Good Thursday morning and welcome to This Day In The History Of Music. Enjoy the read. 1. On this day in 1945 Harry Revel and Arnold B. Horwitt's American musical comedy "Are You with It?" opens at Century Theater, NYC, The musical book by Sam Perrin and George Balzer is based on the novel Slightly Perfect by George Malcolm-Smith. The production opened on Broadway at the New Century Theatre where it ran from November 10, 1945, through April 27, 1946. The show then moved to the Shubert Theatre where it played from April 30 through June 29, 1946, closing after a total of 264 performances. 2. 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. 3. On this day in 1956 Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer's musical "Li'l Abner", based on the hillbilly comic strip, opens at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 693 performances. (SideNote) This Day In Music makes no mention of this musical, Wikipedia provides this information Li'l Abner is a 1956 musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies, but it is also a pointed satire on other topics, ranging from American politics and incompetence in the United States federal government to propriety and gender roles. After several other writers and composers considered musicalizing the comic strip, Al Capp finally made a deal in 1955 with the eventual creators for a musical to be financed by Paramount Pictures, which wanted to follow the stage version with a film musical. The Broadway production opened on November 15, 1956, and ran for a moderately successful 693 performances. The score and Michael Kidd's choreography received critical praise, but some critics felt that the book's adaptation lost the spirit of the comic strip. Kidd and Edie Adams, as Daisy Mae, won Tony Awards, while newcomer Peter Palmer, in the title role, won a Theatre World Award. Paramount released a film version with the same title in 1959, with most of the Broadway cast reprising their roles. Wikipedia as well as On This Day In Music History agree on everything except for the date. I will not re-post this again on the 15th. 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 the Beatles' antics. In the first film, they wear their Sgt. 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 Musician's Union ban on lip-sync broadcasts prevented the films from being used on British television. 5. On this day in 1973 Elton John started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the singer's third US No.1. The album 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 rhythm and blues album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, 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. The album, which achieved RIAA platinum certification in 1992 for over 1 million copies sold, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest-selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974. 7. On this day in 1975 Patti Smith released her debut studio album Horses. Produced by John Cale, Horses has since been viewed by critics as one of the greatest and most influential albums in the history of the American punk rock movement, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. Horses have also been cited as a key influence on a number of acts, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Smiths, R.E.M., and PJ Harvey. 8. 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'. 9. On this day in 1975 The Eagles went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Heartache Tonight'. The track was included on their album The Long Run and released as a single in 1979. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in November of that year and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America representing one million copies sold. It was the Eagles' final chart-topping song on the Hot 100. 10. On this day in 1975 Fleetwood Mac scored their second UK No.1 album with the double set 'Tusk'. Tusk peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 in the United States but spent less than nine months on the chart. It was certified double platinum for shipping two million copies. It peaked at number one in the UK and achieved a platinum award for shipments in excess of 300,000 copies. The album gave the group two US top-10 hit singles, with the Buckingham-penned title track (US number eight/UK number six). 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 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. 13. On this day in 1986 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band "Live/1975-85", a 5 LP box set of concert recordings. 14. On this day in 1990 Vanilla Ice started a 16-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'To The Extreme.' Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, Hooked, in 1989 on Ichiban Records, before signing a contract with SBK Records, a record label of the EMI Group, which released a reformatted version of the album in 1990 under the title To the Extreme which became the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time and contained Ice's best-known hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and a cover of "Play That Funky Music". "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard charts and has been credited with helping to diversify hip-hop by introducing it to a mainstream audience. Although he was successful, Ice later regretted his business arrangements with SBK, which had paid him to adopt a more commercial appearance to appeal to a mass audience, and published fabricated biographical information without his knowledge. Soundtrack appearances and a live album, Extremely Live, continued the success, but a second mainstream studio album, Mind Blowin', featured an image change which saw a massive drop in popularity for Ice, and his subsequent albums, Hard to Swallow, Bi-Polar, and Platinum Underground, failed to chart or receive much radio airplay. In 2009, Ice began hosting The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network. 15. On this day in 1997 American session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer aged 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. 16. On this day in 2008 Coldplay was 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. 17. On this day in 2010 44th Country Music Association Award: Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert & Blake Shelton win. Held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ceremony was hosted by ACM Award winner Reba McEntire. 18. On this day in 2014 "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) 19. Allen Toussaint the American musician, songwriter, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B died aged 77 while on tour in Madrid, Spain. Many artists recorded his songs including; 'Mother-in-Law', 'Fortune Teller', 'Ride Your Pony', 'Working in the Coal Mine', 'Here Come the Girls, 'Yes We Can Can' and 'Southern Nights. Alison Krauss and Robert Plant covered 'Fortune Teller' on their 2007 album Raising Sand. Born On This Day In The Music World. 1. Born on this day in 1636 Francesco Passarini was an Italian composer and organist. His last name is given variously as Pasarini, Passarino, and Passerini. A native of Bologna, Passarini was the son of Antonio and Angela Cuppini; his name at birth was Camillo. Died 09/23/1694. 2. Born on this day in 1759 Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life, Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendship with the already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They frequently discussed issues concerning aesthetics, and Schiller encouraged Goethe to finish works that he had left as sketches. This relationship and these discussions led to a period now referred to as Weimar Classicism. They also worked together on Xenien, a collection of short satirical poems in which both Schiller and Goethe challenge opponents of their philosophical vision. 3. Born on this day in 1891 Carl Stalling is the most famous unknown composer of the 20th century, almost solely based on his work composing musical scores for animated cartoons. Stalling's first work in music was as house organist at Newman Theatre in Kansas City, where he would accompany the latest silent film with his organ playing. He soon came to the attention of fellow Kansan Walt Disney, who recruited Stalling as musical director for his fledgling animation company. At Disney, Stalling invented the "tick" method, a timing device that allows animators to set the tempo of the cartoons so that the musicians can play along before the cartoon is even drawn! Stalling created the music for Disney's early "Silly Symphonies", including The Skeleton Dance (1929). Stalling left Disney in 1930 to join the new animation group at Warner Brothers. The advantage for Stalling was that he now had access to Warner's enormous library of popular songs, which he began to employ as a sort of musical pun. For example, any scene showing someone freezing would be accompanied by a bit of "Am I Blue?", or any shot of a country bumpkin would be followed by a few bars of "Arkansas Traveller." Stalling's main source of musical inspiration, however, was the works of Raymond Scott; Scott's "Powerhouse" theme is forever linked with Stalling's work for Warners. Stalling was a quiet man, granting only one interview about his work (for "Funny world" magazine). 4. Born on this day in 1923 English vocalist Anne Shelton 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 at age 70. 5. Born on this day in 1928 Ennio Morricone OMRI was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. 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, all of Sergio Leone's films since A Fistful of Dollars, all of Giuseppe Tornatore's films since Cinema Paradiso, The Battle of Algiers, Dario Argento's Animal Trilogy, 1900, Exorcist II, Days of Heaven, several major films in French cinema, in particular the comedy trilogy La Cage aux Folles I, II, III and Le Professionnel, as well as The Thing, Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, The Untouchables, Mission to Mars, Bugsy, Disclosure, In the Line of Fire, Bulworth, Ripley's Game, and The Hateful Eight. His score to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is regarded as one of the most recognizable and influential soundtracks in history. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 6. Born on this day in 1929 Marilyn Bergman. Alan Bergman and Marilyn Keith Bergman were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, were honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys, and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 7. Born on this day in 1941 Kyu Sakamoto, (1963 US No.1 & UK No.6 single 'Sukiyaki', the first ever Japanese US No.1). Killed in a plane crash on 12th August 1985. 8. 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 72. 9. Born on this day in 1945 Donna Fargo is an American country singer-songwriter known for a series of Top 10 country hits in the 1970s. These include "The Happiest Girl In The Whole U.S.A." and "Funny Face", both of which were released in 1972 and became crossover pop hits that year. 10. Born on this day in 1947 Glenn Buxton, guitarist with the Alice Cooper Band, who had the 1972 UK No.1 & US No.7 single 'School's Out, the 1972 hit 'Elected', and the 1973 US & UK No.1 album Billion Dollar Babies. He died on 19 October 1997. 11. Born on this day in 1947 Greg Lake, British rock vocalist and bassist (King Crimson, 1968-70 - "I Talk To The Wind"; Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Lucky Man"), was born in Poole, Dorset, England (d. 2016) (SideNote) On This Day In The History Of Music and Wikipedia agree Greg Lake was born in 1947, This day In Music has him born in the year 1948. 12. Born on this day in 1978 Eve is US female rapper, (2001 UK No.4 single, featuring Gwen Stefani, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" is a song by American rapper Eve, featuring American singer Gwen Stefani. It was released on April 2, 2001, as the second and final single from Eve's second album, Scorpion. It became Eve's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two on the week of August 18, 2001. Worldwide, the song reached number 29 in Canada, number four in Australia and the United Kingdom, and number one in Belgium, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland. 13. Born on this day in 1983 Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country music singer and songwriter. She started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition that aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored with the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history. Have a great Thursday, take care, and stay safe.
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