Events in Music
Event of Interest
1803 1st performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 2nd Symphony in D
Ludwig van Beethoven
Music Recording
1954 Elvis Presley records his debut single "That's All Right"
Elvis Presley
TV Show Appearance
1961 Barbra Streisand appears on "Jack Paar Show"
Barbra Streisand
- 1963 Beatles receive their 1st silver disc (Please Please Me)
Academy Awards
1965 37th Academy Awards: "My Fair Lady", Rex Harrison & Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) win awards
Julie Andrews
Rex Harrison
- 1975 "Letter for Queen Victoria" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 18 performances
- 1984 "Human Comedy" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 13 performances
- 1992 "Search & Destroy" closes at Circle in Sq Theater NYC after 46 performances
- 1993 Construction begins on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
- 1994 "Jackie Mason Politically Incorrect" opens at Golden NYC for 347 performances
Music Awards
2009 44th Academy of Country Music Awards: Carrie Underwood & Brad Paisley win
Carrie Underwood
Birthdays in Music
- 1595 John Wilson, English composer, born in Faversham, Kent (d. 1674)
- 1598 Laurentius Erhard, German composer, born in Haguenau, Alsace (d. 1669)
- 1698 Georg Gottfried Wagner, German composer, born in Mühlberg, Saxony, Germany (d. 1756)
- 1752 Sébastien Érard, French musical instruments maker, born in Strasbourg, France (d. 1831)
- 1784 Louis Spohr, German violin virtuoso and composer (Faust), born in Braunschweig, Germany (d. 1859)
- 1799 Vincenzo Fioravanti, Italian composer, born in Rome (d. 1977)
- 1828 Pietro Platania, Italian composer, born in Catania, Italy (d. 1907)
- 1830 Alexander Muir, Canadian composer (The Maple Leaf Forever), born in Lesmahagow, Scotland (d. 1906)
- 1839 Stanislaw Pilinski, French pianist and composer, born in Paris (d. 1905)
- 1853 Alfonso Rendano, Italian composer, born in Consenza, Italy (d. 1931)
- 1854 Vicente Goicoechea Errasti, Basque composer, born in Ibarra, Álava (d. 1916)
- 1859 Wilhelm Harteveld, Swedish composer, born in Stockholm (d. 1927)
- 1862 Louis Ganne, French composer, born in Buxières-les-Mines (d. 1923)
- 1869 Albert Roussel, French composer (Rapsodie Flamende), born in Tourcoing, France (d. 1937)
- 1876 Patrick Vretblad, Swedish composer, born in Svartnäs, Sweden (d. 1953)
- 1885 Dimitrie Cuclin, Romanian composer, born in Galați County, Romania (d. 1978)
- 1886 Jacques Handschin, Swiss musicologist (Der Toncharakter), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1955)
- 1903 Thomas Pitfield, British composer, born in Bolton, England (d. 1999)
- 1905 Jef Maes, Belgian composer and violinist, born in Antwerp, Belgium (d. 1996)
- 1908 George Schick, Czech conductor (Chicago Symphony), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 1985)
- 1908 Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic), born in Salzburg (d. 1989)
- 1911 Goddard Lieberson, English composer and President of Columbia Records, born in Hanley, Staffordshire, England (d. 1977)
- 1917 Richard Yardumian, American composer (Come Creator Spirit), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1985)
- 1922 Gale Storm [Josephine Owaissa Cottle], American singer and actress (My Little Margie, Gale Storm Show), born in Bloomington, Texas (d. 2009)
- 1922 Harry Freedman (Henryk Frydmann), Canadian composer, born in Lodz, Poland (d. 2005)
- 1925 Oldrich Flosman, Czechoslovakian composer, brn in Pilsen, Czech Republic (d. 1998)
- 1928 David Farquhar Andress, New Zealand composer (Ring Around the Moon, A Unicorn for Christmas), born in Cambridge, New Zealand (d. 2007)
- 1928 Tony Williams, American singer (Platters-Only You, Harbor Lights), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (d. 1992)
- 1929 Joe Meek, English record producer (Telstar), born in Newent, Gloucestershire, England (d. 1967)
- 1932 Billy Bland, American singer and songwriter, born in Wilmington, North Carolina (d. 2017)
- 1934 Stanley Turrentine, American jazz saxophonist (Wonderland), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2000)
- 1935 Peter Grant, English rock band manager, born in South Norwood, England (d. 1995)
- 1936 John White, English composer and musical performer (systems music), born in Berlin, Germany
- 1939 Ronald "Ronnie" White, American singer (The Miracles - "Shop Around"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1995)
- 1939 Crispian St. Peters, English singer (The Changin' Times), born in Swanley, Kent
- 1940 Aliza Kashi, Israeli actress and singer (Merv Griffin regular), born in Israel
- 1942 Allan Clarke, English rock vocalist (Hollies-Air That I Breathe), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
- 1944 Nicholas Caldwell, Rhythm and Blues singer (Whispers), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
- 1946 Jennifer Penney, Canadian ballerina, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 1946 Larry Frederick Wendt, American composer, born in Napa, California
- 1948 Dave Holland, English heavy metal rocker (Judas Priest-Breakin' the Law), born in Northampton, England (d. 2018)
Agnetha Fältskog
1950 Agnetha Fältskog [Anna Ulvaeus], Swedish singer (ABBA), born in Jönköping, Sweden
Agnetha Fältskog
- 1950 Mildred Douglas, Surinames/Dutch singer (Mai Tai)
- 1950 Paul Oscher, American blues musician (Muddy Waters Blues Band), born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1954 Stan Ridgway, American singer-songwriter (Wall Of Voodoo), born in Bartsow, California
- 1964 Christopher "Kid" Reid, American rapper (Kid 'n Play)
- 1966 Michael "Mike" McCready, American musician and lead guitarist (Pearl Jam), born in Pensacola, Florida
- 1968 Paula Cole, American musician
- 1970 Miho Hatori, Japanese singer and songwriter (Cibo Matto)
Pharrell Williams
1973 Pharrell Williams, American music producer (The Neptunes), born in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Pharrell Williams
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
1955 Musician Ray Charles (24) weds Della Beatrice Howard
Ray Charles
Wedding of Interest
1999 Talk show host Wayne Brady (26) weds dancer Mandie Taketa
Wayne Brady
Deaths in Music
- 1617 Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)
- 1732 Johann Christian Schieferdecker, German composer, dies at 52
- 1871 Georg Andreas Henkel, composer, dies at 66
- 1878 Wilhelm Speyer, German violinist and composer, dies at 87
- 1896 John Rogers Thomas, American composer, dies at 66
- 1908 Gaetano Coronaro, composer, dies at 55
- 1921 Alphonsus J M Diepenbrock, Dutch composer (Missa), dies at 58
- 1934 Salvatore Di Giacomo, composer, dies at 74
- 1935 Emil Młynarski, Polish conductor and composer, dies at 64
- 1944 Willy Derby, [Dieben], singer (Hello Bandoeng), dies
- 1945 Huldreich Georg Fruh, composer, dies at 41
- 1946 Vincent Youmans, American composer and songwriter (Tea for Two), dies at 47
- 1954 Claude Delvincourt, composer, dies at 66
- 1963 Julius Harrison, composer, dies at 78
- 1970 Jacob H "Jaap" Stotijn, oboist/conductor, dies at 78
- 1981 Bob "Bear" Hite, rocker (Canned Heat), dies of a heart attack at 36
- 1983 Danny Rapp, American musician (Danny & the Juniors) (b. 1941)
- 1992 Anthony "Tony" Papa, big band leader, dies at 65
- 1994 Roy Smeck, guitarist/banjoist, dies at 94
Kurt Cobain
1994 Kurt Cobain, American grunge rocker (Nirvana), commits suicide at 27 by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun
Kurt Cobain
- 1996 Nadieh, Dutch singer, guitarist and composer (Haifa Blue), dies at 37
- 1998 Cozy Powell, British musician (b. 1947)
- 2002 Layne Staley, American rock singer and guitarist (Alice in Chains-Dirt), dies at 34
- 2006 Gene Pitney, American singer (b. 1941)
- 2007 Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss)(b. 1956)
- 2018 Cecil Taylor, American pianist, poet, and one of the pioneers of free jazz, dies at 89
April in History
![Flash! Bang! It's the Human Cannonball!]()
Flash! Bang! It's the Human Cannonball!
An excited crowd looked up in astonishment and wonder when, in 1877, the first human cannonball flew above their heads.
April 2, 1877![The Computer That Came By Truck]()
The Computer That Came By Truck
It didn't have the sleek lines that Steve Jobs would admire and it needed to be carried on a truck, but the computer age had finally arrived in rural England.
April 3, 1957![Lionheart Richard, The Stranger King]()
Lionheart Richard, The Stranger King
Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood’s king is considered one of the great English monarchs. Yet he cost his country a fortune and barely lived there.
April 6, 1199![The Man Who Sold His Wife]()
The Man Who Sold His Wife
Most modern readers believe Thomas Hardy was plunging into deep fiction when he wrote about a man selling his wife in, The Mayor of Casterbridge. He wasn't.
April 7, 1832
