Events in Music
- 1849 Pack destroys Astor Place opera house in NYC (22 killed)
- 1907 Paul Dukas' opera "Ariane et Barbe Bleue" premieres in Paris
- 1932 Government declares "Wilhelmus" as the Netherlands' national anthem
- 1947 "Chocolate Soldier" closes at Century Theater NYC after 69 performances
- 1952 "Shuffle Along" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 4 performances
Event of Interest
1957 Dmitri Shostakovich's 2nd Piano concerto premieres in Moscow
Dmitri Shostakovich
Event of Interest
1963 Decca signs Rolling Stones on advice of Beatle George Harrison
George Harrison
Event of Interest
1967 Rolling Stones Keith Richards, Brian Jones & Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges
Keith Richards
Mick Jagger
Event of Interest
1982 WABC NYC plays its last record (John Lennon's Imagine)
John Lennon
Music Concert
1994 Barbra Streisand's begins 1st concert tour in 30 years
Barbra Streisand
- 1995 30th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alan Jackson and Reba McEntire win
Event of Interest
2010 Flavor Flav guest hosts the wrestling show WWE Raw
Flavor Flav
Album Release
2011 Christina Perri releases her debut studio album, "lovestrong"
Christina Perri
Album Release
2013 Agnetha Faltskog releases a new album called "A"
Agnetha Fältskog
- 2014 59th Eurovision Song Contest: Conchita Wurst for Austria wins singing "Rise Like a Phoenix" in Copenhagen
Birthdays in Music
- 1697 Jean Marie I'aine Leclair, French composer and violinist, born in Lyon, France (d. 1764)
- 1705 Gallus Zeiler, German composer, born in Kempten (d. 1755)
- 1741 Johann Michael Schmidt, composer
- 1760 Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French soldier, author and composer (La Marseillaise), born in Lons-le-Saunier, France (d. 1836)
- 1776 George Thomas Smart, composer
- 1780 Peter Lichtenthal, composer
- 1783 Niccola Benvenuti, composer
- 1800 Nikolay Alexeyevich Titov, composer
- 1825 Rudolf Viole, composer
- 1855 Anatoli Liadov, composer (Enchanted Lake) [NS], born in St Petersburg, Russia
- 1858 Frederick Zech Jr, American composer and pianist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1926)
- 1877 Roderich Mojsisovics-Mojsvar, composer
- 1888 Max Steiner, Austrian composer (Gone With the Wind), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1971)
- 1894 Dimitri Tiomkin, Russian-American film score composer and conductor (Academy Award 1954-High & Mighty), born in Kremenchuk, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire (d. 1979)
- 1898 Herbert Elwell, composer (Happy Hypocrite), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Fred Astaire
1899 Fred Astaire, American tap dancer, presenter and actor (Easter Parade, Swingtime), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 1987)
Fred Astaire
Maybelle Carter
1909 Maybelle Carter, American country singer (Johnny Cash Show), born in Nickelsville, Virginia (d. 1978)
Maybelle Carter
- 1912 Erik Jorgensen, composer
- 1915 Bert van Dongen [Albert Cohen], Dutch singer, impressionist and actor (Het meisje met den blauwen hoed), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1982)
- 1916 Milton Babbitt, American mathematician/composer (Widow's Lament)
- 1919 Tibor Sarai, Hungarian composer, born in Budapest (d. 1995)
- 1920 Bert Weedon, English guitar player ("Play in a Day" books), born in London (d. 2012)
- 1935 Henry Fambrough, US singer (Spinners)
- 1935 Larry Williams, American musician (Dizzy, Miss Lizzie), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1980)
- 1938 Maxim Shostakovich, Russian conductor (Atlanta Symphony), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Soviet Union
- 1938 Philip Gordon Winsor, American composer, Born in Morris, Illinois (d. 2012)
- 1940 Arthur Alexander, US singer/songwriter (Lonely Just Like Me)
- 1941 Danny Rapp, rocker (Danny & Juniors), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1942 Bill Coday, American musician and singer (You’re Gonna Want Me), born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2008)
- 1942 Ingram Douglas Marshall, composer
- 1944 Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter (Is This What You Want), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2013)
- 1945 Pamelo Mounk'a, musician
- 1946 Graham Gouldman, bassist (10cc-No Milk Today), born in Manchester, England
- 1946 Dave Mason, Worcester England, singer/songwriter (We Just Disagree)
- 1946 Donovan [Philips Leitch], Scottish musician (Sunshine Superman, Catch the Wind), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- 1951 Ron Banks, US R&B singer (Dramatics-Whatcha See is Whatcha Get)
- 1952 Sly Dunbar, reggae drummer (Sly & Robbie), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- 1952 Kikki Danielsson, Swedish singer
- 1952 Lee Brilleaux, British musician (Dr Feelgood), born in Durban, South Africa
- 1953 Steve Thomas, rocker (Shooting Star)
Sid Vicious
1957 Sid Vicious [John Simon Ritchie], English musician and bassist (Sex Pistols), born in London (d. 1979)
Sid Vicious
- 1962 Garry Daley, keyboard (China Crisis-Christian)
- 1967 Young MC, American rapper
- 1970 Perry Blake, Irish singer/songwriter
- 1970 Gabriela Montero, Venezuelan-American pianist, born in Caracas
- 1970 Craig Mack, American rapper (Flava In Ya Ear), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 2018)
- 1976 Stuart Braithwaite, Scottish musician (Mogwai)
- 1976 Udo Mechels, Belgian singer
- 1979 Lee Hyori, South Korean singer
- 1993 Charice Pempengco, Filipino singer
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
2005 Actress and model Heidi Klum (39) weds British soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal (49) in Costa Careyes, Mexico
Heidi Klum
Seal
- 2013 "Beverly Hills, 90210" actress Shenae Grimes (23) weds model and musician Josh Beech at the Boys Hall in Ashford, Kent
Deaths in Music
- 1710 Georg Dietrich Leiding, composer, dies at 46
- 1760 Johann Christoph Graupner, composer, dies at 77
- 1770 Charles Avison, English composer, dies at 61
- 1785 Etienne Joseph Floquet, composer, dies at 36
- 1789 Guillaume Gommaire Kennis, composer, dies at 72
- 1820 Matthaus Stegmayer, composer, dies at 49
- 1826 Giuseppe Sigismondo, Italian historian and composer, dies at 86
- 1869 Wilhelm Bernhard Molique, composer, dies at 66
- 1880 John Goss, English composer and organist (Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven), dies at 79
- 1885 Edward Stephen, Welsh musician and composer, dies at 62
- 1885 Ferdinand Hiller, German pianist, composer and conductor, dies at 73
- 1897 William Thomas Best, English organist and composer, dies at 70
- 1942 Joseph M Weber, comedian/singer (Weber & Lewis Fields), dies at 74
- 1964 Carol Haney, dancer (Pantomime Quiz), dies at 35
- 1964 Ignace Lilien, composer, dies at 66
- 1971 Mihail Jora, Romanian composer, dies at 79
- 1971 Shukichi Mitsukuri, composer, dies at 75
- 1989 Woody Shaw, American jazz musician (b. 1944)
- 1992 Joan Merrill, vocalist, dies of a stroke at 74
- 1992 Sylvia Syms [Blagman], American jazz singer (Hello Dolly, Flower Drum Song), dies of a heart attack at 74
- 1995 Jimmy Raney, jazz guitarist, dies at 67
- 2000 Dédé Fortin, Quebec singer and songwriter (Les Colocs) (b. 1962)
- 2005 David Wayne, American singer (Metal Church) (b. 1958)
- 2006 Soraya, Colombian-American singer (b. 1969)
- 2008 Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (b. 1928)
May in History
Botched Crown Jewels Theft Pays Off
Thomas Blood, who tried to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on this day was not only forgiven by the King, but given a reward.
May 9, 1671
Gardener Grows Into Architectural Legend
Starting a new job at 4.30am, organising the workforce at 6am and meeting his future wife over breakfast: all in a day's work for Joseph Paxton.
May 9, 1826
One-Man Mission of Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland on this day planning to negotiate peace with the British – without the knowledge or approval of his boss, Adolf Hitler.
May 10, 1941
Assassination of a British Prime Minister
Only one British Prime Minister has ever been assassinated, a fact that brought the only claim to fame for Spencer Perceval.
May 11, 1812