September 25, 1906 - RUSSIAN composer, Dimitri Shostakovich, was born today, destined as he was, to be one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. Despite Leon Trotsky's chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky being his early patron, he had a complex and difficult relationship with the Stalinist bureaucracy, his music officially & intermittently denounced and banned. His works were popular with the public, however, despite his hybrid style, at times, of the beautiful alongside the grotesque. For me there was non so calming and beautiful than this composition, The Second Waltz.
1934 - This is the day that musician & composer Henry Busse recorded Hot Lips with his orchestra, the song appearing many years later in the movie, The Colour Purple. This is a tribute to the song and to Busse, in 1971 - what do you reckon?
1953 - When I was a little boy, I can remember my mother and all of my aunties just absolutely loving Liberace, and this was the day, 58 years ago, the musical maestro and showman made his debut at Carnegie Hall for a sell-out crowd. He was quite the king/queen of schmaltz, was Liberace, but a huge international superstar, for sure, and here he is in all his glory.
1954 - Elvis Presley appeared live on Grand Ole Opry tonight in '54, and performed Blue Moon of Kentucky, a song written by one of his idols, country music legend, Bill Monroe. Elvis thought the Monroe-signature song would be his first hit, but as it turned out, the public preferred the fipside, That's All Right Mama. On this night's debut performance of Blue Moon, Elvis was quite distressed when the Grand Ole Opry audience didn't respond and Elvis was nervous when he went backstage and saw its creator - Bill Monroe. I'll let folks who were there tell these story.This is what happened.
1964 - Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, turned down an offer of GBP 3.5 million for his management contract with Beatles & other so-called 'British invasion' groups. This was just a year to the day prior to the debut of the Beatles cartoon series aired from September 25, 196 to April 20, 1969 on the American ABC Television network. The Beatles themselves did not provide the voices for their cartoon counterparts. Watch this first episode, now 46 years old.
1975 - Dynamic soul/rock performer, Jackie Wilson, collapsed today, while performing Lonely Teardrops at the Latino Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, after suffering a heart attack which subsequently caused brain damage. He eventually died in 1984 after spending the rest of his life in hospitals. Wilson was, without doubt, one of rock/soul music's greatest voices. Here are three of his biggest hits, all three being less-seen videos.
1979 - There was such a fuss when the musical Evita opened on Broadway, 32 years ago tonight. It was the third collaboration of Tim Rice and Andre Lloyd Webber, and was later made into a movie starring Madonna. Patti LuPone, Bob Gunton and Mandy Patinkin led the original 1979 Broadway cast, and here is their a performance of A New Argentina at the Tony Awards of the same year.
1980 - Yet another of rock's great drummers, Led Zeppelin's John "Bonzo" Bonham, died today, of asphyxiation on his own vomit due to over-consumption of alcohol. The group eventually decided to disband when they determined that their drummer couldn't be replaced. Following are thoughts of those closest about his death, followed by a frustrated Billy Connolly attempting to interview Bonham, then finally, a montage of his best drum solos. RIP Bonzo.
1990 - Little Richard Boulevard was named and opened today, in Macon, Georgia, the birthplace of Little Richard, who really was one of the original architects of rock'n'roll music, who voice stood above all others, who piano playing was a class of its own, who showmanship soared, and these videos show why. Little Richard was the one that motivated me into rock'n'roll.
1995 - Lawdy, lawdy, Mariah Carey became only the second to score a single debut at #1 on the billboard Hot 100 with her smash hit, Fantasy. The first artist to accomplish this feat was Michael Jackson with You Are Not Alone. But right now…heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ms. Carey. Sensational performance.
1934 - This is the day that musician & composer Henry Busse recorded Hot Lips with his orchestra, the song appearing many years later in the movie, The Colour Purple. This is a tribute to the song and to Busse, in 1971 - what do you reckon?
1953 - When I was a little boy, I can remember my mother and all of my aunties just absolutely loving Liberace, and this was the day, 58 years ago, the musical maestro and showman made his debut at Carnegie Hall for a sell-out crowd. He was quite the king/queen of schmaltz, was Liberace, but a huge international superstar, for sure, and here he is in all his glory.
1954 - Elvis Presley appeared live on Grand Ole Opry tonight in '54, and performed Blue Moon of Kentucky, a song written by one of his idols, country music legend, Bill Monroe. Elvis thought the Monroe-signature song would be his first hit, but as it turned out, the public preferred the fipside, That's All Right Mama. On this night's debut performance of Blue Moon, Elvis was quite distressed when the Grand Ole Opry audience didn't respond and Elvis was nervous when he went backstage and saw its creator - Bill Monroe. I'll let folks who were there tell these story.This is what happened.
1964 - Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, turned down an offer of GBP 3.5 million for his management contract with Beatles & other so-called 'British invasion' groups. This was just a year to the day prior to the debut of the Beatles cartoon series aired from September 25, 196 to April 20, 1969 on the American ABC Television network. The Beatles themselves did not provide the voices for their cartoon counterparts. Watch this first episode, now 46 years old.
1975 - Dynamic soul/rock performer, Jackie Wilson, collapsed today, while performing Lonely Teardrops at the Latino Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, after suffering a heart attack which subsequently caused brain damage. He eventually died in 1984 after spending the rest of his life in hospitals. Wilson was, without doubt, one of rock/soul music's greatest voices. Here are three of his biggest hits, all three being less-seen videos.
1979 - There was such a fuss when the musical Evita opened on Broadway, 32 years ago tonight. It was the third collaboration of Tim Rice and Andre Lloyd Webber, and was later made into a movie starring Madonna. Patti LuPone, Bob Gunton and Mandy Patinkin led the original 1979 Broadway cast, and here is their a performance of A New Argentina at the Tony Awards of the same year.
1980 - Yet another of rock's great drummers, Led Zeppelin's John "Bonzo" Bonham, died today, of asphyxiation on his own vomit due to over-consumption of alcohol. The group eventually decided to disband when they determined that their drummer couldn't be replaced. Following are thoughts of those closest about his death, followed by a frustrated Billy Connolly attempting to interview Bonham, then finally, a montage of his best drum solos. RIP Bonzo.
1990 - Little Richard Boulevard was named and opened today, in Macon, Georgia, the birthplace of Little Richard, who really was one of the original architects of rock'n'roll music, who voice stood above all others, who piano playing was a class of its own, who showmanship soared, and these videos show why. Little Richard was the one that motivated me into rock'n'roll.
1995 - Lawdy, lawdy, Mariah Carey became only the second to score a single debut at #1 on the billboard Hot 100 with her smash hit, Fantasy. The first artist to accomplish this feat was Michael Jackson with You Are Not Alone. But right now…heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ms. Carey. Sensational performance.
