Music History

The musical „The Girl from Utah“ premiered at the Knickerbocker Theatre in New York.

Jazz composer and pianist Graeme Bell was born in Richmond, Victoria, Australia.

Singer, songwriter and pianist Ivory Joe Hunter was born in Kirbyville, Texas. He became known for R&B hits such as “I Lost My Mind,” “I Need You So” and “Since I Met You Baby”; some of his songs were later recorded by Elvis Presley.

American baritone singer Al Hibbler, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra and later had success as a solo artist, was born.

The historical events surrounding Leo Frank, who was abducted from prison and subsequently lynched, later inspired the creation of the musical Parade.

R&B singer and rock and roll pioneer Wynonie Harris was born in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1945 he scored his first No. 1 R&B hit with „Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well“.

American blues singer, pianist and songwriter John Len Chatman, known as Memphis Slim, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.

American singer and actress Martha Raye was born.

Canadian bassist Denis Harbour was born in Oka, Quebec.

Jazz trumpeter and bandleader Les Elgart was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

The Original Dixieland Jass Band, shortly after changing the name “Jass” to “Jazz”, made the first recording of the song “Tiger Rag”.

American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Lee Hooker was born in Coahoma County, Mississippi. He later became known for the songs “I'm in the Mood” and “Dimples” and a series of successful albums, including “The Healer” (1989), “Mr. Lucky” (1991), “Chill Out” (1995) and “Don't Look Back” (1997). He died on June 21, 2001, at the age of 83.

Country and Western swing musician Tex Williams, born Sollie Paul Williams, was born in Ramsey, Illinois. He became particularly famous for the song “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)”, which reached number one on the chart.

Composer Laurindo Almeida was born.

Country music promoter Bob Neal was born. He represented Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Sonny James and Tom T. Hall, among others, and became Elvis Presley's second manager in 1955.

Influential jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He composed numerous jazz standards, including “Round Midnight,” “Ruby, My Dear,” “Well, You Needn't” and “Blue Monk.”

Irving Berlin’s musical revue “Yip Yip Yaphank”, while he was still a sergeant in the US Army, premiered at the Century Theatre in New York. It was a wartime musical revue from the period of the First World War.

Composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He became known for his Broadway work, particularly the musical “West Side Story”, and at the age of 25 conducted the New York Philharmonic. During his career he received numerous major awards.

Folk and studio musician Alan Jardine was born.

American radio broadcaster and occasional recording artist Paul Harvey was born.

George Shearing was born in the Battersea district of London. He later became a British jazz pianist and composer, known among other works for the jazz compositions “Lullaby of Birdland” and “Conception”.

Jazz singer Frieda Lipschitz, known professionally as Georgia Gibbs, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She became famous for hits such as “Kiss of Fire”, “Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower)” and “If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake”.

Jazz saxophonist Irv Williams was born.

American country singer and songwriter Ellen Muriel Deason, known as Kitty Wells and the “Queen of Country Music”, was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Her 1952 hit “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” made her the first female country singer to reach No. 1 on the US country chart and the first female country star. Wells died on July 16, 2012, at the age of 92.

English singer Teddy Johnson was born. With his wife Pearl Carr, he formed an English husband-and-wife singing duo that was popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. They represented the United Kingdom at the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest and finished second with “Sing, Little Birdie.”

American jazz drummer and bandleader Art Blakey, also known as Arthur Blakey, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked with leading bebop musicians, including Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. In the mid-1950s, he co-founded the Jazz Messengers with Horace Silver and led the group for approximately 35 years. The band also became famous for helping develop young jazz talent. Blakey died of lung cancer on October 16, 1990, at the age of 71.

American jazz trumpeter, arranger, and composer Charlie Shavers was born in New York City. Early in his career, he gave 1917 as his birth year to circumvent child labor laws, which led to the incorrect year appearing in some older biographies.

Rhythm and blues singer and songwriter Percy Mayfield was born, known for the songs “Please Send Me Someone to Love” and “Hit the Road Jack.”

Detroit station 8MK began broadcasting. In October 1921 it received a commercial license and became station WBL; on March 3, 1922, its call sign was changed to WWJ after it became apparent that WBL could easily be misheard when received. The station broadcasts at 950 AM and is described as the first American radio station to begin regular broadcasting.

Influential jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Charlie Parker, nicknamed Bird, was born in Kansas City, Kansas. He developed the innovative style known as bebop, which influenced musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.

Guitarist Al Caiola, who frequently worked as a session musician in the 1950s, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Famed Italian tenor Enrico Caruso died on August 2, 1921, in Naples at the age of 48.

Richard Adler, Broadway lyricist and composer, was born in New York City.

Herb Ellis, acclaimed jazz guitarist and member of the Oscar Peterson Trio, was born in Farmersville, Texas.

Jazz and blues musician Buddy Collette, a tenor saxophonist, flutist and clarinetist and a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet, was born in Los Angeles, California.

Baskytarista, aranžér a kapelník big bandu Warren Covington se narodil ve Filadelfii v Pensylvánii.

Country singer Webb Pierce was born in West Monroe, Louisiana. He became known, among other things, for his popular version of “In the Jailhouse Now” from 1955.

Jimmy McCracklin was born in St. Louis, Missouri, although some sources list Helena, Arkansas, as his birthplace. He became known as an American pianist, songwriter, and singer, with hits including “The Walk” and “Just Got To Know”.

American actress Nancy Kulp, who also had experience in musical theater, was born.

Composer Ron Grainer was born in Queensland, Australia. He is known, among other things, as the composer of the famous Doctor Who theme.

Ernie Freeman, bandleader and pianist, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He also worked as a session musician and contributed to recordings including Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" and Frank Sinatra's "That's Life".

Sofia Scalchi, an operatic contralto, died.

The New Orleans Rhythm Kings made their first recordings.

The New Orleans Rhythm Kings recorded the song “Tiger Rag”.

British singer and music hall star Marie Lloyd died on October 7, 1922, at the age of 52, several days after collapsing during a performance in Edmonton, London.

American actress Martha Stewart, born Martha Ruth Stewart Haworth, was born in Bardwell, Kentucky. She grew up in Brooklyn and later also worked as a singer and as an actress in film and television.

Fourteen-year-old Benny Goodman landed his first professional engagement as a clarinetist aboard a cruise ship sailing on Lake Michigan near Chicago.

Blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas.

American country and pop singer and songwriter Jim Reeves was born in Galloway, Texas. He was among the first country artists to achieve significant success in pop as well. He became known for the 1957 hit “Four Walls”; in 1960 he had the U.S. No. 2 hit “He'll Have To Go”, and in 1966 the UK No. 1 hit “Distant Drums”. He died on July 31, 1964, in a single-engine aircraft crash in dense fog.