Today is Tuesday May 15, 2012

On This Day

1862 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established by President Abraham Lincoln.

1918 - Regular airmail service between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. began.

1930 - Ellen Church became the first stewardess for an airline.

1938 - Guy Lombardo and orchestra recorded "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride" for Victor.

1940 - Nylon hose went on sale throughout the United States.

1964 - The Smothers Brothers performed for the first time in Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Birthdays - May 15

1856 - Lyman Frank Baum (newspaperman, author: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; died May 6, 1919)

1890 - Katherine Anne Porter (Pulitzer Prize-winning writer: Collected Short Stories [1965]; Ship of Fools; died Sep 18,1980)

1902 - Richard Joseph Daley (‘The Boss': politician: former mayor of Chicago; died Dec 20, 1976)

1905 - Joseph (Cheshire) Cotten (actor: Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Duel in the Sun, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Tora Tora Tora, The Philadelphia Story, Once More with Feeling; died Feb 6, 1994)

1909 - James (Neville) Mason (actor: A Star is Born, Georgy Girl, The Verdict, The Boys from Brazil, Charade, The Desert Fox, Island in the Sun, Jesus of Nazareth, North by Northwest, Lolita; died July 27, 1984)

1910 - Constance Cummings (Halverstadt) (Tony Award-winning actress: Wings; Blithe Spirit, Busman's Honeymoon; died Nov 23, 2005)

1911 - Max (Rudolf) Frisch (author: Homo Faber, I'm Not Stiller, Juerg Reinhardt; playwright: The Firebugs, Andorra; died Apr 4, 1991)

1918 - Eddy (Richard Edward) Arnold (‘The Tennessee Plowboy': Country Music Hall of Famer: Make the World Go Away, Kentucky Waltz, The Last Word in Lonesome is Me, I Want to Go with You, I Wouldn't Know Where to Begin, Bouquet of Roses; TV host; died May 8, 2008)

1923 - Richard Avedon (photographer: famous for his 1960s and '70s ‘up-against-the-wall' pictures of celebrities and politicians; died Oct 1, 2004)

1923 - Ellis Larkins (pianist: favorite accompanist of: Mildred Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams; died Sep 29, 2002)

1930 - Jasper Johns (sculptor, painter: Flag, Face with Watch, After Holbein, Grey Numbers)

1936 - Anna Maria Alberghetti (singer, Tony Award-winning actress: Carnival [1962]; Cinderfella)

1936 - Paul Zindel (writer: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds; died Mar 27, 2003)

1937 - Trini López (singer: If I Had a Hammer, Lemon Tree, I'm Comin' Home Cindy; actor: The Dirty Dozen)

1938 - Lenny Welch (singer: Since I Fell for You, Ebb Tide, Breaking Up is Hard to Do)

1940 - Lainie Kazan (Lainie Levine) (singer, actress: Beaches, My Favorite Year)

1943 - David Cronenberg (director: Crash, M Butterfly, Dead Ringers, The Fly, Dead Zone, Fast Company, They Came from Within)

1947 - Graham Goble (musician: guitar: group: Little River Band: It's a Long Way There, Help is on Its Way, Reminiscing, Lady, Lonesome Loser, Cool Change, The Night Owls, Take It Easy on Me)

1948 - Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno) (musician: synthesizer: Roxy Music [cofounder]; record producer: Seven Deadly Finns; songwriter [w/David Bowie]: Once in a Lifetime)

1953 - Mike Oldfield (composer, musician: Tubular Bells; film score: Killing Fields)

1955 - Lee Horsley (actor: Unlawful Passage, French Silk, Danielle Steele's Palomino, Sword & the Sorcerer, Nero Wolfe, Hawkeye, Paradise, North and South, Book II, Bodies of Evidence)

Top of the Charts - May 15
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
On Top of Old Smokey - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams

1959
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby' Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
White Lightning - George Jones

Today is Monday May 14, 2012

On This Day

Today we Celebrate the lives of Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darrin...

Bobby Darrtin was born this day in 1936.

Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 - December 20, 1973) was an American singer who performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country. He started as a songwriter for Connie Francis, and recorded his own first million-seller "Splish Splash" in 1958. This was followed by "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," which brought him world fame. In 1962, he won a Golden Globe for his first film Come September, co-starring his wife Sandra Dee. Through the 1960s he became more political, and worked on Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaign, being present on the night of his assassination. This affected him and sent him into a period of seclusion. Although he made a successful television comeback, his health was starting to fail, as he had always expected, following bouts of rheumatic fever in childhood. This knowledge had always spurred him on to exploit his musical talent while still young. He died at 37, following a heart operation in Los Angeles.

1998 Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, at the age of 82...there's not space for more than that on Frank...

1796 - English physician Edward Jenner administered the first vaccination against smallpox.

1862 - Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patented the chronograph.

1878 - Vaseline, a brand of petroleum jelly was registered by Robert A. Chesebrough.

1904 - The first Olympic Games in the U.S. opened in St. Louis, MO.

1913 - John D. Rockefeller established the Rockefeller Foundation for $100,000,000 to promote "the well-being of mankind throughout the world."

1937 - Duke Ellington recorded "Caravan" for Brunswick.

1945 - "The Sparrow and the Hawk" was broadcast on CBS radio.

1957 - "New Girl in Town" opened at the 46th Street Theatre in New York City.

1985 - The first McDonald's restaurant, in Des Plaines, IL became the first museum of the fast-food business.

Birthdays - May 14

1727 - Thomas Gainsborough (artist: The Blue Boy, The Watering Place; died Aug 2, 1788)

1900 - Billie Dove (Lilian Bohny) (actress: All the Brothers were Valiant, The Black Pirate; died Dec 31 1997)

1916 - Skip (Lloyd) Martin (bandleader, composer, arranger: Hammer Blow [from Mike Hammer], Singin' in the Rain, Guys and Dolls, April Love, Funny Face, Silk Stockings, Les Girls; died Feb 12, 1976)

1917 - Norman Luboff (choral leader: The Norman Luboff Choir; died Sep 22, 1987)

1921 - Richard Deacon (actor: The Dick Van Dyke Show, B.J. and the Bear, Leave It to Beaver, Carousel, Francis in the Haunted House, The Patsy, Bad Manners, Blackbeard's Ghost; died Aug 8, 1984)

1925 - Al Porcino (jazz musician: trumpet: played with Louis Prima, Tommy Dorsey, Georgie Auld, Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Don Costa, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Jerry Lewis, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, Buddy Rich, Chuck Mangione, Mel Torme)

1925 - Patrice Munsel (soprano: Metropolitan Opera diva [at age 17]; actress: The Great Waltz, Melba; radio performer: The Great Sopranos - Voices of Firestone Classic Performances; radio host: The Patrice Munsel Show)

1936 - Bobby Darin (Cassotto) (Grammy Award-winning singer: Mack the Knife [1959]; Splish Splash, Dream Lover, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby, Things, If I Were a Carpenter; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [1990]; actor: Captain Newman, M.D., If a Man Answers, Come September; died Dec 20, 1973)

1943 - Jack Bruce (musician: bass: group: Cream: Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads; group: Graham Bond Organization; solo: Themes for an Imaginary Western)

1943 - Derek Leckenby (musician: guitar: group: Herman's Hermits: Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter, I'm Henry VIII I Am)

1944 - George Lucas (George Walton Lucas Jr.) (film producer, director: Star Wars series, Indiana Jones series, American Graffiti)

1944 - Troy Shondell (singer: This Time)

1946 - Gene Cornish (musician: guitar group: The Young Rascals/Rascals: Groovin', How Can I Be Sure, A Beautiful Morning, People Got to Be Free)

1952 - David Byrne (singer: group: Talking Heads: Love Goes to Building on Fire; composer for film: True Stories)

1952 - Robert Zemeckis (Academy Award-winning director: Forrest Gump [1994]; Death Becomes Her, Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone, Used Cars, I Wanna Hold Your Hand; script writer [w/Bob Gale]: 1941; executive producer: Tales from the Crypt)

1953 - Tom Cochrane (musician: guitar: group: Red Rider: White Hot, Lunatic Fringe, Young Thing, The Untouchable One, Good Times; solo: Life is a Highway, Sinking Like a Sunset, I Wish You Well)

1962 - Ian Astbury (singer: group: The Cult: Spiritwalker, Resurrection Joe, She Sells Sanctuary)

1966 - Fabrice Morvan (performer, lip-syncer: group: Milli Vanilli: Girl I'm Gonna Miss You, Baby Don't Forget My Number, Blame It on the Rain)

Top of the Charts - May 14
1950
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
It Isn't Fair - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams

1958
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
Return to Me - Dean Martin
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson

Today is Sunday May 13, 2012

On This Day

1821 - Samuel Rust of New York City patented the first practical printing press built in the U.S.

1873 - Ludwig M. Wolf of Avon, CT patented the sewing machine lampholder.

1918 - The first airmail postage stamps were issued in six, 16 and 24-cent denominations.

1938 - Louis Armstrong and orchestra recorded "When the Saints Go Marching In" on Decca.

1954 - "The Pajama Game" debuted on Broadway.

Birthdays - May 13

1842 - Arthur (Seymour) Sullivan (operetta composer [w/Sir William Gilbert]: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance; died Nov 22, 1900)

1911 - Robert Middleton (Samuel Messer) (actor: Harrad Experiment, The Law and Jake Wade, Court Jester, Desperate Hours, Career; died June 14, 1977)

1911 - Maxine Sullivan (Marietta Williams) (singer: Loch Lomand, Cockles and Mussels, If I Had a Ribbon Bow; films & stage: Goin' Places, St. Louis Blues, Swingin' the Dream, Midsummer Night's Dream [w/Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman]; died Apr 7, 1987)

1914 - Johnny ‘Johnnie' Wright (country singer: duo: Johnnie and Jack: Poison Love, Crying Heart Blues; solo: Hello Vietnam; married to singer Kitty Wells since 1937)

1922 - Bea (Beatrice) Arthur (Bernice Frankel) (actress: The Golden Girls, Maude, Mame; died Apr 25, 2009)

1925 - Herbert Ross (director: True Colors, My Blue Heaven, Steel Magnolias, Dancers, Footloose, Pennies from Heaven, California Suite, The Turning Point, The Goodbye Girl, The Sunshine Boys, Funny Lady, The Owl and the Pussycat; actor, director: Play It Again, Sam, Goodbye, Mr. Chips; died Oct 9, 2001)

1937 - Zohra Lampert (actress: Alan & Naomi, Splendor in the Grass)

1939 - Harvey Keitel (actor: Smoke, Pulp Fiction, Rising Sun, The Piano, Sister Act, Thelma and Louise, Bugsy, The Two Jakes, The Last Temptation of Christ, Death Watch, Blue Collar, Taxi Driver, Mother, Jugs and Speed, Shining Star, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Mean Streets, Holy Smoke, U-571)

1941 - Senta Berger (actress: The Victors, See How They Run, The Quiller Memorandum, If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium)

1941 - Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela) (singer: Donna, La Bamba; film biography: La Bamba; killed in plane crash Feb 3, 1959)

1943 - Mary Wells (singer: My Guy, Two Lovers, You Beat Me to the Punch, The One Who Really Loves You; died July 26, 1992)

1946 - Danny Klein (musician: bass: group: The J. Geils Band: Give It to Me, Must Have Got Lost, One Last Kiss, Freeze-Frame, Centerfold, Angel in Blue, Land of a 1000 Dances)

1946 - Tim Pigott-Smith (actor: The Jewel in the Crown, Remains of the Day)

1947 - (Pete) Overend Watts (musician: bass: group: Mott the Hoople: All the Young Dudes, Ballad of Mott, All the Way to Memphis, Saturday Gigs)

1949 - Franklyn Ajaye (actor: The Wrong Guys, Fraternity Vacation, The Jazz Singer, Convoy, Car Wash, Keep on Truckin')

1950 - Stevie Wonder (Stevland Morris) (singer: Fingertips, My Cherie Amour, For Once in My Life, Tears of a Clown, If You Really Love Me, co-wrote I was Made to Love Her; Wonder has won 16 Grammy Awards; an Oscar for I Just Called to Say I Love You [from The Woman in Red: 1984]; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [1989]; has stood up for civil rights, campaigns against cancer, AIDS, drunk driving and the plight of Ethiopians)

1951 - Paul Thompson (musician: drums: group: Roxy Music: Virginia Plain, Pyjamarama, Do the Strand, Editions of You, In Every Dream a Heartache, Street Life, All I Want is You, Out of the Blue)

Top of the Charts - May 13
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Careless Hands - Mel Torme
Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams

1957
School Day - Chuck Berry
A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins
So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley

Today is Saturday May 12, 2012

On This Day

Today is the birthday of Burt F. Bacharach born May 12, 1928. He is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick. Following on with the initial success of this collaboration, Bacharach went on to produce hits with Dusty Springfield, Bobbie Gentry and others.

1831 - The first indicted bank robber in the U.S., Edward Smith, was sentenced to five years hard labor at Sing Sing Prison.

1847 - William Clayton invented the odometer.

1917 - Omar Khayyam, an English bred colt was the first imported horse to win the Kentucky Derby.

1955 - Passengers rode the last run of the Third Avenue elevated, "The El" in New York City.

1971 - The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger married Bianca Perez Morena de Macias.

1978 - The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that it would alternate men's and women's names in the naming of hurricanes.

Birthdays - May 12

1812 - Edward Lear (illustrator, poet, champion of the limerick: Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense; died Jan 29, 1888)

1820 - Florence Nightingale (health activist, nurse: promoted the nursing profession, contributed to modern nursing procedures, founded Nightingale Training School for Nurses; author: Notes on Nursing; died Aug 13, 1910)

1828 - Dante Rossetti (poet: The Blessed Damozel, Sister Helen, The House of Life; artist: The Annunciation; brother of poet Christina Rossetti; died Apr 9, 1882)

1900 - Captain Mildred McAfee (Horton) (1st Director of U.S. Navy WAVES [Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service); Wellesley College President; Distinguished Service Medalist [1945]; died Sep 2, 1994)

1907 - Katharine Hepburn (Academy Award-winning Actress: Morning Glory [1932-33], Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [1967], The Lion in Winter [1968], On Golden Pond [1981]; Adam's Rib, Pat and Mike, The African Queen, The Rainmaker, Rooster Cogburn, Suddenly Last Summer, Mary of Scotland, Love Affair; died June 29, 2003)

1914 - Howard K. (Kingsbury) Smith (journalist, TV anchorman: ABC News; died Feb 15, 2002)

1921 - (Otis W.) Joe Maphis (country singer with wife, Rose Lee: entertainer: Hometown Jamboree, Town Hall Party, Hee Haw; songwriter: Dim Lights Thick Smoke and Loud, Loud Music; died June 27, 1986)

1928 - Burt Bacharach (Oscar-winning composer [w/ Hal David]: Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head [1969]; Tony award for score for Promises, Promises; What the World Needs Now, Walk on By, Close to You, I Say a Little Prayer, Do You Know the Way to San Jose; Oscar-winning team w/wife, Carol Bayer Sager: Arthur's Theme [1981]; That's What Friends are For)

1929 - Samuel Nujoma (President of Namibia [March 21, 1990-present])

1936 - Tom Snyder (broadcast journalist: WNBC, KNBC; host: The Late Show with Tom Snyder, Tomorrow, Contact, The Tom Snyder Radio Show)

1936 - Frank Stella (abstract artist, sculptor, painter: Empress of India, Guadalupe Island)

1937 - George Carlin (comedian: The George Carlin Show, Award Theater, 1st host of Saturday Night Live, The Kraft Summer Music Hall, Wonderful W-I-N-O, Seven Dirty Words, actor: Prince of Tides, That Girl, Car Wash, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure; died June 22, 2008)

1937 - Susan Hampshire (Emmy Award-winning actress: The Forsythe Saga[1969-70], The First Churchills [Masterpiece Theatre, 1970-71], Vanity Fair [Masterpiece Theatre, 1972-73]; The Story of David, Cry Terror, David Copperfield)

1938 - Millie Perkins (actress: Wall Street, Ensign Pulver)

1939 - Ronald L. Ziegler (journalist, Press Secretary for U.S. President Richard M. Nixon; died Feb 10, 2003)

1942 - Ian Dury (singer: Rough Kids, Billy Bentley, Upminster Kid; songwriter: What a Waste, Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick, Sink My Boats, This is What We Find, Reasons to be Cheerful, Delusions of Grandeur, Dance of the Crackpots, The Body Song, Spasticus Autisticus, Profoundly in Love with Pandora; group: Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Sweet Gene Vincent, Billericay Dickie, Paistow Patricia; actor: No. 1, Pirates, King of the Ghetto, Talk of the Devil, Rocinante, Hearts of Fire; died Mar 27, 2000)

1943 - David Walker (musician: guitar: group: Gary Lewis & The Playboys: This Diamond Ring, Everybody Loves a Clown, She's Just My Style)

1945 - Ian McLagan (musician: keyboards: solo LPs: Troublemaker, Bump in the Night; group: The Faces: Stay with Me, Debris, Cindy Incidentally, Pool Hall Richard, You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything)

1948 - Lindsay Crouse (actress: The Juror, The Arrival, Desperate Hours, Places in the Heart, The Verdict, Slap Shot, House of Games, Eleanor & Franklin, All the President's Men, Traps)

1948 - Steve Winwood (singer: groups: Blind Faith; Traffic; Spencer Davis Group: Gimme Some Lovin'; solo: While You See a Chance; Don't You Know What the Night Can Do, Higher Love, The Finer Things, Roll with It)

1950 - Bruce Boxleitner (actor: Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Babe)

1950 - Billy Squier (singer: Everybody Wants You; wrote and sang on soundtrack: Fast Times at Ridgemont High)

1958 - Kim Greist (actress: Homeward Bound series, Throw Momma from the Train, Brazil, Chicago Hope)

1961 - Billy Duffy (musician: guitar: group: The Cult: Spiritwalker, Resurrection Joe, She Sells Security)

1962 - Emilio Estevez (actor: Breakfast Club, Repo Man, Young Guns, Stakeout, The Mighty Ducks, Men at Work, Freejack; Martin Sheen's son, Charlie's brother, Paula Abdul's ex)

Top of the Charts - May 12
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Anytime - Eddy Arnold

1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins

Today is Friday May 11, 2012

On This Day

1816 - The American Bible Society was formed in New York.

1858 - Minnesota entered the United States of America as the Union's 32nd state.

1910 - Glacier National Park in Montana was created by an act of Congress.

1927 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.

1928 - Three times per week, WGY-TV in Schenectady, NY began the first schedule of regular TV programs.

1947 - B.F. Goodrich announced the development of the tubeless tire.

1949 - Israel was admitted to the United Nations.

1949 - Siam changed its named to Thailand.

1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets fail an audition to appear on CBS-TV's Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.

1965 - Liza Minnelli opened in "Flora the Red Menace" at the Alvin Theatre.

1970 - Sammy Davis, Jr. marries Altovise Gore.

1997 - The Deep Blue IBM computer defeated Garry Kasparov to win a six-game chess match in New York.

Birthdays - May 11

1888 - Irving Berlin (composer: Alexander's Ragtime Band, Always, Doin' What Comes Naturally, Puttin' on the Ritz, Blue Skies, Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, Play a Simple Melody, Easter Parade, There's No Business Like Show Business, God Bless America; scores for Broadway shows: Annie Get Your Gun; films: Top Hat, won Oscar for his composition, White Christmas; could neither read nor write music; died Sep 22, 1989)

1894 - Martha Graham (modern dancer: Denishawn dance school and performing troupe, Graham company, established school of modern dance at Bennington College; choreographer: Cave of the Heart, Appalachian Spring; "The center of the stage is where I am."; died Apr 1, 1991)

1904 - Salvadore (Felipe Jacinto) Dalí (y Domenech) (surrealist artist: Accommodations of Desire, The Persistence of Memory, Visage of War; died Jan 23, 1989)

1911 - Phil Silvers (Philip Silversmith) (Emmy Award-winning comedian: The Phil Silvers Show [Sgt. Bilko: 1955, 1956, 1957]; The Beverly Hillbillies, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; died Nov 1, 1985)

1912 - Foster Brooks (comedian, actor: The Villain, Cracking Up, Oddballs, The New Bill Cosby Show, Mork & Mindy, The Dean Martin Show, The Bobby Vinton Show, The Book of Lists; died Dec 20, 2001)

1912 - Doodles (Winstead) Weaver (actor: Road to Nashville, The Errand Boy, The Ladies' Man, Way He Was; died Jan 17, 1983)

1920 - Denver Pyle (actor: The Dukes of Hazzard, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Life & Times of Grizzly Adams, Bonnie & Clyde; died Dec 25, 1997)

1927 - Mort Sahl (comedian: Broadway, night club acts, actor: Don't Make Waves, Doctor You've Got to be Kidding)

1930 - Stanley Elkin (author: Boswell, A Bad Man, The Dick Gibson Show, The Franchiser, The Living End, George Mills, Alex & the Gypsy; died May 31, 1995)

1931 - Dick Garcia (guitarist: LPs: A Message from Garcia, Four Most Guitars [w/Jimmy Raney, Chuck Wayne, Joe Puma]; played w/George Shearing Quintet)

1932 - Valentino (Garavani) (fashion designer: dedicated Collection Blanche to Jackie Kennedy [1967]; his ready-to-wear collections have been shown in Paris since 1969; founded Valentino Academy [1990])

1935 - Doug McClure (actor: The Gambler Returns, Omega Syndrome, The Unforgiven, The Virginian, Search, Roots, Out of this World, The Overland Trail, Checkmate, The Barbary Coast; died Feb 5, 1995)

1941 - Eric Burdon (singer: groups: The Animals: When I was Young, Good Times, San Franciscan Nights, Sky Pilot, Ring of Fire, House of the Rising Sun; Eric Burdon and War: Spill the Wine; soundtrack for: Comeback)

1943 - Les (John) Chadwick (musician: bass: group: Gerry & The Pacemakers: How Do You Do It?, I Like It, You'll Never Walk Alone, I'm the One, Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying)

1946 - Robert Jarvik (physician: inventor of the Jarvik 7 artificial heart [implanted into Barney Clark in 1982: kept Clark alive 112 days])

Top of the Charts - May 11
1947
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) - Red Foley

1955
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
Honey-Babe - Art Mooney
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce

Today is Thursday May 10, 2012

On This Day

1869 - The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railways met.

1872 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull was the first woman nominated to be President of the United States.

1876 - Richard Wagner's "Centennial Inaugural March" premiered at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA.

1905 - Three horses made up the field of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY.

1913 - Donerail won the Kentucky Derby.

1927 - The Hotel Statler in Boston, MA. installed radio headsets in each of its 1,300 rooms.

1930 - The Adler Planetarium in Chicago opened.

1940 - Jimmy Dorsey and orchestra recorded "Perfidia" for Decca.

1964 - Dusty Springfield debuts on U.S. TV on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show, singing "I Only Want To Be With You."

1951 - This is the day, very late in SInatra's Columbia career, that Mitch Miller somehow got Frank to record "Mama Will Bark" with Dagmar. This was done with with Axel Stordahl's orchestra. Axel did not arrange this in any way at all. The vocal impressions of a dog were done by Donald Bain.

1960 - The U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Triton ended its 84 day voyage around the globe.

1963 - The Rolling Stones produced their first recordings.

1982 - After 30 movies in 17 years Elliott Gould made his television debut starring in "The Rules of Marriage" on CBS-TV.

Birthdays - May 10

1899 - Fred Astaire (Austerlitz) (dancer, actor: Funny Face, Silk Stockings, Finian's Rainbow, Daddy Long Legs, Easter Parade, Let's Dance, That's Entertainment, The Towering Inferno; died June 22, 1987)

1899 - Dimitri Tiomkin (conductor, composer: film scores: The Alamo, Dial ‘M' for Murder, Friendly Persuasion, High Noon, It's a Wonderful Life, Lost Horizon, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; died Nov 11, 1979)

1902 - David O. (Oliver) Selznick (producer: King Kong, A Star Is Born, The Prisoner of Zenda, Gone with the Wind, Duel in the Sun, The Third Man, A Farewell to Arms; died June 22, 1965)

1909 - Mother Maybelle Carter (Addington) (musician: played melody on bass strings of guitar, rhythm on treble, singer: group: The Carter Family: Keep on the Sunny Side, Foggy Mountain Top; member Grand Ole Opry: A Jilted Love, Don't Wait; died Oct 23, 1978)

1914 - Charles McGraw (actor: A Boy and His Dog, Cimarron, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, The Defiant Ones, The Horizontal Lieutenant, Spartacus; died July 30, 1980)

1917 - Margo (Maria Marguerita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O'Donnell) (actress: Viva Zapata!, Lost Horizon, I'll Cry Tomorrow, Winterset; died July 17, 1985)

1922 - Nancy Walker (Ann Myrtle Swoyer) (actress: McMillan and Wife; Bounty paper towel spots; Murder by Death, Broadway Rhythm, Forty Carats; died Mar 25, 1992)

1935 - Larry Williams (Lawrence E. Williams) (singer: Short Fat Fannie, Bony Maronie, Dizzy Miss Lizzie; died Jan 2, 1980)

1936 - Gary Owens (Radio Hall of Famer; TV announcer, actor: Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in: "From beautiful Downtown Burbank...", The Gong Show)

1937 - Arthur L. Kopit (playwright: Hands of a Stranger, The Phantom of the Opera, Roswell: The U.F.O. Cover-up)

1938 - Henry Fambrough (singer: group: Spinners: I'll Be Around, Could It Be I'm Falling in Love, The Rubberband Man)

1941 - Danny Rapp (singer: group: Danny & The Juniors: At the Hop, Rock and Roll is Here to Stay; died Apr 5, 1983)

1944 - Jim Abrahams (writer, director: Hot Shots! series, Big Business, Top Secret!, Police Squad, Help Wanted, Airplane!; writer: The Naked Gun; director: Ruthless People, Big Business)

1944 - Judith Jamison (dancer: American Ballet Theatre [debut: 1964], Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre; starred in Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies; choreographer: created works for many companies, Rift, Hymn, Riverside, Sweet Release; autobiography: Dancing Spirit)

1944 - Marie-France Pisier (actress: Prize of the Peril, Miss Right, Chanel Solitaire, We Will Not Enter the Forest, Cousin Cousine, French Postcards, The Other Side of Midnight)

1946 - Graham Gouldman (musician: guitar, singer, songwriter: For Your Love, Evil Hearted You; group: 10cc)

1946 - Donovan (Leitch) (singer: Mellow Yellow, Sunshine Superman, Atlantis; composer: film: If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, appeared in film: The Pied Piper of Hamlin, Brother Sun, Sister Moon)

1946 - Dave Mason (songwriter, musician, singer: Alone Together, Hole in My Shoe, Just for You, Feelin' Alright, We Just Disagree, So High)

1946 - Jimmy Ponder (jazz guitarist: Smokin', Mama Roots, Infant Eyes)

1947 - Jay (John) Ferguson (singer: group: Spirit: I Got a Line on You, Nature's Way; group: Jo Jo Gunne)

1948 - Meg Foster (actress: Undercover, Lady in Waiting, To Catch a Killer, They Live, The Emerald Forest, Carny, James Dean, Adam at 6 a.m., Cagney & Lacey, Sunshine, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill)

1957 - Sid Vicious (John Simon Ritchie) (musician: bass guitarist: Sex Pistols; died Feb 2, 1979)

1960 - Bono (Paul Hewson) (singer: group: U2: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride [In the Name of Love], With You or Without You)

Top of the charts - May 10
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Shoo Fly Pie - The Stan Kenton Orchestra (vocal: June Christy)
One-zy, Two-zy - Phil Harris
New Spanish Two Step - Bob Wills

1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Little Things Mean a Lot - Kitty Kallen
Slowly - Webb Pierce

Today is Wednesday May 9, 2012

On This Day

1868 - A town in Northwestern Nevada was named Reno after General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer of the Civil War.

1930 - A starting gate was used to start a Triple Crown race at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD.

1936 - In New York City a sheet of postage stamps of more than one variety went on sale.

1937 - Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy premiered on NBC radio.

1939 - Ray Eberle recorded "Stairway to the Stars" with Glenn Miller on Bluebird.

1940 - Actress Vivien Leigh made her American theatre debut with Laurence Olivier in "Romeo and Juliet" in New York City.

1958 - Richard Burton made his U.S. network TV debut in "The Dupont Show of the Month" presentation of "Wuthering Heights" on CBS-TV.

1961 - U.S. Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow condemned TV programming as a "vast wasteland" speaking to the National Association of Broadcasters.

1962 - The Beatles signed their first recording contract.

1964 - "Hello Dolly!" was the top pop record in the U.S.

Birthdays - May 9

1800 - John Brown (abolitionist: led attack on Harper's Ferry in 1859; executed [hanged] Dec 2, 1859)

1843 - Belle Boyd (actress; lecturer; author: Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison; Confederate spy; died June 11, 1900)

1860 - Sir James Barrie (author, dramatist: Peter Pan, The Little Minister, The Admirable Crichton, What Every Woman Knows, Dear Brutus; died June 19, 1937)

1882 - Henry J. (John) Kaiser (industrialist: ship builder; auto manufacturer: Jeep; aviation, aluminum, steel, magnesium; founder of Hawaii Kai residential neighborhood in Honolulu; died Aug 24, 1967)

1914 - Hank Snow (Clarence Eugene) (Country Music Hall of Famer: singer, songwriter: I'm Moving On [recorded in 36 languages], Golden Rocket, I Don't Hurt Anymore, Rhumba Boogie, Hello Love, I've Been Everywhere; died Dec 20, 1999)

1918 - Mike (Myron Leon) Wallace (reporter, interviewer: 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace at Large)

1935 - Nokie Edwards (musician: guitar: group: The Ventures: Walk Don't Run, Perfidia, Hawaii Five-O Theme)

1936 - Albert Finney (actor: Tom Jones, Shoot the Moon, Annie, The Dresser, Murder on the Orient Express, Scrooge)

1936 - Glenda Jackson (Academy Award-winning actress: Women in Love [1970], A Touch of Class [1973])

1937 - Sonny Curtis (musician: guitar: group: Buddy Holly & The Crickets: My Little Girl; solo: A Beatle I Want to Be; songwriter: Rock Around with Ollie Vee, Walk Right Back, More Than I Can Say, I Fought the Law)

1940 - James L. Brooks (Emmy Award-winning writer: The Mary Tyler Moore Show [1971, 1977]; Emmy Award-winning producer: The Mary Tyler Moore Show [1975, 1976, 1977], Taxi [1979, 1980, 1981], The Tracy Ullman Show [1989], The Simpsons [1990, 1991]; Academy Award-winning director: Terms of Endearment [1984], I'll Do Anything, Broadcast News, Thursday's Game; screenwriter: I'll Do Anything, Broadcast News, Terms of Endearment, Starting Over, Thursday's Game, Room 222)

1941 - Pete Birrell (musician: bass: group: Freddie & The Dreamers: If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody, I'm Telling You Now, You Were Made for Me, I Understand, Do the Freddie)

1942 - Tommy Roe (singer, songwriter: Sheila, Save Your Kisses; singer: Susie Darlin', Everybody, The Folk Singer, Sweet Pea, Hooray for Hazel, Dizzy, Jam Up Jelly Tight)

1944 - Richie Furay (musician: group: Poco, Buffalo Springfield: I Still Have Dreams, Call It Love)

1945 - Steve Katz (record producer; musician: guitar, harmonica, singer: group: Blood, Sweat and Tears: And When I Die, You Make Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel)

1946 - Candice Bergen (Emmy Award-winning actress: Murphy Brown [1989, 1990, 1992, 1993]; Starting Over, The Group, Boston Legal; daughter of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen)

1949 - Billy Joel (Grammy Award-winning singer: Just the Way You Are [1979]; My Life, You May be Right, It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me, Allentown, Goodnight Saigon, Tell Her about It, Uptown Girl, Piano Man; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [3-15-99])

Top of the Charts - May 9

1945

Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford

I'm Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)

He's Home for a Little While - Dinah Shore

Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills

1953

Pretend - Nat King Cole

Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra

I Believe - Frankie Laine

Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves

Today is Tuesday May 8, 2012

On This Day

1847 - Robert W. Thomson of England patented the rubber tire.

1879 - George Selden of Rochester, NY applied for the first automobile patent.

1886 - Dr. John S. Pemberton first sold his secret liquid originally used for medicinal purposes. Dr. Pemberton's medicine was sold to make people feel better. It's Coca-Cola.

1941 - Anita O'Day recorded "Let Me Off Uptown" on Okeh Records with Gene Krupa's band.

1959 - "One Man's Family" ended on NBC radio after 27 years.

1962 - Zero Mostel starred in the Broadway production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

1984 - Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi (Scott Baio) got married on "Happy Days"!

Birthdays - May 8

1828 - Jean Henri Dunant (author; philanthropist: founder of Red Cross Society; died Oct 30, 1910)

1848 - Oscar Hammerstein I (playwright, producer; died Aug 1, 1919)

1884 - Harry S Truman (33rd U.S. President [1945-1953]; married to Bess Wallace [one daughter: Margaret]; nickname: Give 'em Hell Harry; died Dec 26, 1972)

1895 - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (TV clergyman: Life is Worth Living; died Dec 9, 1979)

1906 - Roberto Rossellini (director: Seven Deadly Sins, The Messiah; died June 3, 1977)

1911 - Robert Johnson (Blues Hall of Famer: singer, songwriter, guitarist: Sweet Home Chicago, Cross Road Blues, Me and the Devil Blues; subject of film, Crossroads; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [1986]; died Aug 16, 1938)

1919 - Lex Barker (Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr.) (actor: A Place Called Glory, La Dolce Vita, Apaches Last Battle, Away All Boats, Executioner of Venice; died May 11, 1973)

1926 - David Attenborough (naturalist, author: Life on Earth, Trials of Life)

1926 - Don Rickles (comedian, actor: Kelly's Heroes, CPO Sharkey, Beach Blanket Bingo, The Rat Race, The Don Rickles Show, Daddy Dearest, Toy Story [film series)

1928 - Theodore C. (Ted) Sorensen (Special Counsel to U.S. President John F. Kennedy; author: Kennedy; Leaders of Our Time, The Kennedy Legacy, Why I Am a Democrat, Watchmen in the night : Presidential accountability after Watergate)

1937 - Thomas Pynchon (writer: V., Slow Learner: Early Stories)

1940 - Peter Benchley (author: Jaws, The Deep, The Island; died Feb 11, 2006)

1940 - Ricky (Eric Hilliard) Nelson (actor: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Rio Bravo, Wackiest Ship in the Army, Love and Kisses; singer: I'm Walkin', Be-Bop Baby, Poor Little Fool, Lonesome Town, Never Be Anyone Else But You, Travelin' Man, Garden Party; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer [1987]; killed in plane crash Dec 31, 1985)

1940 - Toni Tennille (singer: group: Captain & Tenille: Love Will Keep Us Together, The Way I Want to Touch You, Lonely Night [Angel Face], Muskrat Love)

1941 - James Mitchum (actor: In Harm's Way, Code Name: Zebra, Hollywood Cop, Marked for Murder, Ride the Wild Surf)

1944 - Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd) (singer: Rock And Roll (Parts I & II), I'm the Leader of the Gang [i], I Love You Love Me Love, Hello Hello I'm Back Again, Do You Wanna Touch, Another Rock 'n' Roll Christmas)

1953 - Alex Van Halen (drummer: group: Van Halen: Jump, Why Can't This Be Love, When It's Love, Dance the Night Away; brother of Eddie and Michael)

1964 - Melissa Gilbert (actress: Little House on the Prairie, The Miracle Worker, Her Own Rules, Murder at 75 Birch)

Top of the Charts - May 8
1944
I Love You - Bing Crosby
I'll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter

1952
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Easy on the Eyes - Eddy Arnold

Today is Monday May 7, 2012

On This Day

1912 - Columbia University approved final plans for awarding the Pulitzer Prize, the award established by Joseph Pulitzer.

1912 - The first airplane equipped with a machine gun flew over College Park, MD.

1941 - Glenn Miller and orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo"at the Victor recording studios in Hollywood, California.

1951 - Russia was admitted to participate in the 1952 Olympic Games.

1958 - Pianist Van Cliburn signed a contract with RCA Victor Records.

1987 - Shelly Long made her last appearance as a regular on the TV show, "Cheers."

Birthdays - May 7

1812 - Robert Browning (poet: Pauline, Men and Women, The Ring and the Book, Pippa Passes: God's in His Heaven - All's Right with the World; married to poet, Elizabeth Barrett; died Dec 12, 1889)

1833 - Johannes Brahms (composer: Requiem, Symphony #1 in C Minor, Symphony #4 in E Minor; died Apr 3, 1897)

1840 - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (composer: Marche Slave, 1812 Overture, Swan Lake, Nutcracker Suite, Romeo and Juliet; died Nov 6, 1893)

1861 - Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel prize-winner: literature [1913]; Hindu poet, mystic, musical composer; died Aug 7, 1941)

1885 - Gabby (George Francis) Hayes (actor: sidekick of both Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers, appeared in over 100 films; vaudevillian, silent movie villain; died Feb 9, 1969)

1892 - Archibald MacLeish (Pulitzer Prize-winning poet: Conquistador [1933], Collected Poems, 1917-1952 [1953]; U.S. Librarian of Congress; died Apr 20, 1982)

1901 - Gary (Frank James) Cooper (Academy Award-winning actor: Sergeant York [1941], High Noon [1952]; Beau Geste, The Virginian, The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell, The Wreck of the Mary Deare; died May 13, 1961)

1919 - Eva (Evita) Peron (Argentina's spiritual leader and wife of Argentina's President, Juan Peron; actress on stage, film and radio; autobiography: "The Reason for My Life"; founder and president of the union entity: Agrupacion Radial Argentina; subject of the Broadway musical and film "Evita"; died July 26, 1952)

1921 - Gale Robbins (actress, singer: The Barkley's of Broadway, The Fuller Brush Girl, Three Little Words, The Belle of New York; died Feb 12, 1980)

1922 - Darren McGavin (actor: The Night Stalker, Airport '77, A Christmas Story, Billy Madison, Child in the Night, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Martian Chronicles, The Natural, Perfect Harmony, Dead Heat; died Feb 25, 2006)

1923 - Anne Baxter (actress: The Ten Commandments, Walk on the Wild Side, All About Eve, Cimarron, East of Eden, Homecoming; died Dec 12, 1985)

1927 - Jim Lowe (songwriter/singer: Green Door; songwriter: The Gambler's Guitar, Close the Doors They're Coming in the Windows; DJ: WCBS, WNBC, WNEW; syndicated host: Jim Lowe and Friends)

1930 - Totie Fields (Sophie Feldman) (entertainer, comedienne: "I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks."; died August 2, 1978)

1931 - Teresa Brewer (Theresa Breuer) (singer: Music, Music, Music, Ricochet, Let Me Go Lover, A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl, 'Til I Waltz Again with You; actress: Redheads from Seattle; died Oct 17, 2007)

1939 - Jimmy Ruffin (singer: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, Hold on to My Love, There Will Never be Another You)

1942 - Lorrie (Lawrencine May) Collins (country singer: rockabilly group [w/Larry Collins]: The Collins Kids: Rock Away Rock, In My Teens, Rock Boppin' Baby, Hop Skip & Jump; featured on TV: Town Hall Party, Grand Ole Opry, Steve Allen Show)

1943 - Ricky West (musician: guitar: group: Brian Poole & The Tremeloes: Twist & Shout, Do You Love Me, Someone Someone, Silence is Golden)

1950 - Tim Russert (TV host, moderator: NBC: Meet the Press, CNBC: Tim Russert; died Jun 13, 2008)

1951 - Janis Ian (Janis Eddy Fink) (Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer: At Seventeen [1975]; Society's Child)

Top of the Charts - May 7
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Sparrow in the Treetop - Bing Crosby
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams

1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby' Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
White Lightning - George Jones