Huey “Piano” Smith.
Music history and highlights on January 26th from the birthplace of the blues… and rock n’ roll.
Musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (he was prodigy by the time he was 6 yrs old).
1790: Mozart opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” opens in Vienna.
1795: Johann Christoph Freiderich Bach passes on.
1905: Maria Augusta von Trapp (inspiration for “A Sound of Music”) born in Austria.
1908: Jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli born in Paris.
1932: Jamaican record producer Coxone Dodd born in Kingston.
Singer songwriter Lucinda Williams.
1934: Rhythm & Blues pianist Huey “Piano” Smith (“Don’t You Just Know It”, “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”) born in New Orleans.
1953: Highly respected singer songwriter Lucinda Williams (“Passionate Kisses”, “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”) born in Lake Charles.
1955: Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen born in Njmegen, Netherlands.
1957: Sensational Memphis band “Big Star” bassist Andy Hummell born in… well, Memphis of course!
Singer songwriter Anita Baker.
1958: Singer Anita Baker (“Giving You the Best That I Got”) born in Toledo, Ohio.
1958: UB40 bassist and British musician Norman Lamont Hassan born in Birmingham, England.
1961: “Are You Lonesome Tonight” hits No. 1 for Elvis.
1965: 50 plus fans rush the stage at a Rolling Stones concert in Brisbane, Australia, and in the rock n’ roll mayhem Keith Richards’ shirt was torn off.
1965: Petula Clark’s “Downtown” is No. 1 on the British charts (Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played on the track, which also gave Page his 1st No. 1 hit).
1974: Ringo Starr reaches No. 1 on U.S. singles chart with “You’re Sixteen”.
Lionel Richie.
1980: 175,000 people attend a Frank Sinatra concert in Rio de Janeiro.
1980: Prince makes his national Television debut on “American Bandstand”.
1987: Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston win at 14th American Music Awards.
1988: “Phantom of the Opera” opens at the Majestic Theater in New York.
1998: Spice Girls and Babyface win at 25th American Music Awards.
French electronic music duo, Daft Punk.
1998: S. P. Leary, Texas blues drummer who played with Muddy Waters, passes away.
2009: “Blame It (On the Alcohol)” by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain wins Billboard Song of the Year.
2011: Marvelettes founder and lead singer Gladys Horton (“Please Mr. Postman”) passes on.
2014: MacLemore, Ryan Lewis, Lorde and Daft Punk win at 56th Grammy Awards.