On This Day in Music for May 8
Events in Music
- 1823 "Home! Sweet Home!" by John Howard Payne is 1st sung in London
- 1924 Arthur Honegger's orchestral tribute to steam locomotives "Pacifica 231" premieres
- 1952 Revival of George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind's musical political satire "Of Thee I Sing", directed by Kaufman, opens at Ziegfeld Theater, NYC; runs for 72 performances
- 1952 Revival of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's musical "Shuffle Along" opens at Broadway Theater, NYC; runs for 4 performances
- 1960 1st performance of Ferde Grofé's "San Francisco Suite", with Grofé conducting, in San Francisco
- 1962 Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" starring Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, and directed by George Abbott, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 965 performances, and wins 6 Tony Awards
- 1971 Courtney, Courtney, and Link's musical "Earl of Ruston" closes at Billy Rose Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
- 1976 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances
- More Events in Music
Robert Johnson
Ricky Nelson
Enrique IglesiasWeddings in Music
- 1978 Singer Donny Osmond (20) weds Debra Glenn (19) at Salt Lake Temple in Utah
- 2009 Irish "Westlife" singer Kian Egan (29) weds British actress Jodi Albert (25) in Barbados
More Weddings & Divorces in Music
Musicians Who Died on May 8
- 1684 Henri Dumont, Dutch composer, dies at 73 or 74
- 1818 Franz Ignaz Kaa, German composer, dies at 78
- 1829 Mauro Giuliani, Italian musician and composer, dies at 47
- 1846 Giacomo Cordella, Italian composer, dies at 59
May in Music History
My Fair Lady's Special Day
This was a day to remember for Eliza Doolittle, the 'My Fair Lady' of the stage and film musical that won and broke hearts.
May 20, 1956Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
One of the most famous album covers in music history, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, designed by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
May 26, 1967A Modern Major-General of Light Entertainment
William Gilbert, celebrated as the unique lyricist behind the highly popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas, met his death in highly unexpected circumstances.
May 29, 1911
