Good Monday morning, dear friend. Welcome to This Day In The History Of Music. Enjoy the read. 1.) On this day in 1913, Arthur Nikisch led the Berlin Philharmonic in one of the earliest recordings of a complete symphony - Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th. This 1913 recording is said to be the first complete sound recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, but there was one made in 1910. This, more properly, would be the first recording by a well-known and famous symphony orchestra. The 1910 recording, on the Odeon label, is credited to Friedrich Kark and the otherwise unknown Odeon Symphony Orchestra. The recording would have been made using an acoustic horn, with the orchestra gathered around the recording device. Nikisch brought his firm grounding in Romantic music to this recording, and it provides valuable insight into the performance practice of the early 20th century. The repeats in the music are omitted because of the limited time on the recording medium. 2.) On this day in 1945, Harry Revel and Arnold B. Horwitt's musical comedy "Are You with It?" opens at Century Theater, NYC, later moving to the Shubert Theatre; it runs for 264 performances. The New York Post calls it "a long-awaited musical comedy hit." Universal purchases the film rights for more than $100,000, and The New York Times urges its readers to "hurry, hurry folks and get your tickets. On second thought, it probably isn't necessary to break a neck: this carnival should be hereabouts for a long time to come. "If you've never heard of this raucous entertainment known as Are You With It?, you are not alone. Despite garnering a cornucopia of remarkable raves, it closed in June 1946 after only 264 performances, with the Times reporting, "The show started with a bang when it first opened at the Century Theatre on Nov. 10 last year. There it flourished until it transferred to the Shubert Theatre on April 30." (Additional information provided by Musical of the Month: Are You With It? | The New York Public Library.) 3.) On this day in 1955, Elvis Presley attended the fourth Country Music Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Back at his hotel, Mae Boren Axton played him a demo of a new song she had written with Tommy Durden called 'Heartbreak Hotel '. Presley released the track as a single on January 27, 1956, his first on his new record label, RCA Victor. The song gave him his first No.1 pop record. 4.) On this day in 1967, The Beatles filmed three promotional films for their new single ‘Hello Goodbye’ at the Saville Theatre in London. Each of the three film clips featured different costumes and Beatle antics. In the first film, they wear their Sgt. In Pepper uniforms, for the second, The Beatles are wearing everyday clothes, the third film clip features shots from the first two films, plus additional shots of (especially John) doing the twist. A Musicians' Union ban on lip-sync broadcasts prevented the films from being used on British television. 5.) On this day in 1973, Elton John started a eight week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', the singers third US No.1. The album which had the working titles of Vodka and Tonics and Silent Movies, Talking Pictures, is his best selling studio album with worldwide sales of over 15 million copies. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville, the album contains the Marilyn Monroe tribute, 'Candle in the Wind', as well as three successful singles: 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting', and the title track. 6.) On this day in 1973, Ship Ahoy is a soul/R&B album by Philadelphia trio The O'Jays, originally released on November 10, 1973, on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard's Black Albums chart and #11 on the Pop Albums chart and launching two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. Ship Ahoy was the highest-selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974. 7.) On this day in 1975, David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Space Oddity ', the track was first released in 1969 to tie in with the Apollo 11 moon landing. Rick Wakeman (former keyboard player with Yes) provided synthesizer backing. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs 'Ashes to Ashes', 'Hallo Spaceboy', and 'Blackstar'. 8.) On this day in 1979, Fleetwood Mac scored their second UK No.1 album with the double set 'Tusk', the 12th album by the British/American rock band. 9.) The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Heartache Tonight', the group's 5th and final US No.1. It made No.40 in the UK. 10.) On this day in 1984, after setting a new record for advanced orders, 1,099,500 copies, Frankie Goes To Hollywood went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP 'Welcome To The Pleasure Dome.' Also on this day, Frankie Goes To Hollywood made their debut TV appearance on Saturday Night Live, performing 'Two Tribes' and 'Born To Run '. 11.) On this day in 1984, Former Rufus singer Chaka Khan was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Feel For You.' Written by Prince, the song featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica, and the Rap was by Grandmaster Melle Mel. The repetition of Khan's name by rapper Melle Mel at the beginning of the song was originally a mistake made by producer Arif Mardin, who then decided to keep it. 12.) On this day in 1990, Vanilla Ice started a 16-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'To The Extreme.' 13.) On this day in 1997, American session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer age of 67. Described by "Guitar Player" magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history, recording with The Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Supremes, The Monkees, The Association, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher and Nancy, and Frank Sinatra. And played on many TV themes, including Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, M*A*S*H, and Batman. 14.) On this day in 2008, Coldplay were declared the biggest-selling act of 2008 at the World Music Awards held in Monaco. The band picked up the prize ‘ along with the Rock Act Of The Year award ‘ after their current album 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' topped charts around the globe. Other winners at the awards included Leona Lewis for Best Pop Female and Best New Artist, Amy Winehouse was the winner in the Female Pop/Rock award, while Alicia Keys was named best in the R&B category. Lil' Wayne bagged the Hip-Hop/Rap Artist award, while Akon was declared the Biggest Internet Artist Of The Year. 15.) On this day in 2014, the song "Uptown Funk" single was released by Bruno Mars (Billboard Song of the Year 2015, Grammy Record Of The Year, Grammy Song of the Year 2016) 16.) On this day in 2023, The Beatles topped the UK charts with their single, 'Now and Then', making them the act with the longest gap between their first and last No.1's. Sixty years after 'From Me to You' topped the charts, Sir Paul McCartney said: "It's blown my socks off!" 'Now and Then' became this century's fastest-selling vinyl single, according to the Official Charts Company. Its first bars were written by John Lennon in 1978, and the song was finally completed last year. Born On This Day In The Music World: 1.) Born on this day in 1636, Francesco Passarini, Italian composer, born in Bologna, Papal States (d. 1694) 2.) Born on this day in 1668, François Couperin was a remarkable French composer, organist, and harpsichordist. He belonged to a family that produced several generations of musicians. François began studying music under the guidance of his father, Charles Couperin. After his father died in 1685, François took on the position of organist at the church of Saint-Gervais in Paris. After eight years, François's exceptional mastery of music was recognized, and he was invited to serve as a court organist. Starting from 1703, he also became a court harpsichordist. It was for the harpsichord, known as the king of musical instruments during the 17th and 18th centuries, that Couperin wrote his main compositions. He published approximately 250 harpsichord pieces of various characters, for which he usually provided programmatic titles such as "Reeds," "Butterflies," "Grape Harvesters," "Harvesters," "The Spaniard," "The Coquette," "Desire," "Fidelity," and others. These miniature sketches were characterized by incredible inventiveness, elegance, and expressiveness. Couperin's compositions gained immense popularity not only in France but also abroad. His contemporaries referred to him as the "great Couperin." On September 12, 1733, François Couperin passed away in Paris, the city where he had spent his entire life. 3.) Born on this day in 1923, English vocalist Anne Shelton, who is remembered for providing inspirational songs for soldiers both on radio broadcasts and in person, at British military bases during the Second World War. She had the 1956 UK No. 1 'Lay Down Your Arms'. Shelton died of a heart attack on 31 July 1994 age of 70. 4.) Born on this day in 1928, Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist Ennio Morricone, who wrote music in a wide range of styles. Morricone gained international fame for composing music for Westerns. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classical works, Morricone is widely considered one of the most prolific and greatest film composers of all time. His filmography includes more than 70 award-winning films. His score to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is regarded as one of the most recognisable soundtracks in history. He died on 6 July 2020, aged 91. 5.) Born on this day in 1929, Marilyn Bergman (née Katz), American Emmy, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning lyricist, with husband Alan ("The Way We Were"; "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"; "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2022) 6.) Born on this day in 1941, Japanese singer and actor Kyu Sakamoto, who had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Sukiyaki'. The track sold over 13 million copies and made Sakamoto the first Asian recording artist to have a No.1 song on the US charts. He was also the first Japanese artist to have a No.1 single on the Australian singles chart. He was killed in a plane crash on 12th August 1985. Sakamoto was aboard Japan Airlines Flight 123 (departing from Tokyo), heading to Osaka for an event. The plane suffered a severe structural failure and decompression before crashing, a disaster that remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history, with 520 people killed. 7.) Born on this day in 1945, Donna Fargo [Yvonne Vaughn], American country singer ("The Happiest Girl in Whole USA"), born in Mount Airy, North Carolina. 8.) Born on this day in 1946, English record producer, songwriter, and arranger Roy Thomas Baker, best known for producing five out of the first seven albums by Queen and the first four albums by The Cars. He also recorded artists including The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Santana, The Mothers of Invention, Free, and T Rex. Baker died on 12 April 2025, at the age of 78. 9.) Born on this day in 1947, American singer, songwriter, and musician Dave Loggins. He is best known for his 1974 hit single 'Please Come to Boston' as well as his 1984 duet with Anne Murray, 'Nobody Loves Me Like You Do'. His second cousin is singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. Dave Loggins died in Nashville on July 10, 2024, at the age of 76. 10.) Born on this day in 1947, American songwriter Allee Willis. She co-wrote many hit songs, including 'September' and 'Boogie Wonderland' by Earth, Wind & Fire, and 'I’ll Be There for You' by the Rembrandts, the theme from the TV sitcom Friends. Her compositions sold over 60 million records. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. She died on 24 December 2019 age of 72. 11.) Born on this day in 1957, Chris Joyce, drummer from Simply Red, who had the 1986 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Holding Back The Years'. They have had five No.1 albums in the UK, with their 1991 album, Stars, one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. 12.) Born on this day in 1961, English singer-songwriter Junior Giscombe, who had the 1997 UK No.6 single with Kim Wilde, 'Another Step Closer To You'. He was one of the first British R&B artists to be successful in the United States. He is best known for his 1982 hit single, 'Mama Used to Say'. 13.) Born on this day in 1966, Steve Mackey, from English rock band Pulp, who had the 1995 UK No.2 single 'Common People'. He quit the band in January 1997. Pulp were regarded among the Britpop "big four", along with Oasis, Blur, and Suede. Mackey died on 2 March 2023 age of 56. 14.) Born on this day in 1968, English singer Steve Brookstein, the winner of the first-ever X Factor UK TV show in 2004. He scored the 2005 UK No.1 single with a cover of Phil Collins' 1984 power ballad 'Against All Odds’. In August 2005, it was announced that Sony BMG had dropped him from their line-up only eight months after his X Factor victory. 15.) Born on this day in 1970, American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ Warren G, who helped popularise West Coast hip hop during the 1990s. His debut studio album, Regulate... G Funk Era (1994) debuted at No.2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. He had the 1994 US No.2 and UK No.5 single, 'Regulate', and the 1996 UK No.2 single with Adina Howard, 'What's Love Got To Do With It'. He is credited with discovering Snoop Dogg, having introduced the then-unknown rapper to record producer Dr. Dre. 16.) Born on this day in 1978, American rapper, singer, songwriter, Eve. Her debut studio album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady (1999) peaked atop the Billboard 200 (making her the third female rapper to do so). She had the 2001 US No.2 and UK No.4 single, featuring Gwen Stefani, 'Let Me Blow Ya Mind'. 17.) Born on this day in 1983, American country singer, songwriter, and musician Miranda Lambert. She gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star. Her fifth album Platinum peaked at No.1 in 2014 on the US album chart. Lambert has been honoured with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the "greatest country music artist of all time" in 2019. Her seventh studio album, Wildcard (2019), went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album. Have a blessed day. Take care and GOD bless.
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