Events in Music
Event of Interest
1901 Maurice Ravel composition "Jeux d'eau" premieres
Maurice Ravel
Music Recording
1925 Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five begin their first recording session
Louis Armstrong
- 1931 Cornerstones laid for Opera House & Veteran's Building in San Francisco
Event of Interest
1933 Billie Holiday's second song and first hit, "Riffin' the Scotch", is released
Billie Holiday
Event of Interest
1939 Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"
Irving Berlin
- 1958 "La Plume de Ma Tante" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 835 performances
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan
1963 Brian Epstein & Ed Sullivan sign a 3 show contract for The Beatles
Learn More
Event of Interest
1968 John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear nude on cover of "2 Virgins" album
John Lennon
- 1969 Beatles with Billy Preston release "Get Back" in UK
Event of Interest
1969 Jim Morrison arrested on an airplane by the FBI for drunkenness
Jim Morrison
- 1974 Operatic soprano Maria Callas makes her final public appearance in Sapporo, Japan
- 1977 Wings release "Mull of Kintyre" & "Girl's School"
- 1981 "Oh, Brother!" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 3 performances
- 1984 "Three Musketeers" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 9 performances
- 1987 "Roza" closes at Royale Theater NYC after 12 performances
- 1989 "Prince of Central Park" closes at Belasco Theater NYC after 4 performances
- 1990 "Shadowlands" opens at Brooks Atkinson Theater NYC for 169 performances
Album Release
2008 Taylor Swift releases her 2nd studio album “Fearless” (2009 Billboard Album of the Year, Grammy Album of the Year 2010, American Music Awards 2009)
Taylor Swift
- 2009 43rd Country Music Association Award: Taylor Swift & Brad Paisley wins
- 2011 25th Soul Train Music Awards: Cee-Lo Green, Jill Scott win
Birthdays in Music
- 1688 Lorenzo Somis, Italian composer and violinist, born in Turin (d. 1775)
- 1690 Gerhard Hoffmann, German composer, born in Rastenberg, Thuringia, (d. 1757)
- 1696 Andrea Zani, Italian composer and violinist, born in Casalmaggiore, Cremona Province (d. 1757)
- 1722 Johann Philipp Sack, German composer, born in Harzgerode, Germany (d. 1763)
- 1731 Carl Joseph Toeschi, German composer, born in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (d. 1788)
- 1767 Bernhard Romberg, German cellist, composer and royal chaplain bandmaster, born in Dinklage, Germany (d. 1841)
- 1788 Mikhail Vielgorsky, Russian composer, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1856)
- 1832 Paolo Giorza, Italian-Australian composer, born in Milan, Italy (d. 1914)
- 1883 Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, 1918-67). and composer (Feuilles de Printemps), born in Vevey, Switzerland (d. 1969)
- 1894 Aaron Avshalomov, Russian-born Jewish composer, born in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, Russia (d. 1965)
- 1895 Jakov Gotovac, Croatian composer, born in Split, Austria-Hungary (d. 1982)
- 1913 German Leont'yevich Zhukovsky, Ukrainian composer (From The Whole Heart), born in Radziwiłłowo, Russian Empire (d. 1976)
- 1914 Hansje Toussaint [Hermina A Schenk], Dutch singer (Sing of the Cross), born in Den Helder, Netherlands (d. 1984)
- 1917 Julien-François Zbinden, Swiss composer, born in Rolle, Switzerland
- 1918 Jürg Baur, German composer, born in Düsseldorf (d. 2010)
- 1927 Mose Allison, American jazz and blues piano player, singer, and composer ("Everybody's Cryin' Mercy"; "Your Mind Is on Vacation"), born in Tippo, Mississippi (d. 2016)
- 1928 Arthur Cunningham, American composer, born in Piermont, New York (d. 1997)
- 1928 Ernestine Anderson, American jazz vocalist and blues singer, born in Houston, Texas (d. 2016)
- 1929 (Dolores) LaVern Baker [Evans], American blues vocalist (I Cried a Tear), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1997)
- 1930 Hank Garland, American country, rock and jazz guitar virtuoso ("Sugarfoot Rag"; "(Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame"; "Jingle Bell Rock"), born in Cowpens, South Carolina (d. 2004)
- 1930 Vernon Handley, English conductor, born in Enfield, England (d. 2008)
- 1932 Al Levitt, American jazz drummer, born in NYC, New York (d. 1994)
- 1933 Marlene VerPlanck [Pampinella], American jazz and pop vocalist, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2018)
- 1936 Juan Carlos Zorzi, Argentinian composer, and conductor, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1999)
- 1937 Buddy Ace [Jimmie Lee Land], American Texas blues singer, born in Jasper, Texas (d. 1994)
- 1938 Narvel Felts, American country singer (Reconsider Me), born in Keiser, Arkansas
- 1938 Roger Lavern [Jackson], English rock keyboardist (Tornados), born in Kidderminster, England (d. 2013)
- 1943 Karin Kent [Janneke Kanteman], Dutch pop singer, boen in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 1945 Chris Dreja, British rock guitartist and bass player (Yardbirds), born in Surbiton, Surrey, England
- 1945 Vince Martell, American rock guitarist (Vanilla Fudge), born in NYC, New York
- 1946 Len "Chip" Hawkes, British bassist (The Tremeloes), born in London
- 1947 Brad Lee Sexton, American bass guitarist (Little Charlie and the Night Cats), born in North Carolina (d. 1995)
- 1948 Robert John "Mutt" Lange, South African songwriter and producer for rock, pop and country artists (Boomtown Rats; AC/DC; Def Leppard; Bryan Adams; Shania Twain), born in Mufulira, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)
- 1950 Jim Peterik, American rock musician and songwriter (Survivor - "Eye Of The Tiger"), born in Berwyn, Illinois
- 1952 Paul Cowsill, American rock keyboardist (The Cowsills - "We Can Fly"), born in Newport, Rhode Island
- 1953 Andy Partridge, English rock vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter (XTC - "Mayor Of Simpleton"), born in Mtarfa, Malta
- 1953 Kahil El'Zabar [Clifton Blackburn], American jazz percussionist, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1956 Billy Smith, American country singer (Billy & Terry Smith), born in Reidsville, North Carolina
- 1956 Ian Craig Marsh, English, rocker (The Human League, Heaven 17), born in Sheffield, England
- 1958 Luz Casal, Spanish singer, born in Boimorto, Spain
- 1962 Mic Michaeli, Swedish keyboardist (Europe), born in Upplands Väsby, Sweden
- 1962 James Morrison [Lloyd], Australian jazz musician (Morrison Brothers Big Bad Band), born in Boorowa, New South Wales, Australia
- 1968 Wyatt Pauley, Ecuadorean rocker (Linear-I Never Felt This Way, Lies), born in Ecuador
- 1968 David L. Cook, American Christian country singer and comedian, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi
- 1970 Derry Brownson, British rock keyboardist (EMF - "Unbelievable"), born in Gloucester, England
- 1974 Static Major [Stephen Garrett], American R&B singer and songwriter, born in Louisville, Kentucky (d. 2008)
- 1976 Jesse Keeler, Canadian musician (Death From Above; MSTRKRFT), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1982 Lil' Dave [Davis Shelton], American rapper (Another Bad Creation), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1989 Reina Tanaka, Japanese pop singer (d Lovendor.), born in Fukuoka, Japan
Weddings in Music
Wedding of Interest
1957 Country singer June Carter Cash (28) weds former football player Edwin Nix
June Carter Cash
Deaths in Music
- 1677 Barbara Strozzi, Italian singer and composer, dies at 58
- 1895 Julius Tausch, German composer, dies at 68
- 1901 Antonio Zamara, Austrian harpist and composer, dies at 72
- 1907 Henry Gadsby, English musician and composer, dies at 64
- 1912 Joseph Wieniawski, composer, dies at 75
- 1929 Mieczyslaw Soltys, Polish composer, dies at 66
- 1936 Edward German, English Welsh composer (Merrie England), dies at 74
Jerome Kern
1945 Jerome Kern, American composer (Sally, Leave it to Jane), dies at 60
Jerome Kern
- 1954 J. Rosamund Johnson, American composer ("Lift Every Voice And Sing"), dies at 81
- 1956 Victor Young, American composer and orchestra leader (Milton Berle Show), dies at 56
- 1964 Edward Steuermann, Austrian American composer, dies at 72
- 1967 Harry Seymour, American composer, actor (Tenderfoot), dies of heart attack at 76
- 1968 Jeanne Demessieux, French organist and composer (Te Deum), dies at 47
- 1972 Berry Oakley, American rocker and bass player (The Allman Brothers Band), dies in motorcycle crash at 24
- 1973 Stringbean [David Akeman], American banjoist and comedian (Hee Haw), dies at 58
- 1974 Alfonso Leng, Chilean dentist and composer (Doloras), dies at 90
- 1977 Greta Keller, Vienna-born cabaret singer and actress (b. 1903)
- 1979 Dimitri Tiomkin, Russian-American film score composer and conductor (Academy Award 1954-High & Mighty), dies at 85
- 1984 Jan Novák, Czech classical composer, dies at 63
- 1988 William Ifor Jones, Welsh conductor & organist (b. 1900)
- 1993 Erskine Hawkins, American trumpeter and composer (After Hours), dies at 79
- 1993 Olavi Pesonen, Finnish composer, dies at 84
- 1994 Elizabeth Lefanu Maconchy, English composer (My Dark Heart), dies at 87
- 1995 Kenneth S, Goldstein, American folklorist, enthomusicologist, dies at 68
- 1996 Jo Baker, American blues-rock vocalist (Elvin Bishop), dies of liver disease at 48
- 2007 John Peterson, American drummer (the Beau Brummels), dies at 65
- 2014 James Erb, American composer, arranger, and musicologist (Shenendoah), dies at 88
- 2015 Philthy Animal [Phil Taylor], English rock drummer (Motörhead), dies from liver failure at 61
- 2016 Raynoma Singleton [Gordy], music producer and singer-songwriter (Motown), dies at 79
- 2017 Francesco "Frank" Corsaro, American opera director (The Night of the Iguana, Play of the Week), dies at 92
