September 30, 1978 - HONORARY Australian, John Travolta, and honorary American, Olivia Newton-John, kicked up their heels in the movie version of Grease. Produced by Adelaide-born honorary Brit Robert Stigwood, Grease was first performed as a stage musical in 1971 in the original Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago, located in an old trolley barn. Travolta and Newton-John had their second worldwide #1 hit from the movie, a song called Summer Nights. It spent seven weeks at #1 in some countries, and was the second best selling single of 1978, beaten by Saturday Night Fever, the movie also produced by Stigwood.
September 30, 1791 - EXACTLY 320 years ago, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), premiered in Vienna, Austria. For information on mozart, go to our archive search engine, but in the meantime, while you are here, why not get acquainted and watch this short movie excerpt from a few years ago, about the life and times of Mozart; then we have a recent version of Mozart's Magic Flute, by Sir Colin Davis, who is conducting the Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
1935 - ORIGINALLY conceived by George Gershwin as an 'American folk opera', Porgy and Bess opened for the first time in Boston, 76 years ago today. With lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, it was based on Heyward's novel, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward. From then to Trevor Nunn's amazing version of today. The musical dealt with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row, in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s. Fast forward to 2006, and a new season of the musical at the Savoy Theatre in London, and directed by Trevor Nunn, who adapted the lengthy opera to fit the conventions of musical theatre; working with the Gershwin estate, Nunn used dialogue from the original novel and subsequent Broadway stage play to replace the recitatives with naturalistic scenes.
1954 - STAR of stage and screen, Julie Andrews made her first Broadway appearance in The Boy Friend, today, but seven years earlier, aged just 12, Ms. Andrews sang God Save The King at Danny Kaye's Royal Command Performance in London - this is the performance, followed by an interview about her homecoming from the States in 1955, plus interviews with she and Rex Harrison on the opening night of My Fair Lady in 1958.
1965 - BRITISH singer/songwriter, Donovan, made his American television debut on the TV show Shindig!, 46 years ago today. He had some great songs, did Donovan, but was incessantly and unfairly compared to Bob Dylan, and that would've been very difficult for him. For more Donovan, go to our archives.
1971 - AS so-called 'prog rock' began its onslaught into the mainstream music market, amongst the front runners was Yes, and this is the day they began their first tour with Rick Wakeman in England. This is a montage of a few songs, plus interviews with the guys, demonstrating how far up themselves they really were. A bit like a lot of us in the sixties!!!
1977 - I wonder if you have seen this video before, or even heard this song before, released 34 years ago to the day, it's Ringo Starr's album, Ringo The Fourth. For all things Ringo, go to our archive search engine.
1987 - ON September 30, at the world-famous Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California, a special one-time event was produced, documenting one of rock and roll's greatest and most unique performances, with rock music icons paying tribute to Roy Orbison. The music legend was joined onstage by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars, and included in the all-star line-up were Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, K.D. Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and many more. Orbison and fellow performers spent a scintillating hour performing many of his greatest hits, including these two massive hits.
1989 - NEIL Young appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed
Rockin' In The Free World, 22 years ago tonight. Couldn't find that version - how about this version?
1998 - OK, this is a bit of fun, from 13 years ago on the American television programme, The Drew Carey Show, when Slash, Joey Ramone and Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson - and others, tried out for lead guitarist in Carey's band.
September 30, 1791 - EXACTLY 320 years ago, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), premiered in Vienna, Austria. For information on mozart, go to our archive search engine, but in the meantime, while you are here, why not get acquainted and watch this short movie excerpt from a few years ago, about the life and times of Mozart; then we have a recent version of Mozart's Magic Flute, by Sir Colin Davis, who is conducting the Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.
1935 - ORIGINALLY conceived by George Gershwin as an 'American folk opera', Porgy and Bess opened for the first time in Boston, 76 years ago today. With lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, it was based on Heyward's novel, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward. From then to Trevor Nunn's amazing version of today. The musical dealt with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row, in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s. Fast forward to 2006, and a new season of the musical at the Savoy Theatre in London, and directed by Trevor Nunn, who adapted the lengthy opera to fit the conventions of musical theatre; working with the Gershwin estate, Nunn used dialogue from the original novel and subsequent Broadway stage play to replace the recitatives with naturalistic scenes.
1954 - STAR of stage and screen, Julie Andrews made her first Broadway appearance in The Boy Friend, today, but seven years earlier, aged just 12, Ms. Andrews sang God Save The King at Danny Kaye's Royal Command Performance in London - this is the performance, followed by an interview about her homecoming from the States in 1955, plus interviews with she and Rex Harrison on the opening night of My Fair Lady in 1958.
1965 - BRITISH singer/songwriter, Donovan, made his American television debut on the TV show Shindig!, 46 years ago today. He had some great songs, did Donovan, but was incessantly and unfairly compared to Bob Dylan, and that would've been very difficult for him. For more Donovan, go to our archives.
1971 - AS so-called 'prog rock' began its onslaught into the mainstream music market, amongst the front runners was Yes, and this is the day they began their first tour with Rick Wakeman in England. This is a montage of a few songs, plus interviews with the guys, demonstrating how far up themselves they really were. A bit like a lot of us in the sixties!!!
1977 - I wonder if you have seen this video before, or even heard this song before, released 34 years ago to the day, it's Ringo Starr's album, Ringo The Fourth. For all things Ringo, go to our archive search engine.
1987 - ON September 30, at the world-famous Coconut Grove in Los Angeles, California, a special one-time event was produced, documenting one of rock and roll's greatest and most unique performances, with rock music icons paying tribute to Roy Orbison. The music legend was joined onstage by an eclectic ensemble of rock and roll superstars, and included in the all-star line-up were Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, K.D. Lang, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and many more. Orbison and fellow performers spent a scintillating hour performing many of his greatest hits, including these two massive hits.
1989 - NEIL Young appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed
Rockin' In The Free World, 22 years ago tonight. Couldn't find that version - how about this version?
1998 - OK, this is a bit of fun, from 13 years ago on the American television programme, The Drew Carey Show, when Slash, Joey Ramone and Cheap Trick's Rick Nielson - and others, tried out for lead guitarist in Carey's band.
