Horton’s only number one record and million-seller. He had big hits, however, with movie music: Sink the Bismarck and North to Alaska (from the film by the same title, starring John Wayne) — both in 1960. Horton, from Tyler, TX, married Billie Jean Jones, Hank Williams’ widow. Tragically, Johnny Horton was killed in a car crash on November 5, 1960.

• 1963 ~ “Little” Stevie Wonder, 13 years old, released Fingertips. It became Wonder’s first number one single on August 10th. Wonder had 46 hits on the pop and R&B music charts between 1963 and 1987. Eight of those hits made it to number one.

• 1964 ~ Barbra Joan Streisand signed a 10-year contract with CBS-TV worth about $200,000 a year. Both CBS and NBC had been bidding for Streisand’s talents.

• 1968 ~ Herb Alpert used his voice and his trumpet to run to the top of the pop music charts. This Guy’s in Love with You became the most popular song in the nation this day. It would rule the top of the pop music world for four weeks. It was the only vocal by Alpert to make the charts, though his solo instrumentals with The Tijuana Brass scored lots of hits. Alpert performed on 19 charted hits through 1987.

• 1968 ~ Here Come Da Judge by The Buena Vistas peaked at #88

• 1969 ~ Judy Garland passed away

• 1972 ~ “Man of La Mancha” opened at Beaumont Theater New York City for 140 performances

• 1973 ~ Jacques Leon Wolfe, Composer, died at the age of 77

• 1973 ~ George Harrison released Living in the Material World

• 1974 ~ Darius Milhaud, French Composer, died at the age of 81 He was best known for the wide variety of styles in which he composed. His ballet La Creation du Monde” uses jazz themes.
More information about Milhaud

• 1976 ~ “Godspell” opened at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 527 performances

• 1979 ~ Little Richard quit rock & roll for religious pursuit

• 1987 ~ Fred Astaire died at the age of 88. He starred in a large number of stage musicals and films, 10 with dancing partner Ginger Rogers.

• 1988 ~ Dennis Day (Eugene Denis McNulty) passed away

• 1989 ~ Bengt Viktor Johansson, Composer, died at the age of 74

• 1990 ~ Billy Joel, American pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer, performed a concert at Yankee Stadium

• 2015 ~ Albert Evans, retired principal dancer with New York City Ballet, died at 46.

• 2015 ~ James Horner, American film composer (Titanic, Apollo 13, Casper), died in a plane crash at the age of 61

June 21: Today’s Music History

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

• 1577 ~ Giovanni Del Turco, Composer

• 1732 ~ Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, composer and 5th son of Johann Sebastian Bach

• 1790 ~ Wilhelm Speyer, Composer

• 1805 ~ Karl Friedrich Curschmann, Composer

• 1846 ~ Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone he invented in 1840

• 1862 ~ Henry Holden Huss, Composer

• 1865 ~ Albert Herbert Brewer, Composer

• 1868 ~ Wagner’s opera “Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg” premiered in Munich

• 1887 ~ Adolf Schimon, Composer, died at the age of 67

• 1892 ~ Hilding Rosenberg, Swedish composer

• 1893 ~ Alois Hába, Czech opera composer and writer

• 1900 ~ Gunnar Ek, Composer (he died on 81st birthday)

• 1900 ~ Polibo Fumagalli, Composer, died at the age of 69

• 1903 ~ Louis Krasner, violinist

• 1906 ~ Luis Maria Millet, Composer

• 1908 ~ Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian Composer, died at the age of 64. He was best known for his orchestral piece “Sheherezade” and the opera “The Golden Cockerel” as well as his re-orchestration of Moussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov.”
More information about Rimsky-Korsakov

• 1909 ~ Kurt Schwaen, Composer

• 1910 ~ Bela Tardos, Composer

• 1910 ~ Charles Jones, Composer

• 1914 ~ Jan Decadt, Composer

• 1921 ~ Frank Scott, American pianist for the Lawrence Welk Show

• 1930 ~ Helen Merrill (Milcetic), Jazz singer, Swing Journal readers’ poll: Best American Jazz Singer in 1989

• 1932 ~ Judith Raskin, American soprano

• 1932 ~ Lalo Schifrin, Composer

• 1932 ~ O.C. (Ocie Lee) Smith, Singer, vocalist for Count Basie Orchestra

• 1939 ~ Charles Boone, Composer

• 1941 ~ Wayne King and his orchestra recorded Time Was, with Buddy Clark providing the vocal accompaniment, for Victor Records.

• 1944 ~ Ray Davies, Musician, guitar, singer, songwriter with The Kinks

• 1945 ~ Chris Britton, Guitarist with The Troggs

• 1946 ~ Brenda Holloway, American singer and songwriter

• 1946 ~ Heinrich Kaminski, Composer, died at the age of 59

• 1948 ~ Columbia Records announced that it was offering a new Vinylite long-playing record that could hold 23 minutes of music on each side. One of the first LPs produced was of the original cast of the Broadway show, South Pacific. Critics quickly scoffed at the notion of LPs, since those heavy, breakable, 78 RPM, 10- inch disks with one song on each side, were selling at an all-time high. It didn’t take very long though, for the 33-1/3 RPM album — and its 7-inch, 45 RPM cousin to revolutionize the music industry and the record-buying habits of millions.

• 1951 ~ Nils Lofgren, Musician, guitar, keyboards, singer, songwriter

• 1958 ~ Splish Splash was recorded by Bobby Darin. It was his first hit and it took Darin only ten minutes to write the song.

• 1959 ~ Kathy Mattea, Singer

• 1969 ~ Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fourteenth Symphony, premiered in Moscow

• 1972 ~ Billy Preston received a gold record for the instrumental hit, Outa-Space. Preston, who played for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, back in 1956, was also in the film St. Louis Blues as a piano player. He was a regular on the Shindig TV show in the 1960s; and recorded with The Beatles on the hits Get Back and Let It Be. Preston also performed at The Concert for Bangladesh in 1969. Many well-known artists have utilized his keyboard talents, including Sly & The Family Stone and the Rolling Stones.

• 1972 ~ Seth Bingham, Composer, died at the age of 90

• 1975 ~ Heinz Lau, Composer, died at the age of 49

• 1978 ~ Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice’s musical “Evita” premiered in London

• 1980 ~ Bert Kaempfert passed away

• 1981 ~ Gunnar Ek, Composer, died on 81st birthday

• 1982 ~ Paul McCartney released “Take it Away”

• 1985 ~ Ron Howard directed his first music video. The TV star of The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days also directed the film Cocoon, which included Gravity, the song used in the video. Michael Sembello, a guitarist who played on Stevie Wonder’s hits between 1974 and 1979 was responsible for Gravity.

• 1990 ~ June Christy passed away

• 1990 ~ Little Richard received a star on Hollywood’s walk of fame

• 1992 ~ Thomas Whitfield, Gospel vocalist, died of heart attack at 38

• 1993 ~ “Camelot” opened at the Gershwin Theater New York City for 56 performances

• 1997 ~ Art Prysock, Jazz musician, died at the age of 68

• 2000 ~ Alan Hovhaness, a prolific composer who melded Western and Asian musical styles, died at the age of 89.

• 2001 ~ Bluesman John Lee Hooker, whose foot-stompin’ and gravelly voice on songs like Boom Boom and Boogie Chillen electrified audiences and inspired generations of musicians, died of natural causes at the age of 83. He recorded more than 100 albums over nearly seven decades. He won a Grammy Award for a version of In The Mood, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s Grammys. His distinctive sound influenced rhythm and blues musicians, as well as rock ‘n’ rollers including Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and ZZ Top. Hooker’s 1990 album “The Healer“, featured duets with Carlos Santana, Raitt and Robert Cray. It sold 1.5 million copies and won him his first Grammy Award, for a duet with Raitt on I’m in the Mood. Born in Clarksdale, Miss., August 22, 1917, Hooker was one of 11 children born to a Baptist minister and sharecropper who discouraged his son’s musical bent. In Detroit, he was discovered and recorded his first hit, Boogie Chillen, in 1948.

• 2003 ~ William Leslie died at the age of 78. He was a jazz saxophonist who toured the world with the Louis Jordan Band in the 1950s in Sellersville, Pa. He played with the Jordan Band in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Europe and on the television show “Your Hit Parade.” Mr. Leslie had played the saxophone since he was 12. After serving in World War II, he attended the Landis School of Music in West Philadelphia, Pa., on the GI Bill.

• 2015 ~ Gunther Schuller, American hornist and jazz composer (1994 Pulitzer Prize), died at the age of 89

June 20: Today’s Music History

First-Day-Of-Summer-snoopy

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

• 1585 ~ Lazaro Valvasensi, Composer

• 1743 ~ Anna L Barbauld, Composer of hymns

• 1756 ~ Joseph Martin Kraus, Composer

• 1819 ~ Jacques Offenbach, German-born French conductor, cellist and composer of operettas
Read quotes by and about Offenbach
More information about Offenbach

• 1833 ~ Philip Knapton, Composer, died at the age of 44

• 1837 ~ Giovanni Furno, Composer, died at the age of 89

• 1842 ~ Michael Umlauf, Composer, died at the age of 60

• 1861 ~ Arthur Battelle Whiting, Composer

• 1883 ~ Giannotto Bastianelli, Composer

• 1888 ~ Cesare Dominiceti, Composer, died at the age of 66

• 1899 ~ Anthon van der Horst, Dutch organist and composer

• 1900 ~ Ernest White, Composer

• 1906 ~ Bob Howard, American singer and pianist

• 1910 ~ Fanny Brice, born Fannie Borach, debuted in the New York production of the Ziegfeld Follies

• 1914 ~ Friedrich Zipp, Composer

• 1922 ~ Vittorio Monti, Composer, died at the age of 54

• 1923 ~ Joseph Leopold Rockel, Composer, died at the age of 85

• 1924 ~ Chet Atkins (Chester Burton), Grammy Award-winning guitarist, made over 100 albums and elected to Country Music Hall of Fame in 1973.

• 1925 ~ Wilhelm Posse, Composer, died at the age of 72

• 1927 ~ John M Dengler, Jazz bass sax, trumpet, trombone

• 1928 ~ Robert Satanowski, Composer

• 1929 ~ Ingrid Haebler, Austrian pianist

• 1931 ~ Arne Nordheim, Norwegian conductor and composer

• 1934 ~ Cornel Taranu, Composer

• 1938 ~ Nikolay Avksentevich Martinov, Composer

• 1939 ~ first TV broadcast of an operetta, “The Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert and Sullivan W2XBS (later WCBS-TV) in New York City televised Pirates of Penzance. It was presented to a very small viewing audience since television was a new, experimental medium at the time.

• 1936 ~ Billy Guy, Singer with The Coasters

• 1937 ~ Jerry Keller, Singer

• 1940 ~ Jehan Alain, French organist and composer, died in battle at 29

• 1942 ~ Brian Wilson, Bass player, singer with The Beach Boys, inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988

• 1945 ~ (Morna) Anne Murray, Grammy Award-winning singer

• 1946 ~ André Watts, American pianist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

• 1948 ~ George Frederick Boyle, Composer, died at the age of 61

• 1949 ~ Lionel Richie, Tenor sax, songwriter, singer with the Commodores

• 1951 ~ Peter Gordon, Composer

• 1953 ~ Cyndi Lauper, Singer

• 1953 ~ Alan Longmuir, Musician, bass with Bay City Rollers

• 1955 ~ Michael Anthony, Musician, bass with Van Halen

• 1955 ~ “Almost Crazy” opened at Longacre Theater New York City for 16 performances

• 1960 ~ John Taylor, Musician: guitar, bass with Duran Duran

• 1963 ~ The Beatles formed “Beatles Ltd” to handle their income

• 1969 ~ Guitarist Jimi Hendrix earned the biggest paycheck ever paid (to that time) for a single concert appearance. Hendrix was paid $125,000 to appear for a single set at the Newport Jazz Festival.

• 1970 ~ The Long and Winding Road, by The Beatles, started a second week in the number one spot on the pop music charts. The tune was the last one to be released by The Beatles.

• 1975 ~ Daniel Ayala Perez, Composer, died at the age of 68

• 1980 ~ Gustaf Allan Pettersson, Composer, died at the age of 68

• 1987 ~ Whitney Houston’s album, Whitney, debuted on Billboard magazine’s album chart at number one. Houston became the first female to have an LP debut at the top. The singer, daughter of Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick, began her singing career at age 11 with the New Hope Baptist Junior Choir in New Jersey. Houston first worked as a backup vocalist for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls; entered modeling in 1981, appearing in Glamour magazine and on the cover of Seventeen. Whitney married soul singer, Bobby Brown, in the late 1980s.

• 1997 ~ Lawrence Payton, singer with the Four Tops, died at the age of 59

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.