Good Friday morning, dear reader. Welcome to another This Day In The History Of Music. Enjoy the read. 1.) On this day in 1507, John Blanke (also rendered Blancke or Blaaak) (fl. 1501–1511) was a musician of African descent in London from the early Tudor period who probably came to England as one of the African attendants of Catherine of Aragon in 1501. He is one of the earliest recorded black people in what is now the United Kingdom after the Roman period. His name may refer to his skin colour, derived either from the word "black" or possibly from the French word "blanc", meaning white. Little is known about his life, but he was paid 8 pence per day by King Henry VII. A surviving document from the accounts of the Treasurer of the Chamber records a payment of 20 shillings to "John Blanke the Blacke Trumpet" for wages on December 1507, with payments of the same amount continuing monthly through the next year. His annual wage of £12 was twice that of a farm labourer and thrice that of a servant. He successfully petitioned Henry VIII for a wage increase from 8d. to 16d.. Another trumpeter, thought to be of African origin, Alfonso or Alonso de Valdenebro, known as Alonso "el Negro" in Spanish records, came to England in the retinue of Catherine of Aragon in 1501. John Blanke attended both the funeral of King Henry VII and the coronation of Henry VIII in 1509, and is thought to have married in 1512. 2.) On this day in 1786, the oldest performing musical organization in the United States was founded in Stoughton, Massachusetts, as the Stoughton Musical Society. 3.) On this day in 1958, Eddie Cochran made his UK chart debut with 'Summertime Blues'. It reached No.18 in the UK & No.8 in the US. The song has been covered by many artists, including being a No.1 hit for country music artist Alan Jackson and a notable hit for the English rock band, The Who. 4.) On this day in 1966, British rock sensations The Beatles walk into London’s Indica Gallery, where avant-garde Japanese artist Yoko Ono is preparing for the opening of her solo exhibit. Singer and guitarist John Lennon and Ono met when he asked her about Ono’s intriguing art piece— a ladder topped by a magnifying glass that revealed the word “Yes.” The two artists eventually fall in love, prompting an affair that leads to Lennon ending his first marriage to Cynthia Lennon. 5.) On this day in 1967, Reg Dwight (Elton John ) and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin signed to DJM publishing; their signatures had to be witnessed by their parents because they were both under 21 years of age. Taupin answered an advertisement for a lyric writer placed in the New Musical Express; the pair have since collaborated on over 30 albums. 6.) On this day in 1967, The Beatles finished recording ‘Blue Jay Way’, ‘Flying’, and ‘Magical Mystery Tour.’ The Beatles had only six songs, not enough for an album, so they decided to issue a double-EP. Capitol Records didn’t think the double-EP format would be acceptable for the US market, so they decided to put out an album instead. The six "Magical Mystery Tour" songs, with five of the six songs from The Beatles ' 1967 singles, went on side two. 7.) On this day in 1975, A new world record was set for continuous guitar string plucking by Steve Anderson, who played for 114 hours and 17 minutes. 8.) On this day in 1975, Elton John started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Rock Of The Westies', the singer's tenth studio album and seventh US No.1 contained the US No.1 and No.14 UK single, 'Island Girl', which was released before the album. 9.) On this day in 1981, Hall and Oates started a two-week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Private Eyes', the duo's third US No.1, a No.32 hit in the UK. 10.) On this day in 1987, Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'Tunnel Of Love.' His eighth studio album went triple platinum in the US, with 'Brilliant Disguise' being one of his biggest hit singles, peaking at No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 11.) On this day in 1987, Tiffany became the youngest act to score a US No.1 since Michael Jackson ('Ben', in 1972) with 'I Think We're Alone Now'. The song written by Ritchie Cordell was initially a 1967 hit for Tommy James & the Shondells. 12.) On this day in 1999, Geri Halliwell went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lift Me Up', beating former colleague Emma Bunton's single, which entered the chart at No.2. Sales of Geri's single were helped by front-page press reports about her dating Chris Evans. 13.) On this day in 2000, "TP-2.com" 4th studio album by R. Kelly was released (American Music Awards Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist, 2001; Billboard Album of the Year, 2001) 14.) On this day in 2012, A woman died, and 19 others were injured, after scaffolding collapsed outside a Linkin Park concert in Cape Town, South Africa. The temporary scaffolding outside Green Point Stadium came down in high winds just before the concert. The concert went ahead, with the band only learning of the death afterwards. 15.) On this day in 2014, Australian drummer of AC/DC, Phil Rudd, had a charge of attempting to arrange a murder dropped in New Zealand, but he is still facing charges of drug possession and making threats to kill. The U-turn by authorities, announced less than 24 hours after Mr Rudd appeared in court, was because of a lack of evidence, his lawyer said. 16.) On this day in 2014, two wealthy fans paid $300,000 to eat lasagne with Bruce Springsteen at his house. Springsteen started the annual Stand Up For Heroes event by playing an acoustic set, then offering the instrument to the highest bidder. When bidding reached $60,000, he threw in a guitar lesson, which someone offered $250,000 for. At this point, he offered up a lasagne dinner at his house, a ride around the block in the sidecar of his motorbike, and the shirt off his back. All the money went to the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which helps injured servicemen and their families when they return home. 17.) On this day in 2017, British cellist, arranger, conductor, and composer Paul Buckmaster died age of 71. After leading a small orchestral group during a two-month tour with the The Bee Gees in 1968, he started his career as an orchestral arranger on various hit songs, including David Bowie 's 'Space Oddity' (1969) and contributed orchestral collaborations on some early albums by Elton John (1969–72), as well as on the songs 'Sway' and 'Moonlight Mile' on The Rolling Stones ' album Sticky Fingers (1971). Born On This Day Ibn The Music World: 1.) Born on this day in 1785, Frederich Kalkbrenner, German-French piano virtuoso, composer, music publisher, piano maker, and teacher, born in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1849) 2.) Born on this day in 1810, Ferenc Erkel, Hungarian composer (Himnusz - the Hungarian national anthem), born in Gyula, Kingdom of Hungary (d. 1893) 3.) Born on this day in 1866, Paul Lincke, German composer and theater conductor considered the "father" of the Berlin operetta (Frau Luna, Lysistrata), was born in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1946) 4.) Born on this day in 1906, (Ernest) "Red" Ingle, American jazz and novelty saxophonist, songwriter, arranger, and vocalist (Ted Weems; Spike Jones and His City Slickers; The Natural Seven), born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 1965) 5.) Born on this day in 1916, Joe Bushkin, American jazz pianist (Bunny Berigan; Tommy Dorsey; Bing Crosby), composer ("Oh! Look At Me Now"), and TV host (A Couple of Joes), born in New York City (d. 2004) 6.) Born on this day in 1926, Jimmie Haskell [Sheridan Pearlman], American arranger (Ricky Nelson, Chicago, Sheryl Crow), and film and television score composer, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2016) 7.) Born on this day in 1938, American soul singer and songwriter Dee Clark, best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the song 'Raindrops', which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961. He died from a heart attack on December 7, 1990, at the age of 52. 8.) Born on this day in 1942, American musician Johnny Rivers, who had the 1966 US No.1 single 'Poor Side Of Town'. Rivers had a total of nine top-ten hits and 17 top-forty hits on the US charts from 1964 to 1977. 9.) Born on this day in 1943, Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter Joni Mitchell (Roberta Anderson). One of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s, Mitchell became known for her lyrics and unconventional compositions, which grew to incorporate elements of pop, jazz, and rock. She scored the 1970 UK No.11 single 'Big Yellow Taxi', and the 1974 US No.7 single ‘Help Me’. She wrote Woodstock ' a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Matthews Southern Comfort. Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. Mitchell produced or co-produced most of her albums and designed most of her own album covers, describing herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance". The rupture of a brain aneurysm in 2015 led to a long period of recovery and therapy. 10.) Born on this day in 1949, Steven Stucky, American Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Silent Spring; August 4, 1964; Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1988-2009), conductor (Ensemble X, 1997-2006), educator, and musicologist, born in Hutchinson, Kansas (d. 2016) 11.) Born on this day in 1951, Kevin MacMichael, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, best known for being a member of the 1980s UK-based pop-rock band, Cutting Crew, who scored the 1987 US No.1 & 1986 UK No.4 single 'I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight'. MacMichael died of lung cancer on 31 December 2002. 12.) Born on this day in 1954, American rock singer Robin Beck, who had the 1988 UK No.1 single 'First Time', also topped the charts in Austria, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in 1989. The song was taken from a TV advertisement for Coca-Cola. As a backing singer, Beck worked with Melissa Manchester, Chaka Khan, and Leo Sayer. 13.) Born on this day in 1957, American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer John "Jellybean" Benitez, who had the 1987 UK No.10 single 'Who Found Who'. He has also produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. 14.) Born on this day in 1960, American musician Tommy Thayer. He took over from Ace Frehley in the American hard rock band KISS from 2002 to 2023. He was also the lead guitarist for the band Black 'n Blue. 15.) Born on this day in 1964, Liam O'Maonlai, vocals, guitar, piano, from Irish rock group Hothouse Flowers, who scored the 1988 UK No.11 single 'Don't Go'. Their first album, People, released in 1988, became the most successful debut album in Irish history. It reached the No.1 slot in Ireland within a week and eventually reached No.2 on the UK Albums Chart. 16.) Born on this day in 1967, French DJ and producer David Guetta. He produced the Black Eyed Peas song ‘I Gotta Feeling’, and scored the 2009 Australian No.1 single ‘Sexy **ahem**’ featuring Akon. In 2013, Billboard crowned his hit 'When Love Takes Over' (with Kelly Rowland) as the No.1 dance-pop collaboration of all time. His 2022 single with Bebe Rexha, 'I'm Good (Blue)', topped the charts in 22 countries. 17.) Born on this day in 1967, Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist Sharleen Spiteri, from Scottish pop rock band Texas, who had the 1997 UK No.3 single 'Say What You Want', and the 1997 UK No.1 album White On Blonde, which has been certified six-times platinum in the UK. White On Blonde is their biggest seller internationally, selling in excess of four million copies worldwide. 18.) Born on this day in 1971, American guitarist Robin Finck. He is the longest-serving touring musician for Nine Inch Nails, performing with the band from 1994 to 2000, and returning in 2008. Finck was also an official member of Guns N' Roses from 1997 through 2008. 19.) Born on this day in 1978, Mark Read, vocals from British–Norwegian boy group A1, who had the 2000 UK No.1 single, 'Same Old Brand New You'. In the UK, they scored two No.1s and six other top 10 hits, seven of which were written by the band. Adding to this, they won a Brit Award for "British Breakthrough Act" in 2001. On 18 March 2001, during a mall signing in Mall Taman Anggrek, Jakarta, Indonesia, four teenage girls were killed in a stampede to meet the group. 20.) Born on this day in 1988, English rapper, Tinie Tempah (born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu). He rose to fame with the UK No.1 singles 'Pass Out' and 'Written in the Stars' in 2010. He won two Brit Awards in 2011 for Best British Breakthrough Act and Best British Single. In June 2015, he released 'Not Letting Go', the first single from his third album Youth. This gave Tinie his sixth UK No.1, surpassing Dizzee Rascal as the most by any UK rap artist. 21.) Born on this day in 1996, New Zealand singer-songwriter, Ella Yelich-O'Connor, known by her stage name Lorde, had the 2013 worldwide hit 'Royals', making her the first New Zealand solo artist to have a No.1 song in the United States. Her second studio album, Melodrama, topped charts in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Have a blessed day, and a wonderful weekend. Take care and GOD bless.
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