Events in Music
- 1849 Stephen C Massett opens concert at San Francisco courthouse using only piano in California
Music Premiere
1942 European broadcast première of Dmitri Shostakovich's 7th Symphony in London conducted by Sir Henry J. Wood and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich
Music Single
1963 "Little" Stevie Wonder aged 13 releases his first single "Fingertips" (first live non-studio recording to go to No. 1 on Billboard)
Stevie Wonder
- 1968 "Here Come Da Judge" by The Buena Vistas peaks at #88
Event of Interest
1969 Aretha Franklin arrested in Detroit for creating a disturbance
Aretha Franklin
- 1972 "Man of La Mancha" opens at Beaumont Theater NYC for 140 performances
Event of Interest
1973 George Harrison releases "Living in the Material World"
George Harrison
Event of Interest
1981 Mark David Chapman pleads guilty to killing John Lennon
John Lennon
- 1985 "Grind" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 79 performances
Event of Interest
1985 "Smuggler's Blues" by Glenn Frey peaks at #12
Glenn Frey
Music Concert
1990 Billy Joel performs a concert at Yankee Stadium
Billy Joel
- 1991 "I Hate Hamlet" closes at Walter Kerr Theater NYC after 88 performances
Event of Interest
1993 Wilson Pickett plead guilty to auto assault due to drunk driving
Wilson Pickett
Birthdays in Music
- 1611 Pablo Bruna, Spanish blind composer, born in Daroca, Spain (d. 1679)
- 1613 Lambert Pietkin, Flemish baroque composer, born in Liege (d. 1696)
- 1684 Francesco Onofrio Manfredini, composer
- 1741 Alois Luigi Tomasini, composer
- 1742 Heinrich Gottfried Reichard, composer
- 1824 Frederic Louis Ritter, composer
- 1830 Theodor Leschetizky, composer
- 1859 Frank Heino Damrosch, author/musician/teacher (found Inst of Music)
- 1883 José Rolón, Mexican composer, born in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco (d. 1945)
- 1893 Osvald Chlubna, composer
- 1900 Jennie Tourel, mezzo-soprano (Met Opera 1943-47), born in St Petersburg, Russia
- 1901 Jack Whiting, American actor and singer (Marge & Gower Champion Show), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1961)
- 1905 Walter Leigh, British composer, born in Wimbledon, London, England (d. 1942)
- 1909 Katherine Dunham, dancer, choreographer (Casbah, Stormy Weather)
- 1910 Peter Pears, Farnham England, tenor (Death in Venice)
- 1911 Guus Jansen, Dutch jazz organist, pianist, composer (Net als Toen), born in Heiloo, the Netherlands (d. 1990)
- 1912 Vit Nejedly, Czech composer, born in Prague (d. 1945)
- 1926 Ruth Zechlin, German organist and composer, born in Grosshartmannsdorf (d. 2007)
- 1932 Michael Horvit, composer
- 1933 Libor Pešek, Czech conductor (Czech Philharmonic; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
- 1936 Kris Kristofferson, American singer/actor (Amerika, Millennium), born in Brownsville, Texas
- 1936 Verne Allison, singer (Dells-Open Up My Heart)
- 1936 Hermeto Pascoal, Brazilian musician
- 1937 Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell, English businessman and record producer (Island Records), born in Westminster, London, England
- 1939 Bobby Harrison, England, rock drummer (Procol Harum-Conquistador)
- 1942 Murphy Dunne, American actor and musician, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1943 Ralph Molina, American musician (Crazy Horse, Neil Young's backing band), born in Puerto Rico
- 1944 Peter Asher, singer (Peter & Gordon-World Without Love), born in London, England
- 1944 Steve Weber, guitarist, (Rounders-Holy "Boobs" Modal)
- 1946 Eliades Ochoa, Cuban guitarist (Buena Vista Social Club)
- 1947 Howard Kaylan, American rock and roll musician and writer (The Turtles), born in New York City, New York
- 1948 Todd Rundgren, singer and guitarist (Hello it's Me), born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
- 1949 Alan Osmond, singer (Osmond Brothers, Donnie & Marie), born in Ogden, Utah
- 1949 Gary Moffet, rock guitarist (April Wine), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1949 Larry Junstrom, rock bassist (.38 Special)
- 1953 Cyndi Lauper, American singer (Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Time After Time), born in NYC, New York
- 1954 Bobby Valentino, rocker (Fabulous Poodles)
- 1956 Derek Forbes, rocker (Simple Minds-Water Front)
- 1956 Green [Gartside], rock vocalist (Scritti Politti-Flesh & Blood)
- 1957 Garry Beers, Australian rocker (Inxs-Kiss the Dirt), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- 1957 John Ryder, rock bassist (Face To Face)
- 1959 Nicola Sirkis, French singer and lyricist (Indochine)
- 1961 Bobby Gillespie, rocker (Primal Scream)
- 1961 Jimmy Somerville, rocker (Bronski Beat, Communards), born in Glasgow, Soctland
- 1962 Ruby Turner, rocker (No Where to Run)
- 1963 Anne-Marie Ruddock, rocker (Amazulu-Excitable)
- 1964 Kevin Sargeant, rocker (Thrashing Doves-Reprobate's Hymm)
- 1964 Mike Edwards, British rock vocalist (Jesus Jones-Devil you Know)
- 1964 Tommy Cunningham, rocker (Wet Wet Wet-Wishing I Was)
- 1970 Steven Page, Canadian singer (Barenaked Ladies)
- 1976 Gordon Moakes, English musician (Bloc Party)
- 1981 Chris Urbanowicz, guitarist of British rock band Editors
Weddings in Music
- 2008 Record producer Timbaland (37) weds Monique Idlett (33) in Aruba
Deaths in Music
- 1735 Pirro Capacelli, Italian aristocrat and composer, dies at 71
- 1741 Joseph-Hector Fiocco, composer, dies at 38
- 1745 Hubert Renotte, Flemish composer and organist, dies at 41
- 1754 Nicholas Siret, French baroque composer and organist, dies at 91
- 1843 Gabriele Prota, composer, dies at 88
- 1885 Mahdi, [Muhammad Ahmed], Sudanese music reviewer, dies
- 1926 Hermann Suter, Swiss composer, dies at 56
- 1950 Julio Fonseca, composer, dies at 65
- 1963 Maria Tănase, Romanian singer of traditional and popular music (b. 1913)
- 1967 Adrian Grigor'yevich Shaposhnikov, composer, dies at 79
Judy Garland
1969 Judy Garland, American singer and actress (The Wizard of Oz, Easter Parade), dies at 47 of an overdose
Judy Garland
Fred Astaire
1987 Fred Astaire, American tap dancer, presenter and actor (Easter Parade, Swingtime), dies at 88
Fred Astaire
- 1988 Dennis Day, actor/tenor (Jack Benny Show), dies of ALS at 71
- 1988 Jesse Ed Davis, Native American guitarist, dies of a drug overdose at 43
- 1989 Bengt Johansson, Finnish composer, dies at 74
- 1996 Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, American songwriter, brother of Diana, found murdered at 47
- 1997 Ted Gärdestad, Swedish singer (b. 1956)
- 1999 Lubos Fiser, Czech composer, dies at 63
- 2014 Teenie Hodges, American rhythm and blues guitarist, dies from complications from emphysema at 68
- 2015 James Horner, American film composer (Titanic, Apollo 13, Casper), dies in a plane crash at 61
- 2017 Norman Ayrton, English actor and opera director (Royal Shakespearean Acad - UK), dies at 92
June in History
'Gorgeous Gussie' Shocks Wimbledon
There is a strict dress code at Wimbledon and, as Gussie Moran discovered on this day in tennis history, tennis players break it at their peril.
June 20, 1949
Deadly Quest For The Northern Passage
For centuries mankind had sought the fabled Northern Passage - a new route for shipping from Europe to Asia. Explorer Henry Hudson's attempt did not go well.
June 22, 1611
How the Qwerty Keyboard was Born
A typewriter patent was granted on this day to the man who would go on to produce and inflict on us all the ubiquitous Qwerty keyboard.
June 23, 1868
The Fatal Dance Manias of Medieval Europe
The strange social phenomena of Medieval Europe where people began dancing and simply couldn't stop
June 24, 1374